Chapter 79
Chapter 79
Translator: Penny
Chapter 79
"Finally, we're out of that damn basement!"
We entered our new dorm to the sound of Kim Dobin's emotional shout, still reeling from the hardships we'd endured at the mountain lodge.
Cameras, set up before our arrival, captured Reve's first moments in their new residence.
The apartment wasn't brand new, but it was spacious and clean. We unloaded our luggage in the living room.
Considering our earnings from the fourth quarter of last year, this wasn't a given. It seemed the agency had gone out of its way to secure a slightly better place for us.
But when I thought about how we'd still be stuck in that basement if I hadn't insisted on follow-up promotions for "One Chance" and pushed for "All Right Or Night" as our next title track, I couldn't feel grateful.
As the five of them huddled together in the living room, Gyeon Hajun glanced at the camera and began a brief explanation of the dorm arrangements.
"There are four rooms in total. One will be used as a dressing room, leaving us with three bedrooms. Let's pair up two people per room, and one person can have the single room."
"So, individual rooms are still out of the question this time?"
"Later, when we move out and get our own places, you can have three rooms to yourself! Whoa!"
Hajun's jab to my ribs made me obediently shut my mouth. Come to think of it, I was the only one who had moved out before. Did everyone else actually like living in the dorm?
"Then we should decide on roommates first."
One room had a large window leading to the balcony, another had a window facing the outer wall, and the smallest single room had no window at all.
Even considering the lack of ventilation, there were plenty of reasons to want a single room. Having my own personal space was the biggest draw.
When we lived in the basement apartment, three of us—all over 180cm tall—had to share that cramped room. There wasn't even enough space for separate beds, so we all slept on a single mattress. This only intensified my longing for personal space.
"Anyone want a single room?" I asked.
Except for Gyeon Hajun, the other four of us immediately raised our hands. Of course, I was one of them.
As if we'd all had the same thought, we hurriedly tried to explain ourselves to the camera.
"We've never had any personal space before, so we wanted to experience a sense of distance for once. Well, 'distance' sounds a bit harsh... How about 'privacy'?"
"Our relationship isn't bad. It was just the dorm that was the problem."
"Don't misunderstand. We were simply living in such a cramped room that we unintentionally invaded each other's privacy..."
"Exactly! It's not that we dislike being roommates with the members, but more like we just want to experience having our own personal space, even if just once. In that sense, let's exclude the only children who've always had their own rooms at home."
Gyeon Hajun had an older brother and sister, Kim Dobin had an older brother, Seo Yehyeon had a younger sister, and Ryu Jaehee had two younger brothers.
Among us, I was the only child. Therefore, that jab was clearly aimed solely at me.
I had no intention of losing the battle for the single room.
"Wait, there's something I don't understand. We slept on one mattress for a reason, but what's the deal with you Maknae Line members?"
"Hey, we had smaller rooms to compensate!"
"Let's kick out anyone who got their own bed too. That's just unfair."
"And anyone over 180cm should be out too. The single room's already cramped enough—it'll feel even more claustrophobic if it's too small."
"Don't worry about space, my beloved Maknae Line. We'll manage on our own. No need for your 'consideration.'"
We debated for ages about who would get the single room. But with the risk of Reve's internal conflict being broadcast on camera, I, as the leader, tried to mediate.
"The person with the most compelling and reasonable reason will be granted the single room."
Eyes followed me, questioning why I was making the decision, but a subtle glance toward the camera extinguished any sparks of rebellion before they could ignite.
Kim Dobin was the first to confidently raise his hand and spout utter nonsense.
"I have a condition where I can't sleep unless I'm in a single room!"
"You've been sleeping fine until now. Rejected."
My firm dismissal deflated Kim Dobin's shoulders. Not that I cared.
With a seriousness I'd never seen before, Seo Yehyeon raised his hand and opened his mouth as if making a momentous announcement.
"The memory of three grown men sharing a single mattress is so deeply etched into my bones..."
"Same here. Rejected."
As if my own experience would sway anyone's sympathy when I'm still here, wide-eyed and alive.
I whipped my gaze toward Ryu Jaehee. He rolled his eyes, winked, and offered some flimsy excuse:
"Well, as Hyung said earlier, I'm Reve's beloved youngest member."
"Rejected. And I never said you were beloved."
At least try to come up with a real reason.
"If no one else wants it, I'll take the solo room. My musical inspiration really flows when I'm alone—"
"Rejected! Rejected!"
"Isn't the evaluation criteria a bit too subjective, judges?"
"Let's all live fairly, shall we?"
Before I could even finish speaking, the three of them pounced on me, thwarting my subtle attempt to claim the single room.
We decided to settle the room assignments with the most classic game of all: rock-paper-scissors.
But since there was no need to determine a winner and loser, we agreed on a slightly different rule.
"People who throw the same thing share a room."
"What if we get three rocks and two papers?"
"We keep playing until we get a 2:2:1 split."
After announcing the rules, a high-stakes psychological battle began.
"I'm throwing rock, so if you want to room with me, you better throw rock too. Got it?"
"I'm throwing scissors, so everyone else, please avoid scissors."
"Let's all be honest and throw what we said we would."
"Ugh, that's no fun!"
Only Gyeon Hajun, who wasn't aiming for the single room, remained silent. It was a classic trope: the guy with the least desire for material things ends up getting exactly what everyone else wants.
