Chapter 2: A Confession Out of Nowhere

As I mentally flipped through a filmography so flawless it didn’t even spark jealousy, something came to mind and I let out a quiet laugh.

Noticing his gaze shift toward the corner of my lips, I waved my hand dismissively and said,

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it doesn’t leave a stain on your career, you punk.
It’s our last album—do you think I’d half-ass it?”

“Last album?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

There was nothing but pure, innocent confusion in his blinking eyes, like he genuinely didn’t understand.

“Why, you ask.”

Our contract only had about a year left.

And hearing that question from the person who would most want to kick that contract away was almost funny.

Of course, once the contract ended, we’d all go our separate ways, but there was a more definite reason.

“I’m thinking of quitting.”

“Being an idol?”

“No.
Singing.”

I had planned to casually let it slip to the staff when the time was right, but I didn’t expect Jungwon to be the first to hear it.

Life was always unpredictable.

Like the time I followed my cousin to an audition without knowing anything and somehow got accepted.

Or when I actually ended up debuting.

Or those days when I struggled desperately just because singing was the only thing I was good at.

None of it had ever been predictable.

And recently, worn down by all that uncertainty, a thought crossed my mind.

‘Let it all go.’

This is the kind of field where things either work out or they don’t.

What’s the point of clinging to it like my life depends on it?

It’ll work out on its own—or it won’t.

So it’s better if I’m the one who lets go first.

After a brief silence, Jungwon tilted his head slightly, his expression unexpectedly shifting.

“Why?”

“That’s just how it turned out.”

“Is the company not planning to release any more albums?”

“I don’t know.
Maybe not.
You know how it is—they never say ‘disbandment’ out loud, but everything just stops.”

“There’s still a year left, though.
Why are you thinking like that already?”

“Who said I’m quitting tomorrow?
I’ll wrap things up over a year and then stop.”

“Then why suddenly say something like that…?”

“Because it’s time to end it.”

“……”

“This job doesn’t suit me.
I’m quitting.”

‘Unlike you, it never suited me.’

That almost slipped out.

I suppressed the inferiority twisting in my chest, took another drag from the cigarette that had nearly burned to the filter, and crushed the butt under my foot.

Even at the end, I couldn’t make it look cool.

In dramas or movies, cigarettes never seemed to burn this fast—why did mine always look so pathetic?

As I brushed past Jungwon, who looked strangely dazed, I left a short remark.

“I’m heading in first.”

I wondered for a second if that had looked cool.

Just as that ridiculous thought crossed my mind, a hand grabbed my arm from behind.

I stopped and turned around.

Jungwon opened his mouth a few times, then closed it again.

For a split second, something in my memory rewound.

I had seen that expression somewhere before.

Maybe in a drama.

“Why.”

“……”

“I told you, I won’t let it affect this promotion.”

“That’s not it.”

“Then what is it.”

Jungwon slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again.

His faint double eyelids shifted as he composed himself, as if gathering his emotions.

Then, like a scene straight out of a drama, he looked directly at me.

His sharply defined lips moved.

His voice followed a beat later.

Those familiar lips, the ones I’d seen countless times, called my name.

“Seo Jaeha.”

“What?”

“I like you.”

“……”

“I mean it.”

The words came so suddenly that I must have made a strange expression without realizing it.

Jungwon, who had been smiling neatly, relaxed his lips and smiled again.

That expression felt both familiar and unfamiliar, so I found myself studying him again.

For some reason, he looked incredibly serious.

I had no choice but to stand there, frozen.

I thought about it for a long time.

If it were anyone else, maybe.

But Jungwon had never joked with me.

For a moment, I couldn’t say anything.

Even so, it wasn’t the kind of situation I could brush off with a playful shove, so I just stood there.

Gradually, the grip on my arm loosened.

Still standing there, I fumbled with my hands and pulled out another cigarette.

‘Is everything really falling apart now?’

‘I seriously don’t know about this promotion anymore.’

A cold chill crept in.

As I rolled up my sleeve slightly and rubbed my left wrist with my right hand, Jungwon stayed right in front of me.

The smoke lingered between us.

For a moment, I even wondered, ‘Is this some kind of hidden camera prank?’

Maybe some cable show had planned a small segment for our album release.

A surprise hidden camera, something like that.

