By Zephyria Even as he smiled with his cool lips, his intense gaze didn’t leave me.
I anxiously rubbed my damp hands on my pants.
Hey, Sung Se-han. Why are you looking at me like that?
The moment I realized I was holding my breath, I heard footsteps echoing in the hallway.
“Lee Tae-kyung-ssi! It’s been a while.”
Thanks to Song Woo-shin’s appearance, Se-han’s large body moved away from me.
“Hello, Leader-nim!”
I bowed deeply to Song Woo-shin. Thankfully, I was glad to see him now.
But what am I so thankful for…?
“You can just call me Hyung.”
Song Woo-shin, who approached busily, patted my back and smiled kindly.
“Ah, yes. Then from now on…”
Even though I’m Se-han’s friend, Song Woo-shin is a senior I find difficult. It was still too much to call him Hyung.
“Se-han, is this what you asked me to bring?”
“Yeah.”
Se-han handed me the gold envelope he received from Song Woo-shin.
“I wanted to give it to you first, but I was a little late.”
It was an envelope containing Se-han’s album. It was the album I had been wanting to receive so badly, but I didn’t know what to say.
“I’m going.”
While I was hesitating, wondering how to say the words, Se-han turned around and walked in the opposite direction. And he probably won’t look back again.
After staring at his broad back for a moment, I followed Song Woo-shin down the hallway.
“Tae-kyung-ssi, if you have time, would you like to have lunch with us?”
As I got on the elevator, I asked.
“Ah… Have all the Perfect Puzzle members arrived?”
“Only Si-hyun is here right now, but we’re all going to cheer you on together tomorrow.”
Ah… that’s a relief. I was relieved that he seemed to have a good relationship with the members.
“I came out with difficulty, so I have to go back quickly. I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”
“Okay, then.”
After getting off at the first-floor lobby, I said goodbye to Song Woo-shin and turned around. Then I found the Vice Manager waiting for me, leaning against the information desk.
“Vice Manager-nim.”
“Tae-kyung-ssi.”
We walked to the ground-level parking lot without any special conversation, and suddenly I let out a hollow laugh.
“I think I’m starting to get attached to Vice Manager-nim.”
“Is that so? It’s good to get attached. Let’s get along comfortably.”
He was a unique person I had never experienced before. I hid my smile and got into the sedan.
He seemed like the type who would never be flustered, no matter what unexpected situation arose. I felt reassured that Vice Manager-nim was by Sung Se-han’s side.
After returning to the company, I headed to the empty conference room.
While the members were having lunch, I planned to give up my meal and listen to Sung Se-han’s songs.
“Wow…!”
When I opened the envelope, there were two versions of the album, blue and red, and one more thing. The gold album, which shone like it was gilded, seemed to be a special edition only given to those involved.
I took out the inner pages and carefully turned the first page, as if afraid of getting gold dust on my hands. And then I stopped breathing.
[To Lee Tae-kyung, from Sung Se-han.]
What is this.
Just his name scribbled dryly, what is this. It felt like my heart was blocked.
“Ah, that bastard. He could have written a simple, short message.”
My words were mumbled and didn’t come out well, which felt strange.
I hurriedly flipped through the inner pages, then jumped up and took out the CDP displayed on the bookshelf.
First, I wanted to listen to track 5, “My Name is Sung Se-han.” This song, which had caught my eye since the tracklist was released, was the one I was most curious about.
My Name is Sung Se-han. In Se-han’s diary, what meaning would his name have?
While putting on the headphones and playing the track, the pleasant throbbing of my heart continued.
Soon, a refreshing melody began to play, and I smiled without realizing it.
A two-five-one chord progression based on A minor. As I had already heard in Harame, it was a track I knew. Se-han put lyrics to this song.
Back then, I secretly envied Se-han for producing such an amazing top line…
“Grandmother.”
The moment the lyrics came out, the smile disappeared from my face.
“I feel like I only look for Grandmother when I’m having a hard time.”
“But what can I do? I feel energized just by saying Grandmother’s name.”
“So Grandmother, I miss you today too.”
It felt like my heart was falling down, so I covered my mouth with my hand, at a loss.
