Chapter 118

Chapter 118

SBC Gayo Daejeon was over. We slept in the van in the early morning hours after the show had finally wrapped. Despite the poor sleep, we were in better condition than we’d been at any point in the last month.

One of the managers had excitedly conveyed the reactions to our performance online as soon as the show was over.

“We’ve turned the tables!”

The expressions on the members’ faces had been incredible. In any case, all of them seemed more relaxed, able to sleep soundly despite having to spend another early morning sleeping in the van.

As a result, when the agency asked to meet with just me I didn’t feel too bad about it, despite this meaning I was the only one who didn’t get to go home and rest in the dorm. I couldn’t figure out why I was being summoned, however.

Well, judging from the looks on their faces, I’m guessing it’s nothing bad. Maybe I’d been invited to go on a show alone again. I understood why they’d brought me in as soon as I entered through the back door of the company building.

It was a small entrance meant for only the staff and there were so many boxes piled up neatly in the corridor that the door was nearly entirely blocked. All the boxes were wrapped with great care and had even been decorated with ribbons—they were gift boxes.

I’d seen similarly adorned gifts in the entrance of the dorm during our last vacation, but this time there were far more of them.

Huh? Wait a second.

One of the staff who came out to meet me smiled. “Moondae, these are your birthday presents!”

I see. Today was December 15, Park Moondae’s birthday.

I totally forgot. Given how packed our schedule was and with all the practice we’d been doing, I’d lost track of the date completely. Because I’d been staying off social media on purpose, I hadn’t been clued in by anyone online, either.

Besides, this isn’t even my real birthday... In fact, even before I’d entered Park Moondae’s body, I’d rarely made a big deal about my birthday.

The most I did was eat a slightly more expensive meal. I was rooted to the spot at the sight of the boxes that were basically stacked high enough to cover two entire walls.

All of these are for me?

“I don’t think it will all fit in the dorm... Perhaps your parents can— Hmm...” The man seemed to suddenly recall Park Moondae’s family or lack thereof and trailed off mid-sentence. He kindly offered an alternative. “Why don’t we keep them in the company warehouse for now? I’ll send any electronics and luxury products over to the dorm. You can open them there.”

“Did the people who brought all of this... have anything they wanted to say to me?”

The paper wrapping each box was different, which meant the gifts had probably all been sent from different people.

At least a couple of fansites or groups must have wanted to give gifts in person...

“Oh, they sent it all in with a professional delivery company. They contacted us about it two days ago.” The employee shrugged. “And the only message was that you didn’t have to upload photos of yourself opening them or anything, I think... Yes, that’s what they said.”

Now I understood what was going on.

They’d intentionally sent in the gifts discreetly. Two days ago, the controversy over TeSTAR’s awards had been in full swing. If we hadn’t taken the bull by the horns on SBC yesterday, it would still be ongoing. The fans had probably worried that if I began uploading photos of myself with so many gifts, it would have given detractors more ammunition.

Is that why they didn’t bring the gifts themselves? I felt weird. It was a little odd that people were going to all this effort and showing so much care for someone they would never get to have a proper conversation with.

And strangest of all was that this someone was... me.

“Aren’t you going to open them? Shall I just have them moved into storage?”

“One moment.” I finally approached the boxes.

There were framed photos of me and bags with expensive brands’ logos embossed on the side wrapped in ribbons. Behind them were boxes that had all been wrapped with the same gift wrap. Each ribbon was accompanied by a tag. I stared. They were labels with the name of a clothing brand, an electronic device, or an accessory.

What do I do? I felt overwhelmed. I wasn’t sure how to choose which of the gifts I should take to the dorm first.

Maybe I’ll pick ones that are easier to take pictures of and pick three packages for every type of gift wrap... As I was thinking, one of the tags caught my eye.

It was attached to a box that was relatively smaller than the others.

[Message Book]

I hesitated, then retrieved the box, unwrapping it. Inside was a hardcover book that was both gold and seemingly handmade, titled, You Warm Our Hearts like a Falling Star. As I flipped through the book, I saw messages edited neatly to fill each page.

