Chapter 212: Cha Seongbin’s Spinning Round and Round (2)
“Huff… huff… huff….”
The Doubles Entertainment basement gym was filled only with the sound of ragged breathing.
The thirst that welled up amidst the profuse sweating wasn’t just from a lack of hydration.
To be exact…
“Uuugh…! Music!”
“Seohan, honestly, don’t you think we at least need some BGM for this?”
“Music is my life….”
It was a thirst for music.
Saying it like that made us sound like real musicians, but in reality, we were just two smartphone addicts.
Panting for air, I barely managed to hold on to the treadmill’s handle.
Strangely, even though it had only been 20 minutes since we started working out, it felt like my stamina had already been halved.
“Heeek….”
About thirty minutes later,
Perhaps feeling pity at how we were staggering like paper dolls, the production team finally offered a compromise.
“You guys are having a tough time, right?”
“Yeees…”
The youngest writer cheerfully opened her mouth.
“Neither of you can use your smartphones. But instead…! The production team would like to offer a deal.”
“A deal?”
“What is it?!”
Whatever it was, it felt like finding an oasis in the desert from our side.
As we looked at her with sparkling eyes, an unexpected answer came.
“For the duration of the workout, we’ll provide you with an MP3 player.”
“Gasp…!”
“This is insane.”
What the production team brought out was a retro MP3 player—one that looked like it belonged to our crawling baby days.
It was the same old MP3 player from back when we had to manually save and transfer files, and now it was placed in our hands, intact with that exact vibe.
The songs stored inside probably had early 2000s energy, but now wasn’t the time to be picky about that.
“Waaaah! Thank you!”
Cha Seongbin lowered his head and shouted in delight.
At the time, we thought the kind production team had handed us a gift with no hidden agenda…
But there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
Swoosh—.
The MP3 was snatched right out of our hands the moment we relaxed, thanks to the production team’s interference.
“……?”
When I looked at the production team with a dazed face, the broadcast station people belatedly revealed their true intention.
“We need to get some screen time too, right? We can’t just give it to you for free. So, in exchange, we’d like to see Do Seohan do a 3-set of aegyo.”
“Excuse me?”
What kind of nonsense is this?
“Seohan’s aegyo is expensive~.”
“So is the MP3!”
That thing looked old enough to be picked up for free off Cabbage Market.
Trying to calm my trembling shoulders, I turned to Cha Seongbin.
I mean, of course I could do aegyo, but…
“Selling a 3-set aegyo for a single MP3? Where’s your pride, Do Seohan!”
Yeah, that did sting a little.
It felt like it’d be slightly humiliating to give them exactly the footage they wanted, falling for the production team’s tricks.
In that sense, Cha Seongbin knew me very well.
Having watched me over the past year, he was certain I’d swat away this kind of deal.
No matter how much I’m the kind of person who always has earphones in on the way to work.
Even if I’m a music addict who starts getting anxious the moment my Bluetooth earbuds die.
It’s only thirty minutes—there’s no way I’d fall for the production team’s ploy just for that.
I’ve still got my Do Seohan pride. Maybe if it were a fan meeting, but I’m not about to pull out a 3-set aegyo for a measly MP3…
Cha Seongbin burst into laughter and added cheekily,
“See? Do Seohan would never fall for it~.”
“U… uuuh?”
“Huh?”
I sold my pride.
“U… Uuuh….”
“Hey!”
Sold it cleanly.
“Honestly, once today’s clip airs, you’re gonna get teased by the hyungs for at least a month~.”
“……”
“Uuuuuuh! Seohan! Right? You totally calculated that before doing the aegyo, didn’t you?”
“It was… for the fans….”
“Really?”
“They like it so much….”
Anyway, that’s that.
It was for fan service.
I sighed as I cooled my flushed red ears with my hand.
How was I supposed to deal with the aftermath?
Even if others let it slide, there’s no way Cha Seongbin, Jin Sehyun, or Seo Haim would.
I imagined the horrifying scenario of that clip getting turned into a GIF and posted in our group chat every single day.
And those people? They’d totally do that.
Cha Seongbin patted me on the back with a satisfied smile.
“I didn’t know Seohan thought about my show that much~.”
“You definitely got your footage, right?”
“Oh, you gave us enough for three people.”
“Then buy me a meal.”
Cha Seongbin chuckled and nodded.
He was the member who received the most in copyright fees anyway, so he could definitely afford to buy me a meal.
“What do you want to eat?”
“Ramyeon for dinner.”
“Fair enough—it is our off-season~.”
Filming was over, and I was planning to crash on my bed as soon as I got back to the dorm.
Once the comeback schedule kicked in, things would flood in with no time to rest, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to sleep well while I still could.
Just as I was heading to the dorm, feeling at ease—
Ding—.
My phone rang in my pocket.
“……”
The moment I saw the name pop up at the top of the screen, my expression froze without me even realizing it.
-Are you free this week?
It was a message from Kim Woochan.
I entered the private Italian restaurant that Kim Woochan had apparently reserved in advance.
It was a room quite far from the outer door, enough to recall his comment about how secure the place was.
Well, there was no particular reason to hide anything.
After all, a few sightings of us together had already sparked rumors among fans that we were close.
However, the things that would be discussed today absolutely couldn’t leave this room.
