Translator: MarcTempest
Editor: Rxel
Chapter 175
“Ah, she’s so grumpy.”
Woojoo smiled as he hung up the phone with his grandmother.
It was 8 a.m.
The car was driving on the Yeongjong Bridge, heading to Incheon Airport.
“Hey, guys! Look over there. A plane is flying!”
Jiho tapped Woojoo’s shoulder and exclaimed. He saw a small dot disappearing into the sky in the distance.
“I guess we’re getting closer to the airport.”Woojoo played along with our kid’s excitement, but he was feeling restless inside.
He had to board a plane…
It wasn’t because of the pain from his parents’ accident.
It was a long time ago, and he had cried enough.
He wasn’t sad anymore, except for the occasional emptiness in his chest when his siblings talked about their parents.
But Woojoo couldn’t help the fear that had been ingrained in him since he was young.
He was afraid of planes.
Of course, he knew the chances of an accident were low.
The probability of dying in a plane crash was one in a hundred million. Lower than getting struck by lightning.
But as someone who had experienced that one in a hundred million, that slim chance was no comfort to him.
Well. Nothing would happen anyway.
Nothing would…
“Hyung, are you okay?”
Bijoo looked at Woojoo with concern.
“You look a bit pale. And you’re sweating.”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
Woojoo wiped the cold sweat on the back of his neck. He smiled as if there was nothing to worry about.
“I got motion sickness from looking at my phone.”
“Do you want me to put a patch on you? I brought some in my carry-on just in case.”
“No, thanks. We’ll be there soon.”
This time, Rihyuk put down his Spanish textbook and leaned in.
“Tell me if you’re feeling unwell. Your face looks like old flour.”
“My stomach is a bit upset.”
“What can I do for you? Tell me if you need anything.”
“Well…”
As Woojoo parted his pale lips, Rihyuk looked at him seriously. He seemed a bit tense as he sensed something from him. Woojoo grinned.
“Can you sing me a song?”
“Ugh, what. You’re fine.”
He turned his gaze to his Spanish textbook, pretending to be annoyed.
He was quick to catch on.
Unlike the fools who shared one earphone and sang along, the two of them had been watching him closely since yesterday.
Oh, and one more.
Seokhwan Hyung, who was sitting in the passenger seat, glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
Woojoo sent him a heart with his hand and winked. He shook his head as if he couldn’t stop him.
He was glad to have people who cared for him like this.
They had a variety show filming at the airport, and it was their first overseas schedule. Everyone was nervous but excited.
That was why he didn’t want to bother them with unnecessary stories.
“Wow, there’s the airport!”
Woojoo saw Incheon Airport in the distance.
The car climbed up the elevated road and headed to the departure hall on the third floor. In no time, they arrived at gate 10.
“There are so many people.”
Junghyun pointed out the window.
There were cameras everywhere.
They were reporters who came to take pictures and fans who came to see them.
While the kids checked their outfits, Woojoo looked at his face on the smartphone screen.
His ability to mimic was effective today as well.
Regardless of his mood, a bright smile that made him feel better just by looking at it appeared.
Woojoo waved and smiled at the cameras as he stood on the crosswalk.
Dowon Hyung cleared the way and they followed him.
As they entered the gate, they were greeted by the cast and the cameras with the TBC logo.
“Hey, they’re here!”
A man with a gruff expression gestured.
“Come on!”
“Hello, hello.”
Woojoo bowed his head to the three men and women and stood on their left.
“Wow, there are so many people. You’re not called the best rookie of 2014 for nothing.”
The man who was fluently telling a story was Yoo Changhyun.
He was a former comedian who appeared on various variety shows.
He was invited to liven up the atmosphere on the special episode of ‘Patisserie Korea’ today.
Patisserie Korea was a survival show that aired with popularity last year.
It gathered pastry chefs who made bread or cake and competed with each other by showing off their desserts.
Woojoo heard that it had good ratings because of the format of the cooking competition.
That was why TBC prepared a special episode after the broadcast ended to squeeze out the remaining popularity.
It was called the global tour.
