Chapter 74: Faith Doesn’t Betray

My bombshell comment made Teacher Yoo Minseo’s eyes go wide.

“Seriously, what’s going on with you guys?”

Even Cha Seongbin, who suddenly ran out during practice, was surprising enough, but the other trainees leaving their spots to chase him was crazier.

If this had happened back in our Stardust days, they’d have punished us so badly we couldn’t even move our bones.

Knowing that, and yet he’s asking for understanding like that? you might wonder.

“Seohan grab Seongbin by the collar or something?”

“…….”

“No, our Seohan isn’t the type for that….”

“I’ll be back and explain everything. Siwoo hyung, please.”

“What?”

We couldn’t delay any longer.

“I‑I’m really sorry!”

I left Teacher Yoo Minseo’s murmuring voice behind me.

I dashed urgently into the hallway.

“Where did he go?”

He hadn’t been gone long, so he probably didn’t go far.

I checked the empty rooms quickly as I sprinted down the hall.

“He’s not here.”

Not here, not there.

All the empty rooms were locked anyway—so where did he go?

Well, I had to run more then.

“Seongbin hyung! Hyung, where are you!”

While checking rooms, I didn’t forget to look out the window either.

I thought maybe he had already gone down to the first floor, but I didn’t see Cha Seongbin.

Having an ocean sunfish member is making things hard for me.

Gasping for breath, grabbing my trembling legs, I ran again.

“Ha… ha.”

So I searched through the 3rd floor.

The 2nd floor.

Even the 1st floor, but still no Cha Seongbin.

“I need to catch Cha Seongbin.”

I felt he’d be isolating himself alone, maybe digging down into a tunnel. I had to find him fast.

I swallowed and thoroughly searched the surroundings.

“Huff… where the hell did he go…”

It’d be problematic if he wasn’t anywhere even here.

Just as I was about to head back upstairs starting at the lounge,

my gaze strangely locked onto one spot.

The men’s bathroom on the 1st floor.

As if under a spell, my feet carried me there.

I’d searched the 2nd and 3rd floors, so maybe he was here.

It was just a hunch that I couldn’t pass by.

“Seongbin hyung?”

Criiick—

I flung the glass door open and entered the bathroom.

“Cha Seong…”

But then.

In the empty bathroom, a single door stood tightly shut.

Beyond it, someone’s muffled sobs drifted out.

“Huh… hwup…”

It sounded like they were trying to hold it in, but the sob escaped through clenched teeth.

I stood frozen, lips pressed together.

Ah.

This is killing me, seriously.

Swoosh—

I turned the faucet on full blast and splashed cold water on my face twice.

It was surely Cha Seongbin behind that door, but I didn’t bang on it or call his name.

I just… wanted to give him some time.

I believed that once he’d stabilized emotionally, he’d come out on his own.

“……”

Criiick—

After a while, Cha Seongbin walked out, his face bright red.

I slowly turned my head and stared at the face that clearly cried.

He must have tried to hide his tears somehow, but I had already heard everything from outside.

From his parched lips, a quiet single sentence escaped.

“Were you here?”

Cha Seongbin looked up at me for a moment, then shook his head.

“Well, whatever. No point in arguing about pride now.”

Swoosh—

He walked to the sink and splashed cold water on his puffy face.

Splash—

With rough motion he washed his face, water spraying everywhere, but he didn’t care.

He rinsed in silence for a long time, then finally lifted his head.

From his face, now devoid of any trace of a smile, came a calm remark.

“You came here to comfort me?”

It was the first time the person who was always cocky and teasing spoke so coldly, and I swallowed nervously.

It made sense though.

He was the most bubbly member among us, now so distant that approaching him felt impossible.

Though Cha Seongbin wasn’t aggressive, his chilled voice cut through.

“If it were under normal circumstances I’d accept it, but right now it wouldn’t help.”

“Hyung.”

“Get out of the way.”

Having said that, Cha Seongbin seemed to realize he had gone too far and added quickly.

“…Please step aside. I’m a bit uneasy, hyung.”

“You’re going somewhere? You don’t really have anywhere else to go.”

“I’ll go stay at the dorm to rest.”

“Avoiding it doesn’t fix anything…”

Above all.

“I’m not here to comfort you.”

At my words, Cha Seongbin’s eyes opened wide.

He had searched the whole building, came all the way here, and now I’m saying I wasn’t here to comfort him?

His face looked somewhat baffled.

