Translator: MarcTempest
Editor: NicoleTempest
Chapter 242
They were a group that had debuted less than two weeks ago, and yet they were announcing that they would be performing as a seven-member unit. I clicked on the article with worry, wondering if someone had gotten injured, and found out who was missing from the eight-member lineup.
‘Sigh... What are they thinking, really?’
If they were ambitious enough to do it, they should have done it well. I felt uneasy as I read the main text that said Cheon Ise had temporarily halted his activities due to health reasons.
The members and the staff must not understand either. Until a few weeks ago, he was a perfectionist who finished his tasks flawlessly like a machine and did not neglect to supervise others’ work. And then he changed overnight into someone else.
I couldn’t blame someone who said they were sick, so I could let it go for now, but what about the future?
The people who were close to him might not say anything harsh because of their past affection, but there were plenty of people who wanted to tear down a rising rookie group.
They would have a hard time responding even if they tried their best, let alone taking a break for health issues. I could already imagine the reactions.
[- I’m sick of the health excuses lololol. If they want to make some money and relax their bodies, why did they debut in the first place?]
[- How can they not feel sorry for the members when they miss the activities at such a crucial time?]
[- I bet they’ll quit being an idol and start acting soon lololol. Their repertoire is so predictable.]
It wasn’t that these responses were justified. Could Cheon Ise’s mental state handle this criticism? The answer was probably ‘impossible’.
He couldn’t run away from the words that would shake his heart even in a normal state, just by closing his eyes and ears.
What about the other members? I clenched the phone that Kang Jeonmu had given me and lay down on the bed with a thud.
Then I heard a sigh from the opposite bunk bed.
“Sigh... Do you have the room to yourself?”
That’s right. This was a shared room. I pulled the blanket over my head and swallowed a sigh, holding my breath.
I memorized the phone numbers of all the members, but
I had no idea how to approach them in this state.
Kang Jeonmu knew my original face, and we had so many episodes that only we knew from ten years ago.
But the things that happened when I was active as Cheon Ise... They were things that a crazy stalker fan or a famous gossip reporter could easily find out. And it was someone else to begin with.
It was impossible to persuade them in the same way.
‘...’
There was no way. Did I have no choice but to pretend to be a resident and hang around near the dorm or the place where they had a schedule, hoping that someone would recognize me?
My head was so complicated that I curled up again, feeling miserable about my current situation.
But I had to think. Nothing was solved by running away. I clenched my fist and started to rack my brain.
“Good job, everyone!”
After the shooting was over, everyone put away their smiles that they had been maintaining in front of the camera and sighed long.
Yu-geon was also confident in his stamina, but he was exhausted because he had to put all his effort into promoting for the comeback for about two weeks before and after. He had to finish the schedule even if it was hard.
‘But it will be less busy from next week.’
He was holding on without showing it, thinking that he could take a short vacation before preparing for Swift’s debut album, but he was bothered by the recent atmosphere in the company.
Everyone was reluctant to speak, but they must have thought the same.
The leader had changed overnight into someone else.
The Cheon Ise he knew was a bit blunt at times, but he was basically a warm-hearted type.
‘Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought Shim Naru with him.’
Naru was fortunately doing well without any big accidents, and he had some pride in himself, so he was trying to improve his skills rather than his appearance. He was doing his part well.
He got angry over one word and yelled for a long time, then locked himself in the officetel and texted the manager that he couldn’t work for health reasons.
Composition, which had lost its leader and representative at the same time, started to wobble.
That happened less than a week after Cheon Ise had changed.
“Thank you for your hard work! I’m sorry.”
Kyunghwa looked pitiful, as he was in charge of adjusting the personnel changes after Cheon Ise suddenly dropped out of all the schedules.
“Are you okay? You seem to be pushing yourself too hard.”
I was no better off, but I was relatively used to this extreme schedule.
When it was hard to cover with just Hwijin and Kyunghwa, I tried to block the spit with a smile on my face, hoping to help. Kyunghwa sighed deeply.
“Ah... No, I’m fine. I’ll let you know if I feel too tired later.”
He had a lot of pride too. He was relatively comfortable asking Hwijin for help, but he didn’t like to ask me.
“Well, okay.”
But his attitude seemed strangely familiar, and it bothered me.
“Hey, can I ask you something?”
I crossed my arms and called Kyunghwa, and he looked at me with a polite distance on his face.
“Did this happen before? You taking the leader role instead of Ise hyung.”
I didn’t beat around the bush and threw a straight question. Kyunghwa sighed briefly and answered.
“Yes.”
My eyes widened in surprise.
“When?”
He looked at me with a doubtful eye, as if he didn’t know why he had to tell me.
“Uh, well, I just thought it was weird that Ise hyung suddenly changed. He’s like a different person...”
It was strange that he reacted so sensitively to the expression ‘a different person’, which I used casually.
“Well... He was always like that until we prepared for the Drink me comeback. Then he suddenly worked hard and I thought he had changed a bit...”
Kyunghwa covered his mouth, as if he regretted saying that.
“Just pretend you didn’t hear that.”
But I wasn’t going to let it go.
“Did he change overnight like this?”
Kyunghwa frowned as if he was annoyed, then confessed as if it was the last time.
“Yes. But he said he had to change like that or he wouldn’t change, so I thought that was it.”
My eyes narrowed for a moment, then returned to normal. Then I voiced the suspicion that I had been harboring.
“Could it be...”
I heard the sound of Kyunghwa swallowing his dry saliva nervously.
“Split personality? You don’t have that, do you?”
At the same time, his face turned contemptuous as he relaxed.
“Haha, of course not. Anyway, I understand. Let me know if you need anything.”
He turned around with a joke. But his doubt remained unresolved.
‘Something... there must be something more.’
He walked away, leaving only a vague suspicion without any evidence.