At the very least, Jung Dajun would definitely grow up to be a better adult than me, so I didn’t add anything more, just shook the sparkler idly. “But isn’t this illegal overseas?” “The sparkler? Depends. Some states in the U.S. ban them, others don’t. But honestly, who even follows that in America.” So he lived in the U.S. back then. “My mom and I had this rule—we watched a movie together every Friday. The fireworks in the production company openings looked so fun that I begged her to let me try.” Kang Ichae shrugged with a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Not really? Actually... it was a mess. I screamed my head off, threw the firework on the ground, and Mom had to scramble to put it out. But she laughed the whole time watching me cry. She was secretly kind of mean.” “You take after her, huh?” “Correction. My mom was super kind—just like me.” He snorted at his own stupid joke, then his gaze drifted upward, as if digging through old memories. His voice softened. Watching him, I asked what had been bugging me since earlier. “Why are you suddenly talking? You hate talking about your family.” “...Don’t ruin my heartfelt moment, okay?” This was someone who stayed silent even when everyone else chatted freely. Ichae grumbled about me ruining his mood, then fell quiet, rubbing the back of his neck. “...Hyung. Do you remember when you lied before?” I hadn’t made any promises I couldn’t keep, but I lied as easily as breathing, so which time was he talking about? Ichae stared straight at me. “When we went to Japan. You said it was your first time, but it wasn’t.” It took me a second to process his words, tracing back through my memories. Then I remembered. During our first overseas schedule in Japan, one of the members had asked if it was my first time there. I had lied and said yes— I rolled my eyes upward, internally shocked. “Wow... you still remember that?” “I’ve got a uselessly good memory.” “Anyway,” he continued, “I could tell you were lying. You didn’t act like someone there for the first time. You even told Dajun there was nothing in Shinjuku, and you knew all the streets by heart.” I also had a uselessly good memory, and that single family trip to Japan as a kid stayed painfully vivid. Ichae flicked his dying sparkler a few more times before placing it on the ground when it finally fizzled out. “I kept wondering—why lie about something so small, like whether you’ve been to Japan? It didn’t seem like you were hiding something shady. I kept thinking about it, and now I get it.” The faint light of my own fading sparkler shimmered weakly, casting dancing shadows. Ichae’s face in that flicker looked oddly unfamiliar. “When something’s really precious, you don’t want to share it with others.” The sparkler finally burned out, leaving only the faint light from the pension spilling into the pitch-black night. “It’s frustrating sometimes. That’s why I’m trying to change. To be more honest.” I tapped the now-black stick against the ground before setting it down like he did. I didn’t fully relate to a word as embarrassingly sentimental as “precious,” but I understood what he meant. Everyone has things they don’t want to talk about. For me, most of those things involved Seo Hojin. “So you’re saying you’ll open up more to the members now?” “Watching someone made me think maybe being honest isn’t so bad.” I didn’t know what sparked this sudden change, but for someone who always dodged serious talk with jokes, Kang Ichae seemed firmly resolved. “Kang Ichae, you’ve changed, haven’t you?” The conversation with Kim Sunghyun earlier popped into my head. “You’ve definitely changed.” At my murmur, Ichae widened his eyes, then burst out laughing. “Pfft—nah. Not really. I’ve always been .” “You just tend to get fixated on something and ignore everything else.” He started counting on his fingers as he talked about the members. “Look, Dajun’s actually way more mature than you think. Jiwon hyung—he’s quietly, no, very cold at times. Sunghyun hyung? He’s strict and has clear boundaries.” “I’ve got my own ‘quietly’ too. Get it?” I stayed silent, trying to find the right words, while Ichae lit another sparkler. “If you haven’t changed, why are you holding back?” Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on NoᴠᴇFɪre.nᴇt I didn’t know how to sugarcoat things, so I threw it straight at him. “Why aren’t you just doing things your way? Not caring about others is one of your strengths. Did you compromise?” Ichae looked genuinely surprised, then laughed incredulously. “What are you talking about? Why would I compromise?” “Didn’t you? You even changed your composing style, the thing you loved the most.” I’d thought he had given up his own desires to cater to the public. Even saying that much made him crack up. “Ah, hyung, seriously.” “Since when were you this delicate?” What else was I supposed to think when a stubborn bastard like him gave up something he’d always held onto? I sighed, resting my chin on my hand, while Ichae looked delighted, grinning wide. “You only know half the story. I don’t give up.” “People get confused because of my genius sometimes.” His sparkler glittered in the air, scattering tiny sparks. The faint smell of gunpowder mixed with the thick summer night air, the soft chirping of insects, the warm ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) orange light flickering against the dark sky— And there was Ichae, looking down at me. “—I’m actually full of grit.” He smiled, bright and unguarded like a kid, but at the same time, solid and mature, like someone who’d weathered every storm. I was thinking how unusually unfamiliar he seemed tonight when— I felt myself being shoved into the pool. Cool water splashed across my skin as I kicked off the bottom and came up, spitting out water from my nose and mouth. I shouted, furious, but Ichae just laughed like he was having the time of his life. Pushing wet hair out of my face, I snapped. “You pushed me? Are you insane?” “Just figuring that out now?” He grinned, tossing his burnt-out sparkler over his shoulder before jumping in. “What the hell are you doing, you idiot?” “Taking out some frustration?” “No, I wanna take pictures with you.” I had no idea how that counted as venting, but since I was pissed too, I grabbed his neck as he went to fetch a Polaroid camera and shoved him under. Even as he gulped water, he looked way too relaxed. “What are you two doing?” Kim Sunghyun poked his head in through the sliding door, holding a black plastic bag. He’d clearly just returned from the convenience store with the maknae. Right behind him, Dajun, ice cream in his mouth, spotted us soaked in the pool and—of course—shoved Sunghyun in too. Sung Jiwon, who came last, didn’t escape either. In the end, we all ended up like drowned rats, not a single picture taken out of the 100 Lee Jihyun wanted. ‘She’s gonna nag about this.’ I figured I’d take a few in the morning as I dragged myself out of the pool. “Hoyun hyung!! Leaving already?! Scared?!” “Yeah, terrified. Fuck off.” Ignoring the maknae’s taunts, I went inside. “Kids these days have too much energy.” If I played along any longer, I’d be halfway to the afterlife, I muttered, drying my hair with a towel. The splashing and shouting outside continued. I was about to take a shower, tugging off my T-shirt, when my phone vibrated. [Why do you never answer your phone?] I didn’t bother responding properly, just waited for Kim Jaeyeon to get to the point. [Uh... what’s with you? Something good happen? You sound happy.] He coughed awkwardly, hiding his embarrassment, and finally said, [Hmph, ahem... I found it. Yoon Heeon’s weak point.] Listening to his explanation, I laughed under my breath. Yoon Heeon, you idiot. But who would’ve thought? Soon, I’d be the one looking pathetic. “—I fucking mean it, I like you.” I even stammered trying to make it sound sincere, but the response was— [...Did you bet money on this?] After a long pause, his voice was full of disbelief. [The target does not acknowledge this.] [Does not count toward the total number of attempts.] I couldn’t stop myself from throwing my phone onto the bed. Right. I had been so confident, not knowing what kind of hell awaited me. Should I just give up? I’d thought nothing could be worse than forced aegyo, but apparently, there was a bigger obstacle. My head spun with frustration, questioning why I was even doing this, but I had no choice. Taking a deep breath, I picked up my phone again and stared at the system window. ‘Show affection to the designated close person.’ Express affection to those close to you and build trust to strengthen your bonds. Affection attempts: 0/5 Reward: Pandora’s Box item Failure: Rumors about Sung Jiwon will be leaked to the media. ※The close person is one of the people around you.] Yeah, to figure out who counted as a “close person,” I’d have to flirt with everyone I knew. The only silver lining? If the person wasn’t the designated one, a system message popped up immediately: [The target does not count as your designated ‘close person.’] “This one’s just wrong...” I flopped onto the bed, limbs heavy. To explain why I’d ended up , we had to go back to a few days ago.