Come Back

Part 5

The time past midnight. In a rented practice studio in Gangnam, the choreography practice for “Layered” was in full swing.

It was less than a week until the release of the new single. Due to the busy schedule, they had to practice the choreography late at night and in the early morning after finishing their schedules. The remaining time was tight, and because of that, the leader, Choi Hong-seo, became anxious.

“One and two and three and four…” Throwing, spinning… Five, six… Youngju, you’re out of sync… Yeongju, the rhythm.

Through the mirror in front of him, Choi Hong-seo’s gaze was serious as he observed the members’ movements. Seemingly not very satisfied, Choi Hong-seo frowned and continued with the rhythm.

“Five, six…” Turn and ending.

He had already practiced the song from beginning to end more than twenty times that night alone. However, since the desired level of perfection was not achieved, Choi Hong-seo’s expression was not very good.

Roughly brushing back her sweat-soaked hair, Choi Hong-seo stood up from her kneeling position and turned in front of the mirror.

“Young-ju, focus on practicing the rhythm part we just did.” Don’t try to go fast; focus on mastering each movement perfectly, step by step. Then, even if the speed increases, the movements won’t get muddled up, you know? Young-ju, please take care of Tae-joo. The rest will be repetitive practice with me.

“Hyung, let’s get some sleep.” You’ve only been getting two hours of sleep a day for the past few days. That’s why I’m so out of it and making mistakes.

A member named Youngju grumbled and rebelled.

“Sleeping in the car, sleeping while waiting, and even sleeping in the shop.”

“Is sleeping like that really sleeping?”

“The release of the new song is less than a week away.” During this time, it’s not just us; don’t you know everyone is preparing intensely? We’ve just started to do a little better, and if we can’t show something with this song, we’ll slip again. Do you want to end up like that?

“……”

Perhaps recalling the years of struggle in obscurity, Youngju did not resist any further. Choi Hong-seo patted Young-joo’s bottom.

“There’s less than a week left.” Let’s hang in there a little longer. Think about how we made it this far. Huh?

Still wearing a dissatisfied expression, Choi Hong-seo, who had been observing Yeong-ju’s back as he turned towards the mirror, clapped loudly and raised his voice to lighten the mood.

“Let’s practice separately and then check a video in about 30 minutes.” If it works out well then, we can go home!

“Is it real, bro?”

“Really!” Promise.

After drinking water and putting it down on the floor, Choi Hong-seo closed his eyes for a moment and staggered. One of the members who was watching approached with a worried expression and grabbed Choi Hong-seo’s arm.

“What’s wrong?” Dizzy?

“No.”

“Not at all.” Your lips are all white and swollen right now. You have a cold, right?

Choi Hong-seo turned his head and ran away, trying to escape from the member’s hand reaching for his forehead.

“This is nothing like a cold.” I haven’t been able to rest properly lately, so I’m just not feeling well. You don’t know that I’m in good shape?

“How can someone who gets sick every time they release a new song have good stamina?” Even if I’m not feeling well, I just tough it out.

Another member stepped in and dragged Choi Hong-seo to the sofa at the back, forcefully pushing down on his shoulder.

“We’ll handle it ourselves, so you just sit tight.” I’ll let you know when we’re ready. You can just let it go then.”

Choi Hong-seo, who was about to decline by saying he was fine, changed his mind. He denied it, but in fact, he had a slight fever since the afternoon. It was also true that I would get sick every time a new song was released. What kind of reaction I would get, being the sensitive type, there was never a time when it went smoothly without any issues.

I told the manager separately to avoid making the members anxious and took the medicine, but it didn’t seem to have much effect. Pretending to wipe my sweat, I touched my forehead and cheek, and it seemed like my fever had gotten a bit worse.

I realized that stubbornly holding on wasn’t the only answer. If I overdo it now and end up collapsing when the actual activities start, it would be pointless. Choi Hong-seo sat on the sofa as the members suggested. However, she watched the practice nervously, unable to lean her back against the backrest.

Clatter. Clatter.

The phones gathered over there by the sofa vibrated. Without thinking, he turned around and saw that it was his own phone.

Choi Hong-seo, who had been staring at the flickering screen for a moment, reached out towards the phone. Because they had already exchanged pleasantries with Lee Hae-seong due to practice, the call at this hour was not welcome.

But fortunately, the sender of the message was ‘Carrot Seller.’ It wasn’t just the message that had just arrived. There were several messages from the ‘carrot seller’ who had said goodnight in advance and mentioned going to bed to avoid interrupting practice.

