Chapter 161
‘Who is it?’
I glared at the screen with suspicion-filled eyes.
Considering that I was now in my first year as a semi-celebrity and entertainer, it was only natural to react sensitively to every contact like this.
I had changed my number last month because of the stalkers who managed to get hold of my previous number and kept calling me. Thus, anyone who knew my old number, in other words, On Raon’s old acquaintances, shouldn’t be able to reach me.
Since changing it, I hadn’t given my new number to anyone who might call me ‘senior.’
I tried calling back, but it seemed the person on the other end had hung up first, as a few rings later, the call was abruptly cut off with a curt message saying the call couldn’t be connected at the moment.
I saved the number from the text and added it to my messenger friends to check the profile. However, all I found was a cryptic name, ‘Ga,’ and a basic profile picture, revealing nothing useful.
Suspicious.
Very suspicious.
But the card they played was Oh Hyun-jin.
Whoever it was must have known or at least guessed about my relationship with Oh Hyun-jin.
Why? For what purpose?
Who on earth?
Judging by the way they called me senior, could it be a student from this school? Given they mentioned it had been a while, it might be someone I knew before.
Then what relationship did they have with Oh Hyun-jin?
All kinds of thoughts extended to the point where I doubted there could be anyone who would help On Raon kindly in such matters.
“What’s wrong?”
Kwak Sang-hyun spoke to me, seemingly concerned about how intently I was staring at my phone.
“A junior wants to meet briefly. Is it okay if I go?”
It was beyond my power alone to completely destroy Oh Hyun-jin’s image.
If the junior who sent this message held any evidence of another wrongdoing by Oh Hyun-jin (bad people never commit just one misdeed, as Grandpa Go Soo-jong used to say while watching the news about politicians’ corruption)…
Even if not, it wouldn’t hurt to hear anything about Oh Hyun-jin.
“A junior?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not a girl, right?”
I smiled ambiguously.
Come to think of it, I didn’t even know if the sender was male or female.
Checking his phone for the time, Kwak Sang-hyun, who was about to go for a meal with Gyun Seong-ha’s family, nodded, indicating his permission, but warned not to take too long.
“Thank you. I’ll be quick.”
“Where are you going?”
Seo Moon-gyeol asked as I put on a coat handed to me by the stylist, noting the cold weather.
“Gym.”
“Should I come with you?”
“Why would you?”
The moment I reflexively retorted, I realized my mistake.
‘Ah, I slipped.’
Holding a beautiful bouquet and posing in front of the camera with friends or family, like a solitary figure in the heavy, chilling atmosphere.
I quickly understood the situation.
“……”
It was probably my mistake in the area where I was the most inexperienced.
“Sorry.”
Seo Moon-gyeol was the first to apologize.
Even though Seo Moon-gyeol was considerate and kind, he wouldn’t apologize for nothing, so there must have been something he genuinely felt sorry about.
But I didn’t know.
And I didn’t know exactly what mistake I made either.
Since I didn’t know what to apologize for, I just blinked my eyes without saying anything.
“The gym is across from the auditorium. You’ll see it if you take that path.”
“Got it.”
I walked briskly in the direction Seo Moon-gyeol pointed, thinking trivial thoughts like how wealthy the school must be to have separate buildings for the gym and the auditorium, gradually distancing myself from the group.
‘……If we were close enough to throw a surprise birthday party for each other, would it be natural to accept such offers to go together at times like this?’
I walked upstream through the students wearing actual school uniforms.
For the first time in a while, I felt like I was floating.
I wondered how ‘On Raon’s’ graduation was.
Did he hear congratulatory words for his graduation? Did he receive a bouquet? Did anyone come to pick him up? Did he eat something afterward? What did he think about while ending his school days in a foreign country?
While feeling pity for him, I realized that such feelings were just self-pity, so I stopped thinking once more.
Sometimes.
It was because of all those painful days that I could proudly be who I am now.
Such thoughts made me wonder if some aspects of myself had become irreparably damaged and deficient due to all those days.
While wandering through unfamiliar paths, I finally realized why Seo Moon-gyeol had suggested going together.
I had completely forgotten what department I belonged to and that we graduated together, so naturally, I wouldn’t remember the school layout.
Fortunately, the gymnasium building was large enough to stand out, making it easy to find despite wandering a bit on the way.
There were hardly any people around, as it was completely opposite from the auditorium where the graduation ceremony was held, but fortunately, the door to the gymnasium was open.
