RCSSS Chapter 4

༺ Requesting Cloud Support from a Shooting Star – 4 ༻

 

  “I’m planning to join the military.”

 

  At a butcher shop near the practice room, Hee-wook casually mentioned his decision. The members, who had been idly chatting, suddenly became quiet.

 

  “The CEO said it would be better to go when there’s no work. It makes sense.”

 

  “Hee-wook hyung…”

 

  “I’ll be back quickly.”

 

  Though the members were surprised by the sudden declaration of enlistment, no one opposed it. Given the current situation with no comeback plans or event schedules, they internally accepted this as the most rational decision.

 

  Young Woo, who had been quietly observing, picked up some cooked meat with tongs and placed it in Hee-wook’s dish.

 

  “You’re… extremely diligent, so you’ll adapt well in the military.”

 

  Hee-wook gave a wry smile at Young Woo’s stuttering words. Suddenly, Young Woo’s pale cheeks caught his eye.

 

  From the beginning, there was a significant age gap between the oldest and the youngest members of Two Planet. Hee-wook, the leader, was twenty-seven this year. Yoon Min, who had left the group, was twenty-six. Jae Gyu and Eun Sung were both twenty-three, and Young Woo, the youngest, was just twenty-one. Considering concurrent enlistment, the three members were too young.

 

  After enjoying samgyeopsal together in the strange atmosphere, Hee-wook sent the members back to their dorms and headed to a stationery store.

 

  He planned to upload a letter when he informed the fans about his enlistment. He spent a long time contemplating in the letter paper section of the store before choosing one. It was a simple design with lines on craft paper.

 

  Back at home, Hee-wook took a shower and sat at his desk. Although there were many thoughts in his head, he felt overwhelmed when he actually tried to write the letter.

 

  He sat back deeply in his chair, staring at the ceiling, then opened his desk drawer. He took out a file with a red cover, the same color as his hair. Inside, the letters from fans were neatly arranged.

 

  Letters from familiar fans whose faces he could recall just by name, letters from senders he had never met but recognized by their handwriting from constant correspondence, letters full of excitement and overflowing affection, though only one. As he reread each one, Hee-wook’s fingertips trembled slightly.

 

  In front of the fans’ innocent support, wishing him to never give up his dreams, to soar higher, to always be happy, he felt incredibly powerless. His nose tingled, and he quickly closed the file.

 

  Hee-wook picked up his pen again and started to write on the letter paper. Each letter was so forcefully inscribed that it seemed like an embossed print.

 

  To From (fans’ name),

 

  Hello, this is Hee-wook, the leader of Two Planet.

 

  I had a hard time figuring out what to write as it has been a long time since I last wrote a letter.

 

  I have decided to enlist in the military.

 

  I am sorry to surprise our fans with this sudden news.

 

  However, this decision is not about giving up on Two Planet. Rather, it’s to ensure that I don’t become an obstacle to Two Planet’s activities when things improve, to better serve in a more conducive time, having your support and love deeply embedded in my heart.

 

  I will come back safely, carrying your support and love deep in my heart. I will come back stronger, determined not to betray your expectations and faith in me.

 

  Let’s meet again soon. I love you.

 

  A few days later, an announcement related to Hee-wook’s enlistment was uploaded on the official Two Planet fan cafe. A scanned version of Hee-wook’s letter, written with strong pressure, was also revealed.

 

  Fans were shocked, as none of the members had ever mentioned anything about military service in live broadcasts or SNS communication events.

 

  Hee-wook, who had been reading fans’ messages every day, stopped visiting the fan cafe and logged out from all social media platforms. He was afraid to confront his grieving fans.

 

  He did not disclose his enlistment date. He felt embarrassed about his appearance with his hair cut short, and given the strict sanitation in the military, he decided not to disclose it as there was a high chance that fans visiting him would be in vain.

 

  Time flew quickly, and the day of his enlistment arrived.

 

  Upon arrival at the training center, Hee-wook looked around. As expected, due to his secrecy about the enlistment date, there were no fans visible around the training center. He was about to board the bus under the command of the instructor.

 

  “Sung Hee-wook!”

 

  At the sound of the unfamiliar voice, Hee-wook jolted to a stop. It was an immature voice, like that of a boy going through puberty. He didn’t know anyone, including the members, with such a voice.

 

  In the fleeting moment as he stepped onto the bus, he glanced around. Far away, he could feel a tall man with a hat looking in his direction. As Hee-wook stared back, the stranger shouted out loudly.

 

  “Ta, take care!”

 

  Unsure if the words were meant for him, Hee-wook stared blankly at the man.

 

  “I said, take care in the army!”

 

  At the repeated shout, as if reprimanding him, Hee-wook involuntarily nodded his head. Urged by the instructor to hurry up, he quickly boarded the bus. Taking a seat by the window, Hee-wook looked outside. The man standing still looked out of breath. He heavily shrugged his shoulders then turned abruptly and walked away quickly.

 

  What a strange person, thought Hee-wook, yet he took a good look at the man. He was tall. Even at a glance, he seemed to be over 180cm, and his legs were long in proportion to his waist.

 

  From the voice alone, he would have guessed it was a young teenager, but the back view looked like a full-grown adult. Doubting whether the earlier shout was really meant for him, Hee-wook squinted his eyes.

 

  ‘Could he be my fan?’

