Episode 66

 

“It’s not exactly something that can’t be talked about.” 

Junwoo replied, his face calm and unreadable.

The air between them had grown so tense that even Haeun could feel the pressure, and yet Junwoo stood there completely unbothered—cool and composed in the midst of the storm.

“……”

No one spoke for a moment.

It was unclear whether Seongjae’s silence meant Junwoo had hit a nerve, or if he was just too furious to respond.

Eventually, Seongjae let out a long sigh—not the kind you make when trying to hold in anger, but one that sounded genuinely weighed down.

“Isn’t it kinda childish to keep getting mad over something from the past—especially when it wasn’t even his fault?”

Haeun furrowed his brow, silently listening as he tried to piece things together.

The name Minsu was too common to immediately call up a specific face or memory. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he might’ve heard something about it before.

“Do we really have to do this now? This is so ridiculous.” 

Seongjae muttered, clearly reaching the edge of his patience.

But Junwoo, again, replied without a hint of emotion.

“I don’t think it’s very mature either—to ignore someone when you’re upset, and then pretend nothing ever happened just because you feel fine now.”

He really never let a single point go. It was hard to even imagine what kind of remark might actually catch Junwoo off guard.

Eventually, it was Seongjae who lost the verbal sparring match. He raked a hand through his hair in frustration and muttered:

“…Let’s not.”

It sounded very much like a declaration of surrender.

Haeun, who caught on quickly, began to quietly back away. If he stayed in this warzone any longer, he’d definitely get caught in the crossfire. Better to slip into his room while things were cooling down.

But before he could take more than a few steps, Junwoo’s voice rang out again.

“Where do you think you’re going? I’ve got something to say to you, too.”

Apparently, even while fully locked in a showdown with Seongjae, Junwoo had kept an eye on Haeun’s every move.

The realization caught Haeun off guard, though he masked it with a neutral expression.

“Me?” he said, pointing a finger at himself.

Junwoo didn’t even nod—he just stared at him with unwavering eyes. It was a clearer answer than words.

Haeun looked away, trying to pretend he hadn’t heard, but eventually gave a reluctant sigh.

“Alright, fine. Lead the way.”

The atmosphere was tense, but there wasn’t really any reason for Haeun to talk to Junwoo in secret. Still, it wasn’t exactly the kind of conversation to have in front of everyone either, so he decided it was best to step away for a bit.

Haeun slowly made his way toward his room. He could feel Ilhyun watching him with a worried look, but he didn’t seem inclined to intervene. Maybe he figured it wasn’t serious enough to step in—no punches were being thrown, and a verbal spat like this didn’t really warrant mediation.

Seongjae, too, watched them go but didn’t try to stop them. He seemed too busy trying to calm himself down to get involved.

Haeun glanced back at Junwoo, who followed quietly behind. He still couldn’t make sense of what Junwoo was thinking—or even what this whole situation was really about. 

But one thing did occur to him: Maybe this ‘Minsu’ person was someone he already knew.

In the game, Seongjae initially hated Park Ha. The reason was because Park Ha had taken the last spot in the debut lineup, bumping someone else out. 

That someone had been a long-time trainee—someone who had trained alongside Seongjae and Junwoo for years. But just before the debut, the guy suffered a leg injury.

It wasn’t a career-ending injury, just a fracture that needed time to heal. But in the meantime, the company’s CEO brought Bakha in and debuted him instead.

After that, the injured trainee gave up on his dream of becoming an idol, quit the agency, and eventually left the entertainment industry entirely.

Strictly speaking, none of it had been Park Ha’s fault. If anyone had acted unfairly, it was the CEO. But from Seongjae’s perspective, it probably felt like Park Ha had sneakily taken his friend’s spot.

That old trainee’s existence served as a narrative device—a way to create tension between Seongjae and Park Ha. His name had never been mentioned in the game, likely because he wasn’t a major character, just a piece of the backstory.

Still, Haeun couldn’t help wondering if that person had been Minsu.

The strange part was, this backstory had always belonged to Seongjae and Park Ha. It made no sense that Junwoo was the one acting like this, especially while Seongjae remained relatively calm.

In the original “Idol Simulator” game, it had been Seongjae who harbored resentment toward Park Ha over that incident. Junwoo, while rude at times in the beginning, had never shown hostility rooted in that particular issue.

If anything, Junwoo’s character didn’t seem like the type to get overly attached to ex-teammates. Maybe this whole situation was just something the player—Haeun—had misunderstood from outside the screen.

Or maybe Junwoo had been hiding his real feelings all along, ones the game never revealed.

Deep in thought, the two finally arrived at Haeun’s room. Haeun opened the door, and Junwoo walked right in as if it were his own place. The door closed behind them, and Junwoo spoke immediately.

