Author: LyraDhani
Chapter 370. Side Story. One November 3rd
Mom
[Happy Birthday son]
Noona
[HBD]
Choi Miho
[Happy Birthday]
[Yeah]
Noona
[Call Mom if you don’t want to be the world’s most ungrateful son of a bit*h]
Mom
[That’s kind of weird]
[If he’s an ungrateful son of a bith, doesn’t that make a bith]
Choi Miho
[Whoa……]
After this, noona said nothing more. He’d known her for 20 years, but she really was a strange person.
It ca every year anyway. He’d already been born for 20 years; what was the point of making a big deal out of it every single ti?
Mom said she was sorry for not celebrating his first birthday properly. He didn’t quite understand why that was sothing to be sorry about. Still, Choi Jeho dutifully called to say thank you for giving birth to him.
There was one more unchecked ssage.
Kang Kiyeon
[Happy Birthday.]
It was a congratulatory ssage from a trainee dongsaeng. It was out of the blue, considering the last contact was a tube link to a choreography video he’d sent 3 weeks ago.
Didn’t he congratulate him last year, too? His mory was fuzzy. He was too lazy to scroll up and check, but he felt like he’d received congratulations a few tis before.
Maybe it was because lately there had been a culture of celebrating each other’s birthdays. Not long ago, they celebrated Park Joowoo’s birthday together.
But when it was his turn to receive, he couldn’t help thinking, ‘Do we really have to?’
Although the new trainee was exceptionally diligent in taking care of colleagues’ birthdays, he didn’t seem like he would go that far for his birthday. Because that guy didn’t seem to like Choi Jeho very much.
There was no one in the living room. Park Joowoo opened his room door and ca out a mont later.
“Did you get a good sleep….?”
“Yeah.”
It suddenly struck him that whether he spoke or typed, he only ever said ‘yeah’. He didn’t really have anything to add, so he didn’t open his mouth. People like his sister or Kim Iwol, who said sothing different every day, felt more amazing to him.
With useless thoughts, Choi Jeho headed to the kitchen. Seaweed soup and rice were set on the table. It was the sa as Jeong Seongbin’s birthday. The number of side dishes was also more than usual.
A small note was attached to the empty seat next to the soup bowl.
Make sure you two eat before you go
— Iwol —
“Did you see him?”
“No. I think he went out first…….”
Park Joowoo said looking at the empty chair. Choi Jeho silently sat at the table.
*
Kim Iwol, whom he t in the practice room, was the sa as usual. Fumbling over a simple move, or spouting sothing strange.
“When did you co out?”
“When kids went to school.”
And when there was no one else around, the atmosphere sank.
Bright and polite to company staff. Kind to dongsaengs.
Even while showing consistent attitudes, Kim Iwol beca strangely subdued when left alone with Choi Jeho. He couldn’t tell if that was his original personality.
On the surface, he looked the sa. It was just Choi Jeho who felt that way.
His sister often nagged Choi Jeho, saying if he lived like this, he would really just age without a single friend.
Choi Miho, whose social circle was even smaller than his, took his side, but he never felt it was helpful.
He’d never felt the need for friends anyway, so he always brushed it off. It wouldn’t be surprising if Kim Iwol treated him differently from others.
Choi Jeho understood that he didn’t want to get close.
‘Then isn’t it more easier not to celebrate birthdays at all?’
Kim Iwol’s actions were incomprehensible. No one asked him to—why go out of your way to do sothing you don’t want to do? It was just seaweed soup, who would cry just because they didn’t get to eat it?
Just then, Jeong Seongbin and Kang Kiyeon returned from school. Choi Jeho spoke to Kang Kiyeon, who was filling a plastic bottle at the water dispenser, his backpack still on.
“Thanks for the birthday wish.”
“Ah…… yes.”
Then neither said anything for a long ti. Only the sound of dripping water was heard in the hallway.
“If you’re going to drink water, go ahead.”
“It’s not that.”
Kang Kiyeon looked at him with strange eyes. Since this happened often, Choi Jeho asked without minding it.
“About Kim Iwol.”
“Iwol hyung?”
“Doesn’t he look upset?”
Kang Kiyeon’s expression changed from ‘don’t know what’s going on’ to ‘looking at trash’. Even Choi Jeho, who got called tactless every year, knew this much.
“Are you badmouthing him…”
Only after hearing the following words did Choi Jeho understand what the exact problem was. He’d phrased it badly.
“No. I an, doesn’t he look like he’s in a bad mood?”
Choi Jeho chose his words as best he could. A big improvent for him.
“Today?”
Kang Kiyeon let out a small sigh and said.
“He seed the sa, as usual.”
An answer he couldn’t agree with.
Kang Kiyeon stopped pouring water and asked.
“Hyung.”
“What is it.”
“You’re not acting like this because Iwol hyung didn’t prepare a cake, right?”
“Am I a kid?”
Kang Kiyeon seed to have a lot to say. But Kang Kiyeon’s mouth didn’t open after this.
Returning to the practice room, Kim Iwol nagged Kang Kiyeon like a storm. About walking around without putting down his bag, asking what he would do if his shoulders got pressed down. Kang Kiyeon grumbled and took it off
‘He really seems to be in a bad mood.’
He was about to ask if having his own birthday was such an unpleasant thing, but he stopped himself, thinking it would make Kang Kiyeon walk on eggshells like before.
*
As Choi Jeho thought, the birthday passed ordinarily. Except for receiving occasional congratulations from the people around, it was no different from usual.
“Hyung, am I really going in first?”
“Yeah. Go put on a mask pack and sleep.”
Jeong Seongbin hesitated with a face that said ‘Is this really okay?’, then said goodbye and left. Sohow, the only ones left in the practice room were Choi Jeho and Kim Iwol.
