Chapter 183
Baek Juha moved even faster than I expected.
Manager Baek Juha:
I’ve prepared what you mentioned.
I parked the car in the parking lot, so could you come this way?
She found out within a week of my request.
It felt strange.
‘So, it really exists in this world… me.’
If no matter how hard she searched, nothing came up about “Baek Nokha,” Baek Juha’s answer would have been different.
She would have said she found nothing.
But the fact that she called meant something had come up.
My personal information was this easy to find.
It was both futile and amusing.
I should have checked sooner.
I should have turned over the card that was Baek Juha sooner.
Why did I fear the ties from the Baek Nokha days?
“Did you come?”
“Since it seems hot, I brought some drinks.”
I handed Baek Juha an iced Americano.
Baek Juha accepted the coffee, thanking me.
Instead, she handed me a stack of documents.
The first page caught my eye with a middle school student ID photo.
This…
It was here.
The Baek Nokha of this world…
Was no different from the Baek Nokha of my world.
Short hair, a bright smiling face.
Though she looked younger than my memory, I could never fail to recognize myself.
“You recognized it, huh.”
“…I know the person.”
I knew her very well.
I took a deep breath and read through the stack of documents.
Alright, Baek Nokha of this world.
How have you been living?
“Hey, unnie!”
Yeon Juhong greeted me in her pajamas as she came out.
Inside the dorm was cool, unlike outside.
All the members peeked out from the kitchen, looking at me.
“You came back sooner than I thought? Are you done talking with the manager?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“What’s the estimated capacity for our concert venue from the company?”
“What?”
I snapped back to attention at Yeon Juhong’s question.
Right.
The members thought I had gone to discuss the concert.
“Ah… they’re considering about 5,000 seats over two days.”
“Total 10,000? Wow. That’s a lot. Will that many people come?”
“We’ve only been debuted for a year. It’s scary.”
Everyone exchanged smiles.
They all knew that a 5,000-seat venue wasn’t small for rookies.
Concert tickets were expensive.
Nowadays, they start at least at 120,000 won.
Depending on the stage setup, prices could go much higher.
But I had already told CEO Hong.
Not today, but before.
‘Don’t think about charging too much. It’s penny wise and pound foolish.’
‘This seems more like pound wise, penny foolish.’
‘Colors isn’t that desperate for money. Why are you doing this?’
‘It should be at least 10,000 won more than the industry average.’
‘No. Charge exactly the industry average. I don’t want us to seem money-grubbing.’
CEO Hong… she’s changed, worn down by managing.
Does money make people like this?
I sighed.
The more people earn, the more obsessed they become.
Anyway,
I laughed.
—
“Cheong Cheong. Is something wrong?”
Kim Geum looked at me strangely.
“Huh? Why?”
“No, you suddenly started giggling.”
“No. I just… just felt like laughing.”
The members exchanged looks again.
“Something must have happened.”
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing. Just… thinking about the concert makes me so happy. Though it’s going to be tough. That’s all. Don’t worry.”
I waved my hand dismissively.
“I’ll go rest now.”
I said that and entered my room.
Sorry, but I really couldn’t breathe.
I had to escape.
…A trainee with particularly excellent vocal skills, expected to debut.
In 201x, died in a car accident.
Surviving family member: 1 (mother)
Currently, mother is confirmed to have emigrated abroad.
Presumed to have left Korea due to trauma from her daughter’s accident.
If she had survived, she would be 21 now.
No other notable details.
There was no other choice.
Even after seeing this.
Even knowing that I had died.
Could anyone remain unfazed?
At least, that person wasn’t me.
I had a dream.
Hey,
There’s a story you don’t know.
No. I was dreaming right now.
Concept Film Part 2.
‘Beyond all worlds,’ step inside.
‘Ah.’
A cold room.
Even when I turned my head, Seo Baek-young was not there.
I could only see the wardrobe.
This place was December.
Snow was falling.
I got up and put in my wireless earbuds.
Hey,
There’s something I want to tell you.
I actually came from a very, very far-off world.
Naturally, the song I composed, <Beyond All Worlds>, started to play.
This was my part.
In that place, you’re not there,
and very, very cold snow falls.
Listening to Yeon Juhong’s voice,
I adjusted my shirt and shoved my employee ID into my pocket.
One day,
Sunlight sparkles as it collides with the snowstorm.
It’s Ryu Bo-ra’s part.
Reciting the lyrics in my head, I put on my dark blue coat and stepped outside.
A snowstorm was raging.
I tightened my coat and took a step forward.
When I opened my eyes, I was on a subway platform.
The announcement said the train was approaching.
I could see people peeking through the subway windows.
Then.
Made like a mirage, Prism
Beyond the fragments of the rainbow
You
The moment Seo Baek-young’s voice echoed in my ears,
I felt the illusion of making eye contact with Seo Baek-young through the subway window.
Knowing that it couldn’t be.
I saw you.
I looked for you.
I came here.
I heard my voice.
It always felt strange no matter how many times I heard it.
How different my voice sounded to me and to the world.
The subway came to a stop.
I stepped off.
Beyond hundreds of worlds
Beyond thousands of sorrows
To only touch you
I cross all worlds
To you
To you
But at that moment, someone pulled me back.
[Where are you going?]
