Work Text:
Gunwoo was trying to convince his guardians to increase his internet usage time. They were currently reading the printed document he had prepared, outlining how it would greatly help him achieve better grades, stay ahead of his class, and improve the quality of life for all of them, not just him. He also included a proposal for a reduced daily allowance, along with an additional idea for a side hustle to pay for his own internet data if it ever get to that.
His guardians exchanged glances with awkward smiles on their lips. He inwardly sighed. It seemed like Gunwoo failed again. He just have to prepare a better deal his guardians could not refuse.
“Ah, Gunwoo, dear. It’s not about the money. I don’t think you truly understand why we’re limiting the internet usage,” His aunt said, placing the paper down on the table.
“Son, you’re chronically online,” His uncle commented after sipping his tea. “And you’re not even ten but you’ve done all sorts of troubles because of your internet addiction already!”
Adults. Not to be rude but it’s not an addiction, everything’s online these days. And he didn’t cause any trouble, he solved them! Of course, he won’t say that to his guardians. He’s not an ungrateful brat.
“If you’re worried about my eyesight becoming poor, I’ll make sure not to strain them and also—”
His uncle raised a hand to stop him. “If you call us umma and appa, we’ll consider lifting the internet curfew.”
Gunwoo blinked a few times when he briefly saw his biological parents sitting in front of him instead of his guardians, then he bowed his head. “If that is what you want, uncle, then I’ll—”
“Honey!” His aunt shouted then repeatedly hit her husband with the now rolled up printed proposal.
“I’m kidding. I’m kidding! Calm down, love.”
Then she faced him again with a polite smile. “You don’t have to force yourself, Gunwoo. Of course, I wish that you’d call me mama someday instead of aunt. But if it’s only for this, then I’m sorry. The answer is still no.”
Gunwoo could only sigh inwardly and bow respectfully at them. “I understand.”
...
...
No! He doesn’t understand!
Gunwoo hugged his puppy plushie, out of frustration, as he walked back and forth in his room while staring at his useless phone. He looked at the list of available connections that popped in and out with envy.
His guardians told him, out of 'solidarity,' that they wouldn't use the internet during evening curfew hours too. Then they unplugged the router. Hypocrites. It's not like they've also limited their phone data plan like they did with Gunwoo. This is simply torture. He doesn’t want to be a bad ward but he might have to, just to stay sane.
Gunwoo laid down on his bed, trying his best to fall asleep.
It’s been a while since the internet curfew started, and he hasn't been able to get a good night's rest. Gunwoo tried switching between when to do his homework and when to monitor, but his guardians caught on. The same goes for Testar and some of the staff personnel when he was at the dorm.
The adults had begun to distract him. Whenever they noticed that he was starting to get absorbed in whatever he was looking at online, they would try to engage him in a conversation. It would start small. They would ask what was so interesting about the post he was looking at, then they would shift the conversation to another topic. Or they would ask him to help out with something. Before he knew it, time had passed, and he had wasted away his precious monitoring time.
He also can’t find the energy to fulfill his promise to Chungwoo hyung about finding a good hobby either. He’s just been so restless lately. What’s worse, they have also started insisting on helping out with his homework. Actually, he might have made a mistake regarding that situation.
In his child’s mind, he thought that if he could eliminate doing homework for the rest of the school year, he would have all the time he needed to monitor. So for days on end, during 'No WiFi' hours, and because he could not sleep without scrolling through SNS before bed, he finished answering most of his workbooks for all of his subjects that was covered in the curriculum. But then Gunwoo took it several steps further.
He managed to acquire several old notebooks from the upper levels in exchange for favors, deals, and signed TeSTAR merchandise. Examining the old notes and comparing them to the syllabus had led him to the conclusion that the teachers hadn’t changed their lesson plans, for the most part. Honestly, even the given assignments outside of their workbooks haven’t changed much at all.
Because of that, Gunwoo was able to prepare stock homework that would only require minimal revision and editing. For the rare ones that he wasn’t able to prepare for, he did them sneakily while attending other classes. They weren’t perfect but he doesn’t need them to. He only want them out of the way of his monitoring. He only left some of them that he estimated might not make it, given his class’ current pace.
As for school projects, he only does the bare minimum in the shortest possible time. He really doesn’t want to bring home any schoolwork at all if he can avoid it. Because of this, adults would sometimes become suspicious when they offered help and he told them its already done.
Gunwoo’s eyes drooped as he contemplated how to solve his current problem. He almost fell asleep but jolted awake for no apparent reason. He groaned.
...
...
The morning dawned brightly, greeted by the chirping of birds and the crisp freshness of the air. But despite the day's beauty, a sense of gloom lingered within Bae Sejin. After all, he was visiting his sperm donor in prison.
There's only so little he could do to hide his face. He just hoped there would be no controversies sprouting out of this trip. With a cap, hoodie, shades, and face mask on, Sejin went out of the dorm and hailed a taxi.
For as long as he could remember, Sejin’s family had been drowning in debt. He thought that was why his father had to leave and work overseas for a very long time. When Sejin became an actor at such a young age, he was simply happy to help the family, and he thought they were content back then.
Whenever his father was home, they would have a mini feast and eagerly watch the shows he was in, even though he was usually just an extra who often got edited out. However, as he started to land more prominent roles and his career as a child actor took off, their debt grew even larger, pushing them even deeper into financial turmoil.
Later on, he found out that it was a slew of bad business decisions, one after another. His father became depressed and turned into an alcoholic who couldn’t find a job. Then his mom, who was a housewife back then, had to sell homemade lunchboxes to office workers, while somehow attending to Sejin’s education, crazy filming schedules, and auditions.
