PA 25

With Sanghyeon’s investment, Serious’s full-length album production proceeded swiftly, and Yeongsik couldn’t hold back the laughter that kept escaping him. When the members saw the massive set for the music video, cheers erupted from their mouths automatically.

“Wow… Is this really the set for our music video?”

“I worked really hard to prepare this.”

Yeongsik shamelessly praised his own accomplishment. Yejun couldn’t bring himself to look at Yeongsik like that.

After the comeback schedule was set, Yejun couldn’t leave Sanghyeon’s mansion until the title track was decided. He had to be held by him almost every night for a week. Even after completely exhausting his stamina like that, he had to go straight into choreography practice for the title track without a break, so in truth, Yejun’s energy was at rock bottom.

However, Yejun didn’t want to be a burden to the members. He preferred the intense choreography. The more his body ached, the less idle thoughts tormented him.

The music video shoot was pushed through like that for two days. After filming all the group scenes, they began to shoot each member’s individual scenes. All the members except Suho, who had started his individual shoot, headed to the waiting room. As soon as they entered the waiting room, they all collapsed onto the sofa.

“Alright, alright, if we just endure a little longer, the music video shoot will be over. Let’s keep it up until the end.”

“…Yes.”

Yeongsik, with road manager Jeonghun leading the way, comforted the members. Yeongsik held a vitamin drink in one hand and casually offered it to Yejun.

“Drink this and…”

Yejun turned his back to Yeongsik without any reply.

☂︎

His body, sunk beneath the water, wouldn’t move. Yejun, feeling as if his throat was on fire, tried to sit up to drink water, but his whole body was as if it had turned to stone and wouldn’t move at all. It was because some black figure was on top of Yejun’s body, preventing him from moving even a little. Yejun desperately tried to push the black figure away, but he couldn’t even move a fingertip.

“Yejun, Yejun!”

It was then. Road manager Jeonghun grabbed Yejun’s shoulder and shook it hard.

“Ah…”

Only then did Yejun’s body move, and a deep sigh escaped him in that moment.

“Did you have sleep paralysis?”

“…I think so.”

Yejun answered Jeonghun as he struggled to sit up.

“Is it because your body is weak… or is it really a ghost?”

“What?”

“They say if a ghost appears while you’re working on an album, it’ll be a huge hit.”

Yejun let out a hollow laugh at Jeonghun’s seemingly excited words.

“I hope it’s a real ghost so it becomes a huge hit.”

“Anyway, Jeonghun oppa really loves his superstitions.”

Yoonyoung, the makeup artist, said as if it was absurd and gestured to Yejun.

“It’s good to interpret things in a positive way.”

Yejun said as he moved to sit in front of Yoonyoung. Yoonyoung and Sihyeon made a fuss, saying Yejun had sleep paralysis because he was too tired. Like that, Yejun received a makeup touch-up, changed into his final outfit, and went out to the set.

“Yejun.”

“Yes.”

Yejun replied to the director’s call as he looked around the large water tank, the final set for the shoot.

“You just have to stay still as if you’re swimming above the water tank. Then we’ll take care of the filming.”

“How long do I have to hold out?”

“About a minute.”

“Okay.”

Yejun climbed a ladder to the top of the transparent water tank. The spot where he had to dive was marked with red tape. Yejun stood in a proper posture on that spot and waited for the director’s signal.

The refracted world seen through the transparent water was somehow hazy and dizzyingly wavy. Yejun’s body swayed very slightly along with the shimmering waves. It was then. The director picked up a megaphone and shouted loudly.

“Ready, action!”

At the director’s shout, Yejun jumped into the water without hesitation, as if it were a reflex. His body, floating as if buoyant in the water, felt light. But the strange thing was that his body, which felt as light as a feather in the water, wouldn’t move as he willed. From then on, a sense of powerlessness washed over Yejun, the feeling that his body was not free even in the water. In a state of resignation, he completely relaxed his body. He was gradually suffocating, but the feeling wasn’t bad.

If I were in space, would it feel like this?

He was lost in thought for a while.

“Yejun!” It seemed someone was calling Yejun’s name. Yejun slowly opened his eyes.

“Yejun! Yejun!”

Taeyi and Yul, looking startled, hit the wall of the water tank and called out to Yejun desperately. Then, Wooju and Suho quickly approached Yejun, pulled him, and came up to the surface.

“Hah! Ha!”

Only then could Yejun breathe. He gasped for air and grabbed the hand of Wooju, who had climbed out of the tank. Then Wooju pulled Yejun up, and Suho pushed him from behind.

“Yejun, are you okay?”

“Ah… Was I in the water for a long time?”

Taeyi and Yul ran up and wrapped a large shower towel around Yejun’s body. Even though there was a safety guard near the water tank, it was the members who first noticed the subtle change in Yejun.

“You should have said something if you were having a hard time.”

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

A sudden wave of sorrow washed over Yejun, and in that moment, the tears he had held back for so long finally burst out. Using the accident during the underwater shoot as an excuse, he began to cry sorrowfully like a child.

