Chapter 14:
Chapter 14
Daily Life, and the Dorm
Two weeks after the end-of-year evaluation.
After spending three golden days of vacation in Gunsan, I turned twenty-two as the new year arrived.
2014
The entertainment industry was bustling from the start of the new year.
The news of a famous girl group member and a top star actor’s romance swept the entertainment news, and a drama that reminisced the 90s was making headlines every day.
And there was also the upcoming big event.
Something about a kingdom.
An animation that Ji-ho had been raving about ever since he saw the trailer on YouTube, saying ‘Hyung! Hyung! You have to watch this for real!’ was about to be released.
Should I book the tickets for him?
I was checking the screening schedule on my smartphone when I closed the window at the notification that asked me to log in.
Ugh, too much hassle.
Bi-ju or Ri-hyuk will do it, right?
Then I zipped up my padding jacket all the way.
The chilly wind was blowing in the alley of Sinsa-dong.
I walked briskly into the Lemon Enter building.
I was about to go to the practice room with a heater when I saw a stranger in front of the elevator.
A woman wearing a black mask and a padded jumper.
She pressed the elevator button several times, then noticed a paper that said <The elevator is broken, please understand> and got annoyed.
“Ugh, this sucks!”
A husky voice.
She’s a singer.
“Why does it have to break down today of all days!”
She seemed to be furious at the thought of having to carry her luggage up the stairs.
A heavy-looking carrier.
“Can I help you…?”
“Why today, of all days!”
She burst out again, and I quietly backed away.
I’m the weakest link in this company.
A lowly citizen like me just passed by quietly.
“Excuse me.”
And a failed escape.
“Excuse me?”
The black mask went down to her chin, revealing her fair skin.
She had a big and distinctive pretty face.
And a face that I knew.
She was one of the members of Scarlet, a senior group in the company.
“Sorry, but can you help me with this?”
“Yes!”
I smiled brightly and nodded.
“Of course I should help you.”
The basic of social life is to look good and be liked by the seniors.
Besides, it’s just a carrier.
Let’s get it over with quickly, I thought, and grabbed the handle of the carrier.
“That’s really heavy, so be careful-”
“Don’t worry. This much is nothing… Hrk!”
I lifted the carrier and fell over.
“I told you. It’s really heavy.”
“I didn’t know it was this much.”
Even though I did 100 push-ups every day after being discharged from the military, I strained my muscles.
It felt like a sack of rice.
After several attempts, I finally lifted the carrier, and the other person went up the stairs and reached out her hand.
“What is it?”
“I asked you to help me move it.”
“Yes. You did.”
“I meant let’s carry it together.”
I didn’t want to pass the luggage to her, but seeing her roughly 150 cm height and thin arms and legs, I changed my mind.
It would be easier for me to do it alone.
“I’ll just carry it, senior. Just show me the way.”
She stared at my face closely as I climbed up slowly, one step at a time.
“I don’t recognize your face. You’re a new trainee, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m a senior singer.”
I smiled at the sight of the other person who was puffing out his seniority with a stern face.
“You obviously know who I am.”
“Of course.”
I also knew his name.
“Aren’t you Daisy, the senior?”
“That’s right.”
Daisy of Scarlet smiled with satisfaction.
“You’re a great junior.”
“Thank you for your… ahhhh.”
“Hey, are you okay?”
“I’m, I’m fine. Senior.”
“You don’t look fine. You have the expression of a grandfather who’s about to collapse.”
“…”
Rain poured down in my heart.
“Sigh.”
Lemon Enter, second floor.
As I passed by the recording studio where I learned composition from Director Jo Gyu-hwan every week, another studio appeared deep inside.
When I finished the delivery there, sweat was pouring down my armpits and back.
“Good job.”
Daisy handed me a tissue as if to wipe off the sweat.
I watched her open the carrier while poking her eyes.
What was in there?
The box of red ginseng was packed so ambitiously.
No wonder it was heavy.
I was surprised when another item was added.
“Do you carry dumbbells around the studio?”
“They’re for stretching my feet. The chair is too high. Like this.”
The short senior singer lifted the dumbbell with difficulty and placed it under the studio chair. Then he sat down and tapped his feet.
“Perfect height, right?”