Before long, his father stopped coming home altogether. Sejin was glad, thinking that the waste of space had stopped contacting his mom as well. However, he should have expected how much his mom loved his father.
Given how busy their life had been, Sejin was surprised to know that his parents would still find the time to go out on rare occasions. During that time, his father had convinced his mom that he had changed for the better. He would then charm her with promises and dreams about the future, assuring her that they could truly be happy once he was successful in this new venture he had found. That he just needed a little capital to start with, and then more, and then a little bit more.
His mom should have foreseen that the scumbag would leave without a word, taking all of their hard earned savings while piling more debt on them. And soon, in the midst of Sejin’s abysmal career and his agency’s attempt to resuscitate it, the police contacted them. His father was apprehended for drug trafficking.
Luckily, that happened before his agency decided to finally dump him into the infamous idol survival program. The first season was a glowing success, which made the idea attractive to some of the higher-ups in his agency. There were talks about him joining the next season but schedules didn’t line up with the very few mediocre projects they signed him up for. He was secretly grateful though because the second season of that idol program was a nightmare.
But by then, acting jobs had completely dried up. He had become a washed-up former child actor delegated to mentoring novices at that point. However, because of his lack of people skills, Sejin wasn’t very good at teaching. He could feel that he wasn’t wanted anymore and the agency was just biding their time until his contract expires. His managers were at a complete loss as to what to do with him, they were even willing to throw him away at the third season of the disgraced program.
Fortunately, everything had gone alright for Sejin.
Although heartbroken, his mom finally opened her eyes to the truth about his father and was finally able to move on. Then a tip from someone about legally changing his name had saved him from further filial obligation. And while his time at Idol Inc. was hellishly brutal, it provided an ideal mental escape to help him center himself. Without the additional worry about his father, he was able to concentrate and give his all into rebuilding his career.
Even if Sejin didn’t want it at first, he grew to love being an idol. He was very happy being a part of TeStar. He just hoped that whatever this request was from the police would not affect the blessings he was continuously receiving. If possible, he hoped this would be the last time he met his deadbeat father.
Soon enough, his taxi arrived at the correctional facility. After providing identification and passing the security checks, Sejin approached the waiting police officer assigned to the case.
Whenever Sejin encountered this guy, he couldn't help but think about how unsuited he was for this job. The young man, although only a year older than him, seemed too gentle, delicate and soft for the role. Moreover, he couldn't shake off his concern due to the guy's gullible appearance. How on earth did he end up becoming a police officer?
“Thank you for taking the time to come despite your busy schedule,” the officer said. They shook hands and the cop led him further in.
“I’m just glad I could be of help, Officer Park Moondae-nim.”
“Ah, and… if you wouldn't mind the trouble.” The officer pulled out TeSTAR’s new mini album with a shy smile. “Can I have your autograph?”
...
...
At recess, inside the school’s faculty room...
Sleeplessness had made Gunwoo irritable, irrational, and a little bit emotional. He was barely keeping it together in front of his PE teacher, who had deemed it fit to lecture him about puberty just because he kept refusing to take part in another school event where he would need to dance and sing. Why would he? It's not required for their final grade!
Of course he knew that in a few years, his voice would start hilariously squeaking and cracking. And when it settled down and matured, Gunwoo would sound different. There's nothing bad about that! But the way this teacher phrased it…
“You're wasting your talent, Ryu Gunwoo. This tone—the timbre of your current singing voice—will eventually disappear. Just like your deceased parents! Isn't it sad to think that you might not be able to hit those high notes in the future? You should cherish it before it's too late!”
He gritted his teeth while he stomped back towards his class. Why does the PE teacher enjoys ripping him apart?
Gunwoo shook his head. Those words does not affect him. They don’t! But then, a brief image of an old hanok house on fire emerged in his mind. He pushed it away. They don't affect him! It’s in the past. It's just that due to his troubled sleep, inconvenient memories started resurfacing. A school wasn't an appropriate place to remember those who have passed. He reached his school desk and rested his head on his folded arms. He'll feel better after taking a nap.
However, an image of his small hands shaking his parents awake appeared when he closed his eyes. He sat up straight, pulling his phone out—Gunwoo needed a distraction. But tears welled up in his eyes unbidden as the person who had rescued him from the burning building came to mind. Guilt filled his lungs like smoke, making it hard to breathe. He wiped away the tears with his sleeve.
Outwardly, Gunwoo appeared more or less his usual gloomy self but with additional dark eyebags. He also exhausted the remaining daily data allowance that his guardians had provided by mindlessly browsing through social media even during class. The remainder of the school day was a blur to him.
...
...
“You look good,” was what Bae Sejin’s father greeted him with when their eyes met. Fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting an unforgiving glow on their faces and the worn wooden benches that lined the room.
The visitor's area was a stark contrast to the vibrant city beyond the prison walls. The air felt heavy with anticipation as various visitors continued to shuffle in and out, their footsteps seemed too loud in his ears, echoing against the cold, gray tiles. Sejin wanted to go home already.
“Can’t say the same thing to you.” His father was beaten up, sporting fresh bruises blooming on his face.
Then the man pointed them out himself. “This was a gift from an old friend.”
“Did you deserve it?”
“You tell me.”
The room buzzed with a hushed energy. Soft murmurs of conversations blended with the occasional stifled sob. Sejin almost flinched when he saw that one of the visitors had recognized him, mouthing ‘Testar’ then his name.
