Debut or Die - Chapter 481
This is the dorm. The survivors… are almost none.
“Ugh.”
“Sigh…”
This isn’t some kind of disease apocalypse. I haven’t even had time to unpack properly in the new dorm because I have been so busy, and now there’s no one walking around normally, making the place feel eerily empty.
Everyone’s just lying around.
Seriously.
“Haha, I haven’t had a cold in… I don’t know how many years.”
“…”
Ryu Chungwoo was down too.
I looked over at the guy on the next bed, smiling while taking some fever medicine. He really got drenched that one time.
Of course, that’s not the only reason he’s down. This guy didn’t even look tired after three consecutive concerts. It’s probably the accumulated stress and pressure from the company going under, combined with the reckless schedule during the album preparation period, all hitting at once with the Eugene incident.
It must be even harder for him as the leader.
What’s impressive is that, despite all this, he’s in the best condition among us. And the problem is, he knows it.
“Well, once the medicine kicks in, I’ll just pop by the company for a bit….”
Seriously.
“Just rest. There’s no schedule anyway.”
“…!”
“You can take the company’s call when they reach out. It’s not urgent.”
“…Okay. Got it.” Ryu Chungwoo lay back down on the bed with a slightly embarrassed smile.
I also just… lay back down on the blanket. Well… there are days when you need to rest like this.
At this point, with the important things wrapped up, I thought, maybe it’s okay to take a day off.
Whirring. The sound of the fan and the breeze were enough. It’s really funny that no one is complaining about the heat even though we haven’t turned on the air conditioner this summer.
Hmm.
Except for one guy.
“(…It’s hot.)”
“Turn on the air conditioner.”
“I’m not trash.”
Standing at the doorway with a sullen look is… the sole survivor, Cha Eugene.
“Why is everyone sick?”
Surprisingly energetic, Eugene has been wandering around the living room since early morning. It seems like Eugene can’t go into the room because Bae Sejin is groaning in there.
Interestingly, the situation on social media is the complete opposite.
-Eugene insisted on going out, but now it seems like Eugene’s condition has worsened and is restingㅠㅠ
└Such professional dedication…
That’s right. People firmly believe that Cha Eugene, despite being sick, performed heroically on stage and created a legend. However, officially, the only one who is supposed to be sick is actually the only one who is perfectly fine.
“Everyone will be up and about by evening, so don’t worry.”
“…”
So, although Stier Cha Eugene is pretending otherwise, Eugene seems quite flustered. He hasn’t been able to sit still in one place since earlier.
…I can’t just tell Eugene to go out and play.
Still, I don’t think Eugene will run off talking about control or anything like that again. In fact, after the stage yesterday, Stier Cha Eugene became oddly quiet, but in a good way, as if deep in thought. It means he has become quite stable.
Good. In that case,
I pressed the back of my hand against my burning forehead and spoke calmly. “Close the door, and it should be fine to turn on the air conditioner in the living room.”
“…”
“No. Actually, switch rooms with Bae Sejin. Sejin will agree right away.”
Yeah, I should have done this earlier. If I had given Eugene a private room and guaranteed some privacy, Eugene might have calmed down a bit.
I was too obsessed with eliminating variables. Now that I’m more relaxed, I can see it. Being sick can be advantageous sometimes.
I looked at Stier Cha Eugene. It seems like working together on stage this time has erased the tension between us quite a bit. It’s similar to how, even if the process was a bit of a mess, once a group project ends with an A, any ill feelings towards the group members who participated properly tend to disappear.
This guy did well.
Cha Eugene. If it weren’t for this guy, a significant amount of this buzz would have been lost.
First, the unexpected appearance of someone who seemed unlikely to participate drew attention, and with his charisma stat at EX, he dominated all the popular videos, making him quite the hot topic.
…The reaction when this Cha Eugene returns might be a problem. I hope he remembers.
Anyway, this means that in a situation where we’re building a friendly relationship like this, the proposal is likely to be well-received. I think it might work this time.
I looked at him with quite a bit of confidence. However,
“I have no intention of taking a sick person’s room.”
“…!”
“(I told you, I’m not that trashy.)”
And with that, he left the room, flapping the collar of his T-shirt.
“…”
No way…
Then what am I supposed to do? Even when given a solution, he spits it out.
Why did he say he was hot then? Was it just a build-up to ask for ice cream or something?
