SeoJoon's POV
I was working on the song in my studio when I received a text from my mother. I sent her a quick message in response, promising to call her. After some time, when I got home later that night, I called her.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLtOYwVp9K
“Hello, Mom,” I said176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rRpkUmgfY
“Hi, dear. How are you?” She questioned.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmZiUpMdMb
“Mom, I’m doing fine. How are you doing? And where are Appa and Darim?” I asked.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVKPGQokPc
“We are good. Your aunt is watching the news, and Darim is in her room.” She answered.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIOyYDRKEU
“What are you doing? Have you eaten dinner? She continued.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxwashoLCE
“Yes, Mom. I had dinner with other members. I am now at my house.” I said176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lZi4Pxaqk
“Oh, you must be worn out. Get some rest.” She said.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiuEFzEFay
“Mom, it’s all right; I can talk,” I said.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetZDkpZUm5
There was silence from her side.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBPS1bTeQQ
“Mom? Mom? Are you there?” I thought the call got disconnected.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlx3HhaNU2B
“Yes, I am here. I am listening.” She confirmed.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRaakrByPq
“What happened, Mom? Is something wrong?” I questioned.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwnaUgtqV9
“No... No, there’s nothing wrong. Everything is fine.” She replied176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj68gBrGD7U
“Don’t withhold anything from me; tell me. What happened? You have been too quiet today.” I remarked.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDFoXntwz5
“Nothing specifically... I have nothing to say,” She stated176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYY2Rs9nK6
“But you said in a message that you had something to talk about.” The question came to me.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07XQHOlQrG
“Oh, nothing significant. Simple conversation. However, I do have a question.” She said176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jdivpAmB9
“Hmm... what?” I wondered.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqgSeHxTfH
“Are you dating someone?” She asked, stuttering.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDmsIyDpOF
“Huh? What?” I was perplexed.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUniVhZW0c
“Nothing; you go to bed. You must be tired.” She said she was deferring176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJm6lgNm49
"Mom, please don’t hang up. Talk with me.” I said this when she was about to end the call.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw74bg4AhxV
“Why did you ask this out of the blue? Have you heard a new rumor about me recently? Or did anyone make a statement?” I enquired176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUppmjRT75q
“Not at all. Last week, my friend’s son got married. So I thought I would ask you about your plan.” She said176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkGe0jBm1u
“Oh... hahaha... That’s all. Are you sure? Well, Mom, I don’t know. To be honest, I’m uncertain. Considering how busy I am at work, I don’t think this is the right time to get married.” I explained it to her.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5vRLucrJA
“Son, it’s alright. Take your time. But give our grandchildren before we get old because I can’t keep up with them at that age.” She teased me.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxvzy9tPkb
“Oh, Mom. You overthought things. There is nothing like that. I will first let you know if I have any girls in my life.” I reassured her.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCWKmXdP4w
“Alright, son. Now sleep. It’s too late now. Good night.” She said this while disconnecting the call.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡinDBAN4XlG
I hung up the phone after saying goodbye. I got freshened up and spent some time reading. Although I was in bed, I couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation I had with my mom. Since last week, I have been observing her; her messages and voices were different. She was behaving differently. I was also feeling bad because I lied to my mom. I was dating a girl, but I had no thoughts of marriage at that time.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCcWr4Epiu
******176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ijQrnuOGl
I was in the meeting room with Jin Hyung and Yohan Hyung, and we were talking about the song lyrics when the CEO, Mr. Kwan Yang Oh, entered the room and asked for a few minutes. He informed us of a project and requested our opinion. He informed us that scientists would be involved in the project.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMijXXievv
“Is it collaboration?” Curiosity made me ask.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNlNa8Usbu
“No, it’s not. I don’t know much about this, but I can find out more if you’re interested.” He spoke.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1pnYkmmGg
“What are your thoughts on this project?” Curious, Jin Hyung inquired.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGZ6PoNzfC
