Chapter 394 |
Side Story (11)
“Ugh, I almost ended up being late because of the manager.”
Park Sohyun, 29, a 2nd-gen Sera who has attended every single Prism concert and never misses any content Prism appears in, sat down in front of her computer while gulping down a freshly poured beer without pause.
“It’s finally Wednesday. Getting through this week was seriously exhausting…….”
Today was the day a new episode of Prism’s in-house content, PRISM on the way, was uploaded.
Every Wednesday, she made it her mission to leave work right on the dot, eat something delicious, and find joy in watching handsome men together with her fellow Seras online.
But of all days, today her boss, who didn’t want to go home to his wife, stubbornly held onto his subordinates, and she almost had to watch it on her phone in the subway.
‘I absolutely refused to let that happen, so I fought my way through the after-work commute dungeon like a bandit, running all the way home.’
Watching our Prism oppas on something as crude as a phone screen was simply unforgivable.
‘I don’t want to turn into a crazy woman on the subway.‘
And the most decisive problem was that she had no confidence she could stop herself from grinning creepily while watching the Prism members get along so sweetly. Besides, if it were just smiling, that would have been fine. Not long ago, she actually started sobbing as she watched the Prism members simply do a gopchang1 mukbang.
“My goodness, why are you crying?” “……” “What are you even watching! …What is this? They’re just eating gopchang. I thought something was wrong with you! You’re not even watching a sad movie, what kind of kid cries over a mukbang?!”
Her mother, who had been on her way to the bathroom, was shocked out of her wits.
Imagine how startled she must have been, thinking the daughter she’d worked so hard to raise had completely lost her mind.
“The fact that Prism’s everyday life is peaceful today too, that they are all still together, that Prism loves Seras so much … it all just makes me tear up…….” “This girl has been a sucker for handsome men since she was little, and now she’s really lost it. Good grief, seriously.”
“…Mom, are you a T?” “Mom’s a C. Aish, you brat!”
‘Mom’s middle-aged jokes are the worst ……. so cute, though…….“
Seeing them simply eating well and living well felt so dreamlike that it brought tears to her eyes.
Prism actually making a comeback as a full group … it was something she’d only ever dared to dream about. Rumble.
“Are you crying because you want to eat gopchang? You should just say that.” “…Yeah.”
On top of that, the gopchang looked so delicious that she was drooling too. Five holes on her face, and three of them were damp. Was her goal for this year to become a juicy woman?
Having set out the veggie gopchang she’d been obsessed with ever since that day, she hurriedly clicked on the livestreamed video. On the screen appeared the Prism members, each styled in their own casual outfits.
‘My skylarks are beautiful today as well.’
Two-meter-tall skylarks.
‘Handsome faces, tall, rich, and they even dress well. How did God grant them such talents?’
Prism was a group already famous for their casual fashion. There was hardly any field in which Prism wasn’t well known, but from a fan’s perspective, nothing was more delightful or more gratifying than this.
‘If their casual fashion sense were a disaster, the commute photos and airport photos would be depressing.’
These days, with the atmosphere demanding perfection from idols, she’d heard that quite a few even had stylists coordinating their outfits for airport appearances, but she didn’t like that. Carefully picking apart and understanding each of her boys’ personal tastes was another one of her joys.
For example, as everyone knows, Seo Yutae usually wears dark-colored clothes. Perhaps because he knows well that his body proportions are attractive, he often wore inners with a clearly defined fit. He also tended to style himself fashionably by matching them with outerwear in a tasteful way.
‘He’s so tall that even long-length clothes look great on him. Shoes are almost always dress shoes? He doesn’t really wear sneakers. I think he’s been like that since his student days…….’
When she once asked at a fan signing why he so often wore only neutral-colored clothes, he replied that limiting the color palette saved time when choosing outfits. Separately from that, she’d also heard Nam Yihwon jokingly shout from the side that his basic taste just leaned toward dark vibes, calling him a ‘child of darkness‘, but she chose to ignore that part.
