Free Web Novel“Mid-thirties?”
Koo Jahan checked the age range again. I nodded. Since both Koo Jahan and Woo Yoonjae had already passed through their mid-thirties and were now approaching their late thirties, they seemed like appropriate people to ask for advice.
I was fairly confident when it came to choosing gifts for older adults in their forties and above, or for teenage girls. But a “gift that could satisfy someone in their thirties,” a demographic I had neither personally experienced nor interacted with closely enough to exchange gifts with, felt strangely difficult.
“It’s not like Iwol would go around causing trouble for people...... Are you going to apologize on someone else’s behalf? Tell them to do it themselves. What’s so hard about saying sorry?”
Koo Jahan fired the words off rapidly. He sounded genuinely worried that I might end up apologizing for somebody else’s mess. I appreciated the concern, though it was unnecessary.
“No, I really was the one who caused trouble. I need to apologize properly.”
“You?”
Woo Yoonjae looked genuinely startled.
Yes. I’d caused a disaster of catastrophic proportions. Enough that I ought to bow my head until it wore away.
“How’d that happen?”
Koo Jahan asked while pouring himself another drink. Neither Woo Yoonjae nor I even had time to grab the bottle from him.
“A senior helped me a lot. I also ended up staying at another senior’s place for a while.”
“But if that’s all, doesn’t it seem unnecessary to go overboard?”
Koo Jahan and Woo Yoonjae recommended various housewarming-style gifts in a reasonable price range. They both insisted there was no reason to spend hundreds of thousands of won just because I had stayed over for a single day.
In the end, I had no choice but to summarize the situation as briefly as possible. I told them that this was someone important who had kept me from going astray during a particularly unstable period.
The moment I explained that I had been emotionally falling apart and had basically been deposited at a senior’s house like checked luggage despite barely knowing him, Koo Jahan quietly took my glass away.
“Are you okay now?”
“I rested for a while and recovered. That’s why I figured drinking a little—”
“No more alcohol.”
Koo Jahan firmly shoved my glass to the far end of the table. A moment later, Woo Yoonjae picked it up and carried it straight to the sink.
“Was it an idol senior? Not someone from the same company, right? You said Spark is the only idol group at UA.”
“Right. Which is why I need to apologize even more sincerely.”
“That does make sense......”
Koo Jahan and Woo Yoonjae immediately resumed selecting gifts. They even set a budget and launched into a heated discussion. Since their tastes and interests were complete opposites, an absurdly wide variety of suggestions started appearing.
“There aren’t many people who dislike expensive liquor.”
“And there are also people in this world who don’t drink at all.”
“What about small appliances?”
“You’re not even that close. How would you know what kind of appliances they need? If it overlaps with something they already have, or they don’t need it, returning or exchanging it just becomes a hassle.”
While the two of them argued noisily, I quietly ate pie by myself. I got thirsty halfway through and even fetched myself a cup of water from the purifier.
In the middle of the debate, Woo Yoonjae suddenly looked at me for a long moment. When our eyes met, he spoke.
“Setting age and circumstances aside, why not give the gift you genuinely think that person would like most?”
“What I think they’d like?”
“I understand wanting to give a proper gift when you feel like you caused trouble. But sincerity matters most in the end.”
As he spoke, Woo Yoonjae placed another slice of pie onto my plate.
“If you chose it while genuinely thinking about the person receiving it, don’t you think they’d understand how you feel?”
“......”
“The gift you gave me made me happy.” freewebnovёl.ƈom
That short sentence left me with a lot to think about. Just as Woo Yoonjae had said, while worrying over gifts for Polo and Yur, I had never once stopped to consider what the two of them actually liked. Normally, checking the recipient’s preferences would have been the very first thing I did.
“Thank you...... for the advice.”
For some reason, I suddenly felt embarrassed and asked if I could at least have one more drink. Without a word, Woo Yoonjae filled my cup to the brim with water.
“This kind of thing shouldn’t happen again, but if you ever end up wandering around with nowhere to go, come to our place. Either here or mine. Then you won’t have to panic over where to stay.”
Koo Jahan scolded me lightly. Woo Yoonjae also told me I’d always be welcome if it was me.
The two seniors kindly gave their bed to the youngest among us and slept on the sofa and the living room floor themselves. The middle-aged men, thoroughly drunk, seemed to have exhausted all their remaining strength just clearing away the empty bottles. The moment their heads hit the cushions, they passed out.
Feeling guilty for having done nothing but eat and drink at their expense, I cleaned everything up myself.
After finishing, I lay down on the bed and put on one of Hellas’s livestreams. In the darkness, the glow of my phone screen shone softly like dim lighting. The members’ Q&A drifted through the room in calm, ASMR-like murmurs.
Not long afterward, I immediately arranged to meet Yur again. I invited Polo too. One of them had watched over me, and the other had quite literally saved my life. It was only proper that I treat them with the utmost respect.
So I reserved the nicest restaurant I knew. It was the same course-meal place the company president used whenever he spouted nonsense about discussing the future of Isa Rang and Hanpyeong together. The fact that I was personally making a reservation there with my own money felt surreal.
I sat there nervously bouncing my leg until the two seniors arrived at the exact same time. Apparently they had run into each other at the entrance and come in together.
