When we left the soundproof booth, we encountered the team leader who was blowing cold air.
I knew that the manager hyung had reported to the team leader on the phone earlier, but he did not expect that he would come in person like this.
As soon as we arrived, the team leader, who repeatedly bowed down and apologized to the producers, writers, and staff, didn’t say anything until we reached the parking lot, and the shoulders of me and the members got smaller and smaller.
“Ji-hwan, you and Woo-jin went to the emergency room and then go to the dorm.”
“Yes… .”
It was an atmosphere where I couldn’t even say that I was okay like before, and I had to receive treatment, so I quietly followed my manager hyung’s footsteps.
Fortunately, the emergency room brought a bag of medicine with the words that it was a wound that did not need to be stitched.
“Hey, Woojin hyung.”
“Huh?”
“The manager was very angry… ?”
My manager hyung, who didn’t say anything during the treatment to my hesitant questions, let out a deep sigh.
“There you are, Jihwan.”
“Yes, bro.”
“What do you think of you?”
“Yes?”
I couldn’t understand the manager hyung’s intentions for the question, so I looked at him with a bewildered expression, and was soon led by his hand and sat on a bench on one side of the hospital.
“look. Let’s say you are a kindergarten teacher.”
“Yes.”
“But while you were taking care of the other kids, the three-year-old tried to swallow the coin, and the five-year-old said it was dry and swallowed it. Then the baby was taken to the emergency room with difficulty breathing? Fortunately, first aid was done well, and the child was safe. So, is that okay?”
“Huh… . It is still dangerous.”
Unlike usual, the manager hyung’s face, who speaks calmly, was a bit unfamiliar to him, so he kept fiddling with his fingers.
“Jihwan, we are the people who have to protect you and take responsibility. Of course, it can be ignorant, and it’s okay to think that it’s because of money. Still, the company has a responsibility to make sure you succeed as safely as possible. At least Nana and the team leader think so.”
I was quietly listening to the story, but for some reason, I felt as if a wound that had not hurt before was stabbing me.
“If the device is damaged, I just have to go and pray and apologize, and the company pays the amount of damage. Of course, the people who did it will be reprimanded as much. Maybe that person’s settlement will be delayed.”
Was it because the manager hyung, who always smiled, joked around, and showed a finite side, told this story? For some reason, I felt guilty.
Moreover, contrary to expectations, this situation became even more unfamiliar when the story was about trust and protection, not about the business situation.
“Still, it is better for a machine to break than to hurt a person. You might think that it wasn’t a big deal because you weren’t seriously injured in a car accident, but the aftermath of a car accident is the scariest thing. I still get dizzy and a cold sweat when I think of that day. But when you get hurt like this, can your sister trust the company?”
“Ah… .”
I just thought that as long as Unravel goes well, everything is fine, but I thought something was wrong with me?
“It’s good to serve the team, but let’s not forget that you are also part of that team.”
The manager hyung, no, Woojin hyung, who finished the story he wanted to tell, took a deep breath and washed his face dry.
“I wish you were a little more selfish. Buy it because it is a waste of your body, and eat everything that is good for your body to be healthy. I really want you to be like that.”
“I really hate being sick, bro.”
“If you can’t speak.”
“But before, my body really reflexively protruded… haha. I’m sorry, bro. I will take good care of myself in the future.”
Woojin hyung took a deep breath, patted my shoulder, asked if I was thirsty, and pulled out a can of Coke from the vending machine.
He shed some blood, so he gave a strange reason that he needed to replenish sugar and water.
Breathing a sigh of relief in the softened atmosphere, I decided that when I got back to my dorm, I should tell Poing about my condition.
“It is a secret that I bought Coke from others. If found out, I’m really pissed off.”
“Hehe, that’s right! under… . Coke was so delicious.”
Aside from the complicated brain, the cola that Woojin hyung picked was tastier than any cola I had ever eaten.
* * *
At the same time Jihwan was being treated in the emergency room, the five members who were called to the company conference room bit their lips as they recalled the situation that would soon come to them.
