Tae-oh, Ga-ram, Ji-ho, and Deuk-yong lined up behind Sol, who was delighted to see Eun-gyeom after so long. Eun-gyeom's gaze swept over the four of them as they stood there. He hadn’t had any appointments, but he’d purposely come to the office to see Sol. He had rushed over to congratulate him after hearing that he ranked first in the initial recording yesterday, but there were far too many unnecessary "tails" hanging around.
He’d heard that Sol was participating in a survival program hosted by OnMusicNet, but there had been no updates since. Feeling uneasy, he lingered around the rookie development team and even messaged a director he usually wouldn’t contact, under the pretense of checking in. That’s how he’d learned that Sol had successfully wrapped up his first shoot. Wanting to congratulate him and offer some encouragement, he had asked the manager to provide Sol’s contact information. However, the manager’s response was, “He doesn’t use a phone.”
Though he had been given Sol’s number, it was useless. The explanation was both shocking and hard to believe: Sol’s phone had been stolen by a fan who broke into the dorm, and since there might be similar incidents in the future, Sol had completely turned it off and lived without one. Eun-gyeom had to double-check to make sure he hadn’t misheard. Other agencies occasionally banned trainees from using phones before their debut, but that was usually a policy, not a personal choice.
At that moment, Eun-gyeom remembered something Sol had said when they first met:
“I don’t have any friends here.”
Recalling the despondent look on his face then, Eun-gyeom couldn’t just let this go. On a whim, he tried calling Sol’s number, only to hear the automated message that the phone was turned off. He hated taking the initiative to act on something. He especially disliked the idea of lowering himself unless someone surrendered first and asked for help. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, he had carved out time on his rare day off to come to the company. All just to catch a glimpse of that absurdly beautiful face.
It would have been nice if Sol had looked a little tired. However, when they met in the lobby, Sol was smiling brightly, looking as radiant as ever, without a trace of exhaustion. Eun-gyeom felt a mix of disappointment and relief at seeing him like that. Even Eun-gyeom himself couldn’t figure out his own conflicting emotions.
He thought back to the time Sol had cried alone in the practice room. Part of him wished Sol still had no one to rely on but him, yet another part of him found comfort in seeing Sol laughing and blending in with his team members. Why Sol affected him so much was a mystery, even to himself. It wasn’t just because of his striking appearance.
Eun-gyeom wasn’t a romantic by nature, but this felt like destiny—or so he’d come to think, however ridiculous it sounded. When he’d seen Sol sobbing in the practice room, he had thought, “It’s him.” The thought had lodged itself firmly in his mind: I want to be the one and only person for Sung Sol.
But what twisted his insides was the reality unfolding before his eyes—far from being Sol’s “one and only,” Eun-gyeom was being pushed to the sidelines, outdone by Sol’s team members. Yoon Tae-oh, Kang Ga-ram, Do Ji-ho—why did he have to share space with these three?
Maintaining a smile, Eun-gyeom’s gaze shifted beyond Sol to the trio standing behind him. Though his lips were curved upwards, his gleaming brown eyes brimmed with hostility. His gaze moved from the expressionless Tae-oh to Sol, who was smiling at him, and he felt his insides twist as if something reeked. Kang Ga-ram’s hands landed on Sol’s shoulders.
The friend who used to say he had no one now even has someone to show off. But to call him a friend seemed to evoke a strangely ambiguous feeling. Unlike the dark figures lined up behind, seeing Sol laughing without realizing anything made Eun-gyeom feel unexpectedly unsettled.
“You said you had a shoot yesterday?”
“Oh, yes.”
At Eun-gyeom’s question, Sol glanced around the lobby once and then answered. Was it because it was the company lobby with too many ears around? While Sol’s expression looked cheerful, his voice somehow wavered.
“Sunbae, we’re about to start practice.”
Before Sol could even properly respond, Ji-ho appeared suddenly like a corner sticking out and spoke in a sharp tone. For a moment, Eun-gyeom almost forgot to manage his expression and frowned. Do Ji-ho was, without a doubt, the most irritating of the three.
“I know. Why don’t you guys go ahead? I’d like to talk to Sol for a moment.”
Without sparing even a glance at the others, Eun-gyeom fixed his gaze solely on Sol and spoke. When Eun-gyeom flashed a smile, Sol’s lips twitched slightly before he nudged Tae-oh and the others, telling them to go ahead.
“I’ll be there soon.”
At Sol’s urging, Tae-oh and Ga-ram reluctantly began to walk away, but Ji-ho remained standing there with a defiant look, staring at Eun-gyeom. Only when Sol called out, “Ji-ho hyung,” and pushed his back once more did Do Ji-ho finally disappear from Eun-gyeom’s sight.
“Come here for a second.”
Once the obstacles were gone, Eun-gyeom casually grabbed Sol’s wrist and guided him along. Leading Sol into a small meeting room on the first floor, Eun-gyeom placed a shopping bag he had brought onto the table. Though Sol’s complexion had improved a lot, his pale and thin frame still caught Eun-gyeom’s attention. Inside the bag were items he had prepared out of concern—warm coffee, a sandwich, and even some supplements.
“Did you have breakfast? This is coffee and a sandwich. There’s a famous place nearby.”
“I already ate… Ji-ho hyung makes breakfast for me every morning.”
“Do Ji-ho does?”
“Yes.”