Choi Jeho sat on the floor drinking water and watched Kim Iwol.
Kim Iwol beyond the mirror looked alternately at the ceiling and floor, then sighed.
“Choi Jeho.”
“What.”
“Sorry.”
Kim Iwol apologized abruptly. His gaze, which had been directed sowhere in the air, ca to him.
“For what?”
“Just.”
When it ca to the other mbers, he explained every little thing without being asked. Choi Jeho didn’t feel like prying, so he let it be.
“If not for , we could have put more effort into the choreography.”
Kim Iwol said again.
Choi Jeho didn’t really agree. Whether Kim Iwol could dance or not, Choi Jeho or Kang Kiyeon wouldn’t have compromised. Kang Kiyeon would have drilled Kim Iwol until he could follow.
“Do you think you’re the only trainee who can’t dance?”
Choi Jeho genuinely thought so when he said it.
Kim Iwol laughed awkwardly. He must have taken this as comfort.
Just by not taking his sharp words badly, Kim Iwol was a decent enough guy. Choi Jeho couldn’t understand why such a guy felt indebted to him.
Since there was nothing to be sorry about, there was no need to receive an apology either. So Choi Jeho didn’t add unnecessary comnts to Kim Iwol’s apology.
*
Punching in the door lock code and entering, the kitchen light was on. Voices were heard too.
Was there soone not sleeping? Kim Iwol would say sothing.
However, no ominous aura was felt from Kim Iwol following behind. Rather, his expression was calm as if he already knew.
“Hyung! Welco back!”
Lee Cheonghyeon greeted. Nearing midnight, other guys ca out following Lee Cheonghyeon one by one.
“Hyung, this……”
In the hands of Park Joowoo, who ca out last, was a small cake with lit candles.
“You’re not asleep?”
“Shouldn’t you say thank you to your dongsaengs first, Jeho?”
Kim Iwol chided from behind. It wasn’t a sharp voice.
“Before that, can we turn off the lights? Wax will drip on the cake.”
Kang Kiyeon pointed out. Everyone hurriedly sang the happy birthday song at the entrance. They were all making a fuss when they could have just blown them out.
Gathering at the table, Jeong Seongbin cut the cake. It was small, so dividing it into six pieces didn’t leave much.
Wasn’t there a weigh-in coming up in a day or two? For the first ti, he regretted having to step on the scale. He didn’t usually care about it.
As he was finishing his plate, a slice of untouched cake slid over from beside him. Kim Iwol was offering his plate to him.
“I don’t really like sweets.”
Before Choi Jeho could even ask why he wasn’t eating, Kim Iwol beat him to it. It did seem like him not to like sticky chocolate cake. Choi Jeho still rembered him saying you always had to watch your sugar intake.
“Should I have bought a different cake……?”
Jeong Seongbin, holding a bread knife, looked at Choi Jeho and Kim Iwol with a troubled face. Kim Iwol answered nonchalantly.
“You should buy what the birthday person likes. I was the one who suggested choosing chocolate.”
“I don’t really care either way.”
“I do. I can’t eat chocolate. You eat more.”
“Why can’t you eat chocolate?”
“Caffeine doesn’t agree with .”
Lee Cheonghyeon on the opposite side chid in, ‘Must be severe, if you can’t eat chocolate, not just coffee’. Feeling the topic focusing on him, Kim Iwol changed the subject.
You should buy what the person receiving it likes.
That thought had never crossed his mind. In the first place, if you just don’t exchange gifts, no one has to be tired; he couldn’t find a reason why both sides had to wear themselves out.
Watching Kim Iwol go out of his way to do sothing so botherso made him feel like maybe he’d been living his life wrong.
“Why are you looking at like that?”
Sensitive to others’ gazes, Kim Iwol noticed imdiately and asked. Choi Jeho made an excuse saying it was nothing.
Kim Iwol, staring at Choi Jeho, ruffled his hair.
“Seriously, what am I even doing all this for.”
“What’s that supposed to an?”
Without answering, Kim Iwol went into his room. A mont later, Kim Iwol kicked open the door and ca out holding an envelope in his hand.
“Here.”
“……?”
“Birthday present.”
Kim Iwol held out a crisp gift certificate envelope with a departnt store logo on it.
“Why are you giving this?”
“I told you, it’s a birthday present.”
Kim Iwol shook the envelope urging him to take it quickly. The envelope he reluctantly received didn’t have a single crease.
“When is your birthday?”
“Already passed.”
Kim Iwol didn’t say more. He just gulped down cold water.
He couldn’t tell what Kim Iwol was trying to do, whether he wanted distance, or so level of peace between them. Because of Kim Iwol, he ended up pondering problems he never worried about in his life
“What you apologized for earlier.”
And Choi Jeho wasn’t considerate enough to fathom Kim Iwol’s seemingly complicated heart.
“Is it because you’re forced to celebrate my birthday?”
And he knew absolutely nothing about speaking indirectly.
Kim Iwol’s dark eyes turned to Choi Jeho. But it was only for a mont; the gaze soon drifted away.
“If I were going to celebrate it forcibly, I would have used another thod. Since I’m an expert at birthday celebrations.”
“Then never mind.”
Choi Jeho turned the envelope back and forth.
“Thanks.”
Kim Iwol didn’t give a glance at Choi Jeho’s aningless hand gesture until the end. If there were easy-to-understand people, there must be people like Kim Iwol, too.
Since they would be living together for a long ti once they debuted anyway, Choi Jeho decided to maintain their current relationship. Since it was not a bad relationship.
Thinking that was enough, Choi Jeho went to bed.
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