The top 5 who achieved decent results went abroad with their mentors and opened a one-day cafe, selling their own menu.
The point was to see how the menu that was well received in Korea would react to foreign people.
They were the one-day part-timers at that cafe.
“Wow, are these all fans?”
As the screen door opened and the people outside kept pouring in, Yoo Changhyun stuck out his tongue.
The passing tourists also joined in with their phone cameras on.
Of course, it wasn’t just because of us.
Among the passing hikers, a woman in a pink jacket raised her thumb and shouted.
“Chef Park, you look younger than on TV!”
“Oh, thank you. You look young too.”
A 40-year-old man with a good build and thick lines smiled and answered.
Chef Park Jaewoo.
He was the mentor of the contestants on Patisserie Korea, and a person who showed off his warm appearance and extensive cooking knowledge on various cooking shows.
“Oh, I’ve seen that person. He’s the winner of Patisserie Korea, right?”
“I can’t recognize him without his glasses.”
And there was a woman in her 20s with a small and round face.
Min Sejin, who seemed unfamiliar with the broadcast, was the winner of this Patisserie Korea.
With New Black and their fans, the crowd naturally grew.
“Shall we introduce ourselves one by one?”
“Yes, two, three. Hello! We are New Black!”
They greeted each other in turn.
Yoo Changhyun skillfully lifted the mood while the chef and the winner chimed in or responded.
Chef Park Jaewoo smiled.
“You all look great. I can’t tell who’s the visual member.”
“You don’t know who it is?”
Jiho smiled brightly and tapped his chest with his finger.
The people watching laughed as if they found him cute, and Yoo Changhyun asked, “Is Jiho the visual here?”
“Yes, I’m in charge of the visual of New Black. As you can see, I’m the most handsome.”
“The guys over there don’t seem to think so?”
While Jiho was talking, they were making X signs with their hands and shaking their heads behind him.
When the youngest turned his head, they smiled kindly.
“Isn’t Woojoo the visual?”
“Yes, Sunbae-nim. You’re really accurate. This kid is just bluffing, he’s not at the level to compete with me yet.”
“That’s right. I’m number one, including personality.”
“Oh, the overall ranking?”
“Yup. Woojoo Hyung is number one in appearance, but his personality is so vicious that I’m higher in the overall ranking.”
While the youngest was dissing him, Chef Park and Min Sejin laughed.
Maybe because the atmosphere had relaxed during the break, Min Sejin, who had been quiet, pretended to know Junghyun.
“I saw that rhinoceros beetle meme!”
“Rhinoceros beetle?”
The winner explained to the two cast members.
Yoo Changhyun showed curiosity.
“The rhinoceros beetle pose! Can I see it again?”
“Uh, our manager said we shouldn’t do this…”
Junghyun scratched the back of his head and came to a clear conclusion.
“I’ll just do it and get scolded.”
“Manager, where are you? Oh, there you are. Your neck must be itching, huh?”
The camera briefly went to Seokhwan Hyung, who was making a sad face among the crowd.
Soon, Junghyun struck the rhinoceros beetle pose and everywhere turned into a sea of laughter.
It looked funny even without sound.
Thanks to that, from then on, the onlookers started to say things like ‘Oh, black goat!’, ‘Big luck?’
They rode the wave and joked around and exchanged quips with dozens of onlookers and the camera.
Their friendly growth period also contributed to the good mood.
“By the way, are you two interested in idols? Do you know us?”
“No. I don’t really…”
“Me too, I don’t know much about idols.”
Jiho smiled brightly at the mentor and disciple who hesitated.
“That’s good! Then you can get to know us from now on. Hyungs, we’ll sing you a song.”
“Oh, shall we pick a song?”
Woojoo spoke up at the impromptu promotional opportunity.
“Then, since we’re doing this, we’ll show you our hard choreography too.”
“You’re passionate! Well, then, let’s make some room.”
The onlookers moved back and they briefly showed them a medley performance of Fireworks and Masquerade.
Yoo Changhyun asked, “Do you know Patisserie Korea, both of you?”
“Of course.”
Woojoo answered.
