Chapter 170. Penalty (1)
Park Sangyul’s older sister, Park Sanga, wanted to cry so badly at this moment.
The dark figure she thought was her brother’s kidnapper might actually be her ultimate bias oppa? Kang Hajin too? Have you ever fantasized that your ultimate bias might be a neighborhood oppa? Well, get ready, because it’s already happened.
‘Please, just tell me this is a hidden camera prank.’
Park Sanga had never attended a fan sign event in her life, let alone gone to an offline event; she was a complete *anbangsooni* (a fan who only engages in online activities from home). So, she couldn’t quite believe the reality of her ultimate bias playing with her little brother on the slide right before her eyes.
‘No way, this is insane.’
When her mind had gone completely blank and she couldn’t think of anything, Hajin, holding Sangyul’s hand, started walking toward her.
They were originally supposed to head home immediately, but Sangyul stubbornly insisted on playing with his hyung a little longer, so they agreed to go down the slide five more times. It seemed that while she was staring blankly at Hajin, they had completed all five turns.
‘Ah, I’m so jealous of Park Sangyul…. If only I were 10 years younger….’
While Sanga found Sangyul’s stubbornness in front of Hajin a bit annoying, she was also grateful that it extended this miraculous, private fan meeting even a little longer. Of course, she also felt a twinge of jealousy that her brother could play with Hajin just because he was younger.
“…Uh, excuse me, noona’s friend?”
“Eek! Yes, yes?”
“Wow. You’re really startled.”
Before she knew it, Hajin had approached her and was smiling the familiar smile she had only seen through her monitor. Then, with a slightly awkward expression, he sat Sangyul down next to him and continued speaking.
“It’s getting really late, and I think I should head home now. I wanted to play with Sangyul a bit more, but it’s a shame.”
“Oh, no! No, you should go! You must be really busy…. I’m sorry. Because of him….”
“No, no. I had fun. Your house is near that supermarket, right? I used to go there a lot after school when I was young. Is the lady there still around? She always had bad knees.”
“She had surgery recently, so she’s fine now…. Wait, oh my, ah!”
“What’s this? My bias knows my mom?”
The more they talked, the dizzier Sanga felt, and she eventually covered her mouth with her hands, her face flushing red. She felt a deep sense of regret for every moment she had complained to her parents about their old-fashioned supermarket instead of a convenience store.
Meanwhile, Hajin was looking at her with a smile as if he found her adorable. They say TV makes you look a bit fuller, but in person, Hajin looked much sharper and slimmer than he did on screen. Among her fellow fans who liked to joke about being part of the “Kang Hajin big-dog retriever faction,” Sanga resolved to switch to the “Kang Hajin wolf faction” after today, biting her lip.
“Um, oppa. I-I’m really sorry but….”
“Yeah? Go ahead.”
“C-could you maybe… sign this for me…?”
Sanga held out a name pen and a photo card holder containing Hajin’s fake photocard, which she had taken out of her bag earlier while he was playing with Sangyul.
Honestly, she wanted to ask for a photo, but when she considered her appearance and various other factors, it seemed too overwhelming. The idea of having a candid photo of Hajin in her phone gallery was just too much for her to handle. Plus, she had heard that idols usually don’t take pictures with fans.
“Ah….”
Though she had mustered up a lot of courage, Hajin hesitated to take the pen and photocard from her.
Surprised by his reaction, Sanga quickly lowered her arm, wondering if she had asked for something too much.
“Oh, I’m sorry. If it’s not possible, then just….”
“Huh? No, no. It’s not that.”
Startled, Hajin quickly took the pen and photocard from Sanga’s hand and gave an embarrassed smile.
“It’s just that… I don’t have a signature yet…. This is the first time someone has asked me for one.”
“Really? No way.”
“I mean, I could use the signature I use for contracts, but…”
“I want to do it too! Noona, I want to draw!”
Sanga, accustomed to Sangyul’s pestering, tore out a sheet of paper for him while watching Hajin, who was pondering his signature. He fiddled with the name pen in his long, beautiful fingers—something fans often praised as his charm—before finally starting to write slowly on the photocard, as if he had just thought of something.
“Was it like this… here?”
Muttering to himself as he scribbled, Hajin finished the signature with an awkward smile and carefully added “To. Sanga” on top of the photocard before handing it back to her.
Sanga examined the signature on the photocard she received back. The lines were wobbly and crooked, clearly showing that he wasn’t used to it. She gently touched the first letter of the signature, the ‘K,’ with her finger.
Hajin, who was now patting Sangyul’s head as he concentrated on drawing, added a few more words.
“This… it’s something I practiced when I was really young, thinking I’d use it if I ever became a singer. You’re the first one I’m showing it to, so take good care of it.”
“Of course! Thank you so much….”
“No, thank you for liking me. I really should get going now.”
“Yes, yes. Oppa, I promise, I won’t tell my friends or anyone else that you live here. Don’t worry. I’ll keep this photocard just for myself.”
Hajin burst into laughter at her rapid-fire words. Seeing his carefree smile, Sanga felt like she really was going to cry now.