But I was being serious.

I took out the cell phone from my pocket that I hadn’t submitted earlier.

“I came to ask hyung about it.”

“What?”

I showed Cha Seongbin the photo that had been trending on the anonymous account.

It was the graduation album verification photo that Cha Seongbin probably would have seen too.

He frowned as if asking why I was showing him this.

“Why this.”

“Here.”

I pointed at the photo with my finger.

“Do you know where this is?”

Behind the graduation album verification shot, there was a blurred photo of an apartment.

A third party probably couldn’t identify it, but maybe Cha Seongbin would know.

“We have to catch this bastard.”

.

.

.

.

“Haesung Apartment.”

Those were the words that slipped out of Cha Seongbin’s mouth as he examined the photo closely.

“It’s near my house. Looks like someone from the same neighborhood.”

He talked about a schoolmate or something, and it wasn’t a lie.

I shoved the cell phone into my pocket and spoke.

“So it really means that hyung is schoolmates with him.”

That was actually better.

It meant the range was narrowed that much.

But before that, there was one thing that needed to be clarified.

“I’ll ask this out of courtesy.”

I swallowed dryly and looked at Cha Seongbin.

“Hyung, is there even one thing written in that account that’s true?”

“No.”

The answer came instantly.

Cha Seongbin spoke in a trembling voice.

“Cha Seongbin… lived a good life, you know.”

Those joking words he used with me earlier.

Cha Seongbin repeated those words again and bowed his head deeply.

The very first piece of evidence was this.

“I’m a non‑smoker, you know that.”

I did know.

Even during Stardust days, and while practicing together—I’d never seen Cha Seongbin smoke.

So the allegation that he drank or smoked in school was false.

“I wasn’t some heavy smoker in high school who just quit now. If I had that kind of willpower, I wouldn’t have started in the first place.”

I’d never smoked either, but that didn’t seem wrong.

“I didn’t drink or smoke. I wasn’t a delinquent. I know I looked like someone who might hang out, but I didn’t live that badly. And…”

Cha Seongbin swallowed and continued speaking.

“The one who’s crazy about girls is… Lee Dokyung.”

I didn’t expect that name to come up here.

I blurted, awkwardly.

“You know him too?”

“He’s obvious, isn’t he.”

What I meant was.

“Lee Dokyung is obsessed with women.”

“They say he dated five girls.”

“Others say three.”

“But he says he’s stopped now.”

“Is that really true?”

Anyway, the rumor targeting an innocent bystander while leaving the real culprit alone was insane.

With his shoulders slumped, Cha Seongbin said dejectedly.

“I wasn’t a diligent student in school… but I never acted like a thug. I was busy practicing so I didn’t go much. And when I did, I just kept to myself because I was tired. I’m telling the truth.”

He’d never bullied anyone or been crazy about dating.

At least I understood that about him.

So now, that writer guy.

We only have to catch the culprit, right?

Cha Seongbin frowned at me and objected.

“Hey, how are we supposed to catch them? Were there only one or two schoolmates?”

“Among your schoolmates, is there anyone who’s a trainee?”

“What?”

To my random question, Cha Seongbin’s eyes widened considerably.

“That’s… what are you talking about now?”

He was probably flustered by my off‑the‑wall question, but this was a very important one.

“Think, hyung, do you remember if any of your schoolmates were trainees? Someone who used to be a trainee or is one now.”

At first, I didn’t think much of it.

But then…

When I thought it over, something felt a little strange.

“A not‑too‑good rumor was going around.”

That Lee Dokyung knew that Cha Seongbin’s anonymous account was going to break soon.

Is that Lee Dokyung who exists anytime anywhere?

He’s no god—how could he have known in advance?

It wasn’t a newsworthy issue, so he wouldn’t have heard it via a reporter from some random account.

He must’ve heard rumors circulating in this industry.

Then there was only one possibility.

The source spreading that rumor was someone in the industry.

Cha Seongbin, who had been thinking over my words, suddenly snapped his head up.

“There is one person.”

“Really?”

“A guy who prepared to become a trainee together with me.”

We got him.

We gathered in the practice room with just the members remaining.

I’m sorry, but we sent Teacher Yoo Minseo and Choi Myunghwan the choreographer away and gathered just us for a meeting.

Practice is fine, but now we had a pressing issue to tackle.

Two weeks before debut, we had to resolve the issue that had hit Cha Seongbin immediately.

