Jin-ho answered the call while walking back home.
“What?” he said.
There was a brief silence.
He waited a few seconds before hearing a reply.
“I’m sorry,” Ji-min said.
Jin-ho frowned slightly, confused.
“Sorry for what?” he asked.
Ji-min explained softly, “For the unwanted attention… because of me.”
He let out a small breath.
“Don’t be sorry.
I already expected something like that when I went on stage.”
He continued calmly.
“So don’t apologize.
It’ll pass on its own anyway.”
Ji-min went quiet for a moment, then sighed.
“Still… don’t check the internet for a while.
You might get affected by the comments.”
She was referring to the negative posts about him.
“I’m not that fragile,” he replied.
Then added, “Honestly, I’m planning to use the attention for my first stream tomorrow anyway.
So I should be the one thanking you.”
Ji-min sounded surprised.
“You’re starting streaming?”
“Yeah.”
“Then send me the link when you go live.
I might watch.”
“Sure.
I’ll send it to you.”
They talked for a bit longer.
Jin-ho had already reached his apartment building and was inside the elevator.
“Take care of yourself, and good luck with your streaming,” Ji-min said before hanging up.
“Thanks.
You too,” he replied.
The call ended.
Jin-ho arrived at his door, entered the passcode, and stepped inside.
He dropped his bag in his room, then placed the ice cream in the refrigerator.
After that, he sat on the sofa and opened his phone.
The moment between him and Ji-min was already trending at the top.
“This was pushed,” he muttered to himself.
It wasn’t unusual.
Trending topics were often amplified through coordinated engagement when companies saw marketing value.
He opened the comments.
Ji-min had warned him for a reason.
Some comments were harmless.
Others were not.
He read them without much reaction.
Not anger.
Not frustration.
Just mild amusement at how far people were willing to speculate.
He shook his head and stood up.
In his room, he pulled out his arcade stick, along with the signed poster and album.
He set the arcade stick aside carefully.
Then he stared at the poster for a moment.
“Should I put this behind me when I stream?”
He didn’t decide yet.
Instead, he began unpacking the streaming equipment he had bought earlier.
He still needed to learn how to properly set everything up.
So he started studying it step by step.
Somewhere else,
Won-young was walking back to the dorm, her thoughts still occupied by everything that had happened earlier.
Even now, her mind felt a little messy.
As she reached the entrance, someone suddenly appeared in front of her.
“Won-young-ah, why didn’t you tell me you were going out?”
It was An Yu-jin.
Yu-jin crossed her arms, looking at her suspiciously.
Then her eyes shifted toward the plastic bag in Won-young’s hand.
“Wait…
did you buy anything for me?”
No response.
Yu-jin blinked.
Won-young simply stood there, still lost in thought.
“…Won-young?”
Nothing.
Yu-jin waved a hand in front of her face.
“What are you spacing out for?”
Won-young finally snapped back.
“Ah…”
She hesitated.
“A lot happened in a short time.”
Yu-jin immediately narrowed her eyes.
“What happened?”
Won-young looked down for a moment before answering.
“…I got bothered by some drunk guys.”
Yu-jin’s expression changed instantly.
“What?!”
Her voice rose immediately.
“Are you okay?
Did they do anything?!”
Concern quickly replaced her playful attitude.
“That’s exactly why you shouldn’t go out alone at night!”
“You should’ve called me!”
Yu-jin lightly flexed her arm dramatically.
“If they tried anything, I would’ve beaten them up.”
Won-young stared at her.
Then looked at Yu-jin’s arm.
Then back at her face.
Silence.
“…Can you let me finish first?” Won-young said.
“I’m fine.”
Yu-jin immediately coughed and looked away.
Right then, the loud voice had already woken some of the members.
The door slowly opened.
Rei stepped out while rubbing her eyes.
Behind her was Gaeul.
“What’s going on?” Rei asked sleepily.
Gaeul stayed quiet beside her.
Yu-jin quickly explained what she had heard.
The moment the two heard about drunk men, their expressions changed.
But after hearing Won-young was okay, they relaxed slightly.
Then Yu-jin looked back at her.
“So what happened after that?”
Won-young paused.
Then she quietly recounted how someone had stepped in and helped her.
The members listened closely.
As she finished describing it—
“Wooo…”
Rei’s eyes widened.
“A knight in shining armor.”
Yu-jin let out a long breath of relief.
Thankfully, nothing bad happened.
