Save a Failed Idol’s Life

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: NicoleTempest

Chapter 273 Side Story 04. Always the Same (1)

“Hmm~.”

Why can’t he just say yes or no? Why is he dragging it out?

If I asked him why, he would answer innocently, ‘Because it’s fun!’

He was the main PD, and everyone was eagerly looking at him. In the midst of that, Seon-woo’s loud gulp of saliva echoed.

“Ahaha, okay! We’ve got enough footage for today. You all worked hard, so I’ll give you the special meal I reserved for you!”

“Wow-!!”

Seon-woo, who was excited as if he was jumping, me, who was exhausted, and Kyunghwa, who looked like he had no energy left.

And Seong-won and Yi-jun, who were walking from far away, dripping water without even drying their hair properly.

In the middle of that, Yi-jun took off his top and splashed water like a dog, not a puppy, and Seong-won cursed and moved away. The staff saw it all.

“I can’t stand this filth.”

Seong-won joined the staff with a disgusted look, and the costume staff quickly wrapped a large towel around him. He was about to do the same for Yi-jun, but Yi-jun refused with a smile.

While they were waiting to move to the restaurant, drying their water in their own ways, Seong-won had a face like a cat that was soaked in water by force.

‘Hmm… He looks like a cat that glares at its owner with its eyes after being bathed.’

Aeongi had the same expression when I bathed him for the first time. They say animals and owners resemble each other, and that was true.

“Are you okay without a towel?”

I glanced at Yi-jun to see if he was really okay, and Kyunghwa was already next to him, checking if he was okay.

“Yeah, but I think I need to get some new clothes. You said you brought some extra clothes, right?”

Yi-jun asked me.

“Yeah, I brought one set each, so go back to the shower room and change quickly.”

“Okay.”

As soon as Yi-jun went to change his clothes, the car was ready. Soon, Seong-won, who had become fluffy, got in the car with a grumpy expression.

They were clearly in the same space, but they acted as if they didn’t see each other, turning their heads away. They looked like children.

‘Well… They do well when they go on stage or work, so it’s fine.’

All the fans knew that the two didn’t get along because of their personality differences that crossed the point of no return.

It was so obvious that even on SNS, when they were comfortably close together, they wondered why they were so peaceful.

Even that was consumed as a climax image of the five of them sticking together and succeeding in a comeback, despite being shaken and precarious. There was no need to force them to act friendly. Ꞧ

‘But still. It would be better to reduce the fights over useless things.’

I was about to say a word of nagging, but Yi-jun had already shared an earphone with Kyunghwa.

Fine. It’s not like they’re growling at the whole group. They have their own buddies to stick with, so it’s fine.

The problem was Seong-won. It would be nice if Seong-won had someone who was closer to him than the others and took care of him…

‘I think he would be uncomfortable if I took care of him.’

He still shared a room with Yu-geon whenever the schedule overlapped, so he didn’t seem to hate group life as much as before.

He had been socialized a lot, but it was true that he was still difficult to deal with compared to the other guys.

“Why?”

Look at that. He raised his eyebrows as soon as I looked at him a little.

“No, I’m worried you might catch a cold.”

“It’s not that cold.”

Seongwoo, who was about to take off his hooded zip-up and give it to him, lowered his hand quietly.

“Tell me if you feel chilly when we get off. It’ll be better if you take some cold medicine in advance.”

“I don’t need it.”

He said that, but he didn’t look like he hated it. He was hard to handle.

“Fine, do whatever you want.”

I could put up with his tantrums as much as I wanted, considering the money he brought in with his music revenue.

“…”

Seong-won looked at me with a slightly chilly eye, as if he felt something ominous, but it was okay.

“Ah, we’ll arrive at the restaurant soon.”

Not long after, the car arrived at a spacious parking lot, and the food that the main PD had reserved with difficulty was so delicious that it made me cry.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

‘This… What did they use when they made the broth? It seems like there are more fruits than apples and pears…’

As I thought about it for a while, a grandmother with a warm face stared at me.

‘What…?’

I felt puzzled and bowed to the grandmother. The grandmother suddenly asked me.

“Are you thinking about what’s in our soy sauce seasoning?”

Oops. Was my thinking written all over my face? But I kept dipping the broth and eating it, rolling my tongue in my mouth to analyze the taste, so people who knew how to cook would easily notice.

“Ah… Yes. It’s so delicious.”

Then the old lady smiled and asked me.

“So, what do you think is in it?”

I had to answer if she asked. I hmm, listed the ingredients that I was sure of in my head.

“Lemon, onion. Apple, pear, jujube, shiitake mushroom. Red pepper, green pepper, kelp, and there seems to be one more fruit in it, but the taste is a bit confusing…”

“Ho ho…”

The old lady laughed heartily at my words.

“You only named the basic ones!”

