Chapter 96

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Through blurred vision, I saw the face of a person I knew.

“…Lee Sejin?”

“I think you have a huge fever.”

I couldn’t be sure, but Lee Sejin probably had a terrified expression.

I held back a hollow cough a few times and replied.

“…Ahem, yeah. I took medicine.”

“Don’t just take medicine… Hey, you, go to the hospital. Shall I call the company for you?”

“……It’s not some serious illness… Forget it. It’s a body ache.”

Lee Sejin clicked his tongue.

“Why suffer when you can get better quickly? Just go and get an IV shot. Get a strong prescription medicine too.”

“…….”

It was bothersome, but honestly I was a bit tempted.

‘The company would at least pay for that much.’

Since it’s a subsidiary of a large corporation, I had expectations that they would treat this much as industrial disaster processing.

Then I realized the current situation.

“Ah… the manager hyung is resting today.”

“You can just call a taxi. Get dressed roughly.”

“…….”

A taxi was among the options.

While looking at Lee Sejin finishing the phone call, I barely derived a rational question.

“But why are you here?”

“I dropped by while going to the company briefly because there was something to receive. I live near here.”

You have something to receive from the company?

“What do you receive?”

“Is that important right now? Forget it and let’s change clothes. The taxi says it’ll arrive soon.”

“……Okay.”

I slowly got up, threw off the sweat-soaked tee, and roughly pulled on a hoodie. I wasn’t hot because I was shivering.

“Do you need help?”

“Forget it.”

It should be fine to go roughly like this. If I just wear a mask to cover my face…….

“Here, wear this.”

“…….”

He noticed like a ghost. I hung the mask on my ears and admitted it obediently.

“Thanks.”

“If you know it, that’s enough. Be good to me.”

Lee Sejin shook his head, then checked his smartphone.

“Ah, the taxi is nearby. Let’s go down.”

“Okay. Can I go to the main gate?”

“I called it to that side. Follow me.”

“……?”

Roughly looking, it wasn’t a feeling of seeing me off but a feeling of going with me.

“I’ll just go alone quietly.”

“Imagine what kind of article will break if you happen to collapse while going alone quietly.”

“…….”

I admitted defeat.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

I kept my mouth shut, followed Lee Sejin down, and took the taxi.

While I was holding back motion sickness with a dimming mind, we arrived at the hospital before long.

* * *

“Much better, right?”

“Indeed.”

I readily agreed. I don’t know what on earth was in the IV, but after getting two packs of different colors, my condition significantly improved.

‘Just a body ache that’s somewhat bearable.’

It was a big hospital, and because celebrities probably come quite often due to the location, finishing it quietly was also very good.

“You can go and eat, and then take medicine. Kya, there’s no other friend like this.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

“…Don’t mention it.”

Lee Sejin shrugged his shoulders and opened the front door of the dormitory.

Then, a pile of boxes appeared in front of my eyes.

“……!”

They weren’t just delivery boxes. These boxes of different sizes, wrapped in ivory paper with deep green ribbons……

“Ah, they’ve already moved them.”

“…….”

I quietly asked the calm Lee Sejin.

“…Is it your birthday?”

“Eh? Ah, if it’s Moondae, you must have seen it while searching~”

Lee Sejin winked.

“That’s right. My birthday is the day after tomorrow. August 1st.”

“…….”

It seemed that pile of gifts was what he meant by having something to receive from the company.

‘…I thought he was the type of person to make a fuss starting from a week before his birthday.’

I didn’t know he wouldn’t even utter a word.

In fact, if I hadn’t remembered seeing it briefly on SNS a few days ago, I would have almost passed that pile of gifts thinking it was support for the debut commemoration.

Anyway, the birthday person was calm.

“Since my birthday passes in the middle of vacation~ I was going to take the proof shots first. It feels good to see such things right on the day.”

“That’s true, and… for now, congratulations.”

“Okay~ Send me a touching congratulatory talk and a gifticon on my birthday. I’ll be satisfied with about a chicken.”

I chuckled.

“…You did the value of the chicken today.”

