Chapter 10

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“…Joo Dansol! No!”

The sensation of warm blood trickling down. Limbs twisted in pain.

It was the same discomfort he felt before the regression accident.

Who was this person desperately crying out to him?

He wanted to see the face of the man with the familiar voice, but his eyes wouldn’t open easily.

Barely managing to lift his heavy eyelids, he finally opened his eyes.

“Dansol! Are you conscious?”

“Dansol! Are you okay?”

“Shouldn’t we take him to the hospital?”

The scene before him was the ceiling of his room in Chunmong Pavilion, with Jisoo and others anxiously checking his condition. he couldn’t remember the voice that called his name.

“Ah… Was it a dream…?”

“Why, Dansol? Did you have a dream? Are you okay? Does your head hurt?”

“Uh… I’m fine…”

Feeling the bandage on his nose bridge, he touched his face and noticed a slight swelling beneath the smooth bandage.

“What… happened?”

“You got hit by the ball thrown by Jung Daesoo and fainted with a nosebleed. Don’t you remember playing dodgeball?”

At Minhyuk’s words, Dansol suddenly sat up. The sudden movement made him dizzy, and he staggered, caught by Han Jisoo.

“Are you okay? Don’t get up so quickly! Do you need anything?”

Dansol stood by his bed, surveying the people around her. Everyone except Jung Daesoo was gathered there. This meant…

“Is the shoot delayed because of me? I’m fine, so let’s hurry and…”

“…Ha. What are you talking about, Dansol?”

“Since this happened in the middle of the game… I’m… sorry.”

“Ha.”

As Dansol talked about the shoot with his eyes unfocused, Jisoo quickly grabbed his shoulders, seemingly exasperated.

Sometimes, when looking at newcomers, you could see those who pushed themselves without realizing their bodies were breaking down.

Jisoo hoped Dansol wasn’t one of those cases.

This was a place where you could easily lose your life if you acted without caution.

“Lie down quickly.”

Thinking he was being scolded by Jisoo’s firm demeanor he hadn’t seen before, Dansol sat back on the bed, feeling deflated.

“Lie down properly.”

“Yes…”

Although he lay down, awkwardly sitting back up felt uncomfortable. It would have been different if he were out of it, but lying down in front of his senior felt unnatural.

“Senior, you’re being too harsh on someone who’s sick…”

“Does someone who thinks like that dodge the ball first?”

“That was a reflex…”

Sensing Dansol’s discomfort, Minhyuk tried to intervene, but it only ended up as a feeble excuse.

Realizing arguing any further would lead to a quarrel with Jisoo in front of an injured Dansol, Minhyuk quickly shut his mouth.

Reading the cold atmosphere, Yoon Yeomin led everyone else out of the room.

“He seems fine now, so let’s all leave and let Dansol rest.”

“Yes, rest well.”

“I’ll come to wake you for dinner later!”

“Anyway… it’s mostly my fault for not stopping it. I’m sorry, Dansol.”

Although Jisoo’s eyes seemed to shoot lasers, Minhyuk ignored it and apologized to Dansol before leaving.

Only then did an awkward silence fill the now-quiet room.

Jisoo, who had been standing with his arms crossed, approached Dansol’s bed and sat down.

“Sorry for getting angry. But it’s not a big deal if you miss today. You don’t have to shoot today, so just rest.”

Jisoo’s words were meant to ease Dansol’s worries, but to him, it sounded like he wasn’t needed.

The voice he heard in his dream might have been a figment of his desperate wish.

Would there have been anyone in the world who would be sad if he disappeared or died?

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Dansol’s face crumpled, and tears began to flow.

“Dansol, are you crying…? Are you in pain? Should we go to the hospital?”

Dansol tried to say it wasn’t that, but his words were swallowed by his sobs. Jisoo kept asking if he was hurt, and Dansol shook his head vigorously.

“You’re not in pain? Then why…? Is it because I got angry? I’m sorry, Dansol. Please, don’t cry. Hyung made a mistake, okay?”

