As the fatigue gradually subsided, it seemed like a bit of strength returned to his body. Additionally, it had been quite a while since Sol had gone out, so he was a bit excited. His last outing was Ju-hwan’s wedding. If one could call spending a day walking behind Yoo-chan, hiding as they took a taxi there and back, an outing.
Even before the accident, he hadn’t really gone shopping with friends. It was practically his first time today. Feeling a bit excited, Sol blushed slightly, feeling embarrassed at himself for being so happy about this when he was already twenty-five.
“We’re heading out too. Get ready.”
After Tae-oh and Ga-ram left, Ji-ho also set out to find Yeong-ho. The excitement about the rare outing was shared by both Ji-ho and Deuk-yong. Ji-ho’s steps towards finding Yeong-ho, as well as Deuk-yong’s steps while cleaning, were both light and a bit restless.
While cleaning up and tidying the practice room, Deuk-yong hummed a tune. He hummed melodies similar to the Dreamer song they just did and intermittently shouted out the names of foods he wanted to eat, almost as if having spasms.
Whenever he loudly shouted “Cola!”, “Hotdog!”, or “Sushi!”, Sol, who was folding towels, was startled each time. Though Ji-ho wasn’t quiet either, Deuk-yong’s rough voice was equally loud. After finishing tidying up and slinging his bag over his shoulder like a student going to school, Deuk-yong turned around with a sharp look when he heard Sol’s small laugh behind him.
“Why are you laughing, hyung?”
“Are you planning to eat all of that?”
The foods he rattled off with his mouth were like a banquet. The amount was almost buffet-level, beyond breaking the table legs. Unlike himself, who didn’t have a big appetite, Deuk-yong seemed to crave even more food when told not to eat, showing a strong desire for the dishes he wanted.
Although he claimed chicken breast tasted bad, watching him eat made it look quite delicious. When Sol asked with a smile, Deuk-yong noticeably looked sullen.
“...No. I’ll eat just one. Then I’ll exercise all night.”
His response was very realistic, despite his earlier grandiose goal of devouring a buffet. Enjoying a brief indulgence was too daunting for him to handle afterward.
“A light eater like you wouldn’t understand my pain.”
“Am I a light eater?”
“You eat like a mouse, and with such a displeased look on your face.”
“Do I?”
Seeing Deuk-yong’s wavering between hot and cold moods on his own was so cute that Sol couldn’t help but laugh repeatedly, which seemed to have quite displeased him. Deuk-yong’s anger then turned towards Sol. Sol pointed to himself with a genuinely puzzled expression, not understanding what was going on.
Although he wasn’t particularly greedy about food, he didn’t think he ate too little or unappetizingly, either. Of course, he didn’t eat as heartily or deliciously as Deuk-yong did, but he considered himself just average. When Deuk-yong pointed this out, Sol shrugged slightly, expressing his confusion at hearing this for the first time.
“I guess I need to put a mirror in front of you when you eat.”
Sol let out a deflated laugh at Deuk-yong’s words. Imagining eating with a mirror in front of him seemed a bit silly and strange.
“Hyung, hyung. But what kind of clothes are you going to buy?”
“Just something comfortable and not too flashy.”
The two walked towards the company lobby. Sol, who wasn’t particularly interested in dressing up or fashion, responded half-heartedly to Deuk-yong’s question while opening his status window. He had accumulated quite a bit of money from the login bonuses he received every morning. He had no idea what happened to his parents’ insurance money, but he wasn’t planning on using that, and for now, his current funds were sufficient.
At least he had enough to buy a few outfits. Sol closed the status window and looked out the window. Through the lobby’s large glass panes, he could see quite a crowd gathered outside.
“There are a lot of people outside the company today.”
During practice or when heading to the company cafeteria for lunch, it was common to see groups of mostly young women in their teens and twenties scattered outside the lobby. Among them were some noticeable foreigners and people with suitcases.
When Sol made this observation while staring outside, Deuk-yong blocked his view. Standing in front of Sol, obstructing his line of sight, Deuk-yong seemed to be discouraging him from looking.
“It’s probably because Eun-gyeom hyung... no, sunbae-nim posted something on Instagram like ‘On my way to the company. Going somewhere later. I miss my fans.’ That’s why.”
“Oh...”
As expected, it was clear that the women from last night were waiting for Eun-gyeom. Sol felt something odd as he looked at Deuk-yong’s displeased expression. From his conversations with Eun-gyeom, Sol understood that Eun-gyeom had trained for a long time and was quite close with the current members, knowing even the smallest details. However, when Deuk-yong talked about Eun-gyeom, there was a hint of sarcasm or discomfort in his tone.
“By any chance, is your relationship with Eun-gyeom hyung...”
Just as Sol was about to ask Deuk-yong a question, Ji-ho came running over, adjusting his baseball cap. Deuk-yong tossed his bag to the eldest, who came running with a wide smile and rounded eyes. Ji-ho, who easily caught the bag with both hands, announced in a bright and clear voice that their outing was approved, along with a convenient means of transportation.
