Chapter 353

Chapter 353

“Come in.”

Park Moondae, wearing a black hood, tottered a little bit to the side as he entered the doorway. Kongi whined and circled around him. The only sound inside the huge, quiet dorm came from the dog.

“Kongi, paw.”

Cheongryeo was about to lift his dog, who clearly knew it was time to return home.

Hmm. He decided to request help from his companion.

“Can you help me with this?”

Moondae silently wiped the dog’s paws, gave him some food, and even let him rest his head on his legs.

He’s completely out of it. He displayed none of the reactions that he usually showed when Cheongryeo crossed the line of propriety.

Cheongryeo gave him a hot drink and spoke casually. “Did you fail?”

The hooded head looked up. There was no rebuttal.

So he did. It wasn’t clear what kind of failure he had experienced, but it probably didn’t have to do with work.

Otherwise, I would already know. He kept a close eye on his competitors. There was even the possibility that his access to information was faster than the speed at which Park Moondae’s middling agency was able to realize its own problems.

Cheongryeo watched his competitor closely, who was still wearing his mask, and continued, “You said you had something to talk about. Go on, then. I’m listening.”

Moondae stared down at the dog, then said in a subdued monotone voice, “You said you had told somebody else about your situation before.”

“Yes.”

Oh, is that what you failed at? It appeared that he had told yet another person the truth. Moondae had already told one of the members who was the same age as him, at least on the surface, which meant it was very likely that he had spoken to the other member was also his age. That was the way relationships worked, and the pressures involved within them.

Cheongryeo could’ve reminded him that he had warned him against just this, but he didn’t bother—Moondae seemed well aware of his own mistake.

“An excuse… You said you had an excuse that you like to use.”

“I do.”

Cheongryeo wondered if he was simply asking for the knowledge instead of offering a deal or a threat. But the guy was not in a state to even think about such things, apparently. This was very unlike him. Cheongryeo confirmed that the reason he wasn’t picking up his cup was because his hands were shaking.

The sleeves of his hoodie were quivering slightly. He was like the bones of a house that had barely withstood some kind of massive shock, outwardly unharmed but full of tiny cracks that could cause it to fall apart at any moment.

Cheongryeo was able to find traces of his past self, so old that they were utterly unfamiliar, in this version of Moondae. This had happened a few times in the past, when it came to Moondae. So he offered the information without holding back.

“First of all, find a storyline that is similar to your story. You can refer to bestseller novels that have a good rating, or perhaps movies.”

Cheongryeo had even compiled appropriate examples for every year, and put them in a list. He had wanted to make sure that he didn’t accidentally mention a work that would only be released in the future.

“And mention it at an interview before you do anything else, focusing on the keywords. Say you are attracted by the concept. It’ll be like foreshadowing.”

It would allow him to write off as a joke or misunderstanding any exposure caused by a member who had heard the secret. His method involved choosing the public over personal relationships.

“It nullifies any potential threat that the other person can represent. And it’s effective, kind of like a vaccine.”

The masked Moondae said nothing, however.

Cheongryeo guessed he was rather displeased, and that perhaps he didn’t like what he’d heard. Moondae could be so soft and emotional at times. It was natural, of course, considering that he had only returned once. Though this did not seem like a good thing, he offered another solution.

“Perhaps you don’t like that idea. Then just go to him and say that you made a mistake because the workload was too much.”

“…!”

“You came up with this imaginative story as a joke at first, but at some point, you started thinking that maybe it was real. That should do it.”

Moondae looked up. This messy method focused solely on getting the other person to relax. Cheongryeo himself had almost never used it, except for a few times early on.

It can be rather unpredictable and inefficient. If there was the slightest hint of insincerity, the listener would often do something unpredictable, and that had annoyed him.

Moondae seemed to think that this was a more appropriate method, however. Since he was clearly so concerned about the whole situation, there was probably no chance that he would come off as insincere, anyway.

