Everyone Had a Plan—Except Him

The root of the issue was Yuseong’s pheromones not being properly regulated.
However, the starting point was Yuseong debuting without revealing he was an Omega.

“You should know too, brother.”
“I’m also doing this out of goodwill.”

Since the situation wasn’t good right now, he was helping obediently.
But truthfully, Hanbyeol wished Yuseong’s lie wouldn’t last long.

Of course, considering the backlash that would come when his concealed dynamic was eventually revealed, it was worrisome.
Who would be happy to see their family get cursed at?

But he couldn’t keep pretending to be a Beta forever.

If it was going to be discovered someday, he wished his brother would tell the truth at an appropriate time.

Then, he sensed movement outside the door.
Hanbyeol, who had turned his head, tightly closed his mouth.

It was break time.
The Cha.N members who had stepped outside the practice room couldn’t come in because of Hanbyeol and Yuseong’s conversation.

They had avoided mentioning key terms in the middle.
But both had lowered their voices just in case someone might catch on.

“If you were planning to use us anyway, then don’t worry about being noticed and just use us.”
“……Choi Hanbyeol.”
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s me or Taeha.”
“We’ll do what we need to do our way.”

Hanbyeol packed his bag.
Cha.N’s schedule for today was ending with this practice session.
As a minor, it was time for Hanbyeol to go home according to the contract terms.

“I’ll call you when I get home.”
“Contact me after practice ends.”

When he opened the door, the four who had been listening intently hurriedly moved away.

‘Hanbyeol-ah, we didn’t hear anything.’
‘We really didn’t hear anything from us!’
‘Yeah, yeah!’
‘Want some snacks?’

Hanbyeol bowed his head, pretending not to know about their act.

****

“You probably didn’t need to argue, right?”
“……What can I do about being angry?”
“I thought I’d get an ulcer.”

At Hanbyeol’s hesitating answer, Taeha smiled.

He had a strange belief.
He believed that even if Hanbyeol became a trainee, his brother would somehow get him out.

However, among the plans Yuseong was pursuing, most weren’t kindly explained to Hanbyeol.
That’s why, this time, he did the opposite and didn’t inform Yuseong of his own plan.
Should I be the only frustrated one?
My brother should feel frustrated too.

Seeing Hanbyeol’s sullen expression, Taeha scratched his cheek and nodded.

“It’s understandable to be angry.”
“Of course you’d be angry if things proceed without explanation.”

The recent trainee rumor incident was like that too.
Hanbyeol deliberately didn’t respond.
But Yuseong was the one who turned it to his advantage.
He naturally framed it as if expecting Hanbyeol to, covering his own situation.

Even setting aside Hanbyeol’s help, the way he pulled everything out like an eel was impressive.
But it left Hanbyeol feeling frustrated inside.

“What’s really infuriating is knowing I’m being used, yet still trusting my brother.”

It wasn’t harmful.
It might feel like a loss immediately, but ultimately, it was a gain.

Take the recent Cha.N members’ controversies, for example.
Hanbyeol lost sleep worrying if something would happen to his brother.
He tried hard to keep his expression as normal as possible.
But Yuseong nonchalantly resolved everything.

As the situation flipped with the evidence and testimony taken as expected, public anticipation for their next album amplified like a rebound.

Any slight remaining discomfort would just become fodder for antis.
The already resolved controversies lost their power as issues.

Since the situation of Hanbyeol becoming famous wasn’t controversial either, Yuseong also got promoted within a frame like ‘handsome idol siblings.’

Anyway, the agency was pushing Yuseong, who debuted as first place on the program.
Even if Cha.N disbanded, they were desperate to keep just Yuseong at the agency.
Since they were trying to somehow grasp the buzz around Hanbyeol’s name this time, they would thoroughly prevent the images of the two from being tarnished.

“Choi Yuseong is my brother, but frankly, he’s a results-oriented person.”
“No matter what happens in the middle, if the result is good, he doesn’t even consider the hardship in between.”
“Whether it’s his own suffering, my suffering, or others’ suffering.”
“I felt that several times when he went on the program to become an idol, and during his activities too.”
“I can’t not know.”

Hanbyeol placed a hand on his forehead as if tired.

“……I sometimes have this absurd thought.”
“That maybe he planned even this—getting sick and making me meet the members.”

It was little more than nonsense.

He confirmed Yuseong was sick by going to the hospital together.
Since you can’t get medication just because you want to, it was certain.
Yet he couldn’t shake a feeling that something was off.

“Why do you think that?”
“Think about it.”
“If your older brother, who sings, is a top-tier idol, and you build connections with people who have power even for solo activities, could there be any harm for a rookie composer?”

It felt almost too deliberate, as if preparing Hanbyeol for adulthood.
It was so complex, figuring out what picture he was painting felt like navigating a maze.