Then she blinked.
“Wait.”
“What happened to him after that?”
Won-young suddenly paused.
For some reason…
She didn’t know how to explain the rest.
Because even now, she still remembered the name she accidentally saw on his phone.
Yu Ji-min.
And for some reason…
That felt stranger than everything else that happened tonight.
Seeing that Won-young had gone quiet again, Yujin decided to bring up another topic.
She pulled out her phone and showed it to the three of them. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“Look at this.
It just happened not long ago.”
The screen showed a trending video.
It was about Jin-ho and Ji-min.
Won-oung casually looked over.
Then froze.
Her eyes widened.
On the screen, Jin-ho could be seen walking toward aespa while wearing a mask.
Won-young stared at the screen.
Then slowly pointed at it.
“…That’s him.”
The room suddenly went quiet.
Yujin, Rei, and Gaeul all turned toward her.
“Him?” Yujin asked.
“The person who helped me earlier.”
The three immediately looked back at the screen.
By then, the video had already reached the moment Jin-ho removed his mask.
Even through a phone screen, his appearance stood out.
Gaeul blinked.
“He’s really handsome.”
Silence.
Then…
The others quietly nodded.
No arguments.
This was the first time Rei, Gaeul and Won-young had seen the video.
Yu-jin had already watched it earlier.
As the video continued, Won-young became increasingly confused.
There was a strange expression on her face.
Like she was trying to solve a puzzle.
Gaeul noticed immediately.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Why do you look so serious?”
Won-young hesitated.
She looked at everyone.
Then gathered some courage.
“I think…
this guy is Karina’s boyfriend.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
…
“Huh?”
Rei blinked.
“Huh?”
Another second passed.
“Wha…
wha…
wha…
WHAT?!”
Rei nearly shouted.
Yu-jin looked completely stunned.
Gaeul’s eyes widened.
A bomb had just been dropped into the room.
Yu-jin immediately looked at Won-young.
“Wait, wait, wait.”
“What made you think that?”
Won-young looked slightly awkward.
“When he saved me earlier…”
“His phone rang.”
Everyone leaned in.
“And?”
“I accidentally saw the caller name.”
Silence.
Then:
“…And?”
Won-young swallowed.
“Yu Ji-min.”
Silence again.
Yu-jin slowly looked up.
Rei looked up too.
Gaeul stared blankly.
The room collectively stopped functioning for a few seconds.
“…Oh.”
Yu-jin finally spoke.
Then immediately shook her head.
“No, no.
We can’t say that for sure.”
“There could be another person with the same name.”
She paused.
Then added,
“…Though the timing is a little too convenient.”
Rei slowly nodded.
“Wait…”
“Why does this suddenly feel like a manhwa?”
Won-young stayed quiet.
For some reason, she still felt her guess was correct.
But there was no way to confirm it.
Not unless something became public.
Yu-jin clapped her hands lightly.
“Okay.”
She looked at everyone seriously.
“We keep this to ourselves.”
“No spreading it around.”
“No jokes.”
“No accidents.”
She pointed at them one by one.
“Our comeback is in August.”
“We’re building momentum right now.”
“Let’s avoid unnecessary trouble.”
The others nodded immediately.
Even Rei looked unusually serious.
Then someone quietly asked,
“Should we tell Liz and Leeseo later?”
Yu-jin thought for a moment.
“Sure.”
“But only if they promise not to say anything.”
“Only between us.”
Everyone agreed.
With that, the conversation slowly ended.
Rei and Gaeul returned to their rooms.
Yu-jin stretched and yawned before heading off as well.
Meanwhile, Won-young sat on her bed with the convenience store items she had bought.
Some of the snacks had already been stolen by Rei and Yu-jin.
Gaeul politely refused.
As Won-young lay down, her mind drifted back to Jin-ho.
Especially his face after removing the mask.
For some reason…
That scene stayed in her mind.
She stared at the ceiling quietly.
“…They actually look good together.”
The words slipped out unconsciously.
A few seconds later—
Won-young suddenly blinked.
Realizing what she had just said.
“…What am I even thinking?”
She quickly shook her head and reached for her snacks.
Trying to push the thought away.
But somehow…
It did not disappear that easily.
Going back to Jin-ho.
He was almost finished setting everything up.
The camera.
The microphone.
There were way more things involved in streaming than he originally thought.
He glanced at the time.
Almost midnight.
Jin-ho let out a small sigh.
