Chapter 234. When a Workaholic Leader Takes Power (3)
– Okay, Jini and Hyuni~ We’ll just check the positioning this much. Good work today!
“Yes, please take care of us!”
“Directors, fighting! Please make us look pretty!”
After finishing the music show MC rehearsal, Seo Taehyun and I bowed at a 120-degree angle toward the staff to show our gratitude.
On the way from the studio to the waiting room, as usual, I wore a smile full of social niceties, carefully reviewing any precautions and unusual matters once again.
But my mind was entirely stuck on the conversation I had with Taehyun earlier.
– …It could be that hyung sleeps later than you? You sleep a lot in the morning, so of course, he wakes up first.
– I thought that at first too! But, hyung. Think about it carefully.
‘Jung Siwoo doesn’t sleep.’
When I found it hard to believe, Seo Taehyun raised his voice as if he was frustrated.
– When we go to regional events or during long travel times. No, even when we’re just waiting around. Have you ever seen that hyung sleeping?
– …….
– Of course, he’s human, so it’s not like he doesn’t sleep at all. But it feels like he sleeps just enough to not die. There was one day I decided to keep an eye on him, wondering if he couldn’t sleep or wasn’t sleeping on purpose…. He fell asleep really late, but even then, he kept waking up frequently.
What immediately came to mind was a certain dawn.
The day Jung Siwoo found me after I returned from the space of unconsciousness.
Jung Siwoo had answered my question about whether he hadn’t slept by saying, ‘I woke up early but couldn’t fall back asleep, so I was reading a book in the living room.’ That deep blue dawn when even the moonlight held its breath.
– And…. Now that I think about it, there’s something else that’s bothering me.
– What is it? Just tell me.
– There was a time when you couldn’t wake up, remember? We tried so hard to wake you up, but you didn’t even budge.
– …Sometimes, I sleep too deeply and that happens.
It must have been one of those times I used the space of unconsciousness. Afraid that it might spark another round of rumors about ‘Kang Hajin’s health issues,’ I quickly offered an excuse, but Seo Taehyun hurriedly continued, as if that wasn’t the important part.
– No, anyway. But back then, Siwoo hyung was really shocked. He kept asking if it was normal for you not to wake up like that…. I was surprised too, but you started tossing and turning like you were talking in your sleep soon after, so I just let it go…. But now that I think about it….
Seo Taehyun, hesitating to speak, shared the conclusion he had painstakingly deduced.
– I think Siwoo hyung… might be afraid of falling asleep. If he couldn’t sleep, he could take sleeping pills, but I’ve never seen him take any medicine.
The recollection ended there.
As soon as we arrived at the waiting room, Seo Taehyun slyly poked me in the side.
“Hyung, it’s obvious you’re lost in thought.”
“…You should have saved that story for later if you know this hyung is that kind of person.”
“But there really wasn’t any other time to tell you.”
Luckily, there were only a few staff members in the waiting room besides us. Seo Taehyun quickly made the excuse of needing to do a script reading and dragged me into a small room attached to the waiting room. He even carefully checked to make sure no one was near the door before closing it.
Feeling a sudden headache, I pressed my throbbing forehead against the wall, and Seo Taehyun, blocking the door and facing me, asked bluntly.
“So, what should we do?”
“Do about what?”
“Siwoo hyung. What should we do about him?”
Just like when he had asked me how to solve the Joo Eunchan fan signing incident, Seo Taehyun naturally expected me to come up with a solution.
However, for some reason, I couldn’t give a clear answer to that question.
“…What do you mean, what should we do? He’s not a high schooler. He can take care of his own sleep schedule.”
‘Wow, I said it, but that’s really heartless.’
I thought to myself that if I were Seo Taehyun, I would have been 100% hurt by that remark. And just as I expected, Seo Taehyun glared at me with fierce eyes… no, he was glaring daggers at me.
Feeling a bit guilty, I tried to avoid his gaze, but Seo Taehyun wouldn’t let me off the hook. He stepped right up to me, crossing his arms and raising one eyebrow.
“…You’re acting strange, hyung.”
“Oh, come on. I’m normally not even that normal.”
“I’ve thought this for a while, but why do you always get so soft when it comes to Siwoo hyung? Like you’re missing a few screws?”
“…Hey, I’m not a persimmon, so what do you mean, getting soft….”
“No nonsense to distract me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Why can’t I ever defy this guy? Why? What’s wrong with me? Did he secretly inject something into me while I was sleeping? Is he brainwashing me subconsciously?
While I was blaming my incomprehensible instincts and crouching in a corner like a crumpled piece of paper, Seo Taehyun, standing in front of me like the Grim Reaper, snapped at me in a sharp voice.
“Hyung, what did you do when I went to Gangwon-do? You dropped everything and came to get me.”
“…Yes.”
“During our survival show, when Jaeyoung was digging himself a hole, you caught him and made him practice dancing all night, you took care of Wonho, you held onto Lee Yugeon, and recently, when Eunchan’s fan signing went wrong, you were the first to step up, saying it had to be resolved. When I fought with Yugeon, what did you say? You asked if we didn’t even want to talk to each other and immediately started a live broadcast?”
“…Why do you remember all that in such detail? Thanks, I guess.”
“An overbearing person who would have interfered even at a baby’s first birthday party, and why are you suddenly so timid when it comes to Siwoo hyung?”
Fearing that it might look like we were fighting from outside, Seo Taehyun stepped closer and lowered his voice.
I was so hunched over that I had to look up at him, who was much shorter than me, and Seo Taehyun, with a frustrated and upset expression, pointed a finger at me as if warning me.
“Hyung, you need to resolve Siwoo hyung’s issue. You have to resolve it, no matter what. Find out why he can’t sleep, and figure out how he can sleep soundly!”