But that’s obvious, because they really taste like that, right? I couldn’t argue or say anything rude to the old lady, so I just stuttered. The camera didn’t miss this opportunity and zoomed in on me.

“And plum…? And persimmon vinegar? Is that right?”

As I muttered the ingredients that I wasn’t sure of, the old lady’s eyes sparkled.

“That’s something I can only tell you if you marry into our family as a daughter-in-law!”

And at the same time, the kitchen staff and the owner couple who were watching shouted impatiently.

“Ma’am! They’re not the local bachelors, they’re celebrities!”

“Oh, really? Are they famous gentlemen?”

“Of course!”

“Then that’s even better, right? Yoo-jung would like that.”

I didn’t know who Yoo-jung was, but… I felt sorry for being paired with someone who looked decent on the outside, but was an old man inside.

Contrary to my inner apology, the old lady’s good-natured joke filled the store with laughter.

In the end, I couldn’t find out what the secret ingredient was, but I filmed a scene that made me laugh, and the meal was so delicious that my mouth was ecstatic, so it was fine.

After finishing the shooting at the mudflat, the accommodation I booked near the restaurant was an indoor camping site where I could see the stars.

‘It looked pretty good when I saw the plan beforehand. It’s nice enough to come here for fun.’

Inside the large tent that was set up like a caravan, we played games and had a simple snack, and when it was time for the campfire, we sat around and chatted. Seon-woo took a picture of the night sky and fiddled with his messenger.

“What are you doing? Who are you sending the picture to?”

Yi-jun asked teasingly, and Seon-woo hesitated and answered.

“I want to show it to the Offbeat group chat too…! It would have been better if they came with us, but this is a Climax solo project…”

Of course. Why would they come here? Seon-woo seemed to have more affection for Offbeat than the other members, maybe because he received much more attention than he did when he was active with Climax for several years.

“Okay, send it. And brag about the crab and crab soup you ate.”

I readily agreed, and Seon-woo nodded his head and answered.

“Okay!”

Seon-woo, who was moving his fingers eagerly on the screen, made Seong-won chuckle softly.

‘He must not hate group life that much, seeing him like that.’

As I looked at Seong-won with a relieved smile, Yi-jun brought up the old days.

“It reminds me of the past, sitting together like this. You were sitting like this in the practice room when I first saw you.”

Yi-jun imitated Kyunghwa’s posture, and Kyunghwa turned pale.

“When did I ever sit like that? I’m still sitting up straight.”

“You curl up like a pill bug when you’re not conscious.”

“No, I don’t.”

These guys, seeing them bicker like this. Maybe it’s a way of showing their friendship, not saying too many good words that sound like they’re from a textbook.

“You don’t remember anything anyway.”

“What nonsense are you talking about again?”

Didn’t we talk about this before? I cut off the flow of the conversation and covered the crackling fire with sand.

It was getting late at night. We had to have breakfast early and go back to Seoul tomorrow, so we needed to go to bed.

“Let’s go to sleep.”

Before they started another childish fight, I stopped them and we each slipped into our single sleeping bags like caterpillars. It was warm and cozy, and I fell asleep.

‘I worked hard today.’

I’ll work hard tomorrow too. And the day after that. I fell asleep with a faint resolution.

I woke up less than three hours after that. Was it because I heard Yi-jun and Kyunghwa arguing before going to bed?

Seong-won had a nightmare that he wanted to go solo and declared his independence, and then sued for contract termination.

‘What the hell… What kind of weird dreams are these…’

I woke up with a cold sweat and looked in the direction where Seong-won was sleeping. Fortunately, his handsome face was peacefully asleep.

‘Don’t leave yet…! No… Don’t leave until the contract is over!’

I glared at the sleeping Seong-won and sent him telepathy. I don’t know if it worked, but Seong-won’s forehead wrinkled slightly.

Then, I heard a familiar voice in the dark.

“What are you doing? Are you awake?”

It was Yi-jun. Wasn’t he the type who couldn’t wake up easily once he fell asleep? I opened my mouth in wonder.

“Ah. I guess I woke up because of a bad dream.”

Since I was up, I decided to go get some water. I quietly got out of bed and left the caravan that was divided into a bedroom. Yi-jun followed me out.

“What are you doing? Why are you coming out?”

“I want some water too.”

He then shamelessly reached out his hand to me, clearly wanting me to pour him some water.

What a cheeky guy. But that was his charm, so I couldn’t help it. I obediently handed him some water and he gulped it down in one breath. He looked at me with an empty cup and asked.

“Do you remember? What it was like when we first met.”

I don’t know. Maybe I could have known if I had the system’s help, but now it was a past event that I had never experienced.

It was an area that I could never know unless someone else told me, just like any other person.

“I don’t remember much. I was so out of it then.”

I gave him a vague answer and he chuckled lightly. I had no idea what he meant by that.