Chapter 297: The Truth Is...
“There's definitely something....
I just don't know what it is.”
“What is?”
“It's Seohan.”
The second night of the overseas tour.
It was a concern Ha Junseo cautiously brought up while lying on his bed in the dorm.
He wasn't especially perceptive, but he wasn't completely oblivious either.
Ha Junseo always paid close attention to the members' emotional states, and Do Seohan had caught his radar.
Ever since the sasaeng incident, his complexion hadn't looked good at all....
It really seemed like he'd developed some kind of trauma, yet he wasn't properly showing it.
'Please check the lighting one more time.'
'The lift could malfunction, so let's leave it out....'
'Yes. I have a fear of heights.'
He also remembered how unusually sensitive Seohan had been about safety during the concert rehearsals.
Ha Junseo quietly spoke with a worried expression.
“I think bottling things up only turns into an illness.”
“That's true.”
Cha Seongbin agreed.
Anything became unhealthy if you kept it bottled up.
Especially someone like Do Seohan, who was far more responsible and mature than his age would suggest....
Ha Junseo let out a short sigh.
“There's no way he's actually okay, but he keeps pretending he is.”
“Mmm....”
“When I look at him, I feel like it's some kind of defense mechanism.”
It was one of the downsides of working in the public eye.
No matter what happened, the version of yourself shown through the media had to appear complete.
So you ended up ignoring the parts of yourself that weren't.
He had personally seen people who neglected themselves like that, only to be gradually consumed by growing anxiety until it eventually swallowed them whole.
Ha Junseo smiled faintly as he continued.
“I don't need anything else as a birthday present.
What I really want from Seohan is his honest feelings.
But even if I asked him directly, there's no way he'd tell me.”
Listening quietly, Cha Seongbin scratched his head before speaking.
“Mmm~.
Well, if you want someone to become honest, there's one thing you need.”
“What?”
Ha Junseo tilted his head.
Grinning mischievously, Cha Seongbin lowered his voice.
“Alcohol.”
Ah.
There was that.
“Do Seohan's a lightweight.”
Cha Seongbin's eyes sparkled.
There was something they'd learned after spending so much time together.
First—
Do Seohan didn't particularly like alcohol.
Ha Junseo's initial plan of naturally offering him a drink ended in complete failure.
“Seohan, want a shot of soju?”
“Ah.
I don't really like soju....”
Second—
To be precise, it wasn't alcohol itself.
He simply disliked the bitter taste.
Seohan reached out and picked up a bottle of beer.
Specifically, the lightest, blandest beer Cha Seongbin had brought.
“Ha! Since it's a happy day, let's drink a lot!”
“Cheers!”
“Cheeeers!”
Their glasses clinked brightly together.
Out of the corner of his eye, Cha Seongbin watched Seohan casually gulp down a mouthful of beer.
Not exactly a satisfying result.
He drank beer without any problems....
But no one got so drunk they lost their senses from beer alone.
Which was why he'd prepared something.
“Alright, guys!”
Cha Seongbin emerged from the kitchen, waving a bottle of soju.
“I found an absolutely amazing recipe~.”
In his other hand was a Screw Bar.
The ice cream Seohan had been saving to eat tomorrow morning.
Naturally, Seohan's eyes widened.
“Eeh? Put that down.”
“I bought another one~.
Just wait.
This hyung's about to show you something amazing.”
He had successfully piqued everyone's curiosity.
Grinning, Cha Seongbin took out several glasses.
First, plop the ice cream into the glass.
Then mix soju and soda in a 1:2 ratio.
Done.
Carefully measuring the proportions, Cha Seongbin stirred it with the ice cream stick.
Swish.
At the very least, his flashy technique deserved full marks.
“Waaaaah! That looks delicious!”
Choco Haim, whose reactions were always wonderfully generous,
And—
“I've seen this all over Stargram.
I heard it's famous as a college student recipe.”
Even Jin Sehyun seemed interested, apparently having seen it somewhere before.
Now there was only one person's reaction left.
“Here.
Try it.”
Cha Seongbin handed the very first glass of ice cream soju to Seohan.
Ha Junseo unconsciously swallowed nervously, but the person in question accepted the glass without any suspicion.
Even though soju had been mixed into it, there was almost no alcoholic smell.
It was sweet.
A handmade cocktail perfectly customized for Do Seohan, who loved ice cream.
After taking one sip, Seohan's eyes widened.
“How is it?
Good, right?”
“Mmm!”
“Want another glass?”
Nod.
Do Seohan was surprisingly simple.
.
.
.
2 a.m.
