Chapter 137. A Small Trigger (9)
When Hajin slowly turned his head, it was thankfully(?) Siwoo who was looking at him with a gaze that seemed to ask, ‘What on earth is wrong with this guy?’
“Ha, crazy… Thank you….”
“I’m always at a loss when you act like this.”
After being shaken awake, instead of just being startled as if he had seen a ghost, Hajin suddenly grabbed Siwoo’s hands and started thanking him.
Siwoo, finding Hajin’s actions difficult to comprehend, chuckled softly and pulled his hands away.
Then, after checking the time, he glanced at Haru and Gong Seok, who still showed no signs of getting up. He then tilted his head slightly toward Hajin as if suggesting they step outside.
“I’m heading to the convenience store to grab some coffee. Wondering if you’d like to come along.”
“The convenience store? Uh, well….”
Caught off guard by the sudden invitation, Hajin rubbed his stiff neck muscles as he considered the proposal.
‘Ah, a convenience store at this hour… It’s dangerous.’
Not physically dangerous, but psychologically.
The cool night breeze, the quiet streets, and the leisurely stroll.
In such perfectly aligned conditions, a person like Hajin, an “F” type of person (51% F is still F), was bound to have a loose tongue.
‘I’m the type of person who, if the silence feels awkward, starts talking about anything, even down to the number of chopsticks in my house.’
When that happens, before I know it, I end up discussing things I regret later—secrets of the person I’m talking to, fascinating stories about acquaintances’ love lives, and even irritating gossip about myself…
‘Wait? Isn’t that a good thing?’
If I handle this well, I might even get to hear the innermost thoughts of this seemingly impenetrable hyung.
Although Dan Haru had quickly risen as a candidate for the Chosen Regressor, there was still a need to learn more about Siwoo.
I also wanted to minimize any variables like what happened with Yugeon, and it wouldn’t do to continue feeling so uneasy around Siwoo, who was almost certain to debut.
And…
‘If we start talking, I might also be able to ask about Seok-hyung.’
Even though Thirteen hadn’t said anything, Hajin was already concerned about the issue between the two.
After all, in a way, he was the one who had essentially dragged them into this endless survival competition.
Although their stress might not be solely due to this Miro Maze, Hajin couldn’t shake the feeling that he had forced them to endure unnecessary burdens and pressures.
**[System Alarm: Sudden Quest!]**
Content: The foundation of an idol group is teamwork!
Let’s have a time to clear any uncomfortable feelings between team members and share our true thoughts.
It might also be an opportunity to reflect on my own feelings.
Reward for Success:
– Beautiful harmony through fantastic synergy between team members ♬
– Unexpected good fortune ^♡^
– 1-time offset of side effects when entering the unconscious space
Penalty for Failure:
– Decreased morale due to discord between team membersㅠㅁㅠ
Perhaps having sensed Hajin’s internal conflict, Thirteen, who had been in hiding, suddenly appeared with a carrot in hand.
I think this every time, but no matter how you look at it, this guy seems like he’s making me participate in an idol training simulation.
Even so, considering the potential rewards, Hajin quickly decided it wouldn’t hurt to accept Siwoo’s offer.
“Sure. Let’s go.”
“…Why do you seem so determined?”
Jung Siwoo wore a somewhat puzzled expression, but Kang Hajin’s eyes sparkled with ambition.
Tonight, using the excuse of this late-night atmosphere, he was going to get everything out of that hyung!
* * *
However, as always, I ended up being the one who was grilled.
‘Seriously, this damned loose tongue is the problem.’
Sitting on a white plastic chair in front of the convenience store, Hajin clutched his head in despair.
On the way from the dorm to the convenience store, Hajin had unwittingly spilled everything, from stories about his elementary school days to the most recent movie he’d enjoyed.
And it wasn’t even forced—he had volunteered this information!
“Here.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Siwoo returned from the convenience store, holding two cups of ramen, each with a hot bar stuck in it. Hajin took one of the cups, broke the wooden chopsticks, and immediately opened the lid to stir the noodles.
“…I just poured the water.”
“Ah, I can’t stand it when the noodles get soggy.”
“You have a rather extreme palate.”
Hajin slurped the hastily stirred noodles in the hot broth.
Siwoo watched Hajin eat the barely-cooked, almost crunchy noodles with apparent satisfaction and once again laughed in disbelief.
Then, he pulled out his phone and showed Hajin a picture.
This was the reason he had dragged Hajin out under the pretext of buying coffee and, later, eating ramen in the dead of night.
As Hajin took another bite of his noodles, he glanced at the phone screen.
On it was a scanned image of an old sheet of music.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a song I’m considering for our mash-up. I’m still debating.”
“Oh. But this looks like a handwritten score? Don’t tell me this is a song you wrote yourself, hyung?”
“No. It’s a song my father composed.”
“Pfft—! Cough, cough!”
“You always manage to be surprised by the most unexpected things.”
It’s because you always surprise me at the most unexpected times.