Cheongryeo explained more, in a way that was rather kind coming from him. “They will believe you, even if the explanation doesn’t seem perfect. It’s not so different from what they are probably thinking is happening to you anyway, but it’s also positive.” Cheongryeo spoke slowly as he watched his dog offering its paw to Park Moondae without being asked. “Those sorts of people will not easily change the conclusions that they have already come to.”

Then he laughed. “They don’t want to be proven wrong, do they? Just give them the answer they want, and the problem will be solved.”

The drink that Park Moondae hadn’t touched was still steaming. And when their eyes finally met, Park Moondae’s were full of conviction.

“No.”

Uh-oh.

***

My head was a complete mess. As a result, here I was, sitting in an unfamiliar dorm. Despite having the same layout as our own, everything about it was different. I knew that the situation I now found myself in was utterly hilarious. But even though my head felt like it was crawling with insects, like I was about to lose control and there was nothing I could do about it, it did function in one single way—in rejecting something I knew to be untrue.

“No.”

Cheongryeo, sitting opposite me, cocked his head. I suddenly felt much more awake, like my brain had just taken a cold shower.

“Huh?”

“He’s not that kind of person.”

This I knew for certain.

Ahyeon is the sort of person who can admit when he gets something wrong. In fact, he could be utterly cruel to himself about it. That was the way he had lived his life so far—always aware of his own trauma and defects.

Status abnormality: Lack of self-esteem

With this status abnormality in effect, he had always continued to find drawbacks and flaws in himself and acknowledged them, almost to the point of excessiveness. He also tried to overcome them.

[Trait: Fortitude]

His trait reflected that. He had the willpower to overcome things. He also always tried to come to the best decision he could.

He’s not the sort of person who will simply accept what he’s told because it’s what he wants to hear. This had been the source of the problem.

I remembered what he had shouted at me.

“I-I-I can’t even believe you, and I’m no help, either.”

“He wanted to believe me.”

“Right.”

“Even so, he decided it was wrong to do so.

He wasn’t trying to come to a conclusion that he liked. He was trying to come to one that he didn’t like, and now we’re in this situation.” Because I hadn’t been able to explain everything to him properly, he had come to the mistaken conclusion that I was mentally ill.

My past actions do give weight to such a conclusion. Considering all the foolishness that I had been involved in—such as freezing at inopportune moments and an alcohol addiction—I smiled bitterly. I had no idea why I had thought he would believe me.

“So I’m not interested in using methods like that. They won’t work. This situation is completely different.”

Ahyeon would think about it for a while and quickly realize that I had simply made a convenient excuse. The damage would really be irreversible then.

“Yeah? All right.” Cheongryeo nodded carelessly, as if it was no skin off his back. “Didn’t it occur to you that the conclusion that was reached is very disrespectful?”

What?

“I…” I began. “No, I’m not talking about you. The other person.”

“…!”

“You are currently in this strait because the other person believes that the wrong conclusion they have come to is actually the truth. I don’t understand why you are being so kind to him.”

I said nothing.

“Don’t you feel at all offended?”

I balled my hands into fists, but quickly sighed and relaxed them again. “I’m the one who told him, so it should be me who deals with the repercussions of that.” The words came out sounding calmer than I had expected. “It’s not like somebody tortured me to get the answer out of me. I’m the one who told him, so it only makes sense that I take responsibility for that.”

“Hmm.” He didn’t seem to agree, but again, he did not reject my words. “All right. Cheer up. You can always give up if you don’t want to do this anymore.”

I stared.

“Even if you quit the group, it’s not like your life will be over. Isn’t that right?”

This bastard. While I think his way of thinking is slightly healthier than before… Why does he still tick me off like this? His words were annoying. What was more, my situation demanded that I think of more than just myself.

Somebody else is going to turn into a status window, you bastard! I gritted my teeth. Even if I told him, he would simply frustrate me more by saying something along the lines of, I mean, it’s not you who’s dying… so I simply said nothing.

Then I stared at him, a little taken aback.

He has so little empathy, and yet he is still listening to me and offering advice. I had been sitting on the bench to call my head and hadn’t been expecting to be invited into the dorm and served tea.

