Chapter 327: The One Who Taught Me to Sleep Well and Eat Well
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 327: The One Who Taught Me to Sleep Well and Eat Well
For dinner, we had jjollyeon. Truly, everything was being catered to my comfort. It was a blatant plot to soothe my anger. The tactic was obvious, but the spicy chewy noodles were delicious, so I decided to let it slide.
As I was enjoying the noodles with a side of lettuce, Park Ju-woo held out a portion he had set aside on his small plate before starting his meal.
"Eat up..."
"If I take this, won't I become a scoundrel who steals food from his own family's bowl?"
"If this estate is at a point where eating one more bite of jjollyeon makes you a scoundrel, we should be more worried about a financial crisis," Kang Gi-yeon pointed out sharply. Bolstered by his active support, I managed to eat even more noodles.
"But why did you only give Je-ho Hyung a name?" Lee Cheong-hyeon asked.
"The only English name that came to mind was Sebastian. Want me to give you one too, Cheong-hyeon?"
"That’s just because your input is lacking, Hyung. If you’d asked Kang Gyeon, he would’ve come up with one for every member. I’m fine, though, since I already have one."
"You already have one?"
"Don't you know? It's Cutie.P.Visually."
"Wait, so your name is... Cutie...?"
Jeong Seong-bin, Lee Cheong-hyeon, and Park Ju-woo began to chat animatedly.
"I-wol Hyung is Mr. 'Spark' and you're Mr. 'Visually.' Are you guys even brothers?"
"Sorry, I had two middle names. Pretty and Visually are the middle names, and the surname is Spark."
With Kang Gi-yeon jumping in to ensure historical accuracy, the process of adding Lee Cheong-hyeon to the family register became even more meticulous. Meanwhile, the actual subject of the conversation, 'Sebastian,' showed absolutely no interest.
He’d probably hate it if I told him I gave him an English name, too. After all, Zestralo Erectus is a bit insulting.
I wondered if just filming us practicing like this would yield enough footage for two weeks. There usually isn't much from practice sessions that makes it into the final broadcast.
Unless someone says something ridiculous and causes an unexpected burst of laughter, or there’s a communication error between the dance line, everyone usually just has a murderous look of determination in their eyes.
‘Though sometimes we keep the cameras rolling just to catch those few rare moments.’
I knew the Sparklers loved every single moment of Spark. That was why I couldn't just say, "This won't get much screen time, so let's skip filming this part." I realized at times like this that there are values that must be prioritized over efficiency.
Jeong Seong-bin’s appearance was hilarious throughout the entire practice. He had changed his clothes since he had to dance, but he insisted on keeping his white gloves, claiming he had to protect his minimum identity. I had to break a sweat just to stop him from trying to dance in dress shoes.
"Seong-bin, aren't you going to get heat rash on your hands?"
"I am fine, Young Master."
"I clearly underestimated your grit."
Seong-bin simply smiled without a word. It was all my fault. If I had laid down on a table instead of the office floor, I wouldn't be going through this disaster right now.
Or I could have left a comment on Challenge.Life at 3:59 AM and insisted, "It was still before 4:00! In American time, it’s only 3:00 PM. That’s peak working hours! Give me a break just this once!"
Next time, I should set my phone's clock to Greenwich Mean Time. Then, if I get caught by Jeong Seong-bin, I’ll just say I got confused because of the time settings.
"You seem to have a lot on your mind."
"I'm repenting for making my subordinate go to such lengths for his boss."
"I don't mind at all. As long as you have a comfortable day, Hyung."
"It's not comfortable at all. My heart is twisting like a piece of dried squid on a grill."
And you do mind!
At my exclamation, Jeong Seong-bin averted his eyes.
Today, Seong-bin had been a 'flaming sweet potato' all day. Unlike Lee Cheong-hyeon, who turned everything into a comedy sketch the moment he opened his mouth, Jeong Seong-bin was the most sensible of the sensible. There was no way he could be fine while doing such ridiculous content. It was honestly impressive that he had maintained the concept for this long.
"Whose idea was this? It's too provocative to be yours."
"Jeong Seong-jun's."
"Mr. Seong-jun delivers the big laughs once again."
"Don't even get me started. He was making a huge fuss, asking if he was finally making his MeTube debut."
Back when I delivered the savory pancakes for Chuseok, my visit to Mr. Seong-jun hadn't been pre-arranged, so we hadn't filmed it. So, as he said, this would be the first time he was properly mentioned, rather than just 'in passing.'
I recalled the incredible feats Mr. Seong-jun had shown so far, as well as the numerous anecdotes I’d heard from Seong-bin.
"If Seong-jun opens a channel, I’m confident I’d subscribe."
"Don't say that. He might actually do it."
Seong-bin let out a sigh full of worry. I felt bad, as if I were adding more weight to the shoulders of someone who already had so much to take responsibility for. Once this content was over, I vowed to be in bed by 2:00 AM.
Jeong Seong-bin’s 'attending' continued until the sun had completely set. The day felt so long that it was as if I were living 48 hours instead of 24.
If time flowed like this every day, I could have knocked out twice as much overtime. And I would have spent the whole time fervently waiting for a clock-out time that never came.
Ah, perhaps because I was living as 'Young Master February' rather than 'Idol Kim I-wol,' there was an unusual event.
"A late-night snack?"
"I hesitated because it's not great for your health, but your calorie intake is low compared to your activity level, and there's plenty of time to digest. Just for today, as an exception."
