Convincing my roommate wasn't as difficult as I thought.
"It's been a while since I haven't looked at the internet, and I haven't had any withdrawal symptoms during that time."
"Yes. I-it's fine, Moondae... !"
"So, I think it's true that I monitored it for stress relief, not for addiction."
"Uh, uh uh?"
"As you said, if I go too far, it might be stressful, but... I took a break and got my senses back."
Seon Ahyeon couldn't keep his mouth shut as if he didn't know that the words would connect like this.
"I think I'll be able to control myself in order to not get stressed."
"O-of course, Moondae would do well, but..."
And this would be the part where I'd turn the conversation around.
"It was thanks to you. Thank you."
"... !! N-no, Moondae handled it well, but, what... !"
"Okay. In the future, I will adjust well and monitor in a stress-free way."
It was over.
Afterward, Seon Ahyeon was dragged around the schedule in a daze, feeling like he had been scammed, but it must have been okay because he soon recovered.
In this way, I succeeded in freely resuming monitoring using the break time.
"The preparations start tomorrow at 7:00 for the concept photo shoot, so let's not sleep late."
"Yes!"
And the night when today's work was over...
'It's been a while.'
As soon as I laid down on the bed, I looked through the related community once.
Slowly, starting from the past.
First of all, 〈K-NOW〉, which was filmed in the beginning, was gradually escaping from the K-pop hell camp and was also working as a healing camp.
That smooth route change seemed to have worked well for viewers, and thanks to that, TeStar was still scoring quite a bit.
-Seon Ahyeon's special stage was performed by both female and male idols, so there was a big difference in size. I thought he was a deer, not an elk. Fuck.
- ㅠㅠ I'm suing Lee Sejin. He was kind to foreigners and made Loviewers excited.
-Have you seen BaeSe's sunglasses pictorial, American guys? This is the dignity of a Korean idol who was an actor.
Once the ability and composure of the mentors were compared with ordinary participants, it seemed that the editing made the atmosphere rise properly.
My portion was concentrated in the beginning, so there was no big change, but as the behind-the-scenes scene unfolded... There were a lot of cute words.
-Moondae learns really hard. If you're sincere about being an idol, you won't miss an opportunity to learn every time. ㅠㅠ
-What are you thinking, standing cutely by yourself ㅠㅠ (screenshot of Moondae in a corner during break time)
-It's so cute when he pricks up his ears whenever people speak.
-Yes? Can't you see? It can't be... (GIF with dog ears)
Of course, everything would have been good except for the fact that the behind-the-scenes scene was a special stage practice camera with Cheongryeo.
-The two of them did variety shows together, so they seem to be close. What should we name the two of them?
'...They're crossing the line'
Not the fan, but the behind-the-scenes editing of the variety show. I quickly passed this response.
And next was the GED exam.
Maybe it was thanks to the people who uploaded the visual data, but surprisingly, the overall response was that everyone was warm.
What were they doing?
- Moondae, are you watching the responses here too?
I didn't know why they were fighting alone, but anyway, the traces of the exhausted cubs who failed to cause problems were clear.
'I won this time.'
... It seemed that Seon Ahyeon's advice really worked well at the right time.
I turned my eyes to the bed next to me. Just in time, our eyes met and it saved me the trouble of calling
"Is there anything you want to eat?"
"What?"
"For dinner.'
Seon Ahyeon seemed to think about what this meant for a moment, then raised his upper body with a '!!' expression written on his face.
"Ah, Moo-Moondae, do you want to have a late-night snack?"
"... …"
It was a symptom of 'I don't have the ability to relate to my peers without being aware of the meaning of being hungry.'
I guess I'd have to feed him something in return tomorrow morning. I moderately calmed Seon Ahyeon, who answered all questions and resumed monitoring.
Let's see, there hasn't been a big topic for a while since then.
Since we were inactive, the main focus was on the fans' reactions to roommates and moving content.
But when it came to recent times, the atmosphere behind the scenes changed completely.
It started with an acknowledgment letter.
----------==
[I saw idols at the hospital.]