I only found out that he was raised by his grandmother through Auntie, and Se-han had never mentioned his grandmother.
So, I had vaguely thought that Se-han probably didn’t like his grandmother very much… maybe they weren’t that close.
“Grandmother.”
Se-han’s voice calmly calling out to his grandmother felt like it was squeezing my heart.
Se-han.
You… you were missing your grandmother this much.
“I was born in a cold field. When it snowed, my body froze, and when it rained, I got soaked. That was natural. Because I was alone with nothing.”
What…? I pressed my trembling lips with the back of my hand. Se-han was a guy who used luxury pianos worth over 100 million won.
Why was a guy who had so much and had nothing to envy writing these lyrics…?
“But Grandmother said.”
“I’ll be your roof. I’ll be your strong pillar. I’ll create a strong wall to block the wind and rain, to block the snow.”
I clenched my fist tightly and glared.
This wasn’t a diary… it was Se-han’s growth story that I didn’t know.
“My name is Sung Se-han.”
“A precious name given by Grandmother. My treasure. My place. The house I live in.”
“Our Se-han. Our Se-han. My name that Grandmother used to call.”
I lowered my head and closed my eyes. The emotions contained in his calm and comfortable vocals were things I had never known before.
“When we parted.”
“I’ll be standing behind you, so live as you please, take whatever you want. Take the whole world. Grandmother said.”
“I’m the main character of the world, and I’ll protect you by summoning any miracle. That’s what she said.”
Miracle… Se-han’s grandmother must have loved him this much. So Se-han still feels so affectionate…
“But Grandmother.”
“Why are you so worried? I’m Sung Se-han.”
“I’ll protect you now. Forever.”
“I’m Sung Se-han.”
I smiled at the last lyrics. Yeah, that’s how Se-han should be.
When the song ended and I opened my eyes, my eyelashes were soaked.
“That’s really ridiculous. How can you not tell me about your grandmother even once.”
I felt relieved and happy, but also sad. I was confused because I couldn’t understand my emotions.
But perhaps the biggest part was disappointment. I thought we knew everything about each other, but that wasn’t the case.
My heart was constantly restless, so I couldn’t concentrate on listening to the remaining tracks.
Even though he had such great longing, how could he not show it even once.
Does this guy not think of me as a close friend…? Is that why he was able to leave so easily…?
Thump. I pushed the chair back and jumped up. My emotions were going too far with useless thoughts. It felt like my head was sounding an emergency alarm, warning me to be wary of this state.
“Lunchtime is over.”
I carefully organized the album and left the conference room.
The next day, entertainment articles about Sung Se-han’s showcase continued all day.
Before the showcase started, there was anticipation. From the moment the showcase was in progress, articles praising the solo album began to pour out.
At 6 PM, the music video and song for “I’ll Wait Until 2 AM” were released.
‘I’ll Wait Until 2’ was an addictive song that made you fall pleasantly into its medium-tempo, cheerful melody, and before you knew it, the song was over, as you were mindlessly immersed in the swirling lyrics and vocals.
As expected of Sung Se-han, the song’s stylishness was beyond question.
As I already knew, the reaction to the title track, ‘I’ll Wait Until 2,’ was explosive from the start. It garnered favorable reviews not only from fans but also from fans of other idols.
7 PM. ‘I’ll Wait Until 2’ confidently entered the music charts at number one, and the remaining tracks followed suit, lining up neatly behind it.
It was just as I had predicted.
It was causing an even bigger reaction than when he had only released the music last time. This was because the music video, featuring Sung Se-han’s visuals, gave it a powerful boost.
The first scene of the music video begins in the vast garage of a magnificent mansion.
High-top sneakers, stained with paint, walk past dozens of cars parked in the garage. The camera, following him, slowly moved up his long legs.
Ripped jeans that revealed parts of his thighs, a red shirt tied around his waist, and the camera, scanning his arms with moderate muscles and a white sleeveless tee, relentlessly focused on Sung Se-han’s right-angled shoulders, long neck, and angular jawline that gave off a sexy vibe.
Before showing his face, the camera quickly pulled back, revealing Sung Se-han’s entire body as he climbed onto the hood of a green car, and the song began.