The guard near the gymnasium didn’t stop me, probably assuming I was a student of this school since I was wearing the Han Gong Art School uniform.
The gymnasium was spacious and had several rooms on the second floor for various purposes, making me wonder where exactly to go.
Bang!
A loud noise of a door slamming shut echoed.
I quickly turned towards the direction of the noise.
“…….”
There stood Oh Hyun-jin, looking extremely displeased.
To put it nicely, he looked displeased, but to be more accurate, his face was scrunched up like a tightly crumpled newspaper.
“On Raon……”
Having spotted me nearby, Oh Hyun-jin strode over with wide steps and reached out his arm.
“You……”
“Feeling crappy, aren’t you?”
I might have been caught twice, but I wouldn’t be caught a third time.
I grabbed Oh Hyun-jin’s arm as he tried to seize mine and let go quickly, before he realized how weak his grip was.
“Congratulations on your graduation, Hyun-jin.”
At my sudden remark, Oh Hyun-jin looked at me as if I were insane.
“Even though your graduation and debut were a year later than mine, which is not a big deal, I’m sure you’ll do well with the blessings of your ancestors. Somehow, I ended up becoming your senior, but I don’t expect you to treat me as such.”
“You crazy……”
“Of course, if we run into each other on music shows, your team should bring albums with heartfelt messages and greet us, but don’t worry. As seniors, we’ll treat you like friends. I’m sorry to keep you when you’re busy with your debut. See you later.”
Extending my senior’s generosity, I patted his head and walked past him.
Listening to that guy would only be a loss for me.
In this one-sided conversation, where only I spoke, he was the only one at a loss.
It might seem childish to make a fuss about age and debut dates, but such childishness works well on petty people like him.
Sure enough, I heard a curse laced with frustration.
Though he seemed busy, he didn’t linger in the gymnasium and quickly headed down the stairs. I opened the door Oh Hyun-jin had come from and stepped inside.
“Coming in.”
“Hello, senior.”
“You are……”
It was Go Kyung-yoon who had called me.
Gio from Lifteen, who graduated today along with Gyun Seong-ha.
I wondered why the messenger name was ‘Ga,’ but maybe it was because his stage name was ‘GO.’
Not as tall as the Gyun brothers, but with a good height and proportions that gave him a sophisticated, urban model vibe, Go Kyung-yoon was now neatly wearing round silver-rimmed glasses.
He wasn’t wearing glasses during the graduation ceremony earlier.
The light reflecting off the lenses suggested they were prescription glasses, not just a fashion accessory.
It was a pity about his eye health needing glasses……
But with my keen aesthetic sense, I could say that Go Kyung-yoon looked as if he was born to wear glasses.
“Seems you didn’t recognize me. You didn’t have my number?”
“I changed my phone. How did you get my number?”
“I asked Jun-woo hyung.”
Oh, I did give my number to Kim Jun-woo.
But even if they were members, would he give my number to someone else so easily?
I was disappointed in Kim Jun-woo.
Reading my thoughts, Go Kyung-yoon spoke as if he had read my mind.
“Don’t blame Jun-woo hyung. I asked him as someone who practiced together, so he had no choice but to give it to me.”
Practiced together?
The only place On Raon practiced was at True.
I focused on managing my expression to keep from frowning.
There was no mention of Go Kyung-yoon in the letter he left.
Of course, his mind wasn’t intact around that time, and there were limits to what he could include in the letter, so Go Kyung-yoon could have easily been left out……
“This brings back memories.”
His voice was impressively clear, each word distinctly enunciated, as if each word was firmly lodged in my ear.
Listening to him made me think that his casual conversations could naturally be featured in diction-focused videos on YouTube.
His clarity didn’t quite reach the level of feeling unnatural, but it did make me think he paid considerable attention to his speech.
“What are you thinking so deeply about?”
“I’m thinking about why Gio called me here.”
I decided to maintain some distance.
“Gio…….”
It seemed he wasn’t used to his stage name yet, as he looked genuinely uncomfortable.
“Just call me Kyung-yoon. Why be so awkward?”
Go Kyung-yoon spoke with a familiar tone.
“I’m awkward with everyone. You should know that.”
At the same time, another thought crossed my mind.
Until now, I had only encountered people whom ‘On Raon’ hadn’t met before or who didn’t need to continue any relationship with him.
But in the off chance.
If I were to meet someone who had a meaningful relationship with Go Kyung-yoon, should I close my eyes and pretend to be him?
Or, since I’m not him and can’t maintain a relationship without deceiving the other person, should I just end it here?