༺ Requesting Cloud Support from a Shooting Star – 13 ༻
“I’ll look around for a bit. You practice.”
Hee-wook tapped Eun-sung’s shoulder. Eun-sung nodded.
“Have something to eat, hyung.”
“Yeah, I’ll take care of it.”
Eun-sung quickly turned away, not wanting to worry. For a moment, he stood still before the sound of his footsteps returning to the waiting room echoed.
First, Hee-wook walked to the end of the corridor. There was a large window, and in the corner inside, there were a vending machine and low chairs. Hee-wook, who picked a can of coffee from the vending machine, stood in front of the window.
Below the window, he could see the outdoor smoking area and the parking lot. No one was in the smoking area. He scratched the back of his neck and shifted his gaze to the parked cars.
‘What’s that?’
There was a van he had never seen before when he was active as an idol. The front of it was round and round, reminiscent of a spaceship.
Wondering if it was also a celebrity car, he peered down, and suddenly, people with cameras came rushing out from somewhere. Those who had run out quickly turned their bodies near the vehicle and hurriedly snapped photos of someone.
He was curious if they were fans of some celebrity, but the question was soon answered. The six-member idol group he had briefly met earlier swiftly passed through the fans and climbed into the spaceship-like van.
“Safe travels! See you tomorrow!”
“Ah! At least say goodbye! Open the window a bit!”
“So mean! Walk slower!”
The sound of the fans shouting at the departing van’s tail end faintly reached beyond the eighth-floor window. The car carrying the idols left the fans behind as cold as possible. The fans watched the car distance itself, then began to shuffle away, seemingly resigned.
Watching the now quiet parking lot, Hee-wook lowered his mask. He opened the can he was holding and took a sip of coffee.
“… They should have at least said goodbye when they could.”
The coffee was bitter. Perhaps the idol group that had just left the broadcasting station was much more popular than he imagined, and they might be a group that would do better in the future, not bowing to the pandemic. The time when they could say ‘goodbye’ to their fans might last forever.
So in fact, it was a statement to himself. Hee-wook looked down at the corridor floor and recalled old times.
“Hee-wook, can’t you at least say goodbye to Two Planet on your way to and from work?”
There was a time when a fan at an album release fan signing event abruptly asked Hee-wook. In the middle of signing swiftly, Hee-wook paused and looked up. The fan, who wore an expression as if she was terribly hurt, was a fervent fan who took pictures of Hee-wook at almost every schedule.
“I don’t expect you to open the car window, but I hope you can at least greet us like others do. Why do you treat fans like invisible people on your way to and from work? Just yesterday, other idols looked for their fans to say hello, but you guys just jumped in the car!”
The fan spat out her grievances like rapid-fire rap. Hee-wook made eye contact with the brassy fan, listened to her story to the end, then glanced back. The agency staff were standing only behind other members.
“No, I want to say goodbye too…”
He understood everything the fan was saying. The day before the fan sign event, there was a music broadcast. It was a situation where they parked the car outdoors instead of in the underground parking lot and went inside the building, but the company strictly controlled the members to avoid any talk of fan service given to certain fans.
“Don’t greet anyone, don’t make eye contact, just go in.”
It was a phrase they heard repeatedly from company staff.
He definitely heard shouts calling his name from all sides yesterday. There were many fans who he recognized just by their voices. But Hee-wook had only stared at the ground and went to work.
The fact that other singers were leisurely greeting people around them, which Hee-wook clearly saw, already bothered him. Hee-wook steeled his heart, and lowered his voice so that the employees behind him couldn’t hear.
“I’ll talk to the company. Ask if we can’t greet our fans on our public commute when journalists are present.”
“So… It’s not allowed when there are no journalists?”
The fan pouted her lips. Still, her tone and expression had softened compared to earlier. The schedules where journalists came were only music broadcasts or radio commutes. Hee-wook, who was thinking of countless other schedules, let out an awkward laugh with his eyebrows furrowed.
He vividly imagined the scene where the cold-hearted company staff, who didn’t really consider the fans’ circumstances, shaking their heads vehemently.
“I also feel glad when I see you and want to greet you, but there are many situations where it’s not possible and I feel sorry.”
