Chapter 6
It was clear that Cha Wook had been living a life full of deception while we were apart.
‘Sure, I made a mistake first. No excuses there. But still…’
Had I expected too much?
Even so, he’s supposed to be an idol. That menacing aura—where exactly was the bright, fresh energy befitting the youngest member of an idol group?
Putting everything else aside, with the fan signing event starting soon, how does it make sense that I’m the one more frantic than him?!
‘This won’t do. For the sake of the situation, I have no choice but to use [Charm].’
Just as I was about to dramatically flash my eyes and pull out my lip balm—
“What are you doing there?”
A familiar voice.
Do Eun-seok came running down the hallway, now in complete chaos. Taking in Cha Wook’s disheveled appearance, he belatedly pieced together the situation and covered his mouth.
“What is all this? Why are you like this?”
“Hyung. Grab her. We need to hand her over to security right now.”
“What? She’s one of our staff.”
“Don’t be naive. Do you have any idea how persistent and meticulous these kinds of people are? She’s the one who did this to my clothes. Who knows if she caused this on purpose?”
On purpose? Seriously, listen to him. I was about to snap back in anger, but Do Eun-seok reacted faster.
“Wook-ah. That’s not something to say in front of others.”
After reprimanding Cha Wook, Eun-seok turned to me.
“I’ll apologize on his behalf. I’m sorry if you felt upset.”
“What are you doing? She doesn’t even have a name tag, and she’s suspicious!”
“You go get your makeup redone by Sari noona first. I’ll handle things here.”
“…….”
“You’re just going to leave?”
Instead of answering, Cha Wook furrowed his brows deeply. His icy glare swept over me before he stormed past, leaving me feeling like I’d been hit by an Arctic cold front.
“Again, I’m sorry. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“More than that, because of me, Cha Wook-ssi…”
“He’ll be fine. His hair and makeup can be fixed, so don’t worry.”
His light brown eyes trailed down to the temporary pass hanging around my neck before returning to my face, staring intently.
“Have we… met somewhere before?”
Was he remembering our brief encounter near the trash area earlier?
I almost pretended to know him but then recalled Cha Wook’s earlier outburst and shut my mouth. Revealing to Do Eun-seok that I was a student from the same school as Cha Wook didn’t seem like a good idea. I was worried my minor status and the temporary pass around my neck might cause problems.
I feigned ignorance with a slight tilt of my head, and Eun-seok seemed to quickly lose interest. He pulled out his phone and continued,
“You should go now. We can call other staff to handle this.”
“Huh? You’re just telling me to leave?”
Dazed, I asked back, and Eun-seok lifted the corner of his mouth in confirmation. For me, who had been blankly staring at the sticky floor, unsure how to clean it up, this was welcome news.
But anyone with a conscience couldn’t just walk away after causing such a mess.
“Since I caused this, I should clean it up.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to leave while I’m letting you? I don’t think you’ll hear anything pleasant if you stay.”
“…W-well, should I go then?”
Following Eun-seok’s gaze, I scanned the messy hallway and decided to fold away my conscience—just this once.
I picked up the jacket Cha Wook had thrown off, dusted it, and draped it over my arm.
“I should wash this and return it. Where can I contact you?”
Cha Wook had said it was fine, but leaving it like this didn’t sit right with me. What should I do? I had a feeling I shouldn’t just leave it anywhere—what if he used that as another excuse to blame me?
Judging by the Cha Wook I saw today, he was absolutely capable of that.
Back when we were kids, he was tiny—smaller than me—and now he’s a successful celebrity, tall and handsome, huh?
While I was simmering in my gradient anger, Eun-seok replied,
“You don’t need to return the clothes.”
“Huh? R-really?”
“I’ll explain it to the company and Wook, so don’t worry about it.”
Despite Eun-seok’s words, which felt like salvation, the staggering price of the jacket flashed through my mind.
“N-no, I can’t do that! I’ll wash it and return it. It’s already an expensive piece of clothing; that’d be too much of a bother…”
I waved my hands in refusal of his excessive kindness, but Eun-seok cut me off.
“Let me say it again. You don’t need to return the clothes.”
“But how can I do that? I promised Cha Wook-ssi I’d wash it…”
Then, it happened. The ever-smiling expression on Eun-seok’s face hardened terrifyingly.
“……!”
I knew he was famous for switching between cold and warm visuals, but seeing it in person, the stark contrast sent my heart plummeting.
‘Why is he suddenly like this?’
I replayed our conversation in my head, wondering if I’d said something wrong, but nothing came to mind.
“If I’m saying you don’t need to, isn’t insisting on it also a bother?”
“Huh?”
“Unless you have some other motive.”
“Other… motive?”
Eun-seok’s brows, which had been furrowed in irritation, twitched.
“Ah. Sorry. It’s nothing.”
His voice softened, and he smiled brightly as if nothing had happened.
“Anyway. Wash it and wear it yourself, or just throw it away. Do whatever you want.”
Even in my flustered state, seeing the smile I’d only seen in photos or GIFs in person made my mind go blank for a second.
While I was recovering from the sudden visual shock, Eun-seok, having finished a call somewhere, gave me a slight nod before walking past.
Once I finally pulled myself together, I remembered why I was here and what was about to happen to Eun-seok soon.
Operation (2), execute!
“Wait. Eun-seok-ssi.”
I caught up to him in quick strides and whispered discreetly,
“Be careful.”
“……?”
“Don’t eat anything during the fan signing event.”
“What are you…”
“You never know. Someone might intentionally trigger your allergies…”
“How do you know that?”
Eun-seok’s tone carried a strange irritation. The displeasure he’d barely concealed earlier was now fully visible on his face.
“Well, how do I know that… Umm…”
I rolled my eyes, struggling to answer. My terrible planning struck again, bringing another wave of self-loathing.
As the silence dragged on, Eun-seok glanced at the ruined floor and Cha Wook’s jacket before letting out a scoff.
“You’re not planning to do it yourself, are you?”
“……Huh?”
I was stunned, but Eun-seok let out a light laugh.
“Just kidding.”
But his eyes weren’t laughing at all.
“…….”
The cold vibe left me speechless. Even if he called it a joke, I wasn’t oblivious enough to miss the blatantly cold stare.
Why?
I was just trying to help.
Whether I stood there dumbfounded or not, Eun-seok had already turned away completely. In his last glance at me, I thought I saw something like disappointment.
Wow…
Receiving a cold look from an idol I like. It’s more…
“Ugh.”
My nose stung as my emotions surged.
“What am I even doing here?”
I’m such an idiot. Coming here without a proper plan.
‘I must’ve looked like a joke to them.’
If I stayed any longer, I felt like I’d cry. So I picked up the fallen drink bottles and lined them neatly against the wall.
The fiery determination I’d had just moments ago was completely extinguished.
‘Yeah. Thinking someone like me could prevent a disaster was overestimating myself from the start.’
Even if I could handle external issues, I couldn’t control what people thought.
‘I should just quit.’
I turned toward the exit.
