(I'm not gonna translate the other chapters, if you want 182+ go to noodles website thats the official one)
It was clear that Jeong Dajun would become a better adult than me, so I couldn't say anything more and just aimlessly shook the sparkling drink.
"Isn't this illegal in some foreign countries?"
"Sparkling drinks? It's illegal in some states, and not in others. But who really follows that in the U.S.?"
I guess they used to live in the U.S.
"My mom and I had this rule where we'd watch a movie together every Friday, you know? And I kept begging and begging because the fireworks in the distributor's opening looked so fun."
"So, was it fun?"
Kang Ichae slightly raised the corners of her lips and shrugged.
"Not as much as I thought? No... actually, it was a total mess. I screamed because I got scared, threw the fireworks on the floor. But even while trying to clean up the mess, my mom saw me crying and just laughed her head off. Kind of mean, really."
"You take after your mom, huh?"
"I'll rephrase that. My mom was super sweet—just like me."
After tossing out that silly joke and chuckling to herself, Kang Ichae trailed off, her gaze climbing as if rifling through old memories. Then, she quietly murmured:
"…Ah. I miss her."
I was watching her when I finally gave in to a question that had been bugging me for a while.
"Why are you suddenly talking about this? You hate talking about your family."
"…Could you not ruin my warm, fuzzy moment right now?"
She was always the type to keep her mouth shut while the rest of us chatted like it was nothing.
Grumbling about me interrupting her nostalgia, Kang Ichae fell silent for a second, rubbing the back of her neck.
"…Hey. Do you remember that lie you told me a long time ago?"
"When?"
I hadn't ever made promises I couldn't keep, but lies? I told them like it was second nature. I was trying to figure out which one she meant when she looked straight at me and said:
"You said it was your first time in Japan, but it wasn't. You lied."
For a moment, Kang Ichae's words didn't fully register, and I had to dig through my memories.
Tracing things back, step by step in reverse, I finally remembered that conversation, back when we went to Japan for our first overseas schedule.
One of the members had asked me if it was my first time there, and I had lied, said yes even though it wasn't-
"…That one?"
"Yeah, that one."
I rolled my eyes for a second, then inwardly freaked out.
"Wait… you still remember that?"
"I've got a uselessly good memory."
"Anyway," Kang Ichae added, picking her words back up,
"It was obvious you were lying. You didn't act like someone visiting for the first time. You told Dajun there's nothing in Shinjuku worth seeing, and you knew all the streets like the back of your hand."
I was the same, though.
Who would've thought that a single family trip to Japan, taken once when I was a kid, would remain so vivid, just because of my annoyingly sharp memory?
Kang Ichae flicked the sparkler a few more times until it finally lost its light, then set it down gently on the ground.
"I kept wondering—why lie about something as trivial as whether you've been to Japan? It didn't seem like you were trying to impress anyone or hide anything big. I used to turn it over in my head again and again, but… I think I get it now."
The soft, fading glow of my own sparkler, slowly dying in my hand, cast a faint shimmer around us. In the flickering light, Kang Ichae's expression looked almost unfamiliar.
"When something's too precious… you don't want to share it with others."
Eventually, even the last sparkler went out, and the only light left was what spilled faintly from the pension behind us. The rest was swallowed by the pitch-black night.
"There were times when that kind of thing frustrated me," she said. "So I'm trying to change. I want to be honest… say what I really feel."
I tapped the spent sparkler in my hand against the ground, now just a dull black stick, before placing it down beside hers.
"That's… unexpected."
I couldn't entirely relate to calling something "precious" out loud—it felt a little too sentimental—but I understood what she meant.
Everyone has topics they don't want to talk about with others.
In my case, most of them have to do with Seo Hojin.
"So what, you're planning to open up more to the members now?"
"Yeah. After spending time with you guys, I started thinking… maybe being honest isn't such a bad thing."
I had no idea what had sparked this sudden change of heart, but the fact that Kang Ichae—who always dodged serious topics or brushed them off with a joke—seemed this resolved was surprising.
"Kang Ichae, haven't you changed a bit?"
Suddenly, my conversation with Kim Seonghyeon from earlier flashed through my mind.
"You really have changed."
At my quiet remark, Kang Ichae widened her eyes in surprise, then burst out laughing.
"Pfft, no way. I've always been like this."
"You tend to latch onto one idea and ignore everything else once you're set on it."
Then Kang Ichae started counting on her fingers as she brought up each of the members, one by one.
"Look, Dajun's actually more mature than you think, and Jiwon hyung is kind of… no, actually, pretty cold. Seonghyeon-hyung has very clear boundaries, and he can be strict at times."
"So?"
"What I'm saying is, I've got that 'kind of' side to me too. You get it?"
I couldn't answer right away and paused to find the right words.
In the meantime, Kang Ichae lit another sparkler.
"…Then, Ichae."
"Yeah?"
"If you haven't changed, why are you so self-conscious?"
I've never been good at sugarcoating things or saying them gently. I'm the type who just throws things out bluntly, even if I'm good at picking things apart and talking back.
"Why aren't you pushing forward in your usual way? One of your strengths has always been not caring about what others think. Are you… compromising?"
"…Me?"
Kang Ichae looked momentarily surprised, then added with an incredulous look,
"What are you even saying? Why the hell would I compromise?"
"Isn't that it? You even changed the composition style you used to love so much."
I had assumed that Kang Ichae had given up his own preferences to cater more to the public.
Just saying that much seemed to be enough-he burst out laughing like crazy, totally amused.
"Ah, come on, hyung."
"Since when were you so considerate?"
