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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Suffocating Space (1)
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Six years ago, outside the DIEN agency building.
The trainees emerged from the building after the monthly evaluation. Some were crying, others sighing in relief, but my mind was a blank white.
Kwon Hee-yul, standing beside me, asked with a worried look.
"You okay?"
No way I was okay. I'd just royally screwed up the monthly evaluation.
I swallowed back tears that felt ready to spill and forced a smile.
"I'm on the chopping block."
Kwon Hee-yul's eyes slowly widened at my words.
I looked at him and tried to keep my expression neutral.
"If I don't show up next week or so, just assume I got kicked out."
Kwon Hee-yul looked horrified.
"What kinda talk is that?"
I shrugged.
"No helping it. I know I'm lacking, and isn't the world like that for everyone?"
I smiled as best I could to act fine, but inside, my heart was rotting away.
Kwon Hee-yul's face, watching me, was as dark as a gloomy, ash-gray sky.
He hesitated before speaking.
"You're not okay."
My reflection stared back from the opposite storefront window. Anyone could see I wasn't okay.
But I couldn't cry. My pride wouldn't allow it.
Finally losing patience, Kwon Hee-yul said.
"Just cry already. Jeong Eun-ho."
"You want me to cry? Like them?"
Trainees stood crying in front of the agency building.
Probably ones who'd just gotten their expulsion notices.
"Yeah."
"Nah. Don't feel like it."
"You think you can hold back tears just 'cause you don't feel like crying?"
I nodded silently.
"Yeah."
The moment I turned to leave.
"Hey! Jeong Eun-ho!"
Kwon Hee-yul stood there holding a gift box.
I stared at him, clueless.
"What's this? Proposing or something?"
Kwon Hee-yul tossed the box with an exasperated look, and I caught it on reflex.
Inside the open box was a watch with a moon on it.
"What's this?"
"Birthday gift."
"Hey. My birthday's next week."
"I know. Bought it early. Was gonna wait till your actual birthday, but then I thought I might not see you again… so here. Happy?"
"Thanks."
Then Kwon Hee-yul patted my shoulder.
"Jeong Eun-ho. Hang in there. They say time waits for no one. So every time you look at that watch…"
For some reason, his words made tears well up.
"Ugh, too cringey! I'm out."
I turned and hurried away, and behind me, Kwon Hee-yul muttered.
"Gives me hell even when I give him something."
* * *
In the quiet room.
I took off the watch on my wrist and set it on the table.
"…Quest window activate."
[Sub Quest]
- During the filming of the music video for [Blue Sky Below], debut team member ○○○ enters a state of hyperventilation. Help member ○○○ recover from hyperventilation so that the MV filming can proceed smoothly.
Every time I saw a quest, I felt like I'd lose my mind.
'Who the hell made up this crap?'
The back of my neck ached.
The previous quest, [Boy Rolling Down Stairs], had been something I could stop.
By keeping the members off the stairs and grabbing Eun Hae-sol's nape as he fell from the bottom.
But how was I supposed to stop this? You can't control when someone gets sick.
During MV filming, someone would hyperventilate. That future was inevitable.
And I had to prevent it. That's what the quest demanded.
'Help them recover from hyperventilation…'
I had no clue who, why, or how it would happen…
'There's gotta be something I can do.'
I pulled out my smartphone and searched something. Then I read it quickly.
I jotted down the info from the screen into my notebook. And repeated it dozens of times.
"…Good."
* * *
Saturday, MV filming day.
We stepped out of the agency building. Cold wind whipped our coats and hair wildly.
We carefully walked on the slippery, unmelted snow toward the van parked in front.
No sooner had we gotten in than Song Yu-bin unwrapped his scarf.
"Ah~ weather's brutal cold. Right?"
"Watch out for colds."
"Don't worry. I'm layered up in thermal underwear. But you, hyung… you from Siberia or what?"
I turned to see Cha Jae-hyun fully geared: balaclava, leather gloves, total winter warrior. Clear intent to dodge any cold.
"Gotta dress like this to stay cold-free. Can't be hacking up a lung right before debut. Body management's part of the skill."
Then Song Yu-bin nudged my shoulder and whispered.
"Check out Eun Hae-sol's outfit. Not cold?"
I looked where he pointed.
Eun Hae-sol, in just a thin leather jacket, tapped away on his phone. The contrast with Cha Jae-hyun next to him was hilarious.
Sensing our stares, Eun Hae-sol looked up.
"What."