He decided to continue tomorrow and finish the rest then.
He had done a lot today.
Played at the arcade for hours, walked around the city, unexpectedly got dragged on stage, and somehow even ended up helping someone on the way home.
Now that he thought about it…
Today had been strangely long.
He stood up and stretched.
Without wasting any more time, he took off his shirt and jeans before changing into something more comfortable.
Then he jumped onto the bed.
The soft mattress immediately made his tired body relax.
He spent some time scrolling through his phone before slowly getting sleepy.
Not long after…
He fell asleep.
Meanwhile, Ji-min had just finished her skincare routine and was getting ready for bed.
Unlike today, tomorrow’s schedule would be much lighter.
So none of the members were asleep yet.
Ji-min looked around.
Winter was scrolling through the internet.
Ningning was taking selfies.
Meanwhile, Giselle was doing a livestream.
Curious, Ji-min quietly peeked over.
Giselle read a viewer comment aloud.
“Was that guy really a lucky audience member?”
She laughed.
“Yes, I think so.”
“Why would anyone intentionally plant someone and script all that?”
She shrugged.
“Natural moments are better anyway.”
Then she smiled.
“And honestly, I’m thankful for it.”
“It gave us more attention and helped more people hear our song.”
Another comment appeared.
“How did he look up close?”
Giselle blinked.
Then answered casually.
“Well…
he’s really handsome.”
She paused.
“That’s all I’m saying.”
“Nothing more.”
Ji-min silently listened from the side.
Then she quietly turned and headed back to her room.
She laid down on her bed and stared at the ceiling.
The room was quiet.
She slowly breathed in.
Then out.
Her eyes gradually began closing.
But before sleep came—
Her thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Toward Jin-ho.
Toward what happened earlier.
Toward all the small things she kept replaying in her head.
The things she wondered about.
The what-ifs.
Thoughts she could not really explain.
Only she knew what they were.
Eventually…
Without realizing it—
Ji-min slowly fell asleep while thinking about them.
Night slowly gave way to morning.
And someone was already awake.
Jin-ho glanced at the time.
Not even 6 a.m.
yet.
He rubbed his eyes briefly before getting out of bed.
After putting on light workout clothes, he stretched his shoulders.
Today, he planned to exercise.
He did not have access to weights yet.
So bodyweight training would have to do.
After leaving his apartment, he jogged down the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
Soon, he stepped outside.
The city was only beginning to wake up.
Street cleaners were already sweeping the roads.
A few early risers, like him, were out exercising.
The cool morning air brushed against his face as he jogged through the quiet streets.
His destination was a nearby park.
More specifically, the outdoor fitness area there.
He had searched for it last night before going to sleep.
After a few minutes, he arrived.
Several people were already working out.
Some were jogging.
Others were stretching.
A few were already using the exercise equipment.
Jin-ho only gave them a quick glance before focusing on himself.
He started with a warm-up.
Stretching his arms.
Rotating his shoulders.
Loosening his legs.
After a few minutes…
He began properly.
Push-ups.
Pull-ups.
Dips.
Anything available that he could use.
Sweat slowly formed as he continued exercising.
Even while resting between sets, he kept going.
He had remembered something his mother once told him.
To compete at the highest level, especially in esports, physical condition mattered almost as much as mental strength.
Long tournaments.
Long sets.
Hours of pressure and concentration.
A weak body could eventually drag down the mind.
Jin-ho took his goal seriously.
Very seriously.
Because no matter how strong someone became…
There was always a bigger fish somewhere.
Only when he reached the top could he allow himself to relax a little.
As for the attention from last night…
It had already died down somewhat.
Still, some people recognized him.
While doing his pull-up reps, Jin-ho noticed a few people pointing in his direction.
Some whispered quietly.
Others looked like they were trying to remember where they had seen him.
He ignored all of it.
After finishing his workout, he decided to head back.
By the time he finished, his back was soaked with sweat.
He breathed deeply while walking for a moment to recover.
A few people looked like they wanted to approach him.
Maybe for a picture.
Maybe to ask something.
But Jin-ho’s expression practically said:
“Please don’t.”
Just because someone appeared online once did not suddenly make him a celebrity.
Not waiting around, he resumed jogging.
At a much faster pace this time.
It did not take long before he returned home.
The moment he entered his apartment, he threw his clothes into the laundry basket and headed straight for the shower.
He wanted to freshen up.
After all…
Today was his first stream.