Radio Mayhem and Unexpected Plans

Since it was a radio show at the same broadcasting station as the music program, there was no need for separate travel. All the members, except Han Doyoung and me, had already returned to the dorm. It was only natural; waiting around to travel together would mean hours of delay, and Yoon Jihyuk and Choi Seung-beom had a magazine shoot the next day, requiring them to get some rest early.

I found myself trailing behind Han Doyoung, who marched ahead without hesitation, only to realize I was already seated inside the booth with the DJ. Perhaps because it was a ‘visible radio’ broadcast, Han Doyoung was meticulously adjusting his slightly disheveled hair, holding a small, black, princess-style hand mirror that looked like a promotional giveaway.

A pleasant nervousness, born from the unfamiliar surroundings, tickled my insides. Lee Heeyeon, the DJ who was also a former idol and now an actress, spoke to us warmly before the broadcast, seemingly trying to ease the tension for us rookies.

“This is your first time on radio with just the two of you, isn’t it? Aren’t you nervous?”

Deciding to be her conversational partner instead of Han Doyoung, who was still fixated on his hair despite his efforts to tame it, I responded.

“I’m a little nervous. Though Doyoung seems like someone who doesn’t even know the meaning of the word ‘nervousness.'”

As I spoke with a shy smile, she burst into laughter, as if my words were incredibly amusing, despite being nothing particularly special. Her tapping on the desk in agreement made me feel quite good.

“Doyoung, you look perfectly fine right now. What’s bothering you so much that you keep fussing over it?”

“I think he’s just really enamored with himself.”

Han Doyoung raised an eyebrow and shot me a glare.

“I can hear you, you know?”

‘Of course, he can. His ears aren’t plugged.’ I simply shrugged, offering no reply, then leaned towards Lee Heeyeon and whispered conspiratorially.

“I think he’s a bit of an attention-seeker.”

She nodded vigorously in agreement.

Engaging in conversation within the now relaxed atmosphere, the broadcast start time arrived in no time. We each put on our headsets and adjusted our postures. Naturally, Han Doyoung’s carefully styled hair, which he had worked so hard on, was flattened by the headset. ‘Why had he put in so much effort, anyway?’

“Welcome to the second segment of Lee Heeyeon’s Dream Radio, where we have some very special guests! It seems there isn’t a single place these days that isn’t looking for these guys, right? The hottest of the hot trends: Doyoung and Yohan from HEX!”

After we bowed towards the camera, she continued.

“I heard you just came straight here after winning first place on today’s music show. How do you feel about that?”

While it was true we had won first place, the memory of that moment was already fading, overshadowed by my preoccupation with Yoon Jihyuk’s strange demeanor. Han Doyoung answered on my behalf, as I merely offered a vague, empty laugh.

“We’re absolutely thrilled.”

Han Doyoung said this with a wry smile, an expression like that of a gloating child.

“Ah, that’s right. Now that I think about it, all the HEX members are adults, aren’t they? So on a day like today, you’ll probably go back to the dorm and have a celebratory drink or two.”

“We decided that rather than taking sips, we’d drink ourselves to death during our off-season.”

‘…What is he even saying right now?’

Considering Kwon Yohan’s health, it seemed unlikely he’d enjoy drinking, and it wasn’t a good topic for young, newly debuted rookies to delve into, so I had kept my mouth shut. Yet, Han Doyoung casually blurted out words that were dangerously close to being out of line.

Beyond the booth, our manager, looking utterly pale, was frantically crossing his arms to form an ‘X’. However, it was Lee Heeyeon who reacted to his desperate gestures, not Han Doyoung.

“When you came in earlier, Doyoung, well, you’re one thing, but Yohan, you look so incredibly young. I would’ve believed you were fifteen! Even though I’d clearly seen your profile, I still thought, ‘Huh?’ You must hear that a lot, right?”

“It’s certainly not something I hear infrequently….”

As I mumbled, feigning shyness, Lee Heeyeon smiled contentedly.

“Since Yohan is twenty now, does that mean he joins in on drinking sessions? Somehow, I can’t quite imagine it.”

“He doesn’t drink. What was it you said? An alcohol allergy? He drinks cider even at company dinners.”

Lee Heeyeon’s eyes glittered like an animal that had spotted its prey.

“Yes, Yohan possesses a charm that is as effervescent and sweet as cider.”

Although it was a rather forced transition, simply moving the topic away from alcohol felt like a significant gain.

“Following your debut single, you’re continuing with a fatal and intense concept this time as well. Your title track, ‘Paranoia,’ also has a heavy and sexy vibe. Have there been any difficulties or challenges performing on stage?”

“Since our members are naturally quite physical, I think we’ve had many moments of physical exhaustion. As for the concept… I believe we’re handling it quite well, don’t you think?”

“Oh, absolutely! I happened to watch your performance live today, and with Yohan there, a touch of sophistication was added, truly bringing the atmosphere to life!”

Han Doyoung nodded, a look of satisfaction on his face. ‘It seemed that being called ‘like a young master’ earlier had indeed been a compliment.’

“Still, I wish we could do a refreshing and cute title track that I could really pull off at least once. As rookies, don’t we have to wear sailor collars and shorts at least once?”

“Yohan, you really get it! How about a comeback like that in the summer?”

“Wow… So we’d be making comebacks every season?”