It felt like he was saying ‘Ta-da, impressive, right?’ but I was just dumbfounded.
“Senior.”
“Yes?”
“Have you ever heard of a footrest? It’s one of the great inventions of the 21st century.”
“…”
“Senior?”
He wasn’t listening to me at all.
Daisy, who was humming a tune and filling the studio fridge with red ginseng drinks, handed me several bottles.
“You worked hard, so drink a lot.”
“Thank you.”
I drank the red ginseng juice as soon as I took it.
It tasted bitter and healthy.
As expected, free stuff is the best.
I looked around and asked.
“Is this the studio of Scarlet seniors?”
“Yep.”
I was envious.
I wonder if we could get a studio someday.
“Who did the interior design?”
“Who do you think?”
She asked me back with an expectant look. I pretended not to know.
“Did you do it, senior?”
“That’s right. I did a great job, didn’t I?”
A pink sofa with a zebra cushion.
It was the kind of interior that an interior designer would change for free.
“By the way.”
Daisy asked as she closed the fridge door.
“I heard a while ago that you’re collaborating with Jang So-won senior?”
“Yes.”
“There was a huge rumor in the company.”
“What rumor?”
“The new trainees did a great job, and the PR team staff were gossiping about it. They said the manager’s mouth was up to his ears because they got free publicity.”
She showed her curiosity.
“How is it going now?”
“I don’t know. They said they’re negotiating with Hwai Entertainment.”
Daisy opened her mouth and said ‘Hmm’.
“Well, I hope it goes well.”
“Thank you.”
With that, we said goodbye.
“It’s time to start the lesson. I’ll go now.”
“Wait a minute.”
She stopped me from leaving.
She opened her wallet from her padding and handed me something.
“What is this?”
“It’s a tip. Buy some snacks with the kids.”
There were two Shin Saimdangs.
All the fatigue I had so far melted away.
“Oh, it’s okay…”
“Why don’t you lower your mouth and say it? Take it before I change my mind.”
“I’ll take it gratefully, senior. I’ll buy a delicious meal with the kids.”
“What senior.”
It was time for her to say to call her comfortably.
“Call me sister next time.”
“Huh?”
“Call me sister comfortably.”
“Well, I can call you that if you want, but…”
She tilted her head at my words.
“What are you talking about? You’re not a high school student, are you?”
“I’m twenty-two.”
She suddenly went silent and blinked her eyes.
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, you look so young. Good job and see you next time.”
I smiled quietly as I watched Daisy fumble with her words. Then I bowed my head and left.
As soon as I closed the door, I heard a faint scream of ‘Embarrassing!’.
I took out my smartphone and typed ‘Daisy’ in the search bar. Her profile appeared.
-Day-Z (Kim Nayoon)
-Singer
-Born: 1996.03.27
-Group: SCARLET
-Agency: Lemon Entertainment
She’s three years younger than me.
What is this happy feeling?
I didn’t feel this way when I was in high school, but now that I’m in my twenties, I feel happy when I hear someone say I’m young.
I have to tell my siblings quickly.
***
Lunchtime.
We had finished our morning work and came to a nearby restaurant.
Black Pork Butcher Shop.
It was our favorite spot for lunch, cheap and tasty.
As usual, we ordered the bulgogi set and chatted about what happened to me this morning.
“So what did he say?”
“I’m twenty-two, you know. His pupils started shaking when I said that.”
The members burst into laughter.
We were always laughing at the slightest things, since we spent all day in the practice room.
Bi-ju added.
“I get where Nayoon is coming from.”
“Huh?”
“I felt the same way when I first met hyung. I thought he was younger than me.”
“Me too, I thought he was a high school student.”
“Right. If he hadn’t told us his age from the start, we would have made a mistake too.”
“Hmm.”
What was this satisfying feeling?
“Well, I do look young, don’t I?”
“Nah, that’s not it.”
Jung-hyun said with a smile.
“Hyung, the more I look at you, the more I see that old vibe.”
“True.”
“Doesn’t hyung have that thing? Whenever he gets a chance, he goes ouch~ and rubs his back.”
‘Lol Lol Lol’
A similar laughter spread among the kids.
Maybe we had become close enough to do that.
We whispered jokes without hesitation.
I looked at the duck hot pot boiling on the gas burner.