“Are you crazy?”
As soon as I entered the conference room, the voice of team leader Sohyun who asked quietly was cold enough to feel unfamiliar.
“sorry… .”
“Min Ha-jun, are you going to manage your members like this? Is the broadcast a joke?”
“no. Wrong.”
Ha-jun bit his lip and bowed his head to beg for a mistake, but So-hyun’s expression did not improve.
“Youngbin Kim, don’t you know who has to take care of the children without Hajun? How many times have I told you? When Ha-jun is away, you say you have to take care of the kids. How good are the eldest hyungs, so that the kids who debuted yesterday behave like their own bedrooms there?”
“Wrong. I will pay more attention.”
“If you’re going to care after an accident, what do you do? I told you not to do that accident.”
The faces of the two people who played a major role in this accident were also getting paler as the harsh words poured out at the eldest brothers.
It was the first broadcast, so I was nervous and went to the broadcasting station.
The broadcasting station staff and Myeong-jun, who is a long-time senior, did better than they thought, so they acted as usual without knowing it, and as a result, this four months happened.
“I was wrong. I’m sorry, boss.”
“I won’t do that again… .”
“Someone told you to tell me.”
I squeezed out the courage I barely had, and begged Sohyun that I was wrong, but only sharper words came back.
“Did your company not set a schedule for you, or did you ask me to go on a show that ruins your image? Do you think it’s funny to see people working overtime and running around trying to get you up and running? Some people come to the showcase, so do you guys think you’re a little bit excited?”
Sohyun thought that Sohyun would come up with more harsh words, so he clenched his teeth and tried to inform the members of the reality.
“You don’t think people will say anything behind the scenes because they just laugh? The scariest thing on this floor is the rumors circulating among the staff. Newcomers who haven’t even been able to stand in a music room yet are babbling on the radio. Who’s going to call you if you hear about this, huh? It’s not just radio, it’s music, entertainment, and anything else. What are you going to do if you can’t go on the air? You guys don’t even sing at local small festivals. Because I don’t even have a clue about recognition or anything.”
Sebin, who has a weak heart, was already shedding tears and her eyes were red and bloodshot.
“Choi Him-chan, Baek Kyung-hwan. If you want to do your own thing and everything is okay, go out. I’m going to tell the CEO and ask him to cancel the contract. Min Ha-jun, Kim Young-bin You too. If you are not confident in taking responsibility for your team members, please tell me.”
“manager!”
Ha-jun, who was biting his lips at the words more relentless than he had been prepared for, screamed at So-hyun, but So-hyun did not show any change in expression.
When Kyunghwan and Himchan realized what kind of consequences their thoughtless actions could bring, they knelt on the spot and began to pray.
“In the future, I will never act arbitrarily. sorry.”
“Please take a look. manager… . I will not harm the team.”
Next to them, all the other members knelt down and begged Sohyun that they had done something wrong.
“I will do better. I will take good care of my children.”
“We will do our best to prevent this from ever happening in the future. Please take a look.”
Of course, Sohyun knew that the company would not be asked to terminate the contract immediately because of this.
I just hoped that these children would realize the consequences of their immature behavior.
If it was going to go well, that might have been the case.
Fortunately, Ji-hwan was not seriously hurt, and the PD said that he was worried about Ji-hwan because he couldn’t check the inside of the booth because he was discussing Kim Woo-bin’s problem.
However, laughing in front and swearing in the back is the same everywhere, especially on this floor, if you smile and insert a knife, it would be more fortunate than that.
“Only Min Ha-joon remains, the rest go to the dorm and wait.”
“Yes… .”
The members, unable to hide their anxious faces, looked at Hajun and Sohyeon with their mouths wide open several times, but in the end they were all led out of the meeting room by the hand of another staff member who came to lead them.
Sohyun, who was looking at Hajun in the quiet meeting room, asked.
“Are you sad?”
“Nope. I should have taken good care of it, right? .”
“Even if I’m sad, I can’t help it. Because you are the leader.”
“Yes.”