A familiar voice.
The moment I turned around.
But now I have to go back.
Someone was holding my wrist.
I couldn’t recognize who it was.
Hey,
There’s a story you don’t know.
The second verse began.
Hey,
Actually, I knew everything.
The subway sped away behind me.
Only the fierce wind remained, whipping my coat.
Dazed, I stared at the unrecognizable person’s face.
[I’ve been looking for you for a long time.]
I realized something.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t recognize them because they were a stranger.
Like snow falling in summer
As if it will melt any moment
You
Strange.
Whose part was this again?
Why did it feel like four voices were overlapping?
[Don’t go.]
It’s okay.
I have to go.
No, actually, I’m not okay.
[Then… will you come back after you go?]
You’re asking me to make a promise I can’t keep.
I couldn’t answer.
Suddenly, I noticed the other person’s attire.
A snow-white coat.
It seemed like something you’d wear.
They say that when you combine all colors, you get black, but when you combine all light, you get white.
Once again,
Beyond hundreds of worlds
Beyond thousands of joys
[It’s okay if you go.]
At my smile, you faintly smiled too.
Even though I wondered what you understood,
To only touch you,
I cross all worlds.
I felt like I could understand that feeling a little.
I ended up smiling along with you.
[But please come back.]
In the end, I nodded.
Yeah.
I’ll come back.
I will come back.
To you.
To you.
Even if I have to cross all worlds.
“Did you wake up?”
When I opened my eyes,
I heard Seo Baek-young’s voice.
And at the same time, a gentle breeze blew across my forehead.
“…Unnie?”
“I thought you were sweating, so I was just fanning you a bit.”
Seo Baek-young laughed softly.
Her silly laugh made me relax.
“You’ve been having nightmares every day lately.”
“Ah.”
It had been mentioned before.
I couldn’t remember, but it was something I heard from the members.
Nightmares, huh.
I must have been having them more often recently.
“It seemed like you always had nightmares.”
“Really?”
“Every time we shared a room, you were always whimpering in your sleep. Did you know that?”
I had no idea.
Like a puppy, whimpering in my sleep.
I was too embarrassed to speak.
“It must have been really noisy….”
“No… I tried to think of it as ASMR.”
“….”
“Just kidding. I was just worried about you.”
“I don’t even remember.”
It was true.
Apart from the dream I had today, I didn’t remember any others.
Ryu Bo-ra sometimes said it seemed like I was having nightmares, but…
I didn’t pay much attention to it.
“Do you know you talk a lot in your sleep?”
“…I don’t want to know….”
“You’re probably the only one who sings in their sleep.”
“I sing in my sleep?”
“Yeah.”
That’s crazy.
“No way… What do I sing?”
“Songs we’ve never heard before.”
“We?”
“Yeah. All the other members hear it too.”
“That’s really crazy.”
There’s no bigger nuisance than this.
I sighed deeply.
“But the songs are really good.”
“…Really?”
“And the weird thing is, whenever you sing a song, it always ends up in our next album.”
No way.
“Did you know our latest title track… you sang it in your sleep first? I thought you were getting some kind of divine message.”
“……….”
Am I dreaming about the Baek Nokha days?
Why can’t I dream of something nice…
“Cheong-ah.”
“Yes.”
“Do you have something on your mind?”
“No.”
“You’re lying so immediately.”
“I’m not lying.”
I really hate making others worry.
“I’ve always been naturally timid. You know how I was before Make a New Color.”
“…I do, but….”
“I’m just having nightmares because I’m timid. It’s fine. Don’t worry.”
I grabbed Seo Baek-young’s wrist, who was still fanning me.
What can she do with such thin wrists…
“I’ll go to the hospital and get some medication. Since I’ve been bothering everyone without knowing it, I need to be careful.”
“I knew you’d say that.”
Seo Baek-young pushed my hand away and flicked my forehead.
Why is her hand so strong?
“We haven’t said anything until now because we knew you’d react like that. Why is that a nuisance? If I scream because of nightmares, are you going to scold me for being a nuisance?”
“…”
Well, she’s got a point.
“You’re too harsh on yourself.”
Am I?
“Don’t suffer alone; talk to us.”
Seo Baek-young sighed.
“What on earth are you so worried about?”
“Unnie.”
“Yeah.”
“If… you had to choose between your family and the members, who would you pick?”
“?!”
At the mention of family, Seo Baek-young’s eyes widened in shock.
See?
You feel the same way, don’t you?
“Who would you choose?”
“Do… do I have to choose?”
“You have to pick one.”
“Uh…”
“Honestly, you know the right answer in your head, but you can’t say it, right? You can’t choose, can you?”
Seo Baek-young didn’t answer.
She just looked at me with worried eyes.
“It’s just that there are problems like that.”
“Cheong, do you… have any issues with your family?”
“You know I don’t have a family.”
I gave a small, bitter laugh.
“It’s just a metaphor, a metaphor.”
I patted Seo Baek-young’s shoulder.
“Go back to sleep. We have a schedule tomorrow, so we need to conserve our energy.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“I also want to get some sleep.”
Seo Baek-young stared at me with worried eyes for a long time before returning to her bed.
There’s nothing else we could do.
Tomorrow, or rather, in a few hours.
Colors had a group variety show schedule.