The drinking party that had started under the pretense of celebrating Ha Junseo's birthday was still going strong the following day.
Other than a few members who were somehow still energetic in the middle of the night, everyone else was slowly reaching their limit.
“I'll... head in....”
Although Soft Tofu was strong with alcohol, he was weak against sleepiness.
Saying he'd cure his hangover with Sundubu-jjigae tomorrow morning, Seo Ian headed off to bed first.
With flushed cheeks, Seohan also stood up.
“Then I should....”
“Seohan, want to try this one too?”
“......”
Grinning, Cha Seongbin presented his next cocktail.
Temptingly shaking the soju bottle in front of Seohan, he once again mixed another ice cream soju with dazzling movements.
“Cha Seongbin proudly presents!
Melon-flavored cocktail~.
Doesn't it smell amazing?”
“Mmm!”
That's how these kinds of drinks always worked.
They were so sweet that you barely noticed the alcohol while drinking.
Then, before you realized it, you were completely drunk.
Like clothes slowly getting soaked in a drizzle, the older members' plan was to gradually marinate the youngest in alcohol.
So far, everything was proceeding smoothly.
Watching Do Seohan quietly sipping the cocktail, Ha Junseo carefully asked,
“Seohan, has anything been difficult lately?”
“No.”
The immediate answer made Ha Junseo's eyes waver.
Cha Seongbin quietly shook his head.
'Hey, not yet, right?'
'I think we need to give him more.'
“Cha Seongbin proudly presents~.
Jaws Bar Cocktail~.
Seohan, drink a little more!”
“I'm full.”
“No.
You're starving right now.”
“Huh?”
Perhaps because of the alcohol, Seohan's ears had turned bright red.
If he had been completely sober, he would've refused the drink Cha Seongbin offered.
But Seohan was already fairly drunk himself.
Sip.
Sip.
Without realizing it, he drank another two glasses.
Most people wouldn't get drunk from this much.
But Do Seohan was incredibly weak when it came to alcohol.
Thirty more minutes passed.
“Mmm....”
Judging from the strange noises he'd been mumbling for a while now, he was definitely drunk.
Meanwhile, the remaining youngest members, who had been partying at full throttle, had finally collapsed.
“Ahahahaha! Ahahahaha! Ahahah!”
“Haim-ah, please just go to sleep....”
“You're drunk too.”
“Sorry, but you're way drunker.”
“No!”
“Stop arguing over something like this and both of you go to bed.”
Dragging Seo Haim and Jin Sehyun along, Kang Siwoo disappeared into the room.
Considering he was someone who worked out every morning, the fact that he'd stayed awake this late was already a miracle.
He had probably gone to sleep with the younger members.
That left only three people at the table.
Cha Seongbin.
Ha Junseo.
Do Seohan.
The only survivors still awake at dawn.
“...Mmm.”
Stagger.
The youngest was definitely drunk.
The atmosphere finally felt like they could ask something honest.
So Cha Seongbin cautiously began.
“Seohan, listen carefully.”
“Mmm?”
Blinking slowly, Do Seohan tilted his head.
Watching him carefully, Cha Seongbin finally asked directly.
“Are you hiding something from us?”
Do Seohan tilted his head with a dazed expression.
Cha Seongbin hurriedly rephrased his question.
“If something's been hard, you can honestly tell us....”
“I am hiding something.”
“What?”
The unexpectedly straightforward answer made Cha Seongbin's eyes widen.
Ha Junseo was equally stunned.
“Huh?”
“What is it?”
They'd only meant that he shouldn't bottle up whatever was troubling him.
Yet for some reason—
Do Seohan's expression became serious.
“Hoo....”
Rubbing his face with both hands, Seohan let out a short sigh.
His lower lip moved for quite some time, as though the words refused to come out.
Speaking with slurred pronunciation, Seohan hesitated.
“Ah....
But it's... something... really huge.”
The youngest had never once confessed what he truly felt.
Judging by how much he was hesitating, it seemed there really was something beyond the sasaeng incident....
Cha Seongbin nodded seriously.
“As long as it isn't a crime, your hyungs can understand anything.”
“That's right.”
Of course, knowing Do Seohan's personality, there was no way it would be something like that.
“You can tell us honestly.
What is it?”
Ha Junseo nervously swallowed.
Their faces were flushed bright red from the alcohol.
Silence lingered as neither of them could bring themselves to speak first.
“The truth is....”
The silence was finally broken by Do Seohan.
After hesitating for a moment, his lips slowly parted.
Words he had repeated to himself dozens of times.
Words he had never once spoken while sober.
“I came from the future.”