“I’ll get straight to the point. You’ve been acting weird lately, hyung.”

He didn’t even pause to think before continuing. Since entering this body, Haeun had already been told more than once that he was acting strangely, so he was able to respond calmly.

“So that’s what this is about again? I was wondering what you wanted to say.”

It was true that the current Haeun and the original Park Ha had completely different personalities. Thankfully, though, Park Ha had always been distant from the other members, so it was easy to claim, “You guys just never knew what I was really like.”

It wasn’t like people would jump to the conclusion that someone’s soul had been swapped just because their personality had changed overnight.

Still, Junwoo had always seemed more suspicious of Haeun than the other members, and now, here they were again.

“They say people don’t change, but I believe everyone can change a little.”

Haeun looked at him, as if to say Then what’s the problem? 

But Junwoo continued speaking in the same calm tone.

“But you’re acting strange in a way that’s beyond what I can understand.”

If that was how he felt, then he shouldn’t have said people can change in the first place. Somehow, Junwoo’s calm voice was more unsettling than if he’d grabbed Haeun by the collar and shouted.

Haeun turned his head slightly, but Junwoo’s words kept coming.

“At first, I thought it was odd but just let it go. I didn’t like it, but hey, it’s not like you have to live your whole life being repressed… and the truth is, I never really knew exactly what kind of person you were.”

It was very much like Junwoo to add that he didn’t like it. Haeun gave a faint, ironic smile as he tried to think of something to say. But the problem was, Junwoo didn’t look like he was really interested in hearing his answer.

“Still, it’s weird. Isn’t a normal change something like someone who used to be shy starting to say hi first? Or someone who used to sleep in late getting up early now and then? But you’re acting like a completely different person.”

“What are you trying to say?”

So instead of making excuses, Haeun simply asked. He had been trying his best to act like Park Ha, and it felt unfair that no one seemed to recognize that effort. He understood that it was inevitable since the core of who he was had changed—but still, he couldn’t figure out what exactly Junwoo was trying to say.

“I don’t know,” Junwoo answered nonchalantly.

That made Haeun even more dumbfounded. He opened his mouth slightly in disbelief before scoffing.

“You don’t even know what you’re trying to say? Unbelievable.”

“…”

“So what? Are you saying I’ve actually become someone else? Got possessed or something? What is this, Insidious?”

He shot back at Junwoo, who remained calm. Was Insidious the one about possession? Haeun had watched so many horror movies that they’d all started to blend together, and now he wasn’t sure. If he got it wrong, Junwoo would definitely point it out—and that would be embarrassing.

“What’s Insidious?”

“…?”

But Junwoo’s response was unexpected. Instead of correcting him, he sounded like he genuinely didn’t know what Haeun was talking about. No way someone who wasn’t completely clueless about movies wouldn’t know that title. And Junwoo did like slasher films—

“Oh, right. He’s a game character.”

Haeun suddenly remembered, feeling a little sheepish. He muttered awkwardly, “It’s a thing… like that…”

Then, trying to change the subject when Junwoo still looked puzzled, he threw out a comment.

“You’re feeling left out, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

“You’re scared of being the odd one out or something. Like you’ll get pushed out of the group. But that’s not my fault—it’s just your awful personality—”

“Hyung, stop trying to dodge the issue with nonsense.”

Junwoo’s firm voice cut him off. Haeun thought to himself, See? That tone is exactly the problem. 

But he didn’t say it out loud. And it definitely wasn’t the right time to joke, If you’re feeling that lonely, I’ll hang out with you, so quit being mad.

With Haeun falling silent and Junwoo saying nothing either, a long pause stretched between them. Only after a considerable moment did Junwoo finally speak again.

“Someone like Park Ha hyung trying desperately to change, to turn things around—that might’ve actually been nice to see.”

“…”

“At least that would’ve felt like you.”

What a consistently lovely way with words he had. Haeun narrowed his eyes and glared at Junwoo. If Junwoo had been looking his way, he probably would’ve made another pointed comment—but instead, Junwoo stared off into space, eyes unfocused.

“But right now… I don’t know, it’s just annoying.”

“…”

“I don’t like change.”

That firm declaration made Haeun scoff a little in disbelief.

“What are you, a kid?”

“It’s the fact that you don’t even care that really gets on my nerves.”

Junwoo replied coolly, as if it were obvious. Haeun began to wonder if maybe he had pushed it too far. Then, as if to drive the point home, Junwoo gave a casual shrug and added one more line:

“I am still at the age where being called a kid kinda makes sense, though.”

His voice was calm, but razor-sharp. Haeun couldn’t shake the growing sense that this chill between them wasn’t going away anytime soon.