He sighed as he faced his father. “I don’t have the time for this. The police wanted you to give them more names and address.”
“How’s your mom?”
Sejin bit his lip and glanced at Officer Park in the distance. The young officer gave him a subtle nod.
“She’s well,” he replied after a beat.
“I wrote both of you but you never replied.” It was because they moved, and Sejin told their old landlord to burn anything that came from his father.
He looked away and said, “I was busy and mom’s been traveling these days.”
“I miss you and your mom. Can I… Can I be a part of your life again?”
“It’s too late for that.”
The man released a long sigh. “I know.” Sejin could see longing in the man’s gaze and his voice shook with sorrow. “I was trying to change, you know. I was saving up for our family. We could buy a house, it’ll have your mom’s dream kitchen. You could study abroad. You wanted to pursue Cultural Studies, right? You could stop this silly acting career.”
Sejin clenched his fist. “Stop. Just… The police said you’ll cooperate once you see me. Well, you’ve seen me.”
His father stared at him deeply in contemplation. Then that longing look was wiped away, replaced with a scoff and a smirk. The guy’s posture eased up.
This scumbag. Sejin won’t deny that his acting talent could be hereditary.
“Sure. I could give them more names and addresses,” the man drawled with a more oily voice. “Not that it’ll help much. I’m just a small fish in the pond. My word is meaningless. But sure. Although… I want your help. It’s nothing big.”
Sejin glanced at Officer Park again. “What makes you think I’ll do what you want? He could hear us you know.”
“Bah! Who cares if some pervert wants to eavesdrop. The more the merrier!” His sperm donor cackled, disturbing the somber mood of the other tables with his raucous laughter.
Sejin sighed, exasperated and a little bit agitated. “That depends. So, what do you want?”
His father sneered at the cop then leaned closer to him.
“I bet the police haven’t seen him yet. That sneaky little bastard could be anywhere. Though, I don’t care if the police get to him first and he gets sent to juvie.”
“Who?”
His father impatiently drummed his fingers on the table while he spoke. “A runaway thief, measly little runt. He’s probably nine or ten by now. Found him sleeping in the streets. I fed him, gave a place to stay in return for some errands. He doesn’t want to tell me his name so I called him Pochi. Next thing I knew he’s gone missing with my money, some goods, and… important documents. Then every goddamn unfortunate thing happened to me!” Fists clenched, then shook. After a moment the man sighed. “Now I’m locked up in here.”
Sejin doesn’t know what to say. He took off his shades and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You got some poor kid involved in your mess?”
The man snickered. “He’s not some poor kid, he’s a crafty little menace.”
“And this little menace won’t be sent to a juvenile facility if he’s under fourteen, you know.”
“… fuck.” Although the man said that, the tone doesn't sound like he was truly unaware of that fact.
Sejin affixed the sunglasses to his face. “How do you know that this kid took your money anyway?”
“Well, who else could it be?”
“I don’t know. Rival drug dealers?”
Sejin’s father laughed again as the man crossed his arms, but this time there was a bittersweet note to it.
“I won’t be here alive if it was them.”
This time, it was Sejin who anxiously tapped his fingers on the table. “You want me to look for the kid. Then what? I don’t care if he burned all the money he stole from you.”
“Ouch. That money was for you and your mom. I worked my ass off for that.”
“Like I said. I don’t really care. I have plenty now. So. Other than your stuff, what do you want with this kid?”
Surprisingly, his father smiled softly. “If you see him. Just tell him… Tell him, thank you.” The man’s face crumpled. “Because of him, because of what he did I… I get to see my son again. Even if this would be the last time.” And shockingly, the man broke down crying in front of Sejin. “My beautiful son.”
...
...
After the emotional mess, his father readily cooperated with the police. It turned out that the man simply wanted to see him, and perhaps send a message to the missing kid.
Sejin washed his face in the sink. He blamed his shallow tear ducts for the sympathetic crying that happened back there. Then he looked at his pathetic self in the mirror. Sejin ended up promising to visit his dad again; remembering it made him both laugh and become teary-eyed once more.
“Oh god… I’m just like mom.”
Officer Park Moondae was waiting for him when he got out of the restroom.
“Thanks again for fulfilling the request,” the young cop said and handed him a cup of coffee. “It must have been difficult.”
“It’s nothing. And thanks for this too, officer-nim.” He sipped it and found the coffee extremely sweet. “But would his information even help?”
“It might give us new leads. Every little detail helps. Are you… alright?” The officer must have noticed his reddened eyes.
“I’m fine, really.” He coughed. “What we should be worrying about was that child, Pochi.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about him.” Then with a smile, Officer Park pulled out a phone, typed something on a familiar looking app and showed Sejin an old viral video. Testar’s viral video.
Sejin invoked the rare surprised hamster face. “You got to be kidding me, right?”
The officer grinned as they watched the chaotic mess playing on the screen. “The kid doesn’t know that we knew he provided all the necessary evidence… well, a few of us did.” Then the officer looked back at Sejin, with a secretive mirth in his eyes.
“On the record, the chief investigator kept the kid’s involvement minimal—barely even there—because it would shame and ruin the department that a mere seven year old, back then, had basically shut down one of the biggest gangs in Gangnam. And even though the rest remained confidential, I think your father had some clue about what really happened at that time. Your father was dealing with dangerous people. He would’ve died if he wasn’t stopped.”
Officer Park flicked the screen to another related Testar video. “Ryu Gunwoo thought I was just a university student doing puppet shows in a library who sometimes volunteered as a social worker that brought him to his relatives.” Then the cop gave him a much more reserved smile. “I’m very happy to know that he’s doing well.”
