(Still) 11th October 2024

He gets the signal and removes himself from the living room.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing, Hongbin’s just struggling with his chemistry. Oh and complaining that it’s not fair that I’m so nice to Sohyun. He isn’t serious, so don’t worry about that.”

“Okay, I was just concerned,” Sungyeol replies as he flops into his bed, unbothered by his damp hair, “anyway, have you figured out what to name that track for the rookie boy group?”

“You would have heard about it, if I had. After a while it gets a bit difficult to come up with names for songs that circle endlessly around the same point.”

“You chose to create a song that circles endlessly around the same point,” Sungyeol very unhelpfully points out.

 “To be fair to me, I didn’t compose it with the idea of boy pines after girl in an obsessive manner despite girl blowing hot and cold in mind.”

He raises an eyebrow questioningly, “then?”

“The tension between what is ideal and what is practical.”

He balks, “what! You can compose songs about that?”

Jiyoon shifts to sit more comfortably on Sungyeol’s small desk, “I guess? And what’s funny is that I didn’t know how to end the song. I didn’t know whether the practical or the ideal would win in the end, but then the rookie boy group’s management heard just the instrumental, and was interested.”

“Wait, let me guess, then the management thought that the instrumental depicted the story of a boy pining for a girl in an obsessive manner despite girl blowing hot and cold,” Sungyeol turns to lie on his back, “the ideal was the hot and the practical was the cold?”

“That’s what the management said, and I had a few friends listen to it, and they thought the same way, so I guess so. I mean, I wrote the lyrics, and the management liked them, so they’re taking it.”

“Hang on, so with you writing these lyrics which weren’t meant to be, the song should ideally end with the practical winning. But practical is cold.”

Jiyoon sighs, “you see, I can’t even end the song the way it should end. I wanted to end it with the practical, but they wanted a more hopeful note.”

“So it ends on a hot ideal note?”

“Ironic isn’t it?”

“Indeed, but fangirls like it.”

Jiyoon chuckles, “of course you would know. Oh, speaking of which it’s going to sound strange, but let me ask you, do you happen to tell people about us?” Jiyoon circles an upturned finger to indicate herself and the five children.

“Not if they’re not close. Like, I mean, you know, the Infinite members know, but it’s really not the first thing I’d talk about.”

Jiyoon shrugs, “how would I know you? You don’t really think too much before you say something.”

“When it comes to this,” Sungyeol circles an upturned finger in a similar way, “I’m quite careful about what I say, because it’s easy to be misunderstood. But why’re you asking me this, you know this.”

Jiyoon shrugs again, “just checking. ‘Cause a mobile drama from your company came out, and it’s going to sound like I’m exaggerating, but I swear, that it sounds so darn familiar. It’s almost like telling me my own story.”

Sungyeol hangs his towel over his bed’s headboard, “I wouldn’t know. But they say that reality is stranger than fiction. You wanted me to come here to interrogate me about how loose my mouth is?”

“Don’t exaggerate, this is nothing close to an interrogation.”

“I don’t want to know what an interrogation is then.”

“That’s what you are subject to when the police have something they want to know from you.”

“That’s not what I was referring to.”

“I know,” Jiyoon smirks, “just wanted to annoy you.”

---

15th October 2024

Jiyoon finds herself sitting in front of her laptop, waiting for the newest episode to go online.

“You’re addicted,” she mumbles to herself.

“You never have time for me anymore,” a newly introduced character complains to Sujeong, “it’s always about work or the kids.”

“I’m sorry,” Sujeong replies looking down, “but you know how the situation’s like.”

“I know, and I try to understand. I understood why you were so upset about your sisters, I get it. But it doesn’t mean that you have to take them children in, I mean, it can’t be expected of you.”

“It’s my choice,” Sujeong whispers in response, “even if it can’t be expected of me. It’s what I expect of myself.”
“What about me?” The man stands up in frustration, “you know I’ve waited for you to be yourself again for so long.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know if I’ll ever be my past self ever again.”

The man gnashes his teeth together, “between the children—”

Sujeong holds a hand up, “stop. I know what you’re going to ask me, and I know my answer to the question. The children need me more than you need me.”

“So I’m not worth anything?” the man raises his voice.

“It’s not that, you know it’s not that. But I knew when I made this dec