WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

[ Translation - Aren ]

I'm a Reporter, Please let me get off the Stage

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Chapter 15

“Oh, what’s this?”

2 am.

I managed to get Tae Oh back to the dorm safely.

I opened Tae Oh’s door wide and pointed at the cross hanging on the wall.

“It’s hanging really crooked.”

The cross was made of smooth wood and was about the size of a person’s face.

However, I was curious about why it was hung crookedly, as if someone had hit it from the side.

Moreover, there was a small bloodstain on the corner below the cross……

I couldn’t think about anything but horror movies.

Honestly, when I first saw this, I thought Tae Oh might have been in some cult (sorry).

“That wasn’t here when I left.”

Tae Oh looked puzzled.

“I’ll look into this more. You just unpack your things first.”

“Why? Leaving? Where to?”

“No, that’s not it.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say that I was worried he might bolt after thinking something like ‘As I thought, this group is hopeless.’

“So, what do we do now?”

Tae Oh still sounded concerned, though a bit less than before.

“Well, for now……”

“……What do you feel like doing?”

I abruptly…… knelt in front of Tae Oh.

“Let’s pray.”

“What? What did you say?”

“I’m thinking of converting to Christianity.”

“Aren’t you Buddhist?”

“After thinking about it more, I feel like the Christian belief seems more believable.”

“……Weird person.”

“I think the Christian belief suits me much better than Buddhism. I’m not really able to be merciful to others though, so I need to repent a bit.”

“……Are you okay, Hyung? Did you meet a ghost?”

“Hey, you’re someone who believes in God, so why are you talking about ghosts and stuff……?”

Tae Oh slowly slid off the bed and knelt down next to me.

“Hyung, how did you know I was at the airport?”

“……I figured you might miss your mom?”

“Wow.”

Tae Oh narrowed his eyes.

Sorry, that was a lie……

After finishing the prayer, I stood up.

“I have to go to the airport again tomorrow, anyway.”

“Why?”

“……To get the guy who actually went to see his mother.”

Lord, Buddha, how much did I need to pray for any of you to help me?

* * *

A certain day in December at 8 am.

It felt like there was sand rolling around in my eyes.

They felt scratchy and dry.

Probably because I didn’t sleep well.

However the sky was clear and blue as if it was completely unaware of my suffering.

Maybe I should sleep a bit more until my eyes didn’t hurt anymore.

……But since when have I been here already?

“Wake up.”

Huh?

“Yuyoung-hyung, wake up.”

“……Haah.”

It had been three days since I came to Gong Haram’s house, and since I started having nightmares of being forced to re-enlist.

* * *

The day I brought Tae Oh back home, I immediately messaged Gong Haram to update him on the situation.

Surprisingly, Haram unexpectedly called me.

It was evening right now, so it took him half a day.

―Hello?

“Haram, it’s me.”

―Hyung! Are you okay?

His voice sounded urgent. It looked like he had been quite worried.

Not a bad start, right?

―I heard the news. I should have contacted you first, but… I thought you might still feel a bit overwhelmed. Sorry.

“It’s fine, no big deal. By the way, where are you?”

―I’m at my house in Jeju. I told you I was going there the day before yesterday. Did you forget?

Yeah, I’ve forgotten so much that I felt like I was going to burst.

“Ah, yeah, I just forgot for a moment. So, when can you come back? Tomorrow?”

―Ah, Hyung, about that……

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line.

―I’m not planning to come back.

“What?”

―I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I was just staying because of the contract. I thought I’d wrap things up when the contract ended, but things ended a bit earlier, so……

“Wrap what up?”

Wrap up my life?

―My life in Seoul.

“Haram, let’s meet and talk first.”

―Hyung, you must have a lot to deal with over there. It’s fine. I also agree with what you said, that we should just quit everything……

[You Eloquence is decreasing! You are being persuaded by the other party!]

―I saw Sanho’s broadcast. I’m glad you recovered well after going through all that… I should come around at least once to see you.

