Chapter 169
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After taking a taxi back to the empty dormitory, I put the side dishes I received from Kang Ji-woo’s house into the refrigerator.
Due to Kang Ji-woo’s tendency to not stand an empty fridge, it originally didn’t have much free space. After somehow stuffing the side dishes in, the refrigerator was now so packed that if I suddenly opened the door, something might fall out and attack my foot.
Still, it was nice not having to worry about what to eat.
Living alone, deciding on what to eat could be quite a bother. But now, I could just grab anything, and it would all taste good.
“What should I do now…?”
I had already turned on the game earlier and collected all the holiday login rewards. I didn’t feel motivated to compose because no new song ideas came to mind. Most of the song restoration work I had been doing was nearly complete.
In fact, I had realized and accepted that no matter how much I restored my favorite pop songs and movie OSTs to match my memories, the voices of the most important people or the movies themselves would forever be absent. This realization had somewhat dampened my enthusiasm for the restoration work.
However, the act itself wasn’t meaningless, and as a result of obsessively working on song restoration for a while, I had become quite skilled at it. It was a bit embarrassing to say it myself, but I had reached a level where I could confidently call myself a master in copying. I could probably get a job at a karaoke accompaniment company without any problem.
Of course, I had become thoroughly proficient with the composition program, which initially seemed so complex.
“Guess I’ll practice.”
I quickly packed a simple meal for dinner and headed to the company.
Perhaps because it was known that we had a holiday break for the Lunar New Year, there were no fans lingering around the company today.
I entered the empty company building and warmed up in the practice room.
Lately, I had become most interested in dance practice.
My stamina and strength had improved enough to properly perform a full song, and my skills had reached a certain level. As a result, moves that once seemed impossible became achievable on my own, boosting my confidence immensely.
I could vaguely understand the freedom Seo Moon-gyeol had once spoken about.
After running through the choreography I had been practicing from start to finish, I was panting as usual.
“Here.”
Seo Moon-gyeol, who had somehow come in and was standing at a distance, handed me a peach-flavored canned drink. When did this guy arrive?
“Thanks.”
The drink was cool, probably just taken out of the new fridge the company had recently gotten.
“When did you get here?”
“A little while ago.”
“You should’ve said something when you came.”
“You seemed focused.”
It was such a typical Seo Moon-gyeol response that I couldn’t help but laugh as I gulped down the drink.
“You came early.”
Our holiday break started on Thursday and lasted until Sunday, making it a somewhat awkward but golden holiday due to Saturday being a red day. Kang Ji-woo was planning to return tomorrow, Ban Yo-han and Gyun Seong-ha the day after.
Seo Moon-gyeol had mentioned earlier that he might return early, but I didn’t expect him to come this early.
It was still Lunar New Year’s Day, after all.
“I told you I’d come early.”
“I didn’t expect this early.”
Seo Moon-gyeol, seemingly at a loss for words, changed the topic.
“Your dancing has improved a lot.”
Come to think of it, the dance I inadvertently showed Seo Moon-gyeol just now was one I hadn’t told anyone I was practicing.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I decided to respond boldly.
“Specifically, how do you think I’ve improved?”
I preferred specific compliments because they felt much better.
Seo Moon-gyeol wouldn’t praise my dancing without reason, so there must have been something genuinely good. Since he saw it, I wanted to know what it was.
After thinking for a moment, Seo Moon-gyeol spoke.
“You’re good at controlling the intensity.”
“Uh-huh.”
“It’s strong enough to convey what you want to express, but you always keep your body light, so it’s not tiresome or burdensome to watch.”
I had physical differences from our team’s representative dancers, Gyun Seong-ha and Seo Moon-gyeol, so my dance style differed from theirs, which had a certain weight to it.
I needed to learn how to express great force with minimal effort.
As a result, I focused on delicate control of intensity, and at some point, that became a part of my dance.
It seemed Seo Moon-gyeol was referring to this.
“It’s easy on the eyes for the viewer, but you also express everything accurately without skimping on any part, which is good.”
From the beginning, Sae-bom Jung had praised my accuracy in movements. Monitoring myself, I found satisfaction in that aspect.
“Thanks…”
“Your body is naturally flexible, and from your neck to your feet, you don’t miss any angles, so your movements are smooth yet sharp. That’s why your dance lines look pretty.”
I hadn’t expected such a detailed and sincere compliment, making me feel quite embarrassed.
“And now you use expressions well enough that you don’t need to learn more from Seong-ha. Thanks to your expressions, you look more relaxed, and the song and dance come alive.”
“….”
“What’s wrong?”
Seo Moon-gyeol asked with genuine curiosity, not understanding why I was reacting this way.
