Chapter 398 |
Side Story (15)
I stared at the rough cut the in-house content team had sent me on the monitor and let out a deep sigh.
‘Is it really right to air this as it is?’
My gaze, which had been fixed elsewhere because I felt uneasy, turned back to the screen. The inside of the examination room was shown. Jo Inchan was thrashing violently on the bed, and people were rushing in from all sides to restrain him.
[“We need help at Bed 3!”] [“Hold his arms tight. Two people on each side!”] [“We’re increasing the dosage now.”]
[<The resistance is so strong that the examination is difficult even with several people restraining him>]
From the moment Jo Inchan entered the examination room, his pulse had been excessively fast, which made things difficult. He was probably extremely nervous. Even so, I had thought that once he fell asleep, the examination itself would proceed smoothly, but things didn’t go that easily.
When more medication was administered, Jo Inchan finally stopped moving, and only then could the examination proceed without difficulty. According to the doctor, the amount of anesthesia required was far beyond what an average person would need.
“……”
Objectively speaking, there wasn’t anything that would become a serious issue.
It was perfectly normal for the body to react adversely when a device was inserted into the throat. Among other celebrities whose examination processes had been filmed, similar situations had already occurred several times.
‘Normally, they’d just air the whole thing.’
But maybe because I knew what Jo Inchan had been through, watching him struggle like that left a bad taste in my mouth. Besides, wouldn’t Jo Inchan himself want to avoid facing his most vulnerable side?
For that reason, from before any editing even began, I intended to remove Jo Inchan’s examination scene entirely. From the production team’s perspective, it probably wouldn’t seem like a reasonable decision, but I planned to tell them to delete it without question or argument.
But Jo Inchan had different opinion.
He reassured me, saying he was fine and that it could go on air.
“I was surprised too. They said I struggled really badly. But from what I heard, it happens sometimes. It might not even be related to what I went through before.”
But you had an endoscopy before and were completely fine. I barely swallowed the words that almost slipped out. Even so, as if he’d guessed what I was about to say, he hurriedly smiled and added,
“It’s fine. I have no memory of what happened anyway. Actually, if I’d done it without sedation, I might’ve had to experience all that struggling fully conscious. I’m glad I did it under anesthesia.”
It seemed he felt sorry that I was treating him like fragile glass that could shatter at any moment. Maybe he also didn’t want me to feel guilty, since I was the one who had recommended the sedated endoscopy.
‘If he’s pretending to be okay on purpose because he’s afraid I’ll be worried…….’
“Other celebrities didn’t really make a big deal out of it, so if I’m the only one acting sensitive, it’ll look like I have something to hide. Besides, the other members all had at least a bit of their examinations shown. It would be strange if I’m the only one missing.”
Theories about shock therapy, which forces someone to confront trauma head-on, conflicted in my mind with the notion that blindly sugar-coating one’s pain as ‘fine‘ is merely a form of avoidance and doesn’t address the root of the problem. Even the footage of Jo Inchan I had watched kept resurfacing in my thoughts.
Every choice comes with consequences, and each time, people gain something and lose something. No one can perfectly predict how things will turn out, so it was only natural that you couldn’t always make the right choice.
People probably think I have such outstanding leadership that I handle everything decisively without much contemplation. But throughout my long career, there hasn’t been a single moment where I made a decision lightly or easily, especially when it involved the members.
‘Damn it, what am I supposed to do?’
“Nothing’s going to happen. The person who used to torment me is already gone from this world.” “Even if my weakness is exposed now, no one can threaten me anymore. I’m just an unlucky person who happened to have a bad reaction to sedation. So, it’s fine.”
I simply wanted to make the best possible choice for them, always.
Even if, in this situation, there was no such thing as a ‘right answer‘ that cost nothing.
As I agonized over it for days, Seo Yuseong, who had been watching me, left me with just a short comment.
“Even if it goes wrong, it’s something Inchan-hyung has to choose and bear himself.”
It might have looked cold-hearted at first glance, but in fact, that might be the right call.
I’m not rational when it comes to the people within my fence.
‘I think I still need to think about this a little more.’
As I tried to clear my tangled thoughts while recalling Seo Yuseong’s advice, a rattling sound of wheels came from the speaker, and a bed approached from a distance. Then, I heard the deep voice of a man calling my name over and over.
[“Seo Yutaeeee.”]
It was Nam Yihwon.
Since he’d been shouting my name, like some drunkard on Subway Line 11, ever since the bed came into view, I wondered if he’d been acting like that the entire time from the end of the examination to the recovery room. Judging by how things were going, that ominous guess was probably correct. Rather than worrying about me swearing while under anesthesia, I should’ve just taped Nam Yihwon’s mouth shut.
