Survive! Foolish Bottom!

 

Yejun stared at his phone screen with a blank expression for a long time. He thought it was just his usual expression, but it seemed that his mood wasn’t good. One of the members, Seo Shiyoung, who had been sitting at the desk, observed him closely and spoke up.

 

“What are you looking at so intently?”

 

Yejun didn’t feel like responding with much enthusiasm, so he stayed silent. Shiyoung, understanding this, walked over to where Yejun was sitting on the bed and casually peeked at his phone screen. There was nothing to hide, so Yejun didn’t stop him.

 

On the screen was a photo that hadn’t been closed. Yejun thought Shiyoung might not recognize it, but Shiyoung immediately pointed at it and acknowledged it.

 

“That’s her, right? The one getting trashed because of Lee Jaewoon.”

 

The explanation seemed to hit the mark. 

 

For someone who didn’t know, it would be easy to suspect Park Ha, but the members of Black Bers shared a common dislike for Gloomy’s Jaewoon. Yejun nodded readily.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Aigoo, poor thing.”

 

Though it was a genuine comment, it wasn’t said in a very serious tone. Of course, it was bound to be different from Yejun’s perspective since he had actually met Park Ha.

 

“By the way, why are you looking him up? Does it bother you?”

 

Shiyoung, who was resting his chin on his hand, suddenly muttered as if he had just remembered something.

 

“Now that I think about it, wasn’t that him in your Instagram?”

 

Yejun nodded quietly, and Shiyoung’s face lit up with curiosity as he asked.

 

“What’s he like? Do you think he really clashed with Kim Gyowon?”

 

It was a very unserious attitude. Thinking about Park Ha, who must be struggling with hateful comments by now, Yejun couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable with Shiyoung’s lighthearted take on the situation. 

 

As he narrowed his eyes and glared at him, Shiyoung quickly took a step back and explained himself.

 

“Oh, don’t give me that look. I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking.”

 

“He looks nice. I don’t know how he got caught up with someone like that.”

 

This kind of behavior from Seo Shiyoung wasn’t a new occurrence, so Yejun didn’t press further and just answered. 

 

Originally, Lee Jaewoon from Gloomy had a somewhat notorious reputation in the industry. While there were many people who didn’t know him because he worked hard to maintain his image, Black Bers had a history of nearly falling victim to the petty schemes that Jaewoon orchestrated behind the scenes, so they really couldn’t stand Gloomy.

 

As for them, their fanbase wasn’t thin enough to be shaken by something like that, and they’d climbed up the ranks despite all the gossip since their debut, so they were fine. 

 

But Park Ha, in contrast to Yejun who had grown accustomed to seeing all kinds of dirty things, seemed like a more innocent type. Also, with his almost non-existent fame, he would likely find it hard to deal with this kind of situation. 

 

Yejun, knowing that, felt genuinely concerned for Park Ha.

 

“I’m worried he might be hurt.”

 

At Yejun’s murmured words, Shiyoung widened his eyes, seemingly amused. Then he jokingly teased him.

 

“You seem really worried. You’re not going around leaving comments, are you?”

 

“….”

 

“Why are you not answering? You’re making my heart race.”

 

Yejun casually glanced at the page where his comment, “Lee Jaewoon is annoying, and Park Ha seems nice,” was posted. He responded in a cold voice, keeping his composure.

 

“I’ll only answer if it’s worth replying to.”

 

Shiyoung, not thinking that Yejun would actually leave a comment, casually nodded.

 

“Well, if you’re really that concerned, why not contact her? If you want to, there’s nothing stopping you, right? You could send a DM or something.”

 

It wasn’t like Yejun hadn’t thought about reaching out. And contrary to Shiyoung’s assumption that he didn’t have his contact info, Yejun had already received Park Ha’s contact details.

 

“I have the number.”

 

“What? You’re close enough to have his number?”

 

When Yejun muttered that, Shiyoung asked, sounding both curious and puzzled. Hearing this, Yejun immediately fell into thought.

 

“Well… I don’t know if we’re close.”

 

He didn’t know enough about her to call it close.

 

“Not really…”

 

Shiyoung gave a knowing, meaningful smile.

 

“Aha. So you forced him to give you her number, huh?”

 

While it was true that Yejun had asked for the number first, he hadn’t forced it. He remembered Park Ha giving it to him without showing any signs of discomfort. 

 

In fact, his expression had seemed perfectly fine. Yejun furrowed his brows slightly and asked in response.

 

“Why would it be like that?”

 

When he expressed his displeasure, Shiyoung immediately backed off.

 

“Well, if you have his number, that’s great. You can just ask how he’s doing casually.”

 

“Should I?”

 

Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to ask. After all, they weren’t strangers. They had filmed together and shared coffee at a café; as a senior, asking how he was doing was probably fine.

 

Yejun looked through his contacts to find Park Ha’s number. He had saved it honestly under “Stone Cherry Park Ha,” then pressed the contact and immediately dialed the number.

 

“Wait, you’re calling him directly? Not even texting first?”

 

Seeing Yejun hold the phone to his ear, Shiyoung asked in disbelief. 

 

Was that unusual? For Yejun, calling seemed much more straightforward and convenient than texting. Ignoring Shiyoung’s comment, he waited, but the ringing continued for a while before suddenly cutting off.

 

“He’s not picking up.”

 

“Well… hmm.”

 

Shiyoung, who was about to respond, placed his fingers under his chin and gave a teasing smile. It was the kind of expression Yejun didn’t want to see again.

 

“Maybe he’s not answering because he doesn’t like you?”

