Chapter 29

Exhausted from crying, they returned to Chunmong Pavilion after sunset, only to find a strangely chaotic atmosphere. The outside of the gate was crowded with cars of managers and staff waiting for their celebrities.

The managers usually waited outside Chunmong Pavilion or stayed in the staff dorms far from Chunmong Pavilion if they were on the island, but the sight that greeted Yiyeon and Dansol was unfamiliar and confusing.

A junior assistant director approached them.

“Um… the production team had a meeting, and it seems like continuing the shoot is unreasonable. We’ve decided to take a week off. All the senior members agreed, but…”

He hesitated, then handed something over. It was a personal mobile phone collected by PD Choi at the beginning of the broadcast.

“If you disagree, there is a way to refuse, but…”

Seeing this, Yiyeon retorted as if he was dumbfounded.

“You’re asking for opinions, but it’s essentially a notification, isn’t it? The very fact that they’re relaying this through a junior staff member is disrespectful.”

Dansol was used to such things, so it didn’t bother him, but Yiyeon was different.

“Where is PD Choi? I want to talk to him.”

“Uh… She just went up to Seoul.”

“What? She left the island, delayed all the schedules, and just left because of a fight with Han Jisoo? I didn’t think PD Choi lacked that much professional awareness.”

“No… it’s not like that… There was an issue at the broadcast station… The director called her up urgently… I’m really sorry.”

“Hah, with the main PD gone, are we supposed to just quit?”

The junior staff waved his hand at the angry Yiyeon.

“PD Choi said he would take care of everything if given a week. Please think of it as a vacation…”

“How presumptuous.”

Yiyeon brushed his hair back irritably. Dansol looked around. His manager’s old van, usually parked among the waiting vehicles, was not there.

It was probably inevitable.

Unlike the other managers who were always on standby for emergencies, Gil-seong, who was in charge of DinoSoul and a three-member girl group simultaneously, couldn’t stay on the island.

Even combining the schedules of all the members wouldn’t be as busy as the one on this island, but it wasn’t easy to drive the company’s only van back and forth.

Moreover, it was uncertain when he would arrive, given his poor sense of direction.

“I need to contact my manager, but he might not be able to come right away. Can I wait in the dorm until tomorrow morning?”

“Oh, yes, of course… um… Dansol, PD Choi apologizes for what happened earlier.”

“Apologies should be made in person. Get in, I’ll take you.”

It was Daesoo, apparently having heard the news, who was coming out of the dorm. But Dansol firmly declined.

“I don’t want any misunderstandings. I’ll wait a little longer, so please go in first, senior.”

Dansol’s footsteps towards the house seemed exhausted. Daesoo watched his back for a long time before getting into his van and leaving the island.

Jisoo, with a high fever, was the first to leave the island, followed by Du-hyun.

After Daesoo, Minhyuk, Taeoh, and Yiyeon took turns asking Dansol to accompany them, but he sent them all away and lay down on his bed without moving.

How much time had passed, the once noisy Chunmong Pavilion became eerily quiet.

There was no sound except for the frogs croaking from the open window.

“Is it ending like this…”

For some unknown reason, PD Choi had never left the island in a rush like this.

So much had gone off track compared to the pre-regression period when Dansol was bullied.

For the program to end like this might be the scenario Dansol had most wished for. But the thought of not being able to come back in a week made tears well up in his eyes.

“This is strange… What’s so great about those people who ignored me, bullied me, and… made me want to die? I feel regretful.”

He curled up, feeling an overwhelming sense of loneliness. When he closed his eyes, memories of his time on the island flashed by like a panorama. After a while, he fell into a light sleep, only to be awakened by a familiar voice in the yard. It was Gilsung.

“Dansol! Joo Dansol! Damn… This is scary… Where could he have gone…?”

Dansol, lifting his weary body, grabbed the pre-packed suitcase and headed out to the yard.

Gilsung, shining his phone’s flashlight as he crossed the yard, greeted him.

Despite his large build, his frightened demeanor was amusing.

“Why are you here so early, hyung? You could’ve come tomorrow…”

Dansol had expected Gilsung to arrive the next morning. he had thought he could stay here until then, feeling oddly disappointed.

But unaware of his feelings, Gilsung spoke excitedly.

“Hey, we hired another manager! After your first broadcast, everyone’s schedules have been filling up. The president even lent us a car to pick you up!”