“…! If I hear this much from Park Moondae, I might even be able to deal for two?”

“What?”

Lee Sejin grinned, then walked into the kitchen and lifted a pot.

“This is braised short ribs?”

“……Galbi?”

Where did that suddenly pop out from?

“It’s because I was worried about my friend who would be alone in the dormitory and took it out from my birthday table!”

“…!!”

“Doesn’t… emotion overflow? Lee Sejin who brought galbi for his teammate during vacation… Keh, wherever you go, talk about it as a heartwarming story.”

“…….”

“You’re lost for words because you’re grateful? It’s okay. It can be like that.”

Lee Sejin waved his hand and headed back to the entrance.

“I’m going to go back, so take good care of your health during the vacation. Make sure to heat up the braised short ribs and eat it.”

“…Should I take proof shots of the gifts?”

“Haha, forget it. What can a sick guy do. I already took them at the company.”

Lee Sejin left a piece of advice, “Go back to the hospital if you’re sick again,” and disappeared just like that.

“……”

‘I experience all sorts of things.’

I haven’t really been with anyone when I was sick, and since usually only bothersome things increased, this one was quite new.

‘It’s comfortable because there’s someone helping.’

…I should really send at least a chicken on Lee Sejin’s upcoming birthday. It’s worth that much on my day off.

‘Now, then I’ll take medicine and monitor again……’

Buzz.

A talk arrived on the smartphone.

[Seon Ahyun : Park Moondae-ya, are you having a good vacation? I just finished my first counseling now. He seems like a good person, so this time I’m going to try challenging really hard. I felt like I definitely had to contact you to say thank you, so I’m sending a text… (See More)]

“…….”

This… hasn’t changed. Still, I thought it was something that he didn’t post it in the group chat.

I pressed ‘See More’.

To summarize, he was thankful and asked if I had any thoughts of coming to play during the vacation.

‘None.’

I sent a reply with the content ‘Congratulations on receiving the counseling well, and I’m going to rest because my body isn’t in good condition.’

And I threw the phone on the sofa and came back after taking medicine, and the long text had multiplied to five messages.

In addition, an incredibly large number of notifications appeared in the group chat.

Upon checking, it seemed Lee Sejin had already blabbered everything that happened today in the group chat.

[Cha Yujin : Be healthy hyung! (crying basic emoticon)]

[Ryu Chungwoo : I guess it’s because you rested after working. Contact me if it’s too hard.]

[Kim Raebin : Grandfather gave me red ginseng, shall I bring it when I return to the dormitory? (blurry water bottle photo)]

[Lee Sejin : Give me some too (exploding laughter emoticon)]

…Dozens of such conversations had accumulated.

“……Ha.”

At this point, it didn’t feel like I was alone, but like these guys were in some next room.

‘Still, I am thankful.’

One might even say why are they contacting and bothering while I’m resting.

Even a talk came from Lee Sejin. Of course, it wasn’t the group chat.

[Lee Sejin : Is your body okay?]

I attached replies one by one in the order they came first.

First, to Seon Ahyun, I sent ‘My body is recovering well and I didn’t think at all that you thoughtlessly suggested playing, so don’t worry.’ And I also sent to Lee Sejin that I’m reasonably okay.

Finally, I uploaded the same content to the group chat as well.

[I’ve become okay after going to the hospital. Everyone have a good vacation.]

Then the screen was filled with ‘OK’ emoticons from the people who checked. Well… it was a bit pleasant since the feedback was fast and positive.

‘Now let’s eat.’

I shrugged my shoulders and heated up the braised short ribs and instant rice.

The braised short ribs were quite delicious.

* * *

When Park Moondae finished his vacation quietly while recovering his condition, TeSTAR’s fans were enjoying themselves while looking at TeSTAR’s vacation news uploaded on SNS.

-Seon Ahyun ㅋㅋㅋㅋ he said he started knitting dishcloths, so cute… so cute…! (photo of a half-knitted dishcloth)

-Today’s Kim Raebin : I ate Chodang corn with grandfather…
I really want to make him sit under the air conditioner and feed him Shine Muscat, Chodang corn, and pears until his stomach is full.

