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Seomyeong's Bar @bar_myeong ✔️
@spark_official’s Jeho and Iwol are joining us soon for a drink!
If you have any questions about them, reply using the hashtag #AskWolJe_bar !
“There's an invitation from a variety show for you and Jeho.”
Like always, Daeyeon shared updates about their schedules and meetings during commute time. This time, it was Iwol who received the news on his way back home after a solo schedule.
“With Jeho? Again?”
Daeyeon chuckled, amused at his reaction. “But you've only had two unit activities with Jeho.”
“Two is already a lot, Manager.”
Iwol winced at Daeyeon's blatant dismissal of his reaction. “So what is this show?”
“Seomyeong's Bar, the MeTube show.”
“Ha Seomyeong-sunbae?”
It has been really popular lately. Whenever Iwol watched something on the dorm TV, a video from Ha Seomyeong's channel would show through his recommendations and shorts clips from her show easily racked up hundreds of thousands of views. Iwol understood its immense recognition from both fans and non-fans, considering Seomyeong invited both idols and celebrities.
“Did she say why us to be specific?”
Daeyeon paused for a second and tapped the wheel slowly. It's a habit Iwol had observed from the man, something he did whenever he had to think.
“She said the two of you are really popular together.”
***
When Iwol returned home, Jeho was already plopped down on the couch, comfortably watching the television airing a singing competition show—one that Seongbin was invited to judge.
“Hey, did you know about the show?”
“I heard.”
Seeing Jeho answer without even glancing at him irked Iwol, but since he was intently watching Seongbin on the television, he could forgive him.
“Should we reject it?”
At last, Jeho looked at him. “Why?”
“Guests have to drink alcohol. You don't like it.”
That was what made Ha Seomyeong's show really popular. The naturalness of celebrities having a drink with her, that fans rarely saw from their favorites. And actually, drunk celebrities apparently made lots of funny clips.
For instance, he saw a very close idol sunbae get flushed red and acted cute to the other guest. For his dignity, Iwol wouldn't name him but they were from the same company.
“I looked up the show. The host offers non-alcoholic drinks. I can just say I don't drink.”
“... Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Do you plan on drinking? Won't Seongbin scold you?”
Speak of the archangel and he appeared, right behind Iwol with a hand on his shoulder.
“Are you going to do something I might scold you for, Iwol-hyung?”
“No, no! Choi Jeho is setting me up, Seongbin!”
***
Fortunately, they settled on a decision and schedule—which was today.
They had some terms: no alcoholic drinks, no caffeinated drinks, and the two could reject any questions they didn't want to answer.
“What kind of questions do you think we'll get?” Iwol asked Jeho.
He was still sitting in front of the vanity mirror, getting his makeup done.
“No idea. Did you not look it up?”
“Sunbae specifically told me not to.”
The show followed a casual interview where Seomyeong served them drinks and snacks, while asking them questions they collected from fans online.
“Jeho and Iwol are all ready!”
“Then let's start filming!”
***
The set almost looked like a living room, a mimic of Ha Seomyeong's living room. The table in the center had different glasses and bottles of drinks, while the wall surrounding had multiple polaroid photos and signatures of celebrities who have attended.
“Our guests today! The juniors I've been anticipating for a long time, but they only had free time today! Come on in, Spark's Iwol and Jeho!”
The two entered together. Jeho had his usual grin on his face and Iwol was smiling brightly, even waving to Seomyeong and the production crew.
“Sunbaenim, here's a gift from us,” Jeho said and handed her a neat paper bag.
“It's finally nice to meet you in person, Jeho.”
“Sunbae, it's been a while! Congratulations on your new drama.”
“Iwol, it's been a long time!”
Jeho and Iwol settled down on the couch adjacent to Seomyeong. She introduced the different drinks on the table which they could take, and if they didn't find anything they liked, they could check the fridge for other drinks.
“It's the first time we're having guests who aren't drinking alcohol so we made sure to widen your options.”
“Thank you, sunbae. We really appreciate it.”
Seomyeong then asked Iwol. “You don't drink anymore, Iwol? I remember you went really viral for drinking a lot on the Drinkers show.”
“I'm cutting back on drinking! And no one in the group drinks in the dorm too…”
Iwol grieved his rookie years. The SYSTEM really made a mark on his reputation. He'd be a tenth-year idol and people would still remember him as a drinking hippo.
“And Jeho…?”
