The response to the disclosure of the conversations from the group chat was good.
-Is this a comeback hint??? Raebin wrote the title track?
-The announcement in the group chat room ㅋㅋㅋ
(screenshot with 'No more than 10 emojis, yes, I'm talking about you Lee Sejin' underlined)
-Have you ever seen Moon Puppy, who just keeps talking about work no matter what kind of bullshit happens? He's a puppy, so he's used to bullshit.
-No, Bae Sejin is really crazy for using a hamster emoticon.
If there was no particular problem, wouldn't this kind of small and friendly content be a steady seller? Besides, there was even a comeback hint, so it must have been fun.
... However, before uploading this, I received an unexpected review at the last minute.
-Hm, Moondae, are you going to screenshot and post it?
-Yes.
- Wouldn't Chungwoo hyung be better for this? He's the leader.
-... !
-He doesn't usually post things like this, so I think the fans will like it more~ Wouldn't they?
... That was right.
He would be more natural than me, who had already used similar patterns a few times.
So, I accepted Keun Sejin's feedback and posted the article on the side of Ryu Chungwoo to cleanly deal with it.
-Wow, it was Chungwoo.
-Ah, Ryu Chungwoo put animal emoticons after the names of the other members and saved them. Is he crazy, this guy?
The results were good, so it was right to shut up and like it, but I had doubts in my mind.
'I couldn't think of this before Keun Sejin did.'
Wasn't he like a child who was impatient with only his own motivation?
It was time to do a self-diagnosis to see if I'd lost my form.
I clicked my tongue and crossed my arms.
'I have to do the next thing properly.'
Of course, before that, we had to properly finish preparing for the comeback.
Even if one person joined separately, it was organized so that it proceeded step by step, but the process of matching each other on stage was still essential.
Still, the other members, including me, had some time to spare. We've finished a lot of filming that we could do without Kim Raebin.
But not Kim Raebin.
'That guy has to do it all from now on.'
Thanks to this, as soon as Kim Raebin joined, he was so busy that he would start talking about work whenever he touched it.
Even so, he didn't forget to say hello.
A few days later at night, as soon as the time finally came, he sneaked into the room.
"My sister asked me to deliver this to hyung and Cha Eugene! She tried my best to add her sincerity. Thank you so much."
What Kim Raebin offered was... Yakgwa and pumpkin sikhye purchased from a local restaurant. She probably sent it by courier.
(TN: Yakgwa/약과와: is a traditional Korean sweet pastry that is fried and coated in syrup rich with flavors of ginger and honey. Sikhye/식혜: sweet rice beverage)
But the quantity was staggering.
'Somehow, she must have known Cha Eugene's taste…'
Since the two give different things, it was reasonable to at least match the taste of the person.
I didn't particularly like or dislike the food.
'I wonder when I'll eat all of this.'
Still, I had to say something.
I received the box wrapped in a huge cloth.
"Thanks. I will eat it well."
"Thank you! I will definitely pass it on to my sister."
Kim Raebin smiled and nodded. It was of no use to him because he originally had a bloody look and couldn't sleep properly for several days.
I was a bit conflicted, but finally asked a question.
"... Is your grandma okay?"
"Yes! I'm constantly in contact with her, and she says she's recovering smoothly."
It was fortunate.
I nodded without speaking.
"And in the future, if she experiences any physical discomfort, such as a disease, I asked her to tell me honestly…"
"Good job."
I patted him on the shoulder once or twice.
Now that Kim Raebin had gone through this process once, he'd be able to accept it more resolutely even if the
moment that he was really worried about came someday.
'….. Even if he can't avoid it, he can deal with it.'
That was it.
I brushed off my useless thoughts and picked up the bundle he gave me.
"Then this... Refrigeration would be right."
"That's right. ... Oh, hyung! I'll do it"
"I can do it."
That was how I was about to take the contents of this bag to the refrigerator.
"Ah, come to think of it, there is something I wanted to ask you!"
"What is it?"
Kim Raebin followed and raised his hand.
"I'm curious why you posted conversations from the group chat room about remote work for this album to the fans!"
"Since there has not been an official press release related to this album yet, I was worried that there might be a risk of leakage in my short opinion..."
Kim Raebin's eyes flashed.
"I would like to ask why you took that risk!"
"... !"
Such a risk... I never thought about it.
I looked at him with a bit of awe.
'As long as the KakaoTalk server is not hacked, there is no way the song will be leaked.'
He was so serious about our songs and albums that he was even worried about the risk of it existing only in theory.
Still, I thought that it might take a while for the group to shed space for a comeback personally before an official
statement was made.
However, it shouldn't have been said directly because of the remarks that crossed the line.
'Should I take out only the least irritating parts and weave them together?'
I calmly opened my mouth.
"Among the fans, there are people who noticed that you were at your home. I wanted them to be at ease."
This was also a real reason. Because there were quite a few people who were anxious and worried about Kim Raebin's mentality and his condition.
Of course, the primary purpose was to make the bullshit shut up.
-ㅋㅋㅋ Ah, Raebin is more sincere about his career than you guys~
-Where'd everyone disappear to?
-It would be the joy of my life to beat all of you.
Seeing that reaction made me feel at ease.
'This is the correct answer.'
"Is that so?"
But... Kim Raebin still had a puzzled face.
"But when the official comeback press release comes out next week, they'll feel relieved too."
"... … !"
"The pleasure that the group chat room can give would have been valid even then, so it would have been safer and better to upload after the press release... Oh, no! Sorry for talking back."
"... …"
I was bewildered.
Was he right?
Right.
It did not mean that Kim Raebin's hypothesis, such as leak risk, was correct, but it meant that there was no need to respond directly, being conscious of public opinion behind the scenes.
