Chapter 112

 If it weren’t for that mint green notification window filling his vision, what kind of expression would he have and what words would he say to Tae-oh after their embrace? His chest suddenly felt tight, and his face grew hot.

 Overwhelmed by the stifling feeling, Sol grabbed the hem of his clothes and let out deep sighs, tossing and turning. The sound of Sol’s restless movements reached Tae-oh as clearly as if he were lying right beside him. Tae-oh, aware of the noises Sol was making, carefully turned over and lay down. For some reason, he didn’t want Sol to know that he, too, was unable to sleep and was fidgeting. Pretending to be asleep, Tae-oh quietly listened to the sounds Sol made.

 As Tae-oh’s vision blurred, the rustling sounds from Sol strangely tickled his heart. Then Sol suddenly sat up abruptly. Unable to bear the suffocating feeling, Sol had gotten up. Startled by Sol’s sudden movement of throwing off the blanket, Tae-oh tightly shut his eyes. Feeling oddly embarrassed about secretly listening to Sol’s noises while lying in bed, he pretended to be asleep.

 Unable to sleep, Sol sat up and looked around the dark room, letting out a deep sigh. Lying under the blanket made it hard to breathe, and the heat made it impossible to fall asleep. It was unusual for Sol, who was usually sensitive to the cold. The memory of being alone with Tae-oh kept resurfacing. As the thought of that moment, which kept making him feel flushed, lingered in his mind, Sol tried to shake it off by looking for something else to focus on. After a moment of thought, he remembered he hadn’t checked the ROUND 1 reward box yet.

[Would you like to use the ‘ROUND 1 Reward Box’?]

 As if reading Sol’s mind, the notification window filled his vision, and Sol nodded. A burst of light poured out, and a list of items quickly appeared before his eyes.

[Stability Potion X5]  

[Low-Grade Fatigue Recovery Potion X3]  

[Random Concept Ticket X20]  

[Random Concept Gold Ticket X2]

 They were just the right items he needed. For the second round, he would need to draw costumes like in the first stage, so the Random Concept Tickets were essential. Although he still had some Stability Potions left, he needed more. After checking the quantities of the items to prepare for the next stage, Sol dismissed the notification window.

 With nothing else to focus on, Sol sat blankly on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Just as the warmth of someone sleeping nearby began to creep back into his thoughts, his phone, which he had placed face down, vibrated. Hesitating for a moment as he saw the faint glow of the screen, Sol checked his phone when it vibrated again, worried it might disturb Tae-oh’s sleep.

 From Tae Eun-gyeom: [It’s late~ You worked hard today. Are you going to sleep? Are you tired?]

 Sol had hesitated to talk to Eun-gyeom, worried that his mind might become cluttered again. But when he actually checked the message Eun-gyeom had sent, he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. Eun-gyeom wasn’t Ju-hwan, and Sol realized he had been too harsh on someone who had likely been waiting for his reply. Although the uncomfortable feelings still lingered in a corner of his heart, Sol decided to reply to the message to ease his stifling emotions. The image of Eun-gyeom’s bright, puppy-like smile from the meeting room came to mind.

 Sol: [No, it’s just late, so I thought you might be asleep. I wanted to say hello.]

 Tae Eun-gyeom: [I’m on my way to a shoot right now.]

 Sol: [At this hour?]

 Tae Eun-gyeom: [It’s in the countrysideㅠㅠ]

 Sol’s fingers moved slower than Eun-gyeom’s words. By the time Sol managed to type out a single reply, Eun-gyeom had already sent three or four messages. As they exchanged messages at this uneven pace, Sol’s sluggish fingers came to a complete stop when he saw Eun-gyeom’s latest message.

 Tae Eun-gyeom: [https://neotu.be/dlaoqkdfb I found you haha]

 When Sol tapped the link Eun-gyeom had sent, a video of himself from a time he could barely remember began to play. The title read, “Korean Traditional Solo Dance – Middle School 3rd Grade, Sung Sol, Hanryangmu (Grand Prize).” In the video, a young Sol stood dressed in a graceful hanbok, resembling a scholar.

 Sol had always participated in competitions with “creative solos,” but in his third year of middle school, he had competed in the traditional category just once. It was strange to see footage from several years ago uploaded online, and the grainy quality of the video made his past self feel unfamiliar.

 From what he could tell, it seemed the video had been uploaded by the competition organizers for promotional purposes. It was surprising that such a niche field had left behind any record, and Sol had never even considered that a video like this might exist. He had completely forgotten about this period of his life. Yet, the movements of his younger self, each step and gesture, remained vivid in his mind.

 Hanryangmu*, as the name suggested, was a dance that portrayed the leisurely activities of idle noblemen. In the video, a young Sol, tall but slender, was dressed like a scholar reciting poetry. He wore a gat (traditional hat) and a flowing white dapo (robe) over a blue outer coat. With a graceful spin, he unfurled the fan in his hand.

(T/N: Hanryangmu is a traditional Korean dance from the Joseon Dynasty, depicting the leisurely and poetic lifestyle of noblemen. It features graceful, flowing movements, often using a fan and long sleeves to create elegant patterns. The dance is accompanied by slow, lyrical Korean classical music and conveys emotions like joy, longing, or introspection. It reflects the refined and carefree spirit of the aristocracy, blending beauty and subtlety in its expression.)