- I knew the moment I saw your “To a New World” performance. You were my idol! Haha. I’ll always be here cheering you on, Moondae. You always do your best and never stop improving. But it’s fine even if you take it easy sometimes. Always wishing you happiness ♡

- You’re my star. I hope I’ll be able to see you on stage forever!

- My insomnia disappeared after I met you! Seeing you on my screen is a delight every single time, and thinking about you fills me with excitement... Kisses and hugs

- I’m so grateful to you, Moondae, for being so considerate of the fans. I feel sorry as well T_T. I hope you get to spread your wings, Moondae! You deserve it!

Among the longer letters were simpler, more restrained ones. Even these shorter notes seemed packed with sentiment.

- Moondae, I can’t forget your adorable Tibetian fox face... I love puppy Moondae, but I’m a fan of Tibetian fox Moondae as well T_T

“Haha.”

I couldn’t help but laugh reading this. Really, these people were so... odd. All this affection directed at me felt unreal. Emotion wasn’t permanent, of course. All of these people promised their support would last till the end of time, but I knew this was impossible thanks to how fickle human nature was.

Even so, just knowing someone out there felt such things for me at this moment in time filled me with emotions that were difficult to describe. I needed to respond somehow.

Noting my prolonged silence, the employee asked, “Moondae?”

“Oh... Sorry.” I came back to reality and quickly chose a few of the boxes. I took the amount I’d planned to and then some.

“Can you carry all those back?”

“Yes, I’ll be ok. The van is waiting for me.”

A manager had escorted me to the company building. He was probably either getting a drink in the lobby or having a smoke.

“Hmm... all right. Take care. And happy birthday!”

“Thank you.” I took my armful of gifts and headed to the parking lot.

The manager met me midway and seemed shocked by the sight. “You got all those out here by yourself? You should have called me!”

“It’s fine. The van’s not far.”

“Dear me... In any case, happy birthday. And congrats on all those gifts. Can I buy you a coffee or something?”

“Maybe next time.”

“Huh. So that’s not a refusal?”

I simply laughed. I was in a bizarre mood, one that cast a pleasant sheen over the world.

“See you!”

“Yes. Thank you.”

The manager dropped me off in front of the dorm building. I picked up my gifts and headed upstairs. The moment I stepped out of the elevator, I smelled something acrid, the scent coming from the dorm entrance.

Is something burning? Don’t tell me... I piled the boxes in the corridor and scrambled to unlock the front door. After wrenching open the fire hydrant cabinet, I flung the dorm door wide.

“No! Stop!”

I was immediately greeted by Eugene and Ahyeon racing across the living room, holding a pot. Dark smoke was drifting from within the pot.

“What are you two doing?” I asked them dryly.

“M-Moondae! It’s n-nothing special...”

“Chicken soup for the soul!” Eugene exclaimed, running back to the kitchen with the pot.

Ahyeon was left alone in the living room, now silent as we just stared at one another. “H-happy b-birthday...”

“Thanks.”

I appreciated him wishing me a happy birthday, but I kind of just wanted to know what was going on.

***

“A... birthday present?” I asked.

“Yes!” Eugene exclaimed.

“W-well, I p-prepared a separate g-gift for you! This w-was just a thank you gesture of sorts...”

“I have a present for you as well.”

Listening to Eugene and Ahyeon talk didn’t really clear anything up for me. Neither of them were very good at communicating. The other members, roused by all the noise, began to attempt to get their story straight.

“So you wanted to make food for Moondae’s birthday since we happened to be resting in the dorm this morning?” Bae Sejin confirmed.

“Yes!” Eugene said.

“The two of you?” Bae Sejin muttered under his breath.

Ahyeon hung his head morosely. “W-we had a g-great recipe... I th-thought we could do it.”

“Are you sure about that?” Bae Sejin asked dubiously.

“It’s my mom’s recipe!” Eugene cried cheerfully, “Chicken soup!”

Bae Sejin’s intense stare softened. He added quickly, “Uh... even if the recipe is good, that doesn’t mean it’s suitable for beginners.”

“Let’s try again!” Eugene suggested eagerly.

“Wait. Sit.” I pulled Eugene back into his chair by the back of his shirt before he could jump to his feet, recalling the pot I’d just seen in the kitchen.

It was burnt black. From the state of the cutting board and the sink, the cooking process itself seemed like a hot mess.