“I can't drink alcohol,” Jeho answered while pouring banana smoothie on a glass.
“Banana? Seriously?”
“What's wrong with it? It tastes good.”
He could already foresee it—the amount of Banana Emperor Jeho posts on SNS that would come up once this episode was released.
Jeho had grabbed a glass of banana smoothie, so Iwol took his own choice of drink. A very familiar pear and bellflower root tea. Steam rose from the thermal container as he poured some on an empty mug.
Iwol took a small sip and immediately winced. He looked away and accidentally met Jeho's eyes.
Politely, Jeho asked Seomyeong. “Sunbaenim, do you have honey or sugar?”
“Ah, we do! Let me grab it for you.”
“Thank you."
When Seomyeong returned with a jar of honey, Jeho handed it to Iwol.
“Thank you…” Iwol shyly said as he put an undignified amount of honey on his mug.
“Was it too bitter?” Seomyeong asked him, looking concerned. She was ready to hand him anything to replace his drink.
“Just a bit! I like this tea but I'm not really good with bitter stuff.”
Jeho even had the audacity to out him, all while opening a pack of chips. “He usually puts way more honey on his tea at the dorm.”
After their small chattering, Ha Seomyeong finally began the segment.
On the monitor in front of them, a screenshot from an SNS app appeared, showing the question from a fan. Although they blurred the username, the Choi Jeho profile photo and the letters that Iwol could make out from the mosaic told him it was, unsurprisingly, a Jeho stan.
『 Q1. Who came up with the WolJe hashtag?』
“Ah, I'm curious about that too!” Seomyeong seconded as soon as she read the question.
“You know how when we hold this hashtag event on SNS, we ask the guests to come up with their duo name. That's why I asked you two before.”
Jeho replied shortly. “Kim Iwol chose the name.”
“How did you come up with it?”
“I was going to suggest hyungz, which is our chemistry duo name. But I looked up your page and I saw that our sunbaenims had used it,” Iwol explained to them.
“Who?”
“Polo and Yur-sunbae.”
“Ah, I remember that. So, where did WolJe come from? Did you just put your names together?” Seomyeong continued asking him.
Jeho only gave short replies but he was closely looking at Iwol, since he kept his mouth full with the snacks. Looking at him, Iwol was half-convinced he only came for the food. They were preparing for a comeback so the guys were on self-inflicted diet plans, so Jeho was probably letting himself loose today.
“I learned it on a fansign before! A fan asked me to answer a question on a note and it was on the note.”
Jeho seconded him. “I've seen that multiple times too. I think they're fans who like us two the most.”
『 Q2. Have the hyungz ever had a drink together?』
Jeho and Iwol quietly looked at each other. There was only one time when that happened and frankly, Iwol couldn't consider it as drinking together. And so, they answered…
“Yes.”
“No.”
… differently.
Seomyeong looked at them with interest. Her eyes curled up in amusement hearing their opposite answers.
“You have to be consistent! Why are your answers the opposite?” She asked teasingly.
Iwol grabbed the wheel first. The first to establish their stance always made stronger statements.
“Listen, I don't consider that as drinking together.”
“We literally drank from the same bottle. Is that not drinking together?”
Jeho's argument left him dumbfounded. Of course, that simple-minded guy saw it as sharing a drink.
“That's literally not how it works?!”
Seomyeong then offered to mediate. “Iwol, how about sharing the context so we can decide if you had a drink together or not?”
“I was drinking alone, then Jeho grabbed the bottle and drank from it too. Once! And then he left, saying it tasted really bad!”
Jeho furrowed his brows then immediately relaxed them upon seeing that Iwol was glaring at him. “You're simplifying that too much.”
“That's seriously all that you did.”
The situation only calmed down after Seomyeong had concluded that it was not indeed having a drink together. Although Iwol was appeased with the thought of being right, Jeho could not care less.
『 Q3. Do you have any funny anecdotes about drinking? 』
“Are there a lot of questions about drinking?” Iwol commented.
“Because we're a drinking show, yes. But we can skip them if you want!”
Jeho stopped on his snack. “I have one.”
This made Iwol nervous. He had no idea what Jeho might say because there were only so few events where he or the other members (it was just Seongbin) had drank alcohol.
He asked Iwol, hand pointing at him. “Do you remember getting really drunk?”
“Really drunk is exaggerating, I wasn't that drunk.”