If she reacted to that comment, there was no guaranteeing what kind of situation Nam Yihwon might end up in after the fan signing was over.
‘Come to think of it, I never asked why he mainly wears dress shoes. What a shame.’
And Cha Woon, like Seo Yutae, mostly wore neutral-toned clothing, but he seemed to prefer slightly more formal styles, the kind commonly called a boyfriend look. He also tended to unconsciously choose oversized fits. Compared to the other members, his weight fluctuated quite a bit whenever schedules got tough, so it seemed like he was trying to hide that. It was probably because he was mindful of Sera worrying about him.
‘Even if he hides it with clothes, Seras can tell anyway.’
Lee Chise was the only member who frequently wore vivid, eye-catching primary colors, standing out among Prism, where most members favored low-saturation, dark-toned outfits.
[Lee Chise stole all of Prism’s colors.jpg]
[Who forgot to tell Lee Chise the dress code?]
└ no no, Lee Chise just wears whatever he wants, he doesn’t conform to others
Perhaps because he’s immersed in the hip-hop scene, he blends hip styles into something more mainstream and wears them in a way that suits him perfectly. Compared to the other members, he’s also far better at making use of fashion accessories.
Just think about it.
‘Well, it’s not like Yutae-oppa or Cha Woon-oppa would ever put on jangly necklaces or hats with their own hands.’
Nam Yihwon gave off a very bad boy vibe in the way he dressed. Even when he wore basic items, they always seemed just slightly off from a standard fit. Even in a shirt, the very symbol of neatness, he somehow gave off a delinquent aura. She wondered if it was because he always left so many buttons undone and wandered around freely, but then she quickly shook the thought away
‘No, that’s not it. It’s the attitude.’
No matter how he dressed or what color his hair was, none of that really mattered. What was truly important came from his … attitude. There was a time when Nam Yihwon dyed his hair jet black for a role, and back then he looked even more dangerous than Seo Yutae that she was honestly a little intimidated just sitting across from him at the fan-sign.
‘Yutae-oppa looks like he wouldn’t give me the time of day, but if you talk to Yihwon-oppa, it feels like you might end up owing him money.’
Jo Inchan often wore oversized clothes as a fashion choice rather than to hide his body shape. He seemed to have a knack for pulling off soft textures like sweaters and angora knits. Even though he’s really sensitive to the heat, he insists on wearing long pants all through the summer. On some days, she could faintly make out the bulky shape of knee guards under his pants, which made her heart ache.
Seo Yuseong … has absolutely no interest in clothes, so he just grabs whatever’s in front of him and heads out. Occasionally, some truly questionable choices get stopped by another member or the manager before he even makes it out the door. According to their stylist who was interviewed on another channel, he’ll wear anything you give him without complaint, which makes him the easiest member to work with.
‘Today it’s just a plain hoodie and jeans.’
Just as she was thinking about Seo Yuseong, who sometimes popping out of the van still in his pajamas, Seo Yutae, standing at the very end, called out the name of their in-house reality show toward the camera. The Prism members stretched their hands forward and responded in unison.
Today it’s just a plain hoodie and jeans.
As she was thinking about Seo Yuseong sometimes popping out of the van still in his pajamas, Seo Yutae, standing at the very end, called out the name of their in-house show toward the camera. The Prism members stretched their hands forward and responded in unison.
[“…PRISM.”] [“On the way!”] [“On the way!”]
‘Yutae’s been the leader for years now, but he’s still so shy whenever he has to take the lead on variety shows.’
The Sera girl rested her chin on her hand, letting out a small grin as she watched the extremely stiff Seo Yutae on screen. Most people would argue that, with those sharp eyes like he was at a press conference and lips pressed tight like an angry man, how could anyone possibly describe him as shy?
She closed her eyes and tilted her head up toward the ceiling, as if pitying such unfortunate, unenlightened souls.
‘But I can see right through it.‘
Did you know?
