Chapter 12: Ambition, and the Silence Between Us

“You startled me all of a sudden.
You should give some warning before dropping something like that—what am I supposed to do when you just come at me like that?”

He casually glanced around and continued.

“I thought we were being filmed or something.”

He’d said it wasn’t cringey.
He never said he wouldn’t tease him.

At Shim Eun-chan’s words, Hyun Woo-young’s expression stiffened immediately.
For a moment, Eun-chan wondered if he’d gone too far—but only for a moment.
Hyun Woo-young had started it.
Declaring something like don’t get in my way was practically a challenge.
There was no need to smile and take it gently.
Sure, Hyun Woo-young was much younger, and Eun-chan could have chosen to be more indulgent—but that was a choice, not an obligation.

Shim Eun-chan tilted his head slightly, his face blank.

“Of course I’m going to work hard.
I don’t plan on clinging to anyone to get ahead.
But that’s not for you, and it’s not because of what you just said.”

He continued in a calm tone.

“My goal is to win the Grand Prize at the end of this year.
Sounds like we’re on the same page, right?”

He hadn’t planned on telling anyone that.
But Hyun Woo-young’s seriousness had provoked him.

Hyun Woo-young didn’t respond right away.
He simply stared at Shim Eun-chan, as if trying to read what he truly meant.

That was where his youth showed.
A more seasoned adult wouldn’t have confronted someone so head-on in the first place.

Well, I’m not exactly in a position to talk, reacting on impulse and blurting out Grand Prize as my goal.
Still, the older one should be the one to smooth things over.

With that thought, Shim Eun-chan extended a hand toward him.

“Since we’ve met as people with the same goal, how about a handshake to mark the occasion?”

Perhaps thinking he was being teased again, Hyun Woo-young’s eyes hardened slightly.

“Why?
Do you think we can’t make it to the Grand Prize?”

Hyun Woo-young frowned deeply and pressed his lips together, then grasped Eun-chan’s hand just enough to count as a handshake before quickly letting go.
The way he took the bait so easily was oddly cute.

“I’ll be in your care.”

“Same here.
Looking forward to it.”

Shim Eun-chan smiled with his eyes as he looked at Hyun Woo-young.

“You know the way from here, right?
Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He bowed politely and walked off.
Watching him go, Shim Eun-chan shrugged.

It really did seem like he’d called him out just to say that.

Still—has to be, not wants to be.
What kind of resolve was that?

“Brr, it’s cold.”

Tilting his head in thought, Shim Eun-chan shuddered and started walking.

---

Even after seeing Hyun Woo-young off and returning to the dorm, the shower war was still ongoing.

Shim Eun-chan lay plastered against the warm section of floor where the boiler pipe ran, like a damp rag, until it was finally his turn.
Dragging his heavy body inside, he finished showering.
Once clean, he felt a bit more alive.
Rubbing his still-damp hair roughly with a towel, he headed into the room.

Do Jun-seo, who had already showered, was sitting on the bed scrolling through his phone.
Even though he must have noticed Eun-chan come in, he didn’t so much as glance over.
Deliberately, Eun-chan flopped down beside him.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

The way Jun-seo stubbornly stared at his phone without looking up made it obvious what kind of day he’d had.
Without a word, Shim Eun-chan rubbed his wet hair all over Jun-seo’s shoulder.
Only then did Jun-seo flinch and try to pull away, repeatedly protesting, “Hey—what the hell,” while Eun-chan clung to him stubbornly.

“Want something sweet?”

“…What is it?”

“I’ve got something we got before.”

Shim Eun-chan let go and went to the snack drawer.
He pulled out a chocolate wrapped in round gold foil and handed it over.
Despite his interest, Jun-seo didn’t eat it right away, just rolled it around in his hand.

“It’s good, that one.”

“I know.
…I know.”

It didn’t feel like he was just saying he knew the chocolate tasted good.
It felt like he was saying he knew how he should act, how he should take in this whole situation.

Was that reading too much into it?

In truth, B the 1 wasn’t some hugely successful group everyone wanted to join.
If anything, they were what people called a flop idol—a group that had already debuted and failed to gain traction.
They’d even released seven single albums.

No matter how desperate a trainee might be to debut, choosing to join a group like that midstream couldn’t have been an easy decision.
Filling the spot of a member who’d trained and worked with the group for years wasn’t exactly appealing.

And yet, Hyun Woo-young had come without hesitation.

Knowing the facts and accepting them were two very different things.

With everything that had happened, Jun-seo’s head was probably a mess, making it hard to keep his footing.

Shim Eun-chan had pushed for informing the members quickly, but that had only been a stopgap—figuring it was better to take one big shock than several smaller ones.
He knew it would take time for each member to accept this and truly think of Hyun Woo-young as part of the team.

Human emotions weren’t neat or logical, measured out with a ruler.
Feelings you couldn’t even explain yourself could surface, making it hard to say anything at all.
If a few words from someone beside you could cleanly sort out emotions, the world wouldn’t have conflict or disputes.

Shim Eun-chan didn’t say a single word related to any of that.

No one else could sort out your emotions for you.
It wasn’t something that could be rushed.
It was something you had to do alone—there was no other way.

He spoke to Do Jun-seo, who was silently staring down at the chocolate in his hand.

“If you’re not going to eat it, I will.”

“Who said I’m not eating it?
I’ll eat it. Of course I’ll eat it.”

Jun-seo nodded and started peeling the wrapper.
Watching his cheeks puff out as he chewed made him look like a cartoon kid, oddly cute.
When Eun-chan pressed an index finger into those puffed cheeks, Jun-seo turned his face away.

