Chapter 247: This is Forgery, You Know

Cha Seongbin let out a short scream and jumped in place.

His movement was as dramatic as a goby flopping after being pulled out with a net.

Sorry, I didn’t think you’d be that surprised.

“Wak!”

Just as I was about to walk out of the closet wearing a ghost costume.

Thwack!

“Ack!”

I got hit on the head by Cha Seongbin.

Jin Sehyeon widened his eyes and shouted in alarm.

“Is this guy an exorcist or what?!”

He just punched a ghost!

“It’s… it’s not a ghost?”

The solid feeling of the impact.

Can you really ‘physically’ get rid of a ghost like this?

Cha Seongbin froze as he belatedly realized something was off.

Then, Jin Sehyeon clicked his tongue as he pulled off my ghost costume.

“It’s Seohan. And he just smacked the kid like that….”

“What, what! Why were you in there?”

“Ugh….”

Rubbing the head I had just been hit on, I threw off the costume I’d been wearing.

“……!”

Seeing me, Cha Seongbin flinched and blinked in shock.

He still couldn’t grasp what was going on.

“Ah.”

Seo Haim, who had been hiding behind the door, stepped out hesitantly.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who had sneaked into the room while Cha Seongbin was out having lunch.

Seo Haim murmured in disappointment.

“Actually, the self-content team told us to record it in case the birthday party went well, so I did film it….”

Looks like we won’t be able to use that footage.

“Seongbin hyung let out a real clean curse, so….”

“This one’s not suitable for broadcast.”

“When did I…!”

Cha Seongbin waved his hands, denying what had just happened.

Jin Sehyeon shoved the footage right in front of him.

“Want to hear it for yourself?”

A heavy hit of reality.

Naturally, he had nothing to say back.

I heard it loud and clear too.

“Ahem.”

“Then I guess we’re scrapping this one….”

“Feels like we need to burn it.”

…So that’s how it ended.

“Seongbin hyung, happy birthday!”

“Happy birthday~. Happy birthday~. To the Seongbin we do not love~ happy birthday~.”

“Waaaah!”

The birthday party officially began.

Though the start had been a bit chaotic, we shared the cake we’d prepared in a warm atmosphere.

Cha Seongbin blew out the candles with a puff and smiled happily.

It was his birthday abroad, but surrounded by the members, he said it didn’t feel lonely at all.

“Mm, this is nice~.”

Cha Seongbin hummed a tune as he stuffed his mouth with cake.

Right then, Ha Junseo brought something up.

“Seongbin, time to get your present.”

“Present?”

He seemed surprised, as if he hadn’t expected us to prepare something even overseas, and turned his head.

Obviously, no one refuses when someone offers a gift.

Ha Junseo nodded and smiled.

“Start with Sehyeon. He worked really hard on his.”

“What, when did you even prepare anything?”

“Ah. It’s really not much….”

Jin Sehyeon hesitated a moment before swallowing dryly. With an awkward smile, he opened his mouth.

“Since hyung is in charge of composing for our team, you need a lot of gear, right? I noticed last time you were still using that old laptop, working hard on your songs.”

It must’ve been around five years. There was this laptop Cha Seongbin always brought along wherever he went.

Since you can’t always work on a computer, he seemed to carry around that light laptop to jot down ideas whenever they came.

Jin Sehyeon had sharp eyes—he picked up on details like that.

“So I decided to get you a new laptop.”

“What…?”

Cha Seongbin’s eyes grew huge.

“Hey, you’re joking, right?”

“I’m serious. It’s not super expensive, so don’t feel too pressured….”

“Eh, really?”

Cha Seongbin jumped to his feet and asked. Seo Haim, sitting beside him, raised a hand with a grin.

“Well, since it was juuust a bit pricey! I pitched in too.”

“What the heck, I think I might get emotional.”

Cha Seongbin let out exclamations as he looked around at the members.

Seo Ian couldn’t hold back his laughter and giggled.

“Seongbin hyung really likes it, huh?”

“That guy never turns down stuff like this.”

“Ayoo, I’ll gratefully accept it~.”

Cha Seongbin responded with a cheeky smile. The corners of his lips lifted—it wasn’t just a happy face, it was pure joy.

Since it had been prepared on short notice, we couldn’t guarantee it was the exact kind of laptop Seongbin would’ve chosen, but he seemed really thankful for the thoughtfulness.

Jin Sehyeon rummaged through his bag and pulled something out. A large, flat item neatly wrapped in gift paper appeared.

The moment Cha Seongbin grabbed it.

“Hm.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s kinda ambiguous.”

The corners of his lips, which had risen almost to his ears earlier, subtly drooped.

“Krrh.”

Seo Haim coughed and turned her eyes away.

Cha Seongbin tilted his head and lifted the gift slightly, then lowered it again.

“Hey, it’s lighter than I thought?”

“Ahahahah! Ahahah!”

“But then again, it’s not like! super light….”

Cha Seongbin glanced at Jin Sehyeon with suspicion and asked.