“You were really drunk. See, you don't even remember how drunk you were.”
Seomyeong was surprised next to them. “How much did you drink that you got drunk, Iwol?”
“It wasn't that much, sunbae, seriously.”
Jeho showed the size through his fingers, about the size of his palm. “It was those small bottles of whiskey. Two of them.”
“They do have a higher alcohol content than soju, so I can see why Iwol got drunk. What is he like when drunk, Jeho?”
Jeho recalled the Kim Iwol of that day. Aside from him making a fuss, being emotional and honest about his feelings, Kim Iwol was also…
“... he was really docile?”
The docile man in question pouted and cupped his face with both hands, trying to cover the pink in his cheeks.
“You're making it as if I'm a wild animal.”
“Sometimes, you feel like one.”
“I should be saying that to you!”
Seomyeong asked him another question. “What do you mean by docile?”
And then, Jeho went on a full-blown Kim Iwol Exposure Speech.
“He usually listens to the members’ words well but that time, he followed them without making a fuss or resisting. Even Seongbin was really surprised.”
“Seriously?”
Seomyeong's Bar had become a Kim Iwol Humiliation Ritual episode, all thanks to Jeho who suddenly decided to become really talkative. That guy's feelings were often visible, but this time he was acting on them. Iwol was convinced he still held some grudges over their previous arguments.
『 Q4. What is it like being the eldest hyungs of spArk? 』
Iwol let out a long sigh. It was a question that was easy to answer yet left him a lot to think—that's why Jeho got to answer before him.
“They are both the easiest and most difficult younger brothers to have.”
“What does that supposed to mean?” Seomyeong asked him to elaborate.
“They listen well to us. Even Seongbin, our group's leader, takes our opinions into consideration since we're older. The kids don't do anything worrying either.”
“... but?”
Jeho winced. “They're really tough and stubborn.”
“Ah, that's true.” Iwol seconded his statement. No one was more stubborn than those four younger brothers.
“Especially once those four agree on one thing, we can't go against them.”
“Since I have five younger brothers, I can say I have it worse.”
Seeing Jeho squint his eyes at his words, Iwol knew he succeeded in getting back at him.
『 Q5. Jeho, what's it like to have an older brother? 』
Jeho glanced at Iwol, or more like, scrutinized him. He looked at Iwol from his head to his torso, then clicked his tongue.
“I don't think that meant anything good.” Iwol nervously laughed.
Jeho gave his answer, one that punched Iwol like harsh truth. “What older brother do I have?”
Just as Iwol thought that this guy had mellowed out a bit over the years, Jeho made sure to remind him of his prickly nature.
If Jeho didn't really acknowledge Iwol's (extremely faint) authority as the eldest member, then there's nothing he could do. When he was about to suggest to Jeho that he could take the position of the eldest hyung, Jeho spoke again.
“Although… he's trying hard to be an older brother so I'll recognize that.”
“Well, thank you for your recognition.”
Seomyeong gave a follow-up question that wasn't in the list. “What is Iwol like as a hyung?”
Iwol thought if he had been an older brother to Jeho the way he was to the younger members. He winced, because obviously, he hadn't been.
“I think I relied more on Jeho than he did to me.” He honestly spoke his feelings.
Looking back on their previous relationship, Jeho was always the one to hold him back whenever he went far, always the one to keep him afloat when he's drowning.
“Jeho scolded me a lot.”
Seomyeong's eyes widened. “Iwol? You got scolded? I can't imagine that.”
Iwol shyly scratched his cheek. “I was a rather immature eldest hyung. I did a lot of things that had to be scolded.”
“If you weren't very stubborn, we wouldn't scold you a lot.” Jeho argued.
There wasn't anything he could say to refute that so Iwol just yielded and sighed. “I'm sorry for being stubborn.”
“Make sure you listen well to the younger members.”
Iwol looked at Jeho. “And that includes you?”
“Sure, whatever.”
Watching the two bicker, Seomyeong smiled widely and jokingly asked. “Jeho, will you ever call him ‘hyung'?”
Jeho's grimaced look was more than enough of an answer.
Before they moved on to the next question, Iwol stood up and grabbed the empty bottles of drinks and plates of snacks.
“Sunbae, can I refill these?”
“Sure, let me help you!”
Jeho stood up before Seomyeong could get up. His hands grabbed a few of what Iwol left on the table.
“Where should we put this?”
“Thank you, guys… You can put them in the kitchen. What snacks do you want to have? I'll order more.”
Iwol said to order whatever she wanted while Jeho boldly requested chicken wings. He really was getting everything he wanted today.
After tidying up the empty bottles, Iwol stood before the fridge and carefully studied the beverages behind the clear door.
“What's taking you so long?” Jeho asked him.
“I'm thinking…”
“Of what?”
The bottle of soju which had Polo's face on the brand label was staring at him.
Iwol hesitated before asking. “Should I drink?”
“Do you want to?”
Jeho's question was unlike what he expected. Iwol expected the man to scold him for even thinking of touching alcohol.
“... can I?”
Jeho just shrugged. “If it's allowed. And tell Seongbin too.”
“Really? It's okay?”
“I'm telling you to get permission first.”
“I mean,” Iwol paused, then looked at Jeho carefully, “what about you?”
“I'm okay.”
He looked serious saying that so Iwol took that positively.
“Then I'll ask permission!”
Gone were the days when Jeho avoided alcohol like it'd kill him. He still didn't like it, and still didn't drink during their company dinners. However, Jeho had grown honest about his feelings.
Had it been in the past, Jeho would have had a fit about drinking alcohol. In fact, he would even trespass in the planning office on why they were invited on the show.
Iwol wondered if their occasional company dinners and the once in a blue moon group drinking session helped Jeho. He hoped it'd at least take off the memories he had of a drunk abusive father.
If a group drinking night could replace some of his bad memories, then Iwol would gladly organize one as soon as they had a vacation. Maybe after their upcoming tour he'd even hold a party in their dorm.
Iwol went to Seomyeong. “Sunbae, shall we have a drink? I'll get permission!”
“Of course, we can! Make me your somaek again!”
Getting Manager Daeyeon's permission was quick, and passing the news to Jukyung was even quicker. She gave a few reminders to him, which ended with “Iwol is sensible so I trust you wouldn't cause problems.”
It would've been good if that was the last thing she said but she also added, before ending the call, “I know Jeho would keep you out of trouble.”
Seongbin was the real challenge.
While Seomyeong prepared the glasses and Jeho helped to set the table with the newly delivered chicken wings, Iwol nervously waited for a call on his phone.
Instead of a reply, a call came through as an answer to his message.
“Hello, Seongbin-ah.”
“Hyung, you don't really have to ask me for permission…”
“Jeho told me to. And I wanted to let you know as well.”
“Can you put Jeho-hyung on the phone?”
Iwol quickly handed the phone to Jeho, saying that their beloved leader had something to tell him. Their conversation was quick and the phone immediately found its way back to Iwol's hand.
“Don't drink too much!”
“I got it. You guys seriously don't trust me.”
“Hyung, did you already forget your drinking hippo name?”
“Alright, you're busy so I'm hanging up. Thanks, Seongbin-ah.”
Iwol looked at Seomyeong and gave a thumbs up. It was time to bring out the liquor.
There were more snacks on the table and more variety of drinks. Seomyeong not only put soju but also a few cans of beer. With Seomyeong asking Iwol to make somaek for her, it felt as if they had gone back to the days of “In My Office”.
Next to the large glass of somaek was Jeho's fruit shake that he made with Seomyeong earlier. Iwol saw that they added many kinds of fruits but when he had a sip from Jeho's glass, it just tasted like they only put banana. Jeho said they only added half a banana but that guy didn't understand how invasive banana flavor is.
“Then should we pick up with the questions again?”
“Yes!”
『 Q6. What's the difference between Jeho and Iwol as the oldest members and brothers to the younger ones? 』
“You have a lot of differences, opposites to be exact, and I believe that even more now that I watched you two up close. Even Eun said that to me,” Seomyeong told them.
“Teacher Eun did?” Jeho asked, surprised at the mention of their vocal teacher.
She nodded. “Eun said something about how you two are each other's opposites.”
Iwol gently raised his own glass of somaek. “I guess we really are?”
“Is that so?”
He took a sip. His mix tasted as good as before. The fuzz in the beer warmed his throat just right.
“Jeho isn't really vocal about his affection for the younger members.”
Jeho nodded, agreeing, and added to his words. “I don't really talk like Iwol to the younger members.”
“Like what?”
“Your strange way of talking and all the praises.”
“But you praise them too, sincerely. That is what matters.”
