Free Web Novel“...Me?”
“Yeah! I came running because I was worried about you. I thought something might happen to you.”
It’s true, but Galbi didn’t want to admit it for some reason. Whenever Roi said things like this, something bad always happened.
“No? You’re imagining things. I just happened to see you as I was passing by.”
“It’s okay, you don’t have to be embarrassed. Actually, I know you like me too.”
“What are you talking about, you’re crazy.”
Feeling strangely gross, Galbi’s expression crumpled.
“So what do you want? What are you trying to say?”
“Will you... go with me?”
“Huh? Go with you to—”
“Really?! Thank you, friend! I knew you’d say yes if it was you.”
Roi had trailed off mid-sentence, so Galbi only asked for clarification, but in an instant, he’d become the one who agreed to Roi’s request. Roi hugged him fiercely to keep him from changing his mind.
“By the way, I have two invitations, so don’t worry about getting in.”
Roi tapped Galbi on the shoulder confidently. Galbi, however, couldn’t follow the conversation, his face a mask of disbelief.
“Wait. Get in? Where?”
“Church.”
“Church?”
“You said you’d go with me. That’s the Galbi I know—no loyalty, no corpse~”
Roi gave a thumbs-up, praising Galbi. But moments later, Galbi realized Roi’s intention and started freaking out.
“Are you insane!? Have you been listening to anything I said until now? If you want to die, go ahead by yourself!”
“Whyyy~ You said you’d go with me. I won’t do anything, okay? You just have to grab one thing and come out.”
Roi wasn’t content with sneaking in—he was going to steal something too. What a shameless guy! Galbi, insisting he hated the idea, shoved Roi away and tried to leave as if there was nothing more to hear. That colt of a guy. Galbi even regretted coming this far for someone like him.
“Pah! I’ve never gotten anything good out of being involved with you.”
Determined never to let Roi steal his break again, Galbi turned and walked away. But Roi was far more persistent than Galbi had expected. The moment Galbi turned his back, Roi grabbed at his pant leg and clung on.
“Waaaah~”
“You crazy bastard...! Let go! I said let go! Ah, my pants are coming off!”
“Come with me~ I need you, got it? Just once. Just go in and grab one thing. Okay?”
“Go with your precious hyungs!”
“If I go with my hyungs, they’ll notice how handsome they are!”
So his face is ugly and that’s okay? Galbi’s mood sank further.
“Get lost!”
“Just once. Okay? Waaah~”
Ugh! Shit, my eyes! Caught off guard by Roi’s cute attack, Galbi wanted to gouge out his own eyes. As they struggled back and forth, Galbi felt a chilling sensation at his waist.
‘This time he’ll really strip me.’
Of all places, they were wrestling in front of a subway exit. Lost in battle with Roi, Galbi hadn’t noticed the glances fixed on them. Reluctantly, he had to answer.
“Alright, alright! Fine!”
“Really? You’ll go with me?”
“Yeah, fine, now let me go.”
Roi won again today. The two of them promised to meet next Sunday and parted ways.
✧
And today was the long-awaited Saturday. Episode 2 of was being released. The three who had vowed to watch together gathered again at Taeeon’s house. Of course Hojin couldn’t be left out.
“Hojin, you’re staying over too, right?” freewebnoveℓ.com
“If you allow it, I’d love to... Is that okay?”
“Of course—stay the night. I’ll drop you off in front of your place before we head to the set tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
Hojin bowed shyly with a smile. Yeonwoo, who had long since acclimated perfectly to Taeeon’s home, clicked his tongue at the sight.
“Tch. You came because of Iroi, didn’t you? Do you like his place that much?”
“Yes.”
“Wow~ Ham, did you hear that? He answered in just a second.”
Yeonwoo flared his nostrils, teasing Hojin like a mischievous club junior. Seeing that, Roi shoved three cheese balls into Yeonwoo’s mouth to shut him up.
“Hey, hey. Cut the chatter and get to work, will you?”
“Mmph!”
Back in the day, Yeonwoo used to fuss over Hojin, but now it felt like the roles had reversed. I’m the only one in this team causing trouble; I don’t need help from anyone else. Yeonwoo kept threatening my spot, making me feel like I’m growing up against my will. Whether he knew it or not, Yeonwoo spat the cheese ball into his palm, then shouted:
“You! You think it’s sweet revenge to tease your master now?”
“What did you say? Tease whom?”
“Master!”
What the hell is that disgusting word? Roi stared in disbelief, and Yeonwoo twisted his lips into a crooked smile and taunted him.
“Yo. Didn’t you see the internet buzzing? People call you a cat, you know?”
“A cat?”
“Yeah. ‘Cat’ means you’re the master’s pet, you see.”
“You wanna die? I’m the master here!”
“What are you talking about? Have you ever seen a cat raising a human?”
“In cat-human relationships, the cat’s in charge, don’t you know? The human’s the butler.”
“Really? So that makes me the butler?”
“Of course. From now on, serve me as your master.”
With that prim reply, Yeonwoo snorted.
“Huh. If I succeed at this, I’ll acknowledge you as my master too.”
And suddenly, the cat authentication test began. Before Roi knew it, he was completely drawn into Yeonwoo’s game.
