Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 366

The cat remained utterly indifferent, tapping the rabbit’s soft belly beside it, creating a strange, resonating vibration.

“No matter how many times I hear it, it’s still nonsense. We were all genuinely worried about your mental health back then.”

Ji Dong-hwa closed his book, gently stroking the fox who had been eagerly awaiting Simba’s story.

Pleased by the warm touch, the fox closed its eyes and smiled contentedly.

“…Even though you’re different, you’re still fundamentally the same person.”

“I’m definitely different, but I’m not entirely sure if I’m the same.”

The same… Even as life shifts and everything transforms, his core nature remains. Isn’t his current eagerness for affection proof enough?

The fox, with its surprisingly insightful mind, concluded: …Then, isn’t this even better? Two of the people I respect. Twice the quantity, and more than twice the quality, right?

“…Don’t think such strange things.”

“It’s the truth!”

What surprised Ji Dong-hwa most was the immediate sharing of thoughts and emotions. Even before arriving here, he could sense the members’ thoughts to some extent, but this was on an entirely different level – a form of telepathy.

He struggled to adjust at first, but now it was a relief.

“Hwa, my tummy hurts.”

“Bear with it, you rabbit bastard.”

Even amidst such banter, the underlying understanding – that he wasn’t truly in pain and would stop if it became unbearable – was clearly perceived. It was a bizarre situation, yet no one complained.

Initially, he had offered, “I’ll get rid of it altogether if you’re uncomfortable,” but they responded, “It’s more uncomfortable without it.” It seemed innate to them, as natural as breathing.

He personally believed that keeping secrets was beneficial for development, but he couldn’t disregard their inherent nature. He had no choice but to adapt.

“Shall we take a break and read more?”

Ji Dong-hwa suggested, retrieving another book – a custom-made notebook for observing the base-borns [a term referring to the original personalities or forms of the individuals] anytime, anywhere. Its notebook form allowed for easy concealment in an inside pocket.

“Are you going to see what they’re doing?”

“Yeah, shall we watch together?”

Ji Dong-hwa picked up the book with the fox still nestled inside and placed it on his lap.

The fox’s hind legs and rear were stuck within the book, hindering its movement.

Extracting the fox, who was sleeping soundly on the cover of the book he had first seen in the light, was no easy task, but he aimed to extract them all if possible.

“I’m good now.”

Smiling with half-closed eyes, the fox was undeniably cute, reinforcing why it was classified as a canine animal.

Because all dogs except Ryu Iden are cute. Including Ryu, who is sitting next to him and faithfully waiting for him.

“Do you want to watch too, Ryu?”

The dog responded with the same smile as the fox and climbed up beside him. Being the largest of the animals, he took up a considerable amount of space on the sofa.

…Excessively cute. How could the base-borns harbor such creatures and still devise such schemes?

* * *

Korea University, Department of Early Childhood Education, Ji Dong-hwa. Looking at the student ID, annoyance resurfaced.

All the knowledge he had accumulated over the years… how did he even manage it?

He inserted the student ID card into the card reader. Sweet potato cheese cutlet – he was grateful to know that it was the closest thing to actual food among the offerings from the Living Cooperative cafeteria near Jahayeon [a lake on the Korea University campus].

“Dong-hwa, Dong-hwa.”

Chae Ha-min, already seated with his meal, waved and called him over.

Braised salmon – if he remembered correctly, that was something you shouldn’t even call food. Perhaps Chae Ha-min’s real target was the accompanying salad.

Even in casual attire, compared to stage costumes, Chae Ha-min’s style was quite flamboyant. Most students in the dance department wore comfortable clothes for practical training, but he seemed to enjoy dressing up. The department jacket further emphasized his freshman status.

“…What.”

“Is your body okay? You had a cold.”

Perhaps he wasn’t dressing up enough. Unlike Ji Dong-hwa, he had lived a life where he didn’t need to dress up for too long, so he only wore white t-shirts and black pants, and thanks to that, his sense of beauty is all dead.

He avoided wearing the department jacket, as it screamed, “I’m a Korea University student!” Instead, he opted for a checkered shirt, slightly oversized jeans, and an unremarkable cardigan he had bought from who-knows-where.

…If I wear glasses here, I’m definitely a nerd.

“I was fine.”

It had been about a year since he started living this life. He had adapted to some extent, but he still found it hard to believe he was a college student.

Chae Ha-min took a bite of the braised salmon and frowned. He regretted not warning him in advance, but since he wouldn’t be able to eat much anyway due to weight management, he should buy him a drink on the way back.

Dance and Early Childhood Education – normally, there shouldn’t be any interaction, but for some reason, two liberal arts classes overlapped. Both were even scheduled for the second period before lunch.

As a result, he had ended up eating lunch with this guy for four days a week – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday – since the first semester.

The relationship that began when he was picked up after collapsing in the classroom and taken to the hospital had continued thanks to the overlapping lunch times. Now, it had become natural for them to coordinate their schedules and eat together.

No matter how he looked at it, he could only see it as Ji Dong-hwa’s dog-like behavior.

Damn Ji Dong-hwa, pushing me to get close.

But usually, don’t you eat with people from your department? I didn’t attend the OT [Orientation] or the freshman welcome party held by the department, so it’s natural.

He looked at Chae Ha-min, who was chewing on the salad. It’s too personal to ask.

No matter how he looked at it, it was the behavior pattern of someone who hadn’t been able to become close with people in their department.

“Why?”

“Nothing.”

He cut the pork cutlet and put it in his mouth. He felt a gaze on his fingertips.

