Chapter 20: Unfiltered Confessions

Woohyeong sighed and sat back down due to Jemin holding him back.

Sitting face-to-face alone and making eye contact felt awkward, so he casually drank more booze instead.

As Woohyeong was about to pour another glass, Jemin read his cues and asked.

“Did you like that hyung?”

Since the usage of the word “like” there didn’t seem to mean a simple ‘like’, Woohyeong’s face crumpled.

“I don’t like men.”

Woohyeong made it obvious he was offended, suspecting Jemin was doing this to mock him.

Jemin downed the very last drop remaining in his glass.

As he set the glass down, he dropped his chopsticks.

“Still, I guess you followed him around well?”

“Better than you.”

“Why don’t you try treating the fans like you treated that hyung?”

“I never acted cute toward that hyung.”

Jemin tried imagining Woohyeong acting cute and stroked his own goosebump-covered forearms.

Even in Jemin’s opinion, Woohyeong acting polite rather than spoiled seemed more like his way of showing affection.

“But love doesn’t have just one form or way of expression.

Just like how fans like us in various ways.”

Woohyeong emptied his glass with an indifferent expression.

Staring at Woohyeong, Jemin asked argumentatively.

“You didn’t originally want to be an idol, did you? You just wanted to be a singer, but since it’s not easy to debut unless it’s in the idol scene… is it something like that?”

“It’s not easy to debut as an idol either.”

At Woohyeong’s words, Jemin recalled his memories of failing auditions multiple times.

Jemin knew better than anyone how hard it was to become an idol.

“That’s true, but! What I mean is, it doesn’t seem to suit your aptitude, so why did you bother becoming an idol?”

“I think it suits my aptitude, though?”

“If you represent idol stats in a hexagon, yours is practically a Pac-Man shape.”

Jemin used his finger to draw a shape where one vertex was deeply indented inward.

He didn’t know what the six idol stats Jemin was talking about were, but that one missing stat for Woohyeong likely meant fan service.

“Fine, everything except that one thing suits my aptitude, so does it make sense for me to give up just because I’m lacking one?”

“That’s why I’m saying let’s raise that stat up!”

“Throw a hundred ideas at me.

Out of those, I’ll try one or two that are tolerable.”

At Woohyeong’s terrible response, Jemin felt utterly frustrated.

Luckily, he kept his words to a minimum in interviews and variety shows, but if he had said something like that outside, a full-scale withdrawal campaign would have immediately taken place.

Of course, even after experiencing that once already, he hadn’t even batted an eye.

“At this point, wouldn’t it be easier for you to just leave me alone? Just think of me as ‘this guy is just this kind of guy’.”

Woohyeong didn’t seem pleased about Jemin nagging him like a parent or a teacher.

Seeing Woohyeong frowning, Jemin actually smiled and replied.

“This is why I’m more of an adult than you.”

Woohyeong couldn’t understand Jemin’s words.

He looked at Jemin with a face asking what he meant.

“You’ll get mad if you hear this, but I actually don’t hate you that much.”

In reality, he did hate him.

However, Jemin had made up his mind that he had to grab the leash of this crazy Jeong Woohyeong.

“In a relationship where both people like each other, the one who likes the other more loses.

Similarly, between two people who hate each other, the one who hates the other more loses.”

“What kind of sophistry is that?”

Jemin took a sip of alcohol before speaking at length.

Then, with a serious face as if negotiating at an international summit, he began deploying logical illogic.

“Imagine if I were to kiss you right here.

Of course, I would feel disgusted, too.

But you would feel disgusted enough to want to die.

That’s why the guy who hates the other more loses.”

“I don’t really want to imagine that.

Don’t use such an analogy.

It makes me feel like throwing up.”

Not wanting to even imagine it, Woohyeong crumpled his face.

Jemin’s expression changed slightly.

Why is he making such a serious face? Does that mean he actually imagined it? Woohyeong couldn’t understand Jemin’s sudden change in expression.

