Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 167

167.

“Wow, Jun is the most successful one among us!”

Cha Hamin shouted as we returned after greeting all the staff.

…No, it’s me, Hamin. My bank balance proves it.

“Starring in the most popular movie! You should treat us to a meal!”

The movie hasn’t even been released yet, Hamin. And as the older one, you shouldn’t be getting treated by your younger brother.

“Me too! I want to treat you all too! Today, I’ll prepare a special Fruits World meal for you!”

What is that? The name itself makes me uneasy, damn it.

“Among the people I met today, there was someone who said they could make Fruits World-style food, so I learned from them.”

That’s not treating, that’s making it for us, wait, Jun, you.

“You, have you ever cooked before?”

“I’ve done it a few times a long time ago, so I’m a bit nervous! But I wrote down all the recipes!”

If cooking was just about knowing the recipe, Michelin judges would lose their jobs and all be unemployed. Programs like ‘MaXter Chef Korea’ would become memory contests, and I would win, right?

“Okay. Sounds delicious.”

Still, he’s offering to make it. Ryu Iden hurriedly put his arm around my neck and whispered in my ear.

“No, wait a minute, Donghwa hyung, are you feeling alright?”

“It’s better than what Hamin makes, right?”

I answered carefully so Cha Hamin wouldn’t hear. Cha Hamin has such amazing talent that he makes Seokjun, who is cooking for the first time, have expectations.

“Oh, I guess not. I should just buy something…….”

“Give up, hyung. Jun is too excited.”

Over there, a dinosaur whose happy circuit was overheating, looking like smoke was coming out of its head, was puffing out his nostrils. No one, absolutely no one, can stop Seokjun. We have no choice but to let the dinosaur do what it wants according to the laws of the ecosystem.

“Ah, ah, this is a disaster. Today is the day my tongue gets used for human experimentation.”

“…I’ll take tomorrow morning’s shift.”

“Haa, thank you, Donghwa-nim.”

Leaving Ryu Iden, who was sighing in relief, behind, I made a plan to buy some digestive medicine. I had to force it down so it wouldn’t be left over when I ate Cha Hamin’s food, so I thought it would probably be the same this time. I thought it would be okay now that Cha Hamin had admitted he had no talent for cooking and given up, but this is a disaster.

* * *

That night.

“First of all, it’s not Fruits World, but! Bacon and fried eggs. An appetizer!”

What, why does it look okay? I was very embarrassed. Why does it look appetizing? Why isn’t he bad at cooking?

Immediately, several dishes poured out. What, why is he so good? About three plates of fancy fruit-based dishes were placed on the table. Salad decorated with pickled figs – I decided to skip the question of whether a salad was right as an appetizer – steak with lime juice reduction as a sauce, and cake iced with blueberry cream.

“…You made all of this?”

“I only bought the cake! Look, hyungnim [older brother]! It’s so beautiful! The cocktail we had last time was also very pretty!”

“Wow, our Jun is almost a cooking genius.”

“I have to take a picture and upload it to Xwitter [social media platform]. So the fans can see it too.”

“…Um, there aren’t any weird ingredients in this, right? I heard they have perilla leaf juice at Fruits World.”

The members’ voices were audible, but I was so distracted by the food in front of me that I couldn’t hear them properly. It’s unfamiliar. Does he have a talent for cooking, or was he just very eager to do well? I was thinking that, and behind the admiring members, I quietly picked up a fork.

One bite, the salad is delicious. I cut the meat and dipped it in the sauce, and it’s delicious too. I let out a breath mixed with admiration. Only then did I realize that the members were looking at me with slightly curious eyes.

“Jun.”

“Yes, hyungnim.”

“You made it really well.”

“……Thank-you.”

Murmur, murmur.

“I heard from Seongho that that’s the biggest compliment a T type can give.”

“Wow, I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen Donghwa hyung smile and say something is good.”

“He used to say it to me often, but he didn’t say it to hyung.”

That’s right, you should always be generous with praise for a commendable tutoring student. More than that, what’s a T type?

“I’m so happy that I can eat my favorite food with my favorite people. Also, I’m touched.”

Seokjun smiled tearfully. If it weren’t for that tear mole, he would cry less. It’s a problem that he cries so easily with such a handsome face that his eyes often get swollen.

“Come to think of it, Donghwa hyung seems to show a slightly weak side to Jun hyung, doesn’t he?”

“That’s right, he’s cold, ruthless, and even treats me like a dog.”

“That’s… not true.”

“Iden hyung, isn’t Donghwa not that ruthless of a person?”

Cha Hamin tilted his head and asked, and Ryu Iden pondered something deeply and came to a conclusion.

“…Is he only ruthless to me?”

Ignore. And eat. I was sure that no conversation worth having would take place in front of these delicious foods.

“The meat is well-cooked.”

“…Is that so.”

Seokjun twisted his body like Ryu Iden, as if he was embarrassed. Don’t do that, you’re an adult.

“Oh? Come to think of it, Jun hasn’t had alcohol yet, right?”

“Yes- my father said I should learn- from an adult, so I’m waiting to learn.”