: I went to the emergency room because I had a stomachache, and on the way back, I saw several long-legged men getting out of a van in a parking lot.
From the proportions to the number of people, I thought they were kingly idols, so I looked closely and checked. Kim Raebin didn't wear a mask. ㅋㅋㅋ They were negligent. ㅋㅋ
But he had a bad complexion. Is there anyone in his family who is sick? It's the perfect angle.
(shaky picture)
----------==
Since it was posted in a community that believed that celebrity privacy was a public good, we didn't get any criticism and only received reactions.
I held back a sigh.
'... We were complacent.'
But at that time, it was impossible for anyone to consider such a thing.
"..."
After that article, I put 'Raebin' and 'hospital' in appropriate combinations in the search terms to check various results.
-Raebin was seen at the hospital?
- Just block the other stories. I don't think we'll know until Raebin says it himself.
- They all went together… I shouldn't consume this kind of thing, but I'm crying for no reason.
The speculation that one of Kim Raebin's grandparents was sick was almost certain.
Still, in most fan communities, it was forbidden to mention it openly.
'It spread faster than I thought.'
It seemed that it was because it was widely spread before the original direct authentication post was deleted.
'The company's response was a bit slow.'
It was clear that we had missed this part because we were focusing on reorganizing the album preparation schedule and preparing for the media response.
So, under the water, it was perfect for stalker-style crazies to rampage.
They seemed to feel a strange sense of superiority as if they owned information that many people were curious about.
-They rented a car under the name of the manager. These bastards are playing around with each other??
- Were they hanging out with girls? With a woman? They weren't hanging out with other women, right? Someone quickly find out.
- Their vacation was ruined. Now, I'm going to Gangwon-do to soothe my eyes~
- They should just make songs, it's fucking annoying
It seemed that some people who heard from the company or officials or copied their cell phones were reproducing and installing the information.
Besides, even the bastards claiming to be fans of Kim Raebin were making all sorts of speculations and nonsense.
- Ah, I'm going to go crazy. What's going to happen with the album? ㅋㅋ But I knew this would happen one day.
- It's not like anyone died, so why isn't he working? Why is there no news that they have returned to the dorm?
-Raebin, please put your career first, okay?
- He's ditching the regular album to spend time with a sick family member? ㅎㅎ How did we get a hold of such a person?
It was a spectacle.
'... This side has not been cracked down either.'
I… At this time, I didn't have the mental head to care about this, so I neglected it to this point.
"... …"
Fuck, let's stop. Self-criticism was not a nuisance if I did it when I had time.
'Shut up and use your brain.'
A few patterns that could be used immediately came to mind.
'First of all, it would be best to release the message room screenshots first.'
We needed to post the words shared about Kim Raebin's work on social media as a kind of comeback notice.
Then, we would be able to put an end to speculation about Kim Raebin's current condition or anxiety related to participation...
Even in the worst case, it would work.
Therefore... Even if Kim Raebin could not participate in the early days of our activities...
There would be less needless cursing.
Still, there would be pups that would try to bite, but this time I was ready to handle it neatly.
'We'd have to press charges first.'
This was the first thing to do as soon as a dedicated team was formed. And the dedicated team would finish the composition within this activity.
'Before that, let's start with what we can do right now.'
I immediately selected and screenshotted the most suitable conversations about Kim Raebin's work.
And I tried to quickly seek consent to upload to the group message room.
Kim Raebin was nocturnal, so he'd probably be awake even now.
[I think they'd like it if we captured and uploaded some of our work. How about that?]
[Keun Sejin: (I agree with that emoticon)]
[Cha Eugene: I have to come out!]
As expected, people who didn't sleep showed up and replied.
And Kim Raebin's response also arrived in time.
However, the content was a bit odd.
[Kim Raebin: It's okay.]
(TN: in the novel, he types out "괜ㅊㄴㅇㄹ" instead of "괜찮을 것 같습니다 (I think it's going to be okay)")
It was a typo that did not suit Kim Raebin at all.
Maybe it was a sign that he slipped while trying to write 'I think it's going to be okay.'
'... Did he make a mistake because he was sleepy?'
I crossed my arms. And I waited for a reply with a cautious attitude.
However... Several minutes passed, and no corrected answer came.
"... …"
So, this meant that Kim Raebin did not correct the typo and lost contact.
It wasn't something to laugh at.
'What is to be expected…'
It was like shit, but then an intense assumption hit me on the head.
I tapped my arm with my finger.
'... Is it an obituary?'
(TN: Obituary: An announcement of death)
If that was the case, I should not call now. Calling would only get in the way of an emergency.
I barely came to a reasonable conclusion.
'... I'll check around tomorrow morning.'
By then... Whether it was porridge or rice, it would be sorted out
[Keun Sejin: Raebin?]
In the message room, messages from other guys calling Kim Raebin appeared a few times, but they soon went away.
Everyone seemed to be grasping the atmosphere.
About what might have happened.
"... …"
I wanted to respond as rationally as possible... To derive it, I kept turning my brain.
'If the timing of the obituary and social media upload overlap, it wouldn't be possible.'
I decided to put the upload on hold.
And right away, I laid down on the bed with my smartphone.
"Moo-Moondae... ?"
"Yes."
'Let's go to bed without unnecessary thoughts.'
There was no time or space for this.
I didn't sleep very well, but I was able to fall asleep moderately around dawn by using fatigue as a sleeping pill.
However, even after the day was bright, Kim Raebin did not contact us.
* * *
It was past 8 o'clock in the morning.
"Let's get in touch."
"Uh, since we don't know what the situation is, how about waiting a little longer... …"
"I want to call him!"
"Wait a minute. We are already behind schedule. Let's talk while we move."
The living room was in an uproar with people each giving their opinions about the current situation.
The time to leave for the practice room had already passed. I sat down on the sofa and tilted my head.
Damn it.
My head wasn't working.
'Is it because I couldn't sleep?'
This speculation was also an excuse. My Bacchus 500 trait was running well. It wasn't about fatigue, it was about my mental state.
I exhaled.
'... I'll have to check.'
... It would be evasive if we delayed it any longer. We really needed to call now.
It was then.
Ding!
The smartphone in my hand rang.
The phone call... was here.
"Is it Raebin??"
It was Kim Raebin.
Without even thinking, I pressed the answer button and brought it to my ear.
"Hello?"
-Hyung!
Kim Raebin's voice was...
It was bright with excitement.
-Last night, Gr-grandma regained consciousness completely... A conversation was possible!
"... …!"
It wasn't an obituary.
Suddenly, a strange sense of relief came over me, like fireworks exploding all the way to my head.
And I went crazy.
I didn't know if it was good. I just couldn't control my voice.
"Then you should have contacted me right away..!"
-I-I'm sorry! I was going to wait until 9 am because I thought you all would be in bed until the morning, so I thought it would disturb you...!
I was speechless because the answer was so stupid.
I took my smartphone off my ear because I felt weak. Members flocked around.
"Is that Kim Raebin?!"
"Is he okay?"
Ryu Chungwoo asked quietly.
"Moondae, should I take it?"
"... Yes"
I passed the smartphone.
The voices of the guys rushing in and talking excitedly into the phone rang in my ears.
"Raebin~ it's nice to hear your voice."
"H-how are you?"
I... I don't know.
It was just strangely sweet.
I didn't know if it was because of Kim Raebin, the phone call, this damn situation, or the status window... Just, fuck, that was it.
My fatigue went away.
'Am I crazy?'
I smiled and pressed my forehead.
"Raebin is coming here tonight!"
"Oh, the date is just right~"
I know.
Sometimes, things seemed to work out perfectly.
As soon as I got my smartphone back, I connected to social media.
'Let's do something quickly.'
My head and hands were itching.
* * *
That morning.
Less than an hour had passed since Kim Raebin called Park Moondae.
A short article was posted on TeStar's social media page.
---------==
The heart is pounding (Photo)
---------==
The post, which was uploaded without introducing who posted it, was accompanied by friendly group chat screenshots carefully selected by Park Moondae.
-Oh my gosh, guys ㅠㅠㅠ
It was a signal of work for a comeback.