Call My Name by the Stars

CHAPTER 6- The Three Cowards

A month and half had passed since Min's birthday, since the kiss, since their fight. They never met each other anymore after that, not that Jooah ever wanted, with all the arising repulsiveness from the thought of seeing his face again. She stopped being a fangirl of Thurzday, having ripped out all of the posters in her room on that day, and even when Hyerim had asked her why or tried to change her mind, she is set that being a fangirl of a trashy group full of trashy people is the last thing she'd do.

She never told anyone the true story, just because she didn't feel like it, felt it was unnecessary, and was too embarrassed, "I guess he got busier and forgot." "He's an idol. He has way better things to do than stick around." "Their music just started to bore my ears." "Guess they're just a phase."

Instead of, "Park Jaeryeong is the trashiest person who kissed me without consent then doesn't even know why I was mad about it. I was right about him being a selfish arrogant jerk. And my ex idol, his stupid two-faced friend Yoo Chunyoung is just the same. Defending him and victim-blaming. Fuck Thurzday."

Unlike Jooah who had been living more than 30 days with the haunting memory of the horrible kiss she tried to forget, or the regretful days when she would fool around with Jaeryeong as normal strangers thinking he was not that bad, or fishcakes, a snack she loved, yet now hated to death because of who it reminded her of, Thurzday, who had been living a successful youth, earning money and continuously getting love and support from obnoxious fans.

And to hell with, even Park Jaeryeong has been gifted a name by the netizens as "Nation's little brother". All because he'd been on the rise for his "unexpected charm" and "strong-impression visuals". He had the highest brand reputation among the members, and is living the dream rookie life of getting various clothing model offers for his tall figure. Jooah knew all that because Hyerim never stopped talking about his luck. "Gross," Jooah would say without thinking, annoyed out of her wits.

    Wooshik stood upright in front of a desk of a man in smart clothes, finger on his temple, shutting his eyes in frustration. The air was tense.

    His voice was dark and heavy, "So, in his recent interview he said he would still work in KK entertainment as another profession if he wasn't an idol? Why would he? What is he trying to say?!," he slammed his hand on the desk, standing up as he asked the rhetorical question, his sensitivity triggered by Min's friendly sentence.

    "Don't worry, sir. I think what he meant was how-"

    "He's threatening me. Kang Min, thinks he can do whatever he wants and oppose whoever he wants because he's doing well now! Put him in place. Move forward with the plan."

    "...yes, sir."

    "You know the drill, be discrete, especially to my father. Make sure he doesn't find out."

"Don't joke with me, Kang Min. Like everyone else, you're merely an undistinguished bug that can be squashed any day I want," Kang Namjun clenched his fist.

<2008>

18 year old Namjun sat on his study desk late at 11pm after having solved questions for the whole day. A woman stood on his right, exhausted and irritated, "How did you end up with the second rank?"

He sat silent, his fist clenched above his knee.

"I made sure the kid was homeschooled. But, why is he still so clever? If you were both the same age, he'd be twice smarter than you," the woman's tone was sweet, but spikes encompassed every word she uttered.

Namjun swallowed, "Sorry, I'll study harder."

"Listen to me, son. I can no longer stand to be humiliated by that woman any longer, even after her death. So, don't waste my efforts after everything that I did."