Chapter 45: Together Duo (2)
[Press conference: Yoo Ah-ra and I are simply close friends… … Strongly denying dating rumors]
[Chan-hyeok’s confession. The reason he’s leaving Travel Log due to ongoing struggles with panic disorder… Planning a short hiatus]
[The unexpected dating rumor remains as a painful incident for both Chan-hyeok and Yoo Ah-ra]
Thanks to KAN and Letter’s joint response, the public sentiment had calmed significantly.
As you can see, KAN’s handling was surprisingly effective—the dating rumor, nothing more than a baseless whisper, quickly faded.
With the major fire extinguished, what remained was the unexpected buzz and spotlight brought in through the street busking performance.
Even the general public, who’d never paid much attention to Lilac—or their music—found themselves exposed to it.
As a result, not just their title track, but even the B-sides climbed the charts.
Lilac successfully fended off stiff competition to claim dominance in the latter half of January.
Still, because of all the surrounding drama, some dismissed their win as a ‘lucky win’, despite the fierce rivalries involved.
This absurd label mostly came from the fandoms of Romeo and Pluto, groups famously not on good terms with Lilac.
Nevertheless, the tides had turned in Lilac’s favor.
And today, February 29th—
Lilac didn’t just secure their first-ever music show win… they completed a grand slam, sweeping first place across all four major broadcasting networks.
“…This is the place, right?”
With such a monumental victory, Lilac threw a celebratory dinner.
The venue: a barbecue joint near the company.
I pushed open the door and stepped inside.
“Ah! Oppa! Over here! Come sit!”
Yoo Ah-ra immediately called out.
I flinched in surprise.
Had she seriously been watching the entrance every time someone came in?
Regardless, her shout drew the eyes of every staff member and manager in the room.
They all turned to me at once—cheering, clapping, even chanting “Heli! Heli!”
It was… incredibly uncomfortable.
Sweating nervously, I quietly took a seat at Yoo Ah-ra’s table.
The manager of Lilac and Yoon Hyeok-pil, who were seated there as well, greeted me warmly.
“Hello, Producer-nim!”
“Good to see you again. Didn’t expect to run into you so soon.”
“Ah, yes. But really, you don’t have to be so formal with us. Actually, please don’t.”
“…Sure. Got it.”
“Hehehe. Congrats on your extended reign, hyung-nim.”
Unlike Kim Yu-shin, who was stiff and formal as ever, Yoon Hyeok-pil greeted me casually while tending to the grill.
Then there was Yoo Ah-ra.
The moment I sat down, she started pouring drinks.
“Where are Yeon-ji and Yoo-jung? Don’t you have any schedules?”
“They didn’t, they ran off to visit their families since they’re free—one to Cheonan, the other to Gangwon. As for me, I plan to drink myself to death tonight.”
“…Let’s try not to die, maybe.”
“Anyway, oppa, cheers~ Cheers~!”
Without warning, Yoo Ah-ra thrust a shot glass toward me.
Yoon Hyeok-pil and Kim Yu-shin followed suit, raising theirs with a grin.
I clinked glasses with the three of them, smiling despite myself.
After taking the shot, a random question popped into my head.
“Hey, are you even good with alcohol?”
“Of course I am. I’m a total heavyweight. Among my friends, they call me Ji Sang-ryeol1 (Korean celebrity known for heavy drinking).”
I glanced at Yoon Hyeok-pil and Kim Yu-shin.
Both shook their heads silently.
“…She’s, uh, having another delusional tale.”
“I am not! I don’t lie!”
Judging from her history of exaggerated words and actions, I’d say she absolutely was.
“By the way, hyung-nim.”
As he handed me a piece of grilled meat, Yoon Hyeok-pil leaned in.
“The Together Duo shoot has been confirmed for March 12.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ve been preparing for it too.”
“Oh! Are you really going to arrange my song, hyung-nim~?”
A huge smile bloomed across his face.
“Of course. The PD personally asked me too.”
“I thought you’d gotten too expensive and wouldn’t bother anymore~”
He laughed awkwardly and squirmed in place.
Something about his reaction seemed off… and then I noticed two bottles already emptied on the table.
He was onto his third.
