A Failed Idol’s Rise to Bottom

As Sugyeom was reading the fans’ comments one by one after he had posted a selfie on the official fancafe, the door suddenly opened and Taewon walked in.

Taewon stopped and quietly looked at him. Noticing the mischievousness in Taewon’s eyes, he heightened his alertness by shrinking his small shoulders.

“What is it?”

“Sugyeom.”

“Ehm, what?”

“Can I pinch your cheek?”

“N-no?!”

Sugyeom furrowed his eyebrows and became angry when he heard Taewon’s blunt question. However, Taewon could already be seen approaching him with dazed eyes. Like mozzarella cheese, he was going to stretch his cheek at any moment.

“Don’t do it, don’t!”

“Then, I’ll just poke you.”

“No, I told you no…!”

Poke–

One of Taewon’s thick index fingers stabbed Sugyeom’s cheek. Normally a dimple would form, but his cheek was so swollen that it was nowhere to be found.

Although it didn’t hurt because Taewon had poked gently, it couldn’t have been fun for Sugyeom to have his face poked like a toy.

Sugyeom discontentedly looked up at Taewon who was showing a really pleased expression. It was an expression of pure joy without malice, so he couldn’t even get angry.

“Sugyeom, did you check your other wisdom teeth while taking your X-ray?”

“Ehm. I saw it, and I’m screwed. The remaining three are also lying there. I don’t know when I’ll need them pulled. It’s absolutely like a ticking time bomb.”

“That…”

“…But why does hyung’s expression look so happy?”

“It’s just your imagination. I’m offering my condolences.”

Sugyeom scrutinized Taewon’s expression again. No matter how much he looked at it, Taewon’s mouth that was twitching seemed to be trembling as if he was trying hard to suppress his laughter. In addition, the puffed cheekbones couldn’t be hidden.

“Really!”

Sugyeom clenched his fists when he saw Taewon holding back his laughter like he was going to die of pain. Nonetheless, he didn’t hit Taewon.

From his many experiences with Taewon so far, he knew it wouldn’t hurt even if he hit him.

So he changed his method.

He decided to loosen his clenched fists and tickle Taewon’s sides with his fingers instead.

“Agh, stop, Song Sugyeom, hahaha, agh, Song Sugyeom!”

Even though Taewon was a muscular man, he couldn’t withstand the tickling. As Sugyeom had predicted, Taewon’s body swerved in agony.

Satisfied that his plan was successful, he tickled Taewon more persistently.

“Hahaha, stop, Song Sugyeom, I told you to stop, I’ve warned you, hahaha!”

“Even if you warn me, what can you do?!”

Sugyeom shouted curiously. It was because he thought he was in control.

However, it was just an illusion.

Taewon immediately grabbed Sugyeom’s arms in one hand and overpowered him. Then, Sugyeom was slung over his shoulders.

“A-ah, let me down!”

“See, if you attack hyung you’ll be punished, Sugyeom.”

Taewon smiled triumphantly as the surprised Sugyeom struggled. The tables had turned completely in an instant.

“You’re so mean, you can’t abuse your strength! You don’t know the difference in weight class?”

“You should have listened when I warned you. Why didn’t you?”

“Y-you have to warn me twice! You get two yellow cards before you’re sent off. It’s so cruel to do this after only one!”

Sugyeom didn’t back down even when he was on Taewon’s shoulders and gave a flawless answer. Taewon, laughing at his answer, continued to carry him on his shoulders.

“Say that you’re going to listen well from now on.”

“You’re so mean.”

“You don’t like it?”

“Euaaak! All right! I’ll say it!”

Sugyeom was spun around while on Taewon’s shoulders.

Even though he knew Taewon wouldn’t drop him, he held onto Taewon’s clothes tightly due to an instinctive fear.

He felt wronged, but knowing that he shouldn’t rebel anymore, he quickly lowered his tail.

“I’ll listen to hyung well from now on! I’m good at listening! Now let me down! I’m dizzy!”

After hearing a complete surrender from Sugyeom, Taewon dropped him off on his bed.

However, Sugyeom didn’t miss the opportunity and attempted a final rebellion. As such, he bit Taewon’s exposed neck.