Eyes looking as if observing something. He couldn’t fathom what was so interesting about someone cutting and eating pork cutlet.

“Oh? It’s Ha-min. What are you doing here.”

No matter how he looked at it, it’s a meal. Is the brain not functioning properly?

Well, there may be someone with vision problems. If it were the old days, I could have opened the lid and fixed it myself, but it’s a pity.

Looking at his face, it doesn’t seem like there’s a problem with his eyes, and he probably has a problem with his intelligence. I don’t know how he got into college, but wouldn’t it be better to drop out?

“…Ah, I was having a meal with a friend.”

Chae Ha-min answered with an awkward smile. He fully understood how dog-like he must have felt answering because the question was in that shape. So I wish he would get lost.

“Well, yeah. Prepare well. You’re the only one among the freshmen.”

Well, I understood this too.

“Looks like you’re going out.”

I slipped in. Without even glancing at that side. As if I didn’t even know there was a person standing there.

“Ah, yeah, there’s a dance stage in the second semester, and they said they’ll select it in advance before the semester ends and practice during the vacation! I’ll put on the stage next year.”

Chae Ha-min finally abandoned his awkward smile and started talking comfortably. It’s a waste of time.

“Um.”

“Everyone said they were applying, so I put it in too, and I got in by accident…”

Oh dear, not good. I’m giving him a subtle hint to bring the conversation this way and get lost, but it’s making him touch his inferiority complex. He’s a human with an intelligence problem, so I wonder if he’ll say another word.

“…Ah, I’ll go first, Ha-min.”

Fortunately, it’s not that bad. Still, I wish he would drop out if possible.

“Ah, yeah! Bye.”

Chae Ha-min waved his hand cheerfully. I followed the guy who was leaving with my eyes for a while, and he was chattering something to his friend.

What to do. Variable control was a long-standing habit, but what should I do with that?

“…He has scary eyes.”

Chae Ha-min tried his best to chew the salad and savor the fresh taste of the vegetables. But even if you look at it roughly, he had an uneasy expression.

“Eyes?”

“Yeah. He seemed friendly at first, but his eyes are a bit…”

“Um, yeah.”

“Ah, by the way, shall we join a club?”

“You’re busy during vacation.”

“Yeah, but I’m going to refuse. I still don’t have enough skills.”

Then, he briefly tried to say ‘Maybe my father…’, but closed his mouth with an awkward smile.

Maybe he was saying, ‘My father seems to have used his power.’ And you don’t like that.

If that’s your choice, I have no choice but to respect it, but your department people will be trembling with inferiority. Whether they know the truth or not.

I want to know all the shameful things about the dance department guys. To the point where they receive a barrage of posters and are forced to drop out.

“What club?”

“Ah, there’s a theater club, and I heard rumors that…”

* * *

When I get home, I start cleaning first. I have to finish it before I prepare dinner for Mok-hwa.

The clock in my body ticked. Because of the habits I had when I lived in Siun Hall, my sense of time is overly sensitive.

If you know exactly how many seconds are passing, you can’t help but perform all actions efficiently. Thanks to that, I’m still not losing anywhere when it comes to diligence.

After finishing preparing the meal, usually.

“Hyung [older brother], I’m home!”

Mok-hwa opened the door cheerfully in his school uniform. Mok-hwa is Ji Mok-hwa as he is from the beginning, not adopted anywhere.

“Hyung, there’s a story about you on Everytime [a popular Korean university online forum]!”

“Is that so?”

Who cares. That’s not even useful for checking rumors. If you listen to Chae Ha-min talking, you’ll hear 80% of the rumors.

“No, listen to me. Who’s the nerd guy in the College of Education?”

“It’s slander.”

It was even more useless.

“These days, nerds aren’t what hyung thinks they are?”

The dictionary definition of a nerd is ‘a person who is highly intelligent but obsessed or has poor social skills’.

There is no matching translation, but it can be translated as a Confucian scholar or a bookworm, and in any case, it has a strong negative connotation.

…I’m not tough enough to say that to my brother.

“So, how did the mock exam go?”

“Haha, don’t be surprised! Except for two, all are expected to be stably in the 1st grade!”

“Good job.”

I felt my face melting. To be honest, if you wanted me to be surprised, you chose the wrong person.

“No, why isn’t there any talk about hyung’s smile on Everytime? If they see it once, they’ll go crazy.”

Mok-hwa chattered like that and hung his clothes on the hanger.

He said that it was impossible to synchronize all the memories, so he left only the important facts, but when I see him talking, he definitely has a young feeling like a high school student.

“What’s for dinner today?”

He quickly changed into comfortable clothes and came next to me. A youthful face. A face I always saw only through the monitor.

“Braised spicy chicken.”

“It’s only made when I take the exam, no matter how I look at it.”

“It’s motivation.”

“I remember what I like well, but I was wondering why the frequency was so low.”

In the afternoon, the house where I live with Mok-hwa is quiet as always.

A family photo is hanging on the wall, and the sunset is setting over it. Only the sound of braised spicy chicken boiling revealed its presence, and there was a sense of life.

It’s everyday. Sometimes, this everyday life is unbelievably overwhelming.

I’ve never thought it was possible, and it’s too different from the plan. It’s too much to have as a dream, so I’ve never even imagined it, so everything is full of unfamiliar things.

What is Mok-hwa’s dream? And what kind of life will he live?

The fact that I can watch it from the side sometimes makes me a little breathless.

“I’m happy.”

Damn Ji Dong-hwa, he was enjoying this alone.