Gifts Before the Stage
The first thing the members' eyes landed on was a white canvas.
The kind of high-quality canvas that professional painters would use.
Unfortunately, the painting on it was anything but professional.
"…What is this?"
One member asked into the silence.
It wasn't sarcasm — the question came out because he genuinely had no idea.
"Is it supposed to be abstract art?"
"It kinda looks like a stick figure. Aren't those supposed to be people?"
"No way…"
On the canvas were five shapes that could charitably be called circles, with long straight lines drawn beneath them.
The members quietly studied the painting.
The leader, who had been holding back, analyzed it point by point.
"I think this line is the stage, and these are… sparkles? If these are people, there are five of them, so it has to be us, right?"
"…This is?"
Another member replied dubiously.
Thinking of the effort the gift-giver had put in, nobody said it out loud — but they were all thinking the exact same thing.
Who on earth gives a gift like this…
…Right as that thought was settling in, Noh Bihyuk flipped the canvas over to check the back.
Written on the back was this:
My sincere congratulations on NADE's debut. I painted this myself. Just as five lights shine together in this painting, I hope bright light accompanies each of your paths ahead.^^ — Lee Jeonghyeon
"…Lee Jeonghyeon? The Lee Jeonghyeon?"
At one member's words, Noh Bihyuk slowly nodded.
The moment Bihyuk confirmed it, the members executed a flawless about-face and pivoted hard.
He gave us… this priceless treasure.
"I'm so moved."
"Incredible. Truly a remarkable man."
The members spat out words stiff as robots.
The leader, fastest to recover his composure, managed the situation.
"Make sure you tell him thank you, Bihyuk."
"Yeah…"
"Let's check the rest."
Noh Bihyuk, still reeling from the painting, forced his body to move.
What he pulled out second was a bundle of A4 paper.
Seeing a stack so thick it was hard to lift with one hand, a member asked blankly,
"What's that supposed to be…?"
He even looked slightly afraid.
"No idea."
Noh Bihyuk examined the papers with equal puzzlement.
Then, the instant he read what was written on them, laughter burst out of him.
"Ah, I'm losing it."
"Why? What is it??"
"You know the teaser video they uploaded for our debut? It's the comments from that."
Noh Bihyuk let out a disbelieving laugh.
It was paper that faithfully reproduced the comments of fans eagerly awaiting the debut of NADE, the group he and Lee Euntaek belonged to.
The volume was so enormous it was practically a doctoral thesis.
This is a hundred percent Lee Yeonjae's idea.
Noh Bihyuk laughed with a deflating whoosh of air.
"Wow, he copy-pasted every single one?"
"Your friend is seriously something else."
The members marveled as they skimmed the pages.
Reading the warm comments packed edge to edge on the paper, they couldn't help but feel something stir in their chests.
"There's some medicine in here too."
The box contained all sorts of miscellaneous things.
Among them was a box of painkillers specifically for muscle soreness, with a sticky note explaining the dosage and precautions item by item.
The neat handwriting on the note was Park Haeun's.
"There are envelopes too?"
"Yeah, they have our names on them."
The last things left were five envelopes, each marked with a member's name.
"Huh? We get stuff too?"
The three members other than Noh Bihyuk and Lee Euntaek were surprised to learn they had gifts as well.
They hurriedly tore open their envelopes — then froze.
"This is…"
Inside each envelope was a toploader clumsily decorated with stickers.
A toploader with the members' photocards inside.
They obviously weren't official photocards — just cropped and printed from the practice photos Noh Bihyuk had been sending over, claiming he was studying up.
For handmade gifts, the quality was honestly not bad, but the members fell deep into confusion.
Why would they give this to us…?
Suddenly saddled with carrying around their own photos in decorated toploaders, the members could only stand there dumbfounded.
It was clear evidence that Lee Yeonjae and Park Haeun had been fanning over them quite seriously in their own way — but there was no way the members could know that.
"Guys. There are letters in the envelopes too."
"Whoa, handwritten letters."
"I haven't gotten a handwritten letter in years."
The letters congratulated them on their debut.
Each of the five letters held different content, but at the bottom of every single one was the same sentence.
The members reading that last part faltered.
"…So we're really going to debut, huh."
One member murmured.
The debut showcase was tomorrow, but it still hadn't felt real.
Reading the letters, written with such care that every pressed-down stroke was visible, made them understand at last.
That from now on, letters like these would pour in without end.
That at times, the fans' love would wash over them so fully it would feel overwhelming.
And that they would have to repay that love — a love given freely, expecting nothing in return.
"Let's do this right. Really well."
The leader said quietly.
The members nodded without a word.
You guys accept congratulations on a whole different level, don't you.
I snorted at Noh Bihyuk's remark.
The guy's face filled my phone screen, brimming with a grin, so apparently the gifts hadn't turned out too badly.
"Yeonjae, can I talk to Nobi too?"
"Ah, yeah."
I moved the phone to get Park Haeun into the frame.
It was my first video call, so the screen shook every time I moved my hand.
Is there an earthquake over there? Hold it straight, will you.
"I am holding it straight."
Bak-ha, just take the phone away from him.
"Nobi! How were the presents! The fan support gave you a burst of energy, right?!"
At Park Haeun's bright chatter, Noh Bihyuk snickered.
Yeah. The hyungs loved it too. Oh — want to say hi?
Noh Bihyuk called the members over.
Suddenly five people crammed onto the screen and started talking all at once.
So many people shouting their thanks simultaneously that I couldn't keep track.
Just then, Jung Hyun hyung came out to the living room and spotted us.
"Yeonjae, what are you doing?"