Cha Jae-hyun pulled off his balaclava and said.
"Hae-sol, don't go out dressed so thin. Borrow this?"
Eun Hae-sol's eyes went to the balaclava, and he shuddered like he'd seen a ghost.
"Why would I wear that?"
"I told you, body management's skill. MV shoot soon—if you're sniffling snot everywhere…"
"What're you on about! You think I'd do that?"
Then Baek Si-woo from the back seat said.
"Hey, water."
Song Yu-bin handed him a bottle, and as Baek Si-woo stood to reach—
The manager suddenly swerved the wheel.
"Wah!"
Baek Si-woo, not seated, staggered but barely grabbed the seatback.
The manager stopped the car with a jolt. As Baek Si-woo tried to regain balance.
The manager turned, irritated.
"What're you doing? Car's moving—why stand up?"
Baek Si-woo's face darkened instantly.
Catching the mood, Cha Jae-hyun defended him.
"Didn't expect it to start so sudden, I think."
"Tch, annoying…"
The manager clicked his tongue irritably.
Everyone knew he'd stood before takeoff, but no one argued.
We'd known the manager's temper was trash for ages.
'No one wants the hassle.'
Plus, MV day—needed peak condition.
Members laughed it off and kept chatting.
"Yeah, careful from now on!"
"MV shoot fighting!"
"Man, I'm nervous. Think I'll do okay?"
"Everyone blow your noses. Mid-dance snot means reshoot."
"Ah, Jae-hyun hyung! Keep bringing up snot, gross."
As we shifted topics to avoid it.
Eun Hae-sol set down his phone.
"Excuse me."
All eyes turned to him. What now? He stared at the manager up front.
The manager, feeling it, glanced via rearview while driving.
"What."
Eun Hae-sol picked at his nails, tone bored.
"Drive properly."
"What?"
Undeterred, Eun Hae-sol continued.
"Driver's job to be careful. Should've checked if we were seated before starting. What if someone got hurt—who's liable?"
Car pulled over instantly.
Manager spun around, fuming, glaring at us.
"This your way of saying it's my fault?"
"Then whose?"
"You brats dawdling when we gotta go!"
Eun Hae-sol grimaced, sighing. Manager laughed in disbelief.
"What? Pulling rank? On rookies who haven't even debuted? You know our age gap?"
Eun Hae-sol kept picking nails, unfazed.
"How should I know."
"What?!"
"Don't look that much older. So?"
Manager's face turned beet red, ready to blow.
"What, what? You crazy…!"
Cha Jae-hyun cut in.
"P-Please calm down a bit. We messed up too, and you did, so let's talk it out…"
"This is too much. Standing when car's gotta go—my fault? Mine?!"
Manager spat as he ranted. Everyone glanced around, tense.
"Manager hyung, that's not—"
"Hey! That Eun Hae-sol kid? I'll report to company. Needs personality retraining!"
Eun Hae-sol smirked mockingly.
"Go ahead."
"What?"
"Tell Eun Seong-sik yourself. Say raise his son right."
"What the—!"
The ranting manager shut up cold.
"…What? Why's CEO Eun Seong-sik come up?"
Manager looked lost, burning up. Members just hung heads, exhausted.
'What a mess. Not one quiet day.'
Manager seemed frozen till explained.
Couldn't stand it, so I spoke.
"Eun Hae-sol's CEO Eun Seong-sik's son."
Manager's jaw dropped slowly. Pale as a ghost.
"W-What? Eun Hae-sol's the CEO's son?"
No surprise he didn't know. Only insiders knew.
'Not a great story if out, and company kept it hush.'
Manager sat stunned, then slowly turned back to wheel.
Made sense. Eun Seong-sik's infamy loomed large in the industry.
That's the kinda guy he was.
If anything blocked his path, he'd crush it, no mercy—whoever. Reaper chasing to world's end.
That was Eun Seong-sik.
'Fall out of his favor, you're done in this biz.'
After, manager drove mute. Ride smooth, but car dead silent like a morgue.
* * *
We got out in front of a school.
'Thought I'd never come back.'
Walking in, I scanned members' faces. All casual.
Baek Si-woo sprinting field center looked thrilled, Cha Jae-hyun trailing, face hidden by balaclava.
Song Yu-bin buried in scarf, tapping phone. Beside him, Eun Hae-sol…
'Always that face.'
Same as ever.
Amid them, I frantically pondered.
'Who is it? Which member hyperventilates during today's shoot…'
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