“Hey, what is this?”

“It’s a notebook.”

“Look at you… shameless.”

“Wahahah! Ahahah!”

The accomplice in this prank, Seo Haim, was already rolling on the floor unable to hold back her laughter.

I had only vaguely heard hints of it too, but even I was struggling not to laugh.

“Laptops are really light these days.”

“This one’s 100g.”

“Impressive tech. When did things advance so much?”

“Ahahahah! Ahahah!”

A laptop lighter than a phone.

With a deep sigh, Cha Seongbin gave in and tore open the wrapping paper.

The moment he checked the contents, he collapsed into a sitting position.

“Pfft.”

Sorry, but I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

Three thick notebooks, heavy and chunky.

If you ignore the unit being ‘books’, they were still technically notebooks.

Jin Sehyeon shamelessly tilted his chin.

“I mean, I wasn’t lying. It’s a notebook.”

“Jin Sehyeon, have some shame.”

Ssshhk.

Cha Seongbin swallowed with a hollow look.

“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much.”

“Nope. You were definitely expecting something.”

“Ahem.”

Even I could tell.

The guy who was dozing off from jet lag immediately lit up at the mention of a laptop.

For the still-disappointed Cha Seongbin, I pulled out the next gift.

“It’s fine. I’ve got a present too.”

It was my turn now.

“I thought of Seongbin hyung and prepared it with! utmost sincerity.”

“What is it?”

“Well, in my opinion, the cleanest and most satisfying gift to receive is….”

Ssshhk.

I pulled out a white envelope from my pocket.

“Cash.”

“Kya, Seohan really knows what’s up.”

Jin Sehyeon clapped in admiration.

“Let’s keep it down, Sehyeon.”

“Ah.”

Mr. Jin Notebook no longer had speaking rights.

Instead of the sulking Jin Sehyeon, I proudly handed over the thick envelope to Cha Seongbin.

The amount inside might be more than expected.

“Wow, look at Seohan’s shoulders go up.”

“The maknae’s flex….”

“Can I… trust you?”

Already once deceived, Cha Seongbin didn’t dare show his joy too openly, but a hint of hope still lingered in his eyes.

Proof that he hadn’t completely lost faith in humanity.

Seo Ian tilted his head and asked.

“Does Seongbin hyung like cash…?”

“Is there anyone who doesn’t?”

Correct answer.

“I’m really expecting something here, okay?”

“Of course.”

As I spoke with confidence, Cha Seongbin’s eyes lit up.

Carefully, he tilted the envelope to check the contents.

And then.

Ssshhk.

As he pulled out a single bill, his face froze.

“Wait a sec. This…”

The design looked familiar. With a trembling voice, Cha Seongbin spoke.

“This is Blue Marble money, isn’t it?”

“What the hell.”

“Wahahah! Seriously?”

Jin Sehyeon burst out laughing as he checked the envelope’s contents.

Since I hadn’t warned them about the Blue Marble money, even the others had been fooled.

Seo Haim offered an honest compliment.

“Do Seohan’s insane….”

“You didn’t bring that from Korea, did you? That’s some insane prep.”

“You’re a lunatic.”

“Ahahahah! Ahahah!”

The light in Cha Seongbin’s eyes faded once more.

“Cha Seongbin got fooled again.”

“…he actually fell for it.”

“Hyung, don’t ever go into business. You’re gonna get scammed and end up on the street.”

In the end, Cha Seongbin clenched his teeth and spoke. His voice carried the weight of suppressed frustration.

“This is forgery, you know.”

Oops.

.

.

.

“This is the gift we actually prepared.”

After teasing him to our hearts’ content, we handed over a real laptop.

Having been fooled so many times, Cha Seongbin even doubted the real one for a while, thinking it was a prop.

“This one’s real? Wow!”

But before long, he was smiling like nothing had happened.

Yep. He was a simple organism.

Fweeeeeh—

A sharp wind sliced through the air.

All that remained on the dead plain were thick, overgrown weeds.

The man swept the gray weeds with his hand, his face cold and expressionless.

Pitch-black eyes stared silently into the void.

No matter how many times he called a name, no one answered.

The suffocating silence had long since swallowed him whole.

Left all alone, Kang Siwoo slowly took a step forward.

He’d grown used to loneliness, but even so, there were times when the empty corner of his heart would be relentlessly pierced.

Whenever the turmoil inside became unbearable, he could feel his humanity weaken.

I want to escape this swamp of silence.

Anyone, please answer this call.

Just as he continued muttering endlessly—

“Excuse me.”

Someone’s voice stopped him.

“…….”

When he turned around, a young boy was smiling at him.

Eyes that held no hint of despair, even in the darkness.

A strange hope rarely found in this dead world.

Breaking the silence, the boy’s eyes sparkled as he asked.

“What are you doing here?”

With those words, the screen went black.

[Stardust: Silence Concept trailer]

[2018.11.04. 6PM(KST)]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep