What is that? It's always snack time, but you have that face like a cat that's upset with the owner because he doesn't give you snacks because you're on a diet.
If I were a game character, wouldn't I have a big question mark above my head? I was that curious. Noah got up with a snicker and naturally put his arm around Ha-min's shoulder and started explaining to me.
"Do you know how shocked he was when he heard you were taken away? The three of us barely managed to stop him from running to the hospital while crying loudly."
"Oh, don't tell me that-!"
"Uh, uh, Yu Ha-min, this is a hospital. You have to be quiet."
Ha Min, who had been making a blank expression at the revelation that wasn't really a revelation, blushed brightly and shouted at Noah. Ha Min, who had been glaring at Noah, who was giggling, finally seemed to have calmed down a bit, and walked over to me, obediently led by his brother. I, too, was getting playful, so I pretended to be touched and said, exaggeratedly placing my hands on my chest.
"Ha Min is so worried about this hyung, this hyung will die without any regrets-"
"Why did my brother die?"
At best, I expected him to whine and tell me not to tease him, but I was so shocked by his unexpectedly violent reaction that I shut my mouth tightly and blinked in bewilderment. We were all surprised and looked at Ha-min with the same gaze, and the one who actually yelled seemed to be embarrassed too, so he opened his mouth blankly and rolled his eyes and started to look at us.
Ha Min, who had been hanging his head in embarrassment and wiggling his fingers, said:
"... Uh... I'm sorry... for yelling."
"Oh, no. We teased them too much."
I don't know why,
Well, I couldn't tease him any longer because there seemed to be an inexplicable sadness in Ha Min's eyes.
Fortunately, the awkward atmosphere disappeared without much difficulty. Since Ha Min was so embarrassed and blushed, I pretended not to notice and played a prank on him, and I succeeded in quickly dispelling the awkward atmosphere.
We spent our time talking about our daily lives, grumbling, and talking about music as usual. Our club's composers were originally Yejun and Noah, but Eunho, who entered as a freshman this year and started learning composition, also joined our club's composer line and started making songs.
"Ha Min-ah, did you know that bass and electric guitar are close friends? As friends, let's go hard too."
"I can play it whenever my hyungs bring me a cool song."
"Wow, our youngest is so dependable."
At Ha Min's bold words, Ye Jun-hyung smiled and applauded with admiration. Well, if you think about it, Ha Min was a really multi-talented kid. He's tall, good at dancing, good at sports, plays the bass well, sings well, and even raps well. Isn't this his second life?
Actually, when I first met him at the club last year, he was a big guy with a deep look in his eyes and sat quietly without saying anything, so I couldn't go into the club room and just stood there blankly. Of course, now he's my junior who meows like a cat.
...I was never nervous on our first date. I was just shy. Really.
"Eunho hyung is also good at composing. With three good composers gathered together, there's no way we can lose."
"Hey, I'm just starting to learn."
"No, Eunho, you're really good."
"Eunho is a freshman now. If you think about it, he's really good."
Eunho, who had been waving his hand and smiling at Hamin's compliments, scratched his head as if embarrassed at Yejun and Noah's compliments, but then started to laugh heartily as if he was in a good mood.
Good. I smiled and leaned back against the back of the sofa, looking at the members of our club.
There were many ups and downs... Last year, when I was a freshman, two of the club members left around the second semester, so the four of us - Ha-min, Ye-jun, and Noah - worked hard. The senior who played the launch pad and the senior who played the drums left. Fortunately, Eun-ho joined this year and filled the drummer's spot, so the club was going smoothly.
'...Wait a minute, last year, me, Yejun hyung, Noah hyung, and Hamin...'
As I was reminiscing about last year, I suddenly felt uneasy and my thoughts stopped.
'Hello, Bonggu!'
Yes, when I entered school and first joined the band club, Ha Min was already the bassist in the band club.
Ha-min, who greeted me as a freshman and called me “hyung.”
And this year, Ha-min, who calls Eun-ho, a first-year student who entered Sunghwi Arts High School and joined the band club, "hyung."
I started to feel a huge sense of discomfort. It didn't make sense at all.
Wait, Yejun hyung and Noah hyung are in the 3rd grade now, I'm in the 2nd grade, and Eunho is in the 1st grade...
And Ha-min, who has been the bassist in the club since I first joined the band last year. Ha-min, who we all call hyung...
