IKC C21

Chapter 21

“Haa…”

I recalled a breathing technique I once saw in a video, one that was supposed to calm the mind. Normally, you were supposed to sit cross-legged, but here in the car, I simply leaned back against the seat and stared at the ceiling, drawing breath in and out slowly—

No. Forget breathing techniques. I grabbed him by the collar instead.

“Fine! I did say I’d make it up to you! But damn it, you should have some shame. How can you say something so outrageous?”

I try to focus only on keeping him alive—on nothing else. And yet, every damn time, he worms his way into my head and upends it all. Shameless bastard.

He tapped lightly at my clenched fist.

“You were the one who said it. Did I ever force you?”

“That’s—!”

It wasn’t him. It was the cursed status window that made me say such rotten things. Like that filth would ever slip out of my mouth otherwise.

“If you’ve got even a shred of conscience, think about it! If anyone deserves compensation, it’s me. Because of you, our debut was scrapped. I went through hell, only to—”

In the end, our album drowned. Because of you, you insane bastard.

“Our Taegyeong must’ve held a lot of resentment against me.”

Still smiling, Seong Sehan pried my hand off his shirt. My grip couldn’t match his strength, and letting go infuriated me further. I ground my teeth.

“Our Taegyeong? What the hell is that? Are you mocking me?”

“Don’t be angry.”

He took my reddened fingers, inspecting them as though they were precious. I yanked my hand away at once. I pressed myself against the farthest edge of the door, desperate for distance, as he finally started the car.

“Is it really so unbearable to make it up to me? I could give you fifteen years without hesitation.”

“…What?”

The words stuck like stones in my throat. All I could do was repeat, dazed, because I knew. This wasn’t mockery. He meant it. And that truth burned me worse.

“If you cared for me that much, then why…”

“All the money I made from Perfect Puzzle—I could hand it all to you. Would you take it?”

“You crazy son of a—!”

I shouted, but he only laughed. A deep, ringing laugh. The anger blazing in me fizzled absurdly into smoke.

“Goddamn it…”

What was he, really?

“Seong Sehan, you’re driving me insane.”

“Then we’re even. You do the same to me.”

He spun the wheel gently, guiding us gracefully back into the first lane. His profile in the glowing night was unfamiliar, as though he weren’t the friend I knew inside and out, but a stranger.

That too rubbed me raw. I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep.

“I’ll call you tomorrow.”

He dropped me off at the company and then quickly turned the car around. Judging from how Kang Robin had already tried to call him twice while he was driving me, he should never have left the studio at all.

“Always has to make things complicated…”

My chest tangled with conflicting thoughts. I stood there long after his car vanished from sight.

Then—suddenly, a whiff of familiar cologne drifted through the night.

“…Hmph.”

I tugged at the collar of my hoodie, lifting it to my nose. The scent lingered where he had leaned too close to me.

I twisted my head sharply, scanning the street. But of course, the car was gone.

“…”

After Sehan left our company back then, I had floundered, unable to find anywhere for my heart to rest. My heart must remember that loneliness still. It ached dully now, as if warning me.

I rubbed the tip of my cold nose and forced my legs to carry me back toward the practice room where my members waited.

2 a.m.

Geonwoo-hyung and I sat together in the practice room, replaying and analyzing our dance footage, when suddenly the door slammed open.

“Hyung! Taegyeong-hyung!”

Jeongmin burst in, phone in hand, beaming. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Maknae, don’t you ever get tired? You’ve been practicing all day, and still you’re running around like this?”

“Hyung, your reaction video just went up!”

“…Wait? Reaction video? To my cover?”

“Yeah! Hurry, look. No, not on my phone—on the laptop.”

He swiped the laptop we’d been reviewing on and quickly searched, playing back the video for us.

“This channel mostly reacts to K-pop and dramas; I watch them sometimes. And when I saw your video pop up, I freaked out.”

⌜“It’s been hot all day. Probably because Perfect Puzzle’s Seong Sehan left a comment—things exploded. So! I decided to film my reaction too. It’s been three years since Global Entertainment produced a boy group. Let’s see… I have high expectations. Let’s watch!”⌟

The cheerful young woman pressed play with twinkling eyes. My gut tightened.

