A Failed Idol’s Rise to Bottom

Sugyeom grabbed a door handle and took a deep breath. Now there was only one person left.

After resolving the misunderstanding with Yuchan, he had heard from him that Igyeom was in the practice room. To get here he had to briskly walk in brutal minus 17 Celsius weather.

In any case, he had already resolved the misunderstanding with Hansol and Yuchan, so he thought he would be used to it by now. However, the misunderstanding was so embarrassing that he felt just as embarrassed as if it was the first time explaining it.

After a long sigh, he slowly opened the door.

"Cha Igyeom, are you sleeping?"

Sugyeom approach Igyeom who was lying on his back in the middle of the practice room.

Igyeom didn't answer and had his eyes tightly shut, so he quietly squatted down beside him. Because Sugyeom was wearing a thick long padded jacket, he appeared to have become a big ball-like shape that would roll at the slightest touch.

"Hey, sleep at the accommodation. Don't sleep here. It's freezing."

Igyeom was still unresponsive.

In addition to the unheated floor, when he saw Igyeom only wearing training pants and a thin T-shirt, Sugyeom became worried.

He could even feel a chill when he took out his hands that were hidden in the ribbed cuffs of his jacket and touched the floor. The thought of someone lying in such a cold place made his forehead wrinkled.

"Your back…"

Let alone the cold, he was naturally worried about Igyeom's back when he saw him sleeping on the hard, bare floor without a cushion.

As someone who made a living with their body, he was alert to such things.

He clicked his tongue inwardly and thought he should cover Igyeom with his padded jacket.

Just as he was fidgeting his fingers trying to find his jacket's zipper, there came a voice.

"Why are you here?"

"Euaah, oh my gosh!"

Surprised by Igyeom's sudden voice, Sugyeom had almost fallen back. He was slow to move because he was wearing a thick padded jacket and his center of gravity was unstable from him squatting.

After flailing his arms and barely keeping his balance, he stared at Igyeom with resentment.

"I almost fell down because of you!"

"Why because of me? You're round like a snowman."

"What? A snowman? Round? What are you talking about? And you, you weren't sleeping, so why didn't you answer?"

"Do I have to answer when you call me?"

Sugyeom's eyes narrowed at Igyeom's blunt answer. People didn't have to answer unconditionally when they were called, but at least they should show a reaction.

Listening and not responding at all was ultimately the same as ignoring.

"It's not like that, but you can't just outright ignore people, right?"

"I just did, why?"

"Wow, Cha Igyeom is so childish."

"Oh, you didn't know? I'm normally very childish."

Sugyeom was speechless at the unexpected childish answer. However, knowing roughly why Igyeom was being so childish with a twisted sense, instead of becoming angry with him, he shook his head.

"What I said during breakfast, it's a misunderstanding."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't?"

"Well, I really don't know. Oh, you mean that? The fact that you and Taewon-hyung went crazy biting and sucking? I don't care at all, so be on your way."

Igyeom seemed determined to outright misunderstand. His attitude was so childish that it left Sugyeom speechless, unable to even laugh.

However, it had to be corrected. He especially couldn't stay still since he had heard the words ‘biting and sucking.'

"Biting and sucking? What are you talking about?"

"Why, it wasn't just biting and sucking? Yes of course, after biting and sucking you stick it in…"

"Hey jeez!"

Pa–!

Startled by Igyeom's words, Sugyeom cursed and hit Igyeom's forehead that was revealed through his split bangs from lying down.

"Ar-are you crazy?"

Igyeom looked at Sugyeom in disbelief as he held where he was hit on the forehead.

It would be a lie if Sugyeom said he wasn't intimidated by Igyeom's presence. However, he soon resolved himself. He thought Igyeom deserved to be hit.

"What do you mean stick it in?!"

Pa–!

"Damn it, what…Ah! You hit me again?"

A loud sound rang out again. Igyeom's forehead, which was hit by two smashes in a row, became red.

Likewise, Sugyeom's face had turned ripe as a tomato after hearing such explicit words.

"Are you crazy?! Stick what in?! It's a misunderstanding!"

"What misunderstanding…"

"I'm going to hit you again if you open your mouth before I'm done talking, jeez. Be quiet and listen."

Sugyeom warned Igyeom by firmly cutting off his words.

Fortunately, perhaps because the consecutive hits to the forehead had worked, but Igyeom kept his mouth closed even though he showed a dissatisfied expression.

"Taewon-hyung teased me about my swollen cheek yesterday, so I tried to get even by biting him. It doesn't mean what you think it means at all. No, what the hell is inside your head for you to come to such a conclusion?"

"…Really?"

Igyeom, who was silent as if he was lost in thought for a while, asked. Sugyeom, feeling relieved that he might be able to get through to him, continued.

"Really. Did you think I would bite and mingle with the same member in the accommodation where everyone is? Does that make sense?"

"…Does it make sense to bite someone's neck as a joke? What else was I supposed to think when someone got a kiss mark on the back of their neck?"

"Th-that's…Anyway! It's not what you think it is! The more I think about it, the more unfair it is! Why do I have to go around and explain this? Everyone's head is full of only lewd demons."

"Who made it like that?"

"Ha? Now I'm the one who made your head full of lewd demons?"

"…"

Igyeom became silent. Dumbfounded, Sugyeom raised his hand again towards Igyeom's forehead.

Unfortunately, Igyeom had grabbed his hand this time, so his plan to throw a smash had gone up in smoke.

"Stop hitting me. How many times are you going to hit me?"

"But I've only hit you two times? Even with this, it would only be three."

"Hitting an idol's face twice is already a lot."

"Hmm, it's fine since it's not even a promotion period."

Sugyeom snorted.

The group wasn't in a period where cameras followed them all the time, so it wouldn't be a big deal if Igyeom got hit a few times on the forehead. And if Sugyeom had to be frank, he was the visual member of the team.

"Anyway, can you let me go now?"

Sugyeom signaled at his hand, which was still being held. Igyeom alternately looked at Sugyeom's face and hand, then soon slowly released his grip.

As a result, Sugyeom, who had regained freedom of his hand, quickly slapped Igyeom on the forehead without missing the gap.

"Ah! Song Sugyeom!"

"Awesome, that completes the trifecta."

Igyeom was speechless as he Looked at Sugyeom giggling contentedly. However, he soon laughed in vain.

"Fine, okay. Agh, you and I…"

"What do you mean?"

"Anyway, forget it."

"Damn, anyway this anyway that. Enough of that! Hurry and get up! You'll really catch a cold like this."

"Actually, I was about to get up."

Igyeom quickly rose to his feet. As Sugyeom watched Igyeom get back up in one quick motion, he soon called out to him.

"Cha Igyeom."

"What now?"

"We've got a problem."

"What problem?"

Looking at Igyeom whose forehead had narrowed, Sugyeom opened his mouth with a tearful expression.

"I have a cramp in my legs. Help me."

"Song Sugyeom, you're a handful."

"Aren't I fresh instead of a handful?"

"…Ha, where the hell did you get that?"

Igyeom sighed dispiritedly as he rubbed Sugyeom's legs.

"Ayaya ayaya~"

Sugyeom whined as he let Igyeom rub his legs.

"I got it somewhere. I'm fresh instead of a handful."

"I don't know where you got it, but don't say that in front of the camera."

"If I do, the fans will like it because it's cute."

Although he wasn't certain, despite the lame pun, their fans would probably find it cute even if it was unfunny.

"I'm certain our fans will be pleased to know you're high maintenance."

"Wouldn't they like me more if they knew?"

"…Where the hell did you get that confidence from?"

It was confidence from the memories of his previous life.