"What did the hospital say?"
"There are a few places on my leg that got stitched, but they said not to worry since there'll be no problem moving around."
"...That's a relief."
Cha Min-seong, who for once had asked after me first, looked slightly relieved.
Right after the accident, I'd gone straight to the hospital, gotten the doctor's opinion that I was 'very healthy,' and quickly returned to the dorm.
But I was currently in such good health that being supported by someone pricked my conscience, so I shook off the young ones' kindness and walked to the sofa on my own two feet and sat down.
Shielding Cheong-yun before the light hit the floor seems to have been the right call.
I got off this lightly only because I was wearing long clothes; if Cheong-yun, with the skin of her arms and legs exposed, had taken all those big and small glass shards, her injuries would have been much worse.
Namgung Hyun, sitting on the floor looking up at me with a worried expression, asked.
"How did you know that light was about to fall? Everyone says they had no idea because it was dark."
Well, I can't exactly say it's because I know the future.
And knowing the future is useless if the memory doesn't come to mind at the right moment, so it's not exactly something to brag about.
Just look at this time—in the end, I couldn't stop the accident itself, could I?
"I just looked up and something seemed to be swaying."
"Wait, you saw that in the dark? What's your eyesight, hyungnim?"
"Last time I measured, I think both eyes came out around 2.0."
"An ostrich. You're an ostrich."
"Not a hawk?"
"Ostriches have better eyesight."
Sometimes I can't tell whether what that guy says is a compliment or a highly advanced backhanded insult.
"They say you shouldn't come to afternoon practice today and should just get a good rest at the dorm, hyungnim, so guard the house well! I'll video call you in between, so don't cry because you're lonely."
Then he immediately got the members ready to head out, so I called after him.
"Are you guys okay?"
At that, Namgung Hyun turned around with a smile hanging at the corners of his mouth.
"Of course we're okay~ None of us got hurt, so don't worry."
"Not that. You guys saw the accident happen with your own eyes too. Wouldn't it be better to rest today?"
There may have been no casualties, but I doubt they got through it without any mental shock.
Look at Seo Seo-jun and Ha Hyun. Guys who always went around smiling brightly, and they've been wearing gloomy faces this whole time, not even opening their mouths.
Go Yeon-gyu, mixed in with the group about to go out, lightly grabbed the shoulders of the two anxious-looking guys and pulled them toward himself as he spoke.
"Instead of worrying about us, worry more about yourself. You could have been badly hurt too, you know?"
I know. If I'd miscalculated the distance even a little when shielding Cheong-yun, I might be admitted to the ICU right now.
Still, in any case, both Cheong-yun and I came out of it without any major injuries, so isn't that enough?
In the end, left alone at the dorm, I lay down on the sofa I'd been sitting on, planning to rest for just a moment and then get up.
But maybe because the tension had completely drained away, I lost the original intention of 'just resting a moment' and fell straight into a deep sleep.
Getting thoroughly chewed out by Namgung Hyun, who came back at night, for not answering his calls was a bonus.
***
The next afternoon, Jae-woo and Cheong-yun, who seemed to have finished all the music video filming, came to see PLUTO just as we were about to start group practice.
"Seol-han! Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine. The doctor said there's nothing wrong aside from a few scrapes. More importantly, did the shoot wrap up well?"
"We just finished shooting everything. If it weren't for you, by now...... ugh."
Cheong-yun, who seemed to imagine the worst-case scenario for a moment, let out a sigh of relief and pressed a hand to her heart.
"Apparently they built the set in a hurry and didn't do the reinforcement work carefully when installing the lights. Today was an outdoor shoot, so there were no big problems."
"I'm glad the shoot went safely."
So shoddy work because of a tight schedule was the cause? This is why you have to set a generous timeline no matter what you do.
Jae-woo, who had been calmly reporting the situation beside Cheong-yun, put on a serious face and spoke in a low voice.
"It's all thanks to you. Really, thank you, Seol-han."
I don't think it's something that deserves that much thanks, so it pricks my conscience.
Even without me, it was an accident that would have ended with minor injuries.
But I can understand the feeling, to a point.
I'd heard an anecdote that Cheong-yun, Colorize's youngest, also debuted at an especially young age like Seo Seo-jun, and that Jae-woo, the eldest, cherished her so much it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she practically raised her.
And also that when Cheong-yun couldn't take part in the comeback promotions because of her injury, Jae-woo was sadder about it than anyone.
What a close-knit group.
"Are the staff okay too?"
"You're worried about the staff too, in the middle of all this?"
Separate from holding someone accountable for poor management, the staff must have been really startled too, right? There were a few young people on set who looked like they'd just been hired.
"They're fine. They all said thanks and asked me to check in on you for them."
Answering with a light laugh, Jae-woo went on.
"And this is a different topic, but."
I listened quietly, wondering what she was going to say.
"Ju-young...... is so grateful she wants to do something for you. She asked me to ask if she could take part in working on your debut album, if you're all okay with it. What do you think?"
A pretty welcome proposal popped out of Jae-woo's mouth.
There's nothing to lose by accepting this.
Ju-young is an artist with more than enough proven skill in producing.
