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Chapter 354

One member had left in the wee hours of the morning without his phone in active period and lost contact for several hours.

Even though, because of that bastard, the schedule had been disrupted for three days just before.

'I'm crazy.'

That's unforgivably crazy. I gritted my teeth.

'Even Cha YooJin left a note.'

If I'm not seen, there must be an emergency in the apartment. In the worst case scenario, the story of me disappearing might have even gone to the company...

'...Damn it.'

I'm a fucking bomb.

I can already guess what kind of expression Seon AhHyun will look like.

I gritted my teeth and looked at the intercom again.

Ttiring.

Even Seon AhHyun is not standing in front of the front door of the second floor of the building, but in front of the front door of the apartment. I don't even know how this is possible.

So it's even more confusing...

"It's a member of your group, hoobae-nim. Shall I open the door for him?"

"...Wait."

I looked toward the front door and took a slow, deep breath.

"I want to open it."

"Hmm? Okay."

I left the guy who openly showed his 'Do you have to?' expression on his face and walked to the front door.

And I opened the door.

The guy on the intercom screen starts to appear through the crack in the door.

"...!"

Seon AhHyun's face is pale even though he is wearing a mask.

But as soon as the door opens, his complexion changes.

...To a relief.

Seon AhHyun bowed his head.

"H-here...you were."

It's driving me crazy.

I could barely open my mouth.

"My smart phone...I didn't know I left it. I'm sorry about that. For everything this morning."

"...! N-no, I..."

Seon AhHyun took a deep breath and spoke without raising his head.

"Sorry..."

"..."

Judging by your appearance, it seems like you've been hanging around since dawn, but why are you sorry?

"I-I made a fuss...Mo-MoonDae, m-maybe you needed some time alone, but...n-not knowing..."

"No."

I want to stop listening to this damn apology.

I did my best to respond calmly, suppressing those petty feelings.

And I blew it.

"It's the fault of the person who disappeared without any form of contact, so let's stop."

".....'

"....."

Seon AhHyun immediately shut his mouth. I wanted to bite my tongue.

'Bastard asshole.'

Why did I respond like that, am I sucking saliva instead of medicine?

TL/N: Medicine is bitter, but by consuming it, your condition is supposed to improve.

The silence was bullshit.

Just then, an uninspiring voice interjected.

"I think Kongie will misinterpret it as a walk, so whether you go in or come out, I hope you choose to do something."

"Wang!"

A dog's bark echoes in the hallway. Seon AhHyun suddenly raised his head.

"...! I-I'm sorry. Then...Mo-MoonDae-yah."

Our eyes didn't meet. Although something like a smile appears on the face of the guy who had it covered with a mask...

"R-relax...U-until you feel better, you can...b-be here.

"....."

And he carefully held out my phone in his hand as if for me to accept it.

"I-I think...y-you will need your phone..."

When I looked at the distorted apple pattern, I clenched my fist.

And I grabbed my phone.

"...I was about to come back, anyway."

"....."

"I'm going out."

"Yes...!"

I accepted my phone and walked out the door. Seon AhHyun rushed to the elevator to press the button.

"Wawang!"

And the dog ran off excitedly with the harness in his mouth...Why is he like that?

"Kongie misunderstood. Thanks to hoobae-nim, his walk was very short."

"....."

"Kongie, wait. Let's do it."

I could barely open my mouth.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

No, I was talking to the dog.

Once the harness was on, the dog was the only one excitedly descending the elevator, accompanied by three men who remained silent.

I was the first to speak.

"How did you know...I was here?"

Seon AhHyun shuddered slightly.

"I-checked it through the C-CCTV."

"...!"

C-CCTV?

An unexpected extreme measure came up.

Usually, to do that, you have to report to the police or go to the company...but AhHyun didn't say anything else.

'Really?'

"I-I asked for it strongly b-because it was urgent...s-so I filled out the consent form...and they showed it to me..."

The subject of your sentence is not plural.

This guy went alone to the administration office and asked for so much?

