By Zephyria I bit down hard because I thought harsh words would come out. Then a heated breath escaped.
You bad bastard.
“Hey, Sung Se-han! You…”
Ding-dong.
I must have forgotten for a moment, because I jumped in surprise at the Status Window’s alarm and stopped talking.
[‘How to Prevent the Death of Genius Idol Sung Se-han’!]
[Sung Se-han’s accidental death is 358 days away. Reduce Lee Tae-kyung’s Inferiority Score to 0 (zero) to avoid the risk of an accident.]
358 days! My heart sank the moment I saw the remaining time.
[Sudden Event!]
Sudden Event! This is…!
[You can immediately lower your Inferiority Score to 80 points!]
80 points…? My current Inferiority Score is 93, so I can lower it by 13 points!
[Soothe Sung Se-han’s heart. Hold his hand, look him in the eye, and promise to ‘compensate for the time of 1 year, 5 months, and 13 days’!]
I’m so pissed off, I can’t live like this. Why do I have to soothe Sung Se-han’s heart?
Then, who will take care of my heart? Why only me for Sung Se-han….
[The time limit is 3 hours!]
The blood in my body ran cold. I held my phone, frozen, and my mind went blank again.
―Lee Tae-kyung?
I couldn’t answer even though Sung Se-han kept calling me.
Due to the failure of the last Sudden Event, Se-han’s arm….
“Se-han! Where are you now?”
―Me? I told you this morning. Today’s photoshoot and interview….
“I’m asking where that is!”
When I came to my senses, I was already running down the hallway. I didn’t have time to wait for the elevator. I ran to the emergency exit and kept pressing him.
“Quickly! Tell me quickly! Where is it? Take a taxi, where’s the closest place to get off?”
My insides were burning, but Sung Se-han didn’t say anything.
―Lee Tae-kyung, what’s wrong with you?
“Se-han! Let’s meet and talk. I’m in a hurry!”
Hmm. Even the time it took for Sung Se-han to catch his breath felt too long.
―Come to Saebyeok Studio.
*
Was 3 PM such a busy time?
“Hoo…!”
Already two hours had passed. I felt like I was going crazy wasting time in the taxi. I couldn’t sit still and kept fidgeting, and I was about to check the time.
Ding-dong.
[Sudden Event!]
[43 minutes and 37 seconds left until the time limit!]
I didn’t even need to look at my phone. The Status Window was kind enough to tell me the exact time remaining.
Suddenly, I felt more relaxed. Actually, when I thought about it, there was no reason to be so anxious. After all, the Status Window must have calculated and set a time that allows for the event to be completed.
“…….”
But what if it didn’t calculate the traffic?
No. That can’t be. I emptied my mind of negative thoughts and leaned back in my seat. But my legs kept shaking.
I checked the time several times in one minute. I was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion in the crawling taxi.
With 23 minutes left until the end of the event, I finally started to see the Saebyeok Studio building in the distance.
“Driver! Here! I’ll get off here!”
After getting out of the taxi, all that was left was to run as fast as I could. It would be enough to run and grab Sung Se-han’s hand in 10 minutes. Now that I could finally breathe a sigh of relief, I started to notice my surroundings.
I was sure I heard that today was a private schedule, but there were still people who looked like fans stationed near the building.
“Lee Tae-kyung.”
The person who called out to me as I ran towards the entrance of Saebyeok Studio was Vice Manager.
“Huk, haa! Hello!”
I bowed deeply to Vice Manager, whose face I was now familiar with. Vice Manager Hyung called me from in front of the coffee truck on the right side of the entrance.
“Let’s have a cup of coffee.”
“Ah, I’m okay!”
I was stomping my feet because I was in a hurry, but Vice Manager Hyung had no way of knowing the situation.
“What do you like? Latte? If you don’t like coffee, there’s citron tea or yogurt too.”
“Yes! Anything! The fastest one…!”
Vice Manager Hyung, who was handing me an Americano, scanned me as if I was strange. I was in a hurry, so I grabbed Vice Manager Hyung’s arm without any manners.
“Vice Manager-nim! Where’s Se-han? I need to see Se-han quickly?”
“We’re going together now. He’s in the members’ waiting room….”
“What floor is the waiting room on?”
“It’s on the 2nd floor….”
“Wow! That’s a relief! Thank you!”
8 minutes left until the time limit! I ran up the stairs like crazy. I rushed down the hallway on the 2nd floor, and people who looked like staff members were surprised and stopped me.
“How did you get here? You can’t just come here….”
“Hyun-ji Noona, it’s okay.”
