Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 356

Chae Hamin pondered as he walked onto the stage. Was it because he had known Ji Dong-hwa for so long? His mind, once a garden of flowers, now felt overgrown with trees and teeming with animals, and he would often get lost in thought.

This job is sometimes surprising. More precisely, our group is surprising.

The standard lifespan of an idol group is generally considered to be seven years. It’s common for groups that have gained some popularity to face difficulties during the contract renewal period; hence the term ‘the seven-year curse’.

So, we’ve really come this far.

Everyone has released a solo album, and the proportion of individual activities is also increasing, but they still live in the same house.

Even Chae Hamin, the largest shareholder of Silver Town [likely referring to their entertainment company or living space], was once filled with the childish hope of ‘Let’s all live here!’ but now, looking around, he realized that it wasn’t an easy thing to do.

Being close is relatively easy to see, but continuing to live together as a group is close to a miracle. And that’s all because of…

“…What are you doing here, Hamin?”

Because of the curse that guy cast.

Ji Dong-hwa, standing in front of the stage, holding an album tightly in both hands, looked up. He asked in a tone that seemed to see right through the hat, mask, and sunglasses, as if they weren’t even there.

A person who makes things happen as he says, or a person who makes things happen as he wants.

Now I know. Ji Dong-hwa always does his best to make things work out as he intends, and he uses every possible means. He’s probably working hard behind the scenes, taking care of each member one by one.

“I’m a fan!”

Chae Hamin whispered and sat down, and Ji Dong-hwa asked.

“Was the coffee truck not enough for you?”

Even as he said that, he was smiling broadly, clearly in a good mood.

“What do you mean…”

“…Hmm.”

A short nod. Then he smiled and took the album.

“I’ve never seen your face before.”

A signal that he was willing to play along. Chae Hamin was slightly excited and took off his hat, sunglasses, and mask. Cheers erupted from behind.

“Ah, yes! I just became a fan recently.”

“May I ask what the reason was?”

“I like the song. You write the music yourself!”

Normally, he would frown when praised, but not this time.

As expected, he’s different with his fans, Ji Dong-hwa!

“…I’m embarrassed.”

“Even though I became a fan late, I’ve looked through all your past activities.”

Ji Dong-hwa stopped signing and looked up.

“Yes.”

“I think you’ve suffered the most, hyung [Korean term for older brother or older male friend],”

“…What.”

Ji Dong-hwa chuckled, failing to immerse himself in the situation. He finished signing and handed it over.

Chae Hamin hugged it to his chest as if it were precious, acting like the other fans.

“I mean it.”

“…I know.”

Then he picked up a pen and tapped the desk.

“You ignorantly don’t know the hardships I’ve been through.”

It was always like this. Ji Dong-hwa stubbornly denied that his hardships were the ‘most’.

He said it was strange to prioritize them when everyone was working as a team. He doesn’t want his efforts to be recognized.

Thanks to Ji Dong-hwa, all the members worked hard without paying much attention to the size of the crumbs falling in front of them [meaning they didn’t focus on small rewards or recognition].

Is there anyone among the members who doesn’t know? Even Seok Jun-jo, who is the slowest to catch on, would know.

Besides, having either Ji Dong-hwa or Ryu Iden by their side automatically stabilizes their uneasy feelings. Even Ryu Iden is psychologically dependent on Ji Dong-hwa, so Dong-hwa must be suffering the most.

What to do, really. Repaying his kindness has become endlessly distant again. Even Ji Dong-hwa, who sometimes said with reddened ears, ‘What kindness between friends?’ couldn’t help it.

“Thank you for the autograph, hyung!”

At the end, Chae Hamin got up from his seat, bowed his head, and left for the backstage.

How can I repay him, really.

Chae Hamin thought of Elder Hwayang as he walked backstage.

It’s not for nothing that he’s the son of a chaebol [Korean term for a wealthy family conglomerate] family. He was now old enough to understand the story of the elder who accumulated wealth based on information.

He couldn’t just frown at the immorality of holding onto other people’s weaknesses, as he himself had grown quite a bit thanks to Dong-hwa. Once, the two of them had dinner at his father’s introduction, and at that time, he said.