 

  But there was no way he would not know such a conspicuous male fan. Hee-wook stared at the shrinking figure, his fingers touching the window.

 

  “……I’ll be back.”

 

  The words the man had yelled out loudly, telling him to take care, seemed to keep ringing in his ears. Hee-wook murmured to the window. It was a promise to his fans and members, and to himself.

 

  ***

 

  In the summer of 2020, Hee-wook enlisted as an active-duty soldier and spent his days faithfully, dreaming of a bright future after his discharge.

 

  Due to the pandemic, he couldn’t get any leave and could only hear news from outside through phone calls. The members seemed to be doing well, each practicing on their own. However, for some reason, he couldn’t get in touch with CEO Kim.

 

  “Is the CEO busy these days?”

 

  He had asked about the whereabouts of CEO Kim during calls with the members, but they all vaguely responded, saying it seemed so, and laughed it off. He wasn’t close enough to the CEO to call often, so Hee-wook didn’t take the lack of contact too seriously. He brushed it off, thinking that no news is good news.

 

  Even though the training was tough and exhausting, he could bear it by reading the letters sent by his fans. The number of letters gradually decreased, and the fans who used to share news one by one disappeared, but there were still some who consistently sent letters.

 

  [I’m waiting for your discharge date every day. I really miss seeing Hee-wook shining on the stage!]

  

  “I miss myself on stage too.”

 

  Hee-wook let out a deep sigh and checked the name written at the end of the internet letter once again.

 

  [Always there, Yu-kyung.]

 

  It was Yu-kyung. She was abroad and probably busy, but her consistent support was both appreciated and regrettable for the long hiatus. He put the letter on his face and closed his eyes.

 

  Time passed incredibly slowly in the military. He was bored and idle, but tried his best to avoid hearing about the entertainment industry.

 

  Especially provocative news, such as a well-known fellow singer winning first place, or someone giving up their idol dreams because things were not going well, he avoided as much as possible.

 

  “It will be okay.”

 

  Hee-wook repeated to himself every time he looked in the mirror.

 

  “It’s okay.”

 

  He endured each day. Bitter days passed, seasons faithfully changed, and the next winter, which seemed like it would never come, arrived.

 

  The contract period for the members of Two Planet ended at the tail of the fall. As soon as the contract expired, he heard that Cha Yoon Min immediately moved to another agency.

 

  The remaining four, excluding Yoon Min, decided to re-sign with the agency. Hee-wook because he didn’t want to give up yet, Jae Gyu and Eun Sung because they had no other option, and Young Woo, who was considering going back to school but decided to continue working with his peers.

 

  Renewal of the contract, and discharge. It was the perfect time for a new start.

 

  The season of discharge, winter, which was brighter than the summer before enlisting….

 

  “Damn it.”

 

  …It should have been.

 

  “It’s the same.”

 

  Although it had grown quite long, but still much shorter compared to civilians, Hee-wook in a worn-out hoodie and faded jeans that were out of fashion, stood in front of a gray building.

 

  It was the building where ‘Lily Hall’, the small venue where Two Planet had held its first fan meeting after debut, was located. A chillingly cold white paper was attached to the entrance of Lily Hall, where countless idols and bands had trod the threshold.

 

  [Due to the impact of COVID19, operation of Lily Hall will be suspended. Thank you to those who loved us.]

 

  The area around his temples throbbed. The sickeningly familiar word ‘COVID19’, and the cold declaration ‘we will suspend’, swirled around, confusing his mind. Hee-wook held his forehead with his hand, and then sighed.

 

  “But… there should be no law that says it should die completely.”

 

  According to what he had heard from his juniors in the military, a new culture of non-face-to-face concerts and video call fan sign meetings had emerged in the K-pop market.

 

  Current idols are selling albums and running events in new ways. The absence of an audience in front of the stage was tearfully regrettable, but it didn’t seem the worst when he heard about it.

 

  “It’ll work out somehow.”

 

  Hee-wook tried his best to think only positively. He was told that everything would be fine once he completed his military service. Chewing over the words that the CEO had whispered while pushing him into the military, Hee-wook hurried to the company office.

 

  But there was also a law that said people should die in the world.

 

  “I’ve finished talking well with Jae Gyu, Eun Sung, and Young Woo.”

 

  It was like adding insult to injury. Hee-wook, with wide eyes, just glared at the cold coffee in front of him. CEO Kim continued speaking in a dry tone.

 

  “Anyway, you have nothing to move out from the dormitory, so it should be easier for you. We’re not going to clean up the practice room immediately… so you can use it if necessary.”

 

  “CEO.”

 

  CEO Kim, who was slowly getting up from the chair in the conference room, stopped at Hee-wook’s call. Hee-wook ran his dry hand over his face.

 

  “I’m not sure if I understood it correctly. Going our separate ways… not as in pursuing solo activities but…”

 

  “We’re going to reorganize the company.”

 

  The voice of CEO Kim still had no inflection.

 

  “Two Planet is disbanding.”

 

  Hee-wook dumbly looked down at his coffee. There was only one ice cube floating in the coffee. Floating, all alone, gradually shrinking.

 

  “I’m sorry it came to this.”

 

  “…Ha.”

 

  This is fucked up.

 

  Muttering under his breath, Hee-wook swallowed the lukewarm coffee melted by the ice. The shrunken ice came into his mouth. He chewed it down. The shards of ice made his blood, which had spread throughout his body, cold.

 

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