SS Chapter 9: Jeong Seongbin and Choi Jeho's Old Story

TL: FoodieMonster007

People with older brothers are often more comfortable with older people. Conversely, those with younger siblings feel more at ease with younger people. The brothers Jeong Seongbin and Jeong Seongjun, born on the same day at nearly the same hour, both understood this subtle difference.

To be precise, only Jeong Seongjun agreed with this idea. Jeong Seongbin never had the chance to agree or disagree because there were no older people around him.

Even among his cousins, Jeong Seongbin was the eldest brother. The seniors at his agency were more than twelve years older, too old to be considered 'hyungs' in the same way.

A hyung appeared in Jeong Seongbin's life for the first time. He was over 180cm tall and the most intimidating person Jeong Seongbin had ever seen. His voice was low, as if it rose from a pitch-black, remote basement.

The memory of their first greeting was etched strongly in his mind. He had to crane his neck stiffly just to make proper eye contact.

The other person, in contrast, was used to looking down on others. He exuded an intimidating aura even when standing still.

Jeong Seongbin recalled what Jeong Seongjun had said about 'hyungs'.

"A hyung? It's a total win to have one. Just like how you're the best fun content of my life."

He then looked again at the hyung in front of him.

It seemed unlikely that Jeong Seongbin was supposed to provide this person with entertainment. This hyung, no matter how he looked at him, did not seem like he would provide any fun content for Jeong Seongbin.

Fortunately, the situation where Jeong Seongbin had to offer himself as fun content never happened. His new hyung had little interest in Jeong Seongbin. He just arrived on time, practiced, and returned to the dorm when it was over. That was all.

He thought he would at least be asked to run errands. Jeong Seongbin's friends, who had senior trainees or older people above them, had to perform the duties of the youngest in even the most trivial areas.

"You can just assume the youngest is in charge of all the chores."

"What I don't get is them getting mad when you wake them up early. Are their alarms just for show?"

"There's even a guy who won't unwrap the plastic on his own jajangmyeon."

"The really senior guys are careful because they hate being called condescending, but the seniors who've been here a year or two longer are worse. It's a sin to have joined late…"

These were stories they only chattered about among themselves. If they spoke carelessly elsewhere, it would boomerang back to them as accusations of badmouthing their senior hyungs.

In truth, Jeong Seongbin was the type to take initiative and unwrap delivery food, no matter who he was with. His mom and dad had taught him that diligence was a virtue, so he was always praised for being the quickest and most efficient wherever he went.

So, he naturally prepared to support Choi Jeho in every way. He stayed on standby within a one-meter radius at all times and used polite, formal language impeccably. After about three months of trying not to inconvenience Choi Jeho, this was the result.

"Did you do something wrong to me?"

Jeong Seongbin faced a completely unexpected question. It was difficult to guess the speaker's intention. Since the tone was quite aggressive, he only suspected it was not a positive sign.

Wha… what am I supposed to say to this?

The flustered Jeong Seongbin quickly racked his brain. While he chose his words so as not to offend the hyung, Choi Jeho just tilted his head once, turned his back, and walked away.

Even after the awkward conversation, Choi Jeho acted the same as usual. Only Jeong Seongbin's mind was in turmoil. The thought that he had made a bad impression would not leave his head.

On top of that, his surroundings grew noisy. Unsubstantiated rumors slowly crept into Jeong Seongbin's ears.

"I heard as soon as he got the business card, he immediately slammed them with, 'When can you debut me?'"

"As soon as he got the card? I heard it was as soon as he heard the company's name."

"Isn't that why some company thought he was a psycho and withdrew their offer?"

"They say when that hyung first came to Seoul, a ton of agency officials went to his school, but he was scowling from the moment they saw him on the sports field…"

"Companies look a lot at personality, so he was basically out at that point."

"The word is he hates hanging out with people."

"I heard that too. They say he doesn't have a single crew he's personally acquainted with."

"You'd think a friendly Instagram post would pop up from somewhere, but seeing as there's really not a single one…"

His trainee friends were generally careful with their words. However, once a topic caught fire, they would unwittingly pour out stories they had heard from here and there. They knew more about Choi Jeho, who attended a different school, than Jeong Seongbin did. Kids at this age were often easily swept away by groundless rumors.

Proactive activity and passion were essential for an idol. There was a limit to how much fans could defend a blunt personality. Unless one was hugely successful, being an idol was a job where a single minor controversy could get you labeled for life. In such an environment, an extraordinary soul stood out like a sore thumb.

That was why Jeong Seongbin broke out in a sweat every time he tried to restrain his friends. Unfortunately, "You know it's not good to go around talking carelessly about others!" worked better than saying, "He's a good hyung."

On days when Choi Jeho became a hot topic, Jeong Seongbin would watch him a little more closely than usual.

As for whether he seemed desperate to debut, it was difficult to say. What trainee was not desperate to debut? Jeong Seongbin was second to none in his desire for the members to be gathered even a day sooner.

Frowning or staring into space was common. However, there was a clear reason. You could only see Choi Jeho furrowing his brow when he was not wearing his glasses. He managed his daily life just fine but seemed to feel discomfort when he became conscious of it.

Jeong Seongbin could explain Choi Jeho's behavior to some extent. Since his actions were within the bounds of common sense, Choi Jeho was not a 'bad person'. The only problem was that he did not like to socialize with people.

