Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 181

“Hyung, is the food almost ready?”

Lee Hyun-jae approached and asked as soon as the food was nearly done.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll set the table.”

What are the others even doing?

Ding―!

[And, uniquely.]

Seriously, that damned Base-born. Why do you start talking and then stop?

[Um, I’m a little annoyed, so I’m being mischievous. This is a secret.]

To make me curious with information I can never know, you’re a truly awful person.

The Base-born turned off the monitor and looked at the fox robot.

“Um, what should I name you?”

He had already named Jawa (dog), Star (rabbit), and Wiz (dinosaur), but he couldn’t come up with a name for the remaining fox. As an aside, Jawa was named without much thought at first, and the other two were nicknamed based on the most noticeable words from the monitoring.

“Squeak?”

The fennec fox tilted its head, making a fox-like sound. So cute. Well made.

“What should I call you? Names are really important.”

Names are important enough that some people give nicknames to the trees they grow. It’s like that even for creatures without intelligence like trees, so I definitely want to give them to these guys, even if they’re artificial but intelligent.

Lee Hyun-jae, Lee Hyun-jae.

The only person I’ve met outside of the monitor. Of course, it was only when I was in my thirties that I met him for the first time. Someone who loved my work so much. A crazy bastard who came to me under the guise of research and just kept drinking tea silently.

I remember coldly telling him that his admiration was irrational because I was emotionally dry at the time. Little did I know that literary people quite love irrationality.

So, was it then?

The sound of someone pounding on the door like crazy echoed, and beyond it was Lee Hyun-jae.

‘Hyung, stop with the delusions and come outside.’

That Seoul dialect was still there.

‘The space-time is this and that. I’m scared you’re going to die if you keep doing that?’

And I was just silently turning the pages.

‘Let’s go apologize together. How many times do I have to say it?’

It was so noisy that I told him to go back through the intercom.

‘Ah, really, it’s driving me crazy. I don’t think there’s anyone in the world as stupid as you? I’ll come back after my lecture tomorrow, so just wait. What are you, a child…….’

Saying that, Lee Hyun-jae would slam the door and leave.

I allowed him to read the books in my house, and Lee Hyun-jae inadvertently read my diary. So, he knew what the intention of my research was.

He couldn’t understand the Base-born, but he was afraid that one of the few people he could call a friend was falling apart, so he tried to get him out of the door somehow.

Back then, Lee Hyun-jae was quite sharp compared to now, and he did all sorts of crazy things. Perhaps it was because, unlike now, he had suffered all kinds of hardships while breaking free from his parents’ grasp.

Come to think of it, he became a full professor in his thirties, so he’s not a sane person either. How smart is he, really?

Yeah, come to think of it, the point when those bastards tried to bring me here too.

‘Should I just… do as Hyun-jae says?’

It was around the time I had that thought. Those damned things, I can’t stand them being helpful in my life. I hope when I come back, some part of their body isn’t working properly.

“…I just want to call you Hyun-jae, is that okay?”

The fox silently nodded and went down gracefully, curling up at the Base-born’s feet. It’s just like him. Starting with being silent.

The Base-born smiled brightly, happy to see the four animals. It seems like it’s the first time he’s smiled so brightly since coming here.

* * *

Lee Hyun-jae entrusted me with the preliminary score sheet.

“…You’re not doing it yourself?”

“I thought you might have a mental breakdown when you saw it. We’re going to start preparing for the year-end stage right away.”

“Then shouldn’t I not see it either?”

“You’re not the type to have a mental breakdown because my score is high or low, are you?”

I guess not. I nodded and went into the room. I’m subtly nervous. I’ve tutored students before, but Lee Hyun-jae has surpassed being a simple tutoring student. I feel like I’ve partially experienced Rousseau’s educational theory from Emile [Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s philosophical treatise on education], so maybe it’s because he’s like a child to me.

“Dong-hwa, are you going to grade it?”

“Yeah, go away.”

It’s a sacred ritual that must be performed alone.

“Hey, I have some sense. What do you take me for?”

A beast.

Anyway, I turned on my laptop and opened the answer sheet PDF file. Um, yeah, it’ll be okay.

I took a deep breath and tried to start grading.

“I said go away.”

Don’t peek, Ha-min. You weren’t really interested in Lee Hyun-jae’s grades in the first place. You’re trying your best to pretend you’re not interested now, but it’s all obvious. You’re going to be doing a cameo in a drama this time, so manage your expression properly.

“Ah… I’m curious.”

“Hyun-jae told me to look at it alone.”

He never said that, but.

“Ah, really? Then I can’t help it……. I should have tutored Hyun-jae too…….”

Well, dreams are meant to be big, so I’ll cheer you on.

I chased Chae Ha-min away and started grading again. …Um, what is this? He did pretty well. If it’s this good, wouldn’t he think, ‘What, was the test easy only for me’ after the test?

It’s not like he got everything right, but they say the difficulty of the SAT [Scholastic Aptitude Test, a standardized test for college admissions in South Korea] these days isn’t easy. So, wouldn’t this be pretty good?

I checked the final score and nodded.

Well, he’s not going to Korea University. He got too many wrong compared to my SAT score. Considering that the philosophy department had leftover spots back then, this is… a shame.