It was a special treat we bought with the 50,000 won someone threw at us this morning.
Jung-hyun savored the delicious smell and said.
“But Nayoon must be making a lot of money. She pulled out a 50,000 won bill and paid right away.”
“Of course she is. Honestly, 100,000 won wouldn’t be a problem either.”
Ouch.
“Scarlet is one of the top girl groups right now. If they keep it up for another year or two, they could buy a building in this neighborhood with cash.”
“Really?”
Ri-hyuk nodded at my question.
“They have more sales than bigger groups, but our company pays well.”
“Oh.”
“Woojoo hyung, you didn’t know that when you joined?”
The youngest explained.
Among the small agencies, Lemon Entertainment was one of the few that matched the big four in terms of welfare for their artists.
Oh.
That was news to me.
The youngest showed me the internet and explained how other companies paid. Then he suddenly changed the topic as if he remembered something.
“Right. Guys, do you know this? There was a post about us a while ago.”
“What?”
“Hold on.”
‘For real? For real?’
Everyone crowded around Ji-ho.
“It was the first episode of Street Boys’ reality show yesterday. So there were some reactions posted, and we were mentioned too.”
[Anyone watched the new reality show on K-net?]
I usually start stanning groups through reality shows
I turned on the TV and saw Street Boys?
They have a reality show now
It was not very fun so I was about to turn it off, but the scene where they did the year-end evaluation or something was interesting lol
The kids from Lemon Entertainment seemed to do better
[37 comments]
-I don’t usually stan groups through reality shows or variety shows
-The reality show was boring… It’s only the first episode so it’s hard to tell, but I don’t really want to watch more
┖Honestly, when was the last time a debut reality show was fun? You watch it for the fresh vibe
-Who knows the name of the brown-haired guy in the main picture? It’s urgent!
┖What’s the rush lol
┖What are you going to do with them, they haven’t even debuted yet
┖How would I know the profile of a trainee who hasn’t debuted
-They only appeared briefly but they were good… I was more drawn to them
-Are they all staff from the agency or what? They’re not just good-looking, right?
┖Ugh, I smell a male fan with bad eyesight ㅋㅋ
The fight started in the middle of the comments, and out of the 40 comments, 70 percent were arguing.
“What?”
Ri-hyuk frowned.
“Is this all we get for our reaction?”
“Well, technically, it’s a reaction to Woojoo hyung, so it’s our reaction.”
“Yeah, Ri-hyuk.”
Bi-ju said with a smile.
“Honestly, it feels good just to be mentioned, right?”
The members scrolled down the comments to see if there was any mention of them.
But at some point, they became quiet.
They followed a link and played a video, and then they all looked at me.
“What’s wrong?”
“Woojoo hyung.”
The members’ eyes were filled with admiration.
“You gave up the college entrance exam to save your grandfather?”
They all looked at me as if they had completely misunderstood something.
***
“Hey!”
Break time.
When I came back to the practice room after drinking water, Ji-ho shouted.
“It’s him! It’s him!”
And then various jokes followed.
You guys are hooked on this.
I felt embarrassed every time I heard the awkward nickname of ‘hero’.
The younger ones threw a word or two at me, as if they enjoyed seeing me embarrassed.
As they joked around and rested, our manager Yoon Seok-hwan appeared at the door.
“What are you doing, not practicing?”
He always comes when we’re resting.
He looked like he was going to nag us like our grandmother who would come into our room and scold us during exam periods, so I cut him off.
“What brings you here?”
“Oh, right.”
Seok-hwan hyung nodded.
“I have something to tell you. I have three good news for you, which one do you want to hear first?”
“The best one first.”
“We just finished the revenue sharing negotiation with Hwai Entertainment. We signed the contract, so you’ll be collaborating with Jang So-won right away.”
Finally, the schedule is fixed.
“What’s the other news?”
“Second, we also finalized the contract for your dorm. You can move in from this weekend, so adjust your schedules accordingly. The sooner you move in, the better.”
We have a dorm now.
We all exchanged glances and muttered ‘awesome’ with our mouths. We were looking forward to the last good news, but we were surprised by the words that came out of his mouth.
“Lastly, your group name is also confirmed. It’s New Black, the name you came up with.”
…Wait.
The name I took from my sweatshirt logo?
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