novelraw Chapter 232: Holidays are for Cherished Ones (2)
Chapter 232: Holidays are for Cherished Ones (2)
The jeon Spark painstakingly cooked were carefully arranged in prepared lunch boxes. The final task for this content was to deliver the holiday food to someone they were grateful for.
Park Joowoo decided to give his lunch box to Ms. Oh Eun, his vocal trainer, and Kang Kiyeon would deliver his to their dance trainer. The two planned to go together, expressing their gratitude to their teachers.
“I think the A&R team would be my go-to when it comes to people I’m grateful for. What about you guys?”
“I’m thinking of going to the action school.”
Choi Jeho replied. It seemed like a reasonable choice, considering we’d been indebted to them since the final competition on IDC.
“I was going to visit Ms. Oh Eun or the managers, but since Joowoo is going to Ms. Oh Eun, I’ll go to the managers.”
Jeong Seongbin said with a smile. A leader should always take care of those closest to them. As expected, he was a role model not only for his members but for all idols and professionals.
“What about you, hyung?”
Kang Kiyeon asked.
“Seongbin, you don’t have a partner yet, right? Perfect timing.”“Perfect timing?”
“I wanted to give a lunchbox to Jeong Seongjun.”
At my words, Jeong Seongbin glitched like an NPC in lag, stammering for a moment.
Then, as if the buffering had finally finished, he asked in a flustered tone I’d never heard from him before.
“J-Jeong Seongjun?”
“Yeah.”
“Why… why him…?”
Why else? To express my gratitude, of course.
* * *
Most Sparklers knew about Jeong Seongjun.
Jeong Seongbin’s identical twin brother. One of the few beings capable of unsettling the ever-composed Jeong Seongbin. In Lee Cheonghyeon’s words, a free spirit.
I, too, had heard countless tales of Jeong Seongjun’s exploits back in my days of proxy fangirling for Manager Nam’s daughter.
The anecdote of him responding to a Spark fan who mistook him for his brother with, ‘Oh, I’m the version that looks like him but can’t sing. Is that okay?’ had become a classic ‘typical idol sibling story’ across online communities.
There were two reasons why I wanted to express my gratitude to Mr. Jeong Seongjun.
The first, and more superficial reason, was that I was indebted to him from the ‘IDC’ competition.
Sure, Jeong Seongjun did launch the first strike by tearing a hole in Jeong Seongbin’s training pants, but thanks to that incident, Spark ended up performing in a collection of shirts Jeong Seongjun had lovingly curated for years.
It couldn’t have been easy for Mr. Jeong Seongjun, a fashion enthusiast, to lend out so many clothes. Since we were already short on budget thanks to me, I’d always thought I should pay back that kindness one day.
The second reason was a bit more selfish, but… he had been a great help during my proxy fangirling days.
During those difficult days when Spark news was scarce, Manager Nam would often say, ‘You know, you can find updates with a little online searching. You make too many excuses, Assistant Manager Kim’.
Thanks to Mr. Jung Seongjun, who, unlike his brother who went into hiding during the off-season, actively maintained an online presence, I could at least gather scraps of Jeong Seongbin news to appease Manager Nam’s daughter.
I’d diligently fulfill my quota with updates like, ‘Seongjun posted a picture of himself wearing Seongbin’s clothes today. It seems Seongbin shares his wardrobe with his brother’.
If it weren’t for Jeong Seongjun, I would have been stuck at the company every Saturday. Now that I had a chance to officially repay him, I was determined to deliver the jeon I had made with all my heart.
“Hyung, maybe you should consider someone else…?”
“See? Seongbin hyung is uncomfortable with this.”
“He’s trying to change the subject.”
Lee Cheonghyeon laughed, pointing at Jeong Seongbin. Kang Kiyeon chimed in, agreeing. Jeong Seongbin glared at the younger members.
Suppressing his laughter, Lee Cheonghyeon said to me,
“Still, hyung, maybe reconsider, like Seongbin hyung said.”
“Why?”
Lee Cheonghyeon stroked his chin, seemingly choosing his words carefully.
After a moment of contemplation, he replied,
“Seongjun hyung is… unique.”
I vaguely recalled hearing that Mr. Jeong Seongjun had visited the dorm with his parents once.
I looked at Choi Jeho and Park Joowoo, seeking their opinions. They avoided my gaze with indescribable expressions.
Just what exactly had Mr. Jeong Seongjun done at this austere dorm? I was curious, but alas, it was time to deliver the lunch boxes.
* * *
Jeong Seongbin and I rode in the car driven by Manager Chanyeong, heading to Jeong Seongbin’s family home. Before getting in, I made sure to hand over Jeong Seongbin’s lunchbox to the manager as well. He looked genuinely touched.
Throughout the car ride, Jeong Seongbin fidgeted, looking nervously out the windows.