It'd also make it possible to add one more promotional line along the lines of 'support fire from a senior at the same agency.'
"Actually, asking for your opinion is just a courtesy. She looked ready to stage a one-person protest in front of the company if you didn't accept."
Coming from Ju-young of all people, it doesn't sound like a joke. That person showed off truly diverse eccentricities on all sorts of variety shows with an innocence that transcends dimensions.......
Celebrities often have a character crafted for broadcast that differs from their real personality, but Ju-young was a rare case where the two matched completely.
Thanks to Ju-young's innocent eccentricities, Colorize was often chosen by the algorithm even for ordinary people with no interest in idols.
"Besides that, if anything comes up that you'd like our help with, tell us anytime. Except co-signing a loan."
"That's off the table, then."
"We don't co-sign even for our own members. Now, helping prevent the kind of situation where you'd need a co-signer, that's different."
It was a light, joking tone, but I sensed an odd edge between the words.
Then again, however close you are, you have to be clear about money matters to keep a relationship going longer.
Jae-woo and Cheong-yun only left the practice room to move on to their next schedule after personally putting health drinks in the members' hands and stressing that we take good care of ourselves.
At the same time, practice resumed, but the PLUTO guys stopped me, saying I should hold off on dance practice for a while.
So I had no choice but to go into the vocal practice room alone and wage a solitary struggle while the other guys aligned their formation as a group.
I'd finished a fifty-minute one-man school talent show and was about to take a ten-minute self-declared break when Ha Hyun, drenched in sweat, opened the vocal practice room door and came in.
"Are you practicing well?"
Maybe it's because it's the ever-diligent Ha Hyun saying it. It sounds like a gym trainer coming to whip a lazy member into shape.
"I've realized the hopeless fact that high notes really don't work for me."
"You don't have to force yourself to go too high. Everyone has their own range they're confident in."
Ha Hyun sat on the stool beside me and asked.
"If you start feeling unwell, tell me right away. Hyun says he'll carry you comfortably back to the dorm, even on his back."
"Can he even carry me?"
"Of course. Hyun's surprisingly strong."
Isn't the one saying that even stronger?
I'd heard Ha Hyun had built up his body going back and forth between dance academies and taekwondo dojangs since he was young, so his stamina and strength tended to be better than the other members'.
"Forget it. I'll be lucky if he doesn't face-plant from overdoing it."
"Ahaha......."
Just as the conversation was about to go on a bit longer, the vocal practice room door swung wide open once again.
"Ha Hyun, the kids are calling for you. Go."
"Ah, really? Thanks, Yeon-gyu!"
When Go Yeon-gyu, standing at the door, pointed behind himself with his finger, Ha Hyun hurriedly got up.
I thought Go Yeon-gyu would rejoin the group along with Ha Hyun, but contrary to my expectations, the guy leaned against the door and stared at me.
"What."
"Show me the wounds."
"They're ugly to look at. Why bother?"
"That's for me to judge."
He looked like he wouldn't move a step until I showed him, so in the end I rolled my pants up to my thigh in front of the guy.
"How many places did they stitch?"
"They're all shallow, so it's no big deal. They just said to disinfect them properly."
"Really no big deal?"
"I don't lie about this kind of thing."
I'm not foolish enough to grit my teeth and pretend something that hurts doesn't.
With this kind of thing, if you don't say it honestly, it can snowball into a bigger problem later.
Go Yeon-gyu, who seemed to have checked all the stitch marks, pulled down the rolled-up clothes and said flatly.
"Don't do that next time. It's not like you've got a spare life."
The guy who's prickly every time is being kind today.
I took the opportunity to bring up a small question I'd been harboring since yesterday.
"Do Ha Hyun and Seo Seo-jun seem okay?"
It's been bothering me all this time that those two, maybe because they're soft-hearted, looked especially bad.
Go Yeon-gyu, who glanced around for a moment, confirmed no one was coming near, crossed his arms, and answered.
"Ha Hyun's fine, but Seo-jun still seems a bit shaken. He was already easily scared, and now he's even more so."
"What a mess."
"This isn't the time for you to worry about others. Wouldn't it be a problem if those scar over as they are?"
"That's true."
If worst came to worst I could cover them with makeup, but doing that every time would be a chore too, so I just hope they don't leave scars if possible.
While Go Yeon-gyu and I were talking, the group practice's break seemed to have ended, because Namgung Hyun came to fetch Go Yeon-gyu himself.
And before going back to his spot, Namgung Hyun asked me a question.
"Right, hyungnim. We're ordering dinner later, what do you want? They say you went through a lot, so you can order something expensive today!"
"Ugeoji gukbap."
"Aw, since it's come to this, go big and order something that costs tens of thousands of won!"
"Still, I can't just go and order an aged sashimi platter."
"Hmm, that's true."
Namgung Hyun, meekly persuaded, tried to throw an arm around Go Yeon-gyu's shoulders, got rejected, and went back to the dance formation with a sad face.
With household finances already tight, I should be grateful they provide a place to live for free and cover every meal on top of that.
While it was on my mind, I checked my balance through internet banking, and sensed that the time had come to bring one grave problem to the surface.
I really have no money.