Chapter 78: A Quiet Night, Almost

After the chaotic profile shoot finally ended, the car headed not to the dorm but to each of our own homes.

I closed my eyes for a bit, and when I opened them, familiar streets were passing by outside the window.

I took out my cap and mask from the seat pocket and put them on carefully.

The car stopped quietly in front of an alley I knew well.

“Get home safely.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work!”

After exchanging goodbyes with the K-Dream Entertainment staff member who had come with us to the studio, I got out.

Dragging my exhausted body up the low hill, I headed straight for the refrigerator as soon as I got home.

Fshhh-

I cracked open a can of beer I had bought, thinking it would be okay if I just drank alone at home and passed out, and downed it right there on the spot.

The whole atmosphere during the shoot had been bad because of the Muk Sahyeon incident, and worrying about this and that had left me quite mentally drained.

I even felt like getting drunk and passing out today would be a relief.

Ding-

Hearing the familiar notification sound, I finished the first can, then took out a new beer and sat down at my desk.

I took out my phone, launched [Please Take Care of My Idol], and as always, a ‘New’ mark appeared on the game screen.

What’s this?

Nothing happened today…

The reason this crazy perverted psycho game sent notifications and showed ‘New’ was usually one thing: an embarrassing incident had occurred worthy of being added to the gallery.

But since nothing like that had happened today, I tilted my head and quickly navigated the game.

Checking, I found that the photos of the ‘NUAVE’ members in the character encyclopedia had simply been updated from the Please Take Care of My Idol profile pictures to the ones taken today.

“Phew…”

Letting out a sigh of relief, I moved my finger, but then it stopped right over Yeo Hyun-tae’s name.

Come to think of it…

[Favorability｜51.0 %] [Release]

That premonition I’d had at the convenience store with Hyun-tae, feeling like a warning, had been accurate—his favorability had passed 50%.

Which meant the ‘Release’ button, now activated, was flashing there as if to say “here I am.”

Until yesterday, I’d been able to ignore it, making excuses about packing for the dorm or preparing for schedules I didn’t know how to do.

But now my bags were packed and the schedule was done, and I had no more excuses.

“…Fine.

Let’s just get it over with.”

More than anything, what had happened with Seo Jun-jae made it clear this wasn’t something that would go away by putting it off.

If I dragged my feet, I’d just end up in even worse trouble…

I moved my thumb over the ‘Release’ button.

A physiological resistance I couldn’t help made me hesitate for a moment, but then I pressed it.

[The favorability event of ‘NUAVE’ member Yeo Hyun-tae has been released.]

Only after seeing the notification message that appeared on the game screen did I understand exactly what ‘release’ meant.

It had been roughly three months since I first learned of its existence.

…I thought it would take at least three years, but only three months?

“What kind of shitty game is this?”

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t understand.

Even for a 19+ game, does it make sense for things to progress this way in just a few months?

More than anything, this situation itself was probably part of the game’s storyline, but I wondered if anyone would actually want to play such a stupid game.

“…This game is doomed.”

Convinced of the yet-to-be-released game’s failure, I downed the remaining half of the beer in one go.

***

After three cans of beer in a row, I started to feel a buzz.

I should have showered first. Belatedly regretting it, I forced my wobbly body up.

Staggering pathetically, I headed to the bathroom.

Leaning against the wall, I barely managed to shower.

Without even thinking about drying my wet hair, I was about to lie down on the bed when—

Ding-dong

The doorbell rang out of nowhere.

I had checked the time right before going into the bathroom and it was 8:17 PM, so it was probably 8:40 or 8:50 now.

It wasn’t an impossible time for someone to visit, but it certainly wasn’t an appropriate one either.

What was even stranger was that there was no one who would know this address and come to visit.

Having been suddenly dropped into this game world alone, I didn’t know many people yet, and there was certainly no one I had built a close enough relationship with that I would give them my address.