No wonder he was getting tipsy.
“Here, Oppa. Cheers~”
“…What is wrong with her?”
It hadn’t even been five minutes, and Yoo Ah-ra was already holding out another glass.
I tried to refuse, but Yoon Hyeok-pil, now tipsy and cheerful, egged me on.
Even Kim Yu-shin reluctantly raised his glass under Yoo Ah-ra’s watchful gaze.
So, naturally, I had no choice but to follow suit.
Clink—
A clean, delicate chime.
“Ugh, that’s bitter.”
Just as I downed the second shot, the door to the barbecue place swung open and a group of trainees in long padded coats poured in.
Trailing behind them were a man and a woman who looked like chaperones, both of whom raised their voices sharply.
“We’re going to be watching from here, so go sit in the corner, eat, and leave right after!”
“…What’s that about?”
I leaned toward Yoo Ah-ra and asked under my breath.
She giggled in response.
“They’re trainees. They were hungry, and since we’re near the company, I told them I’d treat them to dinner.”
“Oh yeah? That was thoughtful of you.”
While I was scanning the group, curious about the faces of the future rookies, Yoo Ah-ra tapped my shoulder.
I looked over, wondering what she wanted—and saw that she wasn’t tapping me with her hand.
She was pecking at my shoulder with her forehead.
Like a woodpecker.
“I did good, right~? I did reeeally good~?”
“…You’re drunk.”
At those words, she flinched and immediately straightened her posture, scrunching her brows as if to focus.
Her eyes suddenly lit up, wide and intense.
“I am not drunk! Look—cheers!”
“You literally just—”
“Cheers!”
“Hehehehe. Let’s drink, hyung-nim.”
In the end, I lifted my third glass.
Three straight shots as soon as I got here.
I’ve had more alcohol than meat so far.
I washed the bitterness down with some water and reached for a piece of meat—only for it to be delivered straight to my mouth by someone else’s chopsticks.
Yoo Ah-ra’s.
“Hel—no, I mean, So-ha appa. Thank you sooo much~”
I nodded while chewing.
“Sure, but I’m oppa, not appa.”
“Got it! Now, cheers!”
“…What?”
This was already the fourth shot.
Thrown off, I glanced around—at some point, Kim Yu-shin had disappeared.
Yoon Hyeok-pil was still there, happily grilling meat with a dazed smile on his face.
Honestly, we had enough piled up already; he could probably stop now.
“Hold on. Just… slow down a bit. Let’s talk in between drinks.”
“What? Oppa, can’t handle your liquor? And you called me the liar.”
And there it was—hitting a man right in his pride.
“…Fine. Let’s drink. Cheers.”
Clink.
Clink.
And again—clink.
Caught in Yoo Ah-ra’s rhythm, I ended up drinking in sync with her.
In just over forty minutes, four bottles were gone.
Two had already been opened before I even arrived.
That leaves… what?
Divide the rest between the three of us…
How much did I even drink?
My face was burning, my head was spinning.
It was the kind of drunk that usually hits around 1 a.m.
But Yoo Ah-ra still remained perfectly steady in her tipsy happiness.
“Ajumma~ One more fresh bottle please!”
“…Alright. I take it back. You’re not a liar.”
That part, at least, was undeniably true.
No wonder not a single soul dared come near our table.
Everyone else must’ve known already.
I, on the other hand, was about ready to tap out.
If I drank any more, I’d be done for.
I quietly started to stand up—
“Aaah! What the heck!”
Caught.
“Wait a sec!”
“Where do you think you’re going!”
“I—I just need a smoke. Withdrawal symptoms kicking in.”
“No! Quit smoking! Quit! It’s bad for you!”
“Alcohol’s just as bad, you know.”
“Ugh, I don’t care~ I said nooo~”
“I swear, if I don’t smoke right now, I’m gonna die.”
Shrugging off Yoo Ah-ra, who was trying to latch onto me, I stood up and made a run for it, muttering something about coming right back as I escaped to the alley beside the barbecue place.
“Geez… How the hell does she drink like that?”
Grumbling to myself, I lit up a cigarette.
Inhale.
Exhale.
