Chapter 154. Someone’s Period (4)
When Gong Seok was nominated as a candidate for the 10th place, he felt more at peace than he had expected.
‘Is it because I prepared myself for this yesterday…?’
The night before, he had packed all his belongings in the dormitory.
It wasn’t just an act of removing his things, but rather a process of erasing his lingering attachment.
If he were to survive today and return to the dorm to unpack those belongings, he would be happy in his own way.
But if he were to be eliminated today and go back home, Seok thought he could close that dormitory door without hesitation and step out into the world.
‘…I still made it this far.’
Seok found himself amazed by that fact once again.
A few months ago, he was just a trainee in the regular class, at risk of being cut, with no dreams of debuting. Now, he was in a position to compete for the final ticket.
“……”
“…Ugh.”
Seok’s gaze shifted at the groaning sound from beside him. Next to him, Jaeyoung was clasping his hands together tightly, trembling as if in prayer. His face was streaked with tears, which had already started flowing a while ago.
Seok hesitated for a moment.
Even though they weren’t particularly close, having been in the same regular class…
Still, at a moment like this, he wanted to be a hyung that Jaeyoung could lean on.
“Jaeyoung.”
“Ugh, …Yes?”
“Do you want to hold hands? I’m nervous too.”
“……”
When Seok quietly extended his hand, Jaeyoung hesitated for a moment, as if surprised, before slowly releasing his clasped hands and taking Seok’s hand cautiously.
“Hyung, honestly, even if I get eliminated and you make it, I’ll genuinely, truly be happy for you. I’ll congratulate you wholeheartedly.”
“Yeah, I’ll do the same.”
“Honestly, getting into Miro Maze itself was something unbelievable for me. So, really, I’m okay. Even if I get eliminated here, I’ll truly be okay.”
“I’m in a similar situation. Whoever makes it between the two of us, let’s support each other.”
“Yes… Ugh, if I get eliminated, what should I tell Yoon Taehee? She insisted that I survive and debut for a long time. Ah, thinking about not having to diet makes me feel a little relieved too.”
Jaeyoung seemed to be the type who talked a lot when he got anxious.
While the cameras were repositioning for the next scene, and Seo Taeil was reviewing his lines, Jaeyoung chattered away nervously. Hearing Taehee’s name after a long time, Seok was slightly surprised, but welcomed the name with a smile.
“Yeah. How’s Taehee doing?”
“I don’t know. Honestly, I haven’t had a chance to contact her since this started…. Oh, but she did come to watch our guerrilla concert a while ago. Oh, right, she told me to tell you that she really enjoyed your performance, hyung.”
“Taehee? She came then?”
“Yes. Ah, hyung. I’m really, really nervous. What should I do?”
Jaeyoung, seemingly overwhelmed by nerves, looked like he might start crying again at any moment.
Seok gripped Jaeyoung’s hand a bit tighter and gave him a warm smile.
“…It’s okay. We did our best, didn’t we?”
So, no matter what the outcome, Seok thought he would be fine.
“Alright! We’re resuming the recording! Let’s get started!”
The PD’s announcement that the recording would resume made the tension return to the hands they were holding.
The lights that had stopped came back on. Seok silently stared at one of the ceiling lights for a long time.
For a very long time.
So that the brilliant and bright light that felt like it could blind him would remain in his memory for a very long time.
* * *
The moment of farewell was more understated than expected.
“The second elimination to determine who will grab the final ticket. The 10th place goes to….”
“……”
“With impressive growth, trainee Park Jaeyoung, who has shown new challenges every time.”
The moment his name was called, Jaeyoung collapsed onto the spot. But even then, he didn’t let go of Seok’s hand, so Seok also knelt beside him, hugging Jaeyoung tightly.
“Congratulations, Jaeyoung. You did well.”
Jaeyoung clung to Seok, repeatedly saying, “I’m sorry,” “Thank you.” Even when Seo Taeil asked for his thoughts on passing, Jaeyoung couldn’t stop crying, and Seok had to comfort him and send him up to the stage for his acceptance speech.
“I really, really think this is too much of an honor… I honestly didn’t think I’d make it this far… Huff, ah, what should I even say….”
For the second time, Jaeyoung’s acceptance speech was a mess, mixed with tears. Seok listened calmly to Jaeyoung’s speech, despite the crying. Jaeyoung had climbed to the 10th spot with the help of Jaiden, who was in 9th place.
And now, it was his turn to say goodbye.
The three eliminated trainees stepped onto the stage. While Kyungho and Yuki shared their last stories, Seok also pondered what he should say.
When the microphone finally came back to him, Seok spoke with a much lighter heart.
“I always thought of myself as a supporting role.”
Supporting role.
Could there be a more accurate word to describe his life?
“During Miro Maze, whenever I felt my shortcomings, this position felt overwhelming, terrifying, and sometimes, I wanted to run away.”
Seok looked at the ten boys standing across from him.
Those who were shining and beautiful in everyone’s eyes would one day become the stars he had long admired.
But so what?
“Thank you, Destiny, for making me shine.”
Seok remembered the voice that had called his name and cheered for him at the guerrilla concert.
He remembered those who had said they were comforted by his songs while waving a slogan with his name on it.
In their memories, he would always be someone who shined.