“Didn’t you say you were good at cooking, Eugene?” Big Sejin asked.

“I’m good at grilling stuff. I’ve never boiled anything before...”

“Oh my gosh.”

This was pure comedy. Big Sejin tutted and waved his hand dismissively when I looked at him.

“Oh. Happy birthday, Moondae! I sent you a mobile voucher.”

“Fried chicken?” I asked.

“Just chicken. Two chickens, in fact.”

He was returning the favor for the gift I’d sent him in August. It was just like him since he was such a smartass.

“Thanks,” I said.

“I-I have something too! O-one moment...” Ahyeon, who’d been sitting looking guilty, suddenly jumped to his feet and stumbled toward his room. He brought back a small, neatly wrapped gift and held it out to me. “H-happy birthday!”

“Uh... thanks. Can I open it?”

“Y-yeah!”

There was a department store voucher inside. This feels like I’m collecting a buddy tax or something.

Ahyeon seemed proud of himself though. “I-I had no time to actually go buy you a gift there, so... It’s better if you choose what you want yourself!”

“Uh... right. Thanks. I’ll go shopping when I have some free time.”

“Yeah!”

I’d have to buy something for Ahyeon while I was at it. The amount of money on the voucher was a little too much to accept from a friend or coworker.

Come to think of it, he gave Big Sejin something pretty expensive for his birthday, too. Maybe one of these days I’d have to tell him that it wasn’t necessary.

“Oh, I bought one, too.”

I received two more gifts, though none were as extravagant as Ahyeon’s.

Eugene brought me a huge container of gummies. He’ll end up eating half of this. I’m sure of it. If I had to guess, this was part of an order he’d placed for himself.

Bae Sejin was surprisingly good at remembering people’s birthdays. He gave me a hoodie.

“Thanks. I’ll get a lot of use out of this,” I said.

“Yeah, well...”

That was the conclusion to the gift-giving. Frankly, I’d never once received so many gifts in a single day.

It feels weird. I brought the boxes from the fans inside, moving them into my room, along with the members’ gifts.

“I’m sorry I didn’t prepare anything,” Chungwoo said, wearing a contrite expression. “Let me treat you to a meal when we have time. Is there anything you’d like to eat?”

“You don’t have to be sorry. Can I choose something later?”

“Yes. Sure.”

It was totally normal not to know my birthday, but Chungwoo seemed apologetic.

I was assuring him a meal was more than enough when Raebin shouted in a grim tone, “I’m sorry I wasn’t aware!”

“Hey, I said it was all right.”

“I recently made a beat. You can use it for your solo song...”

You shouldn’t be offering your music to other people so carelessly. But I decided to go along with it for now.

“Sure. I’ll bet it’s really good. Let’s take a look at it later.”

“All right!” Raebin looked deeply relieved. With a loud sigh, he trudged off to his room.

I made a mental note to talk to him later and remind him that he didn’t need to try to please everyone all the time. I didn’t want to see him put himself at a disadvantage because of it.

I stacked the boxes next to my bed and lay down. For the first time in a while, I turned on the data on my phone. A handful of text messages were the first to appear—they contained

Big Sejin’s gift.

[You got a gift from Big Sejin]

: Orim Homegrown Chicken (Raw, 1.5 kg)

I stared in shock. A bunch of laughing emojis appeared after.

That bastard! Impulsively, I let him know exactly what I thought of his present.

[Damn it, are you kidding me?]

The response was instant.

[Big Sejin: Nope]

I nearly took off for his room but resisted. That was probably exactly the reaction he wanted. Instead, I chose a more logical revenge.

[I’m not taking any more photos for you]

[Big Sejin: I deeply apologize]

Yep. This was the correct response. I turned off my phone and tried to get some sleep. As soon as I closed my eyes, thoughts about all the gifts I’d gotten and the messages in the book began to float around in my mind.

I had a feeling I’d have nice dreams during my nap.

***

Unwelcome news was awaiting me later that day, after I’d had such a pleasant nap, delivered by the manager.

“Moondae, you got a phone call.”

“Huh? From who?”

The manager handed me his phone and mouthed, “VTIC Cheongryeo!”

This b*tch.