Chapter 15: Emergency Call

“Let me fix your hair, then look.”

Seo Ye-jun brushed down the hair sticking out here and there with his large hand, then paused.

He remembered Jun, who had stopped eating ramen to giggle and say, “Look at hyung’s hair.”

Ye-jun quickly shook off the useless thought and finished tidying the rest. His clumsy hand stroked Jun’s hair several times, but Jun didn’t look back even once.

“It looked really pretty in the photos.”

The anticipation was clear in his raised cheekbones. Even after touring overseas and visiting many countries, Jun still seemed to have things to be excited about. It was a contrast to his hyungs, who seemed to have no anticipation for a new place.

They gathered their belongings and got off the plane. They immediately got into the prepared car and headed to the hotel.

It was absolutely not treatment an idol who hadn’t even been debuted for two years could receive, but the group that debuted through a survival program’s special system was different. Even as rookies, they had recognition no different from famous idols with years of experience.

“We’ll film as quickly as possible and go back. It’s not a relaxed schedule, so take care of your health.”

The manager handed over two keys. The one who received them was, of course, Ji-gu, the most meticulous and careful with belongings. Ye-jun tended to take care only of his own body and phone, so he always found Ji-gu amazing. Ji-gu remembered even trivial things with uncanny accuracy.

“I’m hungry, should we eat something?”

As expected, Jun was the first to bring up food. They had flown for quite a long time, so it was understandable he was hungry. Ye-jun told them to order any room service and lay down on the floor. Seeing he didn’t even seem willing to choose food, Ha-hyeon ordered something with meat for Ye-jun.

The food arrived soon and looked quite appetizing. Except for Ha-hyeon, who was a picky eater, the other members generally ate well without being picky, so the food on the table quickly diminished.

Ye-jun, who had been exposed to foods from many countries since childhood, speared a piece of meat with a peculiar smell with his fork and ate it without fuss.

“Just a moment, I need to take this call.”

Just then, with a sudden vibration, Jun, who was eating well, quietly raised his phone with his right hand and asked. It meant, since it was difficult to take the call here, was it okay if he went out.

Ha-hyeon quickly nodded for him to go and come back. Jun said he’d be back soon, grabbed the key, and hurried outside. His steps were hurried, as if worried the call would end.

As far as Ye-jun knew, Jun didn’t particularly have friends he contacted.

According to stories from same-school friends posted in the community, he was sociable and cheerful, so his surroundings were noisy, but Ye-jun had never seen him go out and hang out during breaks.

Even when he occasionally went to school and came back, he never talked about friends. Thinking back to when they first met on the survival program, when Jun approached and spoke first, it seemed true that he was sociable, but Ye-jun couldn’t understand it at all.

Above all, Jun had said he didn’t like talking on the phone, so he did most communication through messenger. So it was safe to assume the other party was fixed.

“Why am I so anxious?”

“What is it, hyung?”

Hwi-young, who was spooning food next to him, luckily heard the small murmur and asked. Ye-jun shook his head saying it was nothing, then picked up his chopsticks and took a few pieces of meat.

‘No appetite.’

Ye-jun put down his chopsticks and picked up the phone he had set down. Just as he thought he’d play a game for the first time in a while and opened the app, the door opened.

“Did you finish your call?”

There was no answer to Hwi-young’s kind question. Instead, unstable breathing filled the room. Ye-jun took his eyes off the game screen that had just started loading.

As soon as he saw Jun’s eyes, which couldn’t focus properly on anything, Ye-jun jumped up from his seat. Somehow his uneasy premonition was never wrong.

“Hyung. When did you say we’re going back to Korea?”

Jun came up to Ye-jun and asked. He could just tell him they’d go when filming ended, but strangely the words wouldn’t come out. Ye-jun frowned with all his might and bit his lip. Luckily, Jun was looking down, so he didn’t see Ye-jun’s expression. There was only one reason to ask this. The call that had just come in must have contained bad news.

They had just unpacked, so there was no way they could get on a plane again. This was work. It involved dozens of staff and money.

Ye-jun, who had been racking his brain to make a rationally correct judgment somehow, decided to first calm down the kid who was about to hyperventilate. At this rate, Jun seemed like he’d be taken to the hospital first.

“Calm down.”

“This, I mean…”

“Breathe.”

At the low voice he had never heard before, Jun slowly raised his head. Ye-jun patted his back with an expressionless face. The touch wasn’t forceful, but neither was it weak, and it came rhythmically.

“I said breathe.”

Ye-jun spoke in a firm and scary voice. At the tone that sounded like scolding a small child, Jun blinked slowly and gradually lowered himself.

He knew without asking why Ye-jun was doing this, but he was cautious even about showing that he knew, so he just asked.

“What’s wrong? You have to tell me what happened so I can help.”

“No, it’s nothing. I’m fine. It’s nothing, I was just startled for a moment.”

“Startled for a moment? Tell me straight.”

Jun shook his head. He felt he had acted too stupidly. His hyungs all had schedules, and this was all work. Going back to Korea right now was nonsense.

‘But…’

Jun bit his lip. The doctor’s voice he had just heard echoed in his head. If something really went wrong like this. They had to stay here for days, and if this really became the last time…

“The hospital called…”

In the end, Jun spoke. Because it seemed like a serious situation, he had always silently hidden it, but this time he couldn’t. The fear brought by the word mother’s death defeated all rational judgments.

At the expected words, Ye-jun sighed. In his heart, he wanted to contact his father and have a helicopter sent, but that wasn’t easy. This time it was a music video shoot, and it wasn’t a schedule Ye-jun could replace. And they couldn’t film without Jun either.

They couldn’t stop all the staff while he went back and forth to Korea, so there was nothing they could do.

“Your father?”

Ye-jun, who had debated a hundred times in his head whether to ask because he felt uneasy, eventually let the question out. Jun, meeting Ye-jun’s serious eyes, dropped his gaze. His breathing was still unstable.

“My father… I don’t know… where he is.”

He didn’t know where he was. Even a fool could tell this didn’t simply mean they lived apart. Since Jun had never mentioned his father, Ye-jun had vaguely thought there must be a story, but the situation was so urgent he asked just in case.

Scolding himself for the foolish question born of urgency, Ye-jun was about to ask again if there were any relatives or close people, but shut his mouth. If there were such people, he wouldn’t have tried to run out during a performance in the first place, and a minor wouldn’t be handling everything alone.

“Okay, I got it.”

Ye-jun was an adult. So he was the one who had to act more calmly than anyone in a place full of kids. ‘Pull yourself together.’

Ye-jun squeezed his eyes shut and opened them, feeling for the first time in his life a headache as if his entire brain was shaking. He was keenly feeling just how heavy the weight he had vowed to carry was.

“Jun.”

At the soft call, Jun quickly raised his head. It was extremely rare for Ye-jun to call someone like this.

“Give me your phone.”

Jun stopped his trembling breathing and carefully handed over the phone. Ye-jun, without hesitation, searched the call log and called the hospital again, then pulled Jun’s shoulder and hugged him. It was a way to soothe him even a little. His large hand covered one whole shoulder.

“She’ll be okay.”

The dial tone continued for a moment. Taking advantage of that short gap, Ye-jun checked Jun’s face and said.

“Trust hyung.”

Without waiting for Jun’s answer, Ye-jun stood up. A voice was heard from the other side, as if someone had answered.

– Hello.

– Yes, hello.

Ye-jun replied calmly and moved his steps little by little. He was still holding Jun’s phone in his right hand.

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