RAP STAR

Chapter 49 [verse 7. Eight, Eight, Eight. END]

"Didn't Sarmi's parents pass away this year? It hasn't been long."

"What?" Mi-Joo was so shocked by her friend's words that she almost dropped her cup of water. "What are you talking about? His parents passed away?"

"Oh, you didn't know. Can I say this? They passed away in March or April this year. Both of them in a car accident."

Mi-Joo was too stunned to speak. She couldn't believe what she was hearing about Sarmi's parents. It wasn't about Sanghyun's parents, was it? Mi-Joo was so flustered that she couldn't find the right words to respond.

"Oh..." Suddenly, she realized why there were rarely any adults at Sanghyun's house. There had been a time when Sanghyun asked if Mi-Joo's parents were always away on business trips, and Junhyung had answered, "Sanghyun's parents often travel abroad for work. Sometimes they can't come home for months when they're busy."

At the time, Mi-Joo had just thought it was normal, but now she wondered if it was a well-intentioned lie.

Amid Mi-Joo's confusion, Hyeseo spoke up. "My younger sister mentioned it... Oh! So, you're the friend my sister was talking about, the one who knows Sarmi."

"What did she say?"

"It's nothing much. She said Sanghyun really takes care of Sarmi. He plays the role of a father, a brother, and a friend. That's why many of my sister's high school friends think Sanghyun is really cool."

"Oh... that makes sense. If Sanghyun is Sarmi, then it all fits."

"And is Sarmi afraid of wide-open spaces or something? He had some panic disorder, and for a while, Sanghyun had to take him to school every morning and pick him up in the afternoon. Sarmi was fine as long as he was with his brother. Sanghyun canceled all his important appointments and everything."

"Agoraphobia...?"

"He says he's fine now."

Mi-Joo closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the thoughts that belatedly surfaced after hearing her friend's words.

"Tell me properly. What's the reason? Is it because of L&S? Is there no marketability?"

"It's definitely not that."

"Then what is it?"

"I have some personal circumstances."

"So, what's the reason?"

The reason is very clear. It's because of Sangmi. But to explain the reason, she would have to stir up the wound of her parents' passing. She was forcing herself to choose between revealing her own pain to Sanghyun or telling a lie.

"Your parents?"

"Um... They're not here."

Miju kept recalling her mistakes. She despised herself for being so clueless. Looking back, it seemed like the 888 Crew members were subtly suspecting something.

"Do you have some money at home?"

"No."

"Is the rich boy into assembling machines or something?"

The rich boy.

Sanghyun just smiled wistfully; he didn't get angry.

"Why are you like this? Your expression doesn't look good."

"..."

"Did you perhaps make a slip of the tongue?"

Hyeseo roughly guessed the situation from Miju's silence.

"Sanghyun didn't even tell you about his parents. And it's not like you did it on purpose. Don't blame yourself too much."

"But still..."