In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Chapter 42:

Chapter 42:

Chapter 42

All kinds of thoughts swirl in my head.

I quickly sit the kid down on the buildings garden and check his condition. I pull down his socks and touch his ankle area.

Where exactly does it hurt?

I dont know, hyung. I think I twisted it.

He looked pale, so it must have been a bad twist.

Hyung, what do I do? If the manager finds out, hell scold me a lot. And the trainers too

Is that what youre worried about right now?

I sighed at the youngest, who was saying stupid things in this situation.

What should I do?

I called Seok-hwan hyung, but there was no answer. Min-ki hyung was the same. 

After leaving a bunch of missed calls, I rubbed my frustrated chest.

I have to act on my own for now.

Lets go to the hospital first. We can get an X-ray there and get a prescription if theres a problem.

Hyung. I cant walk because it hurts.

Ill support you, so dont worry.

The youngest nodded his head. I bent my body awkwardly to wrap his arm around me.

Ow.

Walk carefully.

Did he break a bone or something?

His wet eyelashes and innocent face came into view.

He looked scared.

My ankle was sprained and it hurt, and I wondered if this would affect my debut schedule. Or if I would cause trouble for my hyungs while practicing. He looked worried.

Thats when I remembered something I had overlooked until now.

That Ji-ho was only seventeen.

That he was not an adult yet. And that he was my younger brother who I had to take care of the most, being five years younger than me.

Just hang in there.

I said as I approached the roadside to hail a taxi.

Ill take you to the hospital right away.

***

We visited the emergency room of the university hospital.

It was a holiday, so all the other hospitals were closed.

The doctor who took care of Ji-ho diagnosed him with a mild sprain.

He said he would be fine if he rested for a couple of days and not to worry.

We paid the hospital fee and came out of the hospital with Ji-ho.

Are you okay?

I feel a bit better after taking the anti-inflammatory medicine.

He looked much brighter than before, and I felt relieved.

Dont scare me like that. You gave me a huge fright.

Im sorry.

He would have made a joke like Do you like me that much? at any other time, but he was obedient now. It was strange.

Hyung, but

Ji-ho asked cautiously, looking around.

Are you going to tell the others? The hyungs or the trainer teachers.

I have to. Min-ki hyung will pick us up tomorrow morning. What am I supposed to say? Can you go down the stairs?

Hold on.

He got up and walked a few steps, then quickly sat down.

I dont think I can.

Dont worry about it. No one will say anything for taking a day or two off because youre injured.

Im not afraid of getting scolded, but the nagging is scary. As soon as Bi-ju hyung sees me, hell nag me for a week. No, hell follow me like a babysitter every time I go down the stairs for a month.

Think positively. Thats how much we care about you.

Im not a baby.

I stared at the chocolate milk in his hand.

Ji-ho coughed and changed the subject.

Then lets at least compromise, hyung. I didnt fall because I was looking at my phone, but because I had an unavoidable situation and sprained my ankle. For example, I got injured while practicing dance.

Why are you so afraid of hearing bad things?

Just

Ji-ho mumbled.

I dont like it when someone looks at me with disappointment.

No one will be disappointed by this, so dont worry.

I was ready to take responsibility if anything went wrong.

But that seemed unlikely.

If anyone says anything or does anything, Ill stand up for you.

I blinked and saw the youngest one looking at me with a strange expression.

It was a hard-to-interpret look, as if he wanted to copy me.

He was about to open his lips when it happened.

Wang Ji-ho!

A hoarse scream erupted from his lungs. 

Someone was standing there, drawing everyones attention.

Why is he here?

A sharp-faced young man in a striped shirt and black jeans approached with a frantic face.

Are you okay? Did you get hurt? Who is this? Who did this to you?

Ri-hyuk, what are you doing here?

He turned his head at my question.

What happened?

He was so overreacting.

His shirt was stained with sweat from running, and his face was as pale as a corpse, except for his flushed cheeks. 

I knew he was secretly taking care of Ji-ho, but this was too much for a sprained ankle.

He said he cant walk anymore?

What?

Ri-hyuk and I blinked at each other.

Then we realized something was wrong and looked at the same place.

The youngest one avoided our eyes.

Wang Ji-ho.

Yes?

Explain yourself.

Ri-hyuk and I glared at Ji-ho, who was sitting in a chair with his arms crossed.

Well I told Ri-hyuk that I was hurt and needed to go to the hospital And I said I was in so much pain that I couldnt walk again.