“Wait, when?”

―Maybe around March? I’m a bit busy right now.

March?

……If he came around then, he might as well come wearing a black suit.

And there might not be any soup left at the funeral when he arrives either.

“No. We have to keep going.”

―I can’t. I’ve already talked it over with my parents. You know, my parents…… they need me now. They’re getting older.

[Your Eloquence is decreasing! A special potion is needed!]

Special potion?

―Hyung, you know my situation. I haven’t been paid properly for years.

“But still…… you can’t just end things like this without even seeing us, Haram”

Whatever. Let’s just try to appeal to his emotions.

After a brief silence.

―……You’re the one who wanted to end things without seeing any of us, not me.

……Right.

This definitely was a type of hell where I couldn’t eat anything but left over food.

Ahn Yuyoung punished me by making me live his life.

Sure, I’ll accept your damn punishment

―I’ll hang up then.

Thanks to that call, I realized that WEEKANIZ had been in such a bad financial state that we couldn’t even live properly.

“This is driving me mad:”

Wasn’t the saying ‘If you want to catch a tiger, you have to go into its den’ a bit outdated?

Why couldn’t we just negotiate with the tiger over a video call or something?

“Jeju Island? Sigh……”

I muttered as I flopped onto the bed.

“Weekend flight tickets are surprisingly expensive……”

Of course, I was quickly looking for tickets.

And so, without a single weapon, I was about to enter the tiger’s den bare handed.

* * *

“Hyung, are you okay? Does your back hurt? Should I get you a chair?”

“No…… Ah, actually, please get a chair.”

Up until now, it hadn’t taken more than a day to bring home one of my “Dragon Balls”.

The crucial reason I was able to bring those three together in just a day was their desire to continue being idols.

Even if they were considered failed idols, they still aimed for a career.

They had nothing left if they weren’t idols.

Even though they spoke harshly, they still returned to the dorm, because they felt regret and hopelessness.

However, such regrets and hopelessness……

“……Do you live like this every day?”

“Pretty much.”

…required both mental and physical breaks to get over them.

I was in a neighborhood near Seogwipo City on Jeju Island, where not a single person was in sight.

The air was clear, and the sky was blue.

“If you’re tired, you can rest.”

“No, it’s fine……”

Gong Haram looked at me sympathetically and handed me a small stool.

I plopped down on it.

And while I was sweating profusely……

I was picking tangerines.

* * *

Gong Haram was very happy when he saw me for the first time in a while when I arrived in his neighborhood.

He hugged me and patted my back, a look of deep affection on his face.

I felt a bit overwhelmed by that, but when I thought about it, his reaction was actually quite normal.

The people I had met so far seemed to have 0 empathy for me, so I felt a bit confused.

However……

I should have been more suspicious of that overly affectionate look in his eyes.

Gong Haram led me to an empty room.

“Get some sleep.”

“Already? It's only 11 pm.”

I wanted to wrap up our conversation quickly and take him back as soon as possible.

I grabbed Gong Haram’s arm as he was about to leave the room.

“……Hyung, are you ready for tomorrow?”

“For what?”

“You’ve been to my house before. You haven’t forgotten that we wake up at 6 am, right?”

“……”

Gong Haram’s face seemed oddly sad, maybe that was just my imagination.

As I later found out after hiding under the blankets to do some research, Gong Haram’s parents were former career military officers.

They had retired a few years ago and moved to Jeju Island, where they set up a tangerine farm and were enjoying a peaceful retirement life.

And Gong Haram……

It seemed like he was trying to start a second life here.

Whether it was voluntary or his father’s decision, I wasn’t sure.

The first morning.

As Gong Haram had warned me, it got pretty noisy outside at 6 am.

All the family members’ eyes snapped open.

When we went to the breakfast table, I could see his mother with a short haircut and his father with a rather sporty hairstyle sitting at this four-seat table.

Gong Haram was stiffly sitting there, waiting for me to sit in the empty chair.

