Chapter 167: Chapter 168:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 168

10 p.m.

Woojoo lay down on the bed after taking a shower, but he couldn’t fall asleep.

The events of the day lingered in his mind like an afterimage.

He stared at the dark ceiling, but it felt like the scenes from earlier were playing vividly in front of his eyes.

That was the first reason why he couldn’t sleep.

The second reason why he couldn’t sleep was.

“…”

The handsome caterpillars who were clinging to him.

Woojoo sighed deeply and said, “I can’t sleep.”

A reply came right away.

“Me neither.”

“My eyes are still wide awake.”

“I can’t sleep either today.”

They looked completely oblivious to why Woojoo said he couldn’t sleep.

“…Why are you guys in my bed anyway?”

“It’s comfortable here,” Rihyuk said, lying on Woojoo’s leg as a pillow and speaking casually. “I feel anxious when I’m somewhere else.”

“Do you want me to make you uncomfortable?”

Shake, shake, shake.

“Aaaah, don’t shake your leg. It makes my head hurt. Cough! Ah, dust…”

“Rihyuk, stay still. What if Woojoo Hyung kicks us out because of you?”

The youngest followed up with a pair of eyes that seemed to appeal to Woojoo.

“I’m confident I can be quiet. Hyung.”

“Hey, Bijoo Hyung. Are you betraying us by living alone? Just lie down like me.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. Hyung. You stamped our property rights on the idol show, right? So don’t be shy and let’s lie down more confidently.”

“Okay! I will.”

Woojoo looked at his brothers who were now lying flat and made a dumbfounded expression, then soon smiled.

He felt relieved to be together.

To be honest, he was scared to lie down alone too.

They chatted for a long time.

They talked about movies they wanted to see, and promised to go to famous restaurants.

They talked about things they wanted to do or eat and had a good time.

Suddenly, silence fell.

“…”

There were moments like that.

When you tried your best to avoid a certain topic and make small talk.

But you finally ran out of things to talk about and realized that you had to bring up that topic.

Bijoo asked cautiously, “Someday, something like today could happen again, right?”

“…Well, yeah.”

“I wish things like this didn’t happen.”

Bijoo’s voice was heard.

“I was really scared today. When I was standing there, my legs were shaking, and it was the first time in my life that I was so scared.”

“Me too. I thought my heart was going to pop out.”

“It was really scary.”

Woojoo was about to say that he was scared too, but he gave up. Instead, he quietly listened to what the members had to say.

How scary today was, whether they should go out in pairs from now on, whether nothing would happen to their families.

Woojoo listened carefully to the stories of his brothers who expressed their worries and anxieties.

About an hour of conversation passed when Junghyun asked Woojoo, “Hyung.”

“Yeah.”

“We have no choice but to adapt to these things, right?”

“That’s the only way.”

It wasn’t like their wishes would come true if they prayed that these things wouldn’t happen.

The higher they climbed, the more weird people would get involved or all kinds of things would happen.

But.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Let’s forget about it for now.”

“…”

“There’s nothing we can do about it. And it’s not like we can really adapt if we decide to. The best thing to do is to shake it off as soon as possible.”

There was no answer, but they all seemed to agree.

Maybe it was because Woojoo’s eyes had gotten used to the darkness. He could see the silhouettes of his siblings tossing and turning.

They all looked troubled, so he smiled faintly and changed the topic.

"Do you want to know the best way to forget bad memories?"

"What is it? A game?"

"Hard work."

"…."

"You just have to work hard. If you work so hard that you don't have time to think about anything else, you'll naturally forget… Hey, are you pretending to sleep?"

These rascals, he thought as he shook his body. The siblings who were pretending to sleep opened their eyes and giggled.

After chatting for a while, Jiho stretched and yawned.

"I guess I'm relaxed now. I feel at ease. Is this what it feels like to sleep in a very safe place?"

"That's what I'm saying."

As everyone nodded in agreement, Rihyuk spoke.

"Director Jo really has a big heart. If it were me, I would never let anyone like this… I mean, anyone else into my house."

"We owe him a lot."

"In that sense, let's not cause any trouble for Director Jo for a week and leave."

As everyone made a resolution, the youngest one said, "Right. Let's give Director Jo the best week ever."

* * *

"…."

After finishing his morning exercise and leaving the fitness room, Jo Gyuhwan had no choice but to stop in his tracks.

‘What?'

Kim Junghyun was standing at the door with a warm smile. He had a towel on his arm, and his appearance looked like….

‘A butler?'

He looked like a butler from a foreign movie.

He heard a friendly voice like a teddy bear.

"Director, you must be tired from exercising."

"Uh, yeah…."

"Here's a sports towel."

"Th, thank you."

He took the towel nervously.

Before he could ask why he was here in the morning, the bear stretched out his front paw.