I had that kind of certainty as I followed the staff inside.
Creak.
The moment the door opened, a person stood up as if they had been waiting.
Kim Woochan nodded with a cheerful smile.
The greeting he added with a bright laugh was something else.
“Wow. Look who it is. My dear junior, Do Seohan?”
“…….”
I nearly said something sharp, but held back because of the staff.
The part-time worker, unexpectedly seeing two celebrities at once, smiled sheepishly and closed the door behind us.
“Please enjoy your time!”
And then—silence.
I let out a light sigh and spoke.
“What was that awkward greeting.”
“I do care about you, you know~.”
That sly smile definitely resembled Cha Seongbin’s, but the atmosphere it gave off was entirely different and dissonant.
He was someone who carried something unreachable. Unlike Cha Seongbin, who just laughed carefreely, this one felt dangerous.
Still, on the surface, he was the very model of a caring senior.
I slowly observed Kim Woochan with a guarded gaze.
Kim Woochan smiled softly.
His hand placing the fork down before the full-course meal began moved a step ahead of mine.
My hand wandered in the air, not knowing where to go.
I thought he would jump straight into the main topic, but the conversation veered into something strange.
“Hmm. I heard Tiple’s Sung Jihoo really treasures you.”
Why bring up Sung Jihoo out of nowhere?
“I heard you even treat Sung Jihoo like a senior. Why not me?”
“Excuse me?”
“If we’re being honest, shouldn’t you trust the person who literally saved your life more?”
What kind of logic is that?
Startled, I gulped.
After thinking hard, I realized what Kim Woochan was trying to say.
No matter how anyone looked at it, the way I treated Kim Woochan was like a mouse bristling in front of a cat—pretending to go along while being clearly wary inside.
Even if he smiled like he didn’t have a care in the world, behind that smile was a sharp mind honed from years in the entertainment industry.
He’d realized I was avoiding him.
“I’m not going to eat you, so relax your expression. Though, I might eat you later.”
“…What?”
“Ah. I probably shouldn’t have said that. Guess I just broke whatever trust was left.”
Tap.
He set down his chopsticks and opened his mouth.
“Sorry. I didn’t think you felt that way….”
“Oh! No need to apologize.”
He had saved me from a horrific accident, so even if I was wary of him, it was my mistake to have let it show so blatantly.
However.
Kim Woochan shrugged as if he didn’t care and added,
“I’m not exactly a clean person myself. When it comes to purity, I can’t compete with you, Seohan. Living two lives and still staying untainted—that’s a pretty rare talent~.”
Kim Woochan’s hidden card.
That there was something was no longer a hunch, but a certainty.
Kim Woochan continued in a calm voice.
“But I really need you to believe what I say today. I arranged this meeting so you’d give me at least a minimal amount of trust.”
I nodded instead of answering.
The conversation paused briefly as the pasta and salad course was brought out, but my mind remained focused on Kim Woochan the entire time.
When the final course arrived at last.
Only then did his lips finally move.
“Do you remember what I said last time?”
Yeah.
‘Then you’ll just have to accomplish one great achievement in there.’
I thought I understood, so I nodded.
“Yes. I remember.”
“That wasn’t something I said without reason. It definitely wasn’t sarcasm. It may sound hard to believe coming out of nowhere, but my theory is…”
Kim Woochan twirled some pasta with his fork and set it on his plate.
It seemed he didn’t have much of an appetite, as his hand just hovered in the air.
“I think when you achieve certain accomplishments, the grace period before your variable is settled gets pushed back. Like a game.”
When Kim Woochan said “theory,” it was usually more of a conviction.
It didn’t feel like something he was saying without evidence.
That reminded me of something, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“The status window.”
“…?”
Kim Woochan suddenly looked up at me with wide eyes.
Ah. Was that a bit random? It might’ve made me seem a little unhinged. I smiled awkwardly and explained.
“Sorry. It was just a joke.”
“Can you see it?”
“What?”
“Pardon?”
Kim Woochan’s eyelids trembled for some reason. His fork spun in midair, then clattered down onto the table.
He cleared his throat and added,
“That was just a joke too.”
“Ah… okay.”
He seemed more than a little shocked.
Anyway, lame jokes weren’t the priority here.
Trying to steer the conversation back, I summarized his point based on my own interpretation.
“So you’re saying… if I continuously produce valuable data, the approach of death is delayed bit by bit. Is that correct?”
“Yes… Like the last concert. Your very first concert was a huge achievement. Something Café Part-timer Do Seohan could’ve never accomplished.”
So that’s why he said I’d be okay for a while.
Since nothing dangerous had actually happened, I could agree with Kim Woochan’s words.
Of course, I’d need more data to be fully convinced, but for now, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to go along with what he said.
The issue was—how would I figure out what counted as an “achievement”…?
With my limited imagination, all I could come up with was winning five music shows or a grand prize at a year-end awards ceremony.
I stared at Kim Woochan.
Those eyes that kept drifting toward the air.
There was always a strange certainty in those eyes that made people hesitate.
“Which brings me to my next point.”
Kim Woochan set his fork down and looked straight at me.
From his drying lips, a quiet sentence dropped.
“Do you think you can make it onto Billboard?”
“…What?”
Sir, the pacing is way too fast.