“Even though my journey in Miro Maze has ended, I will carry the brilliant moments I spent here in my heart and live on cheerfully.”
Life was like a wave, and he had thought that once everything was washed away, it would be over.
But he learned that some lives were like butterflies, where another flower could bloom simply by staying and flying away.
Seok wanted to remember today not as a day of failure and frustration, but as the day he finally gained the courage to open another door.
“Thank you for listening to my songs.”
With those last words, Seok held back the tears that were about to spill over.
When he finished his speech and closed his mouth, there was no applause or exclamations in the set, only the sound of sniffling and sobbing.
“…For those who wish to reach the sun, rise higher. The final journey to find the Icarus of the maze. Who will be the seven trainees to claim the final victory in the live broadcast? We hope you will join them on their final challenge.”
Seo Taeil, whose eyes were also red, finished the closing remarks with a voice that trembled slightly.
Even though the recording had ended, the production team didn’t give any instructions, as if they were allowing the cast to fully share the sorrow of elimination and the pain of parting.
In such a situation, the first person to approach the eliminated trainees was Seo Taeil.
“Seok.”
“Ah, sunbae-nim…. Thank you for everything.”
“…Yeah. You worked hard. You really did.”
Seo Taeil hugged Yuki, Kyungho, and Seok one by one, comforting them with kind words.
Being comforted directly by an idol top star he once couldn’t even meet eyes with, Seok found it somewhat amusing that the world he had been in really was a different one.
After Seo Taeil left, the ten successful trainees on stage came down in a group.
Even Kyungho, who had caused fights every time, was seen crying in Siwoo’s arms. Yuki was exchanging farewells with Eun-chan, Haru, and Jaeyoung, who were known as the “maknae line,” while a surprising person approached Seok.
“Hyung.”
“Oh, oh. Yes, Doha. Congratulations on your 2nd place. As expected, you’re amazing.”
“……”
Doha, who had done the monthly evaluation with him, stood tall in front of Seok for a moment, hesitating. As Seok looked at him curiously, he saw Doha awkwardly open his arms for a hug, and Seok made a dumbfounded sound, “Ah.” He clumsily hugged Doha, who had requested a hug.
“…Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“Hyung, you sometimes switch from head voice to chest voice while singing. You can hit the high notes, but you seem to do that out of fear of ‘What if I can’t?’ You can sing higher, so it’s okay to be more confident.”
“Uh, what…?”
Seok’s emotions, which had been tender, suddenly shattered like a glass window under the unexpected coaching.
Caught off guard by the shift in mood, Seok quickly collected himself and responded hastily.
“Ah, yes. Uh, yeah. Thank you.”
“If you improve that, you’ll be able to sing much better than you do now.”
“……?”
“…So, in any case, I hope you’ll keep singing.”
Hyung, I like your singing.
With that one simple sentence, the tears Seok had
been holding back finally burst out.
“If my words upset you…”
“No, no. It’s not that. Thank you, Doha. Thank you for saying that.”
“……”
“Really, thank you.”
Seok quickly wiped away his tears and expressed his sincere gratitude to Doha.
Doha gave a brief bow in response and turned away to exchange farewells with the others.
And Seok, watching Doha leave, was met with the sight of someone who looked like they might cry at any moment.
“…Hey. Hajin, if you cry, what am I supposed to do? If anyone should be crying, it should be me.”
When Seok joked while trying to smile, Hajin stepped toward him, tears streaming down his face. Seok hugged Hajin, who was much taller and bigger than him, with some difficulty.
“Hajin, you absolutely have to debut. Even after debuting, you have to shine for a long, long time. Got it?”
“Who says you’re just a supporting role…. Who said that? Bring them here, all of them.”
“I really learned a lot from you, Hajin. Don’t pretend you don’t know me just because I got eliminated.”
“You better answer my texts properly. You still take a 10-minute break before replying, what the…”
Hajin’s tone was rough, but his mumbled words, slurred from crying, and his hoarse voice made it not scary at all. Seok chuckled softly as he patted Hajin’s back, who was hugging him tightly. It felt like the roles had been reversed, but Seok didn’t mind; he felt okay.
Seok smiled brightly at Hajin, who slowly pulled away from him.
“Hajin, you know….”
Seok recalled what Hajin had said before.
That until you put a period, everything is just a process.
“Do you think… do you think this is just a process for me too?”
“……”
“Is this just a step in my journey?”
Hajin’s face crumpled again at Seok’s question. Bowing his head to hold back his tears, Hajin barely managed to compose himself before lifting his head.
“Of course, hyung.”
“…Really?”
“I’ve lived a little, and I think it’s true that there’s no correct answer in life. So what if there’s no answer? No one’s going to grade you anyway.”
Hajin held Seok’s hands and flashed his usual bright smile.
“Your tomorrow will shine even brighter.”
Hajin’s words, spoken with a smile, sounded like an incantation.
And so, at that moment, Seok felt that it was truly time to open the door and step out.
“Yeah. Thanks, Hajin.”
I made it this far thanks to you.
He swallowed the words that came to his lips.
Today, rather than saying “because of someone” or “thanks to someone,” he thought it might be enough to just look back at the path he had paved for himself.
“I’ll keep cheering for you too. Fighting.”
As he said these words, truly from the heart, Seok smiled radiantly.
It was a smile brighter than ever before.