Chapter - 59화 (59/150)
"Hello, listeners. This is Music Stroll with Park Soul. Today, we've got a truly hot young man. For a second, I honestly thought someone had set a doll down in front of me. He's so handsome. Today's guest is DinoSoul's Joo Dansol."
"Yes, hello, I'm DinoSoul's Joo Dansol—."
"Yes, nice to meet you. Dansol, first, since I think our listeners will be worried, I'm going to ask this right away. I heard DinoSoul had a major accident not long ago, and everyone's really curious whether you're all okay."
"Ah… yes! Everyone's okay. No one was hurt that badly, it's just… some bones broke… and they got casts…? Thank you for worrying about us."
"Isn't that… a lot of injuries?"
"Ah! You're right…! I-I'm sorry!"
The Asian Games opening ceremony performance became a bigger topic than expected. Part of it was because two people from a trending dating variety show did a paired choreography, but the real winning move was that Dansol—who people had thought of as having a cute image—played a sexy gumiho concept, and did it far better than anyone expected.
As a result, until he went back onto the island again, Dansol had to grind through schedules nonstop—visual radio, press interviews, everything—without a moment to breathe.
He'd insisted on staying to take care of the members at the hospital, but in exchange for forcing the CEO to swear he would never again call the members to private events, Dansol was now running schedules on less than two hours of sleep a day.
"Pfft…! Ah, I shouldn't laugh—sorry. I think our Dansol got flustered. The… accident was pretty serious. A wrong-way vehicle hit the car our DinoSoul members were in, but thankfully, compared to the scale of the crash, they weren't hurt too badly, everyone."
The DJ smoothly explained and wrapped things up for Dansol, who was stumbling from fatigue and nerves. Dansol thought again that the world didn't prefer experienced people for no reason.
"Please don't misunderstand. We're here with Mr. Joo Dansol, the icon of going the wrong way—but going the wrong way on the road is truly dangerous. It's something you must never do. Defensive driving at all times, okay? Everyone, drive safely. Now, let's listen to a song. Hey Julie's 'Vroom Vroom Beep Beep.'"
With no sleep, Dansol barely even knew what he was saying anymore, and a live radio broadcast—with no editing, going out in real time—was poison.
Because he'd developed a habit of watching every single word out of fear of getting dragged, he kept stammering or freezing mid-sentence.
"Dansol, don't be so nervous. Just say whatever comes to mind. As long as you don't swear, it's fine. Don't tense up. You're doing great."
"I-I'm sorry…"
"Hey… why do you keep apologizing? Look—listeners are saying you're so cute and funny."
Even while the music played, the seasoned DJ kept soothing the trembling Dansol.
If love had a license
You'd be a heavy-duty Class 1
I'd be a drawer license
Don't honk from behind~
Even so, my heart's still honking full blast
As the song neared its end, Dansol got scared and took a deep breath. The sound didn't go out, but since it was visual radio, the camera filming him even during the song made him self-conscious.
So even while eating the snacks the staff had prepared, Dansol kept fumbling—eating bubble tea with a fork, sticking a straw into bread, and so on.
"People say you're basically the number one booking target these days, and that's not an exaggeration. They keep asking—where have you been hiding all this time? Let me ask you directly. Dansol, where have you been all this time?"
"Huh…? I… I've been… at the dorm…"
"Haha. Then what do you usually do on your days off? Are you a homebody who likes staying at the dorm?"
"Yes… right. I just like walking… and I meet friends sometimes, but…"
"This is from listener 4858: 'Oppa, your face is like an angel—are you from heaven?' And! Then I have to ask this. These days, who are you close with? Friends you usually spend your holidays with?"
The DJ was asking with famous idols and actors who were appearing on the same program in mind.
And at that question, Dansol—who'd been tense and flustered all broadcast—suddenly lit up.
"Um… Kim Youngchan and Choi Hogi…!"
"Huh? Ah… I haven't been watching TV lately. Who are they?"
But now the DJ was the one flustered. Had his research been lacking?
"Ah…! We've both been friends since kindergarten, and Kim Youngchan is a social welfare civil servant… and Choi Hogi runs a barbecue place."
They were the friends who'd contacted Dansol even during his hardest days in his past life, like nothing had happened, just to check he was alive.
After regressing, Dansol had intentionally kept contact to a minimum, worried they'd suspect something if they saw how different he was—but the moment Park Soul asked, the names slipped out before he could stop himself.
