“This is the dorm.”
There are... almost no survivors.
“Ugh.”
“Hah....”
It’s not like this is some disease apocalypse or anything.
We’re so busy we haven’t even unpacked properly in the new dorm, and with no one walking around normally, it feels eerily empty.
‘They’re all moaning and groaning.’
Even worse.
“Haha, I haven’t had body aches like this in years.”
“.......”
Ryu Geon woo is out cold, too.
I glanced over at him from the bed next to mine, where he was popping fever medicine and laughing.
‘After getting drenched so persistently.’
Of course, that alone isn’t why he’s knocked out. This guy did three concerts in a row without a hint of fatigue.
It’s probably stress piling up from the company’s collapse, the reckless push during album prep, and then the Cha Yoo jin incident all hitting at once.
‘Being the leader must have made it worse.’
Still, the remarkable thing is that he’s actually the one in the best shape of us all.
And he knows it himself, which is the problem.
“Hmm, once the meds kick in, I’ll drop by the company for a bit....”
Good grief.
“Just rest. You’ve got no schedule anyway.”
“...!”
“You won’t be late even if the company calls you. Nothing urgent, right?”
“...Yeah. Got it.”
Ryu Geon woo gave an awkward smile and flopped back onto his bed.
I just... lay back under my blanket, too.
‘Well... even days of total rest have to happen sometimes.’
At this point, the important stuff is done.
Taking one day off can’t hurt, right?
Whirrr.
The circulator hummed and a breeze blew. That was enough.
On this summer day, it’s laughable that no one’s complained about the heat even without the air conditioner.
‘Hmm.’
Except one.
[...Hot.]
“Turn on the AC.”
“That’s trash talk.”
Standing at the door with a sour look... was the only “survivor.”
Cha Yoo jin.
“How come everyone’s sick?”
Surprisingly energetic, he’s been wandering the common room since early morning.
It seems he can’t go into his own room because Bae Sejin is groaning in there.
Incidentally, the funniest part is that SNS is saying the opposite.
– Ah, Yoo jin pushed through and performed somehow, but his condition worsened and he’s resting nowㅠㅠ
└ His professional spirit is insane...
That’s right.
People firmly believe that Cha Yoo jin, even while sick, busted out legendary moves on stage.
But officially, ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) he’s the only one who’s ill, while in reality, he’s the only one completely fine.
“I’ll shake this off by tonight, so don’t worry.”
“.......”
So Steer Cha Yoo jin is acting nonchalant but clearly flustered. He’s been unable to sit still since earlier.
‘...Can’t exactly tell him to go out and hang, though.’
Still, I doubt he’ll try to escape claiming “control issues” again.
In fact, Steer Cha Yoo jin went oddly quiet right after yesterday’s show, but it seemed like thoughtful silence in a good way.
He seems more stable now.
‘Good.’
Then.
I pressed the back of my hand to my hot forehead and said calmly,
“Lock the door. And in the living room, feel free to run the AC.”
“.......”
“No. Actually, switch rooms with Lee Sejin. Do it right now.”
Yeah, I should’ve done this earlier. Giving him a single room and privacy would’ve calmed him down.
‘I was too fixated on eliminating variables.’
Once I relaxed, it became obvious. Being sick can have its advantages? I looked at Steer Cha Yoo jin.
‘Working the stage together loosened our tension, too.’
It’s like a group project getting an A in the end—no matter how rough the process, teammates who did their part harbor no grudges.
‘This guy did well.’
Cha Yoo jin.
Without him, we’d have lost a huge chunk of buzz.
The fact that someone who seemed unlikely to appear suddenly showed up mid-show drew attention, and his charisma EX swallowed all the popular videos.
“That reaction when Cha Yoo jin came back on stage... That might be problematic.”
I just hope he remembers.
Anyway, in this friendly atmosphere, my suggestion should go over well.
‘I think this time it will.’
I looked at him with confidence.
But.
“I’m not taking that sick guy’s room.”
“...!”
“I told you—I’m not trash.”
Then he flared his T-shirt collar and left the doorway.
“.......”
What am I supposed to do now.