When they went out to the gate, there it was, the foreign car the president always boasted about.

The president, who had bought this used car with over 100,000 km on it, would always polish it every morning. What made him lend it out now?

Dansol, who had tried to stay hidden during the broadcast, was puzzled.

“What kind of good response did we get?”

“What are you talking about? You did great! You sneaky fox! Come on, get in the car so we can have a party at home! Everyone’s waiting for you!”

Pulled by Gilsung’s hand, Dansol got into the car, still not understanding the situation.

“Who said I did something great…?”

“After your a introductory performance and dance! You don’t even realize? It went viral, and I almost fainted. Because of you, we made it into the top 100. Want to see? Today, we’re at 89!”

“What… what is this…”

Gilsung scrolled through the music charts to show that “Follow Me” by DinoSoul was at 89.

“If you click more, ‘Change Love’ is at 120! Isn’t it amazing?”

“My dance was aired?”

While the clueless Gilsung was excited, Dansol was pulling his hair out.

“Yes! I’m telling you! See, when you work hard even behind the scenes, everyone notices! When you appeared, it was like an energy drink commercial!”

“Ah… seriously…”

“You… seem moved. It turned out well, didn’t it? You’re destined for success. The schedule was flooding in, and it was a shame to turn it all down. But now you have a break.”

“What?! What do you mean, the schedule is flooding in? We only have two schedules!”

“What are you talking about! There are photoshoots, CFs, dramas. Everyone is looking for you these days. They want to catch you before you blow up. Look at this.”

Gilsung wasn’t lying. His phone was filled with contacts from magazine reporters, drama producers, and variety show PDs.

Dansol’s mind went blank. He thought he’d end up with no presence.

‘It’s over…’

***

“Ah… my head.”

Jisoo finally came to his senses in his penthouse bed past midnight. It seemed a doctor had come by; an IV drip was hooked to his sore hand.

“Are you awake?”

“Ah… why am I here…”

“You almost died with a high fever. It was over 40 degrees. What did you do there? I almost grabbed PD Choi by the collar.”

“Where’s Dansol?”

“What? What drink?”

“Ugh… the broadcast. How am I here during the shoot?!”

Jisoo pulled out the IV tubes from his arm and used a few tissues from the bedside table to stop the bleeding before getting up.

“Anyone would think you really care about the broadcast…”

“Stop with the nonsense and explain what happened.”

“Ah! There’s nothing much to explain. Remember that idol from the last season? Charles or something? He sued PD Choi and caused a scandal. It’s chaos.”

“What? So what happens now?”

“PD Choi said he’d wrap it up within a week, but who knows… It might get canceled, so take care of your health. You might get a new gig.”

The manager, nagging about why he stuck with a doomed program, was chased out by Jisoo. he searched his phone, realizing he didn’t even know Dansol’s number.

Imagining Dansol’s hurt eyes, he paced around before calling Daesoo.

“Hello.”

“It’s me.”

“I know.”

Jisoo pressed around his eyes, still hot with fever, at Daesoo’s cold tone.

“Just tell me one thing.”

“What?”

“Give me Dansol’s number.”

“I’m hanging up.”

“Wait! Hold on! Really? You’re doing this to a sick person?”

“I don’t know it. Even if I did, I wouldn’t give it to you.”

“Hey! I’m trying to apologize!”

Before Jisoo could finish, the call was cut off. Was there ever a moment he cursed his own narrow-minded and discriminative nature?

Ding.

Just as he was holding his spinning head, a message came in.

Crybaby Daesoo: No manager there. He’ll be on the island until morning. Apologize in person.

As soon as he saw the message, Jisoo grabbed his coat without hesitation. Whether it was the medication or his Alpha’s unique recovery, his sweat-dried body felt rather refreshed.

It was a chance to see Dansol without cameras or interference. On his way to Chunmong Island, Jisoo’s heart pounded.

He couldn’t tell if it was fear or excitement, but knowing Dansol was at the end of the road made his speed up.

If someone slaps your cheek, you take the hit. If they tell you to kneel, you kneel.

Even if they insult you for pretending to be an Omega and spit at you, you have to be ready to take it.

However, when Jisoo arrived at Choonmonggak, it was an empty house.

There was no trace of Dansol anywhere, neither in the room they shared nor in the living room. It looked like he had packed up and left so thoroughly, it was as if he had never been there in the first place. Jisoo sat on the empty sofa and rubbed his face with his hands.