‘I don’t know why he uses what he learned from me in such a strange way.’

Calculating everything, from intonation and tone to the selection of words, is common in politics.

Creating an atmosphere that puts pressure on the other person and making them spit out what they want is all done through words.

Ji Dong-hwa is said to have learned those things while knowing Elder Hwayang.

‘If you want to move others, their weaknesses are the best.’

And Ji Dong-hwa is said to have used that talent to bestow kindness. Giving kindness to those in trouble, and making them work for him on their own.

Elder Hwayang speculated that it might be intentional, but Chae Hamin thought it was innate. Even Ji Dong-hwa in the past, who had a fierce temper, ended up eating all the mushroom pork cutlet.

In the backstage, Bong-ju, who seemed nervous, was taking deep breaths, preparing for the stage.

He had rushed over at the teacher’s suggestion that he wanted to perform this stage at the fan signing event.

Here’s another kid who’s receiving kindness and working for Dong-hwa first!

“Wow! Bong-ju!”

Chae Hamin’s lips trembled with a sense of kinship. He lowered his voice and called out, and Bong-ju smiled brightly and approached.

“Hamin hyung!”

“I heard you were coming, so I was going to watch you perform!”

Hamin hugged Bong-ju tightly. He had been by his side like an uncle since he was young, so it was ingrained in him.

“When did you grow up so much?”

At this point, he’s about the same height as Dong-hwa. I see him about once a year, but he’s grown so much…

“I’m sometimes surprised every morning too.”

“Yeah, grow up more and crush Dong-hwa.”

“…Um, is that okay?”

“It’s not something you can control, so it should be fine, right?”

He ruffled his hair once and let go.

He’s seen him wearing a suit every time he went to the competition with Dong-hwa, but as he got older, the clothes looked better on him. Chae Hamin, who was famous for his fashion sense, straightened his collar and patted his shoulder.

“Bong-ju, we’ll get you on standby.”

In response, Chae Hamin put his hands together and shouted, “Fighting!” [A Korean expression of encouragement, like “Go!”]

“Don’t be nervous!”

“Yes!”

Should I start a campaign to repay Ji Dong-hwa’s kindness?

Chae Hamin pondered as he sent Bong-ju to the stage.

No, but how do I repay him? Ji Dong-hwa is the worst as a creditor. Just when you think you’ve paid it all back, he adds interest and puts a new debt on you.

Our Dong-hwa has so many sins.

* * *

After the performance, I handed Bong-ju a water bottle next to me.

“How was it?”

“I’ve only done classical performances. I was embarrassed because it was my first time with cheers and shouts, but it was surprisingly exciting.”

“I see.”

There seems to be an enthusiasm that cannot be conveyed with applause alone, Ji Dong-hwa just smiled at the words that followed.

It’s just a difference in culture, but the emotion you feel on your stage will be at a similar level.

Chae Hamin was handing Bong-ju cookies, smiling contentedly.

He really looked like an uncle, but because he looked like an idol, it wasn’t a very friendly sight. It felt more like watching a parenting show.

“How can you play the piano so well?”

“It’s all thanks to the teacher, hyung.”

Why am I the teacher and he’s the hyung? Just because I know all the reasons doesn’t mean I can accept the truth. In reality, there are often people who get angry when you point out the truth.

“That’s right. How should we repay Dong-hwa’s kindness?”

Chae Hamin, who was sitting next to him and eating cookies with him, muttered.

“That’s right, I sometimes feel suffocated.”

“Me too! He always says he’s okay, and even if I say I’ll do something for him, he says he’s okay. How sad am I.”

“It’s the teacher’s bad habit.”

“Ha, they say you have to fix your habits by the age of three…”

What are you doing, you 망할 [Manghal – a Korean slang word, meaning ‘damn’ or ‘cursed’] Hamin. Don’t say strange things to Bong-ju.

Since he was called a teacher, he had to show the right attitude, so Ji Dong-hwa quietly left him to do as he pleased.

