CHAPTER 32: SELF-PITY PARTY

A few minutes earlier...

"YOUNG MASTER, I’m sorry for failing to protect Lim Garam-nim properly."

Song Sihyuk was shocked to hear that, but he ended up laughing because it was funny.

"Yes, Director Song."

"You don’t have the right to be my wife’s bodyguard anymore," Song Sihyuk said, scoffing. "Jung Han, deal with that useless fool."

This hyung really sucks at comforting other people.

Garam glared at Song Sihyuk. "As expected, Hyung doesn’t know how to console other people properly."

That made everything funnier.

Yes, Garam was the reason they were able to debut.

Garam avoided Song Sihyuk’s eyes, hoping that the Alpha wouldn’t notice him turn red. "Only if you promise you’ll stop at just kissing for now, Hyung."

He had just arrived at Lim Garam’s apartment complex.

"Garam-ah, you’re the core member of your team," Song Sihyuk said. "Those kids wouldn’t have been able to work without you in the first place."

Our old crappy management didn’t have that kind of budget.

Song Sihyuk felt instantly irritated after seeing Shin Geon— Lim Garam’s personal manager-slash-bodyguard— greet him.

Right.

"And what’s wrong with that?"

"Hyung, it’s not that funny," Garam complained while pouring barley tea into the glass placed on top of the kitchen island. That was the only thing he could offer to Song Sihyuk since he was barely at his apartment anyway. He preferred staying in the dorm with the kids. "Why are you laughing like it’s the funniest thing you’ve seen in your life?"

Having said that...

Oh.

Correct content is on f|re(e)w eb.n\ovel.(c)o.m

Garam was the main vocal and the second eldest member, so he felt responsible for the entire team now that Gong Hanseo— their leader— was in the military.

"It sucks— I feel stupid and worthless. I hate that I can’t succeed without Hyung’s support."

"And I’m yours, Garam-ah."

"Jung Han."

Song Sihyuk made a very valid point.

"And?"

"I’m not saying all of this to gain your sympathy, Hyung."

"So? Is his company bigger than mine?"

"I know SG Group is a bigger company than a mere entertainment agency," Garam said awkwardly. "Even so, AJ Sunbae-nim is a big senior. If he sues me and people find out about how I threw a chair at him, then the public will curse at me. They won’t care even if AJ Sunbae-nim punched me first. Plus, the industry might drop me. Who would want to work with a junior who physically fights his senior?"

Of course, Shin Geon didn’t fight back. The useless bodyguard just lowered his head and let his nose bleed without wiping it.

After all, a junior throwing a chair at his senior would have created a big scandal.

"It’s just a busted lip, Hyung— I’ll live."

Haaah.

And, yet, he couldn’t really do anything significant for their group.

"I’m making you face reality— you need that the most right now," Song Sihyuk said unapologetically while patting Garam’s shoulder. "If it’s any consolation, I’m only giving you opportunities. You still need to work hard. Lim Garam, I’m a businessman. If your group hasn’t succeeded even after the immense support that I have given you, then I would have dropped you already and asked you to retire."

Oh.

"How can you let my wife get hurt when he’s with you?"

"I know," Song Sihyuk said, and then he sat next to Garam on the floor. "I’m not offering help out of sympathy either. Lim Garam, I’m just fulfilling my duty as your husband. It’s literally stated in our contract that I should provide for you— and that includes helping you become more successful."

"I don’t understand why you’re feeling bad when your group’s success is also your success, though," Song Sihyuk said while playing with Garam’s hair— his fingers twirling the end of his locks. "Lim Garam, how can you say that you have the least contribution in your team when you’re the sole reason you were able to debut in the first place?"

Garam just shook his head before putting down the tray on the coffee table, then he sat on the floor because he didn’t want to sit next to Song Sihyuk. "Is it safe to assume that you’ve already cleaned up after my mess?"

When he saw his wife’s face, he felt a rage he hadn’t felt before.

Song Sihyuk didn’t have to say anything else.

I need to see it.

It didn’t take long before Garam realized that Song Sihyuk was talking about the CCTV footage at the salon where the fight happened.

Jung Han already knew what to do— and that was to punch Shin Geon in the face.

Lim Garam just frowned. "Come in, Hyung."

Song Sihyuk made a phone call earlier to Jung Han— his right-hand man.

In fact, because his pride was hurt, he almost ruined their group’s reputation.

I should have punched Shin Geon myself for failing to protect my brat.

"Yes. The incident won’t get leaked to the public. We’ve already made the witnesses sign an NDA," Song Sihyuk explained. Finally, the Alpha stopped laughing. "The only one we need to deal with is the idol you got into a fight with. If he threatens to sue, tell me."

But Lim Garam wasn’t done yet.

Sihyuk Hyung’s laugh sounds expensive, whatever that means.

Tsk.

Haaah.

