Idol of the Heavenly One - vanish into fiction

I could not sleep a wink that night.

That strange laughter that hadn’t even been heard clearly through the intercom kept echoing in my ears, and every time I tried to close my eyes, the gaze on the screen came back vividly. The moment I shut my eyes, it became clearer, and when I opened them again, exhaustion crashed over me like waves.

Baek Jae-heon must not have slept at all either. When I woke up, he was sitting blankly on the bed. His face was pale, his shoulders stiff, and his eyes hollow. There was none of his usual calm and steady composure. I sat beside him for a while, watching quietly, when my phone suddenly vibrated in my hand.

“…Yes, Father.”

[Myeong-hyeon, I’m in front of your dorm. Do you want to come down?]

It was the same firm yet warm voice as always. But this time, I hesitated with my eyes closed for a moment. Normally, I would have immediately packed my things and rushed out to greet him happily. Yet now, the thought of leaving this boy beside me behind was unbearable.

I briefly replied that I understood and hung up. Then I sent my father a text message, asking if I could bring one of the members with me.

I knew he would say yes without question, so without waiting for a reply, I put my phone down and slowly approached Baek Jae-heon.

“…Do you want to come with me? To my house.”

The moment I said it, I regretted it a little. He hadn’t slept all night, and maybe he just wanted to rest alone somewhere quiet. I was worried I was bothering him.

But Jae-heon didn’t respond with his usual indifferent “No, it’s fine.” His faintly trembling shoulders told me that staying alone in the dorm frightened him more.

“It’s fine. My dad and mom will understand.”

When I smiled softly and reassured him, he lifted his head and looked straight at me.

“…Why?”

He kept staring for so long that I wondered if there was something on my face, so I touched my cheek and asked again. Then he let out a weak laugh and answered in a barely audible voice.

“…Okay. Let’s go.”

That one answer made me feel relieved. I didn’t want to leave him alone.

When we went down to the front entrance, my father was standing there. The morning sunlight wrapped around his back, and his familiar shadow stretched long across the ground. The moment he saw Jae-heon standing next to me, his eyebrows lifted slightly.

Then he broke into a wide smile.

“Oh, it’s Jae-heon!”

He strode over with his broad frame, grasped Jae-heon’s shoulders with both hands, and patted them warmly.

“You look even better in person! So, you’re coming with us?”

The words came out naturally, but Jae-heon’s expression stiffened. He stopped for a second, as if swallowing his breath, wearing a slightly bewildered look. Maybe it was because my father looked so robust that it surprised him for a moment.

He lowered his head and spoke softly.

“…I’m sorry. I hope I’m not being a bother.”

My father laughed heartily and patted him on the back again.

“A bother? Don’t be silly. If you’re in the same group as my Myeong-hyeon, then you’re my son too.”

And in that instant, I felt something in Baek Jae-heon shift ever so slightly. At those words — “you’re my son too” — it was as if an old wall inside him had cracked. But he quickly hid his expression again and followed us to the car.

I took the front seat, and Jae-heon sat in the back. As the car started moving, sunlight poured through the window. The sky was clear, and the buildings cast long shadows. The scenery looked so peaceful that it almost felt strange.

When I glanced back, Jae-heon was sitting upright at first, gazing out the window. But soon, weariness overtook him, and his head gently drooped forward.

Holding my breath, I quietly looked at his face.

The tense and fearful expression he had worn all night was gone, replaced by something peaceful — as if he had finally laid down all the weight of the world for a moment. The corners of his lips were slightly lowered, and that faint, serene look made my chest warm.

‘I’m glad. At least he can rest like this.’

I had seen countless faces over sixty-nine years of life, but never had someone’s peaceful expression moved me this deeply. Sunlight brushed softly against his face through the car window. For that moment, I hoped that light would take away all his fear and anxiety with it.