Camilla’s words sent me into deep thought.
As far as I knew, there was only one house that Choi Jeokhyeon had ever lived in, and I had never lost contact with him, so it was quite a surprising news to me.
Of course, the part about his disappearance could have been Camilla’s misunderstanding.
Choi Jeokhyeon always had the tendency to ignore personal contacts outside of work and didn’t particularly like appearing in front of others. Since he had always been a mysterious figure, it wasn’t all that strange for him to be misunderstood as having disappeared for a while.
But the problem was the moving part.
‘Choi Jeokhyeon moved?’
I had known him for years, so it was impossible for me to be unaware of such an important thing. Judging from Camilla’s demeanor and Lee Hwayoung’s reaction, it seemed like solid information rather than speculation, but I couldn’t understand why Choi Jeokhyeon would keep it hidden from me.
What’s the big deal about moving? He could have just said he wanted to.
However, Choi Jeokhyeon went so far as to move back to his old house just to hide that fact from me.
‘Is there a reason I shouldn’t know about it?’
Choi Jeokhyeon was so indifferent to his own life.
He worked, drank, slept for a while, and then got up to work again. Someone with a schedule as demanding as mine wouldn’t go through the hassle of moving from place to place without a good reason.
Just as I was getting lost in my doubts, Camilla spoke up again.
“Still, don’t think too badly of him. He’s your family, after all.”
“…I’m not sure if he considers me his family, though.”
Camilla looked at Lee Hwayoung’s sulky face and smiled as if it couldn’t be helped. Then she lowered her gaze and murmured softly.
“Of course he does. After that incident, he completely cut off contact with the rest of the family. But since he’s still in touch with you, it’s clear that he must think of you as special.”
When the matter was vaguely referred to as ‘
that incident
‘, Lee Hwayoung’s eyes wavered, as if he was reluctant to even talked about it. And after a long silence, he spoke firmly
“…Don’t talk about that.”
Just as Camilla was about to open her mouth to respond, the staff’s voice rang out.
“We will resume the filming!”
***
After successfully finishing the filming, we had our final goodbyes with Camilla in the waiting room before parting ways.
Since this broadcast marked the end of our first promotional period, we had some free time. It would have been nice to spend some time together over a meal, but Camilla had a much busier schedule than us, so it was difficult to make such a suggestion.
‘Maybe she’s already overdoing it by appearing on this broadcast right now.’
I could already see Camilla’s secretaries stomping their feet, so I just kept my mouth shut and hugged her.
“Great job. You guys are a great team.”
Starting with me and ending with Lee Hwayoung, she hugged each one of us and began with a light greeting. What followed was, as expected, the kind of words most mothers would say—concern for her son.
“Please take good care of Nick. He’s a bit shy and not good at expressing himself, so he might make you feel a little upset or angry, but.…“
Camilla winked at Lee Danbi when she said the word
angry
. At that, Lee Danbi, who had been hiding out of Camilla’s line of sight ever since she first appeared, flinched and smiled awkwardly. It seemed like he realized that Camilla knew about his usual relationship with Lee Hwayoung and was being a bit cautious.
However, contrary to Lee Danbi’s expectations, Camilla gently cupped his cheeks with both hands and continued.
“I’m sure he’s fond of you guys deep down. I can guarantee that.“
Then Lee Hwayoung furrowed his neatly arched eyebrows, making a displeased expression. It was as if he was expressing with his whole body that the words were not something he had agreed with.
However, even though he was putting on that sour face, he didn’t say “
No
” or
“Stop lying
” with his mouth.
I couldn’t tell if he was acting that way out of embarrassment because Camilla was right, or because he didn’t want to embarrass his mother in front of the members. Whatever the reason, he looked rather cute.
‘He’s making the same expression he used to make when he was a kid.’
When I unintentionally chuckled, I could feel Do Yuda and Zen looking at me with half-open eyes, smiling mischievously.
“Leada, do you think Mister Lee is cute? But Leada is his one day
dongsaeng
.”
1
“I’m jealouuus.”
I immediately raised both of my hands and grabbed their heads, side by side. Then, cries like “I was wrong” and “Please spare me” echoed like screams, and no one ever dared challenge me in this space again.
“Seungbeom-ah, let’s forgive the kids just this once! Just this once, please!”
And only after Woo Kangwon, who was unable to pull my hands away with force and kept flailing his bear-like hands in the air, finally managed to rescue the two of them, peace returned to the waiting room.
Camilla, who had been laughing heartily while watching the members and me doing silly things, stepped back once the situation calmed down. Then, she slightly bowed her head toward the members and the manager and spoke in Korean.
“Please take good care of our Nicholas. Please continue to be good friends to him. Thank you.”
I couldn’t guess when she memorized that one.
She must have translated and practiced what she wanted to say in advance before meeting the members of Pantheion. Even the bowing of the head, a greeting that she was not familiar with. Although her pronunciation was a little awkward, there was no doubt about her affection for Lee Hwayoung, which was evident in her well-chosen words and confident delivery.
“…….”
‘…I wonder if my mother was ever like that.’
What should I say in response to those words, to affection that knew no bounds?
It was different from the past, when I could just talk to her like a friend.
After thinking carefully, I opened my mouth to return her gesture in a much more respectful manner, hoping to reassure her, who had to leave her son alone in a distant foreign country.
“I am the one who should be expressing my gratitude. The same goes for the other members, but having a talented and hard-working member like Nicholas by my side has always been a great help to me. I’m a leader who is still lacking in many ways, but please rest assured, as there are kind and gentle kids, unlike me, by his side. During the remaining, not so long, period of activities, I will do my best to ensure that Nicholas and the other members can create as many good experiences and memories as possible.“
At those words, Lee Hwayoung and Camilla widened their eyes and stared at me in a daze.
