LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 266
Chapter 266
The process of how On Raon ended up spending time aimlessly in front of Muk Hye-sung’s house, which he hadn’t planned to visit for a while, went as follows.
First, On Raon mustered up all his strength to complete his schedule for the day, and once he was utterly exhausted, he expressed his desire to rest.
“You can explain what happened yesterday later. I just want to be alone and rest for a bit.”
To be more specific, he wanted to clear his mind and rest in a peaceful place where no thoughts of comebacks or fans would intrude.
However, given the current situation, going out alone was not easily permitted.
‘The kid doesn’t look too happy as it is…’
Some were worried that On Raon, who had a history of depression, might impulsively make a bad decision due to the impact of yesterday’s events.
To avoid these prying eyes, On Raon told the company staff he had made plans to meet Lee Young-min, whose whereabouts were currently unknown. Then, without giving anyone a chance to stop him, he quickly left the company and walked aimlessly.
He wore a hat, hoodie, mask, and glasses.
Although he might have looked suspicious, he did everything he could to cover his face so that no one would recognize him as On Raon.
However, the problem was that wherever he went, he felt as if people were recognizing him and watching him closely.
Even when he walked along a deserted path, he felt this way, so it must have just been his imagination.
‘There’s no way they could recognize me.’
He tried to think rationally, but the thought that some of those people might have said something about him in online communities, group chats with their friends, or in the comments section of entertainment news portals made his fingertips feel cold.
‘I shouldn’t have looked at the internet.’
He couldn’t feel at ease outside.
He wanted to go inside somewhere and hide.
He didn’t want to go back to his dorm or apartment because of what had happened yesterday.
And booking a room at a hotel might lead to some unpleasant rumors.
In short, On Raon had nowhere to go where he could feel completely at ease.
By the time On Raon realized this, he was already too exhausted to walk any further.
Sitting blankly in a park, where only the sound of autumn insects could be heard, a message popped up in the group chat with his members, asking where he was.
Not wanting to worry them, On Raon replied that he had parted ways with Lee Young-min and entered a nearby café. He sighed deeply, feeling like the only one out of place.
“I should go back…”
As On Raon decided to give up on his small escape and was about to call a taxi to return to the company, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
‘Isn’t the teacher supposed to be at a schedule?’
Thinking it might be okay to rest for a while at a house whose password was already shared with him.
Normally, he would have considered whether this was a good idea more carefully.
But the house, filled with nothing but good memories, seemed like the perfect haven for the exhausted On Raon.
So, deciding to rest at Muk Hye-sung’s house while he was away, On Raon contacted the manager, whom he had gotten to know during the Ten to Ten filming, to make sure.
Me [Hyung! This is Raon. Do you know when the teacher’s schedule ends today?]
Muk.Manager [It’s almost over, but it might take some time for him to get back to Seoul.]
According to the manager, who shared the information without suspicion, Muk Hye-sung would take a few more hours to arrive in Seoul.
It was perfect.
Muk. Manager: [Why? Do you want me to ask Hye-sung hyung if his schedule is clear for an appointment?]
Me: [No, it’s not that. But please don’t mention that I asked this to the teacher.ㅎㅎ.. I’m not up to anything weird. I swear on this quarter’s settlement money.]
Me: [(café gift card)]
Muk. Manager: [ㅇㅋㅇㅋ]
Muk. Manager: [I don’t know anything about this.]
Having successfully bought Muk Hye-sung’s manager’s silence with a café gift card, On Raon took a taxi straight to Muk Hye-sung’s house.
After sending a message to the company that he had parted ways with Lee Young-min, the company, which had been worriedly asking when he would come back, replied with relief when he said he was going to Muk Hye-sung’s house, telling him to rest well.
Although it was Muk Hye-sung’s house without Muk Hye-sung…
That was a trivial issue.
Arriving at Muk Hye-sung’s house, On Raon, hopeful for the chance to finally rest, confidently entered the familiar password.
“……”
Shockingly, it didn’t open.
Thinking he might have entered it wrong by mistake, he tried again, but it still didn’t work.
Despite talking about changing the password, On Raon assumed it hadn’t been changed yet and came right over.
He didn’t expect Muk Hye-sung to have actually changed it.
Muk Hye-sung was a man who had the energy to change the password after listening to On Raon’s nagging but didn’t have the attention to detail to inform him of the new password.