Someone suddenly appeared from behind and wrapped their arm around my shoulder. I was surprised and turned around to see Song Woo-shin smiling.
“He’s my friend. He came to see the filming.”
“Ah! He’s a friend?”
“I didn’t know. Sorry.”
The staff members, who had suddenly become friendly, nodded with smiles, but I didn’t have time to exchange greetings.
“Team leader-nim! Where’s the waiting room?”
“It’s right there….”
I ran to where Song Woo-shin was pointing and threw the door open. And I froze while looking for Sung Se-han.
I had imagined a small waiting room, but I was speechless when I saw the spacious waiting room. I couldn’t adjust to the bright lighting that contrasted with the hallway.
Why did I think Sung Se-han would be alone?
About twenty staff members were all looking at me, and I was so embarrassed that I stepped back.
I couldn’t help but hesitate because I felt a sense of wariness about a stranger barging in.
[3 minutes left until the time limit!]
But now there’s no time to hesitate. I took a step into the waiting room and quickly scanned the area.
Then I found Sung Se-han getting his makeup done in front of the full-length mirror.
“You came?”
Sung Se-han smiled at me in the mirror.
I didn’t think I usually cared much about people’s attention, but everyone here was paying attention to me, so my body stiffened to the point where my hands and feet were out of sync.
Sung Se-han seemed to be enjoying the momentarily quiet atmosphere and was leisurely watching me.
[2 minutes left until the time limit!]
“Sung Se-han.”
He didn’t get up from his chair even when I got right behind him.
Perhaps because today’s photoshoot was for a workwear brand, Sung Se-han was wearing a beige work jacket and cargo pants.
“Lee Tae-kyung, is that what you’re wearing?”
Sung Se-han tilted his head and looked at me in the mirror. I didn’t have time to worry about what I was wearing right now.
[1 minute left until the time limit.]
“Se-han.”
I spun the chair Sung Se-han was sitting on around. The makeup chair turned smoothly. It was thanks to him moving his body to make it easier for me.
I grabbed both of Sung Se-han’s hands, but my hands were shaking as if I had tremors. Sung Se-han looked up and met my eyes first.
Perhaps because the lighting was too strong, my anxious reflection was visible in his upturned brown eyes.
“Sung Se-han, I….”
What is it? I was just trying to say my lines, but my throat was stinging. It hurts.
“I’m sorry for ignoring you for 1 year, 5 months, and 13 days. I’ll compensate you for everything from now on.”
I hate Sung Se-han.
I really don’t want to see his face.
But still, I feel like I can do anything to save him.
But this bad guy is getting the comfort I should be getting, and look at his shameless attitude.
Even if he’s not touched, shouldn’t he at least show a grateful expression?
“Why would you.”
Huh…? He was looking at me coldly and asked a completely unexpected question. I didn’t know how to answer, so I just blinked stupidly.
He smirked. He twisted one corner of his lips.
What, is this bastard laughing at me…?
[Bbam-ppa-ra-bbam! The Sudden Event has been successfully completed!]
[Congratulations!]
[Lee Tae-kyung’s Inferiority Score has dropped to 80 points!]
The Status Window was setting off firecrackers and going crazy on its own, but I couldn’t move at all.
I was planning to just brush it off as a joke if Sung Se-han showed off and bragged.
But because the bad guy got angry instead, I couldn’t do anything. No, wait a minute. Why is he angry?
Suddenly, I heard laughter from around me. It seemed like the staff members who had been paying attention to me couldn’t hold back their laughter.
It must be funny to see a guy who suddenly appeared grab Sung Se-han’s hand and confess. Hoo. There were even people clapping.
I turned around without thinking and saw the Perfect Puzzle members sitting on the sofa, wearing different styles of workwear, looking at me.
“Then, Se-han….”
I let go of Sung Se-han’s hand, which I had been holding tightly, and stepped back, and he got up from his chair.
“Tae-kyung, why are you walking around wearing only a short-sleeved shirt when it’s cold?”
Sung Se-han, who had passed me, strode towards the sofa and started rummaging through the pile of clothes.
Ah, right. I came wearing only training pants and a short-sleeved shirt. I felt embarrassed and touched the back of my neck, and someone suddenly held out their hand.
“Hello? Nice to meet you!”
It was Moon Si-hyun, the youngest member of Perfect Puzzle, whose trademark was his pink hair. I shook his hand with both hands and bowed.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Tae-kyung.”
“Why are you using such formal language?”
Sung Se-han, who had strode over, put a jacket over my shoulders. He didn’t look me in the eye even when I said thank you. What’s wrong with this guy today?