Episode 64

 

Jo Yejun mechanically moved his spoon. The experience of eating alone at the empty dormitory dining table wasn’t just unfamiliar—it was completely new, which made it rather refreshing.

His phone was quiet. Since he hadn’t replied first, it was only natural. Yejun wasn’t originally the type to be enthusiastic about meals enough to eat regularly. Holidays were days when he didn’t need to consume energy even if he deliberately skipped meals, so it didn’t matter, and he often skipped meals anyway on days like this. 

If he had made plans with Park Haeun, he would have gone out and had a proper meal for once, but that had fallen through again this time.

Whether there was some incompatible aspect between them, their schedules never seemed to align. It was natural that others could be as busy as he was, and since they were both entertainers anyway, it was expected that making plans would be difficult, so there was no reason to feel disappointed. 

He naturally thought that, but somehow he felt a bit empty inside.

The members had all gone out separately, saying there was no reason to eat at the dormitory since it was a holiday. Seo Siyoung, who was meddlesome, had suggested they go out to eat together, but he had declined. He wasn’t hungry, and he didn’t think there was any reason to go out and waste energy.

But sitting alone in his dormitory room, he kept feeling something—whether it was emptiness inside or actual hunger, he couldn’t tell. So Yejun came out to the kitchen to grab something to eat. There wasn’t much decent food, but since it was just to settle his stomach, it didn’t matter whether it tasted good or not.

While he was roughly setting the table and eating, he remembered that he hadn’t replied to Park Haeun’s message from yesterday. When he jokingly sent a reply with the nuance that he was eating alone and lonely, the response came back asking if he was the only person who could buy him food. Had his joke failed, or was Park Haeun also responding jokingly?

He hadn’t particularly intended to appeal his pitiful situation, but it seemed to have turned out that way. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, he couldn’t reply right away.

Meanwhile, his rice bowl was showing its bottom. And just as he was almost finished eating, he heard the sound of the door lock being released. Someone had returned.

Yejun indifferently raised his head to look toward where the door opened. It was Seo Siyoung who entered. Among the members, he particularly liked going around, so Yejun had thought he’d be the latest to return, making this somewhat unexpected.

As soon as Siyoung closed the front door and came in, he threw off his sunglasses and mask, then immediately spoke up in a bustling manner.

“Oh my, Yejun.”

“Wash your hands first before coming over.”

He blocked Siyoung, who was about to approach him directly. Siyoung shrugged his shoulders, saying he was going to do that anyway without being told. 

Perhaps noticing that Yejun was looking at him with distrustful eyes, Siyoung giggled mischievously and dutifully went back to the bathroom to wash his hands before coming out.

He already had no appetite thanks to the tasteless meal, but after seeing Seo Siyoung’s face, it felt like what little appetite he didn’t have completely disappeared. As Yejun was torturing his empty rice bowl with his spoon, Siyoung immediately started talking to him again.

“Really, Yejun. What are you doing looking so pitiful? Why are you eating alone like this?”

It was natural for such a question to come up since he had refused the invitation to eat together and stayed behind alone. He knew that, but he didn’t want to answer properly, so he just shrugged his shoulders.

“What’s wrong with eating at the dining table?”

“That’s why I told you there’s nothing to eat at the dorm, so let’s go out together.”

The nagging was annoying. Yejun let out a deliberately irritated sigh. Seo Siyoung continued talking without paying attention.

“Since it doesn’t taste good, you’re just picking at it like that… All your luck will run away.”

Luck running away—what kind of grandparent-like thing was he saying, going beyond even parents. Even though they hadn’t been talking for long, he was already letting out tired sighs. 

Yejun really didn’t get along with this type who chattered noisily or went on with nagging. He preferred someone quieter, someone who was pleasant to talk with. Someone like… Park Haeun.

While eating with Park Haeun was more than okay—he had even been the one to suggest it first—there were reasons for refusing Seo Siyoung’s proposal. 

Yejun muttered.

“If you’re just going to nag as soon as you come in, why don’t you go back out?”

“And what are these side dishes? Where did you get this seaweed from?”

Without even pretending to listen, Siyoung muttered like that and then settled down to sit. Yejun let out a sigh.

“Ha…”

“Want me to fry you an egg or something?”

“I’m good. I’ve eaten most of it anyway.”

Giving up in the face of the teasing tone, Yejun responded. Siyoung smiled knowingly, as if expecting that answer, and started talking.

“How’d you end up looking all pitiful and eating alone like this?”

“I was going to skip the meal, but I got hungry, so I ate. There is nothing pitiful about it.”

