By Zephyria Sung Se-han, sinking deep into the back of the sofa, crossed one leg over the other. I barely managed to tear my gaze away from the taut crease of his straight pants across his thigh.
Just from his silhouette, I could immediately tell how firm his muscles were. Who could beat this guy, with his natural physique and strict self-management?
“Hey, are you upset? I just said it because I was worried…”
“Fucking annoying.”
Sung Se-han, with one arm draped over the sofa armrest, stroked his chin with his fingers and smiled. More than the sudden curse word, it was the cold look in his eyes that completely hardened my expression.
“So, in your eyes, I look like someone who’s afraid of getting kicked out of there.”
“No, why are you twisting my words like that?”
There was a limit to exaggeration! My chest felt tight, but I couldn’t raise my voice because of the people around, so I just clenched my fists tightly.
Since a little while ago, more and more people had been peeking into the café, trying to catch a glimpse of Sung Se-han. I couldn’t let things escalate into a shouting match here.
“Hey, what I mean is…”
“I understand your thoughts perfectly.”
“Crazy…! Understand what?”
I hit my chest, feeling frustrated, and he tapped his well-defined chin, looking at me.
“Lee Tae-kyung, you.”
“What. What is it now?”
“Be careful not to let the younger members see you as too easygoing.”
What? I couldn’t even laugh after hearing such absurd things.
“No, what does that even mean? Talk so I can understand.”
“Why do you let Choi Soo-in hug you so casually and treat you like a younger brother? You should have kept your distance like a proper Hyung from the start.”
I covered my head with both hands and then finished the remaining Americano.
“What are you talking about? Are you saying I’m not acting like a proper Hyung? Ha…! You don’t even know our team’s atmosphere…! Our youngest members never cross the line with their Hyungs, they’re all so kind!”
“It’s really grating on me.”
This time, I had no choice but to shut my mouth.
Sung Se-han, with his hands clasped on his knees, gave a chilling smile.
“Tae-kyung, I told you not to do that.”
“What… what are you talking about?”
I couldn’t understand what he was saying at all, so I frowned. Then, suddenly, a large hand reached out towards my face.
“Oh, uh.”
“Hair.”
I must have been so focused on Sung Se-han that I didn’t even notice my hair was poking into my eyes. While the long fingers lifting my hair moved back and forth in front of my eyes, I didn’t move a muscle.
“Don’t say ‘our, our team, our youngest members’ like that. It’s all grating on me.”
Sung Se-han took his hand away and leaned back on the sofa again.
“What…?”
A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me, and I even felt a sense of futility. I was a fool for sitting so close to the table, trying to improve Sung Se-han’s mood.
“Hey, Sung Se-han.”
I stared at Sung Se-han, who was leaning deeply into the sofa.
Perfect Puzzle, the top idol group that confidently declared they had no rivals. Our company café was too shabby to accommodate Sung Se-han, who was at the center of it all.
“You’re the one who left because you didn’t like our team.”
Even I could tell my tone was cold, but Sung Se-han’s expression didn’t change.
“You went to a great company, a great team that suited you, so what’s your problem, huh?”
I wanted him to hear me clearly.
“Even if it seems insignificant to you, our team is so precious to me. Gun-woo Hyung and our youngest members, Jeong-min, Soo-in, Ho-soo. They’re all so precious and kind younger brothers.”
Sung Se-han’s face was devoid of any emotion. Well, there was probably nothing he could really react to.
“Our team almost fell apart when you suddenly left, but we managed to pull through in the end.”
We just barely managed to pull through. We, who had lost our center, ended up becoming a wandering stone.
“We struggled and struggled to get here… who are you to deny our team?”
I didn’t want to act emotionally when dealing with Sung Se-han. It was obvious that it would just make things uncomfortable for both of us.
But this bastard always makes me like this…
“I’m not denying it.”
Sung Se-han slightly tilted his head and looked at me. The gesture felt somewhat friendly, and I thought his anger had subsided, but now that I looked closer, I could see a lot of white in his eyes.
“Just call it Sky Blue. Don’t say ‘our team.’”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. What kind of bastard is this, really!
“Hey…! Sung Se-han, seriously… I can’t have a normal conversation with you!”
“Tae-kyung.”
Sung Se-han glanced at the watch on his wrist.
“I really squeezed time out of my schedule for this. So don’t take my words lightly.”
“What? Hey! You listen to me clearly. From now on…”
Don’t you dare say anything about our team. That’s what I wanted to say, but seeing the guy glaring at me with his eyes wide open, I couldn’t easily open my mouth.