“Oh, that’s a little cute.”

“My first drink was with Donghwa. One of the best prides of my life.”

Well, I think it was one of the worst pains of my life. I really wanted to abandon him and leave.

“You have to learn from your parents soon and then drink with us too. We have to make a collection of embarrassing drinking habits one by one. Later, when we become more successful, we’ll release it to the fans.”

“…That disgrace?”

I was so shocked that my expression frowned without going through my thoughts. I think they would be quite shocked to see me grabbing each of the members and giving them a pre-emptive murder.

“Of course. I’ll even edit the video and upload it. I’ll spend money to make it high quality.”

“Will they still like us then?”

Ryu Iden confidently patted his chest. The way he spoke as if it was natural and to trust him was not convincing at all.

“Of course. First of all, the people who have Donghwa as their profile picture will permanently keep it in their gallery and watch it three times a day.”

That’s a little scary. And if it gets to that point, they’ll memorize all the video content, so is there any point in watching it? They can just play it in their brains.

* * *

After finishing preparing to sleep, instead of sleeping, I sat on the bed and pondered.

I called Seokjun madness, but madness is just a name given to something that cannot be understood. So, I had a hard time understanding Seokjun.

And perhaps if I gave Seokjun another name besides madness, it would be innocence. Watching him genuinely happy while watching the movie today, after watching it, and eating the food that came out in the movie, I realized that the world of a child was in front of me. I don’t know how he managed to maintain the world of a child until that age, it’s a mystery.

There is a world that I cannot understand.

I had already developed the habit of reading my father’s philosophical books when I was young, so I lived a childhood where novels were more familiar than comics, and philosophy was more familiar than novels.

My mother would buy me fairy tales, saying, ‘Children should look at things that are childlike,’ but my father went down the wrong path, so I never thought it was very interesting. The dilemmas in philosophy books were more interesting than the lessons in fairy tales. Of course, I cautiously think that I still had some childishness until then.

However, my parents’ early death took away my time to be childlike, and in order to stand up to society, at least in order to protect Mokwha, I could not stay in the world of a child.

So, I may be looking at Seokjun warmly, as the members say, even while calling him madness. The child who has the world that I don’t think I have, the world that I probably won’t be able to have again even if I spend my whole life, looks quite beautiful.

I must have liked numbers like the passage in ‘The Little Prince’ since I was legally a child. My life as a child was filled with arithmetic like in a novel. Without complicated mathematics, only how much to spend a day, how much I spent, and how much I currently have were important.

So, I have nothing to say because my only dream is to finish my remaining life happily with my family and members.

Seeing me fall into useless worries, this worry will probably just turn into a vague sense of anxiety someday.

“Donghwa, what’s bothering you? Should I give you a tarot reading?”

A crazy sound broke my reverie. The first astrologer rabbit on earth again.

“…I see you’ve finished your tarot studies.”

“Hahaha, now even if our team fails, we can open a small store.”

“No, if you fail, you have to study succession under your father.”

“Hey, that’s been decided as you, right?”

“…It’s decided?”

When on earth.

“Mokwha knows that I’m not the kind of person who can run a company. My father won’t be dissatisfied either. It’s good for both of us if I leave the company in the hands of my best friend.”

Stop saying things that would make my father cry while smiling brightly, no…, maybe he wouldn’t cry.

“Anyway, call me anytime when you have a problem and want to talk about it. I’m a rabbit as you said, so my ears are big.”

That’s right.

“I’ve seen all my embarrassing sides, so you have to show me yours too.”

80% of my life’s dark history happened next to you, what more do I have to show you, you damn rabbit.

* * *

I was finishing up the final arrangement work with the A&R [Artists and Repertoire] team members in the studio. The song itself was finished, but only detailed adjustments remained while considering what concept to use afterwards.

“Wow, this song is good. Donghwa, I heard this was composed based on what Hamin improvised?”

I nodded proudly at a team member’s question. He must have received the energy of the stars from being an astrological rabbit and obtained the melody of God.

“It’s okay. It sounded good during Clubl, the start was good, the excitement was good, but I’m most looking forward to this, the results.”

“If you get first place on the music charts once, Donghwa can treat us to a company dinner.”

“Ah, come to think of it, did you hear about that?”

Perhaps because we had become quite close while working together as work comrades – which is written as slaves and read as graduate students, which has the same meaning – the conversation started easily.

“I heard that a request came in to receive a song from Donghwa.”

“Huh? Really? No, which company would accept a song from a current idol and use it? It’s a bit much to put another celebrity on your own celebrity.”

“Right? I heard it too, and I was a little embarrassed. Donghwa, what about you? If it comes in, will you do it?”

“Um, I’m so physically exhausted that my hands are shaking.”

“Right?”

I can’t even take care of myself, so there’s no way I have the energy to clean up after someone else.

“But it’s a little disappointing. That company is quite big.”

Unfortunately, I am not a capitalist human being who succumbs to the size of the company. I am a native primitive who values health more in order not to die, so I do not want more money unless my life is in danger.

“Where is it?”

“It’s Dioni Entertainment.”

……Mokwha?