“Maybe you can show off the signature at least? But since it’s the first one, some people might not believe it, so wait until later. Once I have an official signature, you can brag about it. I’ll make sure to use this one.”
“Yes, yes!”
Sanga nodded so vigorously in response to Hajin’s words that she almost resembled a bobblehead doll. Hajin laughed out loud again, finding her adorable. (In fact, he had been laughing so much since meeting Sanga that she felt she was going to lose her mind soon.) Then he leaned down and gently tapped Sangyul’s chubby cheek as he sat on the bench, still engrossed in his drawing.
“Park Sangyul, you’re lucky, aren’t you? To have such a kind noona.”
“Yes. I like noona.”
“Yeah, so make sure to hold her hand whenever you fall.”
“Yes. I like noona’s hand too.”
“You don’t even look at her when you say that, you little rascal.”
After all that time asking to be played with, now he was completely absorbed in his drawing and not even looking at Hajin. With a slightly exasperated expression, Hajin pinched Sangyul’s cheek lightly and stood up. He then turned to Sanga and said goodbye once more.
“Alright, I’ll go now. Let’s meet again if we get the chance. Listen to your parents.”
“Yes! Congratulations on your debut, oppa!”
“…Thanks.”
With those final words, Hajin gracefully left the playground.
Sanga watched his retreating figure for a long time, and then suddenly realized that her behavior might be burdensome to him, causing her to hurriedly avert her gaze. Then she called out to Sangyul, who was still engrossed in his drawing.
“Hey, Park Sangyul. Let’s go home now.”
“Is hyung gone?”
“Yeah. He’s gone. You should at least say thank you when oppa plays with you.”
*Sigh,* what’s the use of complaining? What would you know?
Even as she grumbled, Sanga naturally packed the pen and paper Sangyul was holding into her bag. Then she lifted him off the bench and held his hand. In her other hand, she carefully held the signed photocard Hajin had given her and looked at it fondly.
‘I really need to keep this safe….’
The two siblings also left the playground as the sunset faded.
Another day was drawing to a close.
* * *
Right after returning from the playground,
I made a decision.
‘I have to meet Dan Haru.’
I was scared by the word “penalty” and briefly thought the wrong way.
Instead of focusing on how to prevent the penalty to stop the regression, the priority was to make Dan Haru stop the regression.
To do that, whatever it took, I needed to stay by his side.
‘Let’s create memories so precious that Dan Haru won’t be able to easily regress.’
I remembered something Ji Suho once said to me when I was living in denial and floating through life.
– People are really like that.
– You only realize how painful it is after getting hurt deeply. Ah, this hurts. I shouldn’t touch this.
– But even then, after some time, there comes a moment when you think, just once… maybe this much warmth is tolerable?
– When that moment comes, you just endure it.
– That’s how you learn your limits.
And
, I already knew what Dan Haru’s “hand he can never let go of” was.
– Isn’t it lonely? A world without warmth.
After finishing my thoughts, I turned on my phone and opened my messenger.
When I entered the newly created *<Kairos>* group chat right after the final, I noticed the last message, a farewell wishing everyone a good vacation, and the emptiness of the chat that followed.
Then I boldly filled that empty chatroom with a new announcement.
<Announcement for the 1st Kairos Team Outing>
– Date: Soon
– Location: Somewhere
– Purpose: Friendship only
– Event Intention: We are destined to live together, sharing our fate, for at least 7 years, possibly 70 years. Before the intense practice hell and preparations for debut begin, I’ve arranged this special gathering for us to create precious memories and strengthen our bond as a team.
Please attend if you can, and make our outing more special.
※Vote on attendance if you’ve seen this. If not, I’ll call you.※
Not long after posting the announcement, I saw a quick decrease in the number of unread messages.
When I checked to see who had immediately voted on attendance, it was, as expected, Jung Siwoo, who had always been quick to respond during the survival period. He voted not to attend and even wrote a reason in the comments.
*<Miro_Kairos_Jung Siwoo hyung ‖ Reason for Not Attending: At MT with the group>*
MT?
I blinked at the unexpected reason for not attending but soon brushed it off.
Since it was Jung Siwoo, I figured he must have gotten permission from the company on his own, and he wasn’t the type to cause trouble just because he went on an MT.
Besides, the ones who would fall into this “outing” trap disguised as a “Dan Haru catch” were already set.
*<Miro_Kairos_Joo Eunchan ‖ I’m available>*
*<Miro_Kairos_Seo Taehyun ‖ When is it? If the date works for me, I’m good.>*
*<Miro_Kairos_Dan Haru ‖ (Dancing emoji)>*
*<Miro_Kairos_Dan Haru ‖ Sounds great!>*
“Gotcha.”
Come, my sweet Seo Joo Dan.
I’ll make sure you have so much fun that the thought of regression doesn’t even cross your mind.
* * *
And then, on the morning of the long-awaited 1st Kairos Team Outing day.
“…….”
“…….”
“……….”
“……Should we, uh, turn on the TV?”
“Yeah.”
“…….”
“…….”
“……Ah. The remote is outside, huh?”
I ended up trapped in the dorm with Lee Doha, my same-age buddy, instead of the lively Seo Joo Dan…!