I turned to Ryu Chungwoo for an objective check but soon realized he was sound asleep.
“…”
Let’s leave him be.
…I don’t know.
Fine. Do whatever you want.
In the end, I decided to give Cha Eugene some appropriate autonomy. But that doesn’t mean I have to crawl out of bed to say this.
“The manager is busy… but you should have their number on your phone. If you need anything, ask and get some ice cream or something.”
“…”
“Don’t tell anyone detailed stories about who’s sick and how.”
Seeing that information leaked to another agency, we should be cautious until we can properly control the situation. It’s hard to expect that much from this Cha Eugene.
This should be enough.
However… Stier Cha Eugene sighed.
What?
“OK. I get it now.”
“What…?”
“Go to bed, now.”
And then I was pushed back into the room.
“…?”
Looking back, Cha Eugene was sitting on the sofa, holding a smartphone.
What is that guy doing?
And this question will be answered gradually.
* * *
First of all… within an hour, something arrived at the dorm in a box. Ding-dong.
Ice cream and… ice packs?
And a few daily necessities and groceries.
Did you guess that Cha Eugene contacted the manager? No. It wasn’t prepared by a company employee.
“You did this?”
“Yeah.”
He personally ordered delivery from the mart.
“Moondae hyung doesn’t like contacting the company, right?”
“…”
“And any adult living in Korea can use this method.”
No, it’s not that I thought you couldn’t order delivery. Somehow, I thought doing it yourself would be too proactive a gesture for him to do it himself.
“I need to sort things…”
“Nope.”
However, Cha Eugene kicked Kim Raebin’s butt, who was staggering out, back into the room and then organized the box he had ordered himself.
Surprisingly, Cha Eugene started ‘doing it himself’ from there. First, he handed out warm and cold water in tumblers to everyone.
“I-I’m okay.”
“Your face doesn’t look okay.”
Then, he distributed ice packs wrapped in towels.
“Oh~? Did we have these towels…?”
“I bought them.”
Eventually, he even checked the timing for taking medicine and measuring temperatures.
“Your fever hasn’t gone down yet. Use the ice pack.”
“…”
I watched him put down the thermometer and leave, and I stifled a groan from the bed.
At this point, I was confused. Am I… being taken care of by Cha Eugene? By that guy?
Is this for real?
I turned my head. Seeing Ryu Chungwoo’s bewildered expression as he opened the towel-wrapped ice pack, it seemed like reality. But we didn’t know that the highlight was yet to come.
It was an hour later.
“…Hyung.”
“What?”
“What’s that smell?”
“…!”
I lifted my head and looked outside. From the kitchen, visible through the door, a pot was boiling. The savory smell of broth was wafting from there.
“…??”
And standing in front of that pot was… Cha Eugene.
“…?!”
Does Cha Eugene cook?
I was curious about what Eugene had done, or rather, why Eugene insisted on making food to eat personally… Surprisingly, the purpose of cooking was not self-sufficiency.
“Come out and eat.”
“…”
Eugene called the groaning members to the dining table. The members, who were gathered in a hurry, sat around the table and were able to identify the food Eugene had made. It was…
“Oh.”
“This.”
It looked familiar.
“Chicken soup for the soul!”
It was a recipe Eugene had already tried a few times.
Did Eugen say his mother taught it? It seemed to be a taste with some memories. However, every time Eugene attempted this dish, what happened was…
Once, honey was added.
“Waah!”
Once, there was almost a fire.
“Aaah!”
In short, it was a complete disaster. No one here would forget it.
“…”
“…”
Bae Sejin’s trembling voice was heard. “…Why not make porridge instead?”
No one could refute that.
However… I looked up at Eugene, who was still cleaning up the kitchen. To be precise, at Eugene’s hand movements.
Hmm. Those were the movements of someone with experience. It means it wasn’t just a random attempt. It implies that Eugene had been cooking regularly before. In that case,
…Maybe there was a time when the company didn’t take good care of him. In other words, Eugene’s skills improved over time through practice.
I thought for a moment and then gave a short reply. I couldn’t explain everything, so I just said,
“…Thanks, anyway.”
“…Yeah.”
At those words, everyone sat up straight as if they had made a firm decision. It seemed like they were ready to eat whatever was served.
Soon, Eugene brought something that looked like a soft white porridge, probably as a side dish, and sat at the table.