After all, everything would be solved once the comeback teaser came out.
Posting a group chat room screenshot in a hurry was a scrape that would be a hint that we were conscious of the bullshit.
At least it was not me, but Ryu Chungwoo who posted it, so it passed naturally.
My initial judgment was... Wrong.
"You're right."
I muttered.
There were voices that came to mind.
- But don't worry too much, hyung. How can you change someone else's mind to your own?
-That's not true, and not everyone believes that...!
In the meantime, while listening to the people around me, I admitted that I was preoccupied with controlling public opinion more than necessary, and then I repeated the same thing again.
Didn't I even do something that didn't produce any benefit this time like a headless bastard?
It was obvious.
Just... It was just that I couldn't stand the sight of being criticized for the death of a family member. Fuck.
"I made a mistake because I was oversensitive."
"Oh no! It was just a question..."
"No, you're right."
I kept muttering.
"I guess it was because I was thinking about the past."
"Y-you mean the old days...?"
"Yes."
I lost my words as if my spinal cord had been frozen.
"I was late."
"Yes...?"
"When my parents left, everyone else's family members had already completed identification. Only my parents stayed until that night..."
Was I crazy?
I bit my tongue.
"Hy-hyung."
"I'm sorry for saying something stupid. Anyway, your reasoning is correct. It was my mistake and there is no big meaning or efficiency."
"Sorry, sorry… !"
Kim Raebin was... It looked like he was about to spill all his tears and mucus at any moment. Damn.
I put down the luggage and touched my forehead.
"What are you sorry about?"
"Choosing the wrong subject to remind you of a difficult experience…"
"No."
I told him the truth.
"It was hard because I couldn't cope properly at that time…"
"No!"
Kim Raebin cut off my words.
And he clenched his hands in an apparently nervous manner.
"As far as I can remember, hyung was studying at the academy at the time, and they contacted you... So, after a while, you received it. Is that correct?"
"... Yes."
He even talked about that.
Kim Raebin shook his head eagerly.
"However, a student's duty is... it's studying!"
What?
I looked at him with a look as if I had been hit in the back of the head.
"Hyung was just doing his best in his position. So, that... It was just an accident."
Kim Raebin swallowed his saliva.
"Just like how it wasn't my fault that I went to the MT."
"Yes? Well, of course, the case is a bit different..."
Yes.
We weren't the same.
But apart from that, I was also... It was true that I did my best.
It just felt like the best was not enough.
And no matter what I did, I just couldn't admit that there was no way it wouldn't be hard.
- No one is good at this kind of thing.
As I told Kim Raebin directly, there was no one who was good at handling this kind of thing.
"... …"
I grabbed my head.
The shock was strong, but the answer was clear.
By using Kim Raebin as fodder, I finally saw it.
'There are only limited things that a middle school student can do.'
I thought he was too young to suffer an obituary, but I didn't look at my situation when I was even younger.
So now... Was it time for a re-evaluation?
'Yes. It's worth watching.'
It was enough for a middle school student.
"... …"
Somehow, my heart was at ease.
... I had a groundless hunch that the quality of my sleep would be good today.
"I-I think there are grounds for making similar emotional judgments in the recent situation between hyung and myself… …"
"Yes."
I had to confirm it.
Because this poor bastard kept trying to convince me with his eyes.
Kim Raebin's complexion brightened.
"... … ! Yes! So it's my fault for reminding you of a hard experience!"
"No, not that."
He was looking too happy that it was his fault. It seemed to have been inverted because of the joy that the persuasion was successful.
I lifted the box of Yakgwa and sikhye again and continued our conversation as softly as possible.
"... Thank you for your kind words."
"Yes!"
Kim Raebin bowed his head again.
"Hyung, thank you so much. In the meantime… Thanks to hyung, I received a lot of help and was able to participate in the album safely."
It was good for the group itself but he was still acting like this. There was no end to this.
'I need to freshen up the atmosphere.'
I asked him a question lightly.
"Is that why you returned the favor to Cha Eugene too?"
Kim Raebin answered bluntly.
"No. I returned it to you."
"... …"
I didn't know if the two of them were close friends or if they treated each other as fools, but I hoped fans would see it as the former.
After shrugging my shoulders, I put the yakgwa and sikhye in the refrigerator.
"I will eat this well."
"Yes!"
For reference, I'd just say that this gift had to be eaten one by one while preparing for the comeback, because of last-minute weight management.
'It's self-employed.'
... The mysterious thing was that Cha Eugene did not have this problem.
Anyway, such a funny happening was short-lived. The release date of the album was approaching by the minute.
The first signal was the teaser release.
* * *
"What are you doing?"
"I'm not doing anything. Go away"
Kim Raebin's personal fan gritted her teeth and pushed away her snooping younger brother.
'I don't want to tell him what I'm looking for!'
It was quite annoying to watch things with him because he was always trying to pick a fight with her when it came to Park Moondae.
Of course, even considering that, her current reaction was more intense than usual.
Because there were concerns.
'Is Kim Raebin okay?!'
Rumors had circulated that one of his grandparents had collapsed and he had to join the preparation belatedly.
Kim Raebin's fan tore her nails.
'First of all, it seems that the family problem has not grown bigger after seeing them post on social media.'
Still, the preparation period was relatively short, so she had an ominous feeling that there would be less Kim Raebin in the album…
'Oh, be quiet! Then, protest to increase the length of the next album!'
What was she worried about?
After she yelled once, she moved the mouse.
She was sure that it'd come at midnight…
'It's up!'
[TeSTAR 'Call' (Nightmare) Official MV Teaser]
And she shut her mouth.
"Wow."
The thumbnail was Kim Raebin!