Idol of the Heavenly One - vanish into fiction

“Yeah—. Huh? What is it, hyung? Did you forget something?”

“No. I don’t think Go Hee-min is back yet. I don’t have the key or my phone.”

“Oh, really? I’ll call Hee-min hyung for you. Come on in.”

Kwon Ji-hak opened the door wide, gesturing for me to come inside while saying he’d try calling Go Hee-min.

“…No, just call him for me.”

For some reason, I didn’t feel like going inside. My energy was already completely drained after holding Baek Jae-heon’s hand earlier, and if I ran into him again now, I might actually develop an arrhythmia.

“Hee-min hyung’s not picking up.”

“…Really? Then call Joo I-rip.”

“Okay.”

Since Joo I-rip and Go Hee-min were probably together, calling Joo I-rip would likely reach him too.

“Hyung. Can you put Hee-min hyung on the phone? Huh? Oh, really? Ah… damn.”

“What’s wrong?”

“He said Hee-min hyung went into the room and fell asleep.”

“What?”

“He said he’s sleeping, that’s why he’s not answering the door.”

It was a bolt from the blue. Come to think of it, Go Hee-min was the group’s official heavy sleeper. The moment his head hit a pillow, he’d be out cold, and even if someone carried him off, he wouldn’t notice. The busier his schedule, the deeper he slept, and since today included international travel and dinner afterward, there was a good chance he’d passed out completely.

“What should I do then?”

“What do you mean what? You just stepped in crap. Sleep in our room.”

“…Your room?”

Kwon Ji-hak shrugged as if there was no other option and turned his body toward the room, but that was absolutely impossible. It was already hard enough just standing here, knowing I might run into Baek Jae-heon again. And now he was telling me to sleep in the same room?

“Then, are you planning to sleep with I-rip hyung?”

That was even worse. Being in the same room as Joo I-rip would be a nightmare. According to Go Hee-min himself, “I usually don’t sleep that much, but ever since I started rooming with Joo I-rip, it’s been so noisy I can’t sleep well.”

I thought I could survive one night, but then I remembered. Didn’t he message earlier, saying, [See you later]? If I stayed in that room, I’d be lucky to get thirty minutes of sleep.

Panicking, I went back to my room and knocked on the door harder. Thud, thud, thud.

“Go Hee-min!”

But the silence was so deep, I began to wonder if anyone was even inside. Was he really asleep in there? Or had he not come back at all?

“Myeong-hyeon hyung, what are you gonna do? Are you gonna sleep here, or go to I-rip hyung’s room?”

“Ah…”

Even Ji-hak sounded tired after the schedule and the live broadcast, but he kept pressing for an answer. What, was I really supposed to sleep in there with Baek Jae-heon? Someone might say, “What’s the problem? You’re roommates in the dorm anyway,” but the dorm room was big, and our beds were far apart. Here, the beds were so close I could touch the other with just one stretch of my hand. It felt uncomfortably close. Maybe I should just stay with Joo I-rip…

“Myeong-hyeon!”

Just then, a voice called out from the end of the hallway. It was Joo I-rip, who must have been assigned a room farther down. He’d opened the door and was waving at me, probably having noticed I couldn’t get into mine and inviting me over.

“Hey, Ji-hak. Let’s go inside.”

But once I saw him in person, I immediately decided against it. His eyes were glinting with energy, his whole demeanor practically radiating vitality. How was he so full of energy when everyone else was exhausted? As the saying goes, “Those who wear flowers on their heads live long,” and that described Joo I-rip perfectly.

So in the end, I had no choice but to enter Ji-hak’s room. But even as I did, I came up with a plan. If I pushed Ji-hak toward Baek Jae-heon’s bed and lay down on the outer side, I could make a sort of barrier between us and keep as much distance as possible…

“Hyung, sleep with Jae-heon hyung. I can’t share a bed.”

“What?”

“Look at my size.”

“Baek Jae-heon’s big too…!”

“Anyway, I can’t sleep next to anyone.”

Before I could stop him, Ji-hak suddenly abandoned me and sprawled out in the middle of his own bed.

“Hey, hey… Ji-hak.”

“Why are you two acting all lovey-dovey?”

I hurriedly went over and tried to push him aside, but his dancer’s body was no joke. His strength and core were so solid that he wouldn’t budge no matter how much I tried.