After finishing our meal, his father led us to the farm.

“Hyung is willing to help with the farm work as well.”

When did I ever say that?

And what was with that formal military tone?

Was he my superior officer or something? Was that it?

I looked at Gong Haram with wide eyes.

However he just shook his head and looked at me as if he wanted to say ‘Don’t you dare say what you’re thinking’.

“The group is currently on an ‘hiatus’ right now…… so he came to visit and help out.”

“Ah…… Hello.”

When I spoke to Gong Haram last time, I told him that I would cling to Gong Haram’s part time boss to let him leave.

But now, it was clear that…… I was really lucky that I didn’t get my own pants wet.

His father said just a single sentence to my awkward greetings.

“If you’re just going to complain, don’t do it.”

“Yes, sir.”

* * *

……And that was why I had been doing this work I never thought I would be doing.

For three days.

‘I-I’m going to die……!’

The store conveniently offered me many stamina potions.

[<A Large Bowl Can Hold More Food> : Increase total stamina by 10! - 30 Points]

Unfortunately I only had 30 points left, so I had no other choice but to tough it out.

Since I never knew when or where I might need stamina, I couldn’t afford to waste my ‘cash’ on this tangerine farm like this.

There was a reason Gong Haram had looked at me with such an affectionate expression as soon as he saw me.

That was a clear…… SOS.

“My dad always says that. He said the same thing when I told him I wanted to be an idol: ‘If you're just going to complain, don’t do it’.”

“He’s not wrong……”

“Do you want a snack?”

“It feels like we just had lunch. It’s only been an hour.”

“If you don’t eat, you can’t work.”

It might have been because of his background, but Gong Haram’s wide, innocent eyes seemed even more earnest.

He casually brushed aside his long bangs wet with sweat and handed me some juice.

Freshly squeezed juice sure was delicious……

“Are you really going to live here?”

“It’s like I said on the phone. We didn’t even get paid well… and my dad also wasn’t too thrilled about me being an idol anyway.”

He looked sad. It seemed like he actually still had some regrets left.

“But the group needs you.”

“No, I’m just a random member to fill in the ranks……”

[Name : Gong Haram (Haram)

Age : 24

Affiliation: WEEKANIZ

Position: Main Vocal

Stamina : 50/110

Appearance : B

Vocal : S

Dance : B

Notoriety : 70

Notoriety Keywords: Disappearance, Disbandment]

……How could he think that he wasn’t a vital member?

His vocal skills were S-rank! That wasn’t something one could just achieve with some effort.

It was such a waste to let such a valuable talent be swayed by his parents. I couldn’t just stand by and watch this happen.

“What about your thoughts, not your father’s? You don’t really think I came here just to work on this tangerine farm, do you?”

“Hyung, you keep eating those tangerines all the time though.”

Well, they are delicious……

“Come to think of it, when you came to my house before, you ate five tangerines with every meal and gained 2 kg in a week. I remember that well, hahaha.”

I laughed along with him a bit awkwardly, but then hardened my expression.

“Let’s go back and release another album.”

“……I appreciate the offer, but…”

Gong Haram hesitated for some time, a troubled look on his face, before he spoke up again.

“……How do we convince my dad?”

“…….”

How would I know how to convince your dad……?

Convincing the members was one thing, but now I even had to persuade one of their parents as well?

This felt like asking for their blessing to get married……

While I was lost in thought, Gong Haram skillfully navigated through the trees.

I didn’t want to get lost, so I followed him.

As we entered the edge of the village, I stepped on something.

It was a strange flyer printed in a mixture of fluorescent yellow and green.

“What’s this?””

“Ah, probably some village event or something. Sometimes we do these kinds of things together with the neighboring villages. That’s how it is in the countryside.”

Gong Haram picked up the flyer without thinking much.

I looked over his shoulder at that peculiar looking piece of paper.

“……Wait. Haram.”

“Huh?”

“How about this?”

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