"Kkh—cough—sorry. I was so shocked I choked. So… Kim Youngchan and Choi Hogi are your real, real best friends?"
"Ah… yes… but lately I've been too busy to see them much."
Seeing Dansol genuinely droop, the DJ burst out laughing.
He was really an unusual person. In this industry, people pretended to be close with famous celebrities just to stand out, and they'd say things that would obviously cause misunderstandings even knowing clickbait articles would flood out afterward.
The DJ thought: if this was calculated, he was a genius; if it wasn't, then he was a born celebrity.
In a world where everyone clawed upward, the person who drifted along unbothered stood out even more.
"Ah, Kim Youngchan and Choi Hogi must be so lucky. You really love your friends. Even if you can't see them often these days, you still picked them as your closest friends. Once your busy schedule wraps up, you'll have to go have a drink at Hogi's barbecue place."
"Ah… but we don't really meet at Hogi's restaurant. His mom doesn't like us."
"Why?! If my son brought home a friend like Dansol, I'd be thrilled!"
"Ah… she says we're just noisy and don't make money… and there are a lot of barbecue places nearby… so Hogi keeps saying we should go eat at the place next door…"
"Puhaha. Now that you're doing more broadcast work, she'll probably like it when she sees you. Oh—just now, we got a message from someone who seems to be Choi Hogi: 'Dansol, it's Hogi. You're a good friend, but you're saying a beep-word right now. My mom is listening too!' Oh no—Hogi's mom is listening too!"
"Uh… actually, when we go eat at Hogi's place… his mom keeps trying not to take our money, so we go somewhere else…! Mom, later I'll buy you sashimi!"
"Wait, your mom runs a barbecue place, but she likes sashimi?"
"Yes."
"Hahaha. You really have interesting people around you. For now… let's listen to a song. 'Bayu's Mother.'"
It's not because of my phone that my head hurts
It's not because of my phone that my back hurts
It's not because of my phone that I'm still hungry no matter how much I eat
Why does Mom hate my phone—why does she hate me too, like she hates my phone
"Are songs these days all this kind of trash…?"
Watching Dansol on the radio, Jisu rubbed his throbbing head.
He'd thought Woo Hyun's words were just something a kid blurted out, but even while resting at home, they kept echoing in his mind.
'Still… I want Dansol hyung to keep being a celebrity.'
It's a presumptuous request, but… from now on too… please stay beside Dansol hyung… as a good hyung!
"A good hyung… my ass."
He wouldn't be able to hide his trait forever. He'd thought it would be easy—finish this contract, reveal everything, retire.
But now, he only regretted how careless he'd been.
"Why the hell did I suggest sharing a room…"
Pretending to be an omega and sharing a room with Dansol was the start of the disaster. Worse, they'd even shared a bed.
The day it came out that he was an alpha, it would definitely affect Dansol too—someone who'd done nothing.
Jisu could tell without Dansol needing to say it how hard he'd fought to get here: an evil CEO who even sent the members to his own alumni event, a crumbling dorm building, a broken van older than ten years…
After Dansol's radio ended, Jisu sat in his study until the sun set and it got dark outside, clawing at his own head.
The thought that the petty scheming he'd done would end up hurting the person he'd come to genuinely like made it impossible to calm down.
He ran through hundreds of possibilities in his head.
Was there really only one way?
Jisu picked up his phone, ignored the dozens of missed calls, and dialed a number.
"Hello. Yeah, it's me. Let's meet. I have something to talk about."
Ding-dong.
A few hours later, the person who stepped over the threshold into Jisu's house was Ma Taeohh.
"Hyung… I came because I'm really curious what you wanted to say today, but from now on, I'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from calling me like this. I've already chosen my path in my heart."
"What the hell are you talking about… What do you want to drink? I've got water. Cold, hot, purified."
"Orange juice."
"…Wait."
Up until then, Ma Taeohh had come half as a joke, but he slowly began to sense something was off. Jisu was the type who wouldn't do favors for anyone unless it was Dansol—yet he was personally going out to buy Ma Taeohh a drink?
Should he run while he still could?
He awkwardly started to rise, and right then, Jisu—who'd gone outside—opened the door and came back in, warning him viciously.
"If you run, you die."
"…Yes. I wasn't thinking of doing that. Not at all. Please go ahead, sunbae."
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