“I understand that it is not easy to collect and control the children who have been around for a long time. Still, this is not it.”
“Captain, I’ll do well. Really, just look at it once.”
Ha-jun, who was worried that the names of other members would come out of So-hyun’s mouth, said earnestly in a trembling voice.
“Can you take responsibility? If you can’t control them, tell me. From now on, the company will take care of you.”
“You can do well. Please believe me one more time.”
Seeing Ha-jun talking more seriously than ever before, So-hyun let out a deep sigh.
“This is the last time. Not twice.”
“Yes. I will pay close attention and pay more attention.”
“Hajun-ah, you know that ON Enter is much more free than other places, right?”
“… Yes.”
“Giving freedom means taking responsibility for your actions. An artist has a responsibility as an artist, and a company has a responsibility as a company.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
After the conversation with So-hyun was over, Ha-joon, who was exhausted, sighed at the scene he encountered as soon as he entered the dormitory.
In the middle of the living room, his younger brothers grabbed Youngbin and Jihwan and spilled all their tears and runny nose, begging that they were sorry they made a mistake.
And when Ha-jun entered the dormitory, Himchan ran and hugged Ha-jun and started crying again.
“Hey, tongue… I, hib! sorry.”
I was at a loss for words at the silence of my younger brother who kept repeating the words that he was wrong, unable to speak properly due to hiccups because of how much he was crying.
“… Let’s get real. It should never happen again.”
It took a little longer for all the members to stabilize after that.
“Should I be happy that I don’t have a schedule for tomorrow? .”
“Our youngest didn’t do anything wrong, but he got scolded because of the older brothers for nothing.”
“no… .”
Seeing Sebin with her puffy eyes, her Jihwan looked sadly at her and patted her on the shoulder. Youngbin got up quietly, frozen her ice, and put her spoon in the freezer.
As she heard the story, Kyung-hwan and Him-chan kept apologizing to Young-bin and Se-bin while Ha-joon was away.
Then, she cries that Himchan is sorry, and Kyunghwan cries that he was too immature.
Ha-jun, who looked at the members who were tired or droopy, told the members to rest for a while, and then took Ji-hwan out of the dormitory.
“Ji-hwan, did you feel sad about what hyung said earlier?”
Ji-hwan, not knowing what to say, looked down at Ha-jun and shook his head.
“Your brother was very surprised. I know it was because I was worried. it’s okay.”
“Yes. I was really surprised. But if something like that happens again, I think I will be nagging at you again.”
Ha-jun, who was looking at Ji-hwan with a bitter smile, placed his hand on Ji-hwan’s head, which was a little smaller than himself.
“It’s good to think about the team, but I hope he doesn’t act recklessly. If you’re seriously injured by the end of the day, it’s a team, it’s Nabal, what’s the use of all that?”
“Hahaha… .”
Ha-jun sighed as Ji-hwan rolled his eyes with an awkward smile.
“I’m very grateful that you actively tried to get close to the kids after the accident and that you put the team first in everything, but I hope you don’t sacrifice yourself to do anything.”
“Yes?”
“During the final evaluation and after that, during practice and meetings, you gave up everything to the other kids, and you kept trying to fall behind.”
“Huh… me?”
“Huh. Sometimes when I see you, I seem to forget that you are on the same team. What should I say? supporter? I’m worried because you seem to think of you as that kind of person.”
Ji-hwan, who had unintentionally heard similar stories from both the manager and the leader for a short time, was slightly shocked by the fact that he looked like that.
He wondered if he was thinking the same way himself, just like he did at the time when he had unknowingly removed Himchan from the members of Unravel.
“Let’s all get together and do better in the future. So, I want you to cherish yourself a little more.”
“Yep… .”
* * *
Ha-jun, who patted Ji-hwan’s shoulder as if to appease Ji-hwan’s serious expression, sent him into the dormitory first and found a nearby convenience store.
I won’t be scolded because I got permission from the team leader in advance, so I wanted to feed the younger dongsaengs who had experienced too many things in one day at once.
The eventful day that made all the members think a lot in some way was barely coming to an end.