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Episode 44
Everyone was at a loss for words when they heard that someone had threatened to kill the parents of a kid who was barely even a middle schooler.
On top of that, the members who knew what Kang Seunghwan was really like felt a chill run down their spines, because it didn't sound like an empty threat.
Silence fell over the living room, and only Sejin rolled his eyes around as he quietly observed his uncles.
'Hmm… Is there something I don't know about? Their expressions look weird. Did something happen while I was taking a nap?'
Sejin sensed that something was off with them, but he didn't ask.
He knew that whatever it was, he'd naturally find out soon enough.
Besides, Jiwon, who had just finished speaking, was trembling uncontrollably, like a leaf in the wind.
Sejin climbed onto Jiwon's lap and wrapped his tiny arms tightly around him.
"Sejin?"
Startled, Jiwon called his name.
"Hyung! If you're scared, I'll hug you real tight. So don't be scared, okay? And the uncles will protect you too."
With Sejin's comforting words, Jiwon felt his body finally stop shaking.
"…Thanks, Sejin."
Holding the warm, small child in his arms made it feel like somehow everything really would be okay.
Watching the two silently, Jaewon finally spoke.
"Jiwon, we'll look into this matter. It won't take long. In the meantime, I think it'd be better if you didn't go into the company for a while and just rested. …Would that be okay?"
"I already quit today anyway."
Jiwon replied in a bitter voice.
"You don't really mean that, right? You only made that choice because of Kang Seunghwan. Isn't that true?"
"Yeah. If you truly wanted to quit, we'd respect that... But if you did it because of Kang Seunghwan, then the company and we will handle it. So give us a little time."
"That's right! After everything you've worked for… Are you really going to give up your dream because of trash like him?"
"Didn't you always tell us? You said you wanted to become an idol, you even sang for us. And now you're giving up that easily?"
"Exactly. We'll do everything we can to resolve this quickly, so in the meantime just rest and take care of your mind and body."
Jiwon kept his mouth shut and simply listened to what the members were saying.
After all the persuasion and comfort that continued from the members, Jiwon suddenly, without even realizing it himself, asked a question.
"…Sunbae-nim. Do you really think this can be resolved?"
"Don't worry. No matter what, we'll make sure it gets resolved."
At Jaewon's firm voice, tears started falling from Jiwon's eyes.
"Sniff… Actually… I didn't want to quit. Uwaaaah!"
As he finally let out the truth he had been burying deep inside, Jiwon broke down and cried like a little child.
Sejin, who had been sitting in Jiwon's arms, sat up and wiped Jiwon's tears away with his small hands.
"Hyung-ah. Don't cry."
"Sniff… Sejin-ah…"
Jiwon hugged Sejin tightly again and cried even harder.
'Yeah… Maybe letting it all out like this will help ease some of the frustration he's been holding inside.'
While thinking that, Sejin quietly rested in Jiwon's arms, patting his back with his tiny hands.
Hearing Jiwon's heart-wrenching sobs, the housekeeper came out from the kitchen, watched him with pity for a long moment, then went back inside.
A little while later.
She returned with a tray carrying a glass of ice water and a warm wet towel, quietly placing it on the living room table before heading back. The members gave her a grateful nod.
Eventually, Jiwon's sobbing, which had been pouring out like he was emptying all the pain in his chest, slowly began to subside.
Hajin quickly handed him water, and Jiwon gently lifted Sejin from his arms and set him beside him before taking the glass and drinking it down thirstily.
When Hajin wiped his face with the warm towel, Jiwon finally flushed with embarrassment.
Seeing that Jiwon seemed to have calmed down, Joomin spoke.
"First, stay here tonight. Tomorrow, we'll drive you home. Or… do you want to stay here for a while?"
"Yeah. We're totally fine with it. Stay as long as you need."
"If it's still hard to talk to your parents, you can take some time to calm down here before going home."
Hearing the members' warm words, Jiwon shook his head.
"No, it's okay. I'll go home tomorrow. I should tell my mom and dad everything that happened. They must be really worried right now…"
"You think so? But… hearing everything, your parents will probably be heartbroken. Then tomorrow, I'll go with you. Let's meet your parents together. While you explain everything, I'll be right there with you. The company hasn't formally announced our stance yet, but at the very least, I should apologize in person and show them we're determined to resolve this. That way, they'll feel reassured."
Jiwon's eyes widened in surprise at Jaewon's words.
"Ah, no, you really don't have to do that."
"It's okay. Jaewon's right. If we go with you, it shows the company intends to make things right. Your parents will be less anxious. Honestly… it's also a problem that the company didn't know anything until now."
"Exactly. Even if the bullying was done in secret, someone should've noticed the changes in you. Your trainer or the staff. The fact that no one realized means something wasn't right. We should look into that too."
Worried that he might be causing trouble for the company, Jiwon lowered his gaze.
Knowing exactly what was going through his mind, the members spoke gently.
"If trainee management wasn't being done properly, then this issue was bound to come up sooner or later. This isn't your fault, so don't feel responsible."
"Right! The CEO would probably say it's better this way. If there's a rotten part, you cut it out."
Jiwon nodded slowly at their words.
At that moment, Joomin looked at Jiwon, who seemed exhausted, and said.
"Alright! You've had a rough day. Go on upstairs and get some rest. Don't worry about anything and sleep well."
"Yeah. Crying drains your energy too. Go rest."
"Do you need anything? Want a glass of warm milk?"
"Yes, warm milk with a bit of honey would be good. We'll make it and bring it up to you, so go on ahead."
Smiling faintly, Jiwon bowed.
"Thank you, sunbae-nim. Really… thank you for taking care of me in so many ways."
The members patted his back with warm smiles.
"No, we're the ones who are sorry we realized so late."
