novelraw Chapter 202: Side Story. A Certain March 30th
Chapter 202: Side Story. A Certain March 30th
The morning had come. Jeong Seongbin turned off his alarm and got out of bed.
Maybe because it was spring, the weather was really nice. Unlike in winter, waking up wasn’t so hard anymore. Jeong Seongbin immediately grabbed some clothes to change into.
Was it because of the exciting season? He recalled his mother’s words from a recent phone call.
‘It’s your birthday soon, I’m so sorry you won’t even be able to have seaweed soup.’
Jeong Seongbin had replied that it was okay. He told her he was eating well.
Trainees weren’t particularly close or had the time to celebrate each other’s birthdays. He was content with birthday wishes from long-time friends or a particularly thoughtful dongsaeng.
Even so, he couldn’t exactly tell his mom, who was already worried, how things really were.
Jeong Seongbin thought he would at least call his parents after practice, thank them for giving birth to him. He’d return to the dorm late at night, so he’d send his gratitude to them and then quietly go to sleep.
He then headed towards the living room, from which a delicious smell wafted…
‘A delicious smell?’Usually, the smell emanating from the dorm at this hour was predictable: the smell of Kim Iwol, the trainee who had recently joined, toasting bread.
After learning that the student-age trainees went to school on empty stomachs or made do with bread, Kim Iwol had volunteered to toast bread and fry eggs. It wasn’t long ago that he had even scolded the members, telling them they’d be better off getting more sleep during that time instead.
Since then, Kim Iwol consistently took care of the members’ breakfasts. Thanks to him, Jeong Seongbin and the other members could wake up to the smell of toasted bread.
But today was different. A savory and salty aroma seeped through the cracks of his door. He could also hear something simmering.
Puzzled, Jeong Seongbin opened the door. As usual, Kim Iwol stood in the kitchen with his back to the living room.
“Hyung, did you sleep well?”
“Yeah, go wash up quickly.”
Kim Iwol replied without turning around. He seemed quite busy. As soon as he finished speaking, the rice cooker chimed, signaling that the rice was done.
‘Is he very hungry?’
The extreme diet might have been a bit harsh for Kim Iwol, who had been a regular person until recently. Watching Kim Iwol stir the steaming rice pot with a spatula, Jeong Seongbin resolved to turn a blind eye if Kim Iwol gained a little weight.
This resolve crumbled within 20 minutes.
Three bowls each of freshly cooked rice and seaweed soup were placed on the dining table.
There was a bit too much meat for it to be called seaweed soup, and it even had the usual fried eggs as a side dish.
“Instead of bread, have this for breakfast. It’s low-sodium, so it might not taste as good as you’re used to.”
“Huh?”
“I added a lot of meat for protein, so try not to leave any leftovers.”
Jeong Seongbin was quite surprised. The date and menu were too perfect to be a coincidence.
Kang Kiyeon, who appeared behind Jeong Seongbin at that moment, asked,
“Why seaweed soup?”
Kim Iwol took off his apron and replied,
“It’s Seongbin’s birthday today.”
Those were truly unexpected words.
***
“Seongbin! Happy birthday!”
“What, it’s Seongbin’s birthday today? Come out during lunch break. This noona will take some amazing photos of you under the cherry blossoms. They’re all in full bloom near the back gate.”
“Just say the word, Seongbin. I’ll buy you anything from the cafeteria today.”
As soon as Jeong Seongbin opened the classroom door, he was showered with congratulations.
His bag was mysteriously slipped off by some friend he didn’t even notice, and he received a hearty slap on the back under the guise of a birthday punch.
“Wait, wasn’t that a bit too hard? Did I wrong someone? Is this payback time or something?”
Jeong Seongbin’s friends laughed casually at his joke.
“Stop whining, you buff dude. We all know you barely even felt that.”
“I’m the one who got hit, why are you the one deciding it didn’t hurt?!”
Jeong Seongbin laughed brightly as he retrieved his bag.
Six instant cup egg drop soups were placed on his desk. It was a rare food gift in this school where most students were on diets.
“Who gave me these?”
“Me. I was originally going to give you seaweed soup, but they were out of stock today. Sorry, Bin.”
“Don’t be sorry. I love egg soup!”
Jeong Seongbin gratefully gathered the cups.
“Still, you should have seaweed soup on your birthday.”
Jeong Seongbin replied to his friend, who sounded disappointed,
“I actually had seaweed soup today.”
“Huh? When?”
“This morning. The new hyung made it for me.”
“Ah, that new face hyung?”
His friend acknowledged knowingly.
Those preparing to become idols together knew each other’s circumstances to some extent. Jeong Seongbin’s friends felt it was a shame that such a talented kid person like him was at UA, a wasteland for aspiring idols.
Perhaps because of this, they all tended to be extra considerate of Jeong Seongbin.
He remembered their sharp reactions when he told them about Kim Iwol joining.
‘Your agency has no sense. They finally put together a perfect lineup, why gamble at the last minute?’
‘They say the guy wasn’t even a trainee. Is that right?’
