A member went out without a smartphone early in the morning during the activity period and couldn't be contacted for several hours.
What if the schedule was suspended for three days just because of me?
'I'm going crazy.'
It was inexcusable madness. I gritted my teeth.
'Cha Eugene even left a note.'
There must have been an emergency in the dorm.
At worst, the story could have even gone into the company…
'… Damn it.'
It was a bomb waiting to explode.
I could already guess what kind of expression Seon Ahyeon would have.
I gritted my teeth and looked at the intercom again.
Ding-dong.
Seon Ahyeon was not standing in front of the front gate on the first floor, but right in front of the front door. I didn't even know how this was possible.
So it was even more confusing…
"It's one of hoobaenim's members. Shall I open the door for him?"
"… Wait a minute."
After looking at the front door, I took a slow, deep breath.
"I want to open it myself."
"Hmm? Is that so."
I headed for the front door, leaving the guy who openly expressed his expression, 'Why?'
And I pulled the door open.
The guy on the interphone screen started to show through the crack in the door.
"… !"
Seon Ahyeon's face, seen from the front, was white even though he was wearing a mask. However, the moment the door opened, his complexion changed.
… It was a relief.
Seon Ahyeon lowered his head.
"Y-you were here… I see."
I was going crazy.
I barely opened my mouth.
"My smartphone… I didn't know I forgot it in the dorm this morning. I'm sorry."
"… ! N-no. I…"
Seon Ahyeon took a deep breath and spoke without raising his head.
"I'm sorry…"
"… …"
Judging from his appearance, it seemed like he had been running around since dawn, so why was he sorry?
"I-I caused a commotion… Moo-Moondae, m-maybe you need some alone time, but… I-I don't know…"
"No."
I wanted to stop hearing these fucking apologies.
I tried my best to calmly respond, suppressing those insignificant sentiments.
But I ruined it.
"It's the fault of the person who disappeared without contact, so let's stop."
"…"
"…"
Seon Ahyeon immediately shut his mouth. I wanted to bite my tongue.
'Stupid bastard.'
Why was I answering like this?
The silence was awful.
At that moment, a voice without inspiration intervened.
"I think Kongi will misunderstand this as a walk, so you should either come in or talk outside."
Woof!
A dog barking echoed through the hallway. Seon Ahyeon suddenly raised his head.
"… ! S-sorry. Then… Moo-Moondae."
His eyes did not meet mine. A smile appeared on the face of the guy covered by the mask.
"Wh-when you feel okay… We can talk… H-here you go."
"… …"
He carefully handed me my smartphone.
"I-I thought that you might need your phone…"
I looked at the distorted apple pattern and clenched my fist.
And I accepted the smartphone.
"… Anyway, I was about to go back now."
"… …"
"Let's go."
"Y-yes… !"
I took my phone and went out the door. Seon Ahyeon hurriedly moved his feet to press the elevator button.
"Woof!"
And the dog bit the harness and jumped out excitedly… Why was it here?
"Kongi has already misunderstood. Thanks to hoobaenim, the walk ended up being short."
"… …"
"Kongi, wait a minute. Let's do this."
I barely opened my mouth.
"I'm sorry."
"Yes."
No, I was talking about his dog.
With only one harness on, excited, the elevator with three men descended in silence.
I opened my mouth first.
"How did you know… I was here?"
Seon Ahyeon flinched slightly.
"I-I checked the CCTV."
"… !"
CCTV?
Unexpected extreme measures came out.
Usually, in order to do that, you'd have to report to the police or go to the company… Seon Ahyeon didn't say anything else.
'No way?'
"I-I was in a hurry, so I begged them earnestly… Also, I filled out the consent form and showed it to them…"
Did this guy go to the management office alone and ask for that much?
I looked down. His shoes were crumpled and barely hanging on his feet.
"… …"
It wasn't a very welcome situation.
Nevertheless… I didn't like it, and I had a strange impression.
'Still, it doesn't seem like it's completely over yet.'
The level of tension that had risen was lowered a bit.
I answered quietly.
"So that's how you… knew that I was following this sunbaenim."
"… Y-yes."
Seon Ahyeon nodded vigorously.
Just when the atmosphere was about to soften…
"It's strange… How did you know about the lake?"
"… !"
"I don't think the security would show the inside of a building where you don't even live… They wouldn't allow that, right?"
The other party stabbed in the middle.
However, Seon Ahyeon was not surprised.
"Y-yes… Th-that, I asked VTIC sunbaenim over the phone, and I heard…"
"… …"
"Who?"
"Chae-Chaeyul sunbaenim. I-I was really thankful because he let me know right away…"
"Ah."
I witnessed another calamity to come upon a man about to enlist in the military.
'That's too bad.'
Originally, bad things came all at once. I had to endure it.
After that conversation, we split up from Cheongryeo on the first floor.
No matter how he felt, he knew he had to take care of his dog, so he'd have to continue to walk the dog as it was.
Even so, he did leave a word.
"Well, I can see why you were worried. That… You're the type with a lot of ups and downs."
"… !"
"Haha. It was an activity problem. It's definitely worth thinking about."
'This bastard…'
I immediately recognized the risk of a decline in Seon Ahyeon's stats.
'… It's not like the characteristics were attached for no reason.'
I recognized the characteristics of Cheongryeo once again.
[Emotion (A)]
: Valuable things are scarce, trash is everywhere.
-Human resource judgment +150%
'… I'll have to be careful.'
