Ryu Dohyuk wasn't in his room.
Could it be because of me...?
Dohyuk had already stepped in to resolve the controversy surrounding Seha. But it was possible that Dohyuk himself had gotten into trouble as a result.
With anxious eyes, Seha searched the dormitories for Dohyuk. When he wanted to avoid him, Dohyuk would suddenly appear behind him. But now that he was actively looking for him, there wasn't a trace of him anywhere.
"Hey, Seha."
The staff member who had cornered Seha the previous night approached and bowed deeply. When he straightened up, he casually placed a hand on Seha's shoulder.
"I'm sorry about yesterday. PD Im really chewed me out too."
"Ah..."
"Still, it's good everything worked out, right?"
Seha awkwardly accepted the lukewarm apology, his eyes lighting up at the word "resolved." He grabbed the staff member's hand and asked urgently, "Where might Assistant Dohyuk be...?"
"Ah, Dohyuk-ssi?" the staff member replied, explaining the circumstances of Dohyuk's disappearance. It turned out that Ryu Dohyuk had entrusted his social media accounts to the company. He'd delegated the task to avoid the hassle of posting himself, but this official account had become a ticking time bomb, posting without company oversight. The CEO had summoned him for a brief meeting.
"His luggage was gone, and his room was too clean..."
"We sent him on a break. There was the incident, after all. Dohyuk-ssi always kept his room spotless anyway."
To summarize, it wasn't a forced departure from the program, nor was he fired—it was simply a vacation. Even if the CEO had summoned him, with Ryu Dohyuk as the other party, it would have been nothing more than a reprimand. After all, it wasn't a scandal; he had only posted the article to prove a friend's innocence.
"But why 'Assistant'? You two are so close."
"......"
"Well, good luck anyway."
"Ah, wait!"
"Hmm?"
"Could I just take a look at my phone for a moment? I want to see what Dohyuk—I mean, Hyuk—posted."
As if surviving such a scandal made granting a brief phone check trivial, the staff quickly retrieved Seha's phone. He swiftly powered it on. A message from his mother was waiting.
Mom
- Son~ Mom doesn't watch TV much. Se Eun told me about it, so I just found out.
- You're okay, right? Your phone was off, so I left a text~
- Call me when you have time~ Se Eun misses you too.
She found out.
Seha had managed to keep his survival show appearance a secret until now, but this incident meant even his sister Se Eun, who has zero interest in the entertainment industry, also knew about it.
I was going to tell her once it seemed certain I'd debut.
An unexpected variable had derailed his plans. After replying to his mother that he was fine and would call later, Seha urgently turned on the internet. Since he hadn't downloaded any social media apps, he had to search for "Ryu Dohyuk" on a portal site.
"What is this?!"
When Jei explained, Seha had thought Dohyuk had merely posted a statement. He couldn't have been more wrong. Ryu Dohyuk had uploaded a flood of old photos with Seha, proving their close relationship. Only Dohyuk and Seha knew that these photos were actually from when they were dating.
After rereading the statement three times, Seha wore a strange expression. Feeling uneasy, he was about to hand his phone back to the staff when...
Mom
- Hey~ Mom heard from Dohyuk-ie. He contacted me first, haha.
- He said he's been busy filming a drama~~ But he promised to visit next time he's free.
- I'm so relieved Hyuk-ie will take good care of you. ^^
- Do your best, son. It's okay to lose~~ You know that, right???
Seha's mother replied almost immediately, as if she had been glued to her phone. Buzz... buzz... buzz... buzz... The vibrations rang out four times in quick succession, the pauses between them betraying her slow typing.
Seha froze mid-motion as he glanced at the message preview. The hand that had been reaching to return the phone hovered in the air.
Dohyuk contacted her first?
Ryu Dohyuk had once frequented Seha's home like it was his own, memorizing all the family's phone numbers. But things were different now. They had broken up years ago, and the awkwardness lingered. More than anything, it had been long enough for anyone to have completely forgotten their ex-lover's family's contact information.
Mom keeps asking about Do-hyuk, so I lied and said he was busy...
Seha's mother was unaware of his relationship with Dohyuk. Unable to reveal that they had broken up and would never see each other again, Seha would just brush it off by saying Dohyuk was busy with filming whenever she asked why he hadn't visited lately. His mom must have gotten a call from Dohyuk and asked if he was still busy.
What if he said he wasn't busy?!
And now Dohyuk was planning to visit their home? Why would he go to the house of his ex, whom he now hated? Seha's mind was in turmoil.
While Seha was lost in thought, a staff member gave him a strange look for a moment, then snatched the phone from his hand and took it away.
"Alright, take care."
The staff member patted Seha dismissively and left. But Seha remained frozen in place, lost in his own thoughts.
I don't understand why you even bothered with my mom. No, more than that, I don't understand why you defended me.
Seha had always believed his existence was a hindrance to Ryu Dohyuk. Even if he wasn’t a major presence in his life today, he was still a subtle, persistent irritant.