Dont lie. Is that what you sent me?

Well, I was going to send that, but I stopped in the middle because it hurt so much in the taxi.

He was whining about the pain, but he was texting someone in the taxi. It turned out to be Ri-hyuk.

And he omitted the word like from cant walk again.

I clicked my tongue as Ji-ho glanced at Ri-hyuk. Ri-hyuk was getting angrier by the second.

Hey. So you sprained your ankle, and itll heal in a week

Its two days, not a week.

The youngest one gave me a resentful look for interrupting.

So what about your leg? Is it fine?

It hurts a little.

Fine. As long as its fine. Fine.

Ri-hyuk muttered to calm himself down.

I thought it was over, but then Ri-hyuk narrowed his eyes at something.

Wait a minute, Wang Ji-ho. Isnt that my shirt?

No, its not. Maybe

It is my shirt. I told you not to borrow it because its new.

Ri-hyuk turned his head 90 degrees toward me with a confirmed suspicion.

Did you know?

Uh, I didnt know. Geez, that was your shirt. Why did you do that, Ji-ho?

I knew, but I didnt care.

I didnt expect to see him here.

If it was any other time, he would have scolded me for not knowing, since I have such a good memory. But luckily, Ri-hyuks anger was directed at the youngest one.

It would have been fine if he stayed quiet, but Wang Ji-ho wouldnt be Wang Ji-ho if he did.

Hyung, Im a patient, so you cant hit meeeeee!

You crazy bastard!

The youngest one got slapped on the back like a son caught by his mom at a PC cafe. He threw me a cry for help.

Hyung, you said youd take my place, ahh!

Of course.

Oh, the boss called.

I ignored him cheerfully.

***

-Whats going on?

Nothing much. I went out with Ji-ho for a bit and he sprained his ankle.

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Scary.

I quickly explained the situation according to the 5W1H principle.

-How is he, serious?

Its not serious. The doctor said he just needs to take some anti-inflammatory pills and rest for two days.

-Thats good. How did he fall?

Cold sweat ran down the back of my head.

His sneaker got stuck in the gap between the sidewalk blocks. Well, anyway, theres a reason.

-Hospital?

Im at the university hospital. Here in Sinchon.

-Well Im glad nothing serious happened. Is Ji-ho okay?

I saw Ji-ho sitting on a bench far away, getting hit on the back. (I was looking at a robot vacuum cleaner and had to leave in the middle! Ro! Bot! Vacuum cleaner!, Im a patient here!)

I looked around worriedly, but luckily no one was paying attention.

Ji-ho seems to be fine. Anyway, Im sorry for bothering you on your day off, hyung. The situation was so chaotic earlier, I didnt know who to rely on.

-Yeah. Who did you contact?

I heard a cheerful voice from the other side of the phone.

-Lets talk again when you get to the dorm. Even if you want to have more fun, try to go back to the dorm early. Dont get hurt again on a day like this. Your body is your asset in your profession. You know that, right? (Who is that?)

I got it Huh? Hyung, I think I heard a womans voice just now. Who is that?

-Im on a date, you idiot.

I thought I should hang up quickly, but I was curious.

Is she a real person?

-Youre too much, really.

I heard laughter.

-Later, Ill send a message to your PT teacher. Ask him to make you work out harder so you dont get distracted.

Uh, I

-Then lets talk again later.

I felt like I had teased him for nothing.

I sent a message to Minki hyung, telling him not to worry, and approached the bench where the kids were.

It was a lull now.

How are you, Ri-hyuk? Did you calm down?

Calm down? He hit me more. I had to leave the expo in the middle because of him. I was looking at a robot vacuum cleaner with new technology.

I can buy you that robot vacuum cleaner if you want.

Its not for sale yet. Didnt you hear me say new technology? It was the first demonstration at the expo.

I didnt quite understand his point of anger, but whatever.

Im a patient here. I have to go to the back surgery now. What was that, Woojoo hyung? Back surgery?

Orthopedic surgery.

Yeah, right. I think I have to go to the orthopedic surgery.

You sound like an orthopedic surgery. Mister, can you teach me that takedown technique? I can use it now.

I told the kids about the conversation I had with Seok-hwan hyung.

Ji-ho looked relieved that he wasnt scolded, and Ri-hyuk complained that such a careless kid should be punished.

But they both had a common reaction to one thing.

Seok-hwan hyung is on a date with his girlfriend right now.

