Chapter 108: The Weight of What Remains

Inside the shopping bag was a sample of the magazine to be published next month.

It was a special issue featuring only Ji-tae and Woojoo, and the first completed print had been sent to both of their agencies.

Just as Dongha said, the thick cover stood out immediately.

On the front was a photo of Ji-tae and Woojoo standing close together in a friendly pose.

It felt unfamiliar, yet strangely nostalgic.

Without realizing it, Woojoo tightened his grip on the magazine.

“Hyung?”

“Oh—yeah. Thanks for bringing it. But why come all the way here? You could’ve sent it, or I could’ve picked it up.”

Dongha scratched his head awkwardly.

As if he had something to say, his lips kept moving hesitantly.

“Um… I told you before that I had something I wanted to say, right?”

Ah, right.

Woojoo had completely forgotten about that because of Ji-tae’s sudden confession back then.

Dongha hadn’t brought it up again, so it naturally slipped his mind.

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Well…”

Dongha lifted the larger shopping bag he had placed on the floor.

His slightly trembling hands made Woojoo even more curious.

Woojoo looked inside.

“This is…”

He couldn’t help but be surprised.

The bag was filled with Woojoo’s merchandise.

Uniforms, keyrings, posters—

And even a neatly organized ticket book containing tickets from every V-League match Woojoo had ever played in.

“Dongha, this…”

“…I’m actually your fan!”

Dongha suddenly shouted.

Woojoo blinked in shock.

He had never expected it.

“My fan? I had no idea.”

“I was too embarrassed, so I tried really hard to hide it.”

Dongha rubbed his head awkwardly.

So all that stiffness and awkwardness before—it wasn’t because he was uncomfortable, but because he was trying not to act like a fan.

“C-could you… maybe sign these…?”

Woojoo finally burst out laughing.

He took the marker Dongha handed him and signed each item one by one, smiling the whole time.

“This isn’t something you had to hide so much.”

“It was just really embarrassing… When the team leader told me I’d be assigned to you, I thought I was dreaming.”

Woojoo rarely relied on the management team, so even though he belonged to the agency, he didn’t interact much with most staff.

Dongha had only ever watched him from afar, so this must have felt like winning the lottery.

“I’ve been a hardcore V-League fan for years, but this is my first time becoming a fan of a player. When I watch you play… it just makes me happy.”

Once he started, Dongha couldn’t stop.

Like a dam breaking, his feelings poured out endlessly.

But as Woojoo listened, his emotions felt complicated.

Before, hearing something like this from a fan would’ve made him purely happy.

Sharing something he loved—volleyball—with others had always been a joy.

But recently, Woojoo had realized something.

That loving volleyball so much might have unknowingly hurt someone.

“Thank you. That means a lot.”

For the first time in a while, Woojoo gave a practiced smile.

After chatting a bit more, Dongha left for work.

Alone again, Woojoo sat there blankly.

The magazine lay on the table, but he didn’t open it.

Instead, he quietly picked it up, placed it in his study, and closed the door.

To escape the silence, he turned on the TV.

But the rerun of “Living Together” had already ended.

Another show was playing instead.

Feeling drained, he lay down on the sofa.

Then his phone rang.

“…Huh?”

Seeing the unexpected caller, Woojoo tilted his head.

Later that evening, Woojoo headed to a café in his neighborhood.

Despite the dominance of franchise cafés, small quiet ones still existed in hidden corners.

This was one he visited often.

As he entered, the familiar owner greeted him warmly.

The café was quiet, likely because of the odd timing.

“Player.”

Hearing his name, Woojoo quickly turned toward the voice.

“Hello, PD-nim.”

Seonhyeok was already seated in a corner.

“I ordered your drink in advance.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Still slightly dazed, Woojoo sat across from him.

When Seonhyeok had called earlier, he assumed it was work-related.

But when he suggested meeting near his home, Woojoo had a feeling it was something else.

“I wanted to meet you to apologize.”

“Apologize?”

Woojoo’s eyes widened slightly.

He couldn’t recall anything Seonhyeok needed to apologize for.

“You heard from Ji-tae, right? About our relationship.”

“Oh…”

Woojoo let out a quiet sound.

Seonhyeok nodded, as if he expected that reaction.

“No one on the production team knows I’m his uncle. Not even the writers. So I thought you might feel like I deceived you.”

It was true—he had been surprised.

Not just acquaintances, but uncle and nephew.

And yet, there had been no hint of it during filming.

“It’s okay. I was surprised, but I didn’t feel bad.”

Seonhyeok sighed in relief.

Silence followed.

Unable to bear the awkwardness, Woojoo stirred his drink absentmindedly.

“Ji-tae said he told you everything. Is that true?”

Woojoo nodded slowly.

At the same time, it felt a bit surprising that Ji-tae had shared everything about them.

“Well… Ji-tae and I are really close. He relies on me a lot.”

Seonhyeok added quickly, as if reading his thoughts.

“You lived with him in New York, right?”

“Yes. I was studying abroad at the time.”

Back then, Seonhyeok had already debuted as a producer but hadn’t found much success.

Feeling uncertain, he had gone abroad for a while.

“…How was Ji-tae back then?”

“Well… since you already know everything, I’ll be honest. He was a mess. When I first heard my sister and Ji-tae were coming, I wasn’t exactly thrilled.”

“Why?”

Woojoo tilted his head.

“Because I didn’t even know he existed until then.”

“…What?”

“When my sister—Ji-tae’s mom—said she was getting married, our family strongly opposed it.”

Her husband was a successful businessman, someone they thought was out of her league.

And she was just starting to rise as an actress.

“They basically cut ties. But I understand her. If something is worth fighting for, you fight for it.”

But the result had been tragic.

Her love wasn’t returned.

Her family fell apart.

And her son became a victim of it all.

“Then, decades later, she contacted us again and showed up with Ji-tae.”

Seonhyeok couldn’t turn them away.

He made space for them despite his limited means.

Seeing his nephew for the first time as an adult felt awkward, but he thought they could get along.

That wasn’t the case.

“Ji-tae had completely shut himself off. He wouldn’t talk to me at all. Always out drinking, smoking, staying out overnight…”

Seonhyeok laughed bitterly.

“Ji-tae said if it weren’t for you, he would’ve stayed like that…”

“Probably. I beat the hell out of him one day in the rain.”

Woojoo choked on his drink at the blunt statement.

After coughing, he awkwardly spoke again.

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