Chapter 113

The production team — to make sure Hajin couldn't wriggle his way out — had gone so far as to dig up the candid photo that had been going around online and put it up on the LED screen.

'Seriously — please.'

In familiar clothes, a familiar pose, a familiar phone in hand — the person crouched sobbing in front of a subway station was Kang Hajin himself, no question. Faced with an unexpected piece of his own cringe history, Hajin — overcome by the emotion of it — clapped a hand over his mouth.

Seo Taeil, who'd been watching with a smile, nodded like he'd seen it coming.

"Trainee Hajin does tend to cry easily, doesn't he?"

'I do?'

But he had no comeback. This wasn't a disaster of his own making — it was one the 'System' had dropped on him.

At the first audition, at their next run-in at the company, the first mission, the second — hadn't he bawled his eyes out at every single one? Sure, the 'To You I Declare' one hadn't been actual crying, just part of the intro — but still.

Already rattled, racking his brain over how to salvage the situation — and right next to him, someone with zero clue what Hajin was going through jumped in with backup he really did not need.

"Yeah, Kangha-hyung really does cry a lot. He was bawling right in front of me not that long a—!"

"Quiet. Quiet. I said quiet."

Wonho had straight-up ratted out Hajin's sobbing incident. Hajin hastily herded Wonho toward the back of the stage and tried to muzzle him, but it was too late. The audience was already scorched earth.

"WHO!!!!! Who made him cry, WHO!!!!!!!"

At the ringing shouts, Hajin — back at center stage — covered his face with those unusually large hands of his.

'Fine. Since it's come to this, I'm going shameless.'

And when he lowered his hands again, his usual shamelessness was back.

"So, actually, I…."

Hajin ducked his head briefly and lifted it again, eyes glistening enough to rival Seo Taehyun's.

"I've got quite a sensitive side."

"…you do?"

Doha, who'd been listening quietly, tilted his head and asked in a voice that sounded genuinely mystified. But there were people who agreed with what Hajin had said.

"Hajin-hyung really is kind of sweet, though. Like, a bit of a tsundere?"

"He's got a really soft heart, this hyung."

Eunchan and Yugeon.

He hadn't exactly been fishing for anyone to agree — but having them actually second it made him a little embarrassed.

A small ahem, and Hajin lifted the mic again.

"Anyway…. that's me. The subway-station guy."

"Aigoo. Why? What made you cry like that?"

Now that he was actually about to tell the truth, a mix of embarrassment and something ticklish came over him.

Hajin scratched his cheek for a moment, then decided that as long as it had come to this, he'd say what he'd wanted to tell the Destis all along.

"That was — you know — right around when the performance video first dropped."

From the audience an aww~ was already going up, like they were already bracing to cry. Hajin smiled and waved his hands in a no, I'm fine motion. He picked his words carefully, one at a time. Somehow this had him more nervous than his college interview ever had.

"So — the truth is, I was at a different agency once, and I quit being a trainee. Then I ended up at Miro, and doing Miro Maze, it's been a really long time since… I've been up on a stage like this."

Going all the way back before the regressions, it really had been a long time.

Maybe that was why he'd been so nervous. Only now was Hajin starting to understand his own state of mind.

"And, uh…. that I got to show you all — the Destis — my stage for the very first time — that was pretty amazing to me too. Um…."

"Whoa, this is my first time seeing Hajin-hyung stumble over his words."

"Kangha-hyung, are you nervous right now? Aw, no, he really is nervous."

"Quiet, you brats."

The trainees, seeing a Hajin they'd never seen before, were busy whispering among themselves.

Having playfully scolded the trainees, Hajin let out a short breath and picked back up.

"I think what got me was that you all liked the stage we'd worked so hard on. Those were tears of joy. So you don't have to worry."

"…hyung…."

"Since it's come up — I really wanted to say this. It's genuinely thanks to all of you Destis that I made it this far."

At Hajin's heartfelt words, a soft, warm mood filled the whole space.

He couldn't tell them the whole story, but Hajin truly believed everything had come about because of the people in front of him. He might still be a trainee who hadn't even debuted, but Hajin was determined to get this feeling across.

"Getting to meet you all today, like this — I can't tell you how grateful I am."

Today's stage — one he wouldn't regret no matter how many times he lived it over.

He really did want to tell them, straight out: this stage was, in effect, something they had protected.

"…huh? Kangha-hyung, are you crying?"

"What, is he actually crying?"

At some point Hajin's eyes had gone genuinely misty — not acting this time — and his voice with them. Every member of Blue Flare turned to look at him, thrown.

While Seo Taeil hurriedly shot a look backstage for tissues, Hajin covered his eyes with a hand, laughing like he was embarrassed. Somewhere in the middle of talking, he'd genuinely welled up — his nose had gone red and his vision blurred in a blink.

This wasn't because of the System, or a penalty, or any issue with the Mental Care System either.

"Hyung…. don't cry…."

"Ah, I'm not good with this kind of thing…."

"Hey — guys. Why are you crying too, now?"

Wonho and Eunchan, both quick to catch someone else's tears, started welling up right along with him watching Hajin. When Eunchan flung himself into Hajin for a hug, Hajin — having taken a tissue from Taeil — laughed playfully, like this whole thing was funny, and dabbed at the corners of his eyes.