“Hyung, are you sure no one else comes to mind? Like the In My Office sunbaenims, maybe?”
“That’s the fifth time you’ve asked, Seongbin.”
“Sorry.”
Jeong Seongbin squeezed his eyes shut. I could practically hear him sighing internally.
“If you’re that uncomfortable, we can change plans. Manager-nim, could you pull over if you see a safe spot? We might need to change the destination.”
“Ah…”
Jeong Seongbin let out a small sigh. The manager signaled and changed lanes.
“It’s okay, hyung. It’s not that I’m uncomfortable.”
“Really?”
“I’m just…I don’t know what that guy might be up to.”
That guy? That wasn’t a word you heard often from Seongbin’s mouth.
“So, what do you want to do? Change the destination?”
The manager pulled over and asked, looking back at us. Jeong Seongbin shook his head repeatedly, asking to continue to his family home.
“If he’s such a free spirit, maybe Seongjun won’t even be home today?”
“I told him to stay home until we arrived, so he should be waiting.”
“Oh, so he listens to you.”
“Probably…”
Jeong Seongbin’s voice trailed off, sounding deeply unsure.
Despite Jeong Seongbin’s apprehension, we soon arrived at an apartment complex. As we gathered the lunch boxes and headed upstairs, Jeong Seongbin gave me a serious warning.
“Whatever happens, please don’t be too surprised. He likes to play pranks, but he doesn’t mean any harm. I’ll try my best to handle him…”
“Okay. Just breathe while talking, Seongbin.”
Jeong Seongbin took a deep breath at my words. His anxious demeanor was strangely amusing.
How unusual could someone be? The Spark dorm was already full of oddballs.
“I apologize in advance.”
“There’s no need for that.”
I smiled, trying to reassure him.
But you know what they say—the world is wide, and weird people are everywhere.
“You have arrived… O Guardian Deity of My Allowance…”
The moment the door opened, I was greeted by a sight that defied all expectations: A path of green towels meticulously laid out from the entrance to the hallway, LED candles lining the edges like a proposal path, a hastily made ‘Welcome’ banner hanging between ornate picture frames, and a Jeong Seongbin look-alike dressed in a formal suit, bowing politely.
Sorry, Seongbin. I’m already a little overwhelmed.
“What is all this?”
Jeong Seongbin asked, aghast. The elegant man, presumably Jeong Seongjun, struck another pose and said,
“A modest event from a younger brother welcoming his hyung who sent him a generous allowance?”
“Are you trying to embarrass me to death?”
Such a terrifying statement from Spark’s only voice of reason. While I was still reeling in disbelief, Jeong Seongbin marched towards his brother and whispered fiercely in his ear,
“I told you not to do anything weird.”
His words were strained, his teeth seemingly clenched. But Jeong Seongjun remained unfazed.
“You sent me an allowance after receiving your first payment, how could I just sit still? I have to express my gratitude somehow, even if it’s a bit lacking.”
“Since when did you start calling me ‘hyung’?”
Jeong Seongbin groaned. Worried that the leader might faint from stress-induced anger at such a young age, I forced my way between the two.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Seongjun. I’m Kim Iwol.”
“Just call me Seongjun, hyungnim! My brother is in your care!”
“Where did you learn to talk like that?”
“Everyone talks like that in Spark’s self-cams.”
Jeong Seongjun shrugged. His hand was warm as we shook hands. Jeong Seongbin was the leader of Spark, but Jeong Seongjun seemed to be radiating more energy.
“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of having members of the rising rookie group Spark visit my humble abode?”
“I apologize for the intrusion, but I wanted to give you this.”
I presented the lunch box I had carefully wrapped in a cloth. As Jeong Seongjun placed it on the table and unwrapped it, the aroma of jeon filled the air.
“What’s this? Filming ‘Challenge Life’ again? Working a part-time job at a jeon restaurant this time?”
“We made it at the dorm. Hyung wanted to thank you for lending him your clothes.”
Jeong Seongbin explained.
“To me?”
“You lent us your clothes. Thanks to you, our stage went really well. I wanted to thank you properly, and this was a good opportunity.”
“Ah, the day Jeong Seongbin raided my closet?”
Jeong Seongjun laughed heartily. He seemed to find the memory amusing enough to forget the ‘hyung’ concept.
“I thought you were Santa Claus. But the kind of Santa who steals from children.”
“And you conveniently forgot about tearing a hole in my pants?”
“That wasn’t on purpose! You raided my closet intentionally.”
“I decided to repay you in kind.”
“You’ve really changed. The entertainment industry is no joke—turning even Jeong Seongbin into a new person.”
The air between the brothers was starting to crackle.
Maybe I should’ve listened when Jeong Seongbin suggested choosing someone else. I was starting to regret ignoring his advice.