Yejun replied casually. But Seo Siyoung only gave a smile that said he saw through everything.

“Our dear Jo Yejun…”

What now? Reflexively wary, Yejun looked up, only for Siyoung to continue with a smirk.

“Got rejected, huh?”

“What?”

“Things not going so well with that junior of yours?”

The words rolled out like it was the most obvious thing, and Yejun’s face twisted in disbelief. Got rejected? Not going well? 

He’d only tried to buy a meal, but their schedules hadn’t matched. Still, the way Siyoung phrased it made it sound all wrong. Watching Yejun’s baffled expression, Siyoung muttered.

“Looked like you were putting in a hell of an effort to treat him to a meal.”

“And who the hell did you hear that from?”

Saying he was putting in effort made it sound kind of pathetic, but he had tried to set up a time, so he didn’t bother denying it. Seo Siyoung shook his head and spoke like some kind of amateur detective.

“You’re a terrible liar, Yejun. And you suck at hiding things. You’d be the type to get caught after committing a crime because you couldn’t cover your tracks.”

“Oh, come on.”

Yejun responded dismissively, barely holding back his irritation. Still, the words left a bit of a sting. He didn’t care much how others saw him—especially someone like Seo Siyoung—but thinking Park Haeun, the one he’d approached, might have seen him the same way made him uneasy.

Just then, his phone buzzed. It was face-down—he’d put it that way because he didn’t want Siyoung to see anything. Hesitantly, Yejun flipped it over and checked the screen.

[Park Haeun]
ㅠㅠ Let’s definitely eat together next time!!! I really wanted to go eat today, seriouslyㅠ

It was him—the person in question. The timing was so uncanny, it almost felt like he’d been watching somehow.

Yejun had been unsure how to respond to the earlier message, and then Seo Siyoung had walked in, making it seem like he’d just ignored it. He hadn’t expected a follow-up message to come on its own. Now, he found himself hesitating. 

Watching him, Siyoung subtly leaned over to peek at the screen. He quickly drew his head back, but in that brief moment, he seemed to have seen who the sender was. He muttered casually,

“He’s at the department store right now, apparently.”

“The department store?”

The words slipped out in a slightly dumbfounded tone. It wasn’t just the unexpected location—it was hearing it from Siyoung’s mouth that threw him. Had he run into Haeun somewhere? Or was he just confusing him with someone else?

“I saw a sighting post—he was with another member from their group. Probably out shopping together?”

The way he said it made it sound like he actually knew what he was talking about. Yejun turned his eyes back to his phone screen. He’d said he had a prior plan. Guess that plan was shopping. Yejun slowly opened his mouth and replied.

“He said he had other plans.”

He tried to sound casual, but he couldn’t tell if his voice came out right. It’s not weird for someone to go shopping with a fellow group member. He did have a prior appointment, after all. And considering Stone Cherry had barely been known until recently, being the subject of fan sightings probably meant their popularity was growing. It should’ve been a good thing.

And yet, it felt like he was chewing sand. Why was that?

“What are you gonna reply?”

That’s what made it worse—he wasn’t completely in the dark, and that made it more awkward, more annoying. Siyoung looked at Yejun, whose brow had subtly furrowed, and asked with a deliberately knowing smile.

Yejun silently moved his finger across the screen.

***

“What was that?”

“What do you mean, what was that?”

“What did he say?”

Seongjae suddenly fired off the question. Haeun, who had just checked the rare reply from Yejun, looked up from his phone.

“You’re curious about everything, aren’t you?”

He dodged the question with a light comment—there really wasn’t much to explain anyway, it wasn’t anything special. He thought Seongjae would press further, but instead, Seongjae simply lowered his head and went back to looking at his own phone. That struck Haeun as odd, so he turned the question around.

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Who messaged you?”

The overlap in their exchange made it sound almost like a comedy skit. The absurdity made Haeun chuckle, but Seongjae’s expression remained sour.

“It was Yoon Junwoo…”

“Junwoo? What’d he say?”

Out of habit, Haeun looked down at his own phone, but there was no new message. That meant it wasn’t something in the group chat—it was a private message sent only to Seongjae. 

Haeun stared blankly for a moment at the one word on his own screen: “When?” 

A short message, but the timing—perfectly in sync—struck him as strangely coincidental.

“Why’s he so mad, though?”

All at once, Haeun felt a weird sense of unease. Instead of glancing at Seongjae’s phone again, he reopened his own. Not the Kakaotalk app this time, but the Eu-Idol app. Just hearing the words he’s mad had made him think of it without hesitation.

[Current Favorability Level]

Junwoo: 4/100

What the fuck.

Again? Why?!