“Even though I brought this on myself, I expected something like ‘your transitions are smoother than before.’ I didn’t expect such a detailed and heartfelt compliment, so I’m really embarrassed…”
I explained why my ears had turned visibly warm, a side effect of receiving such extensive feedback from the usually reticent Seo Moon-gyeol.
“No exaggeration.”
“I know. That makes it even more embarrassing…”
“But you should build up more stamina. I could see you wishing for the song to end quickly towards the end because you were getting tired. Also, if you strengthen your core, it’ll look even better.”
“Was it obvious that I was getting tired?”
“Not very. It’s better than before, but it just bothers me a bit, that’s all.”
So it wasn’t severe enough to be noticeable to most people.
I avoided using the healing skill while dancing because, even though it restored stamina, it broke my unconscious focus. I couldn’t use it during a performance either.
So increasing my overall stamina was my homework.
“Did you have dinner?”
“Not yet.”
“I have some food I brought from the dorm. Let’s eat together.”
Even though it was a one-person meal I packed for myself, neither Seo Moon-gyeol nor I were heavy eaters, so combined with the bread from the company fridge, it was enough for a meal.
The next day, Gyun Seong-ha and Ban Yo-han arrived one after another.
By the way, Kang Ji-woo, who had said he would come yesterday, called me to ask if he could stay another day after hearing that Seo Moon-gyeol had returned.
He originally planned to come on Saturday, probably because he was worried I’d be alone in the dormitory.
I’m not twelve-year-old Kang Hae-rim, after all. Kang Ji-woo worried too much.
“Hyung’s here!”
“…….”
There were four people in the house, yet no one responded.
Gyun Seong-ha and I, who were playing games in the living room, just turned our heads to greet him with a glance and then refocused on our monitors.
Sorry, Kang Ji-woo, but we really couldn’t get up right now. Seriously!
“……Hyung brought Dakgangjeong!”
“Oh, you’re here.”
At that moment, my character died, so I got up to greet the visibly disappointed Kang Ji-woo.
Gyun Seong-ha, who seemed to have died too, followed behind me with a sluggish step.
“Move these to the kitchen. I’ll handle the rest.”
Kang Ji-woo, looking like he wanted to punch someone, dropped the bundle wrapped in cloth haphazardly at the entrance and went back out, saying there was more stuff.
“What’s with all the rice…….”
This time, Kang Ji-woo came in with a bag of rice, accompanied by Kwak Sang-hyun, who was carrying large bundles in both hands.
“If you’re free, stay and have some Dakgangjeong.”
“Can I?”
“Of course.”
Kwak Sang-hyun, who often stayed over at the dorm when he had a late-night schedule and an early start the next day during the Liberation promotions, was practically a semi-resident here.
“The fridge is probably full……”
“You can always make room if you need to.”
Kang Ji-woo expertly rearranged the containers in the fridge, which I had been cautious even to open, to fit everything in. That was a skill in itself.
“Hyung, bring another pair of chopsticks when you come!”
“Okay!”
We placed the appetizing Dakgangjeong on the low table and waited for Kang Ji-woo to return.
“I’ve gained weight….”
On his way back, Kang Ji-woo had weighed himself on the scale at the bathroom entrance and muttered gloomily.
“If you eat three meals a day like that, even you would gain weight…….”
At his house, they served breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with snacks in between. According to Kang Min-seo, they often had late-night snacks too.
Kang Ji-woo had a body type that didn’t gain weight easily, so that was a minor issue. If Gyun Seong-ha had eaten as much as Kang Ji-woo, he would have gained so much weight that he’d cry under the blankets.
“But I’m still eating!”
While eating the Dakgangjeong, we caught up on recent events.
“Haerim and Boram kept talking about you. They want the handsome oppa to visit again.”
“I’ll have to bring them gifts next time.”
“Yes, make sure you come.”
Gyun Seong-ha seemed to have had a regular break, while Ban Yo-han, who looked slightly skinnier compared to the freshly glowing Kang Ji-woo, was just as he had mentioned in the group chat.
“How was it, Gyul?”
When Kang Ji-woo asked, Seo Moon-gyeol answered concisely.
“It was just okay.”
“That’s all…? Nothing more?”
“Yep. Nothing more.”
“Alright then……”
Ban Yo-han, who had just finished complaining about his family, accepted Seo Moon-gyeol’s brief response and attacked the Dakgangjeong with renewed vigor.
Come to think of it, Seo Moon-gyeol rarely talked about his family.
In fact, he didn’t talk much about personal matters in general.
So, I still didn’t know much about Seo Moon-gyeol beyond the fact that he was quiet, not very perceptive, and kind-hearted like a pushover.