[“Is there any tape around here…….”]
As I muttered to myself and looked around, a nurse from the examination room who happened to be passing by peeked over and asked,
[“What do you need it for?”]
[“I’m thinking of shutting his mouth. If possible, tie his hands and feet too.”]
[<!!!!!>]
[“Ahahaha.”]
The nurse must have thought my hesitant answer was a joke, because they let out a giggle, said I was hilarious, and went off to check somewhere else. But I was actually being dead serious.
[“Call my members, please. I’ve listed our members as my guardians, every one of them. Seo Yutaeeeee.”] [“Stop calling me, you rascal.”] [“Oh, it’s Seo Yutae.”]
[<Nam Yihwon trying to stage a mutiny2 while he’s under anesthesia>]
‘Where did his manners go, dropping the ‘hyung’ and just shouting my name like that?’
If it weren’t for the anesthesia, he’d be dead.
[“Where’s Jo Inchan?”]
I kept pushing the guy, who was trying to slither out of the bed like a melted cat, back onto it. I felt like someone trying to support the rear end of a cat that’s about to slide off the edge of a bed.
[“Stay still.”]
‘Is this bastard actually fully awake from the anesthesia?’
Honestly, since he’s practically drunk every day, I couldn’t tell much difference. That slurred tongue, those half-lidded eyes, the limp limbs, and that stubborn-as-hell behavior—all of it was familiar.
[“He’s a coward, so I have to look after him.”] [“He got out earlier than you. He’s right here beside you.”] [“Why earlier than me? So annoying.”] [“Oho, you can’t get up! It’s dangerous!”] [“I need to check if Jo Inchan’s okay.”] [“I just told you, Jo Inchan is right here beside you. If you try to get up one more time, you’re dead.”]
Since he kept putting the staff in a tough spot by trying to crawl out of bed, I finally said something lovingly. He seemed to feel an instinctive fear, replied obediently, “Yes”, and finally laid his neck down on the pillow quietly. That guy seriously never listens when I’m being nice.
He stared blankly at the ceiling for about five seconds, then asked again.
[“But where’s Jo Inchan?”] [“Ha…….”]
The last one to arrive was Lee Chise.
From the moment he moved to the bed, his eyes were wide and alert, and as soon as we made eye contact, he spoke with crystal-clear pronunciation.
[“That ended faster than I expected.”]
[<Fainted 1, Drunk 1, Normal 1 (???)>] [<Why is this person so fine?>]
Lee Chise was a real mystery to me.
We’d been together for years, and yet that guy still found way to amaze me every time I looked at him.
‘Is it even normal to be that fine after a sedated endoscopy?’
[“Someone who’s going to eat samgyeopsal3 and drink soju today. Me.”] [“Yihwon-ah, please be quiet. It’s embarrassing. Your friend is sleeping quietly over there, what’s wrong with you?”] [“Me embarrassing?”] [“Yes.”]
Every single one of the other members is still out of it and loopy, so I have no idea how that guy can just spring out of bed without even muttering a single word of nonsense.
[“It could be dangerous, so you need to stay lying down.”] [“I’m fully awake now.”] [“…Still, just in case, don’t get up.”] [“Really? Fine. How many more minutes do I have to lie here?”] [“Five more minutes.”] [“Then let me use my phone. I have some messages I need to check regarding our schedule.”]
Unlike Nam Yihwon, who wouldn’t listen to a damn word even when told not to get up, Lee Chise immediately complied and followed the medical staff’s instructions. Just by that, it was clear who was sane.
‘Come to think of it, during the company dinner, he was the only one to stay conscious until the end and helped me take care of the other members. Despite drinking the most.’
He was terrifying in many ways.
After finishing the endoscopy, we went through a few more minor check-ups before sitting down with the doctor to hear the results.
The doctor broke the ice by joking that the beds were too small because the members were all so tall. After a few clicks of the mouse, he pulled up an endoscopy image on the monitor that looked pristine, with not a single spot of inflammation in sight.
[“It looks like you’re taking great care of your diet. You eat regularly and avoid spicy or irritating foods, right? Your stomach and intestines are completely clean, no inflammation at all.”]
Hearing this, I couldn’t bring myself to confidently respond yes in good conscience, so I ended up stammering out the truth.
[“…I eat irregularly.”]
[<Confession>]
My main diet consists of things like American-style hot dogs, sandwiches, hamburgers, and pizza.
