Sol had some sense of awareness. Whenever he (Ji-ho) clashed with Eun-gyeom, Ji-ho’s usual bright, smiling expression would faintly cloud over. Not only that, but sometimes an odd silence would follow Eun-gyeom’s words, or people would react nervously to trivial matters, as if they were overly sensitive. Just like right now.
There was clearly something he didn’t know, but asking outright what had happened would be awkward. After all, both Eun-gyeom and Ji-ho quickly switched their expressions, smiling brightly and exchanging pleasantries as if nothing had ever happened. This made Sol wonder if he was the one who had misunderstood the situation, and he would brush it off. Watching Ji-ho’s usually gentle eyebrows turn sharp, Sol quickly raised both hands and spoke in a hurry.
“No, that’s not it. It’s not like that. I just feel a little uneasy. I’ve received a lot of help, but I don’t think I have a way to repay it.”
As Sol waved his hands in explanation, Ji-ho’s eyes softened again, curving into their usual gentle arc. With a broad smile, Ji-ho gave a perfectly reasonable and ordinary response.
“Sol, if Eun-gyeom sunbae ever asks you for anything, make sure to tell me. You weren’t the only one who got help; we all did. We should repay the favor together.”
It sounded like a completely logical and mundane statement, yet somehow, it left Sol feeling slightly unsettled. He occasionally had that feeling with Ji-ho. Since there was nothing overtly wrong with what was said, Sol nodded his head. Still, he found himself quietly admiring Ji-ho’s words, thinking to himself, “He really is the eldest.”
Unlike Sol, who was often overwhelmed by the task of managing himself and tended to think only from his own perspective, Ji-ho, like Tae-oh, was accustomed to taking care of those around him. The only difference between him and Tae-oh was that Ji-ho rarely took the lead. But he was just as attentive to the members as their leader was. Watching Ji-ho smile, Sol nodded in agreement once more. Ji-ho then firmly repeated his request. “Make sure you do.”
After that brief exchange, the two turned their attention to the commotion at the set. Eun-gyeom’s solo track, which had been playing for some time, came to a stop, and the set furniture was being moved around. Sol didn’t know much about this kind of thing, but from the conversation between the director and staff, it seemed the set design wasn’t capturing well on camera. The furniture and people were repositioned. Deuk-yong, with a black cloth draped over his head, dusted off his arms and let out a sigh. His white breath pierced through the fabric covering his face and dispersed into the air.
Amused by this, the youngest nudged Ga-ram and Tae-oh standing next to him, showing off as he exhaled again. It was nothing special, but from a distance, Deuk-yong’s movements seemed joyful. As he blew out a few more long breaths, Ga-ram shook his head. It looked like they were exchanging words, and even though Tae-oh stood still, you could tell from the puff of breath that he had just laughed. Their playful antics were short-lived as the music started up again and filming resumed.
Watching the members and Eun-gyeom during their shoot wasn’t all that boring. The filming stopped and started again several times. Although it must have been tough for those involved, as Sol watched them repeatedly align themselves and perform the choreography, they found areas for improvement. Small aspects that could be better, or ways to make movements look smoother. Despite the fact that repeated filming could have been exhausting and frustrating, Sol felt a sense of pride watching the members put even more effort into their movements each time they redid the scenes.
Sol couldn’t explain why he felt proud. However, the members, even in their small roles, looked admirable as they gave their best. From that, Sol could sense how heavy the weight of their dreams must be. It was clear that none of them wanted to take anything lightly. The earlier disappointment Sol had felt when seeing the members with their faces covered now seemed out of place. After all, they were the ones putting in their best effort.
While Sol briefly went to the waiting room at the staff’s request to take off his wig, the set had moved several times, and before they knew it, filming was nearing its end. Sol opened the hand warmers that Yeong-ho had brought, shaking them vigorously with Ji-ho.
The set was freezing, unbearably cold. Even though Sol was wearing a thick padded jacket, he still felt the chill, so he worried about Tae-oh, Ga-ram, and Deuk-yong, who had been standing around without coats during the shoot. Sol could feel the heat rising from the hand warmer he shook in his hand. He and Ji-ho placed the hand warmers inside the members’ coats, preparing to greet their friends who would be shivering once the shoot was over.
Soon after, the director’s OK signal came, followed by Eun-gyeom’s “Good work, everyone,” and everyone sighed in relief. Though no one had openly complained, it was clear that the exhaustion was undeniable. As the shoot ended, Eun-gyeom ran toward the director, while Ga-ram and the other members started walking toward Sol and Ji-ho. Ga-ram and Deuk-yong, laughing as they pulled off the black clothes covering their faces, ran over to Sol. Tae-oh followed behind them. When Sol handed Deuk-yong a hand warmer, he grabbed both Sol and Ji-ho into a tight hug.
“Ahhh, hyung, it’s so cold.”
Judging by the chill of Deuk-yong’s body as he embraced them, he wasn’t lying.
“Oh dear, it was really cold, huh?”
“Freezing.”
