Chapter 29: Between Advice and Suspicion

As Ha Jin-woo, who had said that, started openly snickering, Jang Young-bin, who could endure everything but not the teasing from his same-age friend, shaped his mouth into a curse word and made a motion of throwing his chopsticks at Ha Jin-woo.

It wasn’t a serious fight, just them bickering among themselves, so he turned his gaze away and tried to focus on his rice, but Lee Woo-rim unexpectedly brought him into the conversation.

“Jae-seo hyung, doesn’t all that food go to your head?

You’re a college student, after all.”

“Come to think of it, not just any college, but a prestigious Korea University student.”

…What?

“How did you know that?”

Ha Jin-woo, with one chopstick in his mouth, asked back with a bewildered expression.

“Who doesn’t know you go to Korea University?”

“Hyung, don’t you use your phone?”

At Lee Woo-rim’s muttered question, he was dumbfounded.

What did people knowing his school information have to do with using a phone or studying?

“They say you gave out autographs at school, right?

Took pictures too.”

It was true, but it had only briefly appeared on the school community and then died down after a few days.

How did Ha Jin-woo or Lee Woo-rim know about that?

When he looked at the two with questioning eyes, Lee Woo-rim tilted his head with an equally clueless expression.

“It was all over social media?

Like your autographs, photos, eyewitness accounts.”

Ah, social media….

Only then did he think, oops.

Having lived a life completely unrelated to such things, he hadn’t thought to check social media at all.

Of course, he also hadn’t particularly thought that people would be talking about him.

“Jae-seo hyung, you don’t do social media?”

As he nodded in answer to Lee Chan-seo’s question, a clattering sound of chopsticks hitting a tray rang out.

Following the sound, he turned his head to see Chae Han-ul staring at him with an expression like he’d lost his country.

…What’s wrong with him?

“Then you’ve never looked up people’s reactions?”

Seo Jun-jae, who had been quietly eating until now, suddenly joined the conversation.

Unexpectedly, his voice carried a hint of interest.

“I did see some….”

“What did you see?”

“Things like comments on videos uploaded to the KMBS channel.”

At his answer, Ha Jin-woo started to say that checking social media or community reactions would be more reliable than video sites, but then, uncharacteristically, wore a gloomy expression and shook his head.

“Nah, maybe it’s better not to look at all.”

“Right, it’s not bad to just lightly check reactions and focus on your own work.”

Jang Young-bin nodded in agreement with Ha Jin-woo and added.

Had they both seen bad reactions related to themselves?

There was a hint of depression in the air.

Is it true what they say about idols and malicious comments being inseparable?

As the atmosphere around them grew heavy, flustered Lee Woo-rim looked around as if trying to lighten the mood and soon fixed his gaze on Jae-seo.

“Come to think of it, Jae-seo hyung, is your leg okay?”

Every time he tried to eat, questions kept coming.

He barely managed to swallow the sigh that wanted to escape.

“Right.

I was really worried it might be because of me.”

At the gentle voice flowing from right next to him, his sigh deepened.

The gaze was so obvious he couldn’t just pretend not to notice.

“I just twisted it myself, and I’m fine now….”

As he answered and turned his head to face Seo Jun-jae, his words trailed off involuntarily.

Facing that face, chin resting on hand, looking his way, he felt oddly guilty and subtly lowered his head to avoid eye contact.

Into his lowered field of vision, a pair of chopsticks suddenly appeared.

“I heard nuts and anchovies are good for bones.

Just in case, eat a lot.”

Along with the words “No need to worry, I haven’t used these yet,” a bit of the stir-fried anchovies and peanuts side dish was placed on top of his spoon, which had a large scoop of rice.

“Th-thanks.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

With his head bowed even deeper, he shoved the rice topped with the anchovies and peanuts that Seo Jun-jae had given him into his mouth in one big bite.

…This perceptive bastard.

Seo Jun-jae had definitely noticed that his illness yesterday was fake.

***

As he had told Ha Jin-woo, he ate two more helpings of rice and headed to the practice room.

Lee Chan-seo, who had stayed until the end and never put down his spoon, and Lee Woo-rim and Chae Han-ul, who had watched them like monkeys at a zoo, came along too.

Walking as if leading the chattering teenagers following behind, he felt like the Pied Piper.

“Oh, you’re here?”

As he opened the practice room door and entered, Ha Jin-woo, who had been stretching face-down on the floor, made eye contact through the mirror and waved his arms around.

“Jin-woo hyung, you almost got in big trouble if you’d kept your arms up earlier.”

“What?

Why?

