New Roots

A little over a month had passed since Ji-ho returned to his hometown.

His left leg was finally free from the heavy plaster cast, now wrapped only in a thin splint and bandages. He no longer needed to carry both crutches everywhere. The weight he had lost during his hospital stay was quickly regained, thanks to the residents who, much like when he was a child, were anxious to feed him anything and everything they could.

‘At this rate, managing my weight is going to be difficult.’

Even though it was a rest period and he could lose weight quickly if he put his mind to it, Ji-ho didn’t let his guard down. He felt a sense of worry about his current lifestyle, which bordered on idleness.

Seeing as he still woke up before the break of dawn—unable to break his habits from active promotion—it seemed Ji-ho was naturally far removed from the concept of leisure.

In that sense, Ji-ho went looking for work that would allow him to move his relatively freer body. In a rural village where a dwindling population was the main issue, finding work was not difficult.

“These days, kids are all about slacking off, but you’re a strange one. It’s good for me if you help out, though. Tomorrow, I have to spray pesticide across all the rice paddies. Mr. Kim brought a mower, but it’s barely working… I’m desperate for an extra hand.”

“The whole village at once? Of course. Just tell me what to do. I’ll help with whatever I can.”

Ji-ho stepped forward to help the Foreman with a willing heart.

Living here, he had learned about the village’s various circumstances. He learned that the Foreman, who took the position simply because he was the youngest, had done a great deal for the disappearing village.

He had compressed the scale of the village by moving the Community Center to prevent it from becoming a ghost town as houses emptied. He had also allied with other villages to elevate their small-scale farming into a large-scale business entity.

Through it all, the Foreman always made sure no household was marginalized. When labor was needed during the busy farming season, every resident rolling up their sleeves was part of that effort. By turning farming into a community-wide task, he eased the burden on households that struggled to maintain their paddies alone.

Helping out of a genuine heart for neighbors without receiving pay was clear proof that the warmth of the countryside still remained. Thus, Ji-ho found helping the Foreman very rewarding.

Of course, Ji-ho, whose leg was still uncomfortable, was not put to hard labor. Even so, there were many things he could do—especially given his personality of actively seeking out tasks.

For example—

Spraying pesticides wasn’t just about using a machine. To prevent the strong chemicals from hitting the rice stalks that had already grown to waist height, humans had to be deployed instead of machines.

This naturally led to the hiring of foreign workers.

“…pump until you feel the pressure. Then… simply give it a spray over the weeds. Bob’s your uncle.”

“Oh, I see.”

At Ji-ho’s words, two large foreign men nodded. The Foreman, standing nearby, finally let out a sigh of relief. The grumble that followed was a lament he let out unconsciously.

“The county office told me to use foreign kids, so I brought them here, but we don’t know any foreign tongues. The kids last time followed along well just by watching me…”

“I didn’t ask in detail, but since they know nothing about farming, I don’t think they understand why the weeds need to be removed. It seems they haven’t been in the country for very long, either.”

“No wonder we managed to get such sturdy-looking lads for once. It’s because they don’t have a head for the work. Still, it’s a relief you’re here, Ji-ho. Sending my daughter to an English academy in town was a total waste, tsk.”

The Foreman chided his daughter, who had run away because she was hopeless at practical conversation. Ji-ho made an excuse for her, saying that academies for entrance exams mostly taught grammar rather than speaking.

Of course, Ji-ho’s English wasn’t at a level where he could converse fluently, either. Had he not skipped high school due to his early career choice and family circumstances? There was no way the struggling Star Ent, which had cut all other trainees to run only the Pentagram debut team, would have provided foreign language lessons.

The only reason he could step up like this was thanks to the basic foreign language education he had received when he was a trainee at D&T.

“I’ll look for a simple translator app that you can use, Foreman.”

“If I knew how to use an ‘app’ or whatever, I wouldn’t be in this mess. I heard that if you press the wrong thing on phones these days, you get scammed, so I’m a bit wary.”

Ji-ho let out a small laugh at the Foreman, who could handle massive farm machinery capable of crushing people but was wary of a palm-sized phone.

Suddenly, a thought popped into a corner of Ji-ho’s mind.

‘Our group will be doing overseas activities soon, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to study foreign languages in advance.’

Though they were physically distant and it had been a long time since he’d contacted the members, Ji-ho still found himself thinking of Pentagram in various parts of his daily life.

However, these thoughts didn’t last long.

“No! That’s poison! I told you not to rub it! Ji-ho, talk to them again!”

“Ah, no! Keep it away from your skin and eyes!”

After finishing his clumsy interpretation, Ji-ho hopped toward the gathering residents, using one crutch as a support.

Even if pesticides were sprayed, the weeds rooted between the rice stalks had to be pulled out by hand with a sickle. That was the task for the remaining residents who couldn’t carry the heavy sprayers on their backs.

Ji-ho watched them with a worried gaze as they bent their backs, dripping with sweat. He occasionally sang songs to act as a “labor song” or helped prepare the mid-day snacks, but he kept looking for other ways he could take care of them.

‘If only my leg had healed faster, I could have helped too.’

Ji-ho, who had tried to jump in saying he could do it even with one leg and got a major scolding from Bok-gu’s grandmother, looked at the fields with regret. Among them, he spotted the shop lady, whose skin had turned red despite her brimmed hat.

