Chapter 7: The Monster Youngest (6)

Shim Kyung-chul’s closed eyes suddenly snapped open. Recalling the events of the previous night, his face contorted into a grimace.

“Seriously, so annoying,” he muttered to himself. He looked down at his senior, Lee Ki-chul, who was sleeping beside him. Watching him, a wave of anxiety washed over Shim. Should he talk about the massive disaster that occurred in the middle of the night, or shouldn’t he? It was the youngest who had caused the mess, yet it felt unfair that he was the one feeling so restless. What great sin had he committed in his past life to suffer such a catastrophe?

Just as his head was becoming a tangled mess of a thousand thoughts, Lee Ki-chul suddenly opened his eyes. In that instant, Shim Kyung-chul jerked his gaze away.

“Mm… you awake?” Lee Ki-chul said, slowly pushing himself up.

“Ah… yes, Hyung,” Shim Kyung-chul replied with a stiff expression.

Lee Ki-chul reached out toward him. “Pass me some water.”

Shim Kyung-chul hurriedly handed over the water kettle sitting nearby. Lee Ki-chul gulped the water down and set the kettle aside.

“What is it? Did something happen?”

“Huh?!” Shim Kyung-chul flinched like a thief with a guilty conscience.

“Why are you so jumpy?”

“It’s just… you asked so suddenly, it startled me.”

“Are you worried about something? You seemed to be tossing and turning all night.”

Shim Kyung-chul winced. However, he quickly waved his hands dismissively.

“N-no. Not at all. Nothing happened.”

“Is that so?”

“Did I… wake you up, by any chance?”

“Well, not really.”

Lee Ki-chul scratched his head and stood up. This made Shim Kyung-chul panic even more.

“A-are you going out already?”

“Just going to the bathroom. Why are you acting so weird?”

“I’m not! I was just… the weather is so cold, I was worried you’d catch a chill.”

“Really? Well, it has been freezing lately.”

Lee Ki-chul grabbed a green field jacket hanging on the wall and threw it over his shoulders before stepping out of the room. Shim Kyung-chul scratched his head frantically as he watched him go. He tried to reassure himself that Ki-chul was heading to the outdoor bathroom and wouldn’t stop by the living room.

But Lee Ki-chul didn’t head straight outside; instead, he peered toward the living room studio.

“Oh? The lights are off. I guess the youngest ones finished early today too.”

He then began walking toward the living room. Fck, I’m dead.* Thinking this, Shim Kyung-chul scrambled after him. He followed closely behind Lee Ki-chul with a worried face and asked cautiously.

“Why are you going to the studio?”

“Huh? Why wouldn’t I?”

“It’s just… you said you were going to the bathroom, then you suddenly diverted to the studio.”

“I want to check the manuscripts. I should at least look them over before the Teacher arrives. If I’m going to get chewed out, I should at least know why.”

Shim Kyung-chul let out a sudden hiccup. The thought of getting “chewed out” felt all too real. Lee Ki-chul stopped, glanced back at Shim’s panicked state, and said nonchalantly, “I’m joking.”

A joke? Lee Ki-chul was not the type of person to make jokes. That made Shim even more uneasy.

“A jo… joke. Ah, hahaha.” Shim laughed awkwardly, clutching his racing heart.

“Actually… I have a bit of expectation.”

“Expec… expectation? Why? How come?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because they finished the work better than expected yesterday, or maybe there’s another reason.”

Shim Kyung-chul’s eyes darted around at the cryptic remark. Lee Ki-chul turned the question on him.

“And what about you?”

“What? Me… me too.”

“You’re expecting something?”

“No! I mean, it’s just that someday I’ll have a heavy responsibility like yours, Hyung. I should start checking the manuscripts meticulously from now on.”

Lee Ki-chul looked surprised. “That’s unlike you.”

“Ahaha. Why say that? I have a sense of responsibility too.”

Lee Ki-chul nodded and walked into the group studio. Following behind him, Shim Kyung-chul scowled at the darkened studio. He wondered if those damn kids had caused a massive incident and fled in the middle of the night because they couldn’t handle it. He felt the urge to run to the youngest’s room and check, but for now, he had no choice but to follow Lee Ki-chul.

The idea of Park Yi-chang taking responsibility and “restoring” the manuscripts had been nonsense from the start. How could he return the manuscripts to their original state? Especially a beginner who only handled the final cleanup. Shim realized his biggest mistake was being so intimidated by Park Yi-chang earlier that he had lost his ability to think straight.