Girlfriend? Is she a real person?

Yeah. I asked him that too.

What did he say?

What did he say? He said he would contact the PT teacher and make us work out harder.

The two siblings had a deep look of resentment on their faces.

I ignored them and pointed to the cafe on the first floor of the hospital.

Lets go there and have something to drink.

Yeah. Im so angry because of him. I need to drink something.

Ill buy you one.

As I approached Ji-ho, who was sitting on the bench, to comfort him, he shook his head.

I want to be comforted by Ri-hyuk hyung.

Why?

Wooju hyung is too big. Its more comfortable to be comforted by a smaller person.

Ri-hyuks face turned red.

****

After I brought him the most expensive slice of cake in the cafe, Ri-hyuks mood improved a bit.

So, did anything happen while you were dating that old man? Did anyone recognize him?

No. Nothing at all. I even prepared a paper for him to sign.

I chimed in from beside the youngest, who was pouting.

He cosplayed as a celebrity and even brought sunglasses.

Sunglasses? Hes not an attention seeker.

Hyung, you brought them too in the morning.

I brought them to protect my eyes.

We chatted for a while.

Ri-hyuk seemed to relax gradually, and when Ji-ho gave him a gift of clothes he bought himself, he completely cheered up.

He smiled as he took the bag.

Huh? Isnt that Jung-hyun hyung and Bi-ju hyung?

I blinked at the youngests words.

What is he talking about?

Are they re-airing Music Cafe? I dont see a TV.

No. Look, there are Jung-hyun hyung and Bi-ju hyung.

What are you talking about?

I turned my head and gasped.

It was really Bi-ju and Jung-hyun. 

They were talking about something and then Bi-ju disappeared somewhere.

And Jung-hyun walked away.

Did you invite them too?

No. Are you crazy? I would never invite Bi-ju hyung. He would only nag me.

Come to think of it, Jung-hyun didnt seem to notice us. I was about to tell them to pretend we didnt know them and let it go.

Ji-ho got up and waved his hand with a bright smile.

Jung-hyun hyung!

Jung-hyun, who was walking like a relaxed lion, stopped abruptly. Then he turned his head toward us.

For three seconds.

Then he looked shocked.

****

The American football coach said that. Whether its a sports team or office workers, its hard if they dont trust each other. And Ralph Waldo Emerson said that distrust is very costly.

You said you were going to play basketball with Bi-ju hyung. Are you playing basketball at the hospital these days?

Jung-hyun was speechless at Ri-hyuks logical words. Then he looked at me. He had an expression that asked for help.

Why do they always make this expression when they look at me?

Jung-hyun might have a good reason for that.

Then, what is it?

Ri-hyuk looked at me and Ji-ho with a cold gaze. 

Jung-hyuns throat tightened.

I suddenly remembered the first time I met the members.

Jung-hyuns impression was that of a charismatic eldest brother.

He looked like a handsome athlete.

But when I got to know him, I realized he was the kindest person ever.

Usually, these types of people brag about their muscles or strength, but Ive never seen Jung-hyun use his strength on the kids, even as a joke.

Of course, if he did, we would all be dead by now.

Jung-hyun hyung, weve known each other for over three years since we were trainees. I think thats enough time to form a trust relationship with each other.

Ri-hyuk, theres a situation here.

Then, what is it?

Ri-hyuk said, looking around us.

Lately, there have been more than one or two weird things, but we just let them go. Bi-ju hyung doesnt know where his mind is and hes spacing out every day. The other day, he even burned his breakfast. Dont we need to know whats going on when the situation is so strange?

Jung-hyun pondered for a moment and then looked at me.

What do you think, hyung?

Well, its tricky. I sympathize more with your position that its hard to talk about someone elses personal life, but the problem is that weve already seen you guys. Its a bit awkward to pretend it never happened and move on.

It would be funny to say, Thats Bi-jus personal life, lets move on. here.

It was funny how we acted like nothing had happened at the lodge. Jung-hyun sighed and looked down at the table without saying a word.

"Ah, Kim Bi-ju would hate this"

Ri-hyuk and I leaned in to listen.

Ji-ho smiled brightly among the brothers and sipped his frappuccino.

"I came to see Kim Bi-ju's younger sibling. They're in the hospital."

"Sibling?"

I saw an inner conflict on Jung-hyun's face.

After a while, he opened his heavy mouth.

"They have cancer."

Ji-ho spat out the frappuccino he was drinking.