Stardom For Dummies

Lesson 7 - How to let loose in the kiddie slides

CHAPTER 7

<How to let loose in the kiddie slides>

Xuejunnie hyung is missing.

My fingers freeze and in the shock, I drop my phone to the ground. Ryuu, who is sleeping at the bottom bunk, doesn't stir but right now, I am too worked up to care. Missing? What does he mean?

Without wasting more time on texting, I directly end up calling Dae Jung. He picks at the first ring.

"Dae Jung—" I start but a loud sob interrupts me and I go speechless.

Dae Jung's rough sobs shake my ear and though I like to pride myself as someone level-headed, I'm at a loss for words as I listen to his raw cries. Was this the kid who introduced himself as the leader of an award-winning band just a few days back?

A second later, I hear a shuffle and someone else coughs into the phone.

"Winter."

Chin Hae.

"Chin Hae, what is Dae Jung blabbering about?" I cut straight to the chase. Chin Hae sighs softly and unveils a stressed groan.

"You heard right. Xuejun is missing. He said he was going out today morning and that's it, he isn't back."

"Phoned him?"

"Of course we did. He didn't pick. You are the last resort."

Chin Hae stops, and so do I, mouth going bitter. Last resort? Well sorry to break it to you but Liu Xuejun and I aren't as close as we used to be.

Either Chin Hae senses the unspoken words in my silence or he is simply tired but he lets out another drained sigh. "Winter, I don't know what happened between you and Xuejun but trusting that you're the closest to that meathead, I'm calling you. We've a schedule tomorrow evening and we need to be at the make-up artist's by afternoon." His voice breaks by the end and I can't help but wince.

My mind is a muddled mush and the familiarly strange eyes from the busking crowd flashes into my mind. It can't be that coincidental, can it?

"Winter..?"

"Yeah, I'm here," I hurriedly reply. The unasked questions within me stir, rising like an unstoppable tornado and the words are out before I can stop myself. "Just . . . why would that idiot even run away?"

Chin Hae goes silent too and a moment later, he clicks his tongue. "I don't know. Maybe not everyone is as happy as you assume they are."

The jab is obvious and I glare at the wall in front of me, wanting to punch holes into Chin Hae's thick head. But the present Xuejun isn't the Xuejun I knew. He isn't the boy who drank four cups of coffee with a poisonous six shots everyday to get through practice. Nor was he the boy who cooked me instant ramen in the middle of night just because I wouldn't sleep. He is Jun from the popular band Purple Skyes. He didn't have the luxury to run away. And the boy I knew wasn't that irresponsible.

"I'll see what I can do."

The other side goes silent before Chin Hae murmurs almost inaudibly. "How is teacher Park?"

"Good," I say, but since the atmosphere feels too serious and suffocating, I add in a half joking manner. "Still a glorious living statue."

It kinda works and Chin Hae barks out an abrupt laugh. "Say Winter, once this is sorted out— promotions, Xuejun . . . everything, how about we meet up?"

I can almost see Chin Hae on the other side, tired eyes shut closely, while a hand kneaded the space between his eyebrows. He was always too responsible for his own good. Sorta like Ha Joon hyung but more impulsive and a bit thick headed. But knowing someone in the past was one thing. Like Liu Xuejun, he didn't have the old luxuries of trainee Chin Hae either. It's almost bittersweet and I nod lightly.