Did Sim Jae-seo really eat two more bowls?”

Ignoring Ha Jin-woo and Lee Woo-rim exchanging pointless chatter about eating two more bowls—which were like three bowls—he looked for an empty spot.

Once he settled in, he realized it was exactly the spot where yesterday’s embarrassing incident with Seo Jun-jae had occurred, and for some reason, it felt uncomfortably eerie.

He thought about moving, but after looking around, this spot was nicely tucked away in a corner, which he liked best, so he just stayed put and started warming up.

After finishing basic stretches, he was practicing the moves Seo Jun-jae had taught him yesterday when he felt someone approaching.

“How’s it going?”

It was Seo Jun-jae.

Come to think of it, he remembered that after receiving all kinds of help from Seo Jun-jae yesterday, he had stupidly—well, he was forced into it too—but he had stepped on his shoelace, fallen, crushed the guy’s body, and even pressed his leg down on a sensitive area, yet he hadn’t properly thanked or apologized.

“Uh, yeah.

Thanks to you.

Thanks.”

He had said thank you, but saying sorry was impossible.

“Sorry for falling on top of you” was perfectly fine, but “Sorry for pressing down on your crotch” was something he absolutely could not bring himself to say.

Trying to avoid the gaze that kept meeting his, he attempted to fix his eyes on himself in the mirror, but whether Seo Jun-jae didn’t notice or precisely because he did notice, he stayed put beside him and kept talking.

“Your right elbow isn’t extending fully.”

Fortunately, the follow-up was dance advice rather than anything else.

Though partly uncomfortable, based on yesterday’s experience, following Seo Jun-jae’s words wouldn’t hurt, so he moved his body as instructed.

While getting feedback not just on yesterday’s moves but on the overall choreography, he noticed Yeo Hyun-tae had come to stand next to Seo Jun-jae.

Being scrutinized by the two people said to be the best dancers among the [Please Take Care of My Idol] participants was quite embarrassing, but thinking that two might offer more gains than one, he quietly continued with the choreography.

…Surely two captains won’t sink the ship, right?

“You bent your left leg too much.”

The very next moment, seeing Yeo Hyun-tae nod as if agreeing with Seo Jun-jae’s comment, it seemed his worry was unnecessary.

As if shaking off useless thoughts, he shook his head and followed Seo Jun-jae’s advice, straightening his left leg and performing the same move as before.

Thereupon, his reflection in the mirror floundered in a comical way incomparable to just moments ago.

“This time you straightened it too much.

Somewhere in between just now and now.”

Nodding to show he understood, he bent his leg again, but unlike his head, his leg reverted to the initial state with no middle ground.

With a sinking feeling, yesterday’s experience learning the last move came to mind.

It seems my body only moves properly when someone else’s body makes contact.

A sigh escaped involuntarily.

Um, I’m really sorry… but could you possibly teach me with your body?

Just as he was about to voice that embarrassing request, thankfully Yeo Hyun-tae moved first.

As Yeo Hyun-tae approached, bent down, and reached his hand toward Jae-seo’s knee—

“Hyun-tae hyung!

Please teach me!”

At the urgent outburst, he turned his head to see Chae Han-ul standing there watching them, his face flushed red.

“We can just learn from Chan-seo, right?”

At Lee Woo-rim’s words, Lee Chan-seo stepped forward as if to agree.

Chae Han-ul, glancing at him with an awkward face, stuttered.

“I, uh, I want to learn from Hyun-tae hyung… is that not okay?”

As Chae Han-ul subtly lowered his head as if checking the mood, the atmosphere became strange.

Lee Chan-seo might feel bad about this, Jae-seo thought, looking at him, but fortunately, without any sign of offense, Lee Chan-seo nodded.

“Hyun-tae hyung, then while you’re looking after Han-ul, could you check one move for me too?”

At Lee Chan-seo’s request, Yeo Hyun-tae said okay and straightened up to go over there.

Seo Jun-jae, who had worn an unreadable expression for a moment, soon wore his picture-perfect smile again and approached Jae-seo.

Just as Seo Jun-jae’s hand, replacing Yeo Hyun-tae’s, was about to reach Jae-seo’s leg—

“Ju, Jun-jae hyung, couldn’t you help us too?”

Han-ul shouted out loudly again.

Then what about me?

As he turned his head with a dumbfounded expression, Chae Han-ul subtly avoided his gaze.

Speechless with absurdity, he stood there frozen.

Seo Jun-jae let out a small laugh, then straightened up.

The look in his eyes as he glanced toward Chae Han-ul and then back at Jae-seo was strange.