Little Guy!
Day One.
The start of it was peace itself. The composer's face was a little drawn with fatigue, sure—but that was only because Lee Boram had been force-feeding him energy drinks at his elbow the whole time they worked.
The problem came the next day.
It happened on Day Two.
"Kh—"
I'd been wrecking my throat all day, and even in my sleep I could feel it going dry. Halfway through the night I was half-forcibly jolted awake.
"Ahem... ahh. Throat's... still okay."
It wasn't hoarse. Ten minutes in front of the humidifier and it would be back to normal in no time. I got up from the sofa and shuffled toward the studio's only bathroom, slippers dragging.
Click.
I opened the door without a second thought. Billowing steam rolled out from inside, and through it something flesh-colored swam into view.
What the...?
I forced my half-lidded eyes open and tried to make out the flesh-colored something.
"Hey! How many times have I told you to knock before you open the— huh?"
"Uh... who are you?"
"No, that's what I— j-just close the door first!"
Ah. I was still holding it.
I shut the bathroom door fast. A voice I'd never heard. A face I'd never seen. I was sure they'd said nobody else would be coming into the studio through today.
What the hell is going on... haah.
I slumped back against the door and slid down to the floor. The flesh-colored something had been human skin. As the man had stepped closer, something small had dangled.
"How pitiful..."
From my previous life, I knew. That size just now... sniff.
"You didn't just see something weird, did you?!"
The voice came from inside the bathroom.
"Something weird...? I didn't see anything! It was too small..."
"I-it's not small! Wait— what kind of girl says that! J-just... come out so I can open the door."
Had he already finished washing? He kept twisting the handle, trying to get out.
Ah. I was blocking the door.
I still hadn't fully woken up. My head was spinning. And in this state, first thing in the morning, I had to see something so wretched... haah. How did my life end up like this?
I sighed, shook my head, stood up, and stepped aside. The door opened, and the man who'd been all flesh-colored emerged dressed head-to-toe in black.
"I'm not small. This is... because of the cold water."
"Ah... right."
So that was his story. That excuse was not going to fly. Anyone could see the steam had been billowing. Cold water? Please. "It stopped growing due to a hormone imbalance" would have been more convincing. Still—a man's pride. I should probably let him keep it.
"By the way, the composer said nobody else was coming today... what brings you here?"
"Composer? Which one?"
I deliberately changed the subject, and the man, clearly grateful, jumped on it.
"I'm working on a song with Composer Lee Baram. But... who are you?"
"You don't know me?"
Does she really not know? The man frowned a little.
"Who are you, then?"
"No... how can you not know me? Even if we're on hiatus right now..."
"Hiatus? Ah... are you an actor? Why would an actor be here..."
"No. I'm an idol under JPY... you really don't know?"
I didn't. JPY, though, I knew. One of Korea's Big 3 idol agencies. I'd been researching idols lately, and I hadn't seen a face like his.
"Ah... so you're a trainee? Fighting. Keep at it."
"....I'm not a trainee."
"Ah, no. Then... sorry. I'm just not that into idols. Could I... ask your name?"
Seeing that I genuinely had no idea, the man let out a small sigh and muttered that he'd have to work even harder. I felt a tiny bit bad. Then he raised his arms and struck a pose.
"One, two, three. One Day. I'm Rim of Enday."
"Ah... Rim. Oh, of course I know you!"
Who?
I scrambled through my brain looking for the word Rim. No matter how hard I thought, he wasn't among any of the current idols I knew.
"It's fine. You might not know. We were overseas through our last promotions. We've been debuted for over ten years now."
"Ah... that explains it."
"You really don't know me, do you?"
"...."
I just smiled a little, saying nothing.
"So why are you here... are you promoting again?"
"Ah... something like that. It's a solo project, not a group one."
"Why go solo when you have a group...?"
"..You really don't know anything about us. No special reason. The members enlisted, so I'm doing solo work in the meantime."
The military... Just thinking about it made my teeth grind. Walking into a place like that of your own accord—maybe idols couldn't get out of it easily? I quickly searched the internet.
"Wow... that's impressive. Your fandom is no joke."
I was honestly surprised. From a quick search—entertainment news, community boards, all of it—Enday was everywhere.
"What are you looking at?"
Rim spoke up as I stood slightly turned away, looking at my phone.
"Ah... that's amazing. I had no idea you were this famous. Well, good luck with your work."
"Wait."
As I walked right past him into the studio, Rim caught my arm.
"I introduced myself... now it's your turn."
"Right. I didn't introduce myself. I'm Lee Jiwoo. For now, an actress?"
"If you're an actress, just say actress. What's with the question mark?"
