By Zephyria Right. Of course, he wouldn’t like me. I knew how the PD felt, looking at me with such hateful eyes, but I wished he wouldn’t bring his personal feelings into the filming.
Seeing PD Bae Dong-yeon’s animosity, I might have to worry about malicious editing. Sigh… I don’t care, but the younger members would be disappointed….
“Jeong-min, wasn’t the recording a bit strange today?”
The younger members, who had returned to the waiting room, began to speak one by one.
“Yeah, it was strangely boring and dull. It feels like something’s missing since Se-han Hyung isn’t here. Is it just me?”
“I felt that way too. Sung Se-han Sunbae’s presence was so strong even with just one word… It definitely felt a bit empty without that.”
I put down the bag I was organizing and gently urged the younger members.
“Guys, you need to fix your makeup quickly, right? Aren’t you going to prepare to go for the interview?”
“Tae-kyung Hyung, Mi-jin Noona went to the bathroom?”
Jeong-min looked at me with wide eyes, so I finally looked around the waiting room. I felt sorry for urging the younger members when all the stylist Noonas were gone, so I hit my forehead myself.
“Oops! I think Hyung got heatstroke.”
“Hahaha! What’s wrong, Tae-kyung Hyung is a bit strange today too.”
The members laughed and the atmosphere in the waiting room became warm, so I sat on the sofa. If I rested for a moment, I would be able to move energetically again.
Before the recording of the unit battle, the third competition following the cover song competition and the representative song change competition, I received a call from Auntie.
—Tae-kyung, can you spare some time?
I wanted to avoid meeting Auntie as much as possible because I would only make pathetic excuses, but I eventually agreed. I decided that there was a process to go through in order to clean things up completely without leaving any room for doubt.
After finding a new shirt to wear, I took the car Auntie sent and arrived at the Century Hotel as expected. And I was guided to the Athena Room, which I was now somewhat familiar with.
“Tae-kyung, welcome.”
The living room on the first floor of the Athena Room had a panoramic view of the beautiful night scenery through the full-length windows.
Auntie, who looked especially beautiful today in a white mini dress, guided me to the window table. I wasn’t surprised when I found Kang Robin Sunbae looking at the night view while sitting at the spacious oval table. Somehow, I had a feeling I would meet Sunbae.
“Kang Robin Sunbae, hello.”
Only when I bowed deeply in front of the table did Kang Robin Sunbae turn his head to look at me. Sunbae’s shadowed face was darker than the dark gray jacket he was wearing.
“Sit.”
Kang Robin Sunbae pointed to the opposite side, so I sat in the seat facing Sunbae. I suddenly felt dizzy, so I lowered my head for a moment and closed my eyes.
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of intimidation due to the high ceiling that connected to the second floor.
“Drink.”
Auntie, who was sitting next to Sunbae, brewed herbal tea herself and poured it into a glass. I thought it would be good to drink it first since herbal tea has a calming effect, so I took a sip.
“The aroma is really nice, Auntie.”
I smiled with gratitude, but Kang Robin Sunbae’s expression distorted as he looked at me.
“You’re even smiling. You look very good, Lee Tae-kyung.”
There was a similarity to Sung Se-han in the way his tone became softer when he was angry. While my heart kept stinging, I found it difficult to maintain a good expression because Kang Robin Sunbae was making me think of Sung Se-han.
“Sunbae, I’m trying to live while trying to think positively.”
“Positively?”
This time, Kang Robin Sunbae’s voice became rough as if he couldn’t bear it any longer.
“I don’t care how Se-han is doing, and I’m living well positively! Is that what you’re saying? Right now?”
“Kang Robin, please lower your voice.”
Auntie tried to dissuade Kang Robin Sunbae with a forced smile. But I clenched my fist tightly under the table. Just let it be. I wanted to be scolded by Sunbae to my heart’s content.
“The reason I asked to meet Tae-kyung today is because I wanted to hear it directly from Tae-kyung.”
My shoulders shrank at Auntie’s pitiful voice. Did I have to talk about that again? Did I have to bring up those words that I didn’t want to say again?
“Se-han only says that he’s over with Tae-kyung. So, I couldn’t figure out what happened, so I had no choice but to meet Tae-kyung.”
I kept clenching and unclenching my fist, but somehow my fingers felt numb.
Sung Se-han had said it himself. That he was over with me.
It was a very fortunate thing since it seemed like he had organized his feelings well.
