#45

I thought of the old earphones that had disappeared from sight and imagined Nam Yisol’s past.

A young Nam Yisol, wearing those earphones, practicing with a face that showed he was happiest when dancing and singing. A young Nam Yisol, tirelessly working hard no matter how exhausted he was.

That sight must have been incredibly admirable and inspiring. It was almost regretful that I had never seen it with my own eyes.

“This must be the proof.”

As I added those words casually, Nam Yisol rolled his eyes around as if unsure where to look. Then, after aimlessly wandering, his gaze finally settled on me, and he opened his mouth.

“Th-that…… If you say it like that, I, uh…… feel a little embarrassed, or maybe I don’t know how to react……? I’ve never heard something like that before, so it’s really making me shy……”

As he spoke, Nam Yisol’s face turned as red as a ripe apple. He rubbed his flushed cheeks with one hand, then covered his mouth with that same hand and mumbled.

“President, you always say such beautiful things. When I hear them, it makes me feel like I’m the most special person in the world…… Sometimes, it really does.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Some people say talking with me can be a bit cringeworthy, though.”

“Huh? Who?”

Nam Yisol’s voice suddenly dropped lower. I widened my eyes in surprise. It felt like this was the first time I had ever heard that tone from him.

“Ah, well…… I was just curious about who would say something like that to you. You’re just being kind and speaking warmly……”

Seeing my startled expression, Nam Yisol hurriedly added more words. His flustered demeanor was obvious, and I gave him a small smile as I replied.

“Just friends and people like that, occasionally? I mean, I can understand why they’d say that. Even I think I can be like that sometimes.”

“What? No, absolutely not. They’re completely wrong. Sir, you’re not like that at all. So please, don’t think that way.”

Nam Yisol shook his head firmly, his voice filled with unwavering conviction.

“Sir…… You’re kind. You’re warm and honest, but you also make sure not to say things that could hurt others. If someone is struggling, even if it’s not your problem, you sincerely comfort them. And when someone is doing something wrong, you offer them genuine advice. Do you know how incredible that is?”

As Nam Yisol’s words continued, I could feel my face growing hotter and hotter. Being praised so directly made it impossible to figure out how to respond.

“I don’t think your kindness and warmth should be dismissed with such words. So please, don’t pay attention to those comments and just ignore them.”

“Wait, wait. Yisol-ssi. Please, just for a moment……”

I covered my face with my hands, stammering as I tried to stop him. Nam Yisol tilted his head with a puzzled expression.

“President, your face is red.”

“……Yes. I’m aware.”

“Are you feeling embarrassed right now?”

“Well……”

Of course. Anyone would be embarrassed if they were praised like this right in front of them. I thought so as I lowered my head even more to hide my flushed face.

“……It’s impossible not to be. When you receive such good words so directly, of course, you can’t help but feel that way.”

“I only said the truth as it is.”

……Does he realize that saying things like that just makes me even more flustered? I let out a small groan as I felt my face grow even hotter against my palms. At that moment, I heard a low chuckle from Nam Yisol.

I was this embarrassed, yet the person who made me embarrassed was laughing. I lifted my face from my hands and shot Nam Yisol a playful glare, but he quickly raised both hands to cover his mouth, signaling that he wouldn’t laugh anymore.

But after saying everything he wanted, he was now pretending to keep quiet. I narrowed my eyes at him in mock annoyance, but just then, the practice room door swung open.

“Yisol hyung! I bought some drinks—oh…… President?”

At the sound of my name, I turned to see Yoo Euiseo standing there, holding a convenience store bag with a surprised look on his face.

“What the—move. Don’t block the way.”

Even though there was only Yoo Euiseo visible in front of the door, a sharp reprimand from Lee Daon came from behind him. Then, a hand suddenly shot out from behind Yoo Euiseo, pressing down on his shoulder and pushing him aside as he blocked the doorway.

As Yoo Euiseo, who was both tall and well-built, was shoved to the side, the figures of Lee Daon and Lee Gaon standing behind him were revealed. Jung Hosu, who had a separate personal schedule today, still hadn’t returned and was nowhere to be seen.

“Why are you just standing there, blocking the way? Move faster.”

As always, Lee Daon’s sharp tongue was in full force as he shot a glare at Yoo Euiseo before turning his gaze toward Nam Yisol and me inside the practice room. Then, he scrunched his face in an expression that screamed displeasure, as if something really didn’t sit well with him.

“What’s this? Did you two just confess or something? Why is the atmosphere like this? If you’re going to date, do it outside—”

“Daon!”

Before he could continue his unfiltered, aggressive remarks, Lee Gaon hastily reached out and covered his mouth. Then, turning toward me, he flashed an awkward smile.

“Aha…… Ha…… Hello, sir. Did you have a good day? We were practicing all day and got thirsty, so we went to the convenience store. We bought plenty of drinks—would you like one too?”

His desperate attempt to steer the conversation elsewhere was obvious. Watching Lee Gaon’s efforts to protect his younger brother, I decided to play along.

“Sure. I’ll take one, please.”

As I responded, a look of relief washed over Lee Gaon’s face. He tried to hide it, but unfortunately for him, it was plain as day. I accepted the sports drink he handed me, sipping it while observing the way Lee Gaon quietly scolded his younger brother—who, in turn, just turned his head away in irritation.

Every time I saw these twins, I found them rather peculiar.

Especially the way the older brother, Lee Gaon, unconditionally shielded his younger brother, Lee Daon. It wasn’t just heartwarming—it was borderline obsessive, as if he had a deep-seated need to protect him at all costs.

For a pair of brothers who were already 22-year-old adults, it wasn’t common for one to be so devoted to protecting the other. But then again, when I looked into his eyes, I could understand why Lee Gaon was so fixated on shielding his younger brother.

As I took the now-empty can from my lips, I locked eyes with Lee Daon, who had been sneakily glancing at me for a while now, pretending not to. His shoulders flinched ever so slightly, and his eyes, despite his efforts, betrayed a hint of fear.

That must be why Lee Gaon is so obsessed with protecting him, I thought as I slowly tilted my head to the side.

If he’s going to feel anxious and afraid after doing something, then he shouldn’t have done it in the first place. His glances showed that he was at least aware that his behavior was wrong and that others could feel upset about it. That only made his actions even more puzzling to me.

If he were someone who didn’t realize he was in the wrong, it would make sense for him to continue behaving badly without thinking much of it. But Lee Daon wasn’t that kind of person. He clearly knew when he had done something wrong, and he feared the consequences.

So why did he keep repeating the same behavior? If this was merely a defensive mechanism stemming from a bad past experience, something still didn’t quite add up.

As these questions filled my mind, I pressed down on the empty can in my hand. With a loud crunch, the aluminum can flattened neatly. I glanced around for a trash bin to throw it away, only to realize that everyone in the practice room had their eyes locked on me.

“……”

“……”

“……Why are you all looking at me like that?”

Startled by the sudden attention, I asked, and Nam Yisol let out an awkward laugh before replying.

“President, you’re really…… strong. You crushed that with your hand…… and even vertically, too.”

At his words, I looked down at the can in my hand. It had been neatly flattened.

“Did you use to work out before?”

“No, not really.”

“Really? Not at all?”

“Yeah. I just do enough gym workouts to maintain my stamina.”

As I answered, I handed the crushed can to Nam Yisol, who had been reaching out for it. He accepted it and turned it around in his hands, examining it with amazement.

“Wow, it’s really flattened so cleanly. Is there some kind of technique to this?”

“A technique? No, not really. I just pressed down, and it happened.”