"Loser pays up! Rock, paper, scissors!"
After five intense rounds, the room assignments were settled:
Me and Seo Yehyeon in one room. Gyeon Hajun and Ryu Jaehee in another.* Kim Dobin got the single room.
Gyeon Hajun avoided the trope, and Kim Dobin reaped the full benefits.
"Dobin, let's switch rooms. I'll give you ₩100,000 if you switch with me."
"No thanks."
"₩100,000 and a solo track."
"I like the single room."
Despite all the temptations thrown his way, Kim Dobin remained remarkably steadfast.
"You'll just keep sleeping in if no one wakes you up. You're the type who needs a roommate, you know?"
"Ugh, just accept the results!"
As I was giving Kim Dobin a scalp massage in the camera's blind spot—he was strutting around like he'd won the lottery just for getting a single room—Gyeon Hajun suggested, "How about we switch rooms once a month to avoid falling into a rut?"
Kim Dobin's lips jutted out in a pout, clearly disliking the idea.
Ryu Jaehee, who had also failed to get a single room like me, eagerly agreed, "But moving all our stuff every month would be a pain. Let's do it quarterly instead."
"Oh, that sounds good too."
If we rotated rooms, we'd each get a single room at least once a year, right?
"I'm against it!"
"Hey, you can't just isolate yourself! We need to see each other's faces and talk to each other."
"What about people who live alone while studying abroad?"
Even someone who lives thoughtlessly can become logical when it comes to securing a single room.
When I couldn't answer, Kim Dobin triumphantly declared, "See? I told you!" and sidled behind Gyeon Hajun for cover.
Watching Kim Dobin, Ryu Jaehee shook his head.
"If you ask me, Dobin Hyung will be bored and demanding to switch rooms within a month. I know how much he tormented me when we were roommates."
Before my regression, even when Reve moved out of the basement apartment into a three-bedroom apartment like this one, the single room always went to Seo Yehyeon, whose schedule was perpetually packed.
No one but me ever complained about that decision.
I wondered if it was truly gone, or if he was just pretending. I became curious about how long it would take for Ryu Jaehee's prediction to come true.
After setting aside the clothes for the dressing room, I carried the luggage from the living room into our room.
The room Seo Yehyeon and I would share had a window facing the outer wall. An awkward silence hung between us now that we were alone.
Now, even if we fought, there was no Gyeon Hajun to mediate between us.
Why did this guy have to throw the same punch as me and cause this mess?
"Hyung, which bed do you want?"
"I'll take this one."
Seo Yehyeon quickly chose the bed against the right wall.
I tried to comfort myself by thinking that even though my roommate was a total pain, at least it was better than having to sleep three to a mattress.
We already knew each other's habits and routines from sharing a room in that godforsaken basement apartment, so there were no issues there.
After roughly unpacking, I collapsed onto my bed and started fiddling with my phone.
Just then, the Weekly Quest notification popped up at the perfect moment.
From. Eden
Daydream, may your health be well! We've finally moved into our new dorm. My roommate is Yehyeon—
I paused, my fingers hovering over the keyboard.
Would revealing my roommate in this From post be a spoiler? But if I don't mention who it is, I won't meet the minimum two-line requirement.
Contrary to my worries, I barely ran into Seo Yehyeon. I was so busy preparing for the repackage album and regular album tracks, practically living in the studio, that our paths rarely crossed.
As a result, the dorm became little more than a place to sleep—or to eat the breakfast Gyeon Hajun made.
However, I finished this week's work ahead of schedule, so I decided to take a rare day off at the dorm.
I was sprawled comfortably on the sofa, flipping through channels with the remote, when the dorm door opened and Kim Dobin and Seo Yehyeon walked in side by side.
"Honestly, today's task was a bit challenging for Hyung," Dobin said. "But if we're talking about difficulty, it wasn't particularly demanding—"
"You're here?"
Kim Dobin, who had been excitedly chattering in response to my greeting, suddenly fell silent.
"Come to think of it, Ryu Jaehee mentioned you two have been hanging out a lot lately."
At those words, Kim Dobin and Seo Yehyeon exchanged stiff glances. I wondered if they thought I was trying to pick a fight.
I was simply curious about this unexpected pairing and wanted to know the reason behind it.
After all, Seo Yehyeon didn't seem particularly close to any of the Reve members.
Even though things had improved somewhat recently, his relationship with me had always been strained. He still felt awkward around Gyeon Hajun, and the age gap between him and the Maknae Line meant they weren't particularly close either.
But lately, he'd been sticking to Kim Dobin, not Ryu Jaehee, who was known for being clingy and networking. How could anyone not be curious about the reason?
"It's nothing," Seo Yehyeon said, shaking his head as he entered the room first.
Pausing his lyric-writing on his phone, Kim Dobin draped an arm around Seo Yehyeon's shoulder and dragged him to the sofa.
"What is it? Spill it already."
"I'm a man of honor, so I have a duty to keep Yehyeon Hyung's secrets—cough! No, seriously, Yehyeon Hyung specifically told me not to tell you, Hyung!"
After a light headlock—or rather, a neck massage—Dobin, who had been squirming from the excessive coolness, hesitated before finally opening his mouth.
"Well... it's..."
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny