Survive! Foolish Bottom!

 

It was still before 5 AM when Haeun opened his eyes. He let the system’s voice informing him of the gameplay days fade into one ear as he stepped out. He was struggling to resist his thirst, and lying down didn’t seem likely to bring him any more sleep.

 

In the living room, Seongjae was already there. He had turned off the lights and was watching TV. It struck Haeun as odd—was he really up this early? Thinking back, Seongjae had been practicing late at the studio the other night too, which made Haeun wonder if he usually had a nocturnal lifestyle.

 

Rubbing his eyes, Haeun tried to see what Seongjae was watching. It was a celebrity chart show on cable. Even during downtime, he was still watching something related to the entertainment industry—very dedicated.

 

Seeing Haeun yawn widely, Seongjae asked, “What are you doing up at this hour?”

 

A small laugh escaped Haeun, more out of disbelief. It didn’t seem like something Seongjae would say at all. 

 

“What about you? Why are you up so early?”

 

His voice was hoarse from just waking up, and he cleared his throat. Looking closely, Haeun noticed Seongjae wasn’t in pajamas; he was dressed in outdoor clothes. He wore a hoodie with a thin outer jacket and even had a mask hanging from his chin. He could easily pass for someone who had just come back from being out or was about to leave.

 

Haeun wondered if he really had just come in. Yawning again, he asked, “Are you going somewhere?”

 

His question came out oddly muffled with the yawn, and Seongjae, glancing at him with a confused look, turned his gaze back to the TV. 

 

“Yeah. I’m waiting for the first bus to come.”

 

So he really was planning to go out. Haeun realized he had never been out at this hour except for picnic days. He had come home at this time before, but going out? That was a different story. Curiosity got the better of him, and he casually threw out another question.

 

“Why are you out at this hour? We’re in a place where no one would recognize us anyway.” 

 

If a group like Black Beers were out at 5 AM to avoid fans, it would make sense. But Stone Cherry was still relatively unknown. Even in the middle of Myeongdong, there would be very few people who could recognize them without makeup.

 

Park Haeun’s question was purely from curiosity and he didn’t intend to tease Seongjae. However, Seongjae frowned, looking at Haeun as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He seemed offended.

 『Professional idols don’t just pick fights with their members!(＇ェ＇；)』 

‘Aish, shut up. I’m just being friendly. Besides, he picks on me all the time.’

 

Haeun muttered internally, swatting at the notification window that popped up like a pesky fly. Of course, it was just a moment of rebellion. 

 

He thought, “You know what I mean, right?* directed at the system, and then quickly returned to a more compliant demeanor, clasping his hands together.

 

For a moment, Haeun hesitated, glancing at Seongjae, who still didn’t look pleased. It seemed his mood hadn’t lifted.

 

‘Now that I think about it, that probably sounded a bit condescending.’

 

Feeling a bit bad, Haeun forced a friendly smile and walked over to the sofa, sitting down a bit further away instead of right next to Seongjae. Seongjae glanced over at him and replied more calmly than expected. 

 

“It’s not about whether I’d be recognized or not. I just don’t like going around when there are a lot of people around.”

 

Seongjae’s calm reaction was surprising because Haeu was expecting him to be angry. He wondered if it was just the late hour that made him more composed than usual.

 

“Well, that makes sense.”

 

Haeun replied, trying to sound serious and empathetic. Seongjae, who had been looking over quietly, changed the subject immediately.

 

“What time did you go to bed last night?”

 

“Huh? Me? I just went to bed early.”

 

“I asked what time, not how early.”

 

Even when Haeun tried to give a vague answer, Seongjae wouldn’t let it go. Hearing his pointed tone made Haeun wanted to respond with something like, “What difference does it make?” But he held back, taking a deep breath and awkwardly smiling.

 

“I can’t remember exactly. Let’s see, what time was it…”

 

“Forget it.”

 

Just as Haeun was trying to think, Seongjae cut him off again. He had never encountered someone so difficult to appease. In fact, he had rarely needed to appease anyone; even his family would generally give in if he showed a bit of stubbornness. The idea that he was hard to get along with was something he usually heard from friends.

 

“……what the hell does he want me to do?”

Haeun muttered under his breath and glared at Seong-jae with narrowed eyes, only to have his quiet complaint drowned out by the TV volume. 

 

“What did you say?” 

 

Seong-jae asked sharply, his hearing keen as ever. Haeun decided to play innocent, taking advantage of his own innocent-looking face. He widened his eyes and feigned ignorance, putting on an expression that said he knew nothing.

 

“Not saying anything at all?” 