There was a piece of paper.

It said ‘Today's menu for the director'.

Jo Gyuhwan couldn't help but laugh at the flower drawings next to each menu.

‘They're funny kids, anyway.'

He decided to play along and chose Menu A. Then he left to take a shower.

He kept snickering.

After Director Jo left, four heads peeked out from the next room.

The leader asked, "Report, number 3."

"He chose the American breakfast."

They nodded their heads.

Everyone got ready right away.

While Bijoo calmly prepared the food, Woojoo made coffee with the familiar coffee machine.

When Rihyuk followed the robot vacuum cleaner with a blissful expression, Jiho, who had nothing to do, was in charge of keeping watch.

“Oh, he’s coming.”

Before long, Director Jo, who had neatly finished getting ready to go out, came down in a shirt.

He smiled as he saw the members standing side by side next to the dining table.

“Did you all sleep well?”

“Yes, Director. Please eat quickly.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

When Woojoo swiftly pulled out a chair for him, Jo Gyuhwan unknowingly suppressed a laugh that was about to come out.

‘I can’t live like this. Really.’

They seemed to want to express their gratitude, but from his perspective, they were so cute that it was funny.

Jo Gyuhwan’s eyes turned to the plate.

“Oh.”

Sausages and bacon with steaming smoke, fried eggs with yolks that looked like they would burst when touched.

On the side plate, there was a well-cooked toast, and in the cup, there was a coffee with a rich flavor.

‘Not bad, huh?’

At first, he agreed as a joke to match their pace, but the result was not trivial.

‘Let’s see.’

He picked up a neatly arranged fork and stretched it out.

“…”

Five pairs of eyes followed the end of the fork.

“…”

As Jo Gyuhwan reached for the plate, their eyes followed the fork as it moved. They were like cats chasing the movement of a fly.

He coughed and asked, “…Aren’t you going to eat?”

“We’re going to eat after you, Director.”

“Then at least sit down. I feel uncomfortable.”

“Oh, okay.”

He smiled as he watched them sit down one by one.

He took a sip of coffee and asked, “Why were you standing in the first place?”

“I saw it on a drama. When the chairman eats a spoonful, everyone stands like this.”

Jo Gyuhwan chuckled at Woojoo’s absurd answer. Then he ate the breakfast that Bijoo had made.

“Oh.”

It was a sincere exclamation.

“Is it good?”

As if that was a signal, they clenched their fists and said, ‘Wow, it’s good’ to each other.

How their eyes sparkled every time he said it was good.

Thanks to their rich reaction, Jo Gyuhwan said it was delicious every time he took a bite, like a son-in-law who arrived at his in-laws’ house.

When he finished his meal, he said as he sipped his coffee.

“Thanks to you, I had a really good breakfast. Thank you.”

“No, Director.”

Woojoo spoke as the representative.

“We’re grateful to do this for you.”

“I know that, but. Don’t do this from tomorrow morning.”

“But we have to do something for you…”

“It’s okay. You came in here not because I forced you, but because I asked you to, right?”

He smiled softly and looked around the five members.

“So, just relax for a week. That’s why I called you. You got that?”

“Yes, Director.”

“Okay. Then keep that in mind. Oh, by the way, do you want to grill some meat for dinner? Pork belly?”

“Pork belly?”

Junghyun swallowed his saliva as Jo Gyuhwan asked.

“Didn’t you say you couldn’t eat pork belly yesterday?”

“Yes…”

They all had a sad expression on their faces as they remembered the pork belly they couldn’t eat for lunch yesterday.

“I’ll buy some meat when I get off work, so let’s grill some pork belly in the yard.”

“Wow!”

“The President might be able to come too.”

“Wow…!”

“I’ll try to come by myself as much as possible.”

“Wow!”

He tried to keep a straight face, but he couldn’t help laughing at the subtle changes in volume from strong to weak to medium to weak.

Jo Gyuhwan, who was about to get up to do the dishes, was pushed back by the others who stopped him and left with his coat on.

“Have a good day! Boss!”

He waved back at the five people who bowed their heads and said ‘Have a good day!’ at the entrance with a gust of wind.

He kept laughing as he headed to the garage.

‘I laughed so much this morning.’

He didn’t know how many years it had been since he had gone to work with a smile that hurt his cheeks.

Was this why his married friends bragged so much about their daughters and sons?

Then he faintly heard someone shouting.

-Our world is here now!

…What?

He must have heard it wrong.

They moved busily after finishing breakfast.

It was to make the most of the week.

After Woojoo told them that they had to move fast to shake off the bad things.

They came to one conclusion last night.

-Let’s use this time wisely.

Although it was a week-long vacation, it was too precious to waste it on just resting.

Unlike the activity period when they slept for a few hours a day and did things half-asleep.

It was a week that they could spend with a clear mind.