But it’s clear that he can aim for a top-tier university. Um, but should I tell him this or not? He’ll be a little disappointed when the report card comes out anyway, so should I give him a preemptive shot…….

I stopped thinking and put the preliminary score sheet and the grading results into the shredder ―Chae Ha-min gave it to me as a gift, saying it was a shame to cut them one by one.― and turned it on. Become a secret that no one knows.

I went to the living room, and Lee Hyun-jae subtly glanced at me. Unfortunately, I have no intention of giving any hints about the score, so I maintained a blank expression.

“Ah, really, you’re sometimes mean, Hyung. I can see why you have so few friends.”

“That’s harsh.”

“It’ll be okay because it’s less harsh than you are to me.”

“Are you swearing at yourself internally about three times a day?”

“I do it about three times a day.”

“Oh…….”

What should I say, in this case? I need a tutor myself. I should just tell him about my experiences.

“Three times a day is a good amount.”

Lee Hyun-jae pursed his lips and then opened them at my words.

“Oh……. Please teach me what to say in these situations, Hyung.”

“I need to learn too, should I buy a book?”

“Um, should we look up something like ‘adult conversations’?”

“Yeah.”

I could only smile.

And that night, while fiddling with the computer in the studio, I frowned while watching the news about the difficulty of the SAT.

[This year’s SAT is the most difficult ever……, Korean language 1st grade cut is in the 80s, a major variable in college entrance]

I carefully thought about Lee Hyun-jae’s score that I had memorized and realized.

‘…He did well!’ Oh my god, what should I do? I should have hugged him and rejoiced with him as soon as I went out. I missed the timing. It’s awkward to mention it separately now, this is a big problem. What should I do?

And when I confirmed that, the sound of knocking followed. Maybe it’s because I’ve become sensitive to sounds, but I can easily predict who it is now. It’s the tutoring student who took the SAT today.

“Hyung, are you planning on staying up all night tonight?”

“Yeah.”

But what are you doing here instead of sleeping? Even though our dorm is close to the company.

“Let’s have a coffee time for the first time in a while. We can’t do it in the dorm.”

Lee Hyun-jae sat on the sofa and fiddled with the coffee machine. Lee Hyun-jae bought it during his first settlement [first payment received], and said it was a gift for me, but no matter how I look at it, it’s a self-satisfaction item.

“…You’re not telling me my score because it’s low?”

While watching the coffee pouring out with a ding, Lee Hyun-jae asked in a low voice.

“I kept my promise because you told me not to tell you.”

I took the coffee cup and took a sip. Um, delicious. Coffee is the best when staying up all night.

“Knowing your personality, Hyung, you would have thrown the promise to the dogs if my score was good.”

“Why give it to Ryu Eden (dog) [reference to a previous joke about giving away social skills].”

Lee Hyun-jae smiled and then slowly faded, looking dejected as if his mood had sunk.

“Anyway, I’m just going to try to accept it. It’s shameless to hope for a good score. I did work hard, but I probably didn’t do as much as the other test takers…….”

You’re shameless.

“Actually… it doesn’t even make sense.”

It doesn’t make sense.

“Right?”

“Yeah.”

You said all the right things, Hyun-jae. You’re a shameless and nonsensical person.

Lee Hyun-jae drank the coffee and nodded. So, when should I tell him? It’s a little difficult. Looking at his subtly smiling face, I didn’t know what to do.

“…But, I’m a little disappointed! It’s the first time in my life I’ve studied on my own.”

The more he talks, the more it seems like a boast. I need to stop him quickly. If he makes such a statement on the W app [likely a social media app] later and his score is revealed late, it will inevitably become controversial.

“By the way, Hyun-jae.”

“Yes.”

“We’re going to be attending the same university, how do you feel about that?”

“Haha, Hyung, really. What nonsense.”

Lee Hyun-jae sipped his coffee while laughing. Silence fell heavily, and Lee Hyun-jae slowly turned his head towards me. Shock slowly spread across his face like a drop of paint in water. Yeah, it’s a surprising story.

“Wait a minute. Is it real?”

“I don’t know exactly, but it seems like a score that would be good enough to pass.”

I took another sip of coffee and waited for Lee Hyun-jae to say the next words. He’d probably cheer with joy, laugh as if he expected it, or sigh in relief.

But as time passed, there was no particular reaction from him.

Um, say something, Hyun-jae.

Contrary to expectations, about ten seconds of awkward silence filled the studio, and even I, who had given my social skills to Ryu Eden (dog), couldn’t stand it.

Turning my eyes, Lee Hyun-jae was frozen in the same position, just staring blankly at me. What are you looking at, you fox. I pretended to be nonchalant and lifted the coffee cup to block Lee Hyun-jae’s face from my view.

“…Hwaa.”

Um, it’s a crying sound. Someone must be crying.

…Wait, crying?

I put down the coffee cup. Lee Hyun-jae’s face was revealed beyond it. Tears were flowing down Lee Hyun-jae’s face, which I hadn’t seen since the survival show. Why are you crying, Hyun-jae. My social skills are not enough to deal with people’s tears. Comfort is not my major.

“Hwaa, hwa, I, tell, me, a little, earlier.”

I didn’t know either. I thought you failed.

“I was, worried, all, night, hwaa, and, came, because, I was sorry, to Hyung!”

It’s not something to be sorry about even if you failed, Hyun-jae.