Hajin, who had just gulped down the ion drink he bought with the ramen, almost spat it out. He accepted the handkerchief Siwoo handed him.
And once again, he was surprised.
“…You carry a handkerchief?”
“Ah, it’s a habit.”
Siwoo replied lightly and then tapped the phone on the table with his hand.
“My father was an unknown singer. This is one of the songs he wrote back then, and it seems to fit our current theme well.”
“Oh… I see. I see.”
Knowing that Siwoo’s father had passed away from illness four years ago, Hajin couldn’t help but keep his head down. He kept his gaze fixed on the phone on the table, unable to lift his eyes.
“Actually, I thought of this song from the moment you mentioned doing a mash-up… But I was hesitant.”
“Hesitant about what?”
“…I don’t want to reveal that it’s my father’s song. I don’t really want to talk about him on the broadcast.”
“Ah.”
Hajin nodded slightly, as if he understood. His gaze remained on the old sheet music displayed on the phone.
He hadn’t actually played the song, but just by roughly imagining the melody in his head and humming the lyrics, he could tell it was a song that fit well with their theme.
“The lyrics are nice… They’re tender.”
“I like these lyrics too. It’s a letter my father wrote to me. He told me to look at it whenever life got tough. That’s why I think it fits our theme even more, so I wanted to know what you thought.”
“Well, I like it. But isn’t this hard for you, hyung?”
“Now that you like it too, I’m even more conflicted.”
Siwoo, still smiling faintly, stared off into the distance with a look of melancholy. His wistful eyes and the gentle breeze stirring his hair made it easy to forget that it was early summer.
Hajin, setting down his chopsticks, cautiously gauged Siwoo’s emotions and asked carefully.
“…May I ask? Why don’t you want to reveal that it’s your father’s song?”
Siwoo remained silent for a moment, as if savoring the cool breeze.
Then, as if he didn’t want anyone else to see, he took off the cap he had worn and placed it on the table before speaking.
“Well, you might guess, but it’s not a pleasant story.”
“If it’s difficult for you to talk about, you don’t have to.”
“No, it’s not some secret or complicated story. I’m fine… Maybe I just wanted to talk about it a little, taking advantage of the mood.”
Maybe he really did want to talk about it, even if just a little.
Hajin pretended not to hear Siwoo’s quiet mumble and waited for him to continue.
All the while thinking, this damned loose tongue really is the problem.
“You know my mother is a pianist, right?”
“Of course.”
“It’s a typical story. A famous pianist wife and an unknown singer husband. The wife was too great, and the husband had been worn out for too long. My father hated seeing himself shrink in front of my mother, and my mother was pained by watching the man she loved diminish because of her.”
“…….”
“Eventually, the marriage that was blessed by everyone ended after 12 years. The son left behind followed his mother because of financial reasons… But in the end, he chose his father’s guitar over his mother’s piano.”
Siwoo recounted his story very calmly, as if he were talking about someone else.
Although much had been left out, Hajin could understand why Siwoo didn’t want to talk about his father on the broadcast.
‘It’s the perfect fodder for journalists to spin into a story.’
Just knowing that his father was an “unknown singer” would give people plenty to gossip about.
Hajin fully understood Siwoo’s concerns.
And he understood why Siwoo was telling him about his father now.
Understanding his intentions, Hajin tapped his fingers on the table, carefully choosing his words.
Siwoo shrugged
as he adjusted his cap with his fingers.
“So yeah, I’m a bit conflicted.”
“…What if you just say that you wrote it, hyung? It looks like an unpublished song anyway.”
“I’ve thought about that too, but it doesn’t feel right either. This is the only unpublished song my father left behind. His other songs didn’t really hit it big, but….”
This might be the only chance for my father’s song to be broadcast and heard by people.
As Siwoo added these words, Hajin let out a deep sigh as well.
He could suggest looking for another song, but it seemed that Siwoo had already leaned toward using this one.
“Then how about waking up the other team members in the morning and asking them before deciding? Before the filming starts.”
“The other guys?”
“I like this song, but Haru or Seok might have picked another one. I’ll think about it tonight too. About how we can use your father’s song without tarnishing his name.”
Siwoo, with a slightly more relaxed expression, nodded in agreement.
“Hyung, could you sing a bit of the chorus? The song looks good just from the sheet music, but…”
“I’ll sing it properly with the guitar tomorrow. I haven’t sung it in so long, I barely remember it.”
“Did you learn the guitar from your father?”
“Yeah. How did you learn to play the piano?”
“If you’re in a church praise team, you usually pick up the basics of most instruments.”
The conversation continued in a more relaxed atmosphere.
After sharing more about themselves for a while, Siwoo finally leaned back in his chair, thoroughly immersed in the late-night mood.
That’s when Hajin cautiously asked another question.
“…Hyung. Can I ask you something?”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
“Seok-hyung… Do you feel uncomfortable around him?”
It was a question meant to extend this late night a bit longer.