Many people hide their pain even if they’re suffering.
Whether most people dreaming of the entertainment industry naturally develop such personalities, even Taeha, who hadn’t debuted but had trainee experience, was careful with his words.

Yuseong also tended to hide his pain.
Hanbyeol remembered Yuseong in his third year of middle school, going to school even while burning up with fever.

But this time, surprisingly, Yuseong told Hanbyeol early.
Using the reason that he didn’t want to reveal he was an Omega, he pulled Hanbyeol in to ask for help.

But controversies about an Omega idol are one thing.
Since Yuseong has already established his position, couldn’t it pass without major backlash?
“Ah, that’s not it.”
“No?”
“Anyway, lying is lying, so from a fan’s perspective, the backlash would be big.”
“Ah…”

People strangely demand perfection from celebrities.
Even if it was unavoidable, they feel betrayed by the mere thought of being deceived.

“I’m just angry, so all sorts of thoughts are spreading.”
“Conspiracy theories usually start from strange feelings.”
“…….”
“The conspiracy theory that my brother has been laying the groundwork for what you need to do since childhood.”

What Hanbyeol vented out of frustration was ultimately a conspiracy theory about Yuseong.
Feeling newly impressed by Taeha, who was listening to all this far-fetched talk, Hanbyeol felt awkward.

“……Right.”
“No matter how much of a genius Choi Yuseong is, preparing for the future since high school?”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“Exactly.”
“Then doesn’t Yuseong hyung seem too much like a web novel protagonist?”
“Good at studying, smart, and debuting as first place on an idol program.”
“Pfft—.”
“What is that.”
“You read web novels too?”

Hanbyeol chuckled at Taeha’s following words.

“Some hyungs I prepared for debut with before recommended a few, so I read them.”
“I see…”
“But, are you really okay with helping me?”
“I don’t mind selling my face either.”
“But still…”

The one who jumped in to help Hanbyeol without telling Yuseong was Taeha.

His preliminary CSAT score was perfect.
As long as there were no marking errors on the answer sheet, he could apply to any university he wanted.
So early dismissal for preparing his desired university was naturally permitted.

Wait, come to think of it, isn’t this guy also a web novel protagonist type?
Hanbyeol stared intently at Taeha, then nodded.

“Taeha, do you still want to be an idol?”
“Hmm…”

Taeha, who had been making a thoughtful sound, laughed.
“Why do you look more nervous?”
“Because I think it might get complicated.”
“If we slip up, your position could become weird.”
“It’s fine.”

Taeha planned to occasionally show his face alongside Hanbyeol.
He was essentially being packaged as a set.

The plan was to double the buzz already drawn by Hanbyeol’s presence by adding Taeha.
This was to disrupt the agency’s already finalized debut lineup.

He hadn’t originally planned to take such action.
What did the debut lineup do wrong…?
But Taeha’s expression hardened after seeing the faces of the debut lineup who recently performed as backup dancers for Cha.N.
His thoughts changed.

‘……So, the reason your debut fell through in the first place was because of those people?’

Taeha kept his mouth shut.
But under Hanbyeol’s continued questioning, he finally raised both hands in surrender.

At the time, Taeha was on the verge of debut.
But suddenly, his debut was canceled.
Hanbyeol hadn’t been able to ask.
But he couldn’t understand, so he had clicked his tongue.

Trainees can’t freely move companies.
However, there were cases of being traded to other companies under the name of being released.

The details of the higher-ups’ dealings were unknown.
But at the time, the trainees made a deal with StarV first.
Then StarV terminated the contracts between the trainees and the small agency.

Anyone looking for a better path—that’s something that can happen.
To put it nicely, you could say they seized an opportunity.

But what made Hanbyeol angry was that these people crossed the line—way too far.

Since his trainee life started at 13, Taeha was actually the most senior-like person.
He entered as the youngest and eventually became the senior.
But Taeha never did anything like ‘seniority-based hazing.’

Ji Taeha
Yes.
I will go to practice after school ends.
I’ll make sure not to be late.

Hanbyeol had lost his mind hearing that a middle school second-year student had to use honorifics to a ‘senior’ who was at most two months older, another same-age friend.

Conversely, with the outdated logic that even if younger, you had to follow the order of joining, Hanbyeol listening felt like he would develop a neurosis.

There were countless trainees who left due to such hierarchical bullying.
It must have been hard, but Taeha endured calmly.
He eradicated those bad practices so the trainees who joined after him wouldn’t have to go through them.

Fortunately, he heard that the trainees who joined after Taeha became the senior could debut… but that end was betrayal.

‘So, they left without you?’
‘Uh… Yeah…’

The person who had been a shield in front was left alone.
Six out of the seven planned for the group left all at once.
Without a single discussion with Taeha, who had heard such stories, they only talked amongst themselves and left Taeha behind.