As he was berating his own stupidity for believing such a thing, Lee Ki-chul flipped the living room light switch. The manuscripts were neatly stacked at Go Ju-bong’s desk, as if nothing had happened. Was this the calm before the storm? Shim Kyung-chul wanted to bolt out of the house right then and there. But it was too late. He had to face the hell that was coming.

While Shim’s insides were burning up, Lee Ki-chul picked up the manuscripts. He began to flip through the pages one by one, inspecting them slowly. Shim Kyung-chul watched him with a terrified face. Thump. Thump. Shim’s face grew pale with bone-chilling tension.

A moment later, Lee Ki-chul’s hand stopped. Seeing him stare intently at a single page, Shim Kyung-chul winced. Damn it, here comes the explosion. Those bastards! They should have cleaned up their own sht!*

Just as he thought that, Lee Ki-chul turned to him with a strange expression. Shim felt his heart drop to his stomach. He quickly clasped his hands behind his back and bowed his head. Lee Ki-chul was a senior who didn’t get angry often, but he was ruthless when it came to major mistakes. In times like this, staying low was the best strategy.

Lee Ki-chul spoke in a tone slightly higher than usual.

“You’re pretty good, Kyung-chul.”

Shim Kyung-chul bowed his head even deeper, thinking, How angry must he be to speak in such riddles? He braced himself for a massive fallout.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“Yes. It was my fault…”

“Look at you, being so humble.”

“Pardon?”

Confused, Shim Kyung-chul slowly raised his head and studied Lee Ki-chul’s face. He was shocked. It was an expression he rarely saw. Lee Ki-chul was wearing a faint smile. Is that a devil’s smile? But then, Lee Ki-chul patted Shim on the shoulder.

“Your character inking has improved. In fact, these parts look even better than the drafts I drew. Your skills have grown a lot.”

“…….”

Lee Ki-chul wasn’t being sarcastic or talking in circles. This was a genuine compliment. But it made no sense. What on earth is he talking about? Shim Kyung-chul quickly peeked at the manuscript in Ki-chul’s hand. He was so shocked that a strange sound almost escaped his throat; he had to clap his hand over his mouth.

“Mmph!”

It was clearly the page that had been ruined by the ink splatter, but there wasn’t a single trace of ink left. It wasn’t like a piece of paper had been cut out and replaced either. How could the manuscript be so pristine?

Then, he realized why Lee Ki-chul was praising him. This character inking… He hadn’t done it. It was incredibly similar to his style, but he knew for a fact it wasn’t his.

“…….”

How could this have happened? He was lost in total confusion. Lee Ki-chul flipped through the rest and paused again. It was another page that had been a mess. And the next one too. He was looking specifically at the pages that had been ruined.

Shim Kyung-chul stared at the manuscripts. At a glance, they looked like the originals. The character touches looked like his. But on closer inspection, they weren’t his at all. They felt more sophisticated, which only added to his bewilderment.

“How long has it been since you started character inking?”

“Huh? Ah, just over six months.”

“Really? Impressive. To grow this much in six months… You might take over my drafting job soon.”

“N-no. How could I ever…”

“Hmm, but it’s a bit strange. Except for these three pages, the rest feels like your usual style. Is your skill still inconsistent?”

Lee Ki-chul muttered to himself, tilting his head a few times.

“And it feels like the drafts were subtly corrected.”

“I’m sorry, Hyung. That’s…”

“You corrected them well. They’re better than the original.”

“…….”

“Kyung-chul, I really need to see you in a new light.”

Shim Kyung-chul wore a dazed expression. Something he thought was impossible had been solved perfectly. In fact, the picky Lee Ki-chul was praising it for being better. It was beyond confusing.

While Shim was lost in chaos, Lee Ki-chul set the manuscripts back down. He let out a giant yawn.

“Yaaaawn.”

Only then did Lee Ki-chul remember what he was doing.

“Oh right, the bathroom. And Kyung-chul, you turn off the light.”

“Ah, yes.”

Shim watched blankly as Lee Ki-chul scratched the back of his neck and walked out. He then leaned in to inspect the manuscripts again. No matter how much he looked, they didn’t seem different from the originals. Maybe the slight difference in pen lines was just his imagination.

But even if—by some miracle—someone had copied them, there was still one thing that didn’t make sense. The youngest barely had enough time for the cleanup work; how could they have found the time to finish three whole pages? The drafting, the character inking, and even the backgrounds were perfect. It defied all logic.

Shim Kyung-chul looked at the wall clock and ruffled his hair in frustration.

“Ah, sh*t. What the hell is going on?”

He felt as though he had been bewitched by a ghost.