The members flinched, but Eugene opened their mouths without much reaction. “It might be unfamiliar. This is the only dish I can make when someone is sick.”
“…”
Instead of saying, ‘Then just order porridge,’ Seon Ahyeon cheerfully spoke up. “L-Let’s eat…!”
“Thanks.”
And after a moment of solemnly holding their spoons,
“…!”
“It’s delicious…?”
“It has a unique flavor!”
Surprisingly, Eugene’s chicken soup tasted quite good. No, it’s really good. If it tastes good enough for a sick foreigner to enjoy, it must be really delicious.
Stier Cha Eugene smiled slightly. “Good.”
With the atmosphere much more relaxed, the meal began. And as the sick ones filled their stomachs, they started to regain their energy and began to chat.
“Yesterday’s Waterbomb… was fun.”
“Ah~ really. We had so much fun that we ended up like this!”
“Right. But Eugene had the best reaction and is the healthiest.”
Ryu Chungwoo probably intended to gently lead the conversation to, ‘And thank you so much for taking care of us like this.’ However, Cha Eugene responded with a slight smile as if frowning a bit.
“That’s also a reaction to ‘this’ TeSTAR Cha Eugene.”
“…!”
I didn’t step in. It doesn’t seem like he’s picking a fight. It felt more like respect.
And now, there were others who were speaking up beside me.
“S-Still… the performance people saw yesterday, it was you who did it.”
“Yeah~ There were probably more people who just came to the event than our fans.”
“…”
“Well, ahem, our Cha Eugene is really good too… You were really good. That’s why people liked it.”
Cha Eugene was silent for a moment. Then he responded calmly. “I know.”
“…!”
He adjusted his posture at the table with a composed demeanor. It was somewhat polite. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity. And I apologize for my rude behavior at first. I’m sorry.”
STier Cha Eugene bowed his head, and a few flustered members started to wobble as they buried their heads in the table.
Oh dear.
“N-No. Uuh, it was nice performing together…! I-I should be the one apologizing for not understanding well…”
“Yeah, right…”
The atmosphere relaxed even more. It was a clear mood of reconciliation.
“Yeah~ Let’s get along well from now on!”
Well, it seemed like he thought the apology was deserved.
Anyway, the atmosphere of building basic trust with each other… wasn’t bad at all.
“Good job.”
“I know.”
I chuckled as I listened to the small conversation between Kim Raebin and Cha Eugene, then continued my meal. Whether it was really thanks to Cha Eugene’s care or not, a few hours later in the evening, TeSTAR was able to recover their energy mostly.
“Go!”
“Sejin is really intense.”
So now, we’re all gathered in the living room, sniffling and playing games.
Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun! I was sitting behind Bae Sejin, who was aggressively turning the handle, and Ryu Chungwoo, who was being cautious, just watching the screen move without any thoughts.
My head is still spinning.
Surprisingly, Cha Eugene was also sitting next to the sofa instead of going into the room.
“Feeling a bit better?”
“(Yeah. Thanks to my friend and my fan.)”
Right, Kim Raebin and… wait, I’m not your fan.
Well, anyway, I asked without thinking. “What about Chungwoo hyung?”
Bae Sejin’s issue might have been the drug problem, but wasn’t his relationship with Ryu Chungwoo fine? He seemed to have managed well until the end. But Cha Eugene suddenly closed his mouth and looked over at me.
What’s this about?
“(Sometimes, it’s an artist’s duty to protect a fan’s dream.)”
“…?”
What does that mean?
“(Nothing.)”
Cha Eugene backed off, but I could sense the mood from his tone. Nothing, my foot. It was clear that STier Ryu Chungwoo’s mental state had also collapsed. He must have been a different person back then.
Well, it doesn’t really matter.
Anyway, STier Cha Eugene seemed to have adapted quite well here, and he didn’t seem as uncomfortable or on edge as before. Even now, Seon Ahyeon, who brought peaches, was talking to him just fine.
“Still, for the remaining time… let’s get along well. I-If there’s anything you want to try, let’s do it together.”
“Yeah, feel free to say anything!”
Stier Cha Eugene was silent for a moment but then shrugged his shoulders. “OK.”
“Ooh!” A cheer erupted from the living room as if welcoming a new member to the team.
Hmm. Not bad.
I smirked.
It was at that moment.
[Update Complete!]
– Early Achievement
…What?