‘So what do you want from me?’
Even when offered a solution, he spits it back.
Why did I even say the heat bothered me? Was it just to set up getting ice cream?
I looked back at Ryu Geon woo for objective confirmation, but found him sound asleep.
“.......”
Fine.
‘I don’t know.’
Okay, do as you please.
In the end, I decided to at least guarantee Cha Yoo jin some autonomy.
Which meant I crawled out of bed and said,
“The manager’s out. Your phone has his number. If you need anything, ask and get ice cream or whatever.”
“.......”
“And let’s not leak who’s sick to other agencies.”
Since I saw rumors spreading, we need to clamp down on talk until we secure privacy.
Not that I expect Cha Yoo jin to keep his mouth shut easily.
‘This should be enough.’
But... Steer Cha Yoo jin sighed.
What?
“OK. I get it now.”
“What....”
“Go to bed, now.”
And I shoved him back into the room.
“......?”
Cha Yoo jin, sitting on the sofa with his phone, glanced back.
‘What is he doing?’
And this mystery unraveled step by step.
Within an hour, something arrived at the dorm in a big box.
Ding-dong.
‘Ice cream... and ice packs?’
Plus some essentials and groceries.
Did he ask the manager to do this?
No. It wasn’t arranged by a company staffer.
“You did this?”
“Yeah.”
He’d ordered a delivery from the supermarket himself.
“I thought you hated company calls, Mundae hyung?”
“.......”
“And any adult in Korea can use this service.”
No, it’s not that I thought he couldn’t order delivery.
‘I just didn’t expect him to take such an active gesture.’
“I need to organize this....”
“Nope.”
Yet Cha Yoo jin staggered over, kicked Kim Rae bin’s butt back toward the room, and then unpacked the box himself.
Amazingly, his “do-it-yourself” streak didn’t stop there.
He filled tumblers with hot and cold water for everyone.
“Uh... I’m okay....”
“Your face doesn’t look okay.”
Then he handed out ice packs wrapped in towels.
“Oh—? I didn’t know you had these towels....”
“I bought them.”
He even checked our temperatures and timing for medication.
“Your fever’s still up. Use ice packs.”
“.......”
Watching him place the thermometer down, I bit my lip in bed.
By now, I was completely flummoxed.
Am I... being nursed by Cha Yoo jin?
Of all people?
‘Is this real?’
I turned to see Ryu Geon woo’s startled face as he opened his ice pack towel. Reality checked out.
But the grand finale hadn’t even arrived yet.
An hour later.
“...Hyung.”
“What.”
“What’s that smell?”
“...!”
I lifted my head and looked out.
In the kitchen beyond the door, a pot was simmering.
From it rose the rich aroma of broth.
“...??”
And standing before that pot... was Cha Yoo jin.
“...?!”
Cha Yoo jin cooking?
I wondered what he was up to, why he insisted on making his own food...
But surprisingly, it wasn’t self-sufficiency.
“Come eat.”
“.......”
He called the groaning guys to the table.
The assembled members sat around, eyeing the dish he’d made.
It was...
“Oh.”
“This is...”
Familiar.
– Chicken soup for the soul!
Cha Yoo jin had tried this recipe a few times before.
‘I think his mom taught him.’
It held nostalgic flavor. But every time he attempted it before...
He once added honey.
– Waaah!
Another time, it almost caught fire.
– Aaah!
In short, it had spectacularly failed.
No one here could forget those disasters.
“.......”
“.......”
I heard Bae Sejin’s shaky voice.
“...Choosing to cook this, knowing it could kill us?”
I couldn’t argue.
Yet I looked up at Cha Yoo jin in the kitchen, still cleaning up.
Specifically, at his hands.
‘Hmm.’
They moved like someone experienced. This wasn’t reckless trial and error. He must’ve cooked regularly before.
Then.
‘...Was there a time the company didn’t care for him properly?’
In other words, sheer practice had honed his skills.
I thought for a moment, then replied briefly. No need to tell the whole backstory.
“...Still, we should be grateful.”
“...Yeah.”
At that, everyone straightened up as if on a shared resolve—they’d eat whatever he made.