“That's true! And I heard that spArk is one of those maknae-on-top groups too. That's only possible because the oldest members are taking good care of the younger ones.”
Iwol let out a sigh. “In exchange for that, we've become the doting fool hyungs.”
Reaching out for a slice of pizza, Jeho interrupted. “You've always been like that toward them.”
“Choi Jeho, you're included in this too. You're becoming more and more like me lately.”
The pizza stopped its way to his mouth. “What…?”
Iwol grinned. The other doting fool didn't even notice how doting he had become. “You didn't even realize?”
“I refuse to be in the same category as you.”
“You sound like Cheonghyeon.”
Seomyeong took the opportunity to dig deeper into the story. “Iwol, what made you say Jeho is just like you? Say it so he can realize it.”
“One time he told Kiyeon he could be his younger brother since Kiyeon was the only only-child in our group.”
“Jeho, you're basically offering to adopt him!”
“No?”
Iwol pointed at him. “Then how would you explain carrying Kiyeon back to his room when he fell asleep on the couch?”
“You worry about the kid's height and joints every single day. How could I just let him sleep there? He might even get sick there.” Jeho firmly defended himself.
“You could've just woken him up…” Seomyeong's point made his argument weak.
“Exactly! And Kiyeon wouldn't even get mad if you woke him up. We didn't have practice that day either. You didn't really need to carry him back to his room.”
Jeho frowned. “You used to carry those guys all the time. What's with the fuss if I do it?”
“That's the point, Jeho. You're just like Iwol.”
『 Q7. What is the chemistry between the two of you? 』
Seomyeong looked at the two, hand slightly gesturing at them.
“What is it like? I'm curious.”
At that question, Iwol glanced at Jeho, only to find that Jeho was already looking at him.
“Like, the dynamics between us?”
“Yeah. When I looked you up, a lot of your fans seemed to like you two together.” Seomyeong answered Iwol.
Jeho was the first to give his reply. “There was something a Sparkler had told me before in a fanmeet event.”
“What is it?”
“They said we're like a married couple.”
Iwol tilted his head in confusion. “But we fight a lot?”
“A married couple who already went through everything and five divorces, is what exactly she told me.”
Somehow, that made sense in Iwol's head.
“That reminds me, Kiyeon and Cheonghyeon did call us ‘appa’ and ‘abeoji' before.”
“You really get along well, even with the other members. How long have you guys known each other?” Seomyeong commented.
Iwol answered for them. “It's our sixth year as spArk and I trained with them for a year… so it's been seven years of knowing and living with those guys. Jeho trained much longer…”
Jeho nodded and continued Iwol's words. “I trained for almost 4 years before debuting. When I first saw the other guys, they were still all in middle school.”
“You practically grew up together.”
Iwol took another shot of soju. The somaek he mixed earlier was already gone in a beat so Seomyeong opened a new bottle for them and brought out the shot glasses.
“Maybe that's why they'll always feel like babies to me.”
“Kiyeon would be mad. He'd be in his thirties and you'd still baby him.”
“You'd dote on him even worse than I would, Jeho.”
Seomyeong stared at them, then suddenly clapped as if she realized something.
“You guys were just like an old married couple!”
Iwol's mouth curved into a wince. “If we're a married couple then I request a divorce!”
Then Jeho answered, in the same nonchalant voice he always used. “The kids would throw a big tantrum and lie on the floor if you left us.”
“Okay. I'll stay for the kids then.”
『 Q8. To Iwol, did Jeho ever cry in front of you? 』
In the seven years he knew Jeho in this life and the five years in the past, Iwol had never seen it even once.
“I don't think I ever did.” Iwol answered the question.
Jeho looked at him, confused. “... Really?”
He found Jeho's reply suspicious but didn't press on it. “Really.”
Iwol then added to his words. “And if Jeho cried, something really big or bad definitely would have happened. So let's not wish for that day to come.”
“That's true! Jeho, only cry happy tears, okay?” Seomyeong commented and passed him a plate of cut fruits.
“I think I won't cry at all.”
“Emotional suppression isn't good, Jeho-ya.”
Seomyeong asked Iwol. “What would you do if Jeho cried in front of you?”
Iwol took his time to think while taking another shot to his mouth. The liquor made the words flow out of his mouth smoothly.
“In a situation where Jeho would be crying, I probably would have cried first.”
“Really?”