As Ji-ho patted Deuk-yong’s back in sympathy, Deuk-yong trembled, stomping his feet in the cold.
“Everyone, huddle up, huddle up.”
At Ji-ho’s words, Ga-ram and Tae-oh, who had been standing awkwardly watching the emotional reunion, hesitantly approached Sol and Ji-ho. When the two tall figures came near, Ji-ho extended his arms and pulled them in for a hug. Squeezed between Ji-ho, Ga-ram, and Tae-oh, Deuk-yong let out a playful shout, “Aack!” Hearing that, Sol laughed and, like Ji-ho, extended his arms to pull the members in for a tight embrace. Though Sol stretched his arms as far as he could, it was tough to hug all of them, given their large builds. Sol barely managed to reach Tae-oh and Ga-ram’s backs, gently patting their cold backs with just his wrists.
“Everyone worked so hard.”
“What about Sol? We couldn’t watch Sol’s shoot because we were getting ready.”
Ga-ram asked Sol with a voice full of regret. Trying to catch a glimpse of Sol, who was obscured by Deuk-yong, Ga-ram stretched his neck, struggling to find his face. Tae-oh was the same. They had been so busy all day that, even though they had asked Ji-ho to help, they couldn’t pay attention to Sol’s shoot, which made them worried. Seeing Ga-ram and Tae-oh trying to check Sol’s face, Sol smiled softly and reassured them.
“Ji-ho hyung and Eun-gyeom hyung helped me out, so I finished it well.”
“That’s good. Both you and the others did a great job.”
When Ji-ho chimed in to back up Sol, Sol couldn’t just stay silent.
“You all looked amazing.”
“Wow, Sol hyung, did I look cool too?”
Despite his large frame, Deuk-yong responded to Sol’s compliment with a childlike innocence. As Deuk-yong, standing in the middle, began bouncing up and down, Sol followed suit. When Sol joined in, the rest of the members also started jumping in place. Sol couldn’t help but laugh like a kid.
“You looked awesome. I could see everyone clearly. You were all giving it your all and doing great.”
“Sol, we didn’t get to see your shoot, but I bet you looked amazing too.”
“Of course! Sol hyung probably shot a whole magazine cover!”
“Sol really owned the camera.”
At Ji-ho’s words, Sol, feeling embarrassed, shook his head vigorously. As he shook his head, he made eye contact with Tae-oh, who was at the back. Though his expression didn’t show much, Tae-oh’s dark eyes were filled with confidence and trust as they gazed at him.
“Wow, I’m curious. When can we watch this?”
Tae-oh, who had been quietly embracing everyone, responded to Deuk-yong’s question.
“We’ll probably get to see it once it’s released to the public.”
“I can’t wait! Ah, I wish it could be released tomorrow.”
Though they would only appear briefly, indistinguishable as they flashed by, Deuk-yong spoke with excitement, as if he genuinely couldn’t wait.
The sight of five big men huddled together, tightly embracing each other in a circle, looked quite odd, but none of the members seemed to care. Being so closely packed together seemed to ease the cold a little. Regardless of how they felt about it, the scene was amusing enough that the passing staff members chuckled as they glanced over.
“Hey, guys. What are you doing in the cold? You’re going to catch a cold; hurry up and put on some clothes.”
Yeong-ho, who had been handing out hot packs and warm drinks to the crew and staying near the director throughout the shoot, approached the group. He saw the members still tangled up together in their thin clothes and handed them the coats that Ji-ho and Sol had pre-warmed with hot packs.
“As soon as the waiting room is free, let’s change and head back. I know it’s tough, but hang in there just a little longer, guys.”
“Yes.”
They all answered in unison while hurriedly slipping on the coats he gave them. Since the youngest members were practically the same age, they felt awkward about taking the waiting room first. Without needing further explanation, Tae-oh and Ji-ho understood the meaning behind Yeong-ho’s words and nodded. As their voices, pitched at different levels, responded in harmony, the attention of the surrounding people naturally turned to the group of five. Seeing them in sync, even in such small matters, Yeong-ho patted each of them on the shoulder.
“Whew, you all really worked hard.”
“You worked hard too, Yeong-ho hyung.”
In response to Yeong-ho’s words, Tae-oh offered his own greeting. Even though Sol hadn’t been there for the separate shoot, Yeong-ho had been busy running around the set, trying to leave a good impression and make sure the staff remembered the members well.
“Warm up a bit and take a rest somewhere cozy. Do you want me to get you something to drink?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Okay, then. Take a short break. I’ll be back soon.”
Yeong-ho ran off again in the direction of the busy staff, who were still cleaning up. As soon as Yeong-ho disappeared, Deuk-yong started eagerly telling Ji-ho and Sol all about what had happened during the shoot.
“Hey, earlier during the shoot, Ga-ram hyung stepped on my pants. Look at this. There’s a footprint.”
“Seriously?”
Lifting his leg, Deuk-yong pointed at the hem of his pants. A dusty shoe print was so clearly imprinted on the black fabric that Sol couldn’t help but let out a small gasp. It was such a vivid and distinct footprint.