Yeah.

That would fit perfectly.

Confessing to a fellow group member—something fanfiction loved to use.

Exactly the kind of idea a rookie variety show writer would come up with.

The spreading suspicion stopped only because of my own action—biting down on the cigarette filter.

If it were a hidden camera, they would have cut it already and shoved cameras in my face.

There was no way they’d let me keep smoking like this.

Which left only one possibility.

…Or maybe not.

Is this real?

If it was, then I was genuinely curious.

“Why me?”

“……”

“Seriously, why.
I don’t get it.”

Ah, I couldn’t control my expression.

Why, though?

Jungwon lowered his gaze quietly, offering no answer.

In the meantime, my self-esteem, which had been scraping rock bottom, tried to lift its head.

The fact that I felt even a little better just because someone successful confessed to me—it was pathetic.

And with Jungwon, of all people.

What the hell.

Seo Jaeha, you’re really messed up.

You’re not in a good state at all.

Scolding myself, I placed a hand on Jungwon’s shoulder.

His shoulder, slightly raised under my grip, was broader and firmer than before.

It had been a while since I’d put a hand on him like this.

Maybe the last time was during our concert when we threw our arms around each other.

That was a long time ago.

Maybe my brain was overloaded, because my thoughts kept drifting.

I stopped trying to think it through.

All I could do was give the best answer I had right now.

“Jungwon.
I don’t know what you’re thinking, but…”

So… what should I say?

“First of all, don’t call my name so casually.
And… I’m not in a good state right now, so I don’t even know what else to say…
Let’s get a grip.”

Jungwon’s face hardened, just like his usual expression.

It was like a thin sheet of ice had formed, revealing the emotions underneath in sharp detail.

That, too, felt strange.

As if I had just stopped him from doing something incredibly important.

I didn’t know what more to say in this situation.

I squeezed his shoulder once more before letting go.

Then I passed by him and pushed open the emergency exit door.

I tried to act normal, but I was practically breaking out in a cold sweat.

Walking through the dim corridor, I rubbed the now-chilled back of my neck with my palm.

Jungwon… liking me?

It made no sense.

Still dazed, I went back up a floor, and a familiar face called out to me in the hallway.

“Oppa, where did you go?
I thought you were in a meeting.”

“Smoking.”

“You should really cut back.”

“Cut back?”

I repeated the cheeky word, but Minjeong didn’t even flinch.

Instead, she busied herself placing the colorful hats she was holding onto my head one after another.

White.

Black.

Pink.

Pink, seriously?

The pink hat even had some word written on it in blue cursive.

Still out of it, I just blankly let her do whatever she wanted.

Before I knew it, she stood on her toes slightly to put it on me properly.

Since she was struggling, I lowered my head a bit.

She used both hands to adjust my hair, brushing it from behind my ears to my forehead.

After smoothing it gently with her fingertips, she said,

“This color suits you best after all.”

“Why is it always colors like this?”

“You look best in this color, oppa.”

“I don’t like it.
Give me the black one.”

“This one suits Hwan oppa and Jungwon oppa better.”

“No, black suits me more too.”

“It’s not that black doesn’t suit you, but warm tones look best on you.
It brightens your complexion so much.
Look in a mirror.
Even you’ll admit it.”

“Why am I always stuck with these colors?
If you make me wear this, I’m retiring.”

“Sure.
Go ahead.”

Minjeong replied firmly, swatting away my hand as I tried to remove the hat.

Seriously.

I had been nice to her when she first joined and cried all the time, and now she didn’t listen to a word I said.

Not just Minjeong.

No one listened to me anymore.

‘I’m really going to retire.’

‘I’ll definitely say it when I do.’

‘You damn haters.
It’s not like I chose to wear pink—I was forced by the stylist.’

Amid our bickering, the emergency exit door creaked open with an unpleasant sound.

Jungwon stepped into the hallway, his breathing perfectly steady despite coming up the stairs.

His expression was so calm that it was hard to believe what had just happened moments ago.

He looked at Minjeong adjusting my hair, then slowly shifted his gaze to me.

A lot had happened in my life, but this—

Meeting again just five minutes after receiving a confession I didn’t understand—

This was a first.

Not knowing how to react, I simply met his gaze with the same blank expression.