Chapter 19: The Warmth You Don’t Notice Until It’s Gone

Hyun Wooyoung continued speaking with a perfectly calm expression, even as he looked at Shim Eunchan’s face.

“And it’s not like you were a kid or alone. You were with me, hyung.”

Logically, what he said was correct.
Still, it felt deeply uncomfortable to just nod and accept it at face value.

Was this level of seriousness necessary?
Was he just overly earnest, or was he simply bad at being entertaining?
It was hard to tell.

But if he was going to appear on variety shows—no, even if he wasn’t—that kind of painfully unfun comment was dangerous.
No matter how good-looking he was, if he froze up once he held a mic, it would naturally affect how often he got to speak.
What a waste.

Eunchan responded with a vague “Mm,” rubbing behind his ear as he tried to recall how he’d moved earlier.
But he had no memory of getting into the car at all, or even of traveling.

Wondering how long he’d slept, Eunchan ran a hand through his fluffy, disheveled hair and searched through his hazy memories.

Snippets of half-heard conversations slowly surfaced.
Something about staff—he remembered that much.
Looking at Wooyoung, Eunchan asked,

“Did you… carry me here?”

“Yes. You weren’t very heavy.”

“That’s not what I meant… Wait, the engine’s off—why was it so hot? Huh. What’s this?”

A neatly placed portable heater caught his eye.
When Eunchan glanced at Wooyoung with a no way look, Wooyoung shrugged.

“The hyungs said it’d be cold if we waited in the car, so they gave it to us. They said it doesn’t need ventilation, and turning it on and off is fine.”

“That’s still not the point…”

Clicking his tongue softly, Eunchan trailed off, repeating himself.

Wooyoung didn’t even have his phone.

After the announcement about Lee Haemin leaving the team was posted, Eunchan knew the manager had taken Wooyoung’s phone.
Thinking about Wooyoung waiting alone with nothing but his thoughts until he woke up only made him feel more apologetic.

“…You must’ve been bored. You should’ve woken me up sooner.”

“You were sleeping really deeply. I knew your schedule too. The manager hyung left me a radio, so I wasn’t bored.”

A radio? Now what was that about?

Eunchan stared blankly at the palm-sized device Wooyoung held up.
He hadn’t heard any sound earlier, which made it feel even stranger.

“Was it noisy? I was listening to one that plays classical music.”

“Huh? No… it wasn’t like that.”

Eunchan was slightly taken aback by how much more thoughtful Wooyoung had been than he’d expected.

Wooyoung’s expression remained composed, but that didn’t make it something Eunchan could simply brush off as nothing.

More than anything, Eunchan was older than him.
He pushed the blanket aside and gathered up the padded coats that had fallen onto the floor.

His mind felt unusually clear.
It had been a long time since he’d woken up feeling this refreshed.
Just how many hours had he slept?

As the fabric rustled, Eunchan scratched the back of his head and spoke.

“How long were we here?”

“Not that long. About thirty minutes.”

That was a relief.
If it’d been over an hour, he would’ve felt truly awful.
It was an awkward stretch of time—long if you thought about it, short if you didn’t—but waiting was still waiting.

They always said sleep quality mattered more than quantity.
Maybe the experts weren’t wrong after all.

“Thanks for waiting. You must’ve been bored.”

“No, not at all.”

Wooyoung didn’t act like he deserved any credit at all.

Since they were parked right below the shop, there was no need to cover his face too much.
Eunchan figured pulling up the hood of his padded coat would be enough and started putting his things on.

Then something clattered inside the pocket.
When he reached in, he found a case holding a portable toothbrush and toothpaste—something he definitely didn’t remember packing.

While he was staring at it in half admiration, Wooyoung spoke.

“If you’re looking for the Polaroid, Sebyeol hyung has it.”

“The Polaroid? How did he know to bring that?”

Eunchan asked, eyes wide.

“You asked for it—even while half-asleep. So Sebyeol hyung packed it.”

“Oh. Did I? I see… Mm.”

He’d thought he’d said it in a dream, but apparently it’d been real.
Either way, it was a relief that it had been brought along.

Saying they should go, Eunchan put the toothbrush case back into his pocket and opened the car door.

The warm air inside was instantly invaded by a rush of cold wind.
Still groggy from sleep, Eunchan froze, holding his breath.