As I slowly inhaled and exhaled, I heard a soft rustling behind me—someone approaching.
They were already right behind my back.
I knew instantly. Yoo Ah-ra had followed me all the way out here.
“I swear, I’m just gonna smoke one and come back…”
I muttered as I turned around.
And in that instant, my heart nearly stopped from shock.
The woman standing there, blinking at me in a daze with a vaguely flustered expression, wasn’t Yoo Ah-ra.
“…Ji Ah-yeong-ssi?”
“Y-Yeah. That’s me.”
But hadn’t the trainees been told to just eat meat and not drink?
Her cheeks were flushed, and the smell of alcohol was wafting off her.
Yeah.
She’d definitely been drinking—a lot.
“What are you doing out here?”
When I asked, Ji Ah-yeong placed a hand on her stomach and gave a deep bow.
“Hewwo, Producer-nim.”
Her tongue was thoroughly twisted.
40 minutes earlier.
At a four-person table in the massive restaurant, Ji Ah-yeong sat alone, staring blankly at her wet towel.
All around her, other tables were filled with trainees or employees chatting and laughing in tight groups.
But she was the only one sitting by herself.
Embarrassment and self-consciousness wrapped around her like a second skin.
At first, when she heard there’d be a company dinner, she thought it’d be a chance to at least exchange a few words with someone.
Maybe even something trivial, like the weather being unnecessarily cold.
A bit of casual small talk while handing someone chopsticks or placing down a spoon.
But things hadn’t gone the way she’d hoped.
Most importantly—the number of trainees was an odd one. Divided by four, that left exactly one person out.
And that one person was her.
So, she sat alone.
And the table next to hers felt impossibly far away.
Ji Hyun-wook had told her, “If you don’t want to be alone, go up to someone first.”
But in a situation where rejection feels inevitable, how many people can actually muster up that kind of courage?
He would never understand the humiliation of being completely alone in the middle of this warm, noisy crowd.
“Enjoy your meal~”
At some point, the servers had brought meat to her table.
She placed it on the grill and stared blankly at it.
With no one sitting across from her, all she could do was watch the raw meat slowly turn golden brown.
She flipped it before it could burn, cut it when it seemed done.
But honestly—she had no desire to eat.
“Heehee! Still in first place! I’m still number one~ Three days in a row~!”
Suddenly, a loud voice cut through the air from somewhere nearby.
“Yeah, yeah, we get it. Keep it down.”
Near the window, she spotted Heli sitting with Yoo Ah-ra.
Heli—the only producer who had ever acknowledged her worth.
Ji Ah-yeong found herself watching them with quiet fascination.
To sing as an artist, to have people listen, to find happiness in that… for that joy to become real achievements… and to eventually share that joy with others—to laugh and chat freely with someone by your side…
All of that, to her, felt like nothing short of a miracle.
And at the same time, it made her chest ache.
Because those were things she hadn’t yet experienced.
“Whoa there, that’s gonna burn.”
A staff member came by and lowered the heat.
As he turned to leave, Ji Ah-yeong suddenly grabbed his wrist.
“Huh?”
“Can I get a bottle of soju, please?”
“…Sorry?”
Caught off guard by the request, the server glanced awkwardly at the supervisors hovering nearby.
“Uh… um… hmm…”
They deliberately avoided making eye contact with him.
Ji Ah-yeong pressed again, more firmly.
“Please.”
“…Alright.”
Though clearly reluctant, the server eventually brought over a bottle of soju.
Ji Ah-yeong poured the clear liquid—not into a shot glass, but a regular cup.
Gulp.
She downed nearly half a cup in one go, a thought creeping into her head.
They say alcohol gives you courage.
Then what—did that courage kill my mom and dad?
Did it give so much courage that it empowered someone to commit murder?”
The thoughts started spiraling, so she took another drink.
After three full cups, the bottle was empty before she knew it.
Her insides were burning—it felt like a small bonfire had been lit in her gut.
“…Hic.”
She let out a small burp and looked back toward Heli.
“I swear, if I don’t smoke right now, I’m gonna die.”
“……”
She saw Heli shaking off Yoo Ah-ra and heading out of the restaurant.
Suddenly, she felt a surge of courage.