“I really enjoyed watching it.”
Woojoo had watched it diligently whenever he had time at Director Jo’s house after hearing that he would be on the special.
Bijoo made a comment about his interest in cooking, and they told him what they found funny.
He seemed happy to hear things they wouldn’t have known if they hadn’t watched the show.
When it was time to wrap up the opening, Yoo Changhyun finished his comment.
“Anyway, we hired them as daily part-timers in Taiwan. How about a word of ambition?”
“We’re really good at work,” Woojoo said with a smile. “Please look forward to it.”
“Oh, by the way, I had dinner with the members of Around the World With Dice a while ago. When New Black came up, Heeyeon said she was so excited. She said there’s an idol who works better than a black or brown cow.”
“Yes, that’s Woojoo Hyung.”
Their kids pointed at Woojoo with proud faces and he smiled resignedly.
Chef Park Jaewoo asked, “I heard from the production team that you’re good at Chinese. You don’t need an interpreter this time, right?”
“是.”
Woojoo answered like that and showed his confidence to the camera.
“Please watch. I’ll show you how I work like a cow this time.”
After the opening shoot, they decided to part ways with the TBC crew for a while.
They were on different planes.
“It’s so spacious, maybe because it’s business class.”
Jiho, who was sitting next to Woojoo, looked around and spoke in amazement. The other kids also looked around and were satisfied.
It was a seat provided free of charge by Cloud Air, a mid-sized airline that they were advertising models for.
The seats were spacious and satisfying enough for their kids to stretch their long legs.
The problem was Woojoo.
“…”
Woojoo sat by the window and closed his eyes, watching the complexly moving cargo vehicles and the planes taking off in the distance.
He felt nauseous.
He felt like he wanted to go to the bathroom and vomit the toast he had for breakfast.
Cold sweat soaked his back and palms.
Even though he didn’t drink coffee, his heart was pounding like a wave in his ears.
To put it bluntly, it was a mess.
-Ladies and gentlemen, hello. Thank you for choosing Cloud Airlines today.
The captain’s announcement came on, informing them of the imminent takeoff.
“Hyung, are you okay with motion sickness?”
Bijoo, who was sitting in the middle seat across the aisle, called out to Woojoo.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Woojoo smiled and waved his hand. Unlike before, he was now awkward at managing his expression.
They all went back to normal, as if telling him not to worry.
“That… no.”
Rihyuk tried to say something, but then closed his mouth.
Junghyun was also flipping through a booklet with a calm face.
They all seemed to notice and respect his wish to pretend nothing was wrong.
“Hoo.”
Woojoo leaned back on the seat and took a deep breath.
The air around him felt like it was choking his throat, so he unbuttoned a couple of buttons on his shirt.
It was worse than he thought…
He regretted not telling their manager beforehand, if he had known he would react like this.
But it was too late.
He couldn’t just get off and get back on.
As he was restless, the plane slowly moved and his heart sank.
“…”
When Woojoo closed his eyes, he kept seeing the news he had seen when he was young, or various plane accidents.
When he opened his eyes, everything around him seemed to sway like a mirage.
His ability, which was usually so helpful, felt cruel today.
Please.
Please, show me something.
Woojoo wanted some help, like when he felt the extreme tension at the showcase, whether it was his ability or anything else.
But unlike last time, his ability was silent this time.
He felt nauseous, as if he was going to vomit on the spot.
Swoosh-
An earphone popped into his left ear.
It was a sudden sensation, and Woojoo felt stunned. Was his mind frozen?
Jiho showed him his smartphone and smiled brightly.
“I want to listen to music.”
“Jiho…”
“Yes?”
Woojoo’s voice cracked.
“Don’t you have to turn it off before takeoff?”
“It’s okay, it’s on airplane mode.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Hyung. Besides, I’m scared of taking off, so please listen to music with me.”
He picked a song before Woojoo could say anything.
He hummed along to the lyrics, ‘Let’s go, together,’ and Woojoo saw him singing to himself.
Woojoo was speechless, but his mind calmed down a bit.