It was quite nerve-wracking to see the mother-and-son duo with identical faces staring back at me with identical expressions.
I felt as though my face might be pierced by the two pairs of bright blue eyes, so I turned my gaze and looked at the members. Then, I met the eyes of the members, who were staring back at me with the same expression.
‘What’s going on?’
Did I sound too formal?
But when it came to parent-teacher conferences, you were supposed to speak with even more courtesy than usual. No matter what they said to me because of this, I would only feel wronged.
“…….”
After a few seconds passed, Woo Kangwon, Baek Kiryang, and Do Yuda, who had been keeping their mouths shut, began to tear up. And with that sudden shift in emotion, I instinctively sensed my future and, slightly horrified, slowly backed away.
‘Crazy, don’t come. Don’t come any closer! Everyone is watching.’
But it seemed that my reaction didn’t matter to those guys, as they ignored my wishes and rushed towards me, hugging me tightly. This included Nagi Zen, who had no idea what I was saying in English.
In the end, I had no choice but to accept the members’ embrace, stiffening as if I’d been bitten by something. When the sudden weight caused Han Seungbeom’s frail body to lean backward, Woo Kangwon held me in place with his strength.
“Ah, why are you doing this!”
If you’re going to do something this embarrassing, just go do it at the dorm
. With that sentiment in mind, I spat out a sharp remark, almost floating diagonally in mid-air, but they completely ignored it and hugged me tightly.
At the ridiculous sight, Lee Hwayoung quickly turned his head away, while Camilla watched us with a warm smile on her face.
It was only after all the members had stepped away that she approached me, took my hand, and spoke.
“You’re really kind. I think I understand why Nick cares about you so much. From your personality to your blunt expression and … haha, even your English pronunciation, you really resemble him a lot. I’m curious how you can be so similar when your appearance is completely the opposite … Thank you for cherishing our Nick. But don’t forget to cherish yourself too.”
“…….”
To her voice, filled with a deep sense of longing, I could only nod my head, unable to offer any response.
***
Camila, unable to resist her secretaries’ urgings, soon left, and the members took another short break before heading back to our dorm.
“Nagi Zen will go to empty it.”
“Say that in a low voice.”
“A human who doesn’t have a bowel movement is not an idol, but a monster. Not ashamed.”
Just then, the phone in my pocket vibrated. I pulled out my phone, checked the screen, and saw a familiar name.
[Young Master 1]
As soon as I recognized the name, I got up from my seat, moved to the corner, and answered the phone.
“Why.”
“How was the filming, Yutae-ya?”
The soft voice asked courteously, ignoring my immediate question.
The answer was very Choi Jeokhyeon, or should I say that it was such a Choi Jeokhyeon-like?
After letting out a sigh, I glanced over at Lee Hwayoung through the door, who was sitting stiffly on the sofa with his legs crossed and arms folded, dozing off, then replied curtly.
“Lee Hwayoung is dying of exhaustion. What kind of child gets his energy drained by his own mother?”
Then, a low chuckle drifted through the speakers, followed by the words, “
Nicholas has been like that since he was young
“. As soon as those words ended, I asked the question I had been holding back, in a slightly anxious tone.
“Is there nothing that came out?”
It was about Lim Seunghoon’s phone, something I had been waiting for.
Choi Jeokhyeon immediately gave a smooth response, as if he had expected me to ask that.
“I’m sorry, but he responded a bit too quickly. It seems he remotely locked the phone halfway through, so it’s impossible to retrieve any information from it. Right now, it’s almost like a brick.”
“….Is that so?”
‘I thought the response would be a bit slow after hearing the information from Taeui, but was my prediction wrong?’
I had expected this to some extent, but I couldn’t help but feel dejected.
As if to comfort me, or to divert my attention, Choi Jeokhyeon immediately brought up a topic that would catch my interest.
“But it’s not like we got absolutely nothing. I was able to obtain the most important information for you.”
“The most important information?”
When I asked, feeling puzzled, Choi Jeokhyeon fell silent for a moment before answering.
“It’s about Jo Inchan.”
At the mention of Jo Inchan’s name, my heart sank. I tried to maintain my composure and spoke.
“…What was that about?”
“Maybe he didn’t do what he did at Kang Hyukwoo’s establishment because he wanted to.”
However, the words that followed were so shocking that they completely shattered my composure. My fingers trembled uncontrollably as I uttered a response.
“That, what do you mean?”
“Calm down, Yutae-ya.”
It felt like my head was buzzing.
My voice had unconsciously risen, and when I couldn’t calm myself down, Choi Jeokhyeon let out a small sigh. Then, in his usual calm tone, he spoke again.
“There was a remaining message record where Kang Hyukwoo ordered Lim Seunghoon to bring Jo Inchan.”
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Translator’s Corner:
I explained how Han Seungbeom is younger than Nicholas in Chapter 133‘s footnotes. Everyone is confused why Han Seungbeom thinks Nicholas is adorable because Nicholas is practically older than him. ↩︎
Oh this max-level charming manipulator ….
Also this is a very strange this experience, but my right armpit (I also wondered why among 1000 exposed part of my body, it chose that) got bitten by a black ant, like that big one, AND IT HURT LIKE HELL ??? I’VE BEEN SUFFERING FOR TWO DAYS ???? it’s painfully hot, even if I didn’t move my arm it’s burning with the pain, and it got worse if i moved my arm what is this asdfghjkl I got bitten in other area of my hand too, but they only swell for like few hours so idk why this one is still this painful after two days omg … i’m so over