 

But Seongjae probably noticed that Haeun was being cheeky. He let out a small scoff and turned his eyes back to the screen.

 

The chart show they were watching seemed utterly pointless. They were currently ranking “the star who seems the most friendly.” As names scrolled up the list that Haeun didn’t recognize, he found himself chuckling softly, struck by a sudden thought.

 

“Why are you laughing?” 

 

Seongjae immediately asked. This time, instead of denying it, Haeun explained why he found it amusing. 

 

“I just thought you’d probably be at the bottom of that chart among all the celebrities…”

 

“What?!” 

 

Seongjae frowned again, narrowing his eyes at Haeun. He could be heard muttering something like, “What a ridiculous thought.” It seemed he wasn’t really angry this time. It must be the early hour might indeed have made him more composed—or maybe he just had a higher boiling point than Haeun realized.

 

As Haeun stared at Seongjae’s face, which was glowing blue from the TV light, he asked lightly, “Where are you going?”

 

“Why does it matter to you?” 

 

The answer came back sharp and dismissive. Initially, Haeun had found that kind of bluntness surprisingly rude, but after a month of knowing him during their activities, he was starting to get used to it. It didn’t annoy him as much anymore.

 

Haeun, who had been silent for a moment, decided to probe a little with a question. 

 

“Still, haven’t we gotten a bit closer lately?”

 

‘After all, this guy’s favorability has increased the most.’ 

 

For some reason, he felt a sense of camaraderie thanks to the rising favorability score. However, Seongjae responded with his cat-like eyes narrowed even further, looking more ferocious than ever.

 

“What’s great about you and me being close?”

 

Haeun felt a bit unjust hearing that. If this had been just a few days after entering the game or if the other person were a different member, he would have simply kept quiet and agreed, being the good-natured Haeun. But something about Seongjae’s personality made him want to poke at him, and perhaps because his favorability was relatively high, he felt more comfortable interacting with him. The system had cut him some slack too.

 

So, with a hint of indignation, Haeun replied.

 

“What do you mean there’s nothing great about it?”

 

Seongjae looked at him as if to say, “What on earth are you talking about?” and continued without backing down. 

 

“I did mess up a bit… but it didn’t ruin the group, did it? Because of that, we even had a challenge, and I went on a show without causing any issues and came back fine. Oh, right. After Yejun posted that photo with me, our fans increased a bit too. And we wrapped up our activities well. So, there’s something great about it, is there?”

 

“…”

 

“………no?”

 

“Come on.”

 

His long-winded response trailed off awkwardly, seemingly embarrassed. Seongjae clicked his tongue in disbelief. Although what he said wasn’t wrong, Haeun felt even more awkward seeing Seongjae’s reaction. Turning his head away and clearing his throat, he was interrupted by Seongjae starting to refute.

 

“Your luck just happened to help you recover from that incident, and honestly, any challenge that comes up is just embarrassing. Going on a show without causing trouble is what anyone would do. And you should be thanking Yejun, not yourself.”

 

Seongjae’s rebuttal was not without merit. Haeun, who was staring intently at Seongjae’s face, casually threw out a question. “Are you jealous that I might get famous?”

 

The reaction was immediate. 

 

“What?!”

 

Seongjae’s face scrunched up in confusion, and for once, he genuinely seemed offended. Narrowing his eyes, he asked again, “Do you think I’d feel that way?”

 

“No, I don’t think you would.”

 

Haeun shrugged casually, not really believing that Seongjae would feel that way. In fact, he hoped he wouldn’t. 

 

“Then why did you bring it up?”

 

His voice was sharp, though he didn’t raise it. To show he wasn’t trying to provoke him, Haeun raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

 

“People’s feelings can be unpredictable, you know? I just asked because I didn’t want any misunderstandings.”

 

Seongjae’s expression shifted rapidly as he saw Haeun freeze, as if he had just heard the phrase, “Put your hands up! Move and I’ll shoot!” 

 

From anger to disbelief to resignation, his face went through a whirlwind of emotions.

 

“

Hah…

No, it’s not like that.”

 

With a weary tone, Seongjae continued, “At least there’s no one in our group who would feel that way. …Including you.”

 

That felt oddly like the most validating thing Seongjae had said to Haeun so far. Without turning to look at Haeun, he continued speaking. 

 

“What you said isn’t wrong. You’re right. Back then, everything seemed so uncertain, but somehow it all worked out.”

 

Seizing the moment, Haeun asked, “So, have we gotten a bit closer lately?”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous.”  

 『‘Seongjae’s favorability has decreased by 2!』 

Park Haeun snorted in amusement.

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