Chapter 90

Chapter 90

I’d never seen Raebin so pale. Even some of the other members, who’d wandered off in different directions, noticed immediately.

“Raebin, is something wrong? What’s going on?” Chungwoo asked quietly, and the manager took their leader aside as well.

If it was a complicated personal matter, there was a good chance Raebin wouldn’t appreciate any meddling. Chungwoo might be fine since he was the leader, but who knew how Raebin would take the other members’ piqued interest?

I’ll just keep an eye on the situation for now. As expected, the manager soon returned with Chungwoo. Raebin was already gone.

“What about Raebin?”

“Just wait a bit. We can talk after filming’s all wrapped up,” the manager said, apparently concerned the staff might overhear.

The members understood and left it alone, continuing about their business.

Only a while later, after we’d said our goodbyes to the production team and gotten in our van, were we told what was going on.

“His grandmother collapsed?”

“Yes. He went to the hospital right away.”

The members looked horrified since all of us knew that Raebin lived with his grandparents. I fidgeted, feeling bad for him.

At least the manager let him go. This was probably because it was close to the end of our promotions anyway and today’s schedule was all but over. Otherwise, the manager might have tried making a ridiculous call about the whole situation.

Wait a second. Why had the bad news arrived with such convenient timing?

“Hey, when did the message first arrive?”

“W-what?” the manager stammered.

“The news about his grandmother? When did they try and get in contact?”

The manager looked morose. “The message came when you guys were just about done with the rafting segment. I had the phones turned off... and we only saw it when filming was already over.”

Everyone froze.

“That means... it might already be...”

“T-too late...”

“That doesn’t seem to be the case! His family kept sending updates!” the manager added in a hurry.

“Right...”

The members relaxed slightly. I studied the manager carefully.

Did he already know, but wait until the filming was over to tell Raebin? It was possible.

He could have wanted to just wait since it was nearly over. Maybe he told himself that Raebin’s grandmother wouldn’t suddenly get better just because Raebin went to see her… No, I decided. I had to be taking my suspicion too far. Neither the manager nor the agency was that unconscionable, surely. And if that had been the case, the manager wouldn’t have been that honest. I repressed a sigh and leaned back.

“I’m worried about his grandmother,” came a tearful voice. Eugene was huddled in the corner of the van, looking sad.

I guess he’s met her before.

Chungwoo seemed to struggle to find words for a moment, then said, “It’ll be all right. Let’s call Raebin... a little later tonight.”

“Okay...”

A gloomy mood filled the van. Even Big Sejin seemed to be at a loss for what to say and just shook his head when our eyes met.

“Hmm...”

Lee Sejin turned to look out the window, seeming uncomfortable with the heavy atmosphere. The ride back to the dorm was quiet. The last two days had been so exciting—nobody had expected that they would end like this.

***

Raebin returned way past midnight.

“Oh!”

“You’re back.”

A few of the members were still sitting in the living room, awake. Ahyeon and Lee Sejin had a photo shoot the next morning, and the manager had forced them to go to bed.

That was wise of him since we didn’t know when Raebin would be coming back. And it had been the right call since it was 3:30 in the morning by the time he returned.

“Did you take a taxi?”

“Yes...” Raebin replied, his face puffy. Maybe he’d been crying. He didn’t look overly upset, however.

I guess it wasn’t as serious as we thought.

I asked, “How is your grandmother?”

“She’s all right... There will be almost no lasting damage because she was taken to the hospital right away.”

It turned out that she’d had a stroke. Thankfully, Raebin’s older sister had found her quickly and she’d received treatment before it was too late.

“That’s a relief...”

“That’s such great news, Raebin.”

“You must have been really worried. Kudos to you for hanging in there.”

“Thank you...” Raebin rubbed his eyes hard, tearing up again as he came further into the living room. Everyone welcomed him, each trying to gently console him.

“Have you had dinner?”

“No.”

“Oh, man.”

“You should eat something before you go to sleep. You’ve had a rough day.”

This was sound advice.

Guess there’s nothing for it. With a sigh, I volunteered. Preparing something quick to eat myself would be fastest, considering which of the members were awake at present.

“Take a seat. I’ll warm something up for you.”

“I-it’s all right!” Raebin insisted.

“It’s late. Keep your voice down.”

“Right...”

The members, having confirmed that the situation wasn’t as bad as they’d feared, relaxed and stretched as they got up.

“Well, Raebin, you get some rest. Night night, Moondae!”

“Yeah...”

“Eat well and go to sleep.”

“Good work.”

Eugene was the last to pat Raebin on the shoulder before going to bed.

We had something in our schedule as a group in the afternoon. Since the situation was resolved for the most part, it would have only made Raebin uncomfortable if they’d all sat around while he ate.

I guess I should also get this done quickly and go to bed. I heated up some microwave rice and pre-made soup, putting the bowls of food in front of him. It had been a good idea to buy an extra serving when we’d ordered dinner just in case.

“Here.”

“Thank you...”

After watching him begin to eat, I turned to leave. Then it hit me.

It probably wouldn’t feel great to just sit there eating alone at this hour in the morning, would it? I could foresee him becoming even more miserable. At least one person should stay up with him, and I’d unwittingly put myself in that role.