They couldn’t just lie on the sofa and waste it.

They decided to spend their time as productively as possible, no matter what.

Because once this vacation was over, they wouldn’t have this kind of free time for a while.

The schedule for the first quarter of 2015 was hell itself.

There were several variety shows scheduled for January, plus a new competition program launching on PBS.

A new advertising schedule.

And on top of that, the overseas showcase schedule and the idol sports festival recording in early February…

They would be short of bodies even if they used clones.

The schedule was ten times busier than when they finished their first album, but they decided to focus on what was in front of them.

“Hehehe.”

He couldn’t help but laugh every time he saw the machines in the basement studio.

“Puhahaha…”

His face, laughing like a fool, was reflected in the glass window of the recording booth, but he couldn’t control his expression.

It was too good.

“Huhuhu… ahem… huhuh.”

He managed to cough and manage his expression.

He quickly connected his laptop and finished the preparations, then tried to mix different sounds.

“Ah… I love it.”

He shivered at the sound that came out of the high-end speakers.

It might not make a difference to the casual listener, but there was a clear difference in the subtle distinction of the sound.

He smiled contentedly as he looked at the ceiling for a moment.

“Thank you, Director Jo. I’ll use it well.”

Woojoo sent a photo of the equipment that Director Jo had let him use as a thank you, and he received a reply full of laughter.

Woojoo didn’t know what was so funny, but he was glad he was in a good mood.

He briefly caressed the machines with a smile, and then he started working, writing down various notes on A4 paper.

The words written at the top of the memo were as follows:

Next album: Bijoo???

Below that, there were more notes.

It was the plan for the third album.

Some might wonder why he was preparing for the third album right after the second one, but time was tight.

The company had decided to make a comeback in March.

They had to shoot the music video in February at the latest, and of course the song had to be finished before that.

That was why the company was soliciting songs, and he was planning to make a song himself in a week.

“Hmm.”

Woojoo looked at the crowded files in the laptop folder.

They were the ones he had made while working on the second album.

The color of the next album was yellow.

And the member who would be the center was Bijoo.

“What kind of vibe should I go for to make a good song~”

Woojoo muttered to himself as he pressed the keyboard here and there.

But the conclusion was not easy.

Should he go for a more vocal feel like Fireworks, or a dance song like Masquerade?

Bijoo was the main dancer, but he was also good at vocals.

He was second only to me, but that was because Rihyuk and Woojoo were so good. He had enough skills to be a lead vocal anywhere else.

He was a guy who could perform anything perfectly, so he felt ambiguous.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

“It’s me. Hyung.”

As the saying goes, speak of the tiger and he will appear. Bijoo came in with a tray of apple slices.

Woojoo was about to greet him with a smile, but he stopped when he saw the expression on his face.

“Bijoo, did you cry?”

“Ah, yes. A little.”

Bijoo smiled faintly and wiped away the tears in his eyes.

Woojoo looked at him with concern and made him sit next to him.

“What’s wrong? Tell me quickly.”

“I was cooking and watching Harry Potter on my phone. I was watching the last part and…” Bijoo said in a watery voice, “Dobby…”

“Dobby?”

“Yes. Dobby’s ending was so pitiful.”

Poor Dobby, Woojoo chuckled and ate an apple.

He was the only normal one in this group.

Bijoo, who had shown sadness for a while, showed interest in the laptop.

“Are you composing, Hyung?”

“Yeah, you came at the right time. The next album’s color and the center are you, right? So I was trying to make a song…”

“Actually, I came here because of that.”

“…?”

“Wait a minute.”

Bijoo went out and came back with a stack of thick books.

“What is this?”

“These are the books I’ve read since I debuted.”

Woojoo calmly scanned the book titles.

There were also some basic textbooks that Woojoo had seen.

What?

Did he want Woojoo to teach him how to compose? But what he said was something completely different.

“Um… You might find this a bit funny, Hyung, but I’ve been reading and studying a lot on YouTube.”

“Uh-huh. And…?”

“So what I’m trying to say is…” Bijoo asked cautiously, “I want to try making a song too. Can you help me, Hyung?”

“…”

“I know I’m not good at it, but…”

“Bijoo.”

“…Yes?”

“Welcome.”

Woojoo grabbed Bijoo’s hand and smiled brightly enough to show his teeth.

Bijoo flinched at his fervent gaze.

He looked like a zebra being attacked by a lion and roaring, ‘Why are you doing this to me?’

“Hyung, I…”

“Don’t worry. You don’t have to do anything. I’ll help you make a song with the determination to break my bones, so sit down here.”

“That.”

“Hey, don’t back away. Sit down quickly.”

Woojoo smiled brightly at his younger brother who looked doubtful about whether this was really a good idea.

Yes.

He wanted to try making a song once, and Woojoo had to help him with all his strength.