...
...
Afternoon.
Bae Sejin arrived at Testar’s dorm gate. He still hasn't recovered from the shock. There was the surprising aspect regarding himself when it concerned his father—he had been prepared to sever ties with his sperm donor, but he caved in the end. Though he wouldn’t trust him about anything, he wasn’t inclined to push his dad away unlike before.
On the other hand, what the hell was Ryu Chungwoo’s brother?
He rounded the corner and saw the child who had been on his mind, slumped on the floor in a fetal position, clutching a school bag. He ran over in panic and knelt beside the boy.
“Gunwoo?! Tell me where does it hurt?” He didn’t want to move the child in case Gunwoo had broken a bone or something, but then the kid suddenly sat upright, teary eyed, and was clearly trying hard not to cry.
“Ah, hyung.” Gunwoo stood up, arms still locked around the bag. “I’ll be going now. Good day.”
“Are you alright?”
“Yes.” The boy was moving away and he stood up as well.
“If you are, then, why were you on the floor?”
“I was tying my shoe lace.”
This was the child that stopped one of the biggest gangs in Gangnam when he was seven?
"You're not done yet then." Sejin pointed at the small shoe left on the floor near him. "Tying your shoe." The boy looked down at his feet; only one of them had a shoe on. Sejin doesn’t know if he should laugh or be concerned. No, actually, he was concerned. Gunwoo doesn’t look well.
“What made you upset?”
“I’m not upset. The floor just… looked inviting. That’s all.”
Sejin can’t deal with this shit, but he can’t let the boy go like this, so he pulled out his phone and called the one who can.
After a ring, Sejin said, “Chungwoo, your little brother’s having a meltdown outside the dorm.” The boy glared at him.
A few seconds later, the door opened and a confused Ryu Chungwoo came out with the phone still on his ear. “What? Oh Gunwoo, you’re… here.” Testar’s leader appeared disturbed after he had seen how his brother looked. “Why didn’t you come in?”
...
...
There was a group of busy technical staff setting up a portable karaoke machine in the living room. Apparently, Testar were supposed to use it for a PPL disguised as one of their reality show episodes. However, the personnel who were supposed to deliver the product at the dorm along with other requested props had forgotten it outside the office overnight, and as a result, the machine got soaked in the rain. But they said it’s completely dry now and was working fine when they tested it.
Well, it’s not working now.
“Here you go, Po-Gunwoo.” Bae Sejin hyung handed over a large hamster plushie, and he just stared blankly at it. “C’mon. This is much more comfortable than your bumpy school bag, right? You can… borrow it for now.”
Bae Sejin hyung was correct, so he exchanged his bag for the soft, round hamster. Gunwoo squished it in his arms and murmured his thanks. It did made him feel a bit better.
“Are you ready to tell us what’s bothering you?” Chungwoo hyung asked gently from his other side. The three of them were sitting criss-cross applesauce in a corner, so as not to get in the way of everyone else. Gunwoo looked back at the frantic staff while biting his lip.
The company that paid for the indirect advertising was demanding to know why their video hadn't shown up yet, even though they had already paid the full amount. Unfortunately, the documents and production details for that got misplaced; they were skipped over by the writers because they didn't know, and the agency noticed it late. The production staff member who had accidentally left the machine, begged everyone not to reveal her mistake because she didn't want to get fired. She was well-liked, and they felt bad for her because she's a single parent, so everyone agreed. Most people concluded that if they requested another machine, questions would be asked that might lead back to her.
It irritated him. Why do adults complicate everything? They could’ve simply said it didn't arrive at the office, or it was faulty from the start. They could have just told the truth that it got soaked in the rain without pointing any fingers. The real trouble was how disorganized the staff was, and how that personnel kept mum about it for a long time, until the other company started demanding that Testar fulfill their end of the transaction. An older staff member mentioned that it's too late to ask for a replacement now because of the timing; it would sound as if they were just making up reasons for the delay. And from what Gunwoo gathered, Testar doesn’t even know about any of this.
“Gunwoo?” Somebody handed him an apple juice box with a bendy straw already in it. Gunwoo automatically bit the straw and took a sip.
“It’s nothing, I’m just tired. Anyway, hyung, why don’t someone just buy the same model if nobody can ask for a replacement?” He pulled out his phone to search how much it would cost because today’s filming might just end in a disaster for everyone involved. Then he froze. His phone didn’t automatically connect to the dorm’s internet.
Chungwoo hyung sighed. “Because this one wasn’t out in the market yet. I think the karaoke company wanted to create enough hype before selling it.”
Gunwoo tried to control his breathing. “Testar’s already delayed making the promo for this right? If that’s the case, then they must have given it to other people to promote it too, right? Maybe… Maybe the agency could contact them and borrow it, or buy it from them.” His finger twitched. His sipped the juice intensely until the container shriveled up. He needed to search if somebody else had already made a sponsored video footage with the device.
“Ooh, that’s an idea.” Bae Sejin hyung pulled out a phone and Gunwoo’s eyes locked on it.
“I’ll take a look at it too then,” Chungwoo hyung said as well.
They were both connected to the internet.
“Hyung, what’s the new WiFi password?” He asked them casually. The two hyungs subtly exchanged glances then ignored him while they busily tapped their phone screens. What the fuck?
“W-why can’t we just c-contact them and apologize?” Seon Ahyun asked one of the staff who tried to explain the situation again.
“Yeah~ Because clearly, this machine’s busted,” Keun Sejin butted in.