He nodded at Seomyeong's question. “My noona calls me a crybaby all the time.”
He looked at Jeho, who was quietly watching him, then told him.
“If you cried in front of me, I would be really shaken up that I'd stop crying right away.”
Jeho then asked. “Do you remember what you asked me when we debuted?”
The conversation they had after they debuted, when all the younger members were bawling and sobbing so hard and it was just the two of them who were still in a composed state.
“I do. I remembered that when I cried like a fool when we got our first Daesang.”
Seomyeong asked them, “what was it that he asked you, Jeho?”
“Everyone was crying except us, so I said he wasn't crying. Then, Iwol asked me,”
“Are you going to comfort me if I cry?”
A gasp that almost sounded like a squeal came out of Seomyeong. “Iwol really said that?"
Jeho nodded. “He did. I thought he was crazy.”
“Yet you were the first to comfort me when I cried.”
Jeho only looked away, escaping Iwol's glare at him. “Protect your dignity as the oldest.”
“That dignity died long ago because of you unfilial brothers.”
Seomyeong gently raised her hand, calmly interrupting before the two got into a fight. She remembered to ask another question.
“Iwol, how would you comfort Jeho if he cried?”
He's certain the alcohol hasn't done anything to his brain yet and it's still operating at its full capacity. However, Iwol couldn't really think of an answer to give.
“I don't know,” Iwol honestly spoke.
No matter how much he tried to think of a hypothetical situation where Jeho (and, by consequence, him too) cried, it's always impossible to think of how he could comfort Jeho. What would break Jeho, would probably kill Iwol.
“Jeho is much, much stronger than me. If there's a situation where he's crying, I'd probably be too broken to even comfort him.”
The man in question turned quiet at Iwol's words.
“I won't cry then, so you don't need to comfort me.”
Iwol could only mutter a soft ‘okay’ while swirling the alcohol in his glass. Inwardly, he hoped that kind of scenario would never occur to them.
“Ah, Iwol, we already drank two bottles!”
『 Q9. To Jeho and Iwol who always bicker, did you ever have a fight? 』
Iwol looked at Jeho, silently observing his thoughts. The man was in deep thought like him.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Iwol asked him first.
“I'm trying to think of which fight to talk about.”
“Did we even fight so much that you have many options?”
Seomyeong was relatively surprised by their conversation. From what she had seen online and spArk's videos, they were similar to her and Eun. The type to bicker a lot but rarely fight seriously.
“Did you fight a lot?” She carefully asked them, keeping her tone light.
Jeho answered right away. “Not really.”
“So you guys have fought.”
Scratching his cheek shyly, Iwol nodded. “That's inevitable with us. We're the eldest and… we have a lot of opposing opinions.”
“Kim Iwol is really stubborn too.”
“That… is true,” he couldn't really argue with Jeho at that one.
“Then can you share a story with us?”
At her question, Jeho looked at Iwol, as if telling him to be the one to answer her.
“Let me think!”
They talked as if he and Jeho fought like cats and dogs, but in fact, Iwol could count on one hand the number of fights they've ever had (excluding their daily bickering).
After deciding, he asked the other party. It'd be unfair if both sides didn't agree because it wasn't a story they talked about with other people.
“Jeho, can I talk about that?”
“About what?”
“When we fought last year.”
“Ah,” Jeho understood immediately, “it's okay.”
About a year ago, after their promotions for “Dear. My_” and just before they started their national tour, Iwol pulled that car trick—one that made Jeho burst into anger.
Of course, he couldn't really talk in a show about how he jumped on a car himself which angered Jeho, so he'd have to rephrase the story a bit.
“There was a time when we had a really big fight in the middle of our activities. That was probably… the angriest I've seen Jeho become.”
Seomyeong asked him again. “Can I know what caused your argument?”
Iwol hesitated for a second before answering. “I guess Jeho really got mad because I didn't rely on him.”
“You should reflect on your behavior.” Jeho told him.
“I know, I've been reflecting since last year.”
Jeho picked up on the story and continued. “He usually kept his problems to himself and didn't want the younger members to be affected by his problems.”
“It's the pride of the eldest, you know…”
“We're both the same age, so back then, I thought you could at least depend on me, instead of just suffering on your own.”
“I see… I'm sorry.”
Jeho frowned and passed him a glass of water. “That was already over so stop apologizing.”
“So that's what happened… Was it a big argument? How did the younger members react with the two eldest fighting?”