Hee-wook wanted to fulfill as many requests as possible from the fans who cheered for him, but he also didn’t want to get scolded by the company. Being the leader of the team, he was always the one to get reprimanded whenever there was a disturbance in the group, so he wanted to avoid awkward situations as much as possible.
The fan, who had been staring at Hee-wook’s deeply apologetic face, let out a deep sigh.
“Anyway… you’re really something else. That’s why there are some good things. I wonder if things will change a little when Hee-wook becomes a veteran singer.”
“Well, even before becoming a veteran, once we’ve been around a little longer…”
“If you’ve been around longer?”
“Then I could freely greet you at least.”
Upon hearing the words that he delivered with a light smile, the fan laughed with a ‘Ha’. Hee-wook, who had paused for a moment to finish signing, held out the album and smiled in a deliberately cute way.
“I’ll do better, noona.”
Even though she didn’t look completely satisfied, her expression brightened as if she had considerably lightened up. Before the next fan came over, in the brief interval, Hee-wook imagined a time when he was a little older, and had a little more experience.
Maybe he would fall out of favor with the company, or perhaps an unexpected controversy would arise. The future Sung Hee-wook, who was not like his current self, who was extremely careful in every aspect, but rather more relaxed and skillful in dealing with fans, seemed quite cool.
However, his present self was quite a distance from the figure he had imagined that day. Hee-wook, who had finished reminiscing, let out a hollow laugh.
‘Fans who want to greet me won’t be there forever.’
If he had known in advance that the situation would change like this, he felt a regret that he should have done something more when he could have done it. At that time, he thought that was the best he could do.
Thump, thump.
It was when Hee-wook was leaning against the wall, lost in old memories, when a small noise sounded in the silence. Startled, Hee-wook turned his head towards the emergency exit. The faint noise gradually grew louder, sounding like chattering voices and footsteps climbing the stairs.
‘Who could it be?’
Hee-wook, who had been standing blankly, quickly finished his remaining coffee and hastily pulled up his mask. The voices beyond the door were getting closer.
“No! Let’s take it slow. We still have plenty of time before the audition begins.”
A deep male voice reached his ears. At the word “audition”, Hee-wook’s eyes narrowed. He wondered if the person could be a participant’s manager, or someone related to the drama.
“Is someone you know coming today? Why are you in such a hurry?”
Along with a booming voice that penetrated the iron door, the emergency exit door finally swung open. The first person Hee-wook locked eyes with seemed far from being a celebrity, with his rough features and comfortable attire. However, the person who startled Hee-wook wasn’t the suddenly appeared man.
“Still, it’s good to move around early.”
As Hee-wook’s gaze went upward, his chin naturally lifted. Above the short statured man who had just appeared, a face positioned a whole head taller was revealed.
Skin as if it was coated with chocolate, glossy and well-groomed, black hair slightly covering the forehead, distinct eyebrows and clear eyes visible even from afar.
Even though he was wearing a mask, Hee-wook immediately recognized him as a celebrity. Without realizing it, Hee-wook’s mouth fell open. The handsome man, who was surprising to look at, noticed there was another person in this space and turned his head.
Their gazes crossed. Hee-wook distinctly witnessed the man’s sharp eyes widen in surprise.
“……Huh?”
“Eh?”
Both Hee-wook and his mouth simultaneously widened in surprise. Hee-wook nearly crushed the can he was holding in his surprise when their eyes met. Even though it was their first encounter, there was no way not to know who this dazzling man was.
The man who had graced the cover of the magazine his younger brother read, the protagonist of the audition for which Eun-sung went to watch nervously today to clinch a supporting role.
It was Cheon Kyung-seo.
“No, it’s so unexpected!”
The manager, who had casually averted his eyes from Hee-wook, turned to look at Kyung-seo with a startled expression.
“You being early, what? You’re always early anyway…… Huh? What’s wrong?”
“…….”
“Kyung-seo, what’s up?”
Kyung-seo’s manager asked him. Hee-wook wanted to ask him too. Even considering he was startled and frozen from facing the hot trending handsome actor in person. But why was Kyung-seo staring at him with a look of astonishment?
It was when Hee-wook was contemplating whether he should break the silence and greet him first, licking his lips nervously, that Kyung-seo, who had been staring at him with a stony expression, finally spoke.
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