“Maybe I could say that I’m the one who left it in the rain?” Kim Raebin added anxiously, but everyone around vocally refused to make Raebin hyung the fall guy.
Then an impatient Cha Eugene said out loud, “My grandma used to say they do it like this in the old days!” And karate chopped the dead device.
And just like that, the portable dual microphone karaoke turned on. The logo animation played loudly on the huge TV screen, and everyone stared at it in shocked silence. When the starting menu screen loaded, loud exclamations could be heard, congratulating Cha Eugene. Everyone celebrated, including Bae Sejin and Chungwoo hyung.
While they were busy shouting, Gunwoo snatched his hyung’s phone and immediately copied the password via QR code. His phone connected instantly to the internet. Gunwoo ran to hide somewhere, he finally felt alive again.
...
...
From inside the closet, Gunwoo could barely hear the muffled sound outside. He was still hugging the hamster plushie but had left his hyung’s phone in the living room.
First order of business. He searched for some information about the portable karaoke machine and discovered that the machine was glitchy as hell. It had even started to become a meme among some of the people who had tested it, most of it was offensive, and some had made product fail reviews even though they were sponsored by the company who produced the said product. Oh, so that’s the real reason it hasn't hit the market yet—it's just that bad. Were they hoping Testar would somehow create a miracle for them?
From the videos, Gunwoo noticed that the machine would randomly accelerate the color transition of the lyrics. At times, it would alter the singer's voice, turning it into that of a chipmunk, or startle them with a jump scare by making their voices growl.
Actually, that... has potential, and he looked forward to the funny episode Testar would film today. He hoped the fans would like it as well—that is, if the group doesn't think those glitches were caused by the rain and make the atmosphere awkward. Then he remembered Eugene hyung had hit it earlier and might blame himself for it, possibly making their filming unbearable to watch. So, he sent Chungwoo hyung a message that the karaoke had been glitchy from the start and attached relevant videos. Due to his improved mood, Gunwoo forgot that they hadn't wanted to give him the password earlier.
Another idea struck him: What if the company marketed the device as a gag or prank toy rather than an ordinary karaoke machine? It could potentially sell like crazy. Testar could also benefit from this approach.
If TeStar filmed it as though it were originally intended to be a prank from the beginning, the agency should contact the karaoke company about this idea, and show the video to them for a vibe check. With this, Testar might be able to alleviate the company’s dissatisfaction with the delay. And from there, if the product was marketed with this concept in mind, it could help mitigate the current negative review videos online. Because instead of a boring defective device, it would become a tool for an entertaining practical joke, perfect for parties. As a bonus, this approach might even divert the attention away from single mom staff.
Gunwoo typed all the ideas and explanations in his private chat room with Chungwoo hyung.
Second order of business. He didn’t want to hide or lie about something so trivial, but he had been pushed too far. He needed to have a backup internet connection, especially at night, and he had plenty of ideas on how to achieve it.
His initial solution was to buy a prepaid SIM card, but the mobile data rates would become expensive quickly. There were some eSIMs being sold to tourists that offered unlimited data but it's not going to be cheap. Currently, he doesn't have the budget, but he really does want it and was willing to save up. He's debating in his head whether he should opt for the regular SIM card or the travel SIM card, and whether he should get one from each mobile operator. He could have a maximum of four, which was pretty sweet.
Anyway, he can't have that yet, so he turned to his second solution: connecting to his old neighbor's WiFi. However, it's not always available, and he could only see that connection pop up in a certain area of his bedroom. Also, if he remembered correctly, only a grandma and a grandpa live there. There were ways he could use their internet without permission, but he doesn't like the taste of it. Actually, he doesn't like the smell of it… Wait a sec.
Gunwoo opened the closet door slightly and saw smoke. Suddenly, he wasn't in the dorm anymore. Instead, he found himself inside a burning wooden house on the day of gilsa.
...
...
“Gawi, bawi, bo ehseo hana bbagi il!”
Bae Sejin won. Out of several rounds of two handed rock-paper-scissors, Sejin unfortunately defeated all the other Testar members. He’s not in the mood to sing though, so after everyone gave obligatory claps and cheers for the camera, he pushed the wireless mic back away when Lee Sejin tried to hand it to him.
“You do it,” he said to the taller Sejin. Lee Sejin's smile was becoming more fake with every passing minute.
“But you won, hyung~ C’mon, don’t be a kill joy now. Just sing a song!”
He tried to look at their leader but Chungwoo was distracted about something and was talking with some of the staff. The two maknaes looked eagerly at him. Meanwhile, Seon Ahyun had the other mic/controller and was browsing the list of songs on screen. Bae Sejin spotted a song his mom liked, which helped him make a decision. He took the mic from Lee Sejin.
“Fine, I’ll do it. But it’s too high so I’ll lower the key.” He manipulated the settings using the mic he’s holding.
“Aww. That’s cheating, hyung~”
“Shut up.”
The song played and he sang. After some time had passed, the music… no, the machine, started to get weird…
~The moonlight is so beautiful,
I just can't get away~
Why was the lyrics so fast?! Chungwoo signaled for him to continue. Their leader’s face seemed to convey that something was up. Sejin trusted him so he did. It was freaking hard though!
~Let me lie down by your side for a moment~
~A moment, just a moment~
“Wow! I didn’t know this song had a rap part!” Cha Eugene exclaimed. Just a small note, Bae Sejin was not a rapper.
“No, it doesn’t, stupid!” Raebin was pulling his hair, freaking out beside the other maknae. Lee Sejin was doubling over, laughing beside Ahyun, who was looking very confused.