Jeong Seongbin had tried to say positive things, despite his uncertainty. He’d mentioned that Kim Iwol seemed reliable, tall, and handsome.
But his friends, who shared the same dream, weren’t fools, and they easily picked up on what Jeong Seongbin was trying to gloss over.
‘Let’s say he’s decent at singing. What about dancing? You know it’s a waste to have Choi Jeho and not aim for a dance group, right? There are still agencies eyeing him.’
‘If it weren’t for the rumors about his terrible personality, the big agencies would have snatched him up without a second thought.’
‘Anyway, it’s not just any dance group, it has to focus on performance. Can this newcomer handle that?’
‘Don’t be so harsh. He’s working hard!’
Their criticism was so sharp that he couldn’t help but intervene.
Someone spoke up, seeing Jeong Seongbin’s awkwardness amidst his friends.
‘You know hard work isn’t everything.’
That shut him up. It was a time when effort didn’t guarantee results.
He knew all too well that his friend was right.
But now, he could refute that statement. Kim Iwol, whom he had observed for a month, was someone who would succeed no matter what.
“He always makes us breakfast. Today, he made seaweed soup.”
“Wow… What a great guy, that new hyung.”
“I didn’t know a super-hyung lived in Seongbin’s dorm.”
“I told you he was a good person.”
Kim Iwol was a good person. Perceptive and intuitive.
Kind to everyone, yet attentive to each individual.
Having joined late, he worked the hardest, yet he never showed it, quietly finding his own tasks and diligently completing them. It seemed like he even sought out tasks that weren’t his and took responsibility for them.
‘Still, I can rely on him.’
To think he could trust someone he’d only known for a short time to this extent. It was hard to believe, even to himself.
But that was because…
“How did he know your birthday? You don’t usually talk about that kind of thing.”
…Kim Iwol really did seem to know everything.
Everything, to a surprising degree.
Jeong Seongbin recalled a conversation from a few weeks ago, when the cold wind was still blowing.
The conversation he had with Kim Iwol at the playground late at night remained vivid in his memory.
Kim Iwol, who had confidently declared that Jeong Seongbin would surely be recognized.
‘You seem very certain, hyung.’
‘Of course.’
Kim Iwol, looking at him, had smiled, as cold as the winter wind yet as warm as the fallen snow.
‘I know the future.’
Jeong Seongbin had decided to believe those words, which sounded like a joke. Because just believing them brought him comfort.
“That hyung doesn’t miss a thing.”
Jeong Seongbin laughed heartily. A smile without a shred of doubt.
***
“I’m back.”
Jeong Seongbin bowed his head and opened the practice room door. Kim Iwol and Choi Jeho were facing off in the middle of the room.
Kim Iwol waved to the younger members entering the practice room.
“Welcome back, everyone. He’s just upset with me, so don’t mind us and get warmed up.”
“Why does your body move like that? Did you even watch yourself in the mirror? Does it make sense to you?”
“I told you, I didn’t understand it, and I couldn’t execute it.”
“That’s something to be proud of.”
Choi Jeho sighed. Unable to bear the sight any longer, Kang Kiyeon took his practice clothes out of his bag and quickly changed.
“That’s why I told you to learn from Joowoo hyung while I was gone.”
Kang Kiyeon scolded Kim Iwol. Kim Iwol, unfazed, simply pointed to a corner of the practice room.
“Joowoo is already passed out.”
His friend’s feet stuck out from behind the sofa, where he’d been hidden from view.
“Ugh, my head hurts.”
“Be careful. You’ll get chronic migraines.”
“It’s your fault, so I wish you’d be more careful.”
Seeing Kim Iwol genuinely concerned, Choi Jeho shook his head as if fed up and left the room.
Kim Iwol, turning his attention away from Choi Jeho, looked at Jeong Seongbin and Kang Kiyeon and asked,
“How about you two? Anything happen today?”
“Nothing much for me.”
Kang Kiyeon replied dryly as he stretched. Normally, Jeong Seongbin would have given the same answer.
Normally.
“I bragged about how you made me seaweed soup.”
Kim Iwol’s eyes widened. A rare sight.
“You did?”
“Everyone said you seemed like such a great person.”
Kim Iwol averted his gaze at Jeong Seongbin’s words. His hand went to the back of his neck, as if embarrassed.
“Anything else happen?”
Kim Iwol changed the subject. The clumsy attempt at changing the subject made Jeong Seongbin laugh without realizing it.
Still, he shouldn’t tease his elder.
Jeong Seongbin suppressed his playful spirit and obediently followed Kim Iwol’s lead.
“The cherry blossoms bloomed at school. My friends took pictures for my birthday. Should I back those up too?”
“Of course! Take Kiyeon tomorrow and get pictures together. 50 individual shots, 50 group shots. For the individual shots, 25 with your jacket on, 25 without. Got it?”
“We won’t have enough time during lunch break.”
Kang Kiyeon protested. Kim Iwol paid him no mind.
Spring.
The weather was nice, many people were celebrating his birthday, and the members were gathered, enjoying good conversation.
It was a good season.