Though he hadn’t done anything wrong, Jisoo kept apologizing, making Dansol cry even more while shaking his head.

He didn’t understand why he was acting so childishly.

In fact, Jisoo’s words had no malice. He was injured and had fainted, so resting for the day was the right thing to do.

Before returning, he had gone through so many hardships without shedding a tear. Later, he even thought his heart had become hardened and unfeeling.

Dansol wondered why he had become such a crybaby.

The conclusion was clear: having people like Jisoo who scolded and worried about him made him want to act spoiled and weak.

Only Jisoo, who didn’t understand, seemed flustered.

“Why… What’s so sad…? Are you sad because you can’t shoot because you’re hurt? Don’t worry, I made sure that jerk Jung Daesoo won’t get away with it. Hyung will take care of your airtime. Don’t worry.”

“Sob… I’m… fine…”

“What do you mean fine?”

“Hic.”

Finally managing to stop crying and mutter a word, Dansol’s eyes filled with tears again at Jisoo’s words.

It wasn’t because he was scared or shocked. he was touched by Jisoo’s anger and concern over someone like him.

“…Sorry. Did I scare you? I keep getting angry because our Sol got hurt. I won’t yell anymore. Sorry.”

“…Sniff… It’s… It’s not that. Sniff… Thank you, senior. I’m grateful… Thank you.”

Stammering, Dansol sat up and hugged Jisoo, who was sitting in front of him.

He thought it would be nice to always have a brother who took care of him like this. Dansol felt like he had found such a brother in this harsh world.

Jisoo seemed to understand and not understand his feelings. He, too, had not survived easily in this industry.

Even though he had relatively easily made a living and had almost no period of obscurity, he couldn’t fully grasp Dansol’s feelings.

Moreover, he was trying hard to hide his dark thoughts, but when the small body hugged him tightly, it was hard to bear.

Jisoo buried his nose in Dansol’s neck and took a deep breath. His scent was as sweet as his name.

“But, where is senior Jung Daesoo?”

“Why do you want to know about that guy?”

Just as Jisoo was contemplating whether he should swallow Dansol whole and retire from the annoying celebrity life, he pushed himself away from him and mentioned the name of someone who could cool a thousand-year-old passion.

“I wanted to tell him I’m okay… in case he was worried.”

“It’s fine. That guy needs to suffer a bit. I almost called 112 on him.”

“Oh, come on, senior… 112 for this? I’m really okay now. I’m going to see senior Jung Daesoo!”

“Uh…? Wait a minute…!”

Dansol quickly stood up and dashed out of the room, wary of being caught by Jisoo who kept telling him to stay put.

“Usually, the one who gets hit sleeps soundly while the one who hits doesn’t,” they say.

Though it didn’t seem to apply to those who left hateful comments on his posts, Dansol still wanted to reassure Daesoo, who might be feeling guilty, that he was fine.

Daesoo didn’t have to go far; he was seated on a chair right outside Dansol’s room, his face buried in his hands.

The atmosphere was so grim that it could have been mistaken for the entrance to an intensive care unit.

Hearing the door open and close, he assumed it was Jisoo and asked without looking up, “How is he? Is he okay?”

“Yes, Senior! I’m fine!”

His head shot up at his response, his eyes wide open. It had only been an hour, but Daesoo’s face looked as though he had endured severe torment.

“Oh…”

Dansol, noticing his embarrassment, reassured him once more, “I’m really okay! You must have been shocked… I’m sorry for suddenly rushing out like that.”

In front of the giggling Dansol, Daesoo crumbled, hiding his face in his large hands once again.

Even though the medical staff had assured him it was just a brief fainting spell, he couldn’t be at ease.

There was no excuse for having hurt Dansol due to his own carelessness.

Knowing he had every right to never want to see him again, he couldn’t even bring himself to enter his room, standing vigil at the door instead.

Wondering how he would ever apologize, fearing the worst, Dansol took the initiative to apologize first.