It felt reassuring to have one earphone in his ear, as if someone was holding his hand.
And then the plane started to accelerate.
Woojoo grabbed the armrests with both hands and closed his eyes.
This is not a plane. This is not a plane.
As the plane sped up and up, he felt like his heart was going to burst. Jiho tapped him and talked to him, saying he was scared too.
Maybe thanks to him.
Woojoo didn’t have time to come to his senses, and the plane was soaring into the sky.
“Uh, what?” Jiho said in disappointment. “I was so nervous because everyone was saying that the takeoff was scary. It’s not that bad, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“Let’s listen to some music. Us.”
Woojoo felt relieved as he saw the clouds outside the window. At the same time, the tension that had been stretched tight was loosened.
It was over.
He was glad that the plane took off without any trouble.
He leaned back, wiping the cold sweat, feeling the fatigue in his body.
Suddenly, a face popped up on the window full of clouds.
It was the youngest’s eyes, looking at him with concern.
Woojoo turned his head, and he was still smiling innocently, but he felt that way.
“What song do you want to listen to, Hyung? Something upbeat?”
“Anything,” Woojoo said, feeling grateful to him. “Anything is fine.”
It didn’t matter anyway.
He was falling asleep without knowing it.
He had a sleepless night last night.
And after escaping from the extreme tension, his body was telling him to sleep.
“I’m going to close my eyes for a bit…”
“Are you sleeping?”
“Yeah, wake me up when it’s time to eat…”
Woojoo fell asleep in an instant.
And, he had a dream.
A beach that he didn’t remember where.
It was an ordinary scenery.
There were seagulls or something flying around, and a clear sky that he couldn’t tell if it was afternoon or morning.
He was standing on the bright and cheerful sand.
But he was small.
His hands were like ferns, and his steps were clumsy.
He didn’t know how old he was, but the people around him looked like giants.
-Woojoo.
A warm voice. A woman’s voice.
When he turned his head, he couldn’t see her.
She should have been visible, but she looked like she had noise on her face.
But he knew who she was.
Im Myeongeun. His mom.
She always wore a neat sky-blue dress that his mom liked.
-Woojoo. Dad bought something fun, do you want to go see it with me?
-Something fun?
As Woojoo tilted his head, his mom picked him up with a flash. Her smell filled his nose with the sea breeze.
From her arms, Woojoo stared at the sea.
Soon, a handsome man in a shirt waved his hand at them with a bright smile.
He also had a faint face like he had static on it.
Seon Myungjoo. His dad.
Woojoo couldn’t see his face, but he felt it.
-Woojoo! Ta-da!
He pointed at the sticks stuck in the beach.
-Dad bought this to show you. How is it, have you ever seen it before?
His wife smiled at her husband who was excited like a child.
-How come you’re more excited than him?
-Of course. I’ve been waiting to show this to Woojoo.
-Is it okay to show this to the baby? What if he hurts his eardrums or something…?
-It’s okay. Your mother-in-law said so. Kids have to grow up tough. That’s why I’m like this… Ouch! Sorry, sorry! It was my fault.
Woojoo didn’t understand the meaning of the conversations when he was young.
The couple who had been giggling and snuggling with each other soon embraced him in the middle of their hug.
But his young attention was fixed on the stick.
What was that?
Dad lit the end of the stick with a match and came over to him excitedly.
-Woojoo, look at that. It’s going to fly up to the sky now.
Mom’s warm hands covered his soft ears.
Just for a moment.
With a loud bang, the stick shot something out with white smoke. A bunch of fireworks cried out.
Woojoo opened his eyes wide and flinched for a second.
The fireworks painted beautiful flames in the sky. He bit his finger and stared at it with his mouth open.
Mom covered his mouth with her hand and said, -Honey, look at him.
-See? I told you he would like it.
It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen in his life.
Of course, the fireworks at the Han River might be nothing compared to the few fireworks on the beach.
But what mattered was that Woojoo heard the most beautiful words in the world with a warm kiss on his cheek.
-Mom and Dad love you the most in the world, Woojoo.
It was a pretty dream he had after a long time.