What’s wrong, Lee Tae-kyung. Are you scared right now…?
Leaving me standing there with my eyes wide open, Sung Se-han stood up.
“I should get going now.”
“Where are you going? I haven’t finished talking…”
I tried to jump up but sat back down. Seeing him pick up the vanilla latte I had given him and gulp it down… I just couldn’t say anything.
“You don’t have to see me out.”
He put down the glass, wiped his lips with the back of his hand, and left.
“I’ll contact you.”
Before leaving the table, his large hand brushed through my hair. I, who had been sitting awkwardly without even leaning back on the sofa, belatedly jumped up.
“……”
Sung Se-han’s back was nowhere to be seen, as he had already left the café. I stood there blankly for a moment and then sat back down.
And I stared at the empty latte glass that Sung Se-han had left behind. The scent in the air wasn’t coffee, but a subtle Cologne scent.
“Annoying…”
The sense of desolation of being left alone in the company after Sung Se-han had left.
I didn’t know why this feeling, which I never wanted to experience again, was washing over me now.
“Tae-kyung.”
I was leaving the practice room after filming a short content video. I turned around at Gun-woo Hyung’s call from behind.
“Yes?”
Gun-woo Hyung, who had been watching the younger members walking ahead, started walking alongside me in the hallway.
“I used to think that the reason Se-han and I didn’t get along was all my fault?”
I widened my eyes at the unexpected topic. Gun-woo Hyung, who had been looking at the floor, raised his head.
“It’s true that I was very jealous of Se-han. So I even regretted that the team atmosphere was bad because of my jealousy.”
“Gun-woo Hyung, those old things are now…”
“But Tae-kyung.”
Gun-woo Hyung, who was a little shorter than me, met my gaze.
“After seeing it today, I know for sure. Se-han was the problem, not me.”
“Yes…?”
Gun-woo Hyung stopped abruptly, and I stopped in place as well. As if we had promised, we watched the younger members get on the elevator.
“Se-han hated that I liked you. When I think about it, whenever he saw us being close, he would pick a fight with me without you knowing. I just got caught up in it and kept fighting back.”
“Ah… Gun-woo Hyung. That’s just because Se-han’s personality is a bit of a bitch…”
“Look at today too. He saw that Soo-in liked you in the video and came running with his eyes rolling back.”
Hmm… It seems like other people can see that Sung Se-han’s eyes are going crazy.
“There’s no way he came all the way here just because of that video. Se-han didn’t even have time to sleep until yesterday because he was filming a music video.”
“Then why did he come?”
“Just…”
The conversation in the café was just Sung Se-han’s one-sided nonsense. There was nothing I could say in response.
“I think I understand a little now.”
“Yes?”
Gun-woo Hyung, who had pressed the elevator button, looked at me.
“The old me was too young and naive to deal with Sung Se-han.”
I couldn’t understand what he was trying to say at all. Seeing me standing there blankly, Gun-woo Hyung got on the elevator that had arrived.
“I think I have a way to get revenge on Sung Se-han now.”
“Y-yes? Revenge?”
As I got on, the elevator doors closed and started going down to the second floor, where the cafeteria was.
“Yeah. I have to pay him back for everything I suffered without even knowing why.”
Gun-woo Hyung’s spiteful smile was unfamiliar. Haa. For some reason, I feel a headache coming on. In my opinion, Gun-woo Hyung still seems like a weak and tender beast to deal with Sung Se-han.
I thought they were eating already, but the youngest members were gathered in the lounge in front of the cafeteria.
“Guys, we only have 30 minutes? Hurry up and eat and go back to practice.”
Even though I said it nicely, Jeong-min, who had his nose buried in his phone, answered perfunctorily.
“Tae-kyung Hyung, Se-han Hyung started a live broadcast a little while ago, can’t we watch it for a bit and then eat?”
“Live? What live?”
The youngest members looked at me with strange eyes.
“Tae-kyung Hyung didn’t subscribe to Sung Se-han Sunbae’s Dream?”
At Ho-soo’s words, who had taken off his earphones, I took out my phone.
“I was going to subscribe anyway… then if I do it now…”
“Let’s watch it together, Tae-kyung.”
Gun-woo Hyung sat me down in a chair and propped up the phone on the table. We each put in one earphone and focused on the video on the phone.
The first thing that caught my eye was Sung Se-han wearing a black turtleneck sweater and drinking water.