Sitting on a chair at the end of the hallway, Seha replayed the events that had unfolded after he checked the exposé post yesterday. Not only had he accepted help from his ex-boyfriend, but he had also wept pathetically in Dohyuk's room, in his arms, until he fell asleep. He couldn't bear to imagine how pathetic he must have looked in Dohyuk's eyes.
And then there was the matter of...
Why haven't you deleted those photos yet?
They had broken up long ago. Deleting traces of their past was the natural thing to do. Yet Ryu Dohyuk had kept those photos all this time—it seemed impossible. Even seeing it with his own eyes, Seha struggled to believe it. A strange feeling kept churning in his stomach.
...I wonder when he'll be back.
Seha returned to his room without exchanging a single word with Dohyuk. He resolved to thank him when he returned.
***
Even after Dohyuk returned, Seha couldn't bring himself to speak to him. Ryu Dohyuk was actively avoiding even On Seha's shadow.
Why is he avoiding me...!
He used to approach Seha relentlessly, striking up conversations at every opportunity. Now, he would breeze past him the moment their eyes met, pretending to be busy as an added measure.
"Dohyuk-hyung is acting kind of weird," Jei remarked.
"...Just leave him be," Seha replied.
Dohyuk's awkward, conspicuous turns whenever their paths crossed were so obvious that even the oblivious Jei noticed. For the first few days, Seha had been bothered by it, but now a more pressing task loomed before him.
I absolutely have to get the bonus this time.
The upcoming second round competition was his immediate focus.
Seha's teammates for the second competition were all participants ranked within the top 20. Their personalities meshed well, and the harmony of their voices was ten, no, a hundred times better than he had imagined. Seha was confident they would secure the bonus.
Since our voices blend so well, we need to focus on perfecting our timing and technique.
Even in what was essentially a vocal power showcase, synchronizing their performance was essential. With so little time to dedicate to practice, he certainly didn't have the luxury of chasing after Ryu Dohyuk, who was openly avoiding him.
I'll talk to him after the second competition, no matter what.
Reluctantly, Seha gave up on trying to confront Dohyuk for now. He needed to tackle the urgent matter first and then deal with him after the competition concluded.
The schedule for the second competition was more generous. Episode 4 was set to be preempted for a week due to overlapping with a major sports tournament broadcast, so the extra time was needed to maintain the broadcast schedule.
He practiced diligently while monitoring his vocal condition, Finally, two days before the competition, a judge visited our practice room for a check-in. Unlike the first competition, this time it wasn't Seo Mihee. It was Park Minhu, a renowned vocalist from the second generation of idols.
"Let's hear it right away," Park Minhu said, his expression slightly stiff. He'd heard the loud voices erupted in Vocal Team A's practice room earlier, where they were rehearsing "Still Us," and Park Minhu still seemed to be displeased.
If we mess up, we'll get scolded even more.
Seha and his teammates immediately complied with Park Minhu's suggestion to listen to the live performance. After aligning their formation, Jin Yeonhun, the team leader, started the instrumental track.
"Frosty Ballad" performed by Vocal Team B, was a song that captured the wintery atmosphere suggested by its title.
It served as the main theme for the fusion historical drama "North Wind." The song played during a scene where Dohyuk, who played the male lead's younger self, was forcibly separated from the female lead in the dead of winter, his anguished cries becoming one of the drama's most iconic moments.
To truly capture the song's essence, it had to be sung with profound sorrow, each breath laced with longing, and with heart-wrenching tenderness. To fully immerse themselves in the emotion, the team members even spent their day off on the airing date of episode 3 binge-watching "North Wind."
Having watched so many clips, the team members even started mimicking Ryu Dohyuk's iconic childhood scenes like memes during practice. Seha didn't rewatch the entire drama, but since he had already seen Dohyuk's works multiple times before, he understood all the lines perfectly.
With their solid vocal skills and perfect harmony, where no one tried to stand out, combined with the immersive understanding gained from binge-watching the drama, they were undeniably fully prepared. Unlike during the first competition, they felt neither anxious nor nervous before the final rehearsal.
As soon as the music started, the entire team synchronized their breathing and launched into the rehearsal performance. The result...?
"...You guys aren't the type that chose vocals because you can't dance."
So does that mean the opposing team is? Seha silently wondered. Park Minhu, who had been expressionless throughout, relaxed his face after delivering his blunt assessment. He smiled faintly, as if satisfied.
Now it was time for individual feedback. Seha quickly adjusted the slight misalignment in their formation caused by their focused movements. Immediately, the leader's name was called.
"In the latter half, your tone gets a bit lost among the others. In moments like this, you need to show more strength in the final push..."
Seha listened attentively to the feedback given to his teammates, as if it were his own. The advice was valuable and applicable to him as well.
"Next... uh, Seha!"
Park Minhu delivered his typically demanding yet meticulous critique. This was the fourth time Seha's name had been called.
"Seha, you have too many problems."
The air froze at his first words. Seha's expression stiffened as he hunched his shoulders.
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