 

It was a look Yejun had seen too many times to be annoyed by it again. Turning his head away, he casually responded.

 

“Maybe he doesn’t recognize the number.”

 

He had never contacted him before. Shiyoung let out a small sigh and pretended to shake his head in disbelief.

 

“You got the number but never gave yours, huh? I wouldn’t answer either.”

 

“I guess I’ll have to tell him who I am.”

 

Ignoring whatever Shiyoung said, Yejun quickly typed out a message.

 [This is Yejun from Black Bers. Please call me back if you see this message.] 

Without hesitation, he pressed send. It could be that he was busy and couldn’t pick up, but now that he had identified himself, if he had time, he would either respond or ignore it as he saw fit. Still, he would prefer a reply. 

 

As Yejun leaned back on the bed, Shiyoung asked him curiously.

 

“Did he really give you her number? Maybe he didn’t want to give it to you and just wrote down someone else’s by mistake. That happens to me sometimes when I’m asked in surveys. Our Yejun seems so defenseless.”

 

He seemed so nice… Yejun didn’t think that was the case… but if he disagreed and said, “That couldn’t be it,” the pointless nagging would just drag on.

 

“Then he’ll think it’s spam.”

 

As expected, this response was the right one. Shiyoung shrugged and quickly changed the subject.

 

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I never thought I’d see Jo Yejun troubled over a junior’s phone call.”

 

Should he correct him and say it wasn’t really that troubling? He decided not to. Just then, the phone he was holding vibrated.

 

“Ah. A reply.”

 

“What did he say? Told you to piss off?”

 

“You need to stop thinking that everyone is like you.”

 

He replied while checking the message. He felt a little excited, but as he quickly read the message, his hands froze and he stopped.

 

“What does it say?”

 

“…He said if it’s not an impersonation, then I should prove it.”

 

“Pfft- HAHAHAHA!”

 

Shiyoung’s voice, full of curiosity, made it clear that he was eager to know, and Yejun, still flustered, responded without thinking. Yejun brought his phone closer to double-check the message, rubbing his eyes as he did. It was really what he had read.

 [Not an impersonation? Prove it] 

“Is this a joke? For real?”

 

Shiyoung asked, clearly intrigued. He was right—there was no one who would find this as fascinating as Yejun.

 

“The tone’s a bit…”

 

Yejun muttered, and a follow-up question about what was wrong with the tone came back at him. He didn’t answer, instead sinking into thought. 

 

The Park Ha he had actually met had a quiet, kind tone and seemed a bit shy, but this message was somewhat… brash and didn’t quite match.

 

“It seems a bit different from the image I saw.”

 

Shiyoung’s words made him briefly wonder if maybe the person had given the wrong number, but he quickly dismissed that thought. After all, there are plenty of people who text differently than they speak. Still, it felt strange, so instead of asking for verification, he replied.

 [If it’s not a scam, you’d recognize my voice if you pick up the phone.] 

The reply came a short while later.

 [It could be voice phishing, though.] 

“……”

 

Yejun tried to suppress his confusion. After thinking about it, the response made sense. With the prevalence of voice phishing, where calls can lead to charges, he couldn’t deny it was a valid concern.

 

‘If that’s the case, I shouldn’t have replied in the first place… No.’

 

“What are you doing?”

 

He’s probably just being innocent, right? He straightened up and sat back properly, refraining from questioning further.

 

Yejun tore off a memo from the notepad he always kept next to his bed, wrote the current time and his name on it, and opened the camera app. 

 

Although he usually hated taking pictures, being an idol meant that taking selfies was part of the job. He couldn’t avoid it. After holding the memo and adjusting the angle, Yejun took a quick photo and finally replied to Shiyoung.

 

“I’m taking a picture.”

 

“Wow. You’re actually going to verify? You know, you could end up having your number sold if you keep this up.”

 

“I can just change it.”

 

After answering vaguely, Yejun sent the photo he had just taken. For a moment, he wondered what he was doing, but the thought quickly faded. The reply came much faster than the last one.

 [ㅇㅎ] 

Was that an “Aha”? It seemed a little out of place as a reply after a verification. Or maybe it was “Oh-ho”? 

 

As he pondered these pointless thoughts, his phone began vibrating for a long time. It was a call. Yejun couldn’t help but smile and quickly adjusted his grip on the phone.

 

“Seo Shiyoung, go outside.”

 

He said firmly, and Shiyoung responded with an incredulous tone.

 

“Excuse me, Yejun ssi? Do you realize this is also my room?”

 

“It’s just for a minute. Hello?”

 

Yejun answered nonchalantly as he took the call. He could see Shiyoung deliberately letting out a deep sigh, clearly frustrated by Yejun picking up the call before leaving.

 

“Could you at least show me half the effort you’re giving them? I’m starting to feel a little hurt being mocked as the only one left out…”

 

― Yejun sunbaenim?

 

Shiyoung’s playful lament was barely audible because of the voice coming from the phone. Compared to the bold tone in the previous text, this one sounded cautious and delicate. It seemed like this person had a big gap between their text and actual speaking tone.

 

“Yes, this is Yejun.”

 

Yejun recalled the voice he had heard before. It had seemed a bit brighter, but now, it seemed like the person had been hurt a lot…

 

“Hah… fine, I’m leaving. I’m going, I’m going.”

 

With a deep sigh, Shiyoung hesitated before leaving the room. Without even looking at the direction Shiyoung was heading, Ye-jun adjusted the phone again. It was a strangely tense feeling—perhaps even more than during music

broadcasts.

Hey guys, this is Flo!

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