"Yeah… We've been so busy lately that we didn't visit the company much. We had no idea something like this was happening."
"No! Please don't apologize. Just the fact that you're helping me like this… I'm really grateful."
"Alright. We'll coordinate with the company so this gets resolved as quickly as possible. In the meantime, stay strong and take care of your body and mind."
"Yeah. You know they'll be choosing the debut lineup soon, right? With your skills, you definitely have a chance. So don't give up, keep trying."
"Yes. Thank you."
Jiwon bowed once more and headed up to the second floor.
Watching him go, Sejin quickly called out to him.
"Hyung-ah!"
Jiwon turned around in surprise.
"Hm? What is it, Sejin?"
"I'll lend you my teddy bear again tonight. So hug it tight when you sleep, okay?"
At that, a soft smile spread across Jiwon's face.
"Thank you. I'll use it carefully and return it tomorrow."
"Okay! Hehe!"
Jiwon took one last look at Sejin's bright smile before heading up to the second floor.
Watching him go, Hwan went into the kitchen to warm up the milk.
Roy followed him and took honey out of the cupboard.
While Hwan stirred in a generous amount of honey, the housekeeper, who still hadn't gone home, brought over a plate of freshly cut fruit.
"Take this up too."
"Yes, thank you."
"You're still here, Auntie? It's almost 9 p.m…."
Roy asked with concern, but the housekeeper just smiled.
"Oh, why are you worrying about that? It doesn't take long to get home by bus. Besides, how could I leave when the kid was crying like that? From what I heard, it sounds like something bad happened…."
At her words, Roy laughed and wrapped his arms around her.
"Aish, our Auntie is just full of love!"
"Oh, gross! Get off me!"
"Ayy~ You like it!"
Their playful bickering made Hwan chuckle as he picked up the tray and headed upstairs.
After delivering it to Jiwon, Hwan trudged back down and collapsed onto the sofa in exhaustion.
"Ughhh… Why am I so tired?"
Hearing him groan, Sejin hurried over.
Then he climbed onto Hwan's back and began massaging his shoulders.
"Hahaha! What's this? Sejin is giving Uncle a massage?"
"Ung! Uncle looks tired!"
Sejin worked hard, pressing with all his tiny strength, though to Hwan it felt more like a soft poking.
Still, seeing him trying so earnestly to massage him made Hwan feel energized again.
"Up we go!"
"Kyah!"
Hwan rolled over and scooped Sejin into his arms as he sat up.
"Aigoo! So cute. Who did our Sejin take after to be this adorable, huh?"
"Kyahaha! Stop it, Uncle!"
Hwan showered him with kisses, making Sejin laugh uncontrollably.
Watching the scene with a smile, Joomin gently intervened.
"Hwan, stop. Sejin's going to choke from laughing too much."
Hwan immediately stopped and brushed aside the sweaty bangs on Sejin's forehead.
"By the way, Sejin's hair is really long. Shouldn't we get it cut?"
Hajin nodded.
"Yeah, I've been meaning to take him to get it trimmed."
"Why not just make a reservation at the shop we go to?"
"Really? I was just thinking of taking him to a salon nearby…."
At that, Joomin burst into laughter.
"Haha! Remember the chaos at the mart last time? If you take him to a random neighborhood salon, it'll probably end up in the news again. Just book the shop we use. No one will take pictures there."
"Mmm… true."
When Hajin nodded, Jaewon took out his phone and sent a message.
"I told Minsu to book the salon for Sejin's haircut."
"Wow! Our leader is so fast!"
Roy raised his thumb in approval toward Jaewon.
"Should we get our hair done while we're there too? It's been a while."
"Yeah, Hajin should tidy his hair up too."
At those words, Hajin touched his own hair.
Since Sejin had been hospitalized, he hadn't been to the salon for quite some time either.
"Maybe I should… It is getting a little long."
"Exactly. Let's all get our hair done while we're there. We'll need it anyway for the variety show recording."
"You're getting yours done too, right, Joomin hyung?"
"Hm, yeah, I guess I should."
Hearing the conversation, Jaewon sent another message.
"I told Minsu to book appointments for all of us too."
"Oh, nice!"
While the members continued chatting, the housekeeper turned off the kitchen lights and came into the living room.
"I'm heading home now. Breakfast for tomorrow is in the fridge, heat it up and eat it. Don't skip it just because you oversleep again…. And even if you guys skip it, make sure Sejin and the boy upstairs eat properly. Got it?"
As she gave her final reminders and walked toward the door, Jaewon quickly got up with his car keys.
"Auntie, I'll drive you home. You're tired from cooking for us and staying late because of everything that happened."
"Oh dear, no need. It's a short bus ride. Why bother driving me?"
She tried to refuse, but with the members and Jaewon insisting, she eventually gave in and left with him.
After seeing the two off, the remaining members said goodnight to Sejin and headed to their rooms.
They wanted to discuss Jiwon's situation further, but with Jaewon gone and Sejin around, they felt it was better to wait until tomorrow.
Hajin took Sejin's hand and brought him to the bathroom to wash up, then led him to his room.
"Sejin-ah, you lent your teddy bear to Jiwon hyung today, right? Will you be okay sleeping without it? Should Uncle sleep with you tonight?"
As he dried Sejin's hair, he asked gently.
But Sejin shook his head.
"It's okay! I'm a man! I can sleep by myself!"
"Heh. Really? Our Sejin is a big boy who can sleep alone?"
"Ung! And if I sleep with Bbokdol-i, I'm okay."
Hajin had planned to sleep with him, but after being rejected, he simply tucked Sejin in and returned to his own room.
As soon as the door closed.
Sejin looked over, then pulled out the tablet PC he had secretly hidden in the nightstand next to his bed.
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