The Light in the Dark

After a long psychological war with the rhinoceros beetle, Jae-in finally dashed into the garden and managed to pick the lettuce. Following his wish, they boiled bossam (pork wraps) using the heavy cauldron lid, and with the addition of freshly made geotjeori (unfermented kimchi), a bountiful table was set.

Of course, they called it a collaboration, but Ji-ho did most of the cooking.

“Hyung, I’ll do all the dishes. Don’t I have a great conscience?”

Jae-in turned the kitchen into a water park while washing up, but when he acted all cute and “charming” to hide his embarrassment—claiming he deeply respected Hyung’s housekeeping skills—Ji-ho couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

By the time they finished their hearty meal, the sun had already set. The two washed up early and lay side-by-side on the wooden veranda while the room heated up.

It was a romantic routine they had naturally repeated over the last four days: stargazing.

“Honestly, cooking for myself is a hassle and it tastes worse than I expected, but the night sky here is just like what you see on TV. It feels like the stars are even clearer today, don’t you think?”

Jae-in was right. A countryside night was darker and quieter than the city, giving it a slightly eerie edge, but conversely, the sky full of star clusters and the rhythmic chirping of insects created a deeply emotional atmosphere.

Perhaps already drunk on that sentiment, Jae-in chattered away, and Ji-ho followed his lead.

“They say if the stars look low, it’ll rain the next day. Maybe that’s why. I can feel the moisture in the air.”

“You really know everything, Hyung. Oh! Then does your left leg ache or something? People say their knees hurt before it rains.”

Ji-ho chuckled as Jae-in rolled onto his side and started making a fuss. It was partly because Jae-in’s words were funny, but mostly because he could clearly read the hesitation in Jae-in, who had waited until now to ask about his leg.

“The person whose joints ache when it rains is Bok-gu’s grandmother over there. Mine was a fracture, so I’m fine. Why are you asking so cautiously when you already heard about my psychiatric consultations?”

“Just… just in case. The reason you went on hiatus could have been because of your leg. Like, the doctor saying, ‘You can no longer dance! K-boom!’”

“Haha, it’s nothing like that. They said pain can occur if I overdo it, but it doesn’t make activities impossible. They did say I might need another surgery to remove the metal pins later, though.”

“Metal pins? Hold on. I’m going to search this. You’re the type to hide it even if you had an incurable disease, so I have to check for sure.”

“…What exactly is ‘that type’?”

Even as Ji-ho muttered in disbelief, Jae-in became dead serious, grabbing his phone to search for keywords like “leg surgery.” Soon after, Ji-ho teased him, saying, “You said you were on my side, but you’re already betraying me? You trust the internet more than me, Yoon Jae-in?” and Jae-in rolled around on the veranda, insisting this was different.

“Oh, Hyung, look at this! A post just went up on the community I follow!”

It was after they had been giggling for a while that Jae-in, who had been lounging lazily under the guise of stargazing, suddenly sat up and shoved his phone in Ji-ho’s face.

[Entertainment] Evidence included) I don’t think Enheim’s Jay is the owner of the leaked private account.

Did you see the update on Enheim’s official account?

It’s surprising the agency lets them play so freely in their 2nd year.

(Photo of a member playing with a pet) (Photo of a member studying) (Photo of a member with family)

Do you see behind Jay’s photo? It’s Pentagram’s Ji-ho.

(A photo where Ji-ho is seen small in the background behind Jae-in, who is grilling pork on a cauldron lid.)

The private account owner cursed Ji-ho severely.

Logically, if that were Jay, wouldn’t it be weird for Ji-ho to still be close with him?

He’s even on hiatus, but he did a livestream with him.

Also, here’s a video a MeTuber posted yesterday.

(Thumbnail reading: ‘Idol in personality controversy, voice analysis results!’)

They ran the video through an AI program.

The result says the voice in the leaked SNS video is significantly different from Jay’s.

Honestly, looking at this, Enheim’s Jay seems wrongly accused. Let’s stop hating.

Recommendation: 32

I think so too, it feels like he was framed ㅠㅠ

└ Enheim members are playing so wholesomely during their off-period.

└ Seems like Lamin gets along well with his family ^^

…

What is this artificial smell?

└ Glad I’m not the only one who felt it lol

└ Just make an official announcement; this is pathetic.

└ Did you see that MeTuber’s pinned comment? He’s swearing he didn’t get money from Enheim’s agency.

└ A new concept of viral marketing that even caught the ‘wreckers’ off guard.

└ This is hilarious LMAO

…

Anyway, the conclusion is that it’s not Jay.

└ We don’t know for sure yet.

└ What do you mean? All the evidence that ‘private account owner = Jay’ was a lie.

└ Believing a test result run by an individual rather than an institution is a bit…

└ Ji-ho briefly appeared in Jay’s livestream the other day, was that a delusion too?

…

Seeing that Ji-ho helped him out even when he should be laying low, they must still be close.

└ I’m a ‘Floor,’ and I don’t like Ji-ho getting involved. Why play with a kid with a scandal, Jay?

└ As if you’re a Floor lol

└ Why is Ji-ho suddenly showing his face? Is he returning already? Oh, please just keep the 4-member activities ㅠ

…

Then who is the real owner of the account?

