The song that started quietly, as if timidly whispering a monologue, had a strength unlike how it was in the morning.
The voice wasn’t as deep or powerful as Ji-ho’s; it was more of a high-pitched tone. However, the shaky nervousness vanished, and it became a voice that confidently moved forward in the direction it intended. Sol’s high-pitched voice, along with its clear projection, had a surprising strength that, despite being quiet, filled the room with its resonance. It was a voice that felt like a monologue spoken by a single person.
Even if Sol’s skill level improved, it didn’t mean he became proficient in technical aspects he hadn’t learned or experienced. Sol’s singing, when expressed, remained pure. Sol also noticed the change. Even though he wasn’t an expert and had only started learning to sing just a week ago, it was much easier for him to produce sound than before, and it sounded smoother to his ears as well.
Most importantly, the habit of mumbling or abruptly cutting off the ends of words, as he usually did when speaking, had vanished. While it was uncertain if he could perform as well in front of others, at least within the confines of the room, his singing sounded like that of someone trying to be a singer.
Despite being a fast-paced dance song, he sang it in a calm falsetto without any rush, which created a very unique atmosphere. Sol got up from the bed, pacing around the room, and continued singing. It was slightly louder than before. He felt a bit more confident due to the noticeable improvement in his singing.
“What?”
Sol, who was singing while pacing around the room, suddenly jumped and turned around in surprise as the door swung open with a creak. The door swung open without warning, revealing Ji-ho standing there, his eyes wide with surprise.
“Wha...t?”
“Just now, the song. Was it you singing, Sol-ah?”
“Uh... Ji-ho hyung. You heard it?”
“Yeah. I was tidying up the living room.”
“Sorry. I know it’s late.”
“No, that’s not the issue.”
“What’s wrong, Ji-ho hyung?”
“Tae-oh-yah.”
As Ji-ho cut Sol’s words with a slightly complicated expression, Tae-oh, who had just finished his phone call, returned to the room. Seeing the two facing off at the doorstep, Tae-oh furrowed his brows slightly.
“What’s going on?”
“No, it’s not about that... Sol just sang a song.”
“Oh, really? The hospital said to take it easy and rest while monitoring your condition for a few days, remember? Let’s stop for today and take a break.”
“I wasn’t practicing. I just hummed without thinking.”
“...I see. Let’s rest for now and talk tomorrow.”
Ji-ho seemed to have more questions he wanted to ask, but he refrained from speaking, seeing Tae-oh looking exhausted. Sol felt inwardly embarrassed. Sol’s singing sounded so different to his own ears, and it seemed like such an unfamiliar change to Ji-ho, who was familiar with Sol’s skills.
Sol was at a loss about what to say tomorrow when Ji-ho asked about the sudden improvement in his skills without any clear cause. He wondered if the system or items would handle such aspects as well. As Ji-ho returned to the room where Deuk-yong and Ga-ram were, Tae-oh closed the door and crawled into bed. His face looked even more tired than before he went out to make a call.
Sol wanted to express gratitude to Tae-oh and had many things he wanted to say, but seeing Tae-oh’s face, which seemed to be overwhelmed with various emotions, Sol couldn’t bring himself to speak. It was even more difficult now that he, who was usually expressionless and indifferent, openly showed signs of exhaustion.
“Could you turn off the light?”
“Yes... yes!”
Responding promptly to his request like a disciplined soldier, Sol’s reaction was somewhat exaggerated due to the effects of the potion, making his body feel lighter. As the light that illuminated the room went out, Sol got back into bed.
Just a while ago, he felt too heavy to even wash, let alone move a finger, but as he felt his breath ease, he wanted to take a shower. Feeling uncomfortable, Sol couldn’t find a comfortable position on the bed and kept tossing and turning. Amidst the rustling sound, Tae-oh’s sighs occasionally sneaked in. Sol noticed that Tae-oh sighed more frequently while lying in bed for just 10 minutes compared to the sighs he had heard from him before over the past few days.
“Um... Is something bothering you?”
“......”
Sol, taking advantage of the darkness, discreetly asked how Tae-oh was feeling, noticing his uncomfortably strained breathing. Despite summoning considerable courage, Tae-oh remained silent, offering no response.
“Are you asleep?”
“There’s nothing wrong. You should rest, especially since you’re not feeling well.”
In the end, when Sol asked again, Tae-oh reluctantly answered in a low voice. Subconsciously, it felt like he didn’t want to say anything to anyone right now. Sol, being familiar with this emotion, could especially sense it keenly. Eventually, as the conversation came to a halt, Sol also firmly sealed his lips shut.
Thinking that he would be able to sleep soundly since the potion had stabilized his condition, he instead found himself wide awake as if he had become alert after drinking coffee, and sleep eluded him. How much time had passed? Before he knew it, Tae-oh’s sigh had disappeared, and a silence had settled in the room. However, there was a peculiar gleam in Sol’s eyes.
Unable to sleep and feeling comfortable, his mind naturally became filled with thoughts. Suddenly, the face of Representative Baek Yoo-chan came to mind, causing a sudden unease. The face with its strange dissonance lingered in his mind, causing his heart to sink. Curiously, he opened the status window, only to realize that, unsurprisingly, the effect of the Stability Potion had long since worn off after an hour. No matter how hard he tried to forget and sleep, the thoughts that surfaced once wouldn’t easily fade away.