What grade and class is Ha Min in? No, how old was he? Come to think of it, have you ever met Ha Min outside of clubs or school events?
I felt like all my blood was drained from my body as I realized how inconsistent it was, to the point where it was strange that I hadn't noticed it before.
"Brother, what's wrong? Your face is pale."
"Uh... Uh!?"
As I stood there with my mouth open, my head spinning and my body feeling cold, Eunho asked me in a worried tone. I looked at Eunho in surprise, then at Yejun hyung, Noah hyung, and... Hamin.
When I looked like I wasn't coming to my senses, Yejun checked the time on his phone and got up from his seat, saying it was getting late.
"We've been holding the injured child for too long. It's getting late, let's go, guys."
"Yeah, I think I'd better rest. I think it's about time for dinner to be served at the hospital."
"Don't push yourself too hard, Bonggu hyung."
"Let's go out for a company dinner on the day you're discharged, hyung."
I hesitated for a moment as I heard Ha Min-i's words, who was speaking with a smile on her face, before nodding. Even when I greeted them, even when I returned to the hospital room and ate, even when the lights-out time was approaching, I couldn't find an answer.
Eventually, feeling frustrated, I sent a KakaoTalk message to my club president, Yejun. One arm was stitched and dressed, and the other arm was dressed with a ringer needle, so naturally, my typing speed had to be slow, which made me frustrated.
Me>What are you doing, hyung? I have something to ask you.
Yejun>I just got out of the shower. What's going on?
Me>Ha Min, when did you join our club?
Yejun>Huh? Why is that?
Yejun> Did you come in with Noah and me?
My mind was spinning. I had no idea what to write for a long time. Since I wasn't responding, Yejun sent me a reply asking what was going on, and I chose to speak directly instead of beating around the bush.
Na>Do you know how old Hyung Ha-min is?
Yejun>Hamin? He's our youngest~
Me> No, do you know what grade and class Ha-min is in?
Yejun>Youngest?
After that, I openly asked him if it wasn't strange for him to call me and Eunho hyung since he joined the club with his older brother, but Yejun hyung looked puzzled and only replied, "Hamin was originally the youngest, wasn't he?"
Even though Yejun hyung didn't give me a clear answer to my question, he didn't seem to notice anything strange at all. I ended the KakaoTalk conversation with him after saying thank you for your answer.
I had to test it one more time. I got up from the bed, looked for Eunho's contact on my phone, dragged the IV holder, and went back to the lounge. When I got to the lounge, I made a call and held the phone to my ear. After three or four rings, Eunho picked up.
[Uh, why?]
"Eunho. I have something to ask you."
[What is it?]
"...Ha Min, that's what I'm talking about."
[Hamin? Why Hamin?]
"Do you happen to know what grade and class Ha-min is in?"
This time, I chose to speak directly without beating around the bush. As soon as I asked the question, I heard a worried voice saying, “Hmm…” on the other end of the phone. Could it be that Eunho was noticing something strange? I suppressed my nervousness with a slight sense of anticipation, and then I heard a weak answer.
[Ha Min is our youngest member, right?]
The answer came back that I was the youngest in our club, just like Yejun. I suddenly got goosebumps at that answer. I couldn’t answer for a while because my throat felt like it was blocked, and then Eunho called me in a strange voice. Only then did I exhale like someone who had just come out of the water and barely managed to breathe, and I put strength into my trembling hands.
"No, thanks for the answer. Good night."
Thump, I held the phone tightly. I could feel my pupils trembling. I could feel the goosebumps enveloping my entire body. With trembling hands, I tried to contact Noah this time, but the moment I touched the contact list, I stopped calling him. Because I thought I would hear the same answer again. No, this guy probably wouldn't pick up the phone right away.
Then, to Ha Min? I looked at Ha Min’s phone number for a long time. I took a deep breath and thought about it for a while, then decided to call and pressed the call button.
[If the connection is not established, you will be connected to voicemail after a beep...]
But Ha Min-i didn't answer the phone, despite being nervous. The hand holding the phone was shaking. What the heck is going on? She naturally tense up, perhaps to calm her trembling body. The blood started flowing back up through the IV hose, perhaps because she was tense in her arm where the IV was inserted. Only then did she relax in surprise. I have to go back to the hospital room and tell the nurse.
Yoo Ha-min.
What on earth is this guy's identity?