A moment ago, they had such a conversation. When Min-ju raised her camera again and spoke, Tae-oh looked at her with his dark eyes for a moment. Although his face was expressionless, his gaze didn’t seem very favorable. Min-ju, feeling the gaze above her, hastily explained her intention.
“It looks like that friend, Sol, gets nervous in front of the camera, so he needs to practice like this to get used to it.”
“Oh... Yes. That sounds like a good idea.”
When Min-ju added her comments, Tae-oh finally showed a very slight and brief smile, almost unnoticeable. As he nodded, his black hair slightly shook. Tae-oh could sense that Min-ju’s intention wasn’t simply to use the situation for topicality.
He had chosen the path of an idol, a career that relies on the attention, interest, and affection of people. While he understood that this was how society functioned, it didn’t mean he liked being used in that way. Above all, he felt a sense of injustice. It wasn’t as if he wanted to become like this.
Having experienced it firsthand, Tae-oh knew it was far from pleasant, and he didn’t want his friends to go through the same things he did. Understanding that Min-ju’s words genuinely intended to help Sol, he relaxed and looked towards where Sol was standing, talking quietly with Ga-ram.
‘Friend.’
Tae-oh reflected on his thoughts from a moment ago. When did he start considering Sol as a ‘friend’? Since their conversation in the hospital room? No, it was much earlier than that. It was from the time they met in the restroom after his conversation with Ji-ho, when he felt oddly mature saying things only one could say to someone who was nothing more than a stranger.
Indeed, once you have such a conversation, it’s impossible to remain mere strangers.
While Tae-oh was talking with Min-ju, Ga-ram patted Sol’s back. Though Sol’s stiff expression had somewhat eased, his shoulders were still moving as he exhaled, which concerned Ga-ram. After a while, Sol’s heavily heaving shoulders gradually returned to their normal rhythm.
Sol waved his hand, saying he was okay as Ga-ram’s hand patted his back. Sol’s flailing hand struck Ga-ram’s palm. Sol’s fingers, which lightly brushed Ga-ram’s hand, were as cold as ice, causing Ga-ram to instinctively grab his white, long fingers.
“Why are your hands so cold? Are you cold?”
Though his clothes were thin, the studio wasn’t particularly cold. The heater was on, and the lights were strong, making it warm enough for activity even with light clothing. Sol finally looked at his palm at Ga-ram’s words.
When he stretched out his hand covered by his sleeve, it looked especially pale, even though his hands were naturally white. Thanks to makeup, the pallor on his face was concealed, but his palms and wrists were exposed.
‘I really wanted to do well….’
Since finding out about Tae-oh and Ga-ram’s circumstances and having a sincere conversation with them, Sol genuinely wanted to do his best. He wanted to help make Tae-oh’s wish to debut and Ga-ram’s hope for the members to sing his songs come true. Though it wasn’t a grand ambition to achieve something monumental, at the very least, he didn’t want to be a burden anymore.
So, even when the annoying warning windows kept popping up due to his awful traits, he endured and tried his best. However, despite his determination, his body wouldn’t cooperate. Sol dismissed the fatigue warnings that had piled up. During the shoot, he was so nervous that he didn’t even notice the warnings. After checking the last mint-colored warning window, Sol thought for a moment and recalled the system item list.
In an instant, a mint-colored window appeared before his eyes. The bold letters “[Stability Potion X5]” caught his eye first.
The last time he used it, it kept him in top condition for an hour. He had saved these potions for unexpected situations. When he first received this quest, Sol hadn’t been too worried. He thought it was an easy quest that couldn’t be failed, as it was just a photo shoot and he only needed to get at least one good shot.
But judging by the atmosphere, it seemed possible that they might not finish the shoot today. Hearing what Ga-ram and Deuk-yong had just said, it seemed there were times when, if the photographer wasn’t satisfied or if there were other issues, they would have to reshoot on a different day. This realization made Sol’s heart sink. He couldn’t take a gamble on how such a variable would be interpreted by the system.
Sol shifted his gaze from the item list to Ga-ram. While he had been distracted, Ga-ram had been gently massaging Sol’s hands with both of his. Ga-ram had been rubbing his own hands to warm them up and was now pressing Sol’s cold fingertips. He was giving Sol a massage because his hands had gotten cold from the tension.
Sol, who had been in a daze, came to his senses and alternated his gaze between his hand and Ga-ram. Ga-ram, smiling languidly, gave a half-hearted excuse. Not too long ago, this kind of physical contact would have made him uncomfortable, but now it felt strangely nice.
“Your hands were so cold.”
He couldn’t remember exactly when they had become this close, but it was better than being on edge all the time. Sol decided to take this change positively, feeling he was becoming a bit more relaxed.