“Agh! Song Sugyeom!”

“Agh, my teeth!”

Sugyeom, who had forcibly used his teeth less than a day after a tooth extraction, fell in pain. Meanwhile, Taewon fell into a fetal position. It was a battle without a winner.

Taewon soon approached a mirror on the wall and examined the bite, leaving Sugyeom holding his cheek and groaning on the bed. There was a visible bite mark on the nape of his neck.

“Wow, Song Sugyeom. Look at the bite mark. Are you even human? Huh? Are you?”

“Precisely because I’m human and saw an animal. Hyung is already long out of this world.”

“You’re really…Unlike you, I’m a sensible person, so I went easy on you. Ah, Song Sugyeom. It’s disgusting.”

Taewon swept the bite mark and laughed at the ridiculous situation.

No matter how pressing it was, he didn’t think an adult with any sense of awareness would bite someone.

He couldn’t even get angry at the strange behavior. It was so absurd and ridiculous that he could only click his tongue.

“Our fans are being fooled by your face.”

“What did I do?!”

“They need to know that you’re this kind of person.”

“Then, tell the fans! I bit you! I’m going to tell them everything. My hyung carried me on his shoulders and put me on his bed while teasing me.”

Sugyeom stuck out his tongue and said provokingly. Taewon shook his head at the childish behavior. At his reaction, Sugyeom sensed that he had won.

It was an absurdly childish and simple joke even to Sugyeom, but he often did this with Taewon. Each time, Taewon would back down first, so the winner always became Sugyeom.

“Forget it, just get out of my bed.”

“Wasn’t it hyung who put me here? I didn’t come here on my own, did I?”

“So you’re not going to leave if I put you in my bed again next time?”

Taewon immediately asked, taken aback by Sugyeom’s irrational argument.

“Ah, of course. I would never leave obediently since I didn’t come on my own.”

Taewon’s eyes narrowed.

“Remember that.”

“Song Sugyeom, a man, never says what he doesn’t mean.”

Sugyeom answered confidently, still excited from having won his battle against Taewon. As a result, he didn’t notice Taewon’s strange expression.

* * *

The next morning Sugyeom sat down in defeat at the breakfast table after a long scuffle with Igyeom who went to wake him up.

Igyeom didn’t always wake Sugyeom up for breakfast. There seemed to be some sort of reason in its own way, but Sugyeom didn’t know what it was.

In any case, Sugyeom sat at the table with a swollen cheek after he was woken up and dragged by Igyeom.

“Wow, hyung’s cheek is going to explode.”

Hansol remarked in disbelief when he saw that Sugyeom’s swollen cheek had seemingly gotten larger. He was smiling brightly for some reason, but Sugyeom was staring at Igyeom and didn’t notice.

“It’s Miyeok-guk. It’s fine to chew it with rice.”

Igyeom served the simmered Miyeok-guk along with some Kimbap. It seemed the menu was prepared so as to not irritate Sugyeom’s mouth as much as possible after his tooth extraction.

Sugyeom checked that the temperature of the Miyeok-guk was lukewarm before he mixed in the rice.

Perhaps because the Miyeok-guk had been boiled for a long time, but there seemed to be no seaweed to chew on. As a result, the Miyeok-guk went down his throat without any pain.

While admiring the mellow and deep taste, Sugyeom trembled with happiness.

“Is it good?”

“Very much!”

“That’s a relief.”

Igyeom smiled lightly, but Sugyeom was distracted by the Miyeok-guk and didn’t notice.

“Huh, Taewon-hyung, what happened to your neck?”

“Oh, yeah. Did you get a mosquito bite? But is it mosquitoes season?”

At Yuchan’s questioning, Hansol also tilted his head and asked. The bite mark had faded a lot overnight, but it remained strangely reddish.

Taewon abruptly laughed and pointed to Sugyeom with his head when he recalled Sugyeom’s eccentric behavior from yesterday.

“It’s Song Sugyeom’s fault.”

Taewon’s remark brought silence to the table.

Sugyeom, not realizing that the atmosphere had suddenly become strange, continued to eat spoonfuls of the Miyeok-guk.