“…What are you doing?”

Woohyeong pulled his body back, terrified.

‘W-what’s with this guy?’

Jemin jumped up from his seat and crossed over to the other side of the table.

Woohyeong tensed up completely, entering a battle stance.

“Are you trying to mess with me right now…”

“Talking about throwing up makes me… feel like throwing up.”

“You crazy bastard!”

It seemed he was trying to go to the bathroom located behind Woohyeong.

Before sparks could fly onto him, Woohyeong immediately shoved Jemin into the bathroom.

All members of 4ever were invited as guests on the spotlight segment of a radio program boasting the number one listener rating.

Since it was a viewable radio show, they were on their way with full makeup done.

Feeling the quiet car atmosphere after a long time, Eunhan wondered if last night’s ‘Let’s Get Closer’ project had been a success.

“Still, since you two talked a bit, did you get along better? You’re not even fighting in the car!”

“…It’s because of a hangover, so be quiet.”

“Yes sir.”

I shouldn’t have drunk so recklessly.

Even though the makeup teacher covered it up with concealer, it felt like dark circles had dropped down.

Jemin felt sorry for taking his unnecessary frustration out on the innocent Eunhan.

In addition, he almost felt a tiny bit sorry toward Woohyeong, who had helped him, but he held it in well.

“It’s not something I should be sorry for.

That guy talked crap to my face.”

“Do you usually talk to yourself out loud so others can hear?”

“I didn’t say it for you to hear? Why are you eavesdropping on other people’s words on your own?”

“Did you both finish sobering up already? It’s noisy again.”

The atmosphere was different from when they had gone to the radio before.

Of course, they knew well that it was because their position had shifted from a failed idol group to rising rookies.

Jemin was happy about the changed treatment, but he also felt a bit bitter.

“4ever forever! Seriously, I watch your fancams twelve times a day, you know? I must have raised your view count by about 200 myself.”

“Really? It’s an honor!”

Live radio broadcasts were always nerve-wracking.

It was because no one knew what kind of accident might happen, and depending on whether they handled it well or not, their future lifespan in the entertainment industry might be decided.

“Ha, I’m nervous.”

When they came out as morning radio guests previously, they barely managed to introduce their new song before leaving.

Wishing for a deep interview was a luxury.

Furthermore, existing listeners sent texts or wrote posts on the message board about stories completely unrelated to 4ever.

However, the situation had turned completely different now.

“Wow.

A lot of posts are really coming up on the viewer message board.”

Even though only commercials were playing right now, hundreds of posts were piling up on the viewer message board.

Unlike before, they weren’t about personal lives, but all questions regarding 4ever.

“I’m touched.”

Jemin looked at the countless posts on the screen with sparkling eyes.

If only time allowed, he felt like answering every single one of them.

“Today’s guest on Park Dog’s is… a rookie idol who is hugely popular these days, right? Like the ten symbols of longevity, forever for thousands and millions of years, long life and eternal youth, Ppo-ever! We have 4ever with us!”

“One, two, Everlasting 4ever! Hello! We are 4ever~”

The writers outside the booth applauded, and the atmosphere was quite good.

One side wall of the radio booth was glass, revealing the gathered fans.

There were fans holding cheering slogans or fans.

Habitually, Jemin roughly calculated his own share with a glance.

“You guys are completely the talk of the town these days, aren’t you?”

“Oh, we are just thankful that you say so.”

The harmonious atmosphere continued up to the opening.

Even treating the ten symbols of longevity as a non-existent track showed they had thoroughly done their preliminary research.

While the first song played, the DJ took care of them to a burdensome degree.

Throughout the broadcast, questions were asked evenly among the members, and the listeners’ reactions were also good.

“Woohyeong! Do you know what the fans call you?”

Jemin felt more nervous when the DJ asked Woohyeong a question than when a question came to himself.

“As a nickname?”

“That’s right!”

“No.

I don’t know at all.”

Don’t say it so proudly.

Please at least pretend to think about it.

