Triggers

The words that spilled from Noah’s mouth were laced with sharp irritation.

“Didn’t you hear that the commute times must be strictly followed when you signed the contract with our agency?”

“Well… that’s true, but dear, since you mentioned it—I know you’re all idols or celebrities, but couldn’t we adjust the time a bit? It seems better to work while the young men are out and leave before you return, but the window is just too tight to get everything done. Isn’t it better for the dorm to be cleaner and for you to have freshly made food?”

Because Noah was around the age of her own son, the Auntie spoke with a sense of familiarity. Even though Noah was clearly expressing annoyance, she seemed to be trying to soothe him.

To an outsider, Noah undoubtedly looked like the villain in this situation, but for him, there was no other choice. Even if others called him overly sensitive, this was a matter of survival.

Though Noah was fastidious about cleanliness, stressed by excessive attention, and sensitive to stimuli, he hadn’t always been the type to bar a housekeeper from the dorm. Just as every effect has a cause, there was a reason he had become this way.

‘Why would anyone call the police over something like that? My daughter did it because she likes that young man. I looked it up and they said he’s not even a famous singer. Shouldn’t he be happy?’

The image of a middle-aged woman who had insisted to the end that she was innocent overlapped with the Auntie standing before him. It was back when Pentagram had failed with their debut mini-album but hadn’t yet given up hope.

At that time, Pentagram’s recognition was incomparable to what it was now. Their dorm wasn’t even a proper apartment; the five of them stayed in a two-room unit they had used since their trainee days. Appearing on a broadcast was like winning the lottery, and while their fandom, “Glows,” existed, their numbers were tiny.

But Noah was different. Even as a trainee, he had as many obsessive followers as Jun-o, and most of the early Glows had joined the fandom specifically because of his handsome face.

The problem was that Noah stood out far too much compared to the group’s low recognition, and his personality kept his private life strictly guarded. These factors combined to draw a massive number of sasaeng fans to him.

Sasaengs are considered the worst byproduct of idol culture.

Following an idol’s daily routine was the mildest of their actions; some committed actual crimes. They didn’t just express affection; some acted violently just to get attention. Leaking phone numbers was routine, identity theft was common, and some even approached the idols’ families.

Recently, it had become a social issue punishable under stalking laws, so it wasn’t an exaggeration to call them criminals. They were obsessed, using any means necessary to get close.

[SELLING] Pentagram Ark Phone Number + ID + Passport Number 3-piece set

[SELLING] Ark’s underwear (Photo verification available) : DNA test possible lol

[DM for link] Video of Noah drinking water in the dorm.avi #Ark #Dabyul #FunYe

It was a malicious sasaeng. The fact that they were selling information for money and knew things only an insider should know was serious. Star Ent finally reported it to the police, and the culprit was caught shortly after.

No one expected the sasaeng to be the daughter of the Auntie who cleaned the Pentagram dorm.

‘My daughter kept begging me to do it. What’s wrong with underwear? It’s not like they’re women’s panties; trunks are just like shorts. A c-crime? Goodness, I just took home things he told me to throw away, what’s the big deal? I don’t know anything about filming. I only did… that video call with my daughter.’

She had mimicked a simple country woman to make excuses, but there was no way she didn’t know. Given the number of sales posts, it was clear she had joined her daughter’s crimes once she realized there was money to be made.

The dorm was supposed to be a place of rest—their home, after years of training.

Noah was horrified by the incident, especially since it involved a housekeeper he had considered friendly. He was traumatized by the fact that his belongings were being smuggled out, videos were being taken without his knowledge, and his private information was being leaked so casually.

Any normal person would have been traumatized; imagine the effect on someone already hypersensitive to his environment. Furthermore, considering this happened during their first year, he was terrified of what the future held.

‘What? Why are the shoes messier than they were this morning? We were all out! Call Yong-ha Hyung. Ask if he stopped by the dorm during the day.’

Since then, Noah detested the idea of any outsider entering the dorm. If there was even a trace of someone other than the members being there, he would spiral. Even after a tiring schedule, he would check every corner of the dorm for hidden cameras. he installed multiple locks on his room door, which led to frequent arguments with his then-roommate, Ha-un.

‘Lee Ha-un, did you touch my cabinet? You didn’t? I clearly stack my t-shirts in fives, and one is missing. f*ck, just tell me the truth.’

He would explode if a single item went missing, and his existing germaphobia worsened. He even began to dislike the manager, Yong-ha, entering the dorm.

The agency eventually concluded his condition was serious and allowed Noah to live outside the dorm during off-periods. He stayed in an officetel provided by his parents.

When the second mini-album was released, he was forced to rejoin the dorm. However, he adamantly refused to have a housekeeper, which led to Ji-ho naturally taking over the household chores.

Though he had improved over time, standing before this Auntie—who gave off a similar vibe to the shameless woman from the past—brought those old emotions rushing back. The threat felt in a place that should have been safe, the shame of being toyed with by a girl his age, the fear that followed, and the crumbling of his self-esteem.

His psychological state was already poor, and today he had clashed with Kany and been touched by a sasaeng. The presence of this woman was the final blow.

“On whose authority are you adjusting the contract? I specifically asked the company to put that clause in the contract.”

“I think I signed it, but I didn’t read every single word. Oh, the young man must be angry. I’m sorry. I won’t let it happen again. Just let it slide for today. My son said he’d be here to pick me up soon……”

“Get out right now. And don’t bother coming back starting tomorrow. I’ll tell the company myself.”

