𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲 ―𝐝.𝐨.𝐝

Chapter 42

Taking a deep inhale, she then moved on, chuckling, "I see that Seungmin's always sleeping on your shoulder during breaks. Thank you for dealing with him."

"It's alright. He works hard, so it makes sense that he would fall asleep."

But I guess I didn't understand the weight behind her words. She shook her head and looked down at her cup, rubbing the edge with her thumb.

"Actually, Seungmin has severe insomnia. He can't sleep well when there are other people around. I was really worried when I heard about the dorms...But I saw that he would always sleep calmly when he was with you. It might not seem a lot to you, but it is to his...family. You make him feel safe. Thank you."

Him staring out the window at 3 AM was now less creepy.

"...I'm glad I could be of some help," I managed to say.

"Gosh, you really are so kind. No wonder why he's so fond of you," she gushed. "Seungmin never talks to others outside our little circle. But he seems to have so much fun when he's around you!"

I was feeling burdened by her words. However, as if she read my mind, she waved her hand and continued, "The entirety of Idol Inc. is a fun experience for him."

"Does reading minds run in the family?"

At this point, Seungmin woke up. He was draped over the balcony and watching us from above.

"Gaeul?" he grumbled with a yawn.

"Hey, hurry and get dressed and eat. I'll drive you two to your teammate's house," she smiled.

"Why are you here? I thought I changed my key..."

Gaeul held up some folder, and Seungmin stared at it for a while. Then he slipped away into the bathroom. I could hear the water running.

"So he changed the key because he had a guest over, no wonder," she sighed as she fell back onto the cushions. "You know, only four people know where he lives. Not even his dad knows."

I thought this was TMI and kept my mouth shut.

Luckily, Seungmin was coming down the stairs and ended our conversation.

"Good morning, Moondae hyung," he smiled.

"Hey, it's almost 4 PM," Gaeul rolled her eyes. She handed him the paper, and he skimmed it before nodding his head.

"Hyung, you can get ready, and then we can go to Ahyun's house," he smiled again. 

He was asking me to leave the conversation. I nodded and went up the stairs to change.

By the time I got back down, the files were nowhere in sight. Seungmin had a bag of fruits in his hand, and we all went down the elevator and to the parking garage where Gaeul's car was.

The ride was nicely quiet.

Then, Seungmin's phone rang as soon as we got to Ahyun's doorstep.

"Moondae hyung, Raebin's asking to watch the episode together."

"Oh! Moondae and Seungmin! Come in, come in~" Sejin answered the door as if it were his own house.

"W-welcome!" Ahyun peeked out from behind.

"So what were you saying about Raebin?" Sejin said as we entered and Seungmin handed his fruits to Ahyun.

"Oh, Raebin is asking to watch the episode together, but he's with Eugene."

"Hmm, I think it'll be okay. There's no way the production team will show their drama in episode 8. It'll probably be in the little teaser at the end for episode 9," Sejin smirked. "Plus, it's better to build a friendship with this opportunity~"

I didn't expect him to be so blunt, but I guess the school bullying controversy made him more open to us.

I turned to look at the actual landlord.

"Ah, I-I'm fine with it!"

Thus, Seungmin told the two to come, and the living room of Ahyun's became loud in no time.

"Let's get pizza!" Eugene shouted in English.

"Cha Eugene, talk in Korean!" Raebin hissed.

"What toppings?" Seungmin asked calmly.

"I-I'm fine with anything!" Ahyun flailed.

"Guys, the episode is about to start!" Sejin announced.

Really, it was a mess.

But everyone quieted down as the familiar Idol Inc. logo appeared on the screen.

Truthfully, it was a waste of time. None of us showed up much at all in episode 8, and even if the team performed first, it looked like the editing team was planning on putting us in episode 9. So, only a few positive clips of Team Moon Rabbit appeared.

I frowned.

In the beginning, I would've been grateful for getting cheerful footage, but it wasn't very beneficial now when the last team match was approaching. If I don't look desperate enough, people will think I don't want to debut.

Plus, I didn't have a backstory, so fans couldn't create and share a desperate image on their own.

"Ironic, because I'm the most desperate person out here. I'll die if I don't debut..."

My gaze flickered to Seungmin and then to everyone else in the room.

Even if I couldn't debut with this program, surely I'd be picked up by an agency and debut there. But for some reason, I felt disappointed. There was a strange sense of defeat when I thought I might not debut with the people around me.

This sentiment didn't last long. The preview of episode 9 showed the entire collapse of team Husky; it showed the argument of everyone in the room when Lee Sejin A barged out. Apparently, Cha Eugene said something but was ignored.

In Ahyun's living room, Eugene watched the screen sadly and chugged the soda in his hand. Then he laughed.

"Did I get him addicted to sugar high?"

But that, too, was a fleeting feeling. 

Because next, there was something none of us expected.

"Those crazy bastards..."

The MC stated that they would show the current ranking status.

However, they would only show the number of stocks sold.