“Are you cold?”

Instead of answering, he nodded. Then he saw a long padded coat wrap around him from the front like an apron, and he turned his head.

“This way, you won’t be as cold.”

Wooyoung spoke evenly as he tied the sleeves of the coat behind Eunchan’s neck.

I mean… sure, but—

The hood blocked his vision, making it hard to see his feet.

Still, the double layer of padding was undeniably warm, and he didn’t want to take it off now.

As Eunchan hesitated, unsure what to do, Wooyoung spoke again.

“Give me your hand.”

“Pardon?”

“You can’t see the ground very well.”

“Well… that’s true.”

Oh. So he meant to hold hands.

Pressing the hood down with his head, Eunchan accepted the offer and took Wooyoung’s hand.
Wooyoung’s palm was comfortably warm and generous, like a heater, and Eunchan followed just behind him with small steps.

As they opened the door to the shop, they ran straight into Jung Minyu, who was standing near the entrance.

“Eunchan’s here! Perfect timing.”

“Yeah. Wooyoung, was it hard to wake him? Good work.”

“Did you sleep well?”

Eunchan greeted the members as they chimed in one after another, then took off the padded coats he was wearing.
A staff member stepped in to take them instead of Wooyoung.
When the staff gestured for both of them to come inside, Wooyoung shook his head.

“Not me. Only this hyung.”

“‘This hyung,’ huh…”

Amused by the oddly chosen phrasing, Eunchan let out a small laugh and looked at him.
Wooyoung met his gaze with a What did I do wrong? expression.

Maybe it was because his mental strength was S-rank, but his way of thinking was definitely unique.
Tilting his head slightly, Eunchan said goodbye to Wooyoung and headed inside.

The portable toothbrush and toothpaste came in extremely handy.

Even though he joined late, it didn’t take Eunchan long to get ready.

Thankfully, he wasn’t late for the Idol Athletics Championships commute shoot.

Though it was called a “commute shoot,” it wasn’t meant for B the 1.
That slot was reserved for more popular idol groups.

“Oh, that’s Max Up In sunbaenims.”

“Oh, really?”

While waiting in the car for their turn, Eunchan looked toward the window at Do Junseo’s words.
The sound of camera shutters was loud enough to reach them.
They waited a bit longer, and finally, it was their turn to enter.

B the 1’s training outfits were cyan.
Brighter and clearer than regular blue, they stood out even from afar, so there wasn’t much to complain about.

“Hello!”

The reporters cheerfully greeted them as they took photos.

Eunchan smiled under the barrage of flashing lights. But no matter how many pictures were taken, being a flop group meant none of them would turn into articles anyway.

After finishing their polite greetings with practiced smiles, the members moved on.

Figuring they just needed to do well during the main broadcast and get even a brief moment of screen time, Eunchan glanced back at Wooyoung, who was walking with the manager at a distance.

Even if it was to get used to the atmosphere, pretending to be staff and tagging along couldn’t have been easy.
Yet Wooyoung didn’t voice a single complaint.
He wasn’t sure whether that meant he was easygoing or something else, but he was grateful all the same.

Perhaps sensing Eunchan’s gaze, Wooyoung looked up, and their eyes met.

Even in a black long padded coat and a mask, his good looks were impossible to hide.
That kind of proportion was just unfair.
With that thought, Eunchan adjusted the bag slung over his shoulder and kept walking.

When they arrived at the waiting room, the members let out impressed exclamations.
He’d expected at least some flimsy partitions, but surprisingly, each idol group had its own room.

They’d changed the filming location this time, and inside the building, they’d set up semi-transparent, heavy glass doors, turning the area into proper idol waiting rooms.

Still, this being their second time, they felt more at ease than before.

During their first Idol Athletics Championships, just being able to attend a broadcast they’d only heard about left them so awestruck they’d wandered around in a daze.

They set their belongings down in the waiting room and sat in their chairs.
Considering how long the filming would last, it was better to loosen up their bodies as much as possible.
Having work was good, but filming one program for over twelve hours and draining all your stamina was a different story altogether.

Since they’d already been styled, they couldn’t lie down or even lean back.
Sitting there, drowsiness gradually crept in.
Nodding off and waking up repeatedly, Eunchan finally shook his head and forced his eyes open.

Thinking it might be better to move around, he stood up from his seat.