As Sol remembered Representative Baek Yoo-chan’s face, which had made a big impression on him during the day, he couldn’t help but recall the excitement and strange feelings he had experienced, along with the curious looks he received. These memories played back in his mind vividly. As one memory led to another, they began to take up more and more space in his thoughts. Even the gaps in his memories were filled with stories told by Ji-ho, and his imagination filled in the rest.
Sol closed his eyes tightly and started counting. Trying to clear his mind, he counted like someone trying to fall asleep by counting sheep. After maybe reaching ten, his scattered thoughts transformed into a spotlight on a stage that was always in his memory. With his eyes closed, Sol clenched his fists tightly.
It wasn’t just Sol who couldn’t sleep. Ga-ram, who had entered the room early, also couldn’t easily fall asleep and held onto his phone. Though Deuk-yong, who noticed his change, followed him like a shadow, acting all playful, but Ga-ram didn’t even respond.
Despite knowing well the effort the youngest was making, he didn’t want to say anything. Even Jiho, who talked to Sol for a while, seemed to have sensed Ga-ram’s mood. Unlike usual, he didn’t lecture like a mother hen.
In the dark room where everyone had fallen asleep, Ga-ram finally took out his phone. He couldn’t help but check today’s events that had stirred up unpleasant memories. Familiarly, Ga-ram quickly scrolled through the phone screen.
***
Today, who is the YC trainee that fainted?
ㅇㅇ(123.123) | 17:24:08
I’m curious.
└ Who fainted?
└ TY is carrying the trainee who fainted to the hospital along with another trainee. (T/N: They used TY for Tae-oh because his name is pronounced as ‘te-yo’.)
└ Seems like the trainees’ care is really lacking ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ And another trainee had to take them to the hospital ã…‹ã…‹
YC, are the trainees who fainted today the next batch? When do you think they’ll be out?
ㅇㅇ(123.123) | 17:24:57
I thought they only push the active ones, without any trainees left to push for.
How many years have they trained? Will they come out within this year...?
└ The two trainees who appeared today were ones who were previously publicly known... Haven’t heard from them in a while;;
└ This year? YC has been just pushing the active ones, didn’t seem like they had any plans to debut traineesã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ Are there trainees suitable for debut at YC?
└ Doesn’t seem like there are many good trainees in the talent pool.
└ Only active ones are getting any attention.
YC lobby, today, male trainees TY, GR
ㅇㅇ(58.103) | 01:07:51
TY is the tall one
GR has slightly longer hair
Both of them were publicly known a while ago
They gained fame for their good looks and proportions when they were revealed, but YC stopped revealing trainees, so they were forgotten
They’re not new trainees, they were around before the active ones came out
Don’t know why they didn’t debut
└ Who’s the one who fainted?
└ I don’t know.
└ What was his name?
└ Don’t know.
└ Why isn’t YC revealing trainees now?
└ Probably not the right talent pool to reveal.
└ Wasn’t the kid who was at HHN moved too?
***
“Ga-ram-ah, stop using your phone and go to sleep quickly.”
Ga-ram, who was scrolling through real-time posts, hastily turned off the phone screen at Ji-ho’s voice from behind.
“...Okay.”
“Don’t worry about it and go to sleep. It’s already been three years. Everything’s gone and forgotten.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. So go to sleep.”
“Goodnight, Ji-ho hyung.”
After bidding Ji-ho goodnight in a hushed tone, Ga-ram tucked the phone under the pillow. Though a faint glow peeked out from beneath, Ga-ram shut his eyes, following Ji-ho’s suggestion to avoid looking. Sleep didn’t seem forthcoming.
***
“Wake up.”
“Gasp!”
Sol jumped up in fright as he was shaken awake by the touch and the low voice he had grown accustomed to. As he hurriedly got up, his head momentarily throbbed, and the ceiling and floor seemed to sway.
Startled by Sol’s excessive reaction, Tae-oh cautiously removed his hand that had touched the other. Even though the alarm was ringing, he wouldn’t wake up. It had become a familiar occurrence during their time together, but today, he was sleeping so deeply, it was as if he were dead, prompting Tae-oh to shake him without hesitation.
[New User Support Event! Login Bonus]
[Day 8 - Fatigue Recovery Potion X2]
[Claim Login Bonus]
Feeling dizzy, Sol quickly dismissed the notification window that popped up without even reading it properly. It was annoying and cumbersome notification windows. Sol’s impatient head movements seemed somewhat neurotic. His mind felt foggy and blurred.
“Why are you so startled?”
“Is it late? It’s the evaluation today... It’s not because of me that we’re late, right?”
In response to Tae-oh’s question, Sol didn’t answer, but instead posed an urgent question. It was an urgent tone that wasn’t typical of Sol. However, unlike the desperate Sol, Tae-oh furrowed his brow slightly at his words and looked at Sol with a strange expression.
“......”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“We had the weekend evaluation yesterday.”
“......”