“Pardon?”

Unprepared for a sudden firing, the Auntie stared at Noah in a daze. But Noah didn’t care about her gaze at all.

Just as he was about to speak even more firmly—

“Kang Noah. What do you think you’re doing being so… rude to the Auntie?”

Se-han emerged from the bathroom with wet hair. Like Noah, he had finished recording early and returned before the other members.

“So what? Stay out of this, Hyung. I’m at my limit.”

“…Auntie, don’t mind him. Would you mind waiting in our room for a moment? Just wait there until your son arrives. Noah’s just having a hard day.”

“But he said not to come back tomorrow.”

“Haha, Auntie, you signed a contract with our agency. He might look like a rich heir, but he’s just a celebrity under the company. How could he fire you on a whim?”

“I-I’ll go inside then. Young man, I’m sorry once again.”

Se-han’s friendly, smiling face hardened instantly the moment she entered the room. The steam on his thin silver-rimmed glasses vanished quickly, as if chased away by the chill radiating from him.

“Are you in your right mind?”

“The one who isn’t in their right mind is her, isn’t it? Why is she breaking the contract terms as she pleases?”

“She said she was only staying for a moment. She didn’t touch your stuff—don’t you think you’re being excessive?”

“You know everything, and you can still say that? I’m already pissed off that I have to keep living in this dorm, so don’t provoke me.”

“Oh, look at His Majesty. You think the world revolves around you, don’t you? It’s obvious, seeing how you don’t even know your place.”

Was the problem that it was Se-han of all people? Or was it because Noah had already surpassed his breaking point? Every negative emotion Noah was feeling erupted and lashed out at Se-han.

“f*ck, if you’re going to act like you’re wearing some badge of authority, why don’t you learn when to mind your own business?”

“What did you just say? f*ck?”

“Did I say anything wrong? It’s true. You are the one who thinks the world revolves around you. You only interfere in things that annoy you, while you’re quick to close your eyes to anything that benefits you.”

Even Noah’s polite way of speaking to the eldest, Se-han, had dropped. Noah usually used polite speech because he knew his own temper, so the fact that he stopped meant he had half-lost his reason.

“Your words are quite twisted. I don’t think this is just about the Auntie. You must have more than one or two grievances against me.”

“Plenty. Too many to list even if I spent all day on it.”

“Ha, then why don’t you try?”

“Why should I? if you want to know, why don’t you at least pretend to listen to the things Lee Ha-un blabbers about every day? Then you might realize just how hypocritical you are.”

The last shred of patience Noah had was not pointing out Se-han’s lack of dance ability—the very reason for his conflict with Kany.

“Ha-un’s words? Are you trying to bring up Jung Ji-ho too?”

But the one topic even more difficult to mention had finally surfaced.

“…You’re talking like he’s not even a member anymore just because he isn’t here.”

“It’s just hilarious. You, of all people, pretending to care about Ji-ho. Oh, wait. Come to think of it, is Kang Noah the one who suffers the most because Ji-ho disappeared? If he were here, we wouldn’t have had to uncomfortably hire an Auntie.”

Despite being furious, Noah couldn’t properly retort to Se-han. It was as if he had been stabbed in a weak spot and forced into silence.

It was natural. If he asked himself honestly whether he had ever thought like that—that he only missed Ji-ho because his daily life had become inconvenient—the answer was obvious.

Noah bit his lower lip. He was the one who had switched seats with Ji-ho on the day of the accident, and he had argued with Ji-ho over a similar topic that day; he didn’t want to continue this conversation.

Se-han likely guessed the reason Noah faltered at the mention of Ji-ho, but he didn’t care and pushed forward. Though mentioning Ji-ho was perhaps a mistake even for Se-han, the topic shifted back to his long-standing frustrations.

“Lee Ha-un is young, so I’ll give him a pass. But don’t you know the atmosphere in the dorm is becoming like hell because of you, Kang Noah? You should be grateful to the other kids for even letting you have a room to yourself, but all you do is complain and act neurotic. Are we not promoting at all because we’re preparing for an album? You just spit out curses whenever you’re bored in the van.”

“So what? Did I act like that in front of the cameras? The company was the one who stopped me from living separately, and I don’t recall you disagreeing back then.”

“You shameless bastard. Do you even want to be an idol……!”

The two continued their heated exchange for a long time.

They didn’t swing their fists, but the time spent swinging their sharp tongues at each other was enough to widen the gap between them. If a third party had been there, they would have wondered if these two were really members of the same group living and working together.

A moment later, Noah entered his room with a flushed face and tried to steady his ragged breathing. Even then, he didn’t forget to lock the door.

Then, Noah slumped down where he stood.

He felt incredibly stifled, wondering why nothing was going his way, why he had been so angry lately, and why he couldn’t properly refute Se-han’s words about Ji-ho.

“Sigh… what am I even doing, Kang Noah.”

Furthermore, it was even more irritating that there was no longer a roommate here to listen to this. Across the room, the bed that had been empty for quite some time caught his eye. It annoyed him that he kept thinking about the owner of that bed.

‘What’s the point of looking for Jung Ji-ho? The studio promotions are coming up; he should snap out of it on his own.’

The argument that day was just a fraction of the turmoil within Pentagram.

A few weeks later, Pentagram’s studio album promotions began without several of the “bombs” buried underground being resolved. It was early November, and the weather had turned cold, signaling that winter was just around the corner.