Song Sihyuk remained standing on the porch, and then he grabbed Lim Garam’s face gently. "Why did you already treat your wound? I was hoping to earn some brownie points by putting ointment on your wound myself."

"Sunbae-nim was actually taken to the hospital because he bled a lot."

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

As usual, Lim Garam just remained silent.

If Sihyuk Hyung wasn’t here to clean up after my mess, then the reporters would have had a field day already while tearing me up.

I’m already lucky that Sihyuk Hyung is only asking for a proper kiss.

"Yes, sir."

Pfft.

Song Sihyuk then left and headed straight to Lim Garam’s apartment.

Long story short, the Alpha was now laughing his ass off while sitting on the sofa as if he owned the apartment.

Garam was able to debut smoothly because he had Song Sihyuk’s support.

Shin Geon remained bowing. "Please give me one more chance, Young Master—"

Garam let out a long sigh. "It seems like I can’t do anything without you, Hyung."

"Why?"

"You look so fucking cute when you smile, Garam-ah," Song Sihyuk said, gently grabbing Garam’s face to make him look at the Alpha. "Do you want me to teach you how to kiss now?"

"Aigooya."

In short, my members are the ones keeping us famous.

"This is me comforting you, though?" Song Sihyuk said defensively. "I need to know what set you off so I could decide how I’d fuck up that bastard’s career."

"Sunbae-nim said I was baggage to my group, and that I should thank my members for keeping my career afloat," Garam said, hugging his knees close. He didn’t know why, but it felt easy for him to be vulnerable around Song Sihyuk. "I was hurt because everything Sunbae-nim said was true. I’m the least popular member of the group, and my only contribution to the team is hitting the high notes in our songs. On the stage, I’m the center. But off stage, I’m a nobody."

Weirdly, that actually made Garam feel a little better.

A scandal that would have been enough to end my career, regardless of whether AJ Sunbae-nim started it or not.

"Do you not need to go to the hospital, brat?"

Garam knew his place as someone who benefited from Song Sihyuk’s financial support, so he had no intention of denying his sponsor-slash-husband what he wanted.

Haaah.

That’s right— Sihyuk Hyung is a businessman. If our group didn’t manage to return his investment, then he wouldn’t have continued supporting us. Even though Sihyuk Hyung is rich rich, it doesn’t mean he enjoys losing money.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t achieved anything significant in the last four years as an idol.

"Do you want my help, Garam-ah?"

Their previous shitty CEO wouldn’t have been able to support their group the way Song Sihyuk had supported them all these years.

"If you were worried about the consequences, then why did you do it?"

"Send me the original copy of the CCTV footage from the salon."

Garam was annoyed that Song Sihyuk was laughing out loud, but he was even more annoyed at himself for not finding the Alpha’s laugh irritating.

"Well, you already said goodbye to your independence the moment we got married. Just get over it."

But compared to his members, he didn’t have many activities outside their group.

Aigoo.

"You should have come to me instead of sulking here all by yourself."

"I thought you were here to console me?"

Shin Geon lowered his head in remorse. "I’m sorry, Young Master. I’ll do better—"

"Hyung is really a bad adult."

"Because it is," Song Sihyuk said, clutching his stomach with one hand while the other hand was slapping the sofa’s armrest. "Why didn’t you grab the scissors, though? You should have just stabbed the bastard."

The time has come, huh?

Yet, for some reason, Garam couldn’t help but smile.

"But my contribution to the team is you..."

Tsk.

***

"If you could be snarky to the heir of the SG Group, then you could do the same to everyone else," Song Sihyuk said, and then he ruffled Garam’s hair affectionately. "What exactly did that bastard say?"

That was so freaking cringe.

"I don’t know how to throw a punch."

***

"You really threw a chair at that bastard!"

He could hear Song Sihyuk laugh from the kitchen.

Oh.

"No," Song Sihyuk said sternly, cutting off the bodyguard. "You’re fired."

A chaebol’s influence is really scary.

"To be honest, it was more of a me problem. It was childish of AJ Sunbae-nim to pick on me, but I could have just ignored it."

It’s too late to hesitate now— I’ve already thrown my pride away when I signed that contract five years ago. Plus, my pride won’t help my group maintain our success.

"Hyung, AJ Sunbae-nim is from a big company."

Song Sihyuk pulled out his phone from the pocket of his inner jacket and called Jung Han."Send me the original copy of the CCTV footage from the salon."

"Your face is your livelihood, so you should have been more careful," Song Sihyuk scolded his brat before letting go of his face. "Did you fight back?"

Oh.

That was the Alpha’s order.

"Well, I would have been disappointed in you had you let it slide."

"So, I threw a chair at Sunbae-nim."

View the correct content at fr\eewe.bn(o)v\el.c(o)m

Shin Geon greeted him at the basement parking.

Yes, he was having a self-pity party.

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