Still, I have to stay with him now. I sat opposite my group mate as he ate quietly. He put down his chopsticks not halfway through the meal.

“Is it bad?”

“No...” he muttered, hanging his head. “I know she’s all right... but still... I feel strange.”

“Why?”

“Wh-what if something like this... happens again? What if I check my messages late and something more serious happens... What if it’s for real?”

“Hmm.”

“Even if I do hear about it quickly, would it be right for me to leave in the middle of a performance or a shoot? If I did... that would make me unprofessional. I… can’t stop thinking about it.”

It was a logical concern. And anyone with a schedule as packed as his might be expected to have similar worries. What would happen if someone contacted you in the middle of something very important and it was news that a beloved person had fallen ill?

The problem was that Raebin wasn’t even of age yet. He couldn’t even legally drink, and yet here he was, forced to think such thoughts because of his work environment. Frankly, I didn’t think it was right.

Though I wouldn’t know what to say if someone argued that he’s still a professional regardless of his age since he makes money doing this. Incidents like this were hard to understand without having experienced them firsthand. I didn’t know what to say.

This is a difficult topic. Who knew we’d end up talking about something like this in the early hours of the morning? I considered for a moment, then said, “When they called me... I was studying at my after-school academy.”

Raebin stared, stunned at this admission.

“I was in the middle of a class and my phone was on silent... I only saw the messages after quite a lot of time had passed, since exams weren’t far off at the time.”

I had twenty-four missed calls. I still think about it sometimes, wondering what would have happened if I hadn’t gone to the academy that day and instead accompanied my parents to the family event they were attending. It was a pointless thought, though.

“I was much less busy than you are now. Just a student. That’s why I think when it comes to timing... it mostly boils down to luck.”

“Ah...”

“And you won’t be this busy all your life. Once your career takes off, you’ll have more freedom when it comes to your schedule.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “If you’re still worried, though, tell the manager to keep an eye out for any messages from your family. If it’s urgent, just drop what you’re doing and leave.”

He looked shocked.

“That’s how everyone lives their life. Anyone who gives you sh*t for doing the same is an asshole. Sue them.”

Raebin was silent for a while, thinking. Then he nodded. “All right...”

“Do you feel a little better?”

“Yes!” he sounded like a bit of the weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He picked up his chopsticks again. I was relieved to see that he obviously felt a little better.

He’s eating fast, it shouldn’t take more than five minutes for him to finish eating. Relieved, I checked the clock. The sun would rise by the time I returned to my room.

Looks like I’m going to be a nocturnal creature for the next few days. I could feel my sleep schedule taking a beating. When we finally got some time off, I’d have to focus on sleeping at nine in the evening and waking up at nine the following morning.

“Uh, Moondae.”

“What?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

Raebin cleared the table once he was done eating, asking cautiously, “I thought you lost your memories. I don’t understand how you remember that incident you told me about—”

“I woke up one morning and just remembered it.”

“Oh, I see.”

Raebin was a very consistent man.

***

The travel segment of the reality show was met with huge enthusiasm from the fans.

- Yeah, baby! Travel!

- This reality show was super fun at first, but it’s gotten stale lately. So I just watched the clip, and what do you know? The production team has got their act back together!

- I heard someone saw them near a river. I wonder if they’ll be spending some time relaxing with each other in the countryside? I’m excited T_T

When the trailer appeared, the excitement increased twofold.

- Holy crap! It’s going to be an “extreme” trip!

- Skydiving, a haunted house, and rafting? Wow, they collected all the magic ingredients for successful content

- Moondae in a haunted house? This is going to be amazing, I just know it. Everyone, let’s go!

- No way... They must have made the fan song during the trip. There was only a single scene showing it, but they were so cute working as a group

- It was Raebin’s idea after all. I hope everyone who dissed him saying it wasn’t just his idea goes to hell

- I’m relieved that they ate well

└ LOL this was totally me

└ Yeah. I was worried they might not have eaten properly, but then I saw the whole pork barbeque LOL

The fans waited expectantly for the first episode of the travel segment to drop, which would happen in only a few days.

At the same time, they scoured the internet for any hint that they might appear on other variety shows, hoping for more TV content.

In doing so, they found an anonymous post with no proof to back it up.

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: Meet and Greet - Guests are “C” from “V” and “M” from “T”. They invited “C” first and he said he wanted “M” to join. Everyone thinks it’ll be a hit

========================

The post suggested that Cheongryeo of VTIC was going to appear on a variety show with Park Moondae. This absurd claim, as one might expect, was met with scorn.

- ? What nonsense is this?

- What are you smoking?

- This idiot is claiming Cheongryeo and Moondae are friends just because they saw them greet each other on TV, right?

- Ha! Do low-effort troll posts like this get attention these days? Times have changed

The fans didn’t believe it for a second, of course. But a few days later, an official news article appeared.

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[The next guests to appear on Meet and Greet will be VTIC and TeSTAR? (Exclusive)]

: According to a source from MBS who spoke on the 21st, Meet and Greet will be inviting Cheongryeo of VTIC and Park Moondae of TeSTAR as guests on the show.

[...]

========================

- ???

- Wait, what?

- Is this for real?

It was confirmed to be true and before long, a trailer for the episode of Meet and Greet dropped.