Out of anxiety, Jemin stared at Woohyeong intently.

However, as if completely unaware of Jemin’s feelings, Woohyeong didn’t even look in Jemin’s direction.

“Right now~ shortening ‘Our Woohyeong-i’, they call you Woori-hyung~”

“Ah.”

“Eternitys! Woori-hyung will take good care of you today on , so don’t worry! Woohyeong, if you could say a word to your fans!”

“…Thank you.”

Did that pass off well?

He might get criticized for having a bad attitude, but that level was enough to wrap up as him being nervous.

“Then now, let’s ask a question to all of 4ever that almost crosses the line.”

“Pardon?”

“All members of 4ever are adults, right?”

“That is true, but… what kind of question are you going to ask?”

Jemin replied with a troubled smile.

However, inside, he wasn’t troubled at all.

No matter what mischievous question he received, he had about six hundred and fifty-eight expected scenarios to escape.

“4ever! What is your drinking capacity!”

“Ah, ah!”

“Senior~! We are idols!”

They couldn’t be viewed as having an image of drinking booze every single day.

While wanting them not to be close to nightlife, knowing their drinking capacity was also the fans’ heart.

They liked characters who looked like they couldn’t drink at all but were heavy drinkers, or looked like they could drink well but were alcohol garbage.

Jemin was neither the former nor the latter.

He looked average and was average.

Therefore, he had to fabricate it.

“First, we want to clearly state that we don’t drink a lot.

In fact, we’ve only drunk together once.

We had to build our bodies until our debut…”

“Oh my, since Yoonbin says it with your body, it feels so trustworthy.

That body is a body where muscle loss has never occurred even once.

Yoonbin must be popular among older female fans~”

As expected of a leader, Yoonbin laid down the groundwork well first.

“First, Eunhan is an alcohol garbage.

Alcohol trash.

If he takes a sip of beer, we have to put him to sleep.”

“Oh! Eunhan looks like a college freshman who would set the mood really well, but to be an alcohol trash!”

“James-hyung… said his drinking capacity is random.

As for me, I tend to hold onto my senses tightly to pretend not to be drunk even if I am.”

Quietly listening to the conversation, Jemin thought since Eunhan took the ‘heavy drinker face, alcohol garbage’ character, he should take the ‘alcohol garbage face, heavy drinker’ character.

“As for me, I hear people say I look like I can’t even drink a single drop, but I don’t think it’s to that extent.”

“Right.

Guys like this always survive until the very end.”

While talking about this and that, it would be natural to chime in, but Woohyeong stayed still.

Seeing Jeong Woohyeong’s solo fans throwing a fit on the viewer message board asking why they weren’t letting Jeong Woohyeong speak, the DJ belatedly asked Woohyeong a question.

“Then lastly, what about Woohyeong’s drinking capacity?”

“Woohyeong hasn’t seen his limit either… but he seems to be quite good at it.”

“Then does no one know Woohyeong’s drinking habit?”

“I don’t have a drinking habit.”

“Haha.

You are firm.

Then do you happen to know Jemin’s drinking habit?”

Jemin opened his eyes wide at the arrow suddenly turning back to him.

My drinking habit spoken by Jeong Woohyeong? The only time Jemin had drunk with Woohyeong was yesterday.

And yesterday, Jemin ended up throwing up right in front of Woohyeong.

“Ah, I know it.”

Woohyeong stared straight at Jemin and tried to mouth something.

Since that mouth shape looked exactly like ‘vomit’, Jemin’s face turned pale.

No matter what, as an idol, if his drinking habit was throwing up, what fan would like that?

“Wait a second!”

To cover Woohyeong’s mouth, Jemin’s hand reached out, but because he wasn’t in the seat right next to him, it was insufficient.

“Kissing.”

The word that came out of Woohyeong’s mouth was unexpected.

Jemin blinked, wondering if he had misheard.

Woohyeong lied nonchalantly.

“It seems like kissing men is his drinking habit.”