Hmm. I guess this means he’s a little better than me in this regard. I recalled the way I had closed the door in his face when he had come to see me because of his dog and remained silent for a moment.

But still, I didn’t suddenly show up at his door without warning. Regardless, I should still thank him.

“Thanks for the advice…”

“Even though you’re not going to follow it? Haha.”

That’s up to me to decide, you bastard. In any case, my head felt clearer than it had last night as my thoughts finally kicked into gear once more.

First of all… I will never tell him that my group is going to suffer some setbacks… He’ll enjoy it too much.

“Kongi, how about a snack?” he said.

The dog barked.

I watched him deftly have his dog follow several commands and chose to say nothing. There was only one thing for me to do in the end.

I need to activate his trait again—Fortitude. The surest way forward was to activate it and counteract his status abnormality. But I still didn’t think that my words would have any effect on him.

I’m not even sure that he’ll be willing to have a conversation with me. Perhaps he’d even written out a list of recommended hospitals for my benefit.

Enough. I stopped myself short as my thoughts wandered into useless territory again. I needed to be constructive about this.

So it needs to be somebody else, not me. What I had done during Idol Inc. relying on my trait, the other members would have to do in my stead.

Hmm. So I need someone else to help me. I came up with a few ideas and stood up—or tried to, anyway. The dog whined and stopped me from doing so. Cheongryeo narrowed his eyes.

“Kongi seems disappointed to see you go. You can stay awhile if you want.”

At your dorm?

“What about your members?”

I’d heard that they were releasing an album before they joined the military. So why aren’t they anywhere to be seen?

“They’re out attending to their personal schedules, or on vacation.” Oh.

This was probably why the dog seemed so eager to have company.

I looked around. I wasn’t really interested in studying others’ homes in detail, but I did notice a few things. Photo frames, souvenirs, and the like, which seemed to be gifts from the early days following their debut were still displayed in the living room.

Hmm. I think I’m the one who took and sold that photo… Forget it. It can’t be. I turned back around and looked at him and his dog.

Then I asked impulsively, “Do you really have no interest in telling your members right now?”

“No,” he said instantly.

“I’m actually curious why you told them at all. There was no need to do that, was there?”

I’d love to know why, too. I have no f*cking idea why I told them.

“Dunno. I just… wanted to,” I said, resigned. Perhaps he would laugh at me.

He simply petted his dog and said, “I suppose I understand feeling that way.”

“…!”

“It’s frustrating.”

Shockingly, there was a faint note of understanding in his tone.

“Don’t you feel frustrated?” I asked.

“Not really. Hmm. Actually, maybe I did feel that way in the past. But you know, people can get used to almost anything.” He moved his hand away from his dog and laughed quietly. “It’s one of the things that we humans are known for. We adapt. I’m sure you’ll feel fine soon enough.”

My brain told me that this was nonsense, but interestingly, his words consoled me emotionally, which was both strange and funny.

I sighed and said, “Thanks…”

“All right.”

He was holding onto his dog, so I felt it was time for me to get up and go. I gulped down the tea he’d made for me, which was now lukewarm, and stood.

I didn’t even pause to consider if he’d drugged it. It seemed I was still not fully myself yet. I shook my head and stepped away from the table.

That was when the doorbell rang. I glanced at the intercom screen, deciding that I would hide if it was someone from his agency. But on the screen was a tall figure dressed in light clothing and a facemask. It was Seon Ahyeon.

“…!”

I found myself backing away.

What is he doing here? He can’t have come to see me. That couldn’t be the reason. He would have no idea that I was here. But there was no reason for him to come to see Cheongryeo, either.

The agency didn’t contact me, and neither did my members. My phone wasn’t on mute, and it had never vibrated.

Wait… I realized that my pocket felt lighter than usual. Then I looked up at the screen again. Ahyeon was holding two smartphones in his hand.

That apple-themed case. It was my phone.

“Oh.”

Then I realized what was going on. After the mess I had made last night, I had told no one where I was going and left the dorm early in the morning.

“A visitor so early in the morning?” Cheongryeo said.

I had been gone from the dorm for about three hours.

Goddamn it.