I checked his feet. The heels of his shoes are squashed and crumpled by his feet.

"....."

Not a very welcome situation.

Still...even though I don't like it, I have a funny feeling.

'It still doesn't seem to be completely finished.'

TL/N: He means that, after seeing the desperate state in which he went out to look for him, the relationship and affection between the two of them is not completely ruined.

The level of tension that had risen to the top of my head subsides.

I replied quietly.

"That's why...you knew I had followed sunbae-nim."

"...Y-yes."

Seon AhHyun nodded vigorously.

When I felt that the mood had softened a little.

"It's strange...Did he mention that they checked?"

"...!"

"Even if it's the same, I don't think they showed you the inside of the building where you don't even live? That won't do, will it?"

TL/N: Since both VTIC and TeSTAR live in the same condo complex, their buildings and apartments have the same structure, but CheongRyu points out that since they live in different buildings, the management office may have given him the outside footage of their building, but not the inside footage so he knows what floor VTIC's apartment is on, so he suspects how he knew where exactly his apartment was.

That person hit the nail on the head.

However, Seon AhHyun was not surprised.

"Y-yes...I-I asked a VTIC sunbae-nim over the phone and h-he listened to me..."

"....."

"Who?"

"Cha-ChaeYul sunbae-nim. I-I appreciate him letting me know right away."

"Ah."

So a man who was about to enlist in the army witnessed another calamity.

'That is very bad.'

Bad things happen all at once. I must endure.

After that conversation, CheongRyu parted on the second floor.

Anyway, he knows how to take care of his dog, so he will walk it well on his own.

But he didn't leave without saying a few words first.

"Hmm, I can see why you were worried. He's...the type that has a lot of ups and downs."

"...!"

"Haha. As for the problems with activities, I reckon that's definitely worth thinking about."

'This bastard...'

He immediately recognized the risk of AhHyun's stats dropping.

'...It's not for nothing that he has that characteristic.'

I acknowledged CheongRyu's skill once again.

[Judgment (A)]

Valuable things are scarce, trash is everywhere.

→ Human resources judgment +150%.

TL/N: I may have translated the name of his ability as 'Emotion' in the past, as this is the first meaning that appears in both translators and Naver's dictionary, but I have realized that the names of all the abilities in this novel always have double meanings. While, the second meaning of '감정' is 'Judgment', we also cannot help but think of 'Emotion' because he relies on his instincts and how he feels about people to judge them.

'...I'll have to be careful.'

Meanwhile, seeing that even this guy's appearance stats increased, it seemed that this bastard would do much more in the future.

CheongRyu stopped talking for a moment, but then said in a low voice.

"I won't change my advice."

"Okay."

Whatever.

"Come back carefully."

I pressed my face, and finally replied.

"Thank you so much for the tea."

"Haha."

CheongRyu walked to the other side with his dog.

And there was silence again.

Seon AhHyun didn't ask me why I followed CheongRyu, nor why I suddenly came out at dawn.

We walked in silence on the other side of the trail with our mouths closed.

"....."

And surprisingly, Seon AhHyun opened his mouth first with another topic.

"...W-would it be okay if I...a-announce that I found you, MoonDae?"

"...If we go to the apartment right now, won't everyone be there?"

How many people went to the police station?

For a moment, the future was almost dark, but fortunately there was no official report.

"Maybe they're there...I-I went out alone, j-just in case..."

"....."

This guy seems to have acted alone without looking around. And I think he just came to his senses.

AhHyun lowered his head as if he was embarrassed by his own thoughts.

I hesitated and opened my mouth.

"Thank you for caring about me."

"...! N-no....."

Seon AhHyun suddenly stopped walking.

When I saw him make a choked sound...he looked like he's going to cry.

"Seon AhHyun."

But he did not cry.

Instead, he continued in a trembling voice.

"Mo-MoonDae-yah. I-I know you're tired of this...b-but, can I...say something?"

"....."

I nodded silently.

The words follow immediately, as if they had been prepared but not said several times.

"You're...an amazing person, and w-whatever you do...you're really great, you're good at everything...There's never been a time when you haven't. I-seriously."

Ah.

I remembered what he said yesterday.

"Now, y-you're not at the right time to do activities...Y-you're getting worse and worse..."

I was squashing all the negatives that might be implicit in those words.

"And-I...made a mistake, I mean...you always did well, MoonDae..."

I stopped walking, on the empty street in front of where our apartment was located.

I listened blankly.

Seon AhHyun's words didn't end.

"The problem is me."

"...!"

"I-I know...I know I just tremble, I have ups and downs. I-I always...I do."

What?

As if he had heard CheongRyu, Seon AhHyun slowly uttered that sentence.

It was brutally objective.

"I-I've done...that before."

As if he had already felt a similar sensation, he looked at his feet.

"Now...I-I might be more uncomfortable than usual...T-Then, I'll be a nuisance to the group..."

Seon AhHyun finished his speech with a calm tone typical of a person who has already reached a conclusion.

"That's why, I...will announce that I'm sick."

"...!!"

"I-it's my problem. Y-you won't have to say...anything about yourself."

Seon AhHyun gulped.

"And I-I'm going to practice as much as I miss the schedule...I'll pra-practice hard."

His voice became more and more desperate.

"Then, t-to a certain extent, y-you'll be fine on stage, MoonDae. F-for the group it won't be a problem, you don't have to work it out, Mo-MoonDae...everything will be fine."

"....."

"'Y-you're the one who needs to go to the hospital...' That's what I said...B-but don't worry about what you heard yesterday. F-forget it..."

"That..."

Don't say that.

But before I had time to say it, AhHyun continued speaking hurriedly.

"By the way, Mo-MoonDae-yah. If you're unwell, if you feel bad...e-even just once..."

He spoke in a trembling voice.

"Why...don't you go to the office?"

I turned my head.

Seon AhHyun shuddered.

"I'm s-sorry. We'll talk about this another time..."

"....."

"Next time, I-I'll be sure to listen to you properly. I will...I'll listen to whatever you say....."

Seon AhHyun never cried or screamed, although his shoulders were shaking.

He only stammered, but in fact, AhHyun had already come to a conclusion.

"All conflicts are due to my problems, and I take care of them myself."

So, to put Park MoonDae's mind at ease, he asked to check his condition.

"....."

I chose a few things to say, and then cancelled them.

The calculations were a mess.

But I knew what he was getting at.

"Are you ready to hear what I have to say?"

Seon AhHyun nodded quickly.

And again, he spoke softly.

"I asked you to tell me..."

"No, it's my fault."

I spoke without hesitation.

Your conclusion is yours, and I have mine.

"It wasn't a believable story to anyone. On second thought, it seemed like a completely crazy story."

"Mo-MoonDae-yah..."

AhHyun seemed to hold back tears.

I nodded earnestly. My thoughts naturally organized themselves.

That's right.

The source of my mistake was there.

"I should have said it correctly so you can't help but believe it."

"...W-what?"

Let's think.

Seon AhHyun is not the type to come up with ideas intuitively and skip logic.

After going through a sieve to remove all impurities and contradictions, he is the one who chooses the most appropriate response to the condition.

'That's what he did in the making of this album and that's how we achieved good results.'

I know that well.

Then I should have explained it accordingly from the beginning.

Now it's clear.

'It's...not a matter of trust or closeness.'

It was a question of timing.

And the problem was that normally I would have controlled the game considering all those things, but I lost the reins because I misunderstood that this guy would believe it right away.

"You said you'd listen. I'll explain it again, so listen."

"...!! Th-that's..."

This time, I'll give you an explanation with witnesses and test cases so there won't be any blanks.

Then, whether it's mush or rice, you'll come to a conclusion without remorse.

TL/N: '죽이 되든 밥이 되든' (Either mush or rice) is a phrase that can mean 'make or break,' 'make it or not,' 'work or not,' 'let it happen or not,' It is similar to the phrase 'to sink or swim.'

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