“…Yes, sir.”
As I nodded at his rare display of authority, Seo Taehyun, his face flushed red, added one more thing, breathing heavily.
“…I was glad when you became our team leader. I still like that you’re our leader.”
“…?”
“So remember, even if we have Siwoo hyung, who’s the perfect eldest brother in our team, you’re still the leader. You’re also Siwoo hyung’s leader, Kang Hajin.”
But this guy’s been subtly speaking to me informally for a while now….
Although it slightly bothered me that he was casually addressing me as “you,” I couldn’t bring myself to point it out.
Because I could roughly understand what Seo Taehyun wanted to say to me, even going so far as to get this uncharacteristically angry.
“Be a good leader for Siwoo hyung too… just like you were for us.”
“……”
“That’s why I supported you becoming the leader.”
With that, Seo Taehyun spun around and left the room. As he left, he clumsily wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand, as if he was a bit emotional.
I… had to stay leaning against that wall for a long time, even after Seo Taehyun left the room.
“…Ah.”
As I pondered Seo Taehyun’s words, I suddenly realized why I couldn’t stand up to him.
“Smart little brat.”
The ugly feelings I had hidden behind the word ‘difficult’ started to creep up from the bottom.
I didn’t like the sight of myself standing idly in the empty corner of the room, so I quickly swallowed my bitter thoughts and hurried out of that room as if running away.
* * *
Alright, let’s be honest.
‘I’m uncomfortable with Jung Siwoo.’
More precisely, ‘I’m uncomfortable with the situation where I have to point out something to Jung Siwoo.’
Why, you ask?
‘Because Jung Siwoo is clearly better than me.’
I mean, I’m the guy who got caught vomiting in the middle of the night. How could I possibly give advice to Jung Siwoo like, “Hyung, you need to sleep at the right time to get your growth hormones?”
‘Not just about health… to be honest, in other areas too.’
In terms of skills or personality, Jung Siwoo was superior to me.
The only flaw I could point out was his dancing, but even then, there were plenty of members who danced better than me, so it didn’t make much of an impact.
‘What kind of advice could I give to someone who
’s clearly better than me?’
Unable to find an answer, I decided to seek help from an expert this time as well.
“…So, basically, I’ve become something like a counseling center?”
Our expert, Seo Taeil, stirred the coffee he had just brewed with a teaspoon and approached the sofa where I was sitting.
Even though I had lured him in with the pretext of discussing the issue of a junior being a guest at his concert, I immediately started pouring out my concerns instead. But rather than kicking me out, Seo Taeil even graciously offered me a homemade hot chocolate.
As I enjoyed the smooth and sweet hot chocolate, Seo Taeil sat across from me and set something on the table.
When I looked, it was a tray containing various types of tissues, including a tissue box, wet tissues, and toilet paper.
‘This heavenly senior….’
“I’m not going to cry, you know?”
“Yeah. Everyone said that.”
Ignoring my words, Seo Taeil even pushed the tray closer to me. I couldn’t dare to push the tray back toward the head of this dubious counseling center and my senior of 13 years, so I just shifted my body slightly away from the tissue tray.
“So, to summarize today’s counseling session… you want to learn the secret to maintaining a perfect team for 13 years from this genius leader of yours?”
That was way too summarized, wasn’t it?
But as the one who had rudely barged into his workspace and started a counseling session out of nowhere, I couldn’t very well complain, so I just nodded quietly.
“Hmm…. Siwoo is a bit of a difficult type. He doesn’t have many gaps, and even though he seems kind, he doesn’t easily let people in. I can use my age and experience to overpower him, but you’re younger, so it must be even more uncomfortable for you. I get where you’re coming from.”
“……?”
“Why do you look surprised when I’m giving you advice?”
“Oh, no. It’s not that….”
I thought he might hit me with cold, hard truths like he did with Lee Doha, but Seo Taeil unexpectedly sided with me.
When even Seo Taeil, who was often praised as the most ideal leader, understood my situation, I felt a bit better about the overwhelming frustration I had felt earlier.
“Are you sure that Siwoo is afraid of sleeping? It’s not just that he’s cutting back on sleep because he’s busy these days?”
“I think that’s right… I’ve seen it a lot before. Him working without sleeping.”
Back when we were preparing for the fourth round of the Maze competition, Jung Siwoo didn’t sleep at all after returning from a convenience store walk with me and completed the arrangement work.
When we returned to the dorm late after hunting a bear before our debut, it was Jung Siwoo who stayed up waiting for us.
Even when the members returned late from individual schedules or practice, it was usually Jung Siwoo who greeted them. There were many instances; I just hadn’t paid much attention until now.
“Honestly, I don’t know what to do. Maybe it’s because I always thought that hyung would be the leader from the start…. It’s hard for me to even think about saying anything to him just because I suddenly became the leader.”
“…….”
“Even if he doesn’t sleep, it’s not like he’s neglecting his health to the point where it affects his schedule. You know his personality, right?”
“I do.”
“Oh, just… Ugh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s better to leave him alone since he’ll take care of it himself anyway. What can I say to him? ‘Hyung, how’s your sleep lately?’ And what if he tells me to mind my own business? I mean, maybe this isn’t even something to worry about. He could just naturally be the type who doesn’t need much sleep….”
“Hmm. Hajin.”
“Yes…?”
In the middle of my meltdown, where I didn’t even know what I was babbling about, Seo Taeil softly called my name.
When I raised my head, clutching my probably messy hair, Seo Taeil gently stirred his coffee with a teaspoon and asked me in a refined voice.
“I’ve been thinking for a while now….”
“…….”
“Did you, by any chance, get scolded harshly somewhere before for being a bratty youngest? Like being told to act according to your place.”
“…Huh?”
And I couldn’t bring myself to deny it.