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# Chapter 47: The End of Silence
Junho’s call came through at 11:52 PM.
Minjun was awake inside his sleeping bag. Sleep wouldn’t come. For the past three hours, he’d been lying there staring at the ceiling, counting his breaths. In and out. In and out. As if confirming he was still alive.
His phone lit up in the darkness. Junho’s name appeared on the screen. Minjun moved his finger toward it, then pulled back. Then moved it forward again. It felt like answering might make something irreversible.
The call dropped after five seconds. Then a text came through.
“Minjun. You awake?”
Minjun turned the screen on and off repeatedly. Five times. Ten times. Then finally, he replied.
“Yeah.”
Junho’s response came instantly.
“Where are you? The company?”
“Yeah. Practice room.”
“Get out. Meet me.”
Minjun read the message again. There was an urgency to those three words. As if Junho thought he needed to save him. But Minjun already knew he couldn’t be saved. Suejin had been right. When there’s no choice, you become free. And now he was completely free. Like a prisoner in a free world.
Still, Minjun climbed out of the sleeping bag. Got dressed. Grabbed his bag. And left the basement.
A 24-hour convenience store near Gangnam Station. Junho was standing in front of it. 12:13 AM. He was smoking. The cigarette burned slowly between his fingers, smoke dissipating into the night air.
When Junho saw Minjun, he threw the cigarette to the ground and crushed it out. The motion was so violent and angry that Minjun flinched.
“You’re insane.”
Junho’s voice was low, but it trembled with clear emotion.
“What?”
Minjun’s voice was flat.
“What do you mean what? What are you doing right now? What did we say, and you go find Suejin alone? At night?”
Junho grabbed Minjun’s arm. His fingers dug into the flesh. Like he was afraid Minjun might run away.
“What did Suejin say to you?”
“Nothing special.”
Minjun answered. But it was a lie. Everything was special. Everything was fatal.
Junho knew it was a lie. And it seemed to anger him more. His grip tightened.
“Minjun. Look at me.”
Junho turned Minjun’s face toward his. Their eyes met. Under the convenience store lights in the night. Junho’s eyes were desperate. Like someone who knew they were about to lose something.
“You think you can’t leave this company?”
“Yeah.”
Minjun said it. And this time, it wasn’t a lie.
“You’re wrong. You can leave. What’s a penalty contract? You can go somewhere else. I can help. We all will. We won’t abandon you.”
Junho’s voice was shaking. Not with anger. With fear.
“Thank you, hyung.”
Minjun said it. And it wasn’t a lie. But gratitude didn’t help. Gratitude, love, hope—they were all the same. None of them could save him. Because he was already dead. His body was alive, but everything else had died already.
Junho didn’t let him go. His hand still gripped Minjun’s arm. As if the moment he released it, Minjun would scatter like wind.
“What are you thinking? That things will change if you succeed at this company?”
Junho asked. It wasn’t advice. It was a real question. And Minjun had an answer. But speaking it would hurt Junho.
“I don’t know.”
Minjun said.
“What exactly? What does ‘I don’t know’ mean? What do you really want?”
Junho asked again. And this time he cupped Minjun’s face with his other hand. Lifting it toward him. As if trying to pull out his soul and look at it.
Minjun looked into Junho’s eyes. There was something there. Not pity. Not sympathy. Something deeper. Like looking in a mirror. Like seeing the ruin inside himself reflected back.
“Why do you… help me?”
Minjun asked. It was the first real question he’d asked. One that came from his core.
Junho didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled Minjun toward him. And held him. In front of the convenience store at night, where no one could see. Junho held him. As if letting go meant he’d disappear too.
In Junho’s arms, Minjun realized his body was completely rigid. He’d forgotten how to be held. No—he’d never learned. From childhood, he’d had to be alone. And that solitude had become his nature.
“Is it really hard?”
Junho asked. His voice came from beside Minjun’s ear. Warm.
“Yeah.”
Minjun answered. And for the first time, he knew he was telling the truth.
“Then lean on me. I’ll hold you up.”
Junho said. And Minjun knew it wasn’t a lie. Junho didn’t lie. But he also knew Junho’s words might not help. Because no one’s words could save him. He was already too deep.
Inside the convenience store, fluorescent lights burned bright. An old man was heating up ramen. A young woman was drinking coffee. Someone was smoking on the bench outside. Everyone was living their own lives. Everyone lived in different worlds.
“There’s an audition tomorrow.”
Junho said. He was still holding Minjun.
“An audition?”
“I’m taking you. Come with me. And never think you’re alone.”
Junho said. And Minjun knew it wasn’t just comfort. It was a promise. And promises could be broken. But at least someone was seeing him.
Under the convenience store fluorescent lights at 12:47 AM, Minjun slowly wrapped his arms around Junho’s back. Very slowly. As if no one should know he was touching him. And in that moment, for the first time, Minjun felt like he wasn’t alone.
But that feeling didn’t last long. Because it terrified him. Needing someone meant you could lose them. And Minjun had already lost so much.
Junho released him. And looked at him again.
“Tomorrow morning at seven. Meet me in the company lobby. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Minjun answered.
“It’s a promise. You can never lie to me. Understand?”
Junho said. His voice held a clear command.
“Okay.”
Minjun answered. And if that answer isn’t a lie, he’ll meet Junho in the lobby at seven tomorrow morning. No matter if Suejin is watching. No matter if he thinks he has no choice. At least he can do that.
Junho gripped Minjun’s shoulder one more time. Then turned and left.
“Go. Sleep. See you tomorrow.”
Junho said. His figure disappeared into the night. It looked so small. As if he too needed someone’s protection.
Minjun was left alone. In front of the convenience store. Then he went back to his sleeping bag. Basement level one. The practice room. His prison.
Lying in the sleeping bag, Minjun looked at his hands. The hands that had just held Junho. They were shaking. As if he understood something. Or because he didn’t understand something.
Suejin had said it. With no freedom of choice comes freedom. But that was a lie. He was still choosing. Every moment. Whether to trust Junho or Suejin. Whether to kill himself or keep living. And those choices were destroying him completely.
The night continued. Seoul’s night never ends. Someone sleeps. Someone stays awake. Someone makes a decision. And Minjun was part of that night too. The smallest part, but still a part.
6:47 AM. Minjun woke again. He organized his sleeping bag. Changed clothes. Looked in the mirror. The face looking back was his. Extremely tired. Extremely pale. And inside that face was someone else. Someone different. Like he was an actor playing someone else.
Minjun turned away from the mirror. And headed to the company lobby.
At exactly 7:00 AM, Junho was standing in the lobby. His face still looked tired. He hadn’t slept all night. Just like Minjun.
Junho saw Minjun. And gave a small smile. It wasn’t a real smile. But it promised something. Today, you’re not alone. I’m here.
Minjun approached Junho. And followed him. Without asking where. He didn’t need to know where his feet were going. He just had to follow. And somehow, that felt like the most freedom he’d ever had.
[END OF CHAPTER 47]
Minjun had now understood something. That freedom of choice and freedom of action are not the same thing. And sometimes, following someone else is the only way to save yourself.