Seo Yutae’s cheeks are soft and squishy.
‘It was really great when he came down from the stage during the concert and let me touch his face…….’
Just as she had imagined, his body temperature was a little lower than the other members’. And the texture … she didn’t know if it was because he didn’t move his facial muscles much, or because, as a celebrity, he received professional skincare, but it was incredibly soft.
Honestly, up until then, because Seo Yutae’s image was what it was, she’d unconsciously thought of him as something almost superhuman. But the moment she placed her hand on his face, it felt like she was finally recognizing the great Seo Yutae as a real, tangible presence.
“Haaahhh……”
The Sera girl buried her nose into the bouquet, breathing it in as if trying to fill her lungs with the scent, deeply savoring the memory of that day. Meanwhile, the Prism members finished their small talk for the opening and began introducing the main content.
[“Now, our Prism does something together every year, almost like an annual event. Can you guess what it is?”]
[“What is it?”]
[“W-w-we r-re-ally d-don’t k-know. We ab-so-lute-ly d-did-n’t r-read t-the s-script.”]
[“…It’s a health checkup. For Prism to stay with Sera for a long time, taking care of our health is essential. Also, since Sera seems to worry a lot about our health, we wanted to reassure you with good results. Did everyone prepare properly? Since we even have to do endoscopies, there must have been quite a few things you had to watch out for.”]
[“Yoo Jay said he didn’t get much sleep because of an early morning shoot.”]
[“That can’t be helped. They said there was absolutely no way to move the schedule. I’ve asked them before to avoid schedules that run too late, but it still happens a few times a week. It’s not like everything would suddenly be fine just because I’m getting a checkup.”]
[“But he got some sleep while the manager was driving, so maybe he’ll be alright?”]
[“Have some conscience. Humans are supposed to sleep eight hours a day. What are you expecting after sleeping just two?”]
Seo Yutae spoke in a gruff voice, as if scolding Jay for not getting proper sleep. But despite his grumpy tone, he kept checking Jay’s complexion, clearly worried about his condition. Jay seemed to know that too, and awkwardly tugged the corners of his mouth upward, trying not to look tired.
[“I’ll be fine! I work out a lot.”]
Seo Yutae quietly watched Yoo Jay’s face as he desperately tried to rationalize things, then spoke calmly.
[“If you keep pushing yourself like that, you’ll end up with proteinuria3.”]
[“Could you not say something that realistically terrifying?”]
At that, Yoo Jay turned a bit pale and shook his head frantically.
But Seo Yutae replied with a strangely worn expression, as if he wasn’t joking at all.
[“I’m serious. Even if there’s nothing wrong with your kidneys, it can show up when you’re exhausted. No matter how hard you work out, if you don’t sleep, it all means nothing.”]
[“How do you even know that, hyung?”]
[“……”]
[“This hyung is just ignoring me?”]
[“Prism members, please change into your hospital gowns and come out.”]
After hurriedly delivering that line, Seo Yutae ushered the members into the changing room that had been set aside so filming wouldn’t disturb other patients. Then, as he unfolded his own hospital gown to change as well, he suddenly froze stiff.
“…Huh?”
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Translator’s Corner:
- Gopchang (곱창) is a dish in Korean cuisine. It can refer to either the small intestines of cattle, the large intestines of pigs, or a gui made of the small intestines. The latter is also called gopchang-gui. The tube-shaped offal is chewy with rich elastic fibers. ↩︎
- 씨 (Ssi) sounds exactly like the letter C. When the mom says “I am a C” it sounds exactly like “Aish” (에이 씨!), which is a mild swear ↩︎
- Proteinuria is the presence of excess protein in your urine, a sign that your kidneys’ filters (glomeruli) aren’t working properly and are letting protein leak from the blood into the urine, often indicating kidney damage or other conditions like diabetes, hypertension, or infections, though sometimes temporary due to fever or dehydration. ↩︎
It’s late, but merry christmas everyone!