Soon Cha Yoo jin brought a soft, white porridge-like side dish and sat at the table.
The members flinched, but Steer Cha Yoo jin calmly began speaking.
“It might feel strange, but this is the only dish I can make when someone’s sick.”
“.......”
Instead of the quip ‘Then kill us with porridge,’ Seon Ah hyun broke into an eager chant.
“Alright, thank you for the meal...!”
“Thanks.”
After a solemn moment, spoons lifted.
“...!”
“Tastes good...?”
“A unique flavor!”
Surprisingly, Cha Yoo jin’s chicken soup was actually quite good.
‘No, it’s really good.’
If a sick foreigner finds it palatable, it’s truly tasty.
Steer Cha Yoo jin gave a small smile.
“Good.”
With the mood much lighter, the meal commenced.
As the sick guys filled their stomachs, energy returned and chatter picked up.
“Yesterday’s Waterbomb was fun.”
“Yeah~ It was so great we ended up like this, though!”
“Right. But Yoo jin got the best reaction and you’re the healthiest.”
Ryu Geon woo was probably going to steer it to ‘And thanks for looking after us,’ in a gentle way.
But Cha Yoo jin raised an eyebrow and replied,
“That’s also a reaction to ‘THE’ TeSTAR Cha Yoo jin.”
“...!”
I held back.
‘He’s not picking a fight.’
It sounded more like respect.
And now there were others in agreement.
“Still... yesterday’s stage was because of you.”
“Yeah~ I think there were more random attendees than our fans?”
“.......”
“Ahem, Cha Yoo jin, you’re really talented... We really appreciate how well you did.”
Cha Yoo jin paused briefly, then answered honestly.
“I know.”
“...!”
He straightened his posture at the table with composed politeness.
“Thank you for the opportunity. And I apologize for my rude attitude before. I’m sorry.”
Steer Cha Yoo jin bowed his head, and several surprised members dipped their heads to the table, wobbling.
Oh dear.
“No, no. I enjoyed performing together...! I’m the one sorry for not understanding....”
“Yeah, that’s right....”
The atmosphere relaxed even further.
A full reconciliation mood.
“Alright~ Let’s get along from now on!”
He probably felt he deserved that apology.
In any case, the vibe of basic trust between us... wasn’t bad at all.
“Good job.”
“I know.”
I smiled at Kim Rae bin and Cha Yoo jin’s little exchange, then continued eating.
And truly, thanks to Cha Yoo jin’s care, a few hours later by evening...
TeSTAR had mostly recovered.
“Go!”
“Sejin’s winning.”
So now we’re in the living room, sniffling and playing video games together.
Da-da-da da-da-da!
I sat behind Bae Sejin frantically turning the controller and cautious Ryu Geon woo, staring at the screen with no thoughts.
‘My head’s still spinning.’
Cha Yoo jin, unexpectedly, stayed out of his room and sat beside the sofa.
“Feeling better?”
[Definitely. Thanks to friends and fans.]
Right, not fans—but still.
I asked casually,
“How about you, Geon woo hyung?”
Bae Sejin’s issues aside, Ryu Geon woo should be fine, right? He was active until the end.
But Cha Yoo jin suddenly shut up and scanned me.
What?
[Sometimes protecting a fan’s dream is an artist’s duty.]
“...?”
What does that mean?
[Nothing.]
Cha Yoo jin pulled back, but I caught the tone.
‘Nothing my foot.’
Steer Ryu Geon woo must’ve had his mental breakdown, too. He’s not the same as now.
‘Well, whatever.’
Anyway, Steer Cha Yoo jin seems to have adapted well here, not uncomfortable or on edge like before.
Even now, Seon Ah hyun with peaches is chatting him up fine.
“I hope we get along well for the rest of our time... If you want to try something, let’s do it together.”
“Sure. Feel free to say it!”
Steer Cha Yoo jin paused, then shrugged.
“OK.”
“Woo!”
A brief cheer rose from the living room, like welcoming a new member.
‘Hmm.’
Not bad.
I chuckled.
Then.
[Update complete!]
-Early achievement
...Huh?