“As rookies, you show that kind of ambition. Later on, it gets too hard to do that.”

Although nothing said in this moment would actually come to fruition, Lee Heeyeon and I, caught up in the spirited conversation, virtually decided on a song vibe and album concept fitting for a summer track.

Meanwhile, Han Doyoung, whose chatter had suddenly ceased, was now covering his mouth with one hand, his face deathly pale.

I poked him in the side with my elbow and asked.

“What’s wrong?”

Han Doyoung’s response was a pained squeeze of words.

“I just imagined Choi Seung-beom in a sailor uniform with shorts… I’m going to throw up.”

A suffocating silence ensued.

The manager, pressing a hand to his forehead, slowly slid down the wall he had been leaning against. Watching him slump to the floor with a look of utter despair, I suddenly snapped back to reality. ‘A silence during a live broadcast was practically a broadcasting accident.’

“Do you think you’d look good in it, then? Worrying so much about someone else.”

When I teased him with the question, Han Doyoung habitually fiddled with his piercing as he replied.

“What wouldn’t suit me?”

His confidence was astounding. Lee Heeyeon, as if remembering her duties as a host in that brief moment, spoke playfully, her composure returning.

“It seems the rumors are true; you members really are as close as friends. Still, wouldn’t Seung-beom be a little disappointed if he heard that? Surprisingly, I think he might actually pull it off.”

‘Ms. Heeyeon, you just said ‘surprisingly’…’

“He probably wouldn’t care, you know? We even talked about this during the album concept meeting. We decided to go for a ‘refreshing, but without the fizz’ kind of vibe. If we were going to do something overwhelmingly cute, he’d have to form a unit with me and Lee Seon.”

“So, can we assume that unit activities are also being positively considered? The fans listening in would surely love that!”

“Ah, about that.”

Han Doyoung lifted his gaze to look towards the manager. Once again, the manager was diligently making an ‘X’ with his arms.

“He says it’s confidential.”

‘This is driving me crazy.’ Lee Heeyeon, having grasped the unfolding situation, seemed to be experiencing a kind of wonder, as if observing a wild animal. Letting out a hollow laugh and vaguely ending the conversation, she took the drastic measure she could in that moment.

“As a longtime fan, I suppose we ended up chatting for a bit too long among ourselves. Thanks to both of you joining us, we’ve accumulated this many messages from our listeners. Shall we start reading them now? Yohan, you can go first.”

Before she finished speaking, messages began to scroll across the monitor.

****

Fortunately, the precarious radio broadcast concluded without any major mishaps. In the car on the way back, Han Doyoung, after enduring a lengthy scolding from the manager, was pouting and staring out the window.

It was a good thing that the messages sent by fans or existing listeners interested in HEX had undergone at least a brief review before appearing on the monitor in front of us. Imagining what would have happened if we’d been sitting in a press conference room instead of a broadcast booth made my head spin.

‘He really needs to fix his habit of just blurting out anything before he accumulates more years in the industry.’ I found myself constantly looking at Han Doyoung with a worried gaze, as if he were a child left unattended by the water’s edge.

“Yohan, you don’t have anywhere else to go tomorrow, do you?”

At that moment, the manager, who was driving, spoke to me in a rather friendly tone.

“Pardon?”

“Maknae suddenly said he’s quitting today. Lee Seon also said he’s going to the dermatologist, and if you also need to go somewhere separately, we’ll be short on drivers. I just wanted to tell the office if you had somewhere to be.”

He was implying that if necessary, they would assign a higher-ranking manager from the office instead of our usual road manager. ‘Did that mean Kwon Yohan had the day off tomorrow?’

“…I do plan to go out, but you don’t need to drive me.”

Whether it was the hospital or my home, I intended to visit if I had the chance. What if, by some miracle, I encountered my unconscious body, and everything returned to normal? Taking over Kwon Yohan’s body was an unexplainable supernatural phenomenon to begin with, so anything was possible.

“Oh, really? Alright.” The manager replied nonchalantly, but Han Doyoung stared at me, lost in thought.

“Aren’t you resting?”

Then he asked a question, abruptly cutting off any context. When I simply met his gaze, Han Doyoung finally spoke properly.

“For someone who said they’re low on stamina, you seem to be running around quite a bit. Where are you always off to by yourself?”

Kwon Yohan probably often left the dorm to go home or to the hospital. His limited social circle was evident just by looking at his phonebook or SNS. He knew very few people and wasn’t one to actively cultivate friendships. Among countless messages that ended in terse replies, it was difficult to find anyone he might call a friend.

Just dry messages, exchanging only what was necessary. Scattered between them were occasional, transparent attempts by people trying to get close. Fortunately, Kwon Yohan wasn’t entirely naive; he sharply cut off those who were clearly after money or other benefits.

Still, he was somehow included in the members’ group chat. Seeing that casual conversations occasionally occurred, it didn’t seem like they had created a separate chat without Kwon Yohan.

“Don’t go anywhere. Come to the practice room with me. I’ll watch your dancing.”

His sharp demeanor from the first day was gone; Han Doyoung spoke in a much softer, almost pleading tone. After a moment of thought, I replied.

“I’ll go if my errand finishes quickly.”

He clicked his tongue in disappointment and shifted his gaze back to the window.

“Do whatever you want.”

The irritation in his words sharpened the air.