“What.”

“It’s good, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I was saving that one.”

“Oh wow.
Thanks.”

At last, his reaction was back to normal.

“What happened at the office today?”

“Huh?
Oh, uh… they just said they’d do it.”

“No, not that.”

Only then did Shim Eun-chan realize Jun-seo was talking about his plastic surgery.

In his previous life, Jun-seo hadn’t asked about this.
Maybe things had shifted just a little.
Eun-chan blinked rapidly.

“Are you going to do it?”

“No.
I’m not.”

Jun-seo really was perceptive.
After receiving the script, Eun-chan had been checking his nose in the mirror whenever he got the chance.
Jun-seo must have picked up on that.
Only now did Eun-chan recall Jun-seo approaching him whenever he stared into the mirror, casually saying things like, “Looking at the mirror again?” or “The two visual pillars of our group.”

Back then, he’d brushed it off as a joke.
Only now did he realize it had been Jun-seo’s clumsy way of saying he didn’t want Eun-chan to get surgery—that he didn’t need it.

That kindness felt newly vivid.

“What were you looking at on your phone?”

“Just stuff.”

Jun-seo gave a vague answer as Eun-chan asked while flopping down on the bed.

“Let’s work hard.”

“Yeah.”

Jun-seo nodded as he looked up at the underside of the top bunk.
A gentle silence settled in.
It wasn’t heavy or unpleasant—just a quiet infused with warmth you could feel even without words.

Shim Eun-chan didn’t dislike this kind of atmosphere.
He closed his eyes and let out a short breath.

How much time had passed?

“Hey. You asleep?
Move—I’m going to lie down.”

At the bed owner’s words, Shim Eun-chan finally had to haul himself up.

---

Is this really happening right now @bthe1xxhmlove
I saw today’s announcement and collapsedㅠㅠㅠㅠ
What the hell is this crazy PotenHigh doing, they can’t manage anything properly
How do you let the center leave?? They should’ve grabbed his pant leg or something, damn it

Gone crazy for Haenim @sunsun0310
Isn’t this insane?
What are we supposed to do if the center leaves?

Protect B the 1 at all costs @btheone4ever
If that member leaves a group where he was always that guy, what then?
What is the company doing? Not working?

└ @extSdkf85467 lol it was a miracle they lasted this long as a flop group
The “family breadwinner” finally bailed when there was no hope
Definitely moving to a bigger agency

└└ Protect B the 1 at all costs @btheone4ever
Are you happy?
You burner-account freak, know your place
You weren’t even a fan—don’t butt in
Nothing’s been officially said yet

Only tears A2 @BAthe12isbest
ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ What do we do if the maknae leavesㅠㅠㅠㅠ
What about our boysㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
I saw the announcement and burst into tears, I can’t focus on anythingㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Thank you for everything @bthe1aabb1234
Thank you for everything until now
It was fun stanning B the 1 together

Let’s go, Haenim @mainheamin
I’ll follow you wherever you go
Our baby sings well and dances well, you came out great
This is actually better—let’s go!!

└ Kids, walk only on flower paths @1ehtbevol0229
Aren’t you ashamed to post something like this in this 분위기?
Read the room

└└ Let’s go, Haenim @mainheamin
What are you even saying
Take care of your own members
Instead of dragging a successful kid down to die with you

└└└ Kids, walk only on flower paths @1ehtbevol0229
No loyalty, no conscience
Just like the member, the fans too

└└└└ Let’s go, Haenim @mainheamin
Our kid hard-carried this whole time
Guess you forgot because you were busy picking up crumbs
Check your conscience before telling others to

└└└└└ Haemin love @0310hmsalang
Seeing this, that person is a #ShimEunchan fan
Guess they snapped because their fave can’t rise
Ignore them

└ Lazy kitty @chan0229lolo
Are you crazy?
Tagging people too—isn’t that crossing the line?

---

Lee Haemin’s withdrawal was officially posted on the company website, and as expected, the already small fandom erupted.

The announcement used safe, neutral wording:
After extensive discussions with Lee Haemin, a member of B the 1, and with utmost respect for his personal wishes, we have decided to terminate his contract. We sincerely thank Lee Haemin for his time with B the 1. Please continue to support Lee Haemin and B the 1 as they each walk their own paths.

It was about two weeks before the Idol Sports Championships.

The manager explained that since everyone would find out on the day of filming anyway, it was better to announce it in advance.

Shim Eun-chan, who occasionally searched SNS, felt conflicted as he scrolled through the flood of “ㅠㅠㅠㅠ” from fan accounts.
There were upset reactions, I knew this would happen reactions, and messages supporting Lee Haemin.
He understood all of them.

The company instructed them to memorize set responses for official inquiries and not to respond personally to fans at all.
But that wasn’t easy.
Even if his mental strength had improved, the emotions that surfaced moment to moment weren’t much different from before.

Then again, feeling nothing at all wouldn’t mean strong mental fortitude—it would mean being a psychopath.

With a sigh, Shim Eun-chan set his phone aside and opened the script he’d already read several times.

Compared to others, his lines weren’t especially numerous, which made each one all the more important.
He practiced his facial expressions repeatedly, using a mirror or recording himself on his phone.

The script he’d been given was packed with his notes, its cover worn and frayed.

Whenever anxiety crept in, he buried himself deeper in practice.

Tomorrow was the production press conference, along with the first meeting and script reading with the cast.

Since Shim Eun-chan had joined last, the script reading was scheduled quickly as soon as he confirmed participation.

Thinking that even a second was precious, he was memorizing lines when a knock snapped him back to reality.