 Every time he swung his arms slowly, like flowing water, the long sleeves of his hanbok fluttered. His steps were light as feathers, moving gracefully like a gentle spring breeze, yet he unfurled the fan with precision and poise.

 When Sol had practiced this Hanryangmu, Yoo-chan and Ju-hwan had sat against the mirror in the practice room, watching him. Even though he knew they weren’t here anymore, Sol couldn’t help but wonder if he might run into them if he went back to school or the academy. It was a fleeting, futile thought. Graduation was also approaching. As memories of the two resurfaced, Sol couldn’t hide his melancholy.

 Watching himself in the video, Sol reflected on his past life. Back then, he had to endure and continue dancing, just like now. But unlike now, there were no quests to forcibly pull him forward, no Tae-oh, no Ga-ram, no Ji-ho, no Deuk-yong, no adults to guide him. Without that guidance, Sol had been too young and too exhausted to step out on his own. Thinking of Tae-oh sleeping, Sol turned off the video’s sound, but the vivid melody of the taepyeongso (traditional Korean flute) still echoed in his ears.

 Lost in memories, Sol quietly watched himself dance. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he clapped his hands. Startled by the sound, Tae-oh, who had been pretending to sleep, let out a fake cough. Sol quickly hid his hands, embarrassed.

 It was a good idea. Hoping it would be something the other members would also find satisfying, Sol fell asleep while watching the video. The next morning, Tae-oh woke Sol, who had fallen asleep with his phone resting on his forehead.

 ***

 “Korean traditional dance?”  

 “Yes.”

 Gathered in the practice room, they picked up their discussion about the unfinished song from the day before. As soon as the idea was mentioned, everyone said the same word in unison. Noticing their identical reactions, Sol smiled and nodded emphatically. It was exactly what he had been thinking about while watching the video late into the night.

 “It might be a bit challenging. No matter how we rearrange it, the tempo will likely remain slow, and the lyrics themselves are quite lyrical…”  

 This was the reason Ga-ram and the others had been struggling since yesterday. The song was too lyrical and subdued to incorporate the kind of dance moves commonly used in pop music. But Korean traditional dance was different. Like jazz dance, it had many beautiful movements suited to slower tempos. After watching his own video, to ease Ga-ram’s burden, Sol had searched for more videos of male Korean traditional dancers and came up with this suggestion.

 While it might feel a bit monotonous, the jumps that made the hanbok sleeves flutter and the precise fan movements were undeniably cool. As Sol explained his idea and showed videos of other male Korean traditional dancers on his phone, everyone watched intently until the end. Coming up with a good idea was important, but there was also a bit of Sol’s personal desire behind it. He wanted to return to the stage through this kind of dance, even if it was just this once.

 “Let’s try Hanryangmu! What do you think…?”

 Sol confidently made the suggestion, but less than two seconds later, he nervously glanced at the members. The members, momentarily stunned by Sol’s unexpected initiative, nodded belatedly.

 “Can you show us? I’m curious about how it would feel. It’s probably better to see it in person. Sol.”

 At Ga-ram’s words, Sol immediately stood up. This wasn’t the Sol who used to avoid situations like this at all costs. As if he had been waiting for this moment, Sol pulled out a fan he had brought in his bag. He had made up his mind and planned this thoroughly overnight.

 Instead of using a traditional instrumental piece, Sol used the ballad they were supposed to perform for the second round as the background music. Moving his arms slowly, like a flickering candle or someone longing for their beloved, Sol infused the movements with emotion. He had to strike a balance—something that was inherently difficult. The dance had to feel authentically Korean traditional while also fitting seamlessly into a pop song.

 Tae-oh watched Sol’s movements intently, his gaze so sharp it almost felt piercing. Though it was Sol’s first time attempting this, having already choreographed the first round with Tae-oh helped him prepare the moves in a short time. While there were many rough spots, he could refine them together with Tae-oh and the other members.

 After finishing the rough sequence he had prepared, Sol glanced at the members. Deuk-yong, who had been staring at Sol with his mouth open, clapped so loudly it echoed through the practice room.

 “Sol hyung, I had no idea Korean traditional dance was like this.”  

 “Right…? It’s way cooler than I thought.”  

 “Exactly! There are jumps and everything. The fan movements look so cool. What do you think, Ga-ram hyung?”  

 “Sol… you might be a genius.”

 Seeing the reactions from Deuk-yong, Ji-ho, and Ga-ram, Sol hid his face behind the fan and laughed brightly. The worries from last night had completely vanished, leaving him feeling light and happy. It was exhilarating to be able to dance in this style again, even in this small way, after turning his back on it for so long.

 “What about you, Tae-oh-yah?”  

 At Ji-ho’s question, everyone, including Sol, turned to look at Tae-oh. After a moment of thought, Tae-oh addressed Sol directly.

 “Let’s start with how to handle the fan.”  

 “Okay!”

 Though his words were blunt, Sol felt his confidence fully restored by that one sentence. With a bright smile on his face, Sol began a crash course for the members, starting with how to hold and unfurl the fan in one smooth motion.

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