Chapter 09
After a rushed session of Yut-nori at home, playing hospital, and watching cute, bubbly animations (though Ye-won didn’t actually want to do any of them),
it wasn’t until Ye-won collapsed from exhaustion that Woo-yeon and Do-ha were able to catch their breath.
“Ye-won is out cold.”
“Good. If we’d played any longer, I’d have dropped from fatigue. Matching a girl’s taste is seriously tough…”
“You shouldn’t have come, then.”
At Do-ha’s curt remark, Woo-yeon’s sharp eyes shot up dangerously.
“Are you speaking properly?”
“I am speaking properly.”
“You think I came here because I like you? I came because hearing the kid’s situation was just… heartbreaking.”
“Next time, you don’t have to worry. She’s not your niece, she’s mine.”
At Do-ha’s cold words, Woo-yeon glared at him.
“…Seriously, what’s wrong with you that you act like this all the time?”
“What do you mean?”
“The kid—?! I’m trying to help, putting in effort, and why do I always get that kind of reaction?”
As soon as Ye-won left the room, the atmosphere between the two changed 180 degrees.
“The kid…”
“What the hell…”
“…She can’t get attached here.”
“!”
At Do-ha’s words, Woo-yeon froze.
“You know I can’t raise her. Ye-won needs to grow up in a loving home, full of affection.”
“…”
“There’s no practical solution. I wonder if it was reckless of me to bring her here impulsively.”
Woo-yeon, not having considered that part, stayed silent, face pale.
“So don’t… overdo it. Don’t let Ye-won get attached and think she can’t leave here.”
“…Do we even have a place to send her?”
“We’ll have to look again. I already asked Young-oh for help. He’ll find a way.”
“Ye-won might want to stay here, though.”
“Are you serious? You want a seven-year-old to live a life like ours? There are fans camped outside this building and reporters ready to pounce. It’s a miracle there aren’t any articles out yet.”
“…damn…”
At Do-ha’s words, Woo-yeon let out a heavy sigh, bitter in his mouth.
“If an article about Ye-won breaks, the one who’ll get hurt the most is her. The problem isn’t us—it’s her. Her dad is missing, our family drama will be exposed to the entire country… is that something we can let block her future?”
“…”
Nothing Do-ha said was wrong.
Woo-yeon was one of the few who knew the details of Do-ha’s family situation.
He knew why Do-ha was so desperate to hide his family, why he valued his privacy, so he had nothing to say.
“Even with the entire country throwing stones at us, we can’t let the kid get hit too.”
The situation was even worse now.
As Do-ha said, Glit was under fire from the public.
“…This is the best option for Ye-won, too.”
“Ha… life is so harsh and difficult.”
Woo-yeon sighed, clearly surrendering.
“…”
And.
Someone was listening to all this from behind the door.
‘So that’s why they hesitated.’
Ye-won exhaled with a serious expression.
She needed to act quickly. Otherwise, the “quest” and everything else would be in danger of being thrown away.
‘…But how?’
She thought for a moment.
‘First, focus on the root of the problem.’
Ye-won refocused on the conversation outside.
“So, when will you start working on the songs again? Can you even start? It’s the first time in so long that you haven’t been working.”
“…”
The reason Do-ha had shut himself away and avoided leaving his dormitory.
“…Is Yeon returning from England?”
“Ask him yourself, idiot. Am I the leader? You’re the leader, right?”
Why Woo-yeon snapped at Do-ha.
“What did Yeonho say?”
“Did you see what he said? He’d come if you just asked. He can work without talking to us at all. I have no idea what he’s thinking.”
One member was in England, another had disappeared entirely—
‘Why these four members got hurt so badly.’
And the reason was—
“…What about Yoo Tae-young?”
“…”
“Yoo Tae-young still blocked all of us?”
It was the departure of Tae-young from Glit.
Glit was originally a five-member boy group.
Time Entertainment, known for producing the most “textbook idol groups” among Korea’s top three entertainment companies, launched the rookie group Glit after six years.
And Glit became an absolute hit.
‘…They played Glit songs everywhere on the streets.’
Even Ye-won, who had little interest outside acting, couldn’t ignore it.
Center and composer Do-ha, along with the four other members, were quickly recognized as a perfectly balanced rookie group.
Composing, writing, producing—Do-ha was hailed as a genius in K-pop.
Han Woo-yeon swept through dance contests and got calls from top three agencies.
Seo Yeon-ho became famous from hip-hop survival shows as a child.
Ian, a Korean-British model, had an exotic and unique presence since childhood.
And the main vocalist Yoo Tae-young, kept secret and protected by Time Entertainment.
The five of them perfectly balanced each other and quickly became top idols.
First-year rookie awards, second-year best song, third-year grand prize—the path seemed flawless.
…Until the fourth year.
“…Why is Do-ha always the center? Why does he get all the schedules?”
Cracks began to show.
Suddenly, Tae-young expressed dissatisfaction, surprising the other four.
The most surprised, of course, was Do-ha.
He hadn’t chosen to be the center; the company had made him leader and center. But by the second album, the public had solidified the idea that Glit = Do-ha.
Perhaps it was inevitable. He planned the albums and composed all the songs.
His talent was praised as “unique” even in all of K-pop, so the company relied on him.
The fandom and the public naturally associated Glit’s center with Do-ha.
Other members accepted it without question.
But in the fourth year, Tae-young questioned it for the first time.
“…I do the hardest parts as main vocalist, but Do-ha gets all the attention.”
“Is that Do-ha’s fault? You wanted the hard parts, didn’t you? You chose the main vocal position.”
Do-ha’s vocal ability wasn’t inferior to Tae-young’s.
He had stepped back to solidify Tae-young’s role and character as main vocalist.
Even Tae-young knew this, making the argument ridiculous.
Yet, Tae-young didn’t stop there.
“Rearrange it to suit my tone.”
“Highlight me in this killing part.”
“Lower the key; I can’t sing it while dancing.”
…And so on.
He demanded almost frantically to shine more.
The other members were disgusted by his demands, but Do-ha accepted them all silently.
Even after all that effort—
Tae-young ultimately left the group.
Do-ha’s living room floor, all black or silver furniture.
“Let’s ask now. Why did we accept all of Tae-young’s nonsense back then?”
“…”
The two tall men, exhausted from childcare, lay sprawled looking at the ceiling, talking.
“…It’s not that I don’t understand how he felt.”
“!”