I eat them often because they’re quick to grab while working or on the move and don’t smell much, so there’s no pressure eating them at work, but honestly the main reason is that they’re just really delicious.
‘Choi Jeokhyeon says I’m eating garbage, but what would a young master like him know?’
Ha, no, wait.
Even Camilla goes crazy for Go-N-Out burgers, so ‘young master‘ or ‘young lady‘ titles don’t mean a thing in this matter. It’s just that Choi Jeokhyeon is unusually picky.
How on earth is a person supposed to eat three perfectly timed meals a day consisting only of flavorless food, balanced in carbs, protein, and fat, and with plenty of vegetables? That’s something only someone like Choi Jeokhyeon could manage.
Our young master, after all, is under the care of professionals 24/7.
‘I bet he doesn’t even realize what he’s eating is organic vegetables. That guy doesn’t know the first thing about cooking.’
Do people even have any idea how Choi Jeokhyeon holds a kitchen knife? I swear, that guy would slit someone’s throat before he ever managed to chop an ingredient.
[“R-Really? That’s strange.”]
Anyway, the doctor’s eyebrows arched like seagulls at my unexpected answer, and a caption reading ‘FLUSTERED’ popped up over his head. The doctor, looking a bit awkward, cleared his throat and came up with a suitable excuse.
[“Maybe it’s because you don’t drink at all? Or perhaps you’re just inherently healthy ……. ha, ha.”]
As soon as alcohol was mentioned, I gave Nam Yihwon a smug look that said, See?, and he hunched his back and looked away. He can try to avoid it all he wants, but it doesn’t change reality.
“Based on your questionnaire, it seems you’re a pretty heavy smoker, but your results are actually very good considering that. Usually, if someone has even a bit of asthma, it shows right away, and I tell them they absolutely have to quit, but there’s nothing like that here. There are no major issues with your other organs either.”
Ha.
Hahahaha!
This feels like a total slap in the face.
I really hope Choi Jeokhyeon sees these results.
Though, knowing him, he probably already does.
‘That’s a bit of a bummer, though.’
[“For now, you just need to be a little careful about your low blood pressure. Actually, your readings for body fat, muscle mass, and bone density came out excellent, so by all measures, you’re very healthy. Looking at your questionnaire, your lifestyle is quite poor, so getting results like this is almost unbelievable. You’re blessed with a strong body.”]
Well, the most important thing is that I’m healthy, right?
I hope Choi Jeokhyeon eases up his radar a bit after this content.
[“Still, smoking is completely harmful. You might get away with it while you’re young, but if you want to live a long, healthy life, you should quit.”] [“Yes…….”]
Actually, never mind. He probably won’t.
If this part doesn’t make it on the broadcast, I’d be genuinely happy, but it seemed unlikely.
‘I still had the psych evaluation to get through, but I already wanted to bolt at that point.’
Feeling completely drained, I waited for the next member’s results, and then I heard something I hadn’t expected.
[“Next is Cha Woon-ssi. You’ll need to listen carefully to this one, because there were a few issues with his results.”]
Huh?
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Translator’s Corner:
- Seoul Subway Line 1 is notorious for being older and often having loud, disruptive, or drunk passengers. ↩︎
- The word used here is 극상, literally means “those below overcoming those above“. In this context, it refers to a younger member acting rudely or speaking informally toward the older members. ↩︎
- grilled pork belly. ↩︎
Almost got a heart attack because my laptop kept showing glitching BIOS window when I turned it on today, but since I ended up still accessing windows succesfully, let’s hope it will continue this way.
A new reader sent a very long kind comment and I spent another 15 minutes crying because of that (I’m too INFJ for this) … it’s kinda amazing how this story pulls in so many readers with a talent in writing heartwarming comments …. you guys are too kind
Hmm, kpop updates these days … ALD1 (Boys2Planet debut group) debuted a week ago and while their company promoted them nicely, I think the music part is still lacking … their debut song doesn’t sound bad, it’s decent actually, just … ? I think WakeOne just either has skill issues or just doesn’t want to spare efforts in looking for better songs since fans will buy albums no matter what anyway (no offense to zb1 fans, but i think their seniors also suffered from the same problem asdfghjkl i always listened to zb1 new songs everytime they have a comeback, but honestly none of them sticks ……. even though i really love the OST that Gunwook and Matthew did for Study Group). KiiiKiii going to make a comeback soon, and the songs sound promising. Oh, does anyone here tune in for EXO upcoming comeback?
OH, and just like everyone else, I found LNSHOT songs really nice. But maybe that’s also because I always love khh genre. But they seriously have the best vocal tones among rookies these days (dare I say the best in 5th gen)