Sol awkwardly ruffled his hair and laughed at Eun-gyeom’s comment. Although Eun-gyeom clicked his tongue inwardly, he didn’t show it outwardly. Just in case, he had already bought sandwiches matching the number of people. It felt like he was going out of his way to take care of people unnecessarily, but this was the best approach. That way, they wouldn’t feel regretful in front of him, or he could at least tell them to eat it later.
“Really? Then save it and share it with the members. I heard you don’t even have time to eat these days because you’re busy preparing for the show.”
Taking the shopping bag Eun-gyeom handed over, Sol quickly glanced at the contents and then thanked him. From their first meeting, it always felt like he was only ever on the receiving end of Eun-gyeom’s help.
“I heard you got first place in the first shoot.”
“It wasn’t even a stage where the score counted—it’s nothing special.”
“You haven’t officially debuted yet, but it was still your first stage, wasn’t it? I wanted to congratulate you when I heard the news, but you said you’d turned your phone off. So, I came to see you in person. It must have been tough.”
At Eun-gyeom’s words, Sol suddenly remembered the phone he had forgotten about. Since he spent practically 24 hours a day with his group members, and there was no one else who would contact him, he hadn’t felt the need to check it. It hadn’t crossed his mind that Eun-gyeom might try to reach out to him.
“Thank you, hyung.”
Grateful for Eun-gyeom’s warm congratulations, Sol lifted his head and looked at him. When they first met in the lobby, he had immediately recognized him as Eun-gyeom. But now, having a proper conversation with him brought Ju-hwan to mind.
Ju-hwan—someone Sol had once quietly loved and pined for. As that name lingered on the tip of his tongue, Sol felt as though he’d been struck by a hammer. When had it started? The fact that he had stopped thinking about Ju-hwan and Yoo-chan. The fact that he no longer tried to find traces of the two who weren’t here.
“I heard you used one of our songs. I’m looking forward to it. When it airs, I’ll make sure to watch it and promote it.”
Eun-gyeom smiled kindly as he brushed Sol’s shoulder. It was the same spot Ga-ram had grabbed earlier in the lobby. His touch was light, as if dusting something off his shoulder. But Sol, who was staring intently at Eun-gyeom’s face, didn’t even notice the touch. He couldn’t snap out of the thought that he had been forgetting about Ju-hwan and Yoo-chan all this time.
Still staring at Eun-gyeom, Sol belatedly came to his senses. His brows furrowed, and his shoulders drooped. He looked like a puppy caught in the rain. He had acted like he couldn’t live without Ju-hwan or Yoo-chan, and yet he had completely forgotten about them. Humans are such fickle creatures. It made him wonder if his feelings for Ju-hwan had been so trivial after all.
As Sol faced Eun-gyeom, who resembled Ju-hwan, a strange sense of guilt washed over him. He alternated his gaze between the shopping bag in his hand and Eun-gyeom. Just as he had done with Ju-hwan, he felt like he had only ever taken things from Eun-gyeom. He leaned on them and relied on them as he pleased, and when something else came along, he had simply forgotten.
Eun-gyeom could never replace Ju-hwan, but was it because of the guilt buried deep in one corner of his heart? Today, Sol felt like he could see Ju-hwan in Eun-gyeom’s face. In the end, Sol lifted the shopping bag slightly toward Eun-gyeom, hoping to ease his guilt even a little.
“I’ll enjoy this. I feel like I’m always the one receiving help… Next time, I’ll buy you something.”
The Sol of the past would never have said anything about setting aside time together, but today was a bit of a special case. Maybe it was because Eun-gyeom’s smile reminded him of Ju-hwan today. Or perhaps because he had completely forgotten about both of them until now. Or maybe because the shopping bag Eun-gyeom had gifted him was unexpectedly heavy.
Unaware of Sol’s inner thoughts, Eun-gyeom flashed a wide smile at his words. It was a smile so radiant, like a puppy finding its favorite toy, that it spread across his face with joy.
“Really? I won’t say no, then. Let’s definitely eat together sometime. Just call me whenever you’re free—I’ll make it work.”
The "big puppy" named Eun-gyeom had latched onto Sol like a toy. When Sol made his suggestion, Eun-gyeom eagerly accepted, even throwing in a casual remark like, “I’m free even today.” It almost seemed like Sol could see an invisible wagging tail behind him and his eyes gleaming brightly. Surprised that Eun-gyeom had so readily agreed to the suggestion he’d only made to ease his discomfort, Sol awkwardly nodded.
“Oh, but you’re busy preparing for the shoot these days, right? When it’s over, let’s definitely grab something good to eat together. Or even just a cup of coffee works for me.”
“Uh, sure… I’ll call you, hyung.”
“Keep your phone on. Otherwise, how am I supposed to reach you?”
“Huh? Oh… okay.”
Sol nodded blankly, feeling like he had just said something unnecessary.
“I’ll check in later tonight, so keep it on.”
With a bright smile, looking truly pleased, Eun-gyeom lightly brushed his fingertips against Sol’s cheek. Sol instinctively brought his hand up to cover the spot Eun-gyeom had touched. He wasn’t Ju-hwan—he knew that. Yet even though he had been so absorbed in forgetting Ju-hwan until just moments ago, that simple gesture from Eun-gyeom brought back the memory of the Ju-hwan he had once loved, making Sol’s heart flutter painfully.