-Does anyone know where the place Ryu Chungwoo took a photo of and uploaded is? ㅠㅠ It looks like a mountain, did you climb a mountain in this summer Ryu Chungwoo-ya…? Even during vacation..?

Especially, Lee Sejin had an overflow of bait as he released all sorts of photos and videos around his birthday.

In particular, the most popular was a short video of TeSTAR lip-syncing to the sound of their ‘Hi-five’ music show stage flowing from the TV.

The TeSTAR members who were passing through the living room while doing everyday actions like drinking water or reading a book would for no reason catch the mood and follow someone else’s part and pass by, which became a topic of conversation with tens of thousands of shares.

-No, why do they look closer here than in the reality show ㅋㅋㅋ

-I really didn’t know even Lee Sejin would match the rhythm… and to Cha Yujin’s rap part… ㅋㅋㅋ

-My heart gets warm because it seems they’ve become very comfortable with each other… *sniff*… TeSTAR, definitely extend… live for 100 years…

And as the last episode of the reality trip was broadcasted, fans were feeling a bittersweet lingering aftereffect of TeSTAR’s debut activities finishing well.

However, for the fans of just one member, it was too early to enjoy the lingering aftereffect.

It was the fans of Park Moondae, who had the main broadcast of right in front of them.

-Today has finally come.

-Park Moondae ㅠㅠ Variety show ㅠㅠ Overflowing screentime ㅠㅠ

-What is this, I couldn’t sleep yesterday because I was nervous…

-Looking at the trailer, there are stories about an escaped killer and ghost stories, so thinking that our Park Moondae would have followed the sunbaenim around while being scared but pretending not to be, it’s already cute and fun even without watching, and I who used a day off today to watch that scene with a clear mind am the winner.

└ㅋㅋㅋㅋ No, just how full of expectation are you ㅋㅋㅋ

In the expectations of nervous fans, this week’s started its broadcast.

The first thing that came out was…… a skit of two people meeting at a mountain villa in the middle of a snowy mountain.

[I was surprised because a blizzard suddenly hit, but I was glad there was a mountain villa.]

[I see. I also checked the weather situation and entered quickly.]

If there was a problem, it was that neither of them had a talent for acting.

It unexpectedly became a good comedy segment.

Laughter burst in every community comment running the program’s ‘on-air’ in real time.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-No, it doesn’t look like they’re in distress, it looks like they’re having a business meeting, those two.

-A mysterious conference room vibe.

-Where did true leader Cheongryeo-nim go and Jaehyun popped out, oh my Jaehyun-ah, if someone saw you they’d think you met at a seminar.

-Park Moondae-ya, it’s a setting that it’s winter, you just flinched while trying to take off your padding because it’s hot ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

The scene of sharing and drinking hot Americano and sharing and eating heating-type instant food roughly taken out of the backpack also made people chuckle.

-Park Moondae just pretended not to see the chicken feet lunch box ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-No, Puppy-ssi, it’s a setting that he brought it himself, but he’s rummaging through the backpack as if he’s seeing it for the first time!

-Cheongryeo you drink only hot water even in midsummer, and to the hoobae too you give boiling Americano in this summer… (lost for words)

-I guess the lunch box tastes bad, both of them became silent while eating ㅋㅋㅋ

The ambiguous blizzard CG on the window brought out that sense of incongruity even more funnily.

[At that moment,]

[A sudden roar echoed…?]

In addition, as even small captions were included, the atmosphere became even stranger.

[An enormous roar that shakes the mountain villa]

[Distressed Person 1 : Is it thunder? (calm)]

[Distressed Person 2 : I’ll report to the police first. (calm)]

-They are isolated in a mountain villa by a landslide but they don’t feel any tension. Because we have PPL products that infinitely produce hot Americano.

└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I’m going crazy.

-The two are completely six of one and half a dozen of the other ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└They must be thinking that they’re doing it while being very immersed… probably…

The cycle of this endless skit was broken when Cheongryeo brought up a ghost story.