Legendary Superstar-Chapter 56: Donghyun Is Awake Now

"..."

"..."

"..."

Minjae’s words repeatedly echoed in Donghyun’s mind, even if he tried to avoid them for so long.

He was now back at his apartment, a place he bought with the money he had received all these years from Juwon.

It used to be lively, a comfortable space where he could relax after hours of working. But now… it was dark. It was gloomy. Packets of chips and towers of empty alcohol cans were everywhere.

For the past two months, the only thing he did was drink. It was his companion in times when he remembered Juwon—his friend, his bonded brother.

It was hard. He was not young. He knew that this lifestyle would catch up to him sooner or later. Yet despite that, it was the only thing that could keep him sane.

The memory of Juwon’s lying body, covered and surrounded by blood, and the loud shouts of the people flashed before his eyes.

The next thing Donghyun knew, he was already at the end of his bed. He was on the ground, his head dropped down on his knees. He was in the corner, feeling the coldness of the tile.

It was silent, but why could he still hear the loud siren of the ambulance as it rushed Juwon to the hospital? Why could he still hear his own pleas and cries? Why could he still hear the machine as Juwon’s heart flatlined?

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Juwon’s name still had power over him, even after all this time.

More memories resurfaced a second later — the laughter, their exhaustion from back-to-back schedules, the quiet moments of encouragement. However, those good and hard times were soon replaced by ugly ones.

The memories of Juwon’s funeral replaced them. He had heard it and seen it. He was there, in the corner, watching as the people Juwon cared for talked behind his back as if it was a normal thing to do.

The whispering voices… the accusations.

The weight of regret and anger settled in his chest.

That’s right.

Minjae was right.

He had promised Juwon.

He had sworn to continue, to push forward.

But…

How?

When Juwon died, that promise had shattered along with him.

Donghyun exhaled shakily and rubbed his face in frustration. His chest repeatedly moved up and down.

Could he really do this again?

Could he step back into the world he had abandoned?

Then, Minjae’s words echoed in his mind again, as if they had been waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"Are you really going to let them live freely after what they did to Juwon?"

Donghyun’s hands clenched into fists.

He had spent the last two months drowning himself in alcohol, lost in grief and guilt, but did that change anything?

Juwon was still gone, and those people were still out there, talking as if they had never once benefited from Juwon’s kindness. As if he had been nothing but a stepping stone for them.

Donghyun bit his lower lip, hard enough to taste iron. How would he even protect Juwon? Should he take revenge? But how? By doing cheap stunts to make them feel pain?

Then he realized something.

The best revenge wasn’t inflicting pain.

It was proving them all wrong.

It was showing them that they weren’t the best.

It was when another Juwon would come to knock them off their feet.

Donghyun closed his eyes, Minjae’s voice still lingering in his ears.

"I need someone like you to have my back."

For the first time in a long while, Donghyun allowed himself to wonder — was this his chance to make things right?

And there was one person who could help him do that.

The one who offered himself.

Minjae.

The past haunted him, but the future was still uncertain.

Could he really do this?

The weight of his failures pressed heavily on his shoulders.

He had been so close to giving up, letting the alcohol consume him, numbing the pain just to survive another day. He thought about the countless nights he had spent in his dark apartment, letting the emptiness fill the spaces.

But Juwon wouldn’t have wanted this for him. He wouldn’t have wanted him to waste away, to disappear into nothingness.

Donghyun’s fingers hovered over his phone screen, hesitating for a moment.

He had ignored Minjae’s messages, rejected every attempt to pull him back into the light. He had thought that being alone was the only way to cope, but now he wasn’t so sure.

His mind wandered back to Minjae’s persistence, his words filled with urgency. He thought that Minjae was just stubborn, a spoiled kid who wanted to get what he wanted.

Looking back on their interaction, maybe there was more to that guy when he looked so determined.

’Maybe it’s time.’

Maybe it was the right time to wake up.

Donghyun took a deep breath and pressed the call button.

It rang twice before the person on the other line, answered.

"Donghyun hyung?" Minjae’s voice a mixture of curiosity and surprise.

Donghyun inhaled deeply, his grip on the phone tightening.

"You were right."

There was a brief silence on the other end, as if Minjae was trying to process what he had just heard. Then, his voice softened, yet there was a fierce determination beneath it.

"You’re finally accepting my offer?"

Donghyun let out a breath, steady this time.

"Not yet. Send me all your information. I’ll make a decision after reading it."

"I’ll send it right away." Minjae didn’t hesitate.

Donghyun hung up and stared at his reflection in the darkened screen of his phone. For the first time in months, he saw a glimpse of something familiar in his own eyes — life.

He pushed himself up from the cold floor and looked around his messy apartment. The empty alcohol cans, the scattered chip packets—this wasn’t him.

With slow and deliberate movements, he started cleaning. It was exhausting, and his limbs felt heavier than they ever had before, but he kept going.

Each discarded can, each cleaned surface felt like a step forward, a step away from the darkness.

By the time he was done, exhaustion pulled at him, but there was also something else. Clarity and excitement.

Donghyun sat down on the couch, rubbing his hands together as he waited for Minjae’s message.

A part of him was still scared, still uncertain if he could truly step back into the world he had abandoned. But another part, the part that had once stood beside Juwon, refused to back down.