Iwol chuckled awkwardly. “It was a big fight… but it's thanks to Jeho that we could go on our days normally and the younger members didn't feel awkward.”
“You always talked about being professional. And I don't really want the kids to be affected too.”
“How did you resolve your fight then?”
“Frankly speaking, I didn't know how to apologize to Jeho back then, but the kids were all nudging me behind to talk to Jeho.”
He glanced at Jeho, then asked. “You probably don't even know that your roommate sent me daily updates about your whereabouts.”
“Joowoo did?”
“See. You don't even know we had a separate group chat without you, do you?”
“What was that even for?”
“For telling them updates about our fight.”
“Seriously, Iwol?”
“spArk really has a great relationship with each other seeing how your younger members were even cheering you on to make up. Did their encouragement push you to talk to Jeho then?”
Iwol answered Seomyeong. “Almost, but the final push we got to reconcile was…”
“My mom invited him to our house for Chuseok.”
“Huh?”
Seomyeong asked them, just to confirm her thoughts. “Did she know that you fought?”
“I didn't tell her. She invited him as well because my sisters were celebrating separately.” Jeho explained to her.
“So it was just you two and your mom? Wasn't it awkward?”
“It was a bit awkward… and the kids were ganging up on me, saying I shouldn't lose the fight just because we're at Jeho's house.”
“They talk as if I'm going to fight you again.”
“Anyway, it ended up well. We had a good talk since we had to sleep together in his room.”
“So forced proximity really had you reconciling?”
“Yes… That's why the kids are saying they're going to lock us up the next time we fight.”
『 Q10. After being friends of the same age for six or seven years, is there anything you want to tell the other person? 』
“Is this the final question?” Jeho asked.
“That's right, so say anything you want to Iwol.”
Reading the question made Iwol wince playfully, with his eyes curving. “If I were to be really honest with my feelings, I'll need alcohol to back me up.”
“Since Iwol is still feeling shy, how about going first, Jeho?”
Jeho smoothly accepted the task from Seomyeong.
He looked so serious that it made Iwol feel nervous. The last time Jeho wholeheartedly gave him a message, he almost broke down into tears in their concert.
Who knows if he might actually cry this time?
Jeho looked at him, quietly, as he always did.
He never noticed but Jeho had always quietly observed him from the sidelines. He was always an arm reach away from Iwol, just waiting for him to reach out and ask for help, just standing by so he's ready to catch Iwol anytime he needed to rest.
Except Iwol always pushed himself to the limits of his capability and health, except that he never opened his heart to lean on Jeho. By the time he finally looked at Jeho, the man had already been broken.
Sometimes, Iwol would get haunted by the image of a distraught Jeho. The usually unbothered and confident center bore a desperate expression, and it shook his core when he realized it was because of him.
“I know I've told you this before but I'll say it again,” Jeho spoke to him.
“Kim Iwol, thank you for being here. I'm glad we were born in the same year.”
There's a subtle smile that adorned Jeho's face. Now, he could confidently say that their relationship was way beyond being friends of the same age.
“It's amazing how every member of spArk has someone of the same age,” Seomyeong commented, which was something Iwol agreed on.
“If he didn't join, I'd be the eldest.”
“And you'd be the only one without a same-age friend, right?”
Jeho nodded in response to Seomyeong's question.
“I think that would have been really lonely.”
There's a memory only Iwol knew. Before he was the eldest hyung of spArk, it was Jeho who held that role, and that Jeho was… incredibly lonely. While the younger members had someone they could talk to, Jeho had no one. As the eldest too, he couldn't just make himself depend on the younger ones.
His eyes felt hot. Iwol knew he might cry any moment from now, so he quickly changed the mood.
“Then I'll make sure you can't get rid of me no matter what so you won't be lonely.”
Jeho snickered at his remark, with a grin marking his face pleased. “Sure, do whatever you want.”
“Then, Iwol, what do you want to tell Jeho?”
Iwol thought long of what to say to him.
To someone like Jeho, what he needed to hear were direct and straightforward words with no underlying tone. He was perceptive of other people's intentions and emotions, so Iwol wanted to be honest to him—for as much as he could.
He still felt guilty for lying and hiding things from him. With his history of leaving and fooling them, it'd be difficult for Jeho to believe him.
But Iwol promised, with all sincerity, “I'll try to rely on you more.”