~tu viru viru ra fa~ tu viru viru ra fa~
Then something even weirder happened…
~tu viru viru.. tu viru viru.. tu viru viru.. RA FAAAAAAA~
Bae Sejin’s voice growled towards the end. He kept the mic away from him in reflex. “It’s not me!!! It’s the mic!”
“HEAVY METAL?!”
“Ooh! Rock!”
“Good job! I didn’t know you could growl, Sejin.”
“Like I said it wasn’t—”
POP! P-P-POP, POP!!!
Suddenly, there were crackling sparks and small explosions like a firecracker. Sejin yelled with everyone and jumped back. Someone from the crew loudly asked if that was part of the prank. What prank?! But then the karaoke machine burst into flames and everyone panicked including the staff.
“Sejin! Look for my brother!” Chungwoo ran and broke the glass cabinet of the fire extinguisher.
“What?!” Both Lee Sejin and Bae Sejin responded. Then Bae Sejin remembered how bad Gunwoo looked earlier and said, “On it!” And he ran as their leader tried to put the fire out.
...
...
The compound owned by the Ryu clan for several hundred years had been chaotic and busy for the past few days. Not that he could hear it at the moment, given how loudly T-Holic's music played from his wireless headset – a beloved gift from his mom and dad.
Soon, Gunwoo's grandfather will be proclaimed as the new jongson, and his grandmother as the new jongbu to their ancestors and the rest of the attending Pungsan Ryu clan. Tomorrow, the guests will arrive, and the ritual will commence. Gunwoo's grandfather was busy checking and preparing the venue with the other relatives, while his grandmother prepared ritual food with the other volunteers from the clan.
Gunwoo's mom was supposed to take part in the food preparation. As the daughter-in-law, her duty was to assist his grandma, but both of his parents were too tired. They had just finished a difficult job in the city and then rushed to get here in the village on time. Currently, they were resting in one of the older, usually abandoned buildings, and they instructed Gunwoo to wake them up after a few hours.
Thus, Gunwoo hid in one of the smaller pantries, doing his mom’s part by peeling and chopping up vegetables. He then placed the prepared ingredients in plastic containers and arranged them inside the ice boxes. Gunwoo had to hide because it would be troublesome if anybody found out. His mom might receive criticism from their relatives again.
His mom didn’t get along with the rest of the family after she disagreed with being trained in the jongga decorum and lifestyle. His dad supported his mom’s modern outlook and also refused. After all, this was a dying tradition, coupled with the heavy duty of being the leader of the head family of their clan.
So in the meantime, while his grandparents were still in the process of convincing his mom and dad by simplifying the rituals, Gunwoo was treated as the chajongson. Because of that, Gunwoo spent most of his time with his grandparents, being educated here in the hanok compound, while his parents were away, busy in their careers.
Gunwoo understood how his parents just don't want to stick their nose in other people's business, especially their judgmental and meddlesome relatives. The jongson had to mediate, decide what's best for the clan, and resolve family affairs. The several ancestral rituals throughout the year were a lot of work too, with the additional headache of maintaining the costly heritage site and promoting the relic exhibition. Even though the family receives money from the government to help preserve the jongga tradition and culture, sometimes it doesn't seem enough considering the amount of work and sacrifice they have to put in.
And helping out with the jongga cuisine was technically not a job for a future jongson! Oh well, his mom just had to get it together and act like she was the one who did the preparation. It's good that he had memorized all the recipes given by his grandmother so that he could help his mom out later on too. They just have to get through tomorrow's gilsa, and all will be well.
A lull in the song made him notice the sound of commotion. Loud screams and the smell of something burning that wasn’t food, made him drop the headset and tupperware. Gunwoo nervously rushed outside and saw that one of the buildings was on fire, spreading fast. Worriedly, he realized that the building next to it was where his parents were staying.
In the midst of panic and confusion, Gunwoo managed to run and crawl inside the building, then proceeded towards his parents’ sleeping quarters without being stopped. He yelled for them, but nobody answered. He slid the door open and was greeted by a thick smoke. With visibility impaired, he had to feel around to locate them. Crawling helped, his mom and dad were still sound asleep on their futons. Gunwoo yelled and shook them, but they wouldn't wake up. They must be really tired because they wouldn't wake up.
The building groaned, and he didn't know what to do. It was also getting hard to breathe, so he pulled the covers over his head and curled up between his parents.
...
...
Bae Sejin wasn’t the only one who ran to look for Gunwoo around the dorm, some of the staff and all of Testar did too. Ryu Chungwoo informed them that his little brother wasn’t good with spontaneous fire or smoke. Their leader was worried that whatever stressed out Gunwoo, the smoke might exacerbate it. Unfortunately, so far, they can’t find the child.
Then Chungwoo’s phone rang. Lee Sejin called. Their leader pressed receive, then tapped the button for the speaker.
“I looked through the CCTV. He went inside the closet, down the hall, near the kitchen!”
“Thank you, Sejin!”
The staff left them but the rest of Testar members followed their leader who rushed towards the given destination. When they opened the closet door…
“Goddamit, Gunwoo. Breathe!”
Bae Sejin covered his mouth. Their leader was panickedly shaking Gunwoo who had a glazed look in his eyes and with lips already turning blue.
“H-here!” Ahyun handed a glass filled with ice cubes. “T-the ice might help ground him!”
Chungwoo placed a cube on the palm of Gunwoo’s hand. Bae Sejin didn’t know what to do, he felt so useless at the moment.