The instant I saw them, I shot to my feet and bowed ninety degrees.
“I’m truly sorry for the trouble I caused before......!”
“Oh, come on! Raise your head!”
Polo hurriedly grabbed my shoulders. I apologized so desperately I was practically sobbing despite not actually crying, and it took nearly ten minutes before I finally calmed down enough to sit.
“Did you get home safely that day?”
Yur asked gently.
I nodded hard enough that my head nearly fell off.
“I’m sorry I only sent a text and contacted you so late afterward. I should’ve reached out sooner......”
“Iwol, forget that for now and try some porridge. The pumpkin porridge smells amazing.”
Polo interrupted me and pushed the appetizer toward me. I cautiously took a spoonful. It felt warm and thick in my mouth, but I couldn’t taste anything at all.
While the food was being served, we only exchanged light conversation. Updates about recent events, comments about the menu, ordinary things like that. Hearing them say the food tasted good became the only small comfort in my uneasy state of mind.
The one who finally broke through the dangerously thin ice was Yur.
“You look much healthier now.”
The moment he said it, it felt as though freezing water burst upward through the crack in the ice. The cold sensation from that day returned instantly, numbing my fingertips. I truly hadn’t been in my right mind back then.
“It’s thanks to both of you.”
“Oh, please. You’re the one who went through a hard time.”
Yur answered calmly. Polo simply listened in silence.
“I’ve been...... going to the hospital properly.”
“......”
“The company’s also been looking after me a lot, and we decided I should take a short break from activities......”
Explaining the measures being taken felt like an obligation. If you caused trouble for others, you were supposed to promise it would never happen again. I chose my words carefully, hoping my intentions would be properly understood.
“I’m trying to...... get myself back in order properly. I’ll make sure something like this never happens again.”
At my words, Polo smiled. It wasn’t exactly a relieved smile.
“You really don’t need to feel so burdened. All I did was give you a ride once.”
“If it hadn’t been for you—”
“All I think is that I’m glad I happened to pass by there at that exact time.”
“......”
“I don’t see it as helping someone or anything like that. The timing just worked out well for both of us. You know what I mean, right?”
Polo slid another plate toward me, telling me I needed to eat properly to regain my strength.
“Your members probably feel the same way.”
“What?”
“They probably want to be a source of strength for you too. I’m saying this because you don’t seem like the type who relies on others easily.”
“......”
“The Spark members all know about your situation, don’t they?”
I understood what he meant, but realistically speaking, it wasn’t easy. I had lived ten years longer than those kids. Just being emotional support for me already meant they had done more than enough.
“Our members are still young. The youngest ones only just became adults. I don’t want to burden them with excessively dark things.”
Outwardly, maybe there wasn’t much difference between us. But I couldn’t afford to forget the age gap myself.
“I don’t think you necessarily have to tell them dark things.”
Yur smiled softly.
“I just think it’s good to share your general mental state with them. That way, they’ll worry less too.”
Not burdening them with worries, but easing their worries instead?
I couldn’t really understand it.
Then suddenly, something came back to me.
‘Don’t say you hid it because you were worried about us.’
Kang Giyeon’s words, telling me not to hide things just because I thought I was being considerate.
‘If you’re hurting, say so.’
Back then, I had answered that I understood. And honestly, I had kept that promise fairly well. But apparently, both the System and Yur still thought there was another wall I needed to overcome.
So I was supposed to reveal even more than I already had when those bastards got me drunk and interrogated me?
I didn’t want to.
If things reached that point, I really would be crossing a line.
And yet......
I also had no way of ignoring Jeong Seongbin’s arms wrapping around me when I came home, or the way Park Juu’s eyes had trembled. Nor could I ignore the sound of Kang Giyeon opening my door every night just to check on me, or Lee Cheonghyeon poking my side and teasing me casually.
“I’ll try.”
“Good. Don’t pressure yourself too much.”
After that, they insisted we only talk about pleasant things. We chatted about “Muin Hyugedo” and Bright. When they jokingly asked whether I had any intention of becoming a producer at another agency once my contract with UA ended, I broke into a cold sweat and begged them not to say such terrifying things.
Before we parted ways, I gave them the gifts I had prepared. Both of them stubbornly refused at first, but when I explained how carefully I had chosen them, they accepted with warm smiles.
“Iwol.”
Yur rolled down the passenger-side window after getting into the car and called out to me.
“Live happily. Happily. I know that probably sounds impossible when life keeps throwing hard things at you, but still.”
“......”
“That’s the only way people can keep living.”
Yur started the engine with a smile. Just then, Polo returned after insisting on paying the bill himself and sending us outside first.
The moment he saw me, Polo pulled me into a fierce hug.
“Let’s meet again next time.” freēwēbnovel.com
“......”
“And stay healthy. Got it?”
Then he smacked my back twice, hard enough that it stung.
“You’re driving?”
“It’s my car, so obviously I’m driving.”
“Yes!”
Polo climbed enthusiastically into the passenger seat.
“Should we head back too?”
Manager Daeyeon, who had come to pick me up and had quietly waited for the farewell to finish, approached me and spoke.
The ride back felt strangely light.
