The Best of Tomorrow [ 내일의 으뜸]

Chapter 2 - 01 first time travel

01 The First Time Travel

Ah, damn. I'm late!

As soon as I got home, I rushed into my room and turned on the radio. After adjusting the frequency and a bit of static, a hearty laugh came through. I sat down in the chair and took off my coat while listening.

― Ah, so Seon-jae and In-hyuk were company entry mates. Then, Seon-jae, when was the most difficult moment during your trainee days?

I stopped taking off my socks and turned up the volume of the radio. It was Seon-jae's turn to speak.

― Uh... well, um.

Hesitating as if he couldn't remember well, Baek In-hyuk's voice interjected.

― You know, the Gangnam Bridge.

― Oh, right. I lost my wallet that day. Practice ended at dawn, and when I opened my bag, the wallet was gone. I didn't have a single penny on me, and it was too late at night to call home. So, I had no choice but to walk. It took over two hours to walk from the company to my house at that time. When it rains, it pours, and just then, my phone battery died too, so I couldn't listen to music. It was winter, and I happened to be wearing slippers, so my toes froze too.

Everyone burst into laughter at the mention of frozen toes.

― As I was crossing the Gangnam Bridge, the lights of the buildings reflected in the Han River looked sadly beautiful.

― Seon-jae probably cried that day.

 ― No, I didn't shed tears.

― Then did you cry in your heart?

At Seo Yun-jae's playful question, Baek In-hyuk and the other members laughed out loud. Everyone was laughing, but I felt a little sad. Because I couldn't hear Seon-jae's laughter. Although I was disappointed that I couldn't see Seon-jae's face because it wasn't a video radio, I was also relieved that I couldn't confirm his sad expression.

It had been almost two years since Seon-jae joined Gamjajeon. But the fans still disliked Seon-jae. They left comments on various sites and hunted Seon-jae with Twitter sub-accounts.

Seon-jae must have known that the fans didn't welcome his joining, even cursing him for it. Some loud fans shouted during public broadcasts and fan signing events. "Ryu Seon-jae, get out!", "Ryu Seon-jae, withdraw!" Such unpleasant words.

Seon-jae, who had been actively participating with a bright smile, seemed to have become rapidly exhausted recently. Sub-accounts calling themselves Gamjajeon's fighting machines recently speculated that Seon-jae's expression suggested he might be left out of the next album.

[I love you, Seon-jae. Beautiful you.]

I left a comment on Gamjajeon's Instagram post with Seon-jae's photo. Of course, it was from a second account. A private account with no followers, following only Gamjajeon's Instagram.

I 'liked' Seon-jae's photo. Hoping he would know that there are more people who like him.

□ ■ □

In the early morning, the continuous vibration made me frown and open my eyes. I groped for my phone to check the cause of the vibration. It was a message from Hyun-ju.

[Wow.]

[Amazing.]

[Sol.]

[Sol.]

[Did you see the news?]

[Amazing. What's going on?]

I didn't know what was happening, but anxiety crept in. I quickly closed the message window and opened the internet browser.

<Breaking News> Idol group 'Gamjajeon' member Ryu Seon-jae, deceased

Ryu Seon-jae, a member of the idol group 'Gamjajeon,' died of acute drug poisoning in the early morning of the 30th.

Earlier, a media outlet reported that Ryu Seon-jae was found collapsed in a hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, around 6:30 AM on the 30th. He was transported to the hospital but was confirmed dead.

<Breaking News> Ryu Seon-jae's agency denies overdose

Ryu Seon-jae, who suffered from chronic insomnia, was known to have been prescribed sleeping pills for a long time. However, the agency denied speculative articles suggesting his cause of death was an overdose, stating it was 'unfounded.'

Considering that Baek In-hyuk, a member of the same team, mentioned during a V Live broadcast on the night of the 28th that 'Seon-jae has been sick with a cold,' there is speculation that he may have died of shock from taking cold medicine and sleeping pills together.

My heart pounded, and my hands trembled. I sat up in bed and searched 'Ryu Seon-jae' on a portal site. My heart raced, and then tears welled up. Ridiculous articles were pouring out with the title of breaking news.

Tears fell on the screen, blurring my vision. Without even thinking to wipe my face with the back of my hand, I clicked 'dislike' on malicious comments and replied with counter-comments. Those bastards. What harm did Seon-jae cause? What did Seon-jae do wrong?

I felt the world crumbling as I furiously commented on the unpleasant posts mentioning Seon-jae. Eventually, I was blocked by Twitter sub-accounts and kicked out of the fan cafe.

Why block me! Someone has died, how can this be? I felt like the world was turning upside down as I looked at the poster of Seon-jae on the wall. Tears kept flowing non-stop as if pumped from my tear ducts.

"It can't be."

Looking at the photo of Seon-jae with his eyes closed in a reed-filled forest, I bent over and lay face down on the bed, crying out loud.

□ ■ □

Seon-jae's cause of death was revealed through an official statement from the agency. It was shock from taking cold medicine and sleeping pills simultaneously. The content of an article written by a reporter was more detailed than the agency's statement. It was like a novel, describing Seon-jae's last night in great detail.

Ryu Seon-jae, who had lost energy rapidly due to a cold and barely ate dinner, took a shower as soon as he entered the hotel room. Disliking the feel of shower gowns, he wore a large hoodie and shorts, quickly took a cold pill he bought from the pharmacy and drank a bottle of water. Then, he immediately took five sleeping pills prescribed to him to fall asleep. This was the last appearance of 23-year-old Ryu Seon-jae.

Comments on the article included criticisms like 'Did you see it yourself, you tabloid journalist?' There were also sarcastic comments mocking the fact that he disliked hotel gowns. It was a well-known fact among Seon-jae's fans that he didn't wear hotel shower gowns because his skin was sensitive and he would get hives, which he often mentioned during V Lives.

― This station is City Hall, City Hall station. The doors on the left will open. Passengers heading to Cheonan or Incheon Soyo Mountain, please transfer to Line 1 at this station.

I covered my face with a scarf and bowed my head deeply. Tears kept leaking out, making my shoulders shake. I regretted reading articles about Seon-jae on the subway and shoved my phone into my pocket.

I closed my swollen eyes tightly from crying all night. Tears kept falling, dampening my scarf.