└ Moving on to other idols now, grab the popcorn.

└ Why leave out the overlapping location photos? If it’s not Jay, it’s probably another Enheim member.

└ Let’s just stop. Hacking is illegal, guys.

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

Ji-ho sat up with Jae-in and read the community post filling the phone screen. He saw Jae-in’s face right beside it. His complexion was much brighter than when he was full of ambition to do everything he wanted in the country.

“It actually worked. People are starting to believe… that I was wronged!”

Ji-ho’s mood naturally improved as well.

“That’s great. Really, truly great.”

But Jae-in’s joy over the positive comments was short-lived. He soon seemed to fall into a different worry and plopped back down on the veranda.

“I’m happy the photos and the livestream with you worked, but the thought of going back… I kind of hate it.”

“Why? You’ll probably get schedules soon, and you have to start preparing for the next album.”

Whether that post was made by Enheim’s agency or a fan, it was certain that the ‘Floors’ would spread it everywhere. While rumors about celebrities always take longer to be cleared than they do to start, it would quickly have an effect in the fast-paced broadcasting industry.

‘Would things have been different if I had actively explained myself in the beginning?’

The thought flickered through his mind, but Ji-ho quickly brushed it off. He felt that such a thought was almost like being jealous of Jae-in’s success.

Ji-ho simply listened to Jae-in’s lamentation.

“Just… staying with you is fun and… I fought a lot to come down here. I feel like the company is going to scold me like crazy when I go back.”

“You found a way and solved the problem, so you should be praised.”

“It’s not that… um, I didn’t say anything because talking bad about my members feels wrong, but the real owner of that private account is actually Lee Ra-min.”

“What? Ra-min?”

Ji-ho had already confirmed what kind of content was on that account because Jae-in had shown it to him. Although the insults directed at Ji-ho were partially hidden, the content alone was enough to make one question the uploader’s character—enough to surprise even Ji-ho, who knew Enheim’s personalities were different from their public image.

“Later, I’m going to grab that bastard by the collar and make him apologize to… ahem, anyway, the kids in our group are totally fake. They use insults about parents, badmouth fans behind their backs, and one of them is even dating while still in middle school. With a senior idol, even!”

What was even more shocking was Jae-in’s story, which came pouring out like an open dam.

“I told you our group members were all ‘CEO picks.’ They were like that as trainees, but the CEO liked them, so he only gave them warnings. What’s the point of taking their phones and controlling them? They have zero professional mindset. And whenever they get caught, I’m the one who gets scolded as the leader for not managing the younger ones. Hyung, do you know? Groups that debut these days don’t really have the ‘leader’ concept anymore.”

“True. They hardly set positions like that lately.”

Perhaps because Ji-ho was giving him the right reactions, Jae-in poured out the resentment he had suppressed, making his first-day revelations seem like mere surface-level talk.

“The thing that made me the most resentful was that the agency believed Lee Ra-min over me. The way Ra-min shamelessly lied, saying it wasn’t his account. It’s clearly his voice in the video; I don’t get why everyone can’t tell. But they said if I told the truth, it would be a nuisance to the team.”

Listening to Jae-in’s endless stream of words, Ji-ho closed his mouth before he could respond. He remembered Jae-in saying he thought of Ji-ho every time he was unfairly criticized. He remembered the sense of kinship he had felt toward Jae-in.

‘A nuisance…’

He remembered the bitterness he felt at dawn in the hospital’s rooftop garden. In the moment he felt so small and worthless that he finally decided to go on hiatus, he too had repeated that word to himself.

While Ji-ho was lost in a strange emotion, Jae-in managed to calm his resentment. He looked relieved after confessing the true nature of the Enheim members—something he couldn’t even tell Jun-o, whom he had trusted completely at the time.

The question that followed, however, was tinged with hesitation.

“I hate it so much, but it’s annoying that I have to go back. It’s a bit horrific that I’ll keep promoting in the same team as them. Ugh, I’ve only been talking about myself. So, Hyung, why did you say you’d take a break? You said it’s not your leg. Was it really because of those false rumors back then?”

“……”

“You are returning, right?”

Of all the sensitive questions the blunt Jae-in had thrown his way, this was the most painful. Ji-ho couldn’t easily open his mouth.

Instead of answering, Ji-ho reached out and lightly flicked Jae-in’s forehead. A smack sounded against the forehead that was exposed by his bleached hair being pinned back.

“Wh-What was that, Hyung?!”

“I caught a mosquito.”

“There are so many mountain bugs flying around here, why a mosquito all of a sudden? Look, I didn’t ask that to start some ‘misery battle.’ I’m just worried that you won’t return.”

“What kind of word is ‘misery battle’? Hmm, why were you worried I wouldn’t return?”

“Even if I try to ignore it, it’s weird. You cut off contact with the Pentagram Hyungs, and you’re sitting out the first studio album that’s coming out soon.”

Ji-ho’s mood sank at the realization that his situation looked bizarre even to others. It couldn’t be good to be reminded of the reality he had tried so hard not to think about.

However, the night air under the falling stars had a way of making people honest. Even more so when a person who had already poured their heart out was by your side.

“I don’t know. Whether I’ll be able to return.”

Perhaps he just couldn’t hold it in any longer.