Naturally, we weren’t planning to act without countermeasures.

If we stood out and got photographed, it would be troublesome.

I took out the cell phone from my pocket that I hadn’t submitted earlier.

“I came to ask hyung about it.”

“What?”

I showed Cha Seongbin the photo that had gone viral on the anonymous account.

It was the graduation album verification photo that Cha Seongbin probably had seen too.

He frowned as if asking why I was showing it.

“Why show this?”

“Here.”

I pointed at the photo with my finger.

“Do you know where this is?”

Behind the graduation album verification shot, there was a blurred photo of an apartment.

A stranger probably couldn’t recognize it, but I wondered if Cha Seongbin might.

“We have to catch this bastard.”

.

.

.

.

“Haesung Apartment.”

Those were the words that slipped out of Cha Seongbin’s mouth as he examined the photo closely.

“It’s near my house. Seems like someone from the same neighborhood.”

He had mentioned a schoolmate and it wasn’t a lie.

I shoved the phone into my pocket and spoke.

“So it really means you were classmates with him.”

That was actually better.

It meant that narrowed the search area.

But before that, there was one thing I needed to clarify.

“I’ll ask this out of courtesy.”

I swallowed dryly and looked at Cha Seongbin.

“Hyung, is there even one thing written on that account that’s true?”

“No.”

The answer came immediately.

Cha Seongbin said in a trembling voice.

“I, Cha Seongbin… lived a good life, you know.”

He brought up those teasing words he had said to me earlier.

He repeated them and bowed his head deeply.

The very first piece of evidence was this.

“I’m a non‑smoker, you know that.”

I did know that.

Even during Stardust days, and while practicing together, I’d never seen Cha Seongbin smoke.

So the claim that he drank and smoked during school was false.

“I wasn’t a heavy smoker in high school who just quit now. If I had that kind of will, I wouldn’t have started in the first place.”

I had never smoked either, but it didn’t seem untrue.

“I didn’t drink or smoke. I wasn’t a delinquent. I know I looked like someone who might hang out, but I didn’t live that badly. And…”

Cha Seongbin swallowed and continued.

“The one who’s crazy about girls is… Lee Dokyung.”

I didn’t expect that name to come up.

I asked awkwardly.

“You know him too?”

“He’s obvious, right.”

What I meant was:

“Lee Dokyung is obsessed with girls.”

“They say he dated five girls.”

“Others say three.”

“But he says he’s stopped now.”

“Is that really true?”

Anyway, spreading rumors about an innocent person while leaving the real culprit untouched was absurd.

With shoulders slumped, Cha Seongbin spoke dejectedly.

“I wasn’t a diligent student, but I never acted like a thug. I was busy practicing, so I didn’t go to school much. And when I did… I just kept to myself because I was tired. I’m telling the truth.”

He’d never bullied anyone or been obsessed with dating.

At least I understood that about him.

So now, about that writer guy.

We only need to catch the culprit, right?

Cha Seongbin frowned and objected to my words.

“Hey, how are we supposed to catch them? How many classmates were there?”

“Among your classmates, is there anyone who was a trainee?”

“What?”

Cha Seongbin’s eyes widened at my sudden question.

“That’s… what are you talking about now?”

He seemed flustered, but this was a very important question.

“Hyung, do you remember if any of your classmates were trainees? Someone who was preparing to be a trainee or is one now?”

At first, I hadn’t thought much of it.

But then…

Reflecting on it, something felt a bit off.

“A not‑good rumor was circulating.”

That Lee Dokyung knew Cha Seongbin’s anonymous account would break soon.

Is that Lee Dokyung who exists anywhere anytime?

He’s no god—how could he have known in advance?

It wasn’t major enough to make the news, so he couldn’t have heard through a media outlet.

He must have heard rumors circulating in this industry.

Then there was only one possibility left.

The source of the rumor was someone in the industry.

As Cha Seongbin mulled over my words, he suddenly raised his head.

“There is one person.”

“Really?”

“A guy who was preparing to become a trainee with me.”

We got him.

With just the members left in the practice room.

We sent Teacher Yoo Minseo and Choi Myunghwan the choreographer back and gathered for a meeting among ourselves.

Practice is important, but now we had an urgent issue to address.

Two weeks before debut, we had to resolve the issue affecting Cha Seongbin immediately.

Of course, we weren’t planning to act on it without any preparation.

If we abruptly stepped forward and got photographed, it would be problematic.

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