“Oh, shit…”
Hearing the annoying beeping sound for the third time, which seemed to mock him and tell him to leave, On Raon slapped the door lock with his palm and lamented.
His last plan to enjoy the house like an unmanned hotel while the owner was out for his schedule had fallen apart.
Standing in front of the tightly closed door, On Raon felt all his motivation drain away.
‘Fine. I might as well stay here.’
With the sun setting, it was getting a bit chilly even inside the building.
Staying here to gather his thoughts before returning to his dorm seemed wiser than wandering outside exposed to random people’s gazes.
However, with his body exhausted, he couldn’t think properly.
Soon, his legs started to hurt, and On Raon squatted and leaned against the door.
Taking off the cumbersome hat and mask and placing them beside him, he remained motionless, like a stone.
In that hunched position, he even dozed off for a while, and before he knew it, time had passed quickly, with him still planning to leave before Muk Hye-sung returned.
That was why Muk Hye-sung ended up asking On Raon such a bewildering question.
“What are you doing here?”
Hearing the familiar voice while his mind was half-asleep, On Raon startled and tried to get up, but staggered and collapsed back down.
“Agh…”
His legs had no strength as blood had stopped circulating from sitting too long.
With Muk Hye-sung’s help, On Raon finally stood up straight and avoided eye contact, feeling like he had been caught doing something wrong, and answered the initial question.
“You changed the password.”
“You told me to change it. Now, that…”
Before Muk Hye-sung could respond and scold him, he noticed that On Raon, who usually spoke in a lively tone, didn’t look very well.
“Let’s go inside first.”
“No, I saw you, teacher, so I’ll just go.”
On Raon stepped back as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn’t just failed to enter an unoccupied house.
But Muk Hye-sung, noticing that On Raon’s usually bright eyes were now dull, decided otherwise and entered the changed password, easily opening the door.
“You didn’t come all this way at this hour just to see my face, did you?”
Technically, he wasn’t waiting but trying to avoid him and failed…
Still, it wasn’t entirely wrong.
“……”
“Come in. I’ll let you rest here and then take you back to your dorm.”
Thinking about returning to the company, On Raon figured it might be better to be with Muk Hye-sung, who would stay quiet if he didn’t initiate a conversation.
On Raon changed his mind.
“Then, excuse me.”
As On Raon entered weakly and dropped his light jacket onto the sofa, Muk Hye-sung, who had been watching silently, asked.
“Did you eat?”
* * *
“Thank you for the meal.”
After only having a salad and a juice pack earlier in the day, filling his empty stomach with spicy tteokbokki brought a sense of physical satisfaction.
Muk Hye-sung, who had warned him that eating spicy food on an empty stomach would upset it, said nothing as On Raon ate eagerly despite the spiciness.
“But I feel sorry for eating alone.”
“I ordered it for you. I told you I ate in the car on the way here.”
Muk Hye-sung checked his watch and asked.
“Do you have any schedules tomorrow?”
“No. There was something we were going to film with the members, but it got postponed for now…”
Due to some reasons, the terrestrial music broadcast scheduled for Monday was canceled, so tomorrow was a day off.
“Then, it’s late, so stay here tonight. I’ll contact the company for you.”
Feeling a prick of conscience at Muk Hye-sung’s plain kindness, I confessed.
“I’m sorry. Actually, I planned to rest here while you were away without permission…”
Understanding the real reason why I was there, Muk Hye-sung furrowed his brow slightly but then relaxed and spoke.
“I’ll give you the new password.”
“No, you don’t have to.”
“Whether I’m here or not, you can come in.”
“No matter how shameless I am, I can’t do that.”
When I shook my head, regaining some basic courtesy, Muk Hye-sung looked at me as if to say, ‘Why do you have so much to say when you’ve already caused this much trouble?’
“I know living in the dorm is hard.”
“Um… it’s not really…”
“Even if you get along well with your members, living in the dorm might still cause unconscious stress. If possible, ask to move to a dorm where you can have a private room.”
Advising me like that, Muk Hye-sung looked into my eyes briefly before speaking again.
“You said you were okay through text.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t seem okay.”
This man, who wasn’t usually so meticulous, had a lot of questions for me today.
“It’s not that I’m not okay…”
As I was carefully choosing my words, Muk Hye-sung changed the subject.
“If you have questions, you can ask.”
“What questions?”
“What you’ve experienced, I’ve probably been through it all too.”