☂︎

Junhyuk was watching a broadcast featuring Serious, who had begun their full-fledged promotions. Serious’s broadcast activities were vigorous. It was visible at a glance that the number of fans looking for them had increased in an instant. Even Junhyuk, who didn’t know the idol world well, could feel the rapid rise in their popularity since their comeback with their second full-length album.

Perhaps that was why. It was impossible for Junhyuk to contact Yejun personally. It was the same whether he tried his personal number or contacted the agency. Yejun was avoiding Junhyuk’s calls one way or another.

So Junhyuk decided to use the power he had. Junhyuk visited the Taejin Gallery. To see his grandmother, Director Min Jayeong, who was always entirely on his side.

“Has our Junhyuk come?”

The gallery was originally supposed to have been inherited by Junhyuk’s mother, Jeonghee. Director Min always complained that she alone was doing gallery work at this late age, blaming her ungrateful daughter who had left first.

“Grandmother.”

“Yes.”

“Please make a move on Taejin Chemical.”

It was Junhyuk, who usually showed little interest in business. That was why Director Min couldn’t have been more pleased to see Junhyuk showing ambition in business.

“How should I do it for you?”

“My father won the duty-free shop business license this time. I have a deal to make while pushing Taejin Chemical’s cosmetics in there.”

“…Is that so?”

Director Min knew that the relationship between Sanghyeon and Junhyuk was quite distant. It was probably because of Jeonghee’s death. The ten-year-old Junhyuk had also been the first witness to discover Jeonghee’s death.

“And I shouldn’t ask for the reason?”

“No.”

Junhyuk’s expression was quite firm. Director Min chuckled and nodded her head.

“It’s a request from my only grandson, I’ll have to grant it, won’t I?”

“Thank you, Grandmother.”

“You know this is a huge loss for me as a business, right?”

“Of course.”

Junhyuk compensated for Director Min’s business loss with an affectionate smile. Director Min, too, willingly let her precious grandson get the better of her.

Tomorrow, Taejin Chemical would send a proposal to Saeil Duty Free. Junhyuk planned to visit Sanghyeon to match that timing. Junhyuk raised one corner of his mouth and smiled tenaciously. He had no intention of quietly giving up on Yejun as he wished.

He will appear before me of his own accord.

Like that, Junhyuk was slowly tightening his grip around Yejun.

☂︎

It seemed Sanghyeon had accepted Junhyuk’s proposal rather easily. The advertising models for Saeil Duty Free were currently composed only of stars who were at the top of their respective fields. Amidst such a situation, Junhyuk had put forward an idol group that was just now taking off as an advertising model.

“Serious?”

“Yes.”

“Why should I specifically make such a choice?”

“Is it a loss even though I’ve brought Taejin Chemical’s flagship products?”

Sanghyeon, as if it were a difficult choice, tapped his index finger on the desk and said nothing for a long time.

“With these conditions, no matter how you look at it, it’s a loss for Taejin’s side…”

“Saeil Duty Free is a latecomer. Do you think you can attract customers without this much of an advantage?”

“So my son moved his mother’s family for Saeil Group? You expect me to believe that?”

“Well, if you can’t believe it even when I bring the profit right before your eyes, there’s nothing I can do.”

Sanghyeon, who said he would think about it, invited Serious to the opening ceremony of Saeil Duty Free a week later and at the same time selected them as advertising models. Then, he gave the seat next to him to Junhyuk, thinking he had helped the business. The media, unaware of the secret deal between the two, interpreted it as Sanghyeon debuting Junhyuk at an official event as the next-generation manager of Saeil Group.

Junhyuk didn’t care about such things. He just stared intently at Yejun, who was holding an awkward smile in front of him.

“This is Chairman Cha Sanghyeon, and the person standing next to him is the chairman’s only son, Mr. Cha Junhyuk.”

Yeongsik stuck close to Sanghyeon’s side, constantly bowing and speaking in a loud voice. Yejun looked back and forth between Sanghyeon and Junhyuk with a bewildered face. Junhyuk continued Yeongsik’s words with a relaxed attitude.

“We go to the same school, so I’ve seen Yejun a few times.”

“Ah, is that so? Yejun, why didn’t you say so?”

“I-I…”

Yejun couldn’t lie and hesitated to answer. Junhyuk added more words as if to defend Yejun.

“We’ve only run into each other at school a few times, so Yejun wouldn’t know all about my family’s situation. Besides, this is the first time I’ve made an appearance at an official event.”

“Ah! Is that so?”

Yeongsik stood in the middle and laughed awkwardly loudly.

“I’m asking you to make sure Junhyuk does well in school.”

“Of course.”

At that moment, Sanghyeon acknowledged Yejun with a casual expression, and this time too, Yeongsik answered instead of Yejun.

“Alright! Now we have to get ready for the opening performance!”

Yejun left his seat to perform on stage, and Junhyuk briefly attended to the distinguished guests invited to the event.