Gunwoo blinked slowly but his eyes were still unfocused and was still holding his breath. But the child opened his mouth and muttered in a very soft voice, “Noona, umma and appa won’t wake up.”
“Tsk! Gunwoo, listen to me,” Chungwoo said. “It’s hyung. You’re in Testar’s dorm. You’re not in the hanok house anymore. My sister’s not here anymore.”
“Oh,” Gunwoo replied and the ice cube he was holding fell to the floor. “I’m sorry, noona.” Then the boy started to hyperventilate.
Bae Sejin didn’t know what came over him. His mind was grasping at straws and had grabbed the most random thing floating in his frantic head.
“Pull yourself together, Pochi!” He yelled. Other members murmured their confusion about what he had said.
Gunwoo’s breathing started to even out while blinking rapidly. The boy’s eyes were getting clearer but with furrowed brows, as Gunwoo looked at each of them in visible confusion. Then the child’s eyes found his.
“Hyung, were you an addict?”
“… what?”
Then the boy must have realized what he had said because his shoulders tensed. The child tried to escape by retreating towards the closet and closing the door.
“What the hell, Gunwoo?!” Chungwoo prevented the child though.
...
...
Bae Sejin felt that he needed to explain to clear up any misunderstandings that might have been caused by Gunwoo’s earlier question. He was going to do it after everything settled down. Then changed his mind and decided he would do it after Gunwoo was brought back home. At dinner… Before they go to bed!!!
It was already quarter to twelve and Sejin still couldn't overcome his cowardice.
Overthinking made him thirsty so he slipped out of bed for a glass of water, careful enough not to wake his roommate. But he was surprised to see Ryu Chungwoo still up.
“Are you drinking?” He asked when he spotted the bottle of alcohol.
“Just for tonight.” Then Chungwoo laughed despairingly. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
He joined him at the dining table. “Done what?”
Chungwoo stood up, went towards the fridge and offered him a beer. Sejin didn’t want to drink but decided they needed it for today. Their leader took a swig before answering.
“I reminded him of my younger sister, and Gunwoo felt guilty about being saved by her. She passed away in the hospital due to fourth-degree burns.”
“… oh.” Sejin quietly sipped from his bottle because he didn’t know what to say. Then, he thought that maybe it would be better to shift to another topic. The alcohol brought him a little courage.
“About what your brother said…”
“Oh yeah.” Chungwoo chuckled. “Something to do with your father, right?”
He was stunned. “You know about that already?”
“Not the details, but it was easy to piece together since you recently visited him in prison.” Sejin thought nobody else knew that. “And this is Gunwoo we’re talking about.” Chungwoo sighed. “I knew he was involved in something bad when he lived in the streets before.”
Sejin chewed on his lip. “So you knew that he stopped one of the biggest gangs in Gangnam?”
Chungwoo choked on his beverage. “I’m sorry, what?!”
“Forget I said that.”
Their leader slumped on the table. “Not likely but I’ll ignore it for now.”
“Your brother’s the reason my dad’s in prison.” Sejin took a deep gulp. Chungwoo slowly sat up straight. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful for what he did. But really… what the hell is your brother, Ryu Chungwoo?”
Then the ex-athlete told him with a poker face, “I heard his parents were secret agents.”
He gasped then leaned forward. “Really?”
“That was a joke.”
Sejin looked at Chungwoo’s expression more closely. “Do you believe that?”
“They’re real estate agents, and did house flipping most of the time! Well… I think so.”
“Hah!”
They locked eyes for a brief moment before erupting into spiels of laughter. Sejin opened up another bottle of beer for the both of them.
“Have you ever heard of the Pungsan Ryu clan?” Chungwoo suddenly asked.
“Your family?” His teammate nodded. “Woah. So, you’re an aristocrat? Your clan’s a family of renowned scholars and politicians throughout history!”
Chungwoo hid his blush by drinking beer before he added, “Gunwoo came from a jongga, the head family of the clan.” Sejin stiffened in shock at that. “Well… the head family before the incident happened. He’s the only one left from that household.”
After a few beats of contemplative silence, TeStar’s leader continued. “My family’s acting as the temporary head family, overseeing the reconstruction of the damaged heritage site.”
“Oh, then how come…”
Chungwoo smiled bitterly. “We lost him. After the fire, the clan was distraught. A lot of people died, not just from the head family but other branches as well. We thought Gunwoo died there too… But then my sister who mostly spent her days unconscious in the hospital, woke up for the last time, asking after the child she saved. That’s when we found out Gunwoo was alive.”
A couple of gulps from his drink, Chungwoo continued. “It was too late when we discovered that he was entered in a foster care program, because Gunwoo ran away from his foster parent.”
“Ah… and that’s when he met my dad, I guess.”
“Yeah, probably.”
Sejin tapped his chin. “Does that mean… you’ll be the next jongson then?”
Chungwoo sniffed. “Nah.” Then sighed long and hard after taking a sip. “It’s currently a bit messy in the clan. Although we often visit and take part in the family gatherings, my branch of the family doesn’t really follow the jongga tradition. We’re far too used and comfortable with the modern lifestyle, you know. My mom and dad would refuse to fully abandon the city life, and they don’t believe in shackling their children with ancestral duties.”
Chungwoo stretched his arm wide and yawned. “They plan on making the compound into a tourist attraction, converting some of the quarters into museums and inns. They haven’t finalized on what to do about the ‘tradition’ aspect yet, but my parents were thinking about hiring actors. It would still be educational, but it won’t be authentic anymore. I bet you could imagine how mad the other branches of the family have gotten.”
Sejin finished up his beer and asked, “What does Gunwoo think of that then?”