He greeted the company staff well. That was the extent of his communication. The number of times Choi Jeho opened his mouth in a day could be counted on one hand. He often spoke less than the three times he ate.

Occasionally, Choi Jeho would initiate a conversation. Most of the time, they were questions whose context was impossible to grasp.

"Is it okay to order a package to the dorm address?"

If it was an everyday topic, he could at least answer easily.

"Do you play basketball?"

But questions like being asked out of the blue if he knew how to play basketball on the way home were hard to interpret. When he said he had not played much, the conversation ended right there. The conversation rarely continued.

Would it be similar even after more trainees join? Even knowing he had his own problems to worry about, he could not stop worrying.

Since entering middle school and starting dorm life, Jeong Seongbin only went to his family home twice a year for the holidays.

He worried that seeing his family would loosen his discipline, so he deliberately did not visit often, even though his home was close.

"If we were in different schools or different grades, I would've forgotten your face. This must be why Mom gave birth to us as twins."

"I don't think that's an area determined by Mom and Dad's choice," Jeong Seongbin retorted to his younger brother. The first part of the sentence was right, but wasn't the second part strange? Jeong Seongbin glanced sideways at his brother, who spouted nonsense while shaping a tiger-shaped songpyeon. Then he burst the side of the songpyeon and had to start repairs.

"It's such a relief I can at least see you at school since there are two of you. Are you eating well at the dorm?"

"Of course."

"Mom, have you ever seen an idol eat three heaping bowls of rice a day? It's obvious he's dieting, what are you asking for!"

Jeong Seongbin's eyes widened, but Jeong Seongjun paid him no mind. Their mother, who wanted to feed her son his favorite foods during the holiday, ended up heading out for a second grocery run.

"Why'd you say something you didn't have to?"

"Remember last Seollal when we just ate a normal home-cooked meal? Mom set the table like usual because she didn't want to pressure you, but she regretted it a lot later. She said she should have just prepared a ton of delicious food and told you to eat as much as you wanted."

No family would be happy to see their child starve. Feeling proud of his hard work and feeling sorry for him were two different things. It was impossible that it would not weigh on their mother's mind that one son ate home-cooked meals at home while the other ate poorly.

"So this year, I, the dutiful son! Have been making jeon, japchae, and songpyeon since before you came, to both lessen Mother's burden and support her so she has no regrets, you see?"

"…"

"What's the correct course of action for the eldest son at this time? Number 1, make a mature statement like, 'Haha, this is enough for me!' and leave abruptly, making Mom and Dad even more heartbroken. Number 2, 'Order jajangmyeon too!'"

"And eat your fill, so they can feel like they fed their son well, at least for the holiday."

"I get it," Jeong Seongbin grumbled.

It was a battle he could not win. Thanks to that, Jeong Seongbin was utterly defeated again today.

"How's trainee life?" Jeong Seongjun asked, taking advantage of the moment the adults had left.

The brothers could talk about things that might worry their mom or dad. Especially if their birth time was only five minutes apart.

"There are two of you now. Is it better than when you were alone?"

"Umm… I'm not sure."

"Why?" Jeong Seongjun asked with an uncharacteristically serious face, attaching rabbit ears to a songpyeon. The rabbit boasted an even more realistic shape than last year's.

"That new hyung, is his personality really that bad?"

Jeong Seongjun knew Jeong Seongbin's personality best. He would not needlessly spill every detail he had heard to his brother, who hated being swayed by rumors. He was an impossible kid to hate, hearing all sorts of things but holding back his curiosity, only bringing it up slyly when Jeong Seongbin looked troubled.

Unlike with his friends, Jeong Seongbin could not cut him off with a sharp "No!" Instead, he carefully brought out the worries he had been keeping to himself.

"…That's why, I don't know how to approach the hyung."

"You can't just jab him in the side with your elbow and say, 'Hyung-nim, let's go to a PC bang!'?"

"I guess that hyung's picture hasn't been passed around your class, huh?"

Even if the picture had been passed around, someone with Jeong Seongjun's personality might have really done that. Both twins had grown up hearing they were bright kids, but there was a difference. Jeong Seongbin was more mature, while Jeong Seongjun was more affable.

Jeong Seongbin imagined himself affably striking up a conversation with Choi Jeho. He pictured himself going up to the big, scary-looking hyung and saying, "Hyung, maybe not a PC bang, but let's go to the vocal room together!" His vision went dark.

"Still, it doesn't seem like he dislikes you, though?"

"In what way?"

"You said he asked if you play basketball. Isn't that him asking you to play basketball? Maybe he just didn't say more because you said you don't play."

"You think so…?!"

It made sense. Choi Jeho, while not friendly, also did not do things that others would dislike.

Jeong Seongbin was lost in thought. He also reflected on whether he had been overly intimidated by the hyung. If someone other than Choi Jeho had asked if he knew how to play basketball, he would have at least asked back if they liked basketball.

"Why don't you try suggesting something first next time?" Jeong Seongjun said.

At his younger brother's suggestion, he recalled the guide recording offer he had recently received. It was his first official job, so he would have to focus on that for now. However, he thought that once he started learning the work and got settled, he should try talking to Choi Jeho at least once, just as Jeong Seongjun had said.

It would be nice if we could get closer. I could ask him when he started dancing, too…

More than the excitement for the new experience, he looked forward to the event that would follow. His heart felt a little more at ease.