I mean, if someone as stubborn as you suddenly gave up something you'd been sticking to all this time, what else was I supposed to think?
Instead of answering, I rested my chin on my hand and let out a deep sigh. Meanwhile, the guy next to me kept snickering, clearly in a good mood.
"You only know half the story. I never gave up."
Saying that, Kang Ichae stood up.
"People get the wrong idea sometimes...just because of my genius."
The sparkler in his hand crackled and threw sparks into the air.
The faint sting of gunpowder at the tip of my nose, the sticky summer air. The soft chirping of insects brushing past my ears. The warm orange glows and the pitch-black sky.
And there he was Kang Ichae, looking down at me from above.
"I'm actually pretty persistent, you know."
He flashed me a bright smile.
In that moment, he looked both like an innocent child and a grown adult hardened by everything life had thrown at him.
Just as I was thinking how strangely unfamiliar Kang Ichae felt today more than usual he suddenly stepped closer.
"Whoa!"
Splash!
I lost my balance and toppled straight into the pool.
Cool water slapped against my skin as I sank in, back-first.
I kicked off the pool floor and broke the surface, coughing and spitting out the water that had rushed into my nose and mouth. Then I looked up.
"Hey!! Kang Ichae!!"
Even as I shouted in anger, Kang Ichae just laughed, clearly enjoying himself.
Pushing my soaked hair out of my face, I let out a sharp breath of irritation.
"You seriously just pushed your hyung? Are you insane?!"
"Now you get it?"
He shot back with a smug grin, then casually tossed his burnt-out sparkler over his shoulder and dove into the pool.
"What the hell are you doing, you punk?"
"Just letting off a little steam?"
"Wanna die?"
"Nah. I was thinking we could take a photo together."
I had no idea what kind of 'steam' he thought he was letting off, but I was annoyed too, so when Kang Ichae started laughing and moving to grab the Polaroid camera, I yanked him down by the back of his neck and dunked him under.
Even with a mouth full of water, his face still looked ridiculously relaxed.
"What are you guys doing?"
Just then, Kim Seonghyeon poked his head out from between the sliding doors, holding a black plastic bag. Looked like the youngest had dragged him out to the nearest convenience store.
Right behind him, Jeong Dajun strolled in with an ice cream in his mouth, only to spot Kang Ichae and me soaked in the pool. His eyes lit up with mischief.
Without warning, he shoved Seonghyeon straight into the water.
Seong Jiwon, who arrived a beat later, was no exception, of course.
And so, in the end, we all ended up looking like drowned rats—soaked to the bone, without a single photo taken, let alone the hundred we planned.
Here's the English translation of that passage:
"Lee Ji-hyun's definitely going to say something about this."
Thinking that we'd at least have to snap a few pictures once the sun came up, I climbed out of the pool alone.
"Hoyun-hyung!! Leaving already?! Are you scared?!"
"Yeah. Scared. F*ck off."
Ignoring the maknae's attempt at provocation, I headed back into the pension.
"Keeping up with these kids' energy is exhausting."
Muttering that I'd end up on my deathbed if I played around any longer, I grabbed a towel and started drying my hair. Outside, I could still hear the splashing and the kids' shrieks of laughter.
Just as I was about to take off my T-shirt and hop into the shower to shake off the sticky feeling, my phone buzzed.
"Hello?"
[Why haven't you been answering your phone?]
"Uh, well…"
There wasn't really a reason to answe and it wasn't like we were that close, so I let my sentence trail off, waiting for whatever came next. Kim Jaeyeon, on the other end, sounded slightly puzzled.
[Uh… wait, did something good happen? You sound like you're in a weirdly good mood.]
"Just get to the point."
I cut her off coldly, telling her to shut up and say what she needed to say. Jaeyeon cleared her throat, clearly thrown off but trying to cover it.
[Right, um, yeah… I found it. Yoon Heeeon's weakness.]
As I listened to her explanation, I let out a quiet laugh.
Yoon Hee-eon… what a dumbass, I thought to myself, shaking my head at how pathetic he was.
Not that I knew back then—I was about to look just as pathetic myself.
"—I, I really f*cking care about him, okay?"
Even as I stumbled over the words, trying to be honest, the only thing that came back was:
[…Did you lose a bet or something?]
A long silence followed. Then came her flat, unimpressed voice.
Ding!
[The other party does not acknowledge it.]
[Does not count toward the total number of attempts.]
"F*ck!!"
I couldn't hold it in and threw my phone onto the bed.
That's right. I had been so full of confidence, completely unaware of how much I was going to suffer in the very near future.
Should I just give up?
I thought silly things like acting cute wouldn't be a big deal anymore, but I didn't realize there was an even bigger challenge waiting ahead.
A storm of thoughts swirled through my head, Do I really have to go this far? A wave of existential dread washed over me. But even so, I had to endure it.
Barely managing to calm myself down, I picked up my phone again and looked up at the system window.
[Quest received]
'Show affection to a designated close individual.'
Show affection to someone close to you and earn their trust to deepen your bond.
Affection attempts: 0/5
Success reward: 'Pandora's Box' item
Failure penalty: A rumor regarding Seong Jiwon will be leaked to the media.
※The 'close individual' is someone within your circle.
F*ck. That meant I had to hit on every person I knew just to figure out who the "close individual" was.
If there was any silver lining, it was this: when I picked the wrong person, the system would immediately pop up with a message—
[The selected person is not the designated 'close individual.']
saving me from wasting too much time and effort on dead ends.
Still…
"…Yeah, this one's definitely not it."
I let my body go limp and collapsed face-first onto the bed.
To explain how I ended up like this, we'd have to rewind a few days.