But even so, my hands kept feeling numb, and my head had been feeling dizzy for a while, and I felt a stuffiness as if my blood wasn’t flowing well.
“Since you said you didn’t hear it from Se-han, if I tell you again….”
My head was heavy, but I lifted my head and looked at Kang Robin Sunbae and Auntie alternately. I opened my eyes properly because I didn’t want to look cowardly.
“I have someone I’ve liked for a long time. Meeting Sung Se-han made me realize that my feelings for that person haven’t changed. So, I decided to stop seeing him. That’s all.”
Kang Robin Sunbae, with a hardened expression, was staring at me. His light-colored eyes were blazing as if he wanted to kill me.
“I really feel sorry to Sung Se-han. But he’ll stabilize after some time. I believe that will definitely happen… I believe it.”
“Tae-kyung.”
Auntie reached out her hand over the table. I hesitated, but I had no choice but to reach out and take Auntie’s warm hand.
“Don’t say it like it’s all over like that. I know that Tae-kyung really liked Se-han. There’s no way I could have been wrong. If you look at Tae-kyung’s eyes or attitude….”
“Auntie.”
I rejected Auntie’s hand that was warmly embracing me and lowered my hand back under the table.
“I liked Sung Se-han’s appearance. He was perfectly my ideal type. So, I mistook that for genuinely liking Sung Se-han.”
Unlike Kang Robin Sunbae, who was looking at me as if he wanted to kill me, Auntie gently shook her head.
“No. I’m sure. Tae-kyung’s heart wasn’t that light.”
“Auntie, my words….”
“Tae-kyung, let’s watch the video that I was going to show you last time.”
Auntie got up from her seat and returned with a laptop from the side table. I quickly shook my head and pulled the chair back.
“Nothing will change by watching something like that.”
I didn’t want to see my twelve-year-old self, which Sung Se-han had cherished, anymore. Because the Lee Tae-kyung that Sung Se-han was waiting for was no longer there.
I just wanted to forget everything now, but why….
“It’s the video that Se-han likes the most. He’s probably watched it more than ten thousand times by now.”
I had vowed dozens of times that I wouldn’t leave any room for doubt. I couldn’t help but look at the laptop that Auntie was holding out.
Sung Se-han had watched it more than ten thousand times, didn’t he? It was just a video of the twelve-year-old me talking to the piano teacher, so what was so special about it….
“Huh…?”
I naturally thought it was a video of me sitting next to Mom and talking to the teacher, but the screen that was playing wasn’t the scene I had expected.
I widened my eyes as I looked at the screen that filled the laptop.
「Mom! What does a snowman look like?」
The young Lee Tae-kyung, seen from the side, was sitting at the piano and singing a children’s song.
「I blew on my hands and made them round, and they became my Winter Friend.」
I was so surprised that I opened my mouth blankly. A scene that I had completely forgotten began to come to mind as if a bright door was opening.
「A white and pretty face. Red cheeks and black eyes. It became my friend that I can only meet in winter.」
Before consulting with the teacher, I had played the piano and let her listen to my song. I had done that with the childish desire to show the teacher my best side with the song I was most confident in.
「Friend, don’t be sad. Let’s meet again next winter.」
Lee Tae-kyung, who had finished singing, was seen smiling brightly at the teacher.
「It’s my favorite song!」
My voice in the video was excited with the pride of having played the song. If the camera had been closer, I probably could have seen my eyes sparkling.
I covered my mouth with my hand as if a sound was about to burst out.
Sung Se-han had repeatedly played this video of that day, which I didn’t even remember, more than ten thousand times.
He had watched me singing and watched it again and again.
“Ah…!”
That’s right. I remembered now.
Sung Se-han had already known me even before I barged into Sung Se-han’s practice room. Sung Se-han had said that before. If I hadn’t brushed it off back then, if I had, I could have noticed it sooner.
What did he see in me singing? Did he feel longing from me singing the same song as Grandmother?
So, instead of Grandmother, who had taken all the beauty of the world, he had comforted himself by looking at me?
If I had known Sung Se-han’s heart back then, I could have comforted his remaining loneliness even a little.
But it was too late now. There was nothing more I could do for Sung Se-han.
“Ugh…!”
I covered my eyes, but I couldn’t hide the tears that were bursting out.
“Tae-kyung.”
Auntie’s gentle voice was heard from above my head.
“Tae-kyung, back then, I listened to Tae-kyung’s performance and song with Se-han outside the door.”