Carrot seller: Oh no. I can’t sleep (12:04 AM)

Carrot Seller: I can’t sleep thinking about the baby practicing while sweating (12:06 AM)

Carrot seller: Can I just go over and see your face for a moment? (12:32 AM)

Carrot Seller: I won’t interrupt your practice, I’ll just come by to see your face for 10 minutes during break time (12:34 AM)

Carrot seller: I really think I could fall asleep in just 10 minutes (12:35 AM)

Carrot Seller: Coincidentally, the practice room is only a 7-minute drive from our house? (12:41 AM)

Carrot Seller: If I check the message, I think they’ll tell me not to come, so I’ll just head out (1:03 AM)

Carrot seller: Arrived near the practice room (1:15 AM)

Carrot Seller: Not near the convenience store, but on the opposite side. I parked it in front of the cafe. I’ll do the driving^^ (1:17 AM)

Carrot Seller: I bought some snacks for the members, so check this during your break and give me a call (1:18 AM)

Carrot seller: Aren’t you going to get scolded for coming without permission?  (1:31 AM)

Carrot Seller: Uncle, I’m trembling while waiting (01:33 AM).

While checking the series of messages that had arrived with a time gap, Choi Hong-seo’s face unknowingly softened. By the time he read the last message, he had to bury his face deeply into the back of the sofa and cover his mouth with a towel to hide the grin that was leaking out.

Though he had never been in a relationship before, if this were his old self, he would have probably gotten angry, just as Lee Seong was worried, and would have chased him away. Around the time of a new song release, Choi Hong-seo was at his most sensitive, and he usually solved his sleep deprivation by taking short naps and would try to extend his practice time by even just a few more minutes.

But he wasn’t angry.

Not only was he not angry, but reading his messages made it feel like his fever was cooling down and his body felt lighter. He wanted to rush out and meet him right away, his body practically twitching with the urge to go.

Then… the back seat, no… if I sit in the passenger seat…

Choi Hong-seo’s hand, which had been typing a quick reply, suddenly froze. It was because he noticed his reflection in the mirror across from him.

Ah… I had been so excited about the thought of seeing him, even if just for a moment, that I had completely forgotten about my appearance.

He wasn’t the type to bother with looking good in the practice room unless he was filming a Dance Practice video for fans. As long as the clothes allowed him to check his dance lines and move freely, that was all that mattered.

In his usual worn-out Vans Old Skool sneakers, loose training pants, a baggy t-shirt, and round glasses, his appearance was a mess, especially with sweat dripping down his face.

Choi Hong-seo lifted the chest area of his t-shirt and sniffed. It didn’t seem to smell bad, but he still felt self-conscious.

What should I do, should I just tell him to go back…

Chewing on his lip, Choi Hong-seo tightly gripped his phone.

He didn’t want to tell him to leave. It was the same for him—he also wanted to see him, even if only for a moment, and he didn’t want to just send him away after coming all the way here.

*《Then, if I sit in the passenger seat, will that be okay?》*

He finished typing the rest of the message and sent it, then began rummaging through his large sports bag, which he always carried to practice. He pulled out a zip-up hoodie and threw it on, pressing the hood down over his head.

His manager, who had been watching him, quietly approached. The senior manager, who had stayed behind to supervise the practice and take him back to the dorm afterward, asked,

“Why? Where are you going?”

“Just for a moment. I’ll be outside.”

“Go together. There are fans waiting outside.”

“You don’t have to. Someone’s… already here. I just… want to see them for a bit… in the car.”

“Is it the vice president?”

Choi Hong-seo, who had been mumbling while rubbing the back of his neck, reluctantly nodded in agreement.

The senior manager was aware of Vice President Lee Seong of ARA. While he didn’t know exactly what kind of relationship Choi Hong-seo and Lee Seong had, he knew that Lee Seong had shown interest in both Choi Hong-seo and the group “Layered.” No one would believe that an idol and a chaebol family member could build a genuine friendship. The manager might even have viewed their relationship the same way as CEO Myung—perhaps seeing it as a sponsor relationship or one in which Lee Seong was “testing the waters” to establish one. If Lee Seong came to visit or wanted to meet Hong-seo, it was probably the CEO’s orders to cooperate.

It was frustrating, but Choi Hong-seo had no intention of explaining to them that they were in a romantic relationship. To him, they were essentially enemies, and there was no reason to divulge his situation to them. If he told them that Lee Seong genuinely cared about him and loved him, and that they were in a relationship, they wouldn’t believe it anyway.

“Then, let’s call it a day for practice,” the manager said.

“No, we can’t stop now! I’ll just be down for a minute,” Choi Hong-seo snapped, irritated, as they hadn’t even practiced for two hours yet.

“The kids haven’t been sleeping properly for days. You can’t just push your own desires. Since Vice President Lee Seong is here, you should call it a day, go home, and get some rest. The others will be dropped off at the dorm in about 30 minutes,” the manager replied firmly.

The manager took the lead, heading out to drop Choi Hong-seo off.