“Ga-ram, how long do you think this shoot will take?”
“It’s hard to say.”
Sol shrugged his shoulders slightly and asked Ga-ram, who gave an evasive smile. But the actual answer came from Deuk-yong.
“If the older members get an OK quickly, it’ll be over soon... If not, it’ll drag on. After we take the individual shots, we’ll probably have to take a group shot as well.”
Instead of answering, Sol nodded and pondered over Deuk-yong’s words. The time limit for the potion was one hour. He couldn’t afford to waste it without knowing how long it would take or when his turn would come. He decided to wait a bit longer and use its help when his turn came. Sol nodded again.
Although he wanted to manage on his own without showing it, he realized that such stubbornness might tire out many people today. He thought about the staff, stakeholders, photographers, and company spending time and money here, just as Tae-oh had mentioned.
‘What did Tae-oh say again?’
Sol recalled Tae-oh’s criticism. He had said Sol was scowling. If he got another turn, he would have to smooth his face out no matter what. For now, he decided to focus on that. While Sol was lost in these thoughts, Chae Min-ju and Tae-oh approached the three of them.
Lost in his thoughts, Sol snapped back to reality when Min-ju suggested they sit on the sofa. As he looked around for the sofa, a small black camera was thrust into his palm-sized hand.
Sol’s eyes met the camera lens for a moment, and just like before, he froze in place. Tae-oh watched Sol as he lightly touched his thick eyebrows with his fingertips. Sol was usually fine when using the camera during practice recordings. What was different now?
“This is a big problem.”
“Please put the camera away for a moment. I think he needs to rest first.”
“I really think so, too.”
Tae-oh stood between Chae Min-ju and Sol. As soon as Min-ju lowered the camera at Tae-oh’s words, Sol exhaled deeply. It seemed he had been holding his breath, completely frozen.
“Let’s sit over there. Take a break.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks.”
When Sol staggered, Tae-oh and Ga-ram simultaneously grabbed him. The two exchanged a brief glance and supported Sol’s arms from either side. Half-carrying him, they moved Sol in front of the sofa and only let go after setting him down. As soon as Tae-oh and Ga-ram released their grip, Sol plopped down onto the sofa.
Sol’s shoulders heaved as he breathed rapidly. Surrounding him in a circle were Chae Min-ju, Deuk-yong, Ga-ram, and Tae-oh, all waiting silently for him to catch his breath. After waiting for a while in silence, hoping he would calm down, Sol finally spoke. However, what came out was an apology full of trepidation.
“I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing. The shoot is just starting. If you start apologizing now, you’ll be doing it all day long.”
“Exactly, Sol.”
“Right, hyung. And we haven’t even started properly yet. If you do well later, it’ll all be OK.”
Seeing Sol visibly discouraged, Tae-oh looked him in the eyes and spoke firmly. Deuk-yong, who was listening beside Tae-oh, also curled his fingers into a circle and stretched them out towards Sol, adding his own words of encouragement. His lively demeanor was a stark contrast to Sol’s.
As Sol seemed to calm down somewhat, Chae Min-ju picked up the camera again.
“While we wait our turn, let’s capture some short conversation moments. Don’t feel pressured; just think of it as chatting comfortably.”
“Okay.”
“…Yes. Yes!”
Despite Min-ju’s effort to speak as kindly and gently as possible, Sol responded late and stammeringly, staring at the camera. Seeing him freeze up again before they even started, Min-ju almost sighed out loud.
Sol looked as if he was ready for a staring contest with the camera, sitting rigidly on the sofa without blinking once. Observing him calmly from beside, Tae-oh turned his gaze to Chae Min-ju.
“By any chance, did you bring a tripod?”
“A tripod? Why?”
“I think I know what the problem is.”
Min-ju looked puzzled at Tae-oh’s words.
“Could you possibly shoot using a tripod? I know it’s a hassle.”
At Tae-oh’s polite request, Min-ju, not knowing the meaning, rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a tripod. She set up the camera and adjusted the angle so that the four men sitting closely on the sofa were well captured in the frame. Once she finished setting up the tripod, Tae-oh stood up and gestured with both hands for her to sit next to Deuk-yong, diagonally across from Sol. As directed, Chae Min-ju sat next to Deuk-yong and looked at Sol.
“So, how are you feeling right now?”
“...I’m nervous. It’s awkward... and also...”
“Oh.”
When Min-ju asked, Sol, although a beat slow, answered clearly without freezing this time. Surprised by the noticeable change in attitude in such a short time, Min-ju looked at Tae-oh with a bewildered expression. However, Tae-oh’s gaze remained fixed on Sol, who was calmly responding.