It wasn't something he learned how to do as a child and as an adult, but if it put Jeho at ease, then he would do it.
And besides, it was an idea that comforted him. There was no one as dependable as Jeho.
“I’ll tell you when I need help.”
Jeho only muttered a soft “okay” and nodded to his words.
“I'll also take breaks.”
“You should.”
“Should we go on a vacation together soon?”
“... Why not?”
Since he seemed to be open to the idea, Iwol made a note mentally, to schedule a trip together when they have the time.
“We should go before enlisting, no?”
“We still have two years, don't bringing that up, Jeho.”
***
In the past, Iwol would never even think of the possibility that he and Jeho had grown close enough to be comfortable with each other.
If one were to go back to spArk's older videos from their debut and early years then watch the newest ones, it was obvious how distant they used to be. Iwol used to think he did well on pretending he didn't hold ill feelings over spArk, and Jeho in particular.
‘Did you think I didn't know you've hated me since we were still trainees?’
That guy completely saw through him.
And that same guy was quietly holding the wheel next to him on the driver's seat.
They were on their way to the company to fetch the youngest members who stayed late for the schedule. Usually, any of their three managers would drive them home but since Jeho now had his own car and license, sometimes he'd just drive for them when he felt like it.
Iwol had nothing to do and he wanted to get something in the practice room so he ended up joining him on picking up the kids.
It was almost midnight, just about an hour since the show he filmed with Jeho was uploaded on the internet.
Ha Seomyeong had told him that almost everything made the cut and even asked him multiple times if there was anything they wanted to exclude, but the two agreed on keeping everything.
Whatever they talked in front of the camera had been translated to a level of being suitable for broadcast.
But still, Iwol was being genuine when he promised those words. And he knew Jeho was the same as him. It made him chuckle inwardly. He'd known Jeho so much, to the point that he could now easily read through him.
Iwol scrolled through the comments on the video uploaded on Ha Seomyeong's channel.
Unsurprisingly, it was their fight that was mostly talked about by their fans.
ㄴ they fought…? when and how come i never noticed TT
ㄴㄴ it's probably around Dear. My_ promotions because they were quite distant back then
ㄴ so I wasn't being delusional when I thought they fought. they actually had a divorced arc…
ㄴㄴ me too lol I only talked about this with my friends on private because it might cause an issue when it's not confirmed but now we know they actually fought.
ㄴ the miscommunication and forced proximity fics are going to have a major influx i can't wait to see it
ㄴ the eldest iwol who always carried every responsibility and second eldest jeho who just wanted him to rely even a bit TT ah my hyungz please never separate ever…
ㄴㄴ iwol saying it's the angriest he saw jeho sobs
ㄴㄴㄴ i don't think i've ever seen an angry jeho
During the days of their fight, Iwol had worried about fans noticing it. Upon monitoring, there were very few people commenting about it—that’s why he thought they were doing okay.
“Jeho.”
“What?”
“Apparently, there were fans who noticed we fought back then.”
“Really?”
“Yes, so we can't fight anymore. They'll definitely notice even more.”
Jeho scoffed, his eyes still remaining focused on the road. “Do you want to fight?”
“I don't?!”
Iwol cleared his throat. Lately, it's so easy to bicker with Jeho. Once they start, it's a long-standing squabbling that only ends when one yields or they get scolded by any of the younger members.
“Anyway, overall, both fans and casual viewers were enjoying the show. As promised, Seomyeong-sunbae also used our song in the video.”
“Mmh, okay.”
He read through more of the comments and stopped on one that caught his attention.
ㄴ I hope Jeho and Iwol get to go on vacation together soon!
Iwol looked to his left. “Hey, let's go on a trip.”
“You're actually serious about that?”
“Yes. Do you not want to?”
Jeho rhythmically tapped the wheel with his finger, quietly thinking.
“Where should we go?”
It wasn't a simple yes or no answer that Iwol expected. Jeho wasn't just joining along, he was actually interested.
“Going to the sea sounds good!”
“Do you want to go overseas? You were quite upset about the Singapore trip.”
“Anywhere is fine, really.”
Jeho's lips curved into a thin smile. “Then let's go on our next vacation.”
Iwol opened his digital calendar and scrolled through their next break. He quickly typed in, “trip with Jeho”, but then paused to ask him.
The promise of a trip awaited the two. But for now, they'd have to pick up the rambunctious duo from the company.