Seong-bin had asked the managers to prepare a late-night snack. And it was tteokbokki, of all things. At 9:00 PM!
"You know better than anyone that tteokbokki is the easiest food to gain weight from, Seong-bin."
"I figured if we're going to deviate, we might as well go all out..."
Seong-bin’s eyes were unfocused. He had clearly decided to let go of everything for this content.
Mr. Park, acting as the chef, busily spread out mats on the practice room floor and opened a tteokbokki feast. There was even a green tteokbokki I had never seen before in my life.
"Is this all tteokbokki?"
"It looks like Basil Cream Tteokbokki."
An extraordinary menu item popped out of Choi Je-ho’s mouth. You know about the existence of Basil Cream Tteokbokki? You even know its name? You, of all people?
"Mi-ho orders it sometimes."
"Ah."
I was instantly convinced by the follow-up explanation. My older sister used to order all sorts of strange tteokbokki too. For instance, this... Mara Rosé Tteokbokki right in front of me.
If it’s Rosé, it’s Rosé; if it’s Mara, it’s Mara. I had no idea how Mara Rosé Tteokbokki even came to be. It was delicious, though. ...Is that why it exists? People really are geniuses.
As I was opening the last container of basic tteokbokki, a figure beside me was fidgeting. I turned my head to see Kang Gi-yeon raising and lowering his hand, which was clutching a pair of chopsticks.
"Gi-yeon, do you need something?"
"No. Is that the last one to open?"
"Yeah, this is the last one."
Gi-yeon’s eyes sparkled. I hadn't realized a person could be this full of life at 9:00 PM.
‘Come to think of it, he always loved bunsik.’
Kang Gi-yeon’s favorite foods were snack-bar style tteokbokki and fried treats. Perhaps because he was always dancing and maintaining his physique, I could barely remember the last time I’d actually seen him eat tteokbokki.
"Young Master, please eat."
"Since we're on a rare outing, let us not worry about social status."
I roughly quoted Princess Soda for the sake of Gi-yeon’s comfortable snack time. I had managed to protect both Seong-bin’s world-building and Gi-yeon’s tteokbokki in one go.
"Ju-woo, are you eating tteokbokki? Isn't it too spicy?"
At my words, Park Ju-woo held up a container of cream tteokbokki. No wonder they had ordered four different kinds. They must have been trying to match the needs of every member.
Lee Cheong-hyeon, sitting across from me, picked up a rice cake, ate it, and marveled.
"Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve had tteokbokki."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Usually, we only ate it after Kang Gyeon’s competitions or the February Evaluations."
Seong-bin nodded as if that made sense. They must have been careful about everything during their trainee days. To the point where they were used to suppressing their cravings every single time. I only played at being a trainee for a year, but these guys must have endured it for much longer.
I placed a few rice cakes of each flavor onto Kang Gi-yeon’s plate. He looked flustered but happy.
Practice for the next music show didn't end until after midnight. Even so, the cameras weren't packed away.
"Are you filming through the night?"
"Yes. But at the dorm, we'll just set up the cameras and head out."
The production team staff explained the schedule after work. Since there wasn't much to do but sleep once we got back, Seong-bin had suggested from the start of the planning that it would be best to minimize the time staff were present for the sake of my rest. He said if people were around, I’d try to take care of them and wouldn't be able to rest myself.
So, the camera directors joined us in the vehicle on the way home.
"This is a chance to capture our high-definition selves in the car. Let's start by revealing Cheong-hyeon's playlist."
"Hyung-nim, do I need to teach you what 'rest' means from the very beginning?"
Cheong-hyeon spoke with a crooked tone. Kang Gi-yeon chuckled.
For the first time since moving into the dorm, I got to shower first. Park Ju-woo had suppressed his own discomfort and yielded his turn.
‘Return to us in a pristine state, Young Master...!’
He still seemed to be struggling with his character, but my heart warmed with gratitude.
I even received a gift of new pajamas. Kang Gi-yeon was the one to present them.
"These are pajamas in your style, Young Master."
"Isn't this silk? You didn't buy this with your own money, did you?"
"I bought them with the budget for the self-produced content. And they say silk is good for absorbing sweat. Perfect, right?"
Well, at least they had buttons on the chest instead of frills. I had decided to be grateful for the small things now.
When I came out after washing up, the guys were checking camera angles or messing around with my bedding.
"Isn't the population density in the Young Master's bedroom a bit high?"
"The servants were putting their heart and soul into ensuring the Young Master's comfortable sleep."
Seong-bin guided me to the bed. My laptop, diary, and phone charger were gone; in their place, Ju-woo’s dolls, a blanket that looked like it had just come from the laundry, and a faint scent of nature greeted me.
"My goodness."
"I have also prepared warm milk and lettuce in case you cannot fall asleep."
I don't care how much I can't sleep. There's no way I'm munching on lettuce in bed.
Suddenly, I found myself lying in a formal posture, wearing white silk pajamas and hugging a soft doll, trying to sleep starting from 12:30 AM.
I shouldn't be doing this. I need to check what color leather pants Choi Je-ho is wearing next, and I need to see if the costume colors were re-toned to match the fading of Seong-bin’s hair dye.
I tried to go over the mountain of work I had to do, but it wasn't easy. As soon as my head hit the pillow, Seong-bin brought over a tablet and began reading the news to me.