Daesoo felt a surge of emotion welling up inside him, and he knew that if he tried to speak, his voice would sound ridiculous.

“Senior… are you okay?”

Dansol bent down, trying to make eye contact with Daesoo.

When that didn’t work, he lightly tapped his fingers with his small hand and patted his broad, albeit crumpled, back.

In that moment, he couldn’t help but entertain the absurd notion that Dansol might be an angel.

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[Interview]

Q: Mr. Jung Daesoo, are you alright?

Jung Daesoo: Ah… yes, I’m okay… sniff… just, just a moment. Phew… let’s do the interview later. I normally don’t… cry. Ha…

Q: Would you like a moment?

Jung Daesoo: Yes, thank you. Ah, I think I’m okay now.

Q: You must have been very shocked by the accident.

Jung Daesoo: Yes… It happened because of the ball I threw. I was very worried. About Dansol.

Q: Our cameras captured Joo Dansol comforting you. Can you tell us about that moment?

Jung Daesoo: Uh… I was waiting at the door, and Dansol came out. Um… my apologies… I mean, I should have apologized first, but I felt so guilty that I had no words. But then Dansol apologized first. I wondered, ‘Why is he apologizing?’ Then I saw the bruise on his nose. At that moment, I really felt like crying. His face is so small. I hated myself for what my hands did to such a small face.

Q: Did you cry then?

Jung Daesoo: Ha, a little? I felt like crying. I didn’t cry though. But when Dansol patted me, I almost cried.

Q: Dansol, are you okay?

Joo Dansol: Yes! I’m okay! But Senior was crying earlier. I’m really okay… everyone, I’m fine!

Q: Han Jisoo, we know you are close to Daesoo. Is he the emotional type?

Han Jisoo: Yes, Daesoo is a crybaby.

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[RO Match Survival in Island Portal]

Jung Daesoo seemed really flustered today. He talked a lot and his accent was so Korean-American lolol

⤷By the way, his English pronunciation is super sexy… why did Chungmuro (Film industry) guys only make him speak in Busan dialect?

⤷No doubt, I want to hear Jung Daesoo speak long sentences in English.

⤷There’s a video of it at an international awards show (Jung Daesoo Cannes Film Festival Interview.mp4)

⤷Crazy sexy lolol but seriously, he talked a lot today.

⤷Seeing him cry in front of Dansol is so sad ㅠㅠ he must have been so stressed, sitting in front of his room all day ㅠㅠ

⤷Even Jung Daesoo would be scared after injuring an idol’s face. He should be thankful that Joo Dansol’s agency didn’t sue him.

⤷It was an accident during the show and not intentional, why talk about lawsuits? You’re overreacting lol

⤷Does Joo Dansol’s agency even have the power to do that?

⤷True, looking at the video again, it seems like Joo Dansol intentionally leaned in. Maybe he wanted to gain fame by getting hit by Daesoo?

⤷You’re crossing the line by framing the victim as the perpetrator. Are you saying it’s okay to hit someone if they’re not famous?

⤷Everyone, calm down ㅠㅠ The person involved said they’re fine, why are we fighting?

(Angel Joo Dansol comforting Jung Daesoo gif.mp4)

⤷This is crazy… it’s like a hamster comforting a tiger.

⤷I was getting angry reading the comments, but now I feel better.

⤷A hamster lololol isn’t that one bite-sized?

⤷Nope, I ship Daesoo and Dansol~~

⤷No way, Daesoo and Jisoo are the perfect love-hate relationship.

⤷Daesoo and Jisoo are just pure hate, aren’t they? lol

⤷(Jisoo confirming Daesoo is a crybaby.mp4)

⤷I felt sad for Daesoo, but now I’m laughing lololol

⤷He said he didn’t cry but Dansol worrying about him is the highlight lololol

⤷True, I saw that too. He’s harmless but so frustrating lol

⤷Daesoo will probably cry again when he watches the broadcast lol

⤷I hope there’s a reaction video after the show ends ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Please…

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