"I'm on a video call with Bihyuk. Want to say hi?"
Jung Hyun hyung took the phone without hesitation.
"Hello there."
GAH!
At the sudden appearance of a top actor, the members slapped their hands over their mouths.
"Congratulations on your debut."
At his words, the members screamed that they were fans.
One of them actually gasped, inhaling sharply as if he couldn't believe it.
Jung Hyun hyung, dispensing fan service with practiced ease, smiled brightly.
"I sent a painting I drew through Yeonjae — did it arrive safely?"
……
The noisy phone plunged abruptly into silence.
After a beat of stillness, the leader stammered out a reply.
Thank you so much. The painting was really… really wonderful.
"Thank you. It was the first time I'd painted in a while, so I was a little nervous, actually."
O-oh, is that right.
The leader's eyes wandered, desperately searching for an exit.
I reached out my hand to rescue the members who had no idea what to do.
"Hyung, I actually need to talk to Bihyuk about something…"
"Ah, of course. Have a great show tomorrow! Fighting!"
Jung Hyun hyung flashed a breezy smile, said his goodbye, and headed into his room.
The members, looking thoroughly drained, disappeared from the screen as well.
So he really… really meant it with that drawing…
Noh Bihyuk murmured in disbelief.
So you thought I was setting you up to be teased.
I could kind of understand where the guy was coming from, so I gave an awkward laugh.
"That hyung is always dead serious about painting."
Serious enough to borrow professional canvases — the kind Sehyun hyung of SPACE uses — just to paint.
"I worked hard on it, so don't tell me the truth, okay? Just… say it was good."
Yeah…
We ended the call with the usual reminder not to be too nervous tomorrow.
"Haeun, let's head home now. I'll walk you."
"Okay! What time are we meeting tomorrow?"
"Let's take it easy and meet around five. I'll come pick you up in front of your building."
The press showcase started at four, and the songs would drop at six.
The official showcase, attended by fans and the members' families, began at seven.
Only after confirming that Park Haeun had made it inside her building did I turn around.
"Let's head out."
"Yes, sir."
Naturally, Jinbae hyung was right beside me.
As we walked side by side to the car, I said quietly,
"Thank you, hyung."
"Hm? For what?"
"For always matching my pace."
I'd realized it over the past few days of walking around with Park Haeun.
Matching your stride to someone shorter than you takes more conscious effort than you'd think.
In all this time, Jinbae hyung had never once walked ahead of me.
He'd matched my steps, face perfectly composed, like it was nothing.
It's already been three years since I first met him.
I was a good twenty centimeters taller now than back then.
We'd been together since the days when my head barely reached his chest; now I came up just past his shoulder.
All the while I'd grown this much, hyung had stayed quietly at my side.
Somehow, thinking of it now, I was grateful.
Jinbae hyung listened quietly, then smiled and bumped his shoulder against mine.
"What can I do about it, sir?"
The warmth where our shoulders touched was gentle.
"Honestly, I don't think I could ever work with anyone but you."
He laughed at the news that meeting his very first celebrity — a man so hopelessly devoted — had turned out this way.
"Then just make me your last one."
"Yes, sir. I will."
He answered lightly.
Those mild, guileless eyes hadn't caught on that I meant it, one hundred percent, with total sincerity.
"Shall we get in the car now? It's too dangerous to walk any farther."
The street still looked perfectly safe for two men to walk — one at 170 centimeters, the other well past 190 — but I didn't argue.
Falling obediently into step behind Jinbae hyung, I thought to myself:
If it really comes down to it, I'll threaten to retire.
I'd throw a fit — say that if he won't be my manager, I won't act ever again. Something like that.
Then kind, dutiful Jinbae hyung would have no choice but to stay by my side.
A rather satisfying contingency plan, if I said so myself.
"Hi, Haeun."
"Hi! Thanks for coming to get me. And thank you too, Manager-nim!"
Park Haeun climbed into the car with a bright grin.
"You look pretty today."
At the offhand remark, she froze for a split second — then smacked my shoulder.
"Ow."
"Don't go handing out compliments like that! Good grief, even you're falling under my spell."
Looking far more flustered than expected, Park Haeun kept hitting my shoulder while shouting, "What's gotten into you!" Ow…
So Hana Seyeong was the weird one.
I thought of Han Seyeong, who always answered a compliment on her looks with a breezy I know, right?
"Got it? Be careful from now on! You're going to cause an accident, saying stuff like that."
"Yeah. Now please stop hitting me."
Somehow, somewhere in the middle of chatting with Park Haeun, we arrived at the venue.
Beyond the windows, an enormous crowd was visible.
"Yeonju unni told me — the showcase tickets sold out completely. Every seat."
"Really?"
"Yeah. She said everyone's been starving for a big boy group to come back after so long. Her exact words, apparently. No idea what she meant."
I didn't know either — and I didn't particularly want to find out.
A huge banner bearing photos of the NADE members hung across the building.
Seeing Noh Bihyuk and Lee Euntaek dolled up like proper idols left me with a strange feeling.
I stood there quietly, wrapped in something I couldn't put into words, until Park Haeun said something unexpected.
"I'm a little sad."
"Hm?"
"Ah, don't get me wrong! I'm really, really happy for Nobi. I know how hard he worked to get here."
"Yeah. I know."
"I'm so happy for him, and so proud, but… that thought just keeps creeping in."
Park Haeun smiled bitterly.
"Everything's going to change from now on, isn't it?"
"……"
"Until a few years ago, we saw each other every single day at school. I'm already upset just thinking about how we might drift apart."
I looked at Park Haeun quietly.