In the meantime, looking at the guy whose appearance stats went up, it seemed that this bastard would do much more in the future.
Cheongryeo lowered his voice and stopped talking at that point.
"My advice won't change."
"Yes."
Right.
"Listen to it well."
I pressed my face and finally answered.
"… The tea was good."
"Haha."
Cheongryeo walked to the other side with the dog.
And then silence came again.
Seon Ahyeon did not ask why I had followed Cheongryeoo, nor did he ask why I had gone outside that early in the morning.
We kept our mouths shut and quietly walked along the other side of the promenade.
And surprisingly, Seon Ahyeon opened his mouth to a different topic first.
"… I-is it okay if I contact the others that… … I-I found Moondae?"
"… If we go into the dorm right now, won't everyone be there?"
How many of them went to the police station?
The future almost looked dark for a moment, but fortunately, the report did not come out.
"M-maybe… I-I came out alone, j-just in case…"
"… …"
It seemed that this guy acted alone without looking at his surroundings. And it seemed that he had come to his senses now. Seon Ahyeon lowered his head, perhaps embarrassed at the thought of himself.
I hesitantly opened my mouth.
"Thank you. For being concerned about me."
"… ! N-no…"
Seon Ahyeon suddenly stopped walking.
I heard him making a muffled sound… Don't tell me he was crying.
"Seon Ahyeon."
But he didn't cry.
Instead, he continued speaking in a trembling voice.
"Moo-Moondae. I-I'm sure you're tired, but… C-can I… say one thing?"
"… …"
I silently nodded.
The words followed right away, as if they had been chewed over and prepared several times.
"You… You're such a great person. Even though you have a lot of work… Whatever you do, it's really great, and it's always well done. Always… there's never been a time where you haven't worked hard. I really…"
Ah.
I remembered what he said yesterday.
-Now- y-you, it's not the time to be a-active. You're getting worse…
He was crushing down any negative connotation that could be implied.
"I-I… I used the wrong words… Moondae, you've always done so well…"
I stopped walking, on the street in front of the dorm where no one was.
I blankly listened to him. Seon Ahyeon's words did not end.
"The problem is me."
"… !"
"I know already… I, alone, falter and have ups and downs. Every time… It was always me."
What?
As if he had overheard Cheongryeo's words, Seon Ahyeon slowly delivered the sentence.
It was brutally objective.
"Before… It was because of me as well."
As if he had already felt a similar sensation, he looked down at his feet.
"Now… I-it might be more awkward than usual… W-well, I'd be a nuisance to the group…"
Seon Ahyeon ended his speech with a calm tone typical of a person who had already reached a conclusion.
"Th-then… I can just announce that I am sick."
"I-it's my own problem. So… You don't have to do anything."
Seon Ahyeon swallowed.
"And since I'll have to s-skip some of our schedules… I-I'll practice hard, I p-promise."
His voice became increasingly desperate.
"Th-then, to a certain extent, o-on stage, things will be fine. There will be n-no problem with the group… I-it's my problem, so e-even if Moondae doesn't solve it… It will be okay."
"… …"
"I-I'm the one who needs to go to the hospital… So, what you heard yesterday… Don't pay any mind to it and f-forget about it."
"Wait."
Don't say that.
However, before I had time to say anything, Seon Ahyeon hurriedly continued talking.
"B-but, Moo-Moondae. I know it feels bad but… J-just once, please listen to me."
There was a trembling voice.
"Therapy… C-can't you try it?"
I turned my head.
Seon Ahyeon trembled.
"I-I'm sorry. Talking about this again…"
"… …"
"And, everything. N-next time, I'll definitely- I'll listen properly, I definitely will… I'll listen to whatever you say…"
Seon Ahyeon never cried or screamed, even though his shoulders trembled.
He only stuttered, but in fact, inside Seon Ahyeon, a conclusion had already been drawn.
-All conflicts are due to my problems, and I should take care of them myself.
So, he wanted to make Park Moondae feel better and recheck his condition.
"… …"
I chose what to say a few times, then erased the thoughts.
The calculations were a mess.
But I knew what conclusion I wanted to reach.
"You said you were ready to listen to whatever I have to say."
Seon Ahyeon nodded quickly.
And again, he spoke in a low voice.
"I-I asked you to tell me…"
"No, it's my fault."
I spoke without hesitation.
His conclusion was his conclusion, but I had my own conclusion.
"It's not a story anyone would believe. Now that I think about it again, it seems like a crazy story."
"Moo-Moondae-yah…"
Seon Ahyeon seemed to hold back his tears.
I nodded seriously. The thoughts came naturally.
Okay.
The source of my mistake was there.
"I should have said it properly so you had no choice but to believe me."
"… … Wh-what?"
Let's think about it.
Seon Ahyeon was not the type who could come up with ideas intuitively or make a leap in logic.
After filtering through a sieve to remove all impurities and contradictions, he could be convinced if the right answer met all the conditions.
'That's how we achieved results in this album.'
I knew everything.
Then, I should have explained it accordingly from the beginning.
Things were more clear now.
'This… It's not a matter of trust or intimacy.'
It was a matter of timing.
And normally, I would have taken all of those things into consideration and controlled the game, but the problem was that I misunderstood that this guy would believe me right away.
"You said you'd listen to me, right? I'll explain it again, so listen up."
"… !! Th-that…"
This time, it would filled with witnesses and proof cases so that there was no room to escape.
Then, whether it be porridge or rice, we would reach a conclusion without regret.