He remembered that the elder, who insisted she was no longer an “Ajumma,” had been paying more attention to her appearance lately after dyeing her gray hair. An idea suddenly occurred to him.

Ji-ho hopped onto Foreman’s tractor as it headed to the warehouse for more pesticide and went back to his house. When he returned, he was clutching several cute cosmetic products that seemed out of place with farm work.

It was sunscreen.

“Aigo, why would we need something like sunscreen? If our old, wrinkled skin tans, we just let it tan.”

“They say just blocking UV rays with sunscreen helps reduce wrinkles. And it’s not just for beauty; it’s good for your skin’s health too. I have plenty, so please use it generously. You’re not going to scold me for a man carrying around cosmetics, are you?”

Since Ji-ho, who was always mature for his age, even resorted to whining as he made the request, the residents complained it was a hassle but still applied thick layers of the sunscreen he handed them.

“Oh my, look at how good this smells. I guess it’s true that kids these days consider this a necessity.”

“I’m living the high life. Mr. Kim, you put some on too. They say men take care of themselves these days, so the bachelor should use it first.”

“Is it because you take care of yourself like this that your skin is so good, Ji-ho? How are you even fairer than me, and I get skin massages in town all the time? Come here. Let’s apply one more layer. We have to protect that good skin.”

“That’s right, Ji-ho, you go wait in the shade over there instead of the hot sun. That fair skin might burn. Take this, too.”

“Huh? I’m fine…”

Originally, Ji-ho was the one worrying about the residents’ skin, but now it had completely flipped.

He was handed a sun cap, arm sleeves, and even a parasol that someone had brought from goodness knows where. Ji-ho took them with a complicated expression.

Strangely, in this village, if you offered a single kindness, it came back to you doubled. And before he knew it, he seemed to have been tamed into being unable to refuse such kindness.

That evening, a small feast was held at the Community Center.

Even though Ji-ho hadn’t actually helped with much because of his unhealed leg, the residents praised the young man’s diligence, saying no one was more hardworking than him.

The topic of conversation continued to be Ji-ho. How he spoke English as well as a foreigner, how he sang trot without a karaoke machine and sounded like a master, how Ji-ho’s hands were so skillful that the snack he made was so sweet, how his skin—which hadn’t tanned at all under the scorching sun—was as smooth as a baby’s, and so on.

It reached a point where Ji-ho, unable to listen anymore, escaped into the Center with a red face.

“Everyone is so full of affection that they see me in such a positive light.”

Listening to the chattering in the yard, Ji-ho approached the side table where the phone was placed. Whether it was because of his upbeat mood or the fact that he hadn’t spoken to Yong-ha lately, he was curious about how things were in Seoul.

The call connected quickly.

“The weather here is so hot—how is it in Seoul? Air conditioning sickness? I guess that makes sense. Everywhere you go, the AC must be on full blast. Oh, by the way, Hyung. I had a thought today; don’t you think we should start studying foreign languages soon? I’m planning to go to town and buy some books to learn English or Japanese while I’m resting…”

[Ji-ho, uh… sorry. I have to head back into the company.]

“At this hour?”

[That’s just how it turned out. Something blew up regarding the songs.]

“An issue? Didn’t you say last week that the title track turned out well?”

[I’ll tell you later. I’ll call you first when I have a moment.]

“Ah, alright. Get going then, Hyung.”

The call cut off abruptly as soon as Ji-ho finished speaking. He scratched his cheek as he set down the receiver.

In the warm countryside, he had neither the time nor the intention to have negative thoughts, but lately, seeing Yong-ha’s attitude of trying to hide group-related matters from him, he naturally began to guess in a bad direction.

‘Is he hiding problems because he’s worried I’ll worry? Or…’

Was he burdened by Ji-ho’s involvement in group affairs?

At that moment, Ji-ho felt a powerful need for something. It was one thing he had suspected but hadn’t dared to look at deeply until now.

A matter for the future that he could calmly contemplate because he was in his hometown, where he could recover his body and mind.

‘A way for me to remain an idol, even if I’m not in Pentagram.’

For the first time, Ji-ho allowed himself to think of that.

***********************************************************

Inside the dorm where the Pentagram members lived, the period of seclusion due to the controversy was clearly over. They should have been busy practicing for the full album, but strangely, the four of them were waiting around in the small apartment.

“Ah, this is boring. Go-hun Hyung, was preparing an album always this annoying?”

Go-hun glanced briefly at Ha-un, who was sprawled out on a mattress, but didn’t give an answer. He simply focused on the game on his phone, which looked tiny in his large hands.

“Why aren’t you answering me, Hyung?”

Ha-un grumbled and pushed Go-hun’s shoulder as he lay nearby. Even though Ha-un, who was of a similar size, pushed him, Go-hun surprisingly didn’t budge. But there was no way the youngest—who was a specialist in whining—would stay quiet after being ignored.

“Stop gaming and let’s talk. How long are you going to stay shut up like that? Hmm? Hyung, Go-hun Hyung. Hyuuuung!”

In the end, Ha-un succeeded in making Go-hun set down his phone. Though, he had to take responsibility for poking the nose of a sleeping bear.