“So I was thinking, should we hold a banquet for Dong-hwa’s birthday?”

“A banquet?”

“When you go to overseas universities, don’t they have parties and stuff? Something like that.”

That’s a false fantasy that only appears in American teen dramas. It’s like the male lead is about to fall in love with the female lead’s glamorous appearance.

Unfortunately, we don’t have a female lead, and we don’t have a male lead either.

“Everyone gathers and gives a presentation on the gifts they bought for Dong-hwa.”

“Oh…”

A short exclamation. In response, Chae Hamin continued, as if he had received encouragement.

“Not as good as Bong-ju, but I also learned the violin when I was young. I’ll practice and play it for him after a long time. I’ll also do a duet with Bong-ju.”

“…I’m sorry about that. My ears are, well, a bit sensitive.”

Even though he heard the sentence, ‘Your performance must be trash, so I don’t want to pollute my ears,’ Chae Hamin still smiled brightly.

His unwavering figure, unaffected by anything, was like a general.

“Even if you can’t listen to it, it’ll be okay if you play it with gratitude for Dong-hwa.”

It’s not okay, you’re definitely out of your mind.

Ji Dong-hwa glared at Chae Hamin as if he were watching a human being who would go next to a child who was enjoying classical music and play heavy metal, saying, ‘Children should grow up actively!’

Heavy metal is a genre that only certain people can enjoy, it’s closer to a revelation, and Chae Hamin’s violin is probably on par with that.

However, Bong-ju seemed impressed for a moment and exclaimed again.

“That’s right, in fact, emotion is the most important thing in music.”

“To bring out the emotion, you need to have the skills to back it up.”

Ji Dong-hwa immediately taught him the harsh reality. Music filled with emotion without skill is not very beautiful.

Then Bong-ju nodded. That’s right, agreement followed.

“There are emotions that overwhelm even skill. Like singing a song after losing a lover…”

However, Chae Hamin added another unnecessary remark. This time too, Bong-ju nodded.

That’s definitely true too. Emotions of a size that cannot be controlled are definitely!

“My gratitude to you is too insignificant to compare to that level of emotion.”

Ji Dong-hwa didn’t give up and added a rebuttal.

However, this time Bong-ju tilted his head as if he were puzzled. Is that so? A question followed.

No, I’m not dead, so what sentence here is there to be puzzled about.

Ji Dong-hwa was dumbfounded. If they were having that conversation after he died, he would agree wholeheartedly, but he’s standing on two feet.

“No, the gratitude I have for Dong-hwa is so great that it’s overwhelming.”

Chae Hamin lowered his voice like a devil, whispering with a gentle and kind face.

As if teaching him that expressing that much gratitude is a really important thing.

“…That’s right, it’s really like that, hyung.”

Like a believer who heard the voice of God, Bong-ju blankly exclaimed.

“Then shall we have a banquet together to thank Dong-hwa?”

“Wow, it sounds great just imagining it.”

“Since Bong-ju wants to do it this much, there’s no way Dong-hwa won’t come, right?”

Chae Hamin was still smiling brightly. However, Ji Dong-hwa was speechless.

So, he knew that he wouldn’t come even if he asked him to come, so he seduced Bong-ju.

When did he start planning this? Surely not today.

His rabbit-like face and gentle personality haven’t changed fundamentally, but as he gets older, he’s becoming more and more skilled at handling Ji Dong-hwa.

“…Ha, when is it? Do you know Bong-ju’s vacation period?”

“There’s not much you can’t do with money, Dong-hwa. We can do it as early as tomorrow?”

Chae Hamin shook his cell phone once, briefly.

I don’t know what scale he’s thinking of for the banquet, but since Chae Hamin himself declared that he would ‘spend money,’ it was clear that it would be dazzling.

“…Hamin.”

“Huh!”

“Don’t play the violin.”

Ji Dong-hwa handed Bong-ju a drink.

Bong-ju was embarrassed because he kept getting food in between, but he took it and took a sip first.

“…Okay.”

Chae Hamin handed Bong-ju a cookie again, as if he were a little disappointed.

This time too, Bong-ju quietly accepted it.