Chapter 13
Chapter 13
"Sigh, a guy who doesn't know a single thing about idols goes and starts a company....... I always felt sorry for Sanho for no reason and it pained me every time I saw him, but still, his expression really brightened up after you came, Chaegyeom."
From Manager Lee's lament, I deduced that all of Sorasum's employees originally knew each other somehow.
It wasn't surprising since companies of this size typically ran on personal connections.
"Our Chaegyeom is really something, so spirited even though the company's never done anything for him. It would've been nice if Sanho came along too....... Oh, the friend next to you? What's your name?"
"I'm Baek Gyeonwoo."
"Right, Gyeonwoo! Be good friends with our Chaegyeom here."
It seemed Manager Lee was laboring under the misconception that MAKE100% was an ordinary school.
With both hands neatly folded on his knees and his back ramrod straight, the Yoos trainee—no, Baek Gyeonwoo—answered politely, as if this situation didn't faze him in the slightest.
"Yes."
Then he turned his head toward me and said flatly.
"Let's be friends."
......Wasn't that the tone parents used when forcing their kids to become friends?
Whatever his ulterior motive was, Manager Lee's expression reflected in the rearview mirror was already brimming with satisfaction.
"My, both of you are so tall and handsome, you shine just standing next to each other. If you debut together, the whole nation will be buzzing."
"Thank you."
Once again, the impeccably polite Baek Gyeonwoo answered courteously.
I pretended to be so shy that I'd turned taciturn, dodging the response with silence and turning my gaze out the window.
'The only way to debut with him is through this program.'
In other words, it wasn't going to happen.
We were bound to walk our own separate paths anyway. Maybe in front of cameras, but there was no need to get close in private.
Besides.
'There's no harm in being cautious.'
Whether it was a PD pick or outright rigging, in the end everything came down to money.
Wouldn't suspicion naturally fall on a major agency drowning in cash rather than an X-so whose only act of goodwill toward a broadcasting station was a gift coupon? It couldn't be helped.
Even if my speculation was wrong, keeping my distance from Yoos was the logical conclusion if I factored in all the possibilities.
"Ah! Now that I think about it, I didn't even ask where you live. Our Gyeonwoo here, shall I drop you off at your company building?"
"......May I input it myself?"
While we were stopped at a red light, Baek Gyeonwoo leaned forward and entered his destination into the navigation.
As I listened to the mechanical voice divulge his information, I thought to myself.
'That's close to my study room.'
It was in the opposite direction from Yoos, though. Was he heading straight home?
"What about you, Chaegyeom? Want me to drop you off at home?"
"Kim Sanho's at the office, right?"
"I imagine so."
"Then I'll stop by the practice room too."
Speaking of which, I sometimes forget my study room even exists, but I'd reached a point where getting rid of it entirely would be inconvenient anyway.
Since I'd been practicing day and night, I'd grown accustomed to living in the practice room before I knew it.
A foldable bed had also materialized as a sort of welcome gift. I wasn't sure if I was worthy of receiving such magnificent welfare.
'The dorm... they said they're looking into it.'
Originally at a small agency like this, dorms were only assigned once a trainee was confirmed as part of the debut team.
To be precise, after signing an exclusive contract that guaranteed return on investment.
Since my contract, revised before the show appearance, stated that it would only convert to an exclusive deal upon debut confirmation, I was still on a trainee contract.
Being in a position where I could bolt at any time meant the company probably had less trust in me. Maybe that was why progress had been so slow lately.
Ha, not that I could leave anyway because of the System.
"Seo Cha-gyeom."
"......Yes?"
When I turned my head toward the voice, Baek Gyeonwoo was staring at me with that signature expressionless face of his.
"I'm getting out soon."
"Ah, take care."
I answered and turned my head back toward the window.
Moments later, I heard rustling beside me, and the car began to decelerate. We seemed to have arrived.
"Stay safe, Gyeonwoo! See you again!"
"Thank you for the ride."