“What is it?”
“I heard cats have quick reflexes.”
“Obviously.”
“Then try dodging this!”
Slap! Before Yeonwoo even finished speaking, he flicked Roi’s forehead. But Roi—intermittent S-rank—didn’t even blink at the surprise attack and tumbled backward. Thud!
“...!”
A chilling silence fell. Hojin, witnessing the brawl, was so shocked he froze.
“Gah. Are you okay...? No, you should’ve dodged—”
As startled Yeonwoo reached out to help Roi up,
“Yaaagh!”
“Aaah!”
Roi, exploding in anger, grabbed Yeonwoo by the hair. A fierce tug-of-war ensued: one trying to rip free, the other trying to stop it. They rolled across the floor, tumbling over each other. Taeeon, returning from the kitchen with sandwiches, froze at the sight of them cleaning the living-room floor with their bodies.
“...”
His expression said he was debating whether to step over them and pass by. Then he quietly warned:
“One... two... three. If you’re not up by then, I’ll just step on you.”
But the two, busy squabbling, didn’t hear Taeeon’s voice.
“I clearly said it.”
With no one listening, Taeeon, talking to himself, placed his foot down without hesitation. Press— and he stepped on someone’s shin.
“Kyaaah!”
At that moment, Yeonwoo screamed as he curled up like a shrimp. Taeeon spared him—his lifesaver—from the stomp, making Yeonwoo the example.
“...!”
Roi, suddenly alarmed, eyed Yeonwoo clutching his leg and Taeeon walking past him in turn.
‘He... he stepped on me?’
That would never have happened with the old Taeeon. He may have gotten angry, but he cared deeply for his younger brothers. Yet now...
“I told you. If you don’t get up, I’ll step on you.”
Instead of apologizing, he was threatening them. He could stomp again if they kept fighting. When Taeeon’s eyes met his, Roi involuntarily shrank back. The Wilderness members always felt a bit turned-off, somehow.
“Okay, I won’t fight!”
Roi sprang to his feet and grabbed Yeonwoo’s ankle, dragging him toward the bathroom.
“Yaaah! You really wanna get in trouble?! ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) From a sky-like hyung!”
“I’m just saving you from another stomp, you old fuddy-duddy!”
Three seconds after promising to stop fighting, Roi was at it again. Realizing his mistake, he looked up to see Taeeon glaring and warning:
“One more fight and I’ll make both of you sleep outside. Just so you know.”
“...!”
Sleeping outdoors in this heat. How can he phrase telling us to die so politely? As Taeeon’s threat prompted a dramatic reconciliation, the two acted as if they’d never fought, linking shoulders in a showy display. At that moment, Hojin pointed at the TV and said:
“Oh? It’s started.”
The long-awaited Episode 2 of had begun.
✧
First broadcast ratings: 11%. Launching into double digits and the talk of the town, Episode 2 of opened with Yeonwoo’s handsome visage.
“Krr~ Damn, you’re killer! Whose kid are you! Ahahaha!”
Seeing his face fill the screen, Yeonwoo praised himself. Roi, watching, dryly chimed in:
“Must be nice to be that good-looking.”
Knowing he was handsome was obnoxious, but Roi had to admit it. As Shooting Star’s visual, Yeonwoo survived the brutal close-up unscathed. No sooner had Roi conceded than opposing opinions came from both sides.
“I think Roi’s cuter...”
“You’re handsome too.”
Hojin and Taeeon said. Embarrassed, Roi’s face turned bright red and he muttered as if he hadn’t heard.
“What did they say....”
Meanwhile, on screen, Yeonwoo began to sprint to the other side. Roi, wanting to divert the attention on himself, nitpicked:
“I was so worried when I thought you didn’t understand the rules back then.”
“Useless move. I had it all planned.”
After a brief spat, the judges’ evaluations followed. They noted his rare element aptitude, his ability to condense the tricky Light element into a tangible object, and his stable shooting skills. However, they pointed out that his skill implementation was unstable and seemed one-off, areas he needed to improve.
[Guildmaster Daehan: Even so, your potential is undeniable. I’ll give you a B grade.]
Hojin, surprised to learn Yeonwoo’s rating for the first time, applauded.
“You got a B? Wow... that’s amazing.”
“Oh, this is nothing.”
The evaluations of other contestants continued. Thanks to the tense editing and thrilling soundtrack, there was never a moment to look away. But there was one person who couldn’t focus: Hojin. Apart from Yeonwoo’s early segment, he stared at his phone the entire time.
‘Does he have something urgent?’
He’d been dragged to Taeeon’s to watch together, presumably forced. He thought Hojin would fit right in, but maybe he’d overestimated him. Yet Hojin had insisted on staying over—so it didn’t seem forced after all... Roi angled a sly glance at Hojin’s phone.
‘What on earth are you looking at?’
The screen showed a familiar UI. The social network service no idol could not know: InHeart.
‘Come to think of it, he said he had an account that only posts cat photos.’
But something was off. First, Hojin had eighty thousand followers—unbelievable—and his feed was filled entirely with pictures of Roi.
“...Hyung?”
Can you explain this?
