NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30
“…What? So when you said I’ve been acting strange, you meant it like
that
?”
Wow, this guy’s sharper than he looks.
Suddenly, Junwoo’s remarks about Haeun being strange and how the movie’s plot involved a monster pretending to be human felt eerily significant. Was he actually hinting at something deeper?
Normally, a comparison like that would sound ridiculous, but in Haeun’s case, it hit closer to reality than anyone could imagine. It wasn’t that a monster had taken over a body, but Haeun
had
taken control of this character’s body, which wasn’t far off.
While Haeun was still figuring out how to respond, Junwoo continued speaking as if nothing was amiss.
“Come on, what are you talking about? People don’t switch bodies in real life.”
Haeun stayed silent.
“I just meant that recently, you’ve been acting strange enough to remind me of that kind of movie.”
“…I didn’t think I was acting strange at all.”
Junwoo tilted his head slightly, as if to say, “Sure, if you say so.” That smug gesture stoked a fire in Haeun’s chest, but showing more uncharacteristic behavior would only make Junwoo more suspicious.
“But just now,” Junwoo added, his voice softer, “I realized maybe it’s not that weird after all.”
Was he saying that seeing Haeun so terrified during the movie had reassured him? As frustrating as it was to have lost face in that moment, perhaps it had actually been for the best. It might’ve prevented Junwoo from digging deeper into anything truly odd.
“Maybe you’re not so strange after all,” Junwoo said thoughtfully. “Or maybe it’s more like… I didn’t know you as well as I thought I did.”
Haeun paused, unsure how to respond. Junwoo’s words felt strangely personal, like he was reevaluating everything he thought he knew. And for Haeun, someone with a secret that literally involved body-swapping, that was a little too close for comfort.
Junwoo shrugged, leaving it unclear whether he found the unfamiliar side of Haeun more irritating or more tolerable than he’d originally thought. Haeun didn’t feel like pressing the issue further either. Instead, Junwoo switched topics.
“Do you know what today is?”
“No idea. Why? Is it your birthday too?”
Considering that two other members of their group had birthdays close together, it’d be exhausting to keep up with all the celebrations. But instead of answering, Junwoo just scoffed.
“My birthday? Nowhere near it.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s the day ‘God of Life’ airs.”
Urghhh
.
A groan escaped Haeun’s lips as the realization hit him. He’d completely forgotten, but with their promotional period over, it made sense that the show Junwoo had mentioned earlier would air around this time.
Junwoo asked, almost casually, “You want to watch it live?”
Haeun hesitated. Did he really want to? The idea of watching himself fumble through a variety show didn’t sound appealing. It wasn’t like he expected it to turn out well, anyway. Haeun wasn’t particularly fond of variety shows, let alone one where he’d likely made a fool of himself.
“Not really. I don’t think it’s something I need to see.”
Junwoo seemed unsurprised by the response, smiling knowingly.
“I figured as much. I don’t feel like watching it live either. Let’s just ask Ilhyun or Seongjae how it went later.”
Haeun nodded quietly, feeling a rare sense of agreement with Junwoo. It was a little strange, really, how aligned their thoughts were for once.
It wasn’t often that they were on the same page like this.
About a week after the promotion period ended, the members of Stone Cherry were suddenly called to the CEO’s office. Inside were the CEO, Director Kim Miji, and the four members of Stone Cherry.
Though they’d been called in a few times before, it was the first time all the members had been summoned together. The CEO started the conversation with a customary greeting.
“First of all, great job on the recent promotions.”
“Thank you.”
Ilhyun responded on behalf of the group. While they’d already received praise during their activities, and it had been a week since then, it was clear that wasn’t the main reason for today’s meeting. The CEO didn’t waste time on unnecessary pleasantries and quickly got to the point.
“I’ve got some good news for you all.”
The CEO wasn’t exactly known for having a strong sense of the idol industry, and he’d already presented some questionable opportunities under the guise of “good news” before. However, this time, he spoke with such confidence that it was hard to ignore.
“There’s going to be a big program airing next quarter on
Amnet
[1]