Chungwoo sighed, looking crestfallen. “Besides telling us to do what we want, he basically becomes unresponsive whenever we asked him about it.”
Testar’s agency ended taking up Gunwoo’s idea on how to get the same model of the karaoke device from someone else. The deal had involved Cha Eugene streaming a co-op game with a gamer who had it. Except for the few instances where the gamer tried in vain to trip him up into revealing juicy gossip, then Cha Eugene making the gamer trip himself up and reveal content creator gossip instead, all went well.
After that, Testar rescheduled a shoot for the prank karaoke skit episode. Because the members already knew about the ‘it’s a feature not a bug’ plan, they invited some older idol groups and pranked them instead. Then afterwards, the episode became a comical singing contest between the groups, where they seriously aimed for a high score despite the distracting ‘features.’
It became a hit and became a great promo for the product. The karaoke company loved it.
...
...
Then, after a few days had passed. That afternoon…
Bae Sejin was waiting alone near a dead cherry blossom tree in an overgrown park. He received a text message the other day, asking for the both of them to meet here. Sejin felt like he was in a horror movie. The only thing missing was the rain and thunder. Finally, the person who messaged him had arrived.
“Bae Sejin hyung.”
“Gunwoo.”
“Did you bring the shovel?”
Sejin changed the genre in his head to a suspense thriller.
“You didn’t say anything about a shovel!”
And with a straight face, Gunwoo said. “I’m kidding, hyung.”
The boy sat down next to him. “I’m sorry it took this long. I didn’t know you were the son he was talking about.”
“My dad?”
“Yeah. When I didn’t give him my name, he reciprocated by using nicknames on himself and everyone else. Well, it was safe in that kind of environment, I guess. But your father used to call you ‘beautiful son.’ It’s a bit cringe and defeated the purpose of a nickname for how long it was.”
Sejin could feel an oncoming headache. “Gunwoo, why are we here?”
The boy tilted his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “To give you your money, of course.”
“WHAT?!” Yeah, Sejin will never talk to his sperm donor again. Freaking ‘beautiful son,’ was that all an act?
He massaged his temples and asked, “You didn’t surrender them all to the police?”
The boy looked confused for a bit. “What are you talking about? Oh, don’t worry this one’s not from illegal means. Well, the capital came from the drugs he sold. But we used that to buy and sell jewelry, paintings, car flipping, etc… So this money is not illegal anymore, hyung.”
Sejin groaned and tried hard not to think about how the kid committed money laundering with his father.
“Goddammit… He’s really a criminal. You shouldn’t have associated with him. He’s a bad person!”
Gunwoo looked at him in thought, then said, “He tried to change and had successfully saved up for his family at that time… But it was hard. I saw how he was starting to return to his old habits. His so called friends persistently pulled him into bars and casinos. They also wanted him to deal drugs again and commit other crimes with them too.”
Then the boy looked far away, remembering the past. “I didn’t want him to lose all the hard work he did. So, I ran away, taking everything with me. Then, I went to the precinct house and pretended to be a lost kid—”
“You were a lost kid. A missing person, actually,” Sejin muttered.
“—and dropped all the evidence to a detective’s desk. Including the notes I’ve gathered about his ‘friends,’ then I left.”
Sejin sighed. He doesn’t know what to think anymore. “And you what… wandered and slept in the streets?”
“I didn’t. I slept in a library.”
“Of course you did.”
The boy stood up. “So… let’s dig it up. It’s getting late, you know.” And Gunwoo pulled out two trowels from his school bag.
“Wait, it’s really buried?!”
...
...
Beside the roots of the tree was a duffel bag. It wasn’t that deep and it only took them a few minutes to dig it up. Honestly, Sejin was surprised nobody else had found and taken it. Inside the bag was bundles of money, a few jewelries, and some ancient looking silver and gold coins.
After the boy had checked that everything was in order, Gunwoo said, “Have a Merry-not-Christmas, hyung. I’m going home.”
“Wait a minute. I can’t accept all of this!”
The boy gave him an exasperated look. “If you don’t want it, then just donate it or something.”
“That’s not what I meant!” Sejin felt like he was committing a crime. He probably was, but his mind was currently blank. “You… share it with me.”
The boy looked so done. Then Gunwoo took one bundle and placed it in his bag “There.”
“That’s not enough.”
Gunwoo straightened up and started to walk away. “Buy me beef sometime.”
...
...
At home, Gunwoo hid the bundle of money at the bottom of Chungwoo hyung’s closet that was full of gifts from fans. He didn’t feel good having it or spending it. If his hyung thought a crazy fan gave him the money, then that’ll be the story.
...
...
Some time had passed and Gunwoo congratulated himself on having successfully befriended his neighbor.
He made some yakgwa, a traditional snack that his family used to serve at the hanok house—which made his guardians excited, and informed Chungwoo hyung on the phone that ‘Gunwoo went inside the kitchen and cooked something once more!’ kind of moment. It was weird. Probably it was connected to the hobby project.
Anyway. The deep-fried honey cookie got him through their neighbor’s door. But what made it possible for him to ask for the WiFi password was when he saw an old family picture on the wall in their living room. It seemed like someone had torn it apart on purpose, then put it back together with scotch tape.
He told the old couple he could fix it up for them. It took him several video tutorials and several trials, but he managed to finish restoring the old photo. He blew it up and printed a nice big version of it so that the grandma and grandpa could see the faces of their children. They cried when they saw it.
...
...
That night, Gunwoo browsed the internet and finally fell asleep while looking through SNS posts about TeStar.