“I have a friend who is acquainted with the lab’s director. My friend informed me that a lab project requires the unprocessed (raw) vocals of singers.” He stated.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluguFhbtPW
“And what benefits will the project bring to us?” Yohan Hyung made a query.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5RiD7iyryn
“You see, I didn’t officially receive this project. I am aware that the project is global and that they are seeking singers with a broad influence. And DTM fits the best.” He said his last words with a wink at us.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTT0pZZP9Vb
“Although I am unsure at the moment, I believe there might be a good opportunity in the future. That’s why I am discussing it with you guys.” He explained further and then left.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4m1A1GXHCT
“He doesn’t know anything. But they still want to talk to us about it. Nothing needs to be discussed in this instance. Let it go.” Yohan Hyung said to get our attention back to work.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxionqggjX2
Later, Jay and JongSeok also joined us in the meeting room. The whole week passed like this, working on songs and their music.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDzThuN6dO
I received a call on my phone while we were all in the recording room to record the song. I initially disconnected the call, but it kept resuming. Even after talking and promising to call later, the call kept coming. We were able to successfully record the song after two to three hours. But as soon as I walked out of the recording room, I received a back hug. I knew who it was, thanks to the scent of the perfume. Ms. Choi Eun Soo, the girl I was dating. “What are you doing here?” I asked. “Since you weren’t answering my call, I decided to come and see you.” She responded. As other members were already aware of our relationship, they didn’t wait for me and left after greeting EunSoo. We talked for a while. I asked her the reason: why did she keep calling me on the phone? She expressed an interest in going shopping with me on weekends. But I let her know that I had already made the reservation on weekends for the filming of an upcoming video and the opening ceremony of an exhibition. I would be extremely busy. She insisted on calling off the scheduled exhibition event and accompanying her on a shopping trip, but I declined because I received a special invitation for the inaugural event. Instead, I invited her to attend the event with me. She declined my offer, stating that she dislikes exhibitions, museums, and galleries. She felt those places were boring. She eventually stormed off in a rage.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqixEJ7v4CS
When she left, I went to the room where every other member was seated. When I reached the door, I heard that I and EunSoo were the subject of their conversation. Just as I was about to enter, I heard their conversation.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZ4lim7ohi
“I don’t like her.”. JongSeok spoke176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45ni2uAUjV
“Well, it doesn’t matter if you like her or not. SeoJoon likes her, and that’s all that matters.” Yohan Hyung said.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgUqNsGYjG
“Oh, come on, Hyung, you know what I am trying to say. I don’t like the fact that SeoJoon Hyung is dating her. She is not his kind.” To explain his earlier statement, JongSeok said:.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pdsPzlL5V
“What do you mean?” Jin Hyung asked.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8f8uIxNG1
“We’ve known SeoJoon Hyung for a very long time. We have the most familiarity with him. Sometimes I think that she is only with him because he is famous, and blah, blah, blah.” JongSeok said with frustration176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEjBbJVMCc
“What kind of nonsense are you bringing up?” Jin Hyung spoke in a slightly raised voice.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoIr71dhdId
“Don’t you feel, Jay Hyung, that there is no understanding between them?” JongSeok asked Jay while pushing him a little.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQV3YYfdjna
“Woah... woah... woah. You are an overthinking man. She comes from a reputable family. Even though her family is not well-known, you can’t say that she won’t comprehend what a celebrity goes through. Let’s not pass judgment on her.” Jay gave his opinion.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FZScuk531
“Maybe I got her wrong. However, I only care about SeoJoon Hyung’s happiness.” With some thought, JongSeok spoke.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7F9hbJvEOs
“Indeed, everything is good if he is happy. Not to worry.” Yohan Hyung added.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLIdSz69mO
I entered as soon as they stopped talking. They were all alarmed. They assumed that I had heard everything. But I pretended I didn’t. “What happened? Why are you all staring at me so strangely? Is something wrong with my face?” I asked while looking at each of them. “Nothing happened. Why are you so early? We thought you would come back after some time. Did she leave so soon?” Jay asked. “Yes, she left. She had come to tell me about weekend shopping. But because I’m already busy, I declined. She got angry and left.” I said this while sitting beside Jin Hyung.