I had just heard this doorbell for the first time now, so that said it all.

…Who could be coming at such an odd hour?

Half tilting my head, I swung my legs off the bed.

Steadying my swaying body as soon as I took a step, I approached the door.

And the moment I checked the peephole, I let out a surprised sound.

“Uh…?”

Standing in front of the door was Yeo Hyun-tae.

Why is he here?

Still bewildered, I unlocked the door.

The moment I turned the handle and pushed the door open, the alcohol hit me, and my legs suddenly gave way.

Just as the door opened and I started to fall forward, Hyun-tae caught me in a familiar gesture.

“Are you okay?”

Leaning against him, hearing his worried voice, the memories that had been fuzzy after the ‘July Snow’ team dinner came back, as if the film had been spliced back together.

…Ah, so it was Hyun-tae who brought me home that night.

A vague memory of myself being carried on Hyun-tae’s back while mumbling my address came to mind, and my face flushed with shame.

“I’m fine.”

Trying to sound casual, I slowly straightened up.

Hyun-tae was still looking down at me, his face full of concern.

“I’m just a little dizzy.

Really, I’m fine.”

Barely managing to keep my body steady—one moment of carelessness and I’d start swaying again—I stepped aside and spoke.

“…Um, want to come in?”

At my words, Hyun-tae slowly nodded and stepped inside.

I watched him take off his sneakers and put them away, then closed the front door.

…Seriously, why is he here?

“Have you been drinking?”

As I took off my loosely worn slippers and stepped up, Hyun-tae suddenly asked.

How did he know?

Feeling a guilty pang, I looked up and saw the beer cans on the desk.

Right, I’d left them there without tidying up, thinking I’d do it tomorrow.

It was pretty embarrassing to have Hyun-tae see that, especially since he was the one who had carried me home drunk.

And I hadn’t even thanked him for that…

Of course, I hadn’t been able to because I didn’t know who it was, but that was my problem.

If Hyun-tae thought of me as a shameless, inconsiderate person who couldn’t control his own drinking, passed out at a restaurant, and didn’t even say thank you, I’d have no excuse.

…Better late than never, I decided to thank him.

“Thanks for before.”

“You had a hard time today, didn’t you?”

At the same time, a peculiarly phrased question came from Hyun-tae.

He had looked flustered by my sudden words, but then seemed to understand what I meant, letting out an “Ah…” and shaking his head.

“I barely did anything, though.”

He said it with a smile that seemed quite sincere.

It wasn’t nothing, though—not only had he brought me home, he had even bought hangover relief, porridge, and an ion drink.

Thinking about it made me embarrassed again.

To have received all that and not even try to find out who helped me… Even I thought it was unforgivably mean.

“Are you okay?”

Just as I was about to sink into self-loathing again, Hyun-tae suddenly lowered his head to meet my eyes and asked if I was okay.

…Okay?

What exactly is he talking about?

It was such an abrupt question, not following from our previous conversation, so I tried to remember a moment earlier.

Come to think of it, he had asked if I had a hard day today.

“Seo-hu hyung and Han-ul seemed really stressed.

I wondered if you were okay, Jae-seo.”

Then Hyun-tae glanced at the beer can, as if adding to his point.

He must think I was drinking because I was upset about the rumor.

The atmosphere at the shoot had been bad all day, and Park Seo-hu and Chae Han-ul had been especially grim, so it wasn’t strange for him to assume I might be the same.

Besides, the reason I had gone for the alcohol as soon as I got home was indeed that rumor.

Though not because I was agonizing over the rumors implicating me, as Hyun-tae seemed to worry.

“It’s not because of that.

Um… I just felt like drinking.”

…And what had made me go from one and a half cans to three was not the rumor, but Hyun-tae’s favorability event being released.

“Anyway, want to sit down?”

Remembering the favorability event made me self-conscious, so I changed the subject, pointing at the desk chair and the bed.

Hyun-tae went over and sat in the chair.