“Let’s go, guys. Yeong-ho hyung said he’d give us a ride.”
“What... We’re not walking?”
“Yeah. Yeong-ho hyung said he had to go out too, so I asked him to give us a ride.”
“Wow, that’s awesome.”
Sol had assumed they would walk, since the shopping district wasn’t too far. Momentarily flustered by the sudden appearance of a car, Sol looked at Ji-ho with wide eyes. Oblivious to Sol’s inner thoughts, Ji-ho gave a very proud thumbs-up, as if his face read, “I did a good job, didn’t I?” Deuk-yong cheered with raised hands, but Sol could only manage an awkward smile.
‘Since it’s close, it should be okay…’
Just when it seemed like everything was going smoothly, a new challenge appeared. It was a problem he had temporarily forgotten.
“They said they’d bring the van around to the front.”
“So, we have to go over there…? Ji-ho hyung?”
“Yeah, don’t worry. It’s not the first time.”
“...?”
“Remember the last time when you collapsed? We went through there, and Tae-oh took you to the hospital.”
As if on cue, the van arrived at the entrance. Except for the first time Sol had come to the company, this was a first for him. As the van pulled up, people who had been idly waiting rose to their feet. Like meerkats in a wildlife documentary, they all widened their eyes and stared at the van, then swarmed toward it.
Although it was early and not too crowded, the way people gathered around the van seemed quite dangerous. Sure enough, security personnel came out to control the fans. Passing through while unconscious and passing through fully aware were worlds apart. Especially now that he knew the people waiting were there for Eun-gyeom, it was even more daunting.
The people waiting out there are probably waiting for Eun-gyeom. If they saw them instead, they would be disappointed. Sol pulled Tae-oh’s bucket hat further down. Not satisfied with that, he also pulled his hood over it. This shopping trip made him realize even more that he needed to buy a hat that could really hide his face.
“Shouldn’t we go out through the back door or the basement?”
“Who are we to...”
“Exactly. Who are we? It would be even stranger to go out this way.”
“But the seniors come in through the basement. It’ll just get more complicated…? The same goes for the back door. The security guards will sort things out for us.”
“Are you feeling burdened, Sol? Enjoy it. It shouldn’t be a big deal for someone who’s going to be an idol.”
Ji-ho laughed and patted Sol’s shoulder. As the security guards stepped in to organize the surroundings, Eun-gyeom’s fans lined up in an orderly manner around the entrance. They were holding photos of Eun-gyeom and slogans or phones with all sorts of messages on them, stretching their necks to see.
“Hyung, stick close behind me.”
“Why are there suddenly so many people?”
“I don’t know. It’s worse today. There must be a schedule.”
Deuk-yong pulled Sol closer, and he placed his hands on Deuk-yong’s shoulders. Sol held onto Deuk-yong’s shoulders tightly and bowed his head low. The brim of his hat got crushed against Deuk-yong’s back. It wasn’t just the burden; walking through a place where so many eyes were focused on him was what scared him.
As Deuk-yong moved forward, Sol followed like a train. Ji-ho grabbed Sol’s waist. An impromptu train line was formed at the entrance of YC Entertainment.
With the confident Deuk-yong in the lead, the door of a black van with a dark tint opened. Deuk-yong walked slowly to avoid Sol tripping, and one of the fans in line asked them, “Are you trainees?” This sparked a flurry of questions from the surrounding fans asking, “Where’s Eun-gyeom oppa?”
“Hurry up.”
Ji-ho, at the back, tapped Deuk-yong’s arm and whispered, almost inaudibly. Urged on by Ji-ho, Deuk-yong grabbed Sol’s hands on his shoulders and quickly jumped into the van. As the sliding door firmly closed, Sol let out a big breath. Whether outside or inside the car, Sol felt uneasy, but at least the enclosed space with just his members was better than being outside.
Although it was a short distance, Sol’s heart pounded as if he were on stage, and his breathing became rough. It was always one mountain after another. When he looked around at Deuk-yong and Ji-ho, both of them seemed nonchalant, almost slightly excited, as if it were no big deal. Why was it always so hard for him when it was nothing to others?
“I forgot Eun-gyeom had a schedule this afternoon.”
“Haven’t they even released teasers yet? It’s already a fuss.”
“Yeah. I think I heard he’s going to the shop* this afternoon. We’ve been in chaos due to schedule leaks for days. It was like an espionage operation. Espionage.” (T/N: A beauty salon where idols might visit for grooming, styling, or other personal care services.)
When Ji-ho asked, Yeong-ho answered with a sigh as he stepped on the accelerator. As the car moved and his body shook slightly, Sol instinctively flinched and grabbed the seat.
[The trait ‘Four-Wheel Skeptic’ has been activated.]
As expected, a mint-colored system window appeared in his view.
[You were startled by the sudden start and shaking. Stamina -1]
[Current remaining stamina: 99]
Sure enough, as soon as the notification window appeared, Sol’s vision flickered red.
Ngl this is the the most real system ever to system in world of system oriented novels, be it Chinese or Korean
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