⌜“Oh my God? Wow… this Lee Taegyeong has such a fresh, cool look, perfectly matched to that wide sky behind him. And you know I adore the icy types, right? But this one—wow, his aura is just… oh?!”⌟

She cut the playback short, covering her mouth and pounding the desk.

⌜“Insane! He smiles—did you see that smile? Ice cold and then bam, sunshine prince! I’m blinded!”⌟

I’d never imagined getting complimented like this before, not for my looks. It was bewildering, embarrassing, even gratifying. But with Geonwoo-hyung beside me, I felt restless and awkward.

⌜“And the physique—just my type. Slim but those dance lines? Absolute art. Gorgeous. Honestly, I might become a fan after just today.”⌟

My tense shoulders slackened as I realized she still hadn’t mentioned my singing. Would she even say anything? Could you really become a fan by looks alone? My stomach knotted.

⌜“But then—the singing! Isn’t this unfair, you all? The first line, and I knew immediately—done. This cold, sharp visual, and that chewy, rich pop vocal? Shivers all over me. That run? Flawless. He’s weaving falsetto into chest like nothing.”⌟

⌜“Honestly, I worried. Being a Brit fan, I thought—can he do the song justice? But wow, my worries were pointless. He nailed it.”⌟

At last—even my vocals earned mention. Relief surged, my lips curling. I knew Geonwoo watched me from the side, but still I smiled.

⌜“I’m genuinely moved. Now I want to check out the covers from the other members. Fans, let me know in the comments—when’s their album drop?”⌟

Album drop… we didn’t even have fans yet. I thought bitterly, but Jeongmin scrolled gleefully through comments.

“Hyung, looks like we have fans now! See? People are already telling her—March 28, debut album release!”

“…Oh. It really says that.”

“Wow…”

Dazed, we marveled—until the door swung again. All of us turned. Sungwook-hyung stood there, holding the handle.

“You kids never going home? Let me actually clock out for once!”

“Yes, yes, we’re going now!”

“Right away!”

We scrambled, packing up. As we left, he handed each of us a bottled water.

“Starting tomorrow, you’ll have a new manager. Just remember.”

“…What?”

“…Huh?”

We froze at the sudden announcement. He glanced back, waiting.

“Taegyeong, keep Sehan in check. Why the hell is that brat always so out of line?”

“…Sorry? Sehan?”

Alarm jolted me. I rushed closer.

“Hyung, what happened with Sehan? Did something happen?”

He clicked his tongue, spared a glance at Jeongmin—as if reluctant to speak in front of the youngest—then muttered anyway.

“I wasn’t gonna say anything. But that bastard pissed me off so badly—I can’t hold it in.”

Tension crept all over my skin as I waited.

“Remember when Hyuksu hit you and left you bruised? Sehan fucking called me up and cursed me out like hell over it. Kept on and on, like a lunatic. I hadn’t even brought up Hyuksu’s name because he’s a minor—wanted to let it pass. But Sehan wouldn’t let off. Raising hell. Damn brat.”

“Haa…”

I clawed through my hair, suffocated. Did Sehan truly not grasp danger? He of all people, the one who should’ve stayed quiet, causing the biggest storm of all.

“I’m sorry. I’ll talk to him—”

“Forget it. Just tell him never to call me again. And let’s clear things here and now. Whatever I’ve done to you before, fine, I’ll own it. But from today forward, consider our ties severed. Understood?”

“…Yes, hyung.”

The car ride back to the dorm was suffocatingly silent. Judging from the look on his face, Geonwoo-hyung must have known about the manager switch already.

Truth was, Sungwook-hyung’s hot temper had made things hell for us before, so I couldn’t even pretend to feel sad. A small part of me almost felt relieved—it might finally ease.

What a brutal, endless day. My body felt leaden, my eyes bruised with exhaustion.

I couldn’t imagine what exactly Sehan had said to Sungwook-hyung. He was a storm unto himself, incomprehensible and reckless.

And yet—because he was that way.

At school, at cram classes, even within the company—Sehan had never simply watched when someone tried to hurt me.

That was just who he was.

After I had cast him out of my life, left him behind, his absence meant no protection, no interference. I drifted like an empty shell into songs that didn’t suit me, into failure, into disgrace.

Time without him wasted me away that way.

“Haa…”

I couldn’t hold back another sigh.