Well, it was a thing. Not something I needed to explain down to personal circumstances.
"More importantly, sorry about earlier. Little guy."
"..Little guy?"
I slipped free and fled into the studio.
"Ah...! I told you I'm not little!"
A howl rang out behind me, a beat too late. I stifled a laugh at that. And so, with a new connection that wasn't quite a bad one—
"Yaaawn... Jiwoo, you're up? I heard a loud noise just now..."
"It's nothing. Let's get back to it."
We went back to recording.
Surprisingly, the recording went smoothly. My voice alone was something even viewers and vocal coaches praised—there was nothing to pick at—and my singing ability sat at B+, better than most professionals. Pointing out flaws at this point would have been insane.
"We're in the homestretch. A whole week's already gone by. How do you feel?"
"If I were a little more skilled, we could've wrapped this in three days... that's the only regret."
The composer made a face like, is this girl in her right mind? I knew it too. Even top-tier pros took at least a week to make a single song. I was just unusually fast.
The room right next door. Endorphin? Rimbo, was it? He'd started recording around the same time as me, and he was still on the intro.
"Heheh... time to go tease him a little."
Eating under the same roof, recording together... and I'd even seen the little guy. Whether we wanted to or not, the setup made us close. We were already talking like friends.
"Little guy! Unnie's here!"
"Aaagh! I told you I'm not little! And I'm older than you!"
"Yes, yes, settle down, little guy. We're getting food. What do you want?"
"Haah... let's see... around here..."
We each pulled out our phones and started hunting nearby restaurants. After a long search, we finally found a place.
"Just jajangmyeon?"
"Just?! You didn't even find anything, little guy! And last time what you ordered was mid!"
"I told you not to call me that! And... you ate all the food I ordered last time anyway!"
Didn't he know you get punished for leaving food? I only ate it because it would've been a waste. It was absolutely not because it was delicious. I was just filling my stomach... yeah. That was the reason.
"Let's just go. The composer said he doesn't want anything."
"Fine... haah. But is it even going to be good?"
"Come on... you don't trust me?"
I dragged Rim, still half-skeptical of my restaurant pick, out of the studio. The Chinese place wasn't far—not worth taking a car. We walked at an easy pace, chatting lightly along the way.
"We're here. This is it."
"Daehwangnu... even the name is old-fashioned."
Unbelievable. Kids these days were way too hung up on names and interiors. Shouldn't a restaurant just taste good? If you wanted ambiance, go to a restaurant. Besides, I wasn't convinced expensive restaurants even tasted better.
"At those prices I'd rather get gukbap..."
"What?"
"Nothing! Just get in!"
I shoved Rim in the back and forced him into the Chinese restaurant. The interior was frozen in early-2000s Chinese restaurant chic. Places like this had a high chance of being the real deal.
"Welcome. Sit wherever you'd like."
At what looked like the owner's greeting, we sat as far from the windows as possible. We were celebrities, after all. Better to keep a low profile.
"We'll order now. Two jajangmyeon, one of them a large. One large tangsuyuk... ganpunggi, jjamppong, and fried rice, please!"
"...Are more people joining you?"
"No? It's just the two of us. Is that too little?"
"No... I'll put that in."
The owner looked a little startled but took the order slip to the kitchen. Soon came the sound of a wok heating up. Ahh~ just the sound made it look delicious.
"Isn't that way too much food?"
"This? I only ordered light. Light."
Rim had seen my appetite with his own eyes more than once, and he still marveled every time.
"I can't finish all that, so eat what you want."
"...Huh? What are you talking about? I ordered this for me. Little guy can order his own food."
"Hey, I told you to stop calling me that..!"
Rim protested in a small voice, glancing at the owner. Sorry. Not changing it. Deal with it.
"Anyway... the song you're working on... won't you tell me something about it already? I've been asking for a week."
"It's only been five days? And I already said I'm not telling you."
"Come on. Or at least tell me about the person who made it. The song's just that good."
Ever since he'd overheard the song I was secretly working on five days ago, he'd been begging for info. This was why I called him little. When someone says no, you should know how to give up. He had no intention of letting go until I told him.
In another light, it was almost admirable. It meant he was that sincere about music. Wanting to repay fans with better songs and better lyrics—that foundation, I liked.
"If you're feeling generous, at least introduce me."
"No."
I'd already asked Tsuki, and she'd put her foot down—the song was for me only. Absolutely not. When I told him that, Rim spoke with complete confidence.
"Once she meets me, it might be different, right? Just mention me once."
"It won't do any good..."
Tsuki was into VTubers. She didn't have a shred of affection for real-life idols. Still, I tried once.
"That's what she said."