Baek Gyeonwoo, who'd been as courteous as a grateful magpie, reset the corners of his mouth to neutral the moment he looked at me.
"See you next time."
"Get inside safely, hyung."
'Cold.'
Then again, I was the one who'd distanced myself first, so I didn't exactly have any complaints.
Baek Gyeonwoo bent himself in half one last time in a bow and carefully closed the door.
Manager Lee, who'd been tracking Baek Gyeonwoo's movements in the rearview mirror, only started the car again once he confirmed that he'd crossed the crosswalk.
"But why isn't his company picking him up? I know he's twenty, but he's still just a kid. That's too harsh."
"Right?"
I'd been curious about the exact same thing.
Yoos was a company that used artist welfare as a selling point and even ran their own viral marketing campaigns.
A company like that, not assigning even a single road manager to a trainee appearing on a massive program? Something was definitely off.
'If he's twenty, he must've failed to make the debut team and wound up here. What was the name of that group that debuted from Yoos recently?'
.......
Wait a second.
"That hyung—no, is he the same age as me?"
"Huh? Oh, you didn't know? I told you earlier."
......When?
* * *
[Incoming Call: Yoos Manager Woo Gyeongyun]
"......."
Click.
"Yes, Manager."
—Gyeonwoo, where are you? Why are you only answering now?
"Didn't see it."
—Didn't see....... Ha....... Fine. I'll accept that. Where the hell are you? I came to pick you up but you're nowhere to be found.
"A manager from another company gave me a ride. Sorry. I didn't see it."
—What? Where to? Did you go to the dorm?
"No."
Baek Gyeonwoo flopped onto the bench at the bus stop, setting his phone down for a moment and watching the cars speed along the road.
A bus stopped, blocking his view, spat out a crowd of people, then barreled off back the way it came.
During all this, he'd been debating whether to hang up or not, but ultimately he lifted the phone back to his ear.
It was a few seconds later that a voice sounded through the receiver.
—......Gyeonwoo.
"Yes."
—If you don't debut there, you'll have to work with them anyway. Acting like this only hurts you in the end.
"I know."
—Is it because you think you can debut? Where's all this confidence coming from?
'It's not that I think I can.......'
He swallowed back words that threatened to spill out if he let his guard down for even a second.
Realizing he'd been unconsciously scratching the scar under his eye, he clicked his tongue softly so the other end wouldn't hear.
He should've just not answered in the first place. Belated regret washed over him.
"I'll sleep elsewhere tonight."
—Gyeonwoo, when exactly do you plan on coming back to the dorm......!
Beep.
Having powered his phone off completely, Baek Gyeonwoo dropped both arms onto the bench and swung his legs.
Then he stared blankly in the direction Sorasum's car had driven off, muttering to himself.
"Where should I go now......."
* * *
"Hyung!"
The moment I stepped into the practice room, Kim Sanho came fluttering over. We'd only been apart for five days, but anyone watching would think we were having some dramatic reunion.
Truth be told, I was glad to see him too.
The training camp hadn't been entirely pleasant, after all.
"The bug, please catch the bug......."
Although, he seemed to be glad for other reasons.
"Where is it?"
"Inside that box over there....... But seriously, it has so many legs, an insane amount. What's the point of having that many? Do they even all function......."
"Either film a nature documentary or be scared. Pick one."
Kim Sanho pointed with his finger at a small box sitting in the corner. He must not have been able to bring himself to catch it, so he'd just flipped it over on top of the bug, apparently.
I clicked my tongue softly and strode over, Kim Sanho tiptoeing cautiously behind me.
Was this some battlefield camaraderie, the idea that he couldn't let a comrade go alone? The type that's all good intentions and zero help.
"Opening the box."
"......You're gonna grab it with your hands?"
"Ah, there's bug spray in my bag. Go bring it."
I'd bought the bug spray on the way over, just in case.
I hadn't expected him to still be whimpering over this one bug, though. I'd bought it for him to use when he was alone later.
'So I'm the one ending up using it after all.'
Kim Sanho scurried over to my bag and back, handing me the spray. All I'd done was shake the can up and down per the instructions, but the look of utter trust he directed at me was so intense it was suffocating.
Gripping the spray, I nudged the corner of the box with my foot. Kim Sanho made a huge fuss and buried his face against my back.
"......."
"......."
But only dust greeted us.
"Gone."
"......Huh?"
Kim Sanho's shadow, cast over the empty floor, slowly peeked out from behind me, still clutching onto my clothes.
"Escaped, I guess."
"......Outside?"
"Still inside, probably. It's cold out."
My deduction must have seemed plausible, as Kim Sanho stayed quiet, still holding onto my shirt.
Then after a moment, he spoke in a voice that had grown excessively calm.
"Can't you just sleep at my place tonight, hyung?"
* * *
"Umm, I was just saying that. You don't actually have to let me stay the night......."
"Wanna go back then?"
"I've already come way too far to go back......."
When I glanced at Sorasum's front door, visible three steps behind us, Kim Sanho hastily grabbed my sleeve and picked up the pace.
'Doesn't even know the way.'
The force was barely ant-strength, but I moved my legs as if letting myself be dragged.
We were on our way to my study room right now. It was close, just three bus stops away, so we were simply walking.
I had something to talk about anyway.
"Did you register at the boxing gym?"
"Ah, yes....... Last weekend."
"What did the trainer say?"
"He complimented me."
I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at Kim Sanho.
Reading my expression, Kim Sanho protested as if wronged.
"He said my fists look like they'll live as lifelong pacifists......."
"That's a compliment....... Well, good for you."
Thinking back on Kim Sanho's sorry state, I let out a sigh.
'Just what kind of training did they do at his former agency?'
A month ago, during the period when I was preparing for MAKE100%'s first evaluation, I'd naturally gotten a chance to check out Kim Sanho's skills.
First off... his singing wasn't bad.
He lacked detail, but his vocal tone was decent. A high, soft voice that sang powerlessly, sapping the energy out of the listener.
Was that an insult? No, surprisingly, there's demand for that style.
Rather than a tone that hooks you instantly, it's easier to explain as a resting-type voice, the kind you can place as a breather point here and there in a song.
Next, dancing.
If you taught him, even if it wasn't perfect, he'd output a passable move right away. He memorized well too, so his potential was more than worth looking forward to.
So what was the problem?
His pitiful stamina, weaker than a kitten's.
Was it normal to deflate like a popped balloon after just three hours of arm extensions?
'At least he won't collapse mid-concert.'
This was the reason Kim Sanho had started boxing.
I'd recommended it because it's an exercise that prioritizes basic stamina above all. Plus there was a gym near the office, which helped.
"Any sport you used to do?"
"Focused mainly on the sternocleidomastoid muscle......."
"What muscle?"
"Never mind."
We'd arrived near the study room before I knew it.
I pulled my fist out of my pocket and jabbed Kim Sanho lightly. He looked at me with a puzzled face.
"Here, keys."
"Huh?"
"Room 302. Tap in and go."
"By myself?"
"Obviously. No double occupancy allowed."
I was planning to head back to the practice room.
I'd also prepared a white lie in advance, that I'd safely caught that many-legged bug while I was alone, so he could rest easy.
"......Hmm, still, a house with no owner feels a little weird."
"Nothing to steal. Take a ballpoint pen as a souvenir if you want."
"That's not what I......."
Clutching the keys, Kim Sanho rolled his eyes around, visibly mulling it over.
"Then I'll come early tomorrow morning."
"Yeah, go in."
Seeming to hate bugs more than death, Kim Sanho mumbled a thank-you in a crawling voice and went inside the building.
After confirming a while later that the lights had turned on through the window of Room 302, I turned on my heel as well.
'I'm starting to get tired.'
I rubbed my heavy eyelids and quickened my pace.
Ah, should I just take the bus back?
Not a bad idea. I immediately changed my destination and headed toward the crosswalk.
And there.
"......Oh."
I ran into Baek Gyeonwoo.