Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Our First Rule
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I got on the elevator and pressed the button for the floor where our dorm was.
*Ding.*
As the elevator doors opened and I stepped out, I could hear a low murmur of voices.
It seemed the other members had arrived.
I had already received the dorm's passcode through the group chat the company made for us, but for some reason, my fingers wouldn't move.
‘What’s wrong with me?’
I kept hesitating.
I didn't know why I was acting this way myself.
*Ding.*
At the sound of an elevator door opening, I reflexively turned around.
“Oh? Yoon-seul. What are you doing out here?”
It was Jung Eun-woo.
“I was just looking for the passcode to go in.”
“Really?”
Jung Eun-woo’s gaze shifted to my back.
“Is that all your luggage?” he asked, glancing at my bags, which didn’t look much different from when I first came for the RED CUBE filming.
“Yes.”
In contrast, Eun-woo was holding a rather large suitcase and a big sports bag.
‘Is my luggage too modest?’
But I rarely had personal outings, and for filming, I wore clothes prepared by the stylists, not my own, so bringing a lot of stuff felt more like a hassle.
“Let’s go in.”
Jung Eun-woo punched in the code and opened the door.
As we entered the living room together, the members who were already there greeted us.
“You’re here? You two are the last ones. Ji-ham is in his room, just quickly unpacking.”
Haru, having already used the dorm alone for a week, looked incredibly comfortable.
I looked around the dorm and saw cameras installed in every corner.
“Are the rooms already decided?”
I had naturally assumed we would start by choosing roommates as soon as we arrived.
‘If so, who will I be rooming with?’
It didn’t really matter who it was.
There was no one I felt particularly awkward with, and none of them seemed overly sensitive about communal living. I had a feeling that no matter who I shared a room with, it wouldn't be an uncomfortable experience like in the past.
“Yeah. They were already set when I got here.”
Haru gestured with his head toward the room closest to the living room.
A small plaque hung on the door.
[Jung Eun-woo, Park Ji-ham]
“There are three rooms, but one is a dressing room. So the rest of us will share that room over there with me. Go put your bags down. Your names are written on the desks.”
“Okay.”
I went into the room. There were three small desks and three beds, each pushed up against a wall.
Perhaps because it was the master bedroom, it didn't feel cramped despite having three beds and three desks.
‘It’s more spacious than I thought.’
My spot was on the right side, right by the door.
Just as Haru had said, a nameplate reading ‘Seo Yoon-seul’ was on the desk, so I found my spot immediately.
‘But what’s this on the desk?’
A few picture frames and a small gift box were placed on the desk.
I casually set my bag on the floor and walked over.
“This is me.”
The person in the frame was me.
There were pictures of me singing on the first day of filming for RED CUBE, singing in the rain during what we called the campaign trail, and finally, picking up the flower-adorned microphone.
‘Why is this here? Did the RED CUBE staff prepare it?’
The moment I picked up the frame, I knew where it came from.
[Water Shimmer]
A small inscription was written in the bottom left corner of the frame.
I carefully unwrapped the gift box.
Inside, it was filled with letters and cards.
I picked out the one that stood out the most and unfolded it.
[Hello, Yoon-seul.
Meeting you has made me realize for the first time that I am capable of loving someone this much.
Love is a strange and wonderful thing.
Wishing for another person’s happiness, wondering about their day, and wanting to become a better person for them.
So I want to thank you.
I finally understand the heart of the protagonist from a cartoon I watched as a child, who tearfully embraced the villain, feeling so sorry and sad that they didn't know the greatness of love.
Yoon-seul.
I just want you to be happy.
I hope you enjoy being on stage, eat delicious food, and sleep well.
That’s all I wish for.
I hope my small wish reaches you.]
It was touching.
If there hadn't been a camera in the room, I might have burst into tears.
‘They’d be sad if they saw me cry, so I shouldn’t.’
Just as I reached for another letter, wanting to read more, a voice called from outside.
“Yoon-seul! Pause your unpacking and come to the living room! Ji-ham found something!”
“...Okay!”
I put the letter back in the box and placed it on the desk.
Where I could read them anytime.
Then I went out to the living room.
“This looks like a mission, doesn’t it?”
In Park Ji-ham’s hand was a red envelope.
The other members were sitting in a circle around him.
“Yes.”
I replied, taking a seat at the edge of the circle.
“Should I open it?”
Haru’s question was met with silence.
Since the reality show was being filmed by NTV, most of the staff involved had also worked on RED CUBE.
‘Which means we have no idea what they might pull.’
With a tense heart, I watched Park Ji-ham open the envelope.
*Gulp.*
The sound of someone swallowing dryly was starkly audible.
[Congratulations on moving into the dorm, RE-V!
First Mission.
Please establish your dorm rules together.]
The mission was so ordinary that, contrary to my worries, the tension immediately dissipated.
“Dorm rules…”
It was a necessary step for five people living in one house.
We had eaten and slept together during the RED CUBE filming, but that was only for a few weeks.
We didn't have to worry about cleaning, laundry, or cooking, and it was really just a place to sleep.
But now, we would be living side-by-side for years to come, so setting some proper rules was a good idea.
“Then we should probably write them down somewhere.”
At Jung Eun-woo’s words, Haru stood up and opened a drawer in the living room cabinet.
He returned with a sketchbook and a marker.
“Did you buy that?”
At Park Ji-ham’s question, Haru shook his head.
“It was here. I checked around the dorm during my week here and found it. There were a lot of other peculiar items too. I guess they were for things like this.”
“What else is there?”
“There were balloons in the kitchen cupboard. You know, those long ones.”
Haru mimicked a clown blowing up a balloon as he spoke.
“Why on earth would…”
Lee Ho-jun turned his head toward the kitchen cupboard with a look of disbelief.
“We’ll find out eventually. Just like this. For now, let’s write. Who has good handwriting?”
Haru's question was once again met with silence.
“Then the youngest should write. The youngest always does this kind of thing.”
Haru said, handing the marker to me.
“Me?”
“Yep. I’m Japanese. I don’t speak Korean.”
“I can write, but you speak Korean better than most Koreans.”
“That’s just for talking. I can manage reading, but I can’t write.”
Haru gently shook the marker as if to hurry me.
I had no choice but to take the marker and move to the sketchbook.
I opened it and wrote ‘RE-V Dorm Rules’ in large letters at the top.
“Hey, that’s not bad. Why didn’t you say you had good handwriting?”
“It’s not good, just average. It’s at least legible…”
Objectively, my handwriting wasn't terrible, but it wasn't calligraphic either, which is why I’d kept quiet.
The other members were probably in the same boat.
I had seen the participants’ handwriting on the applications that were released through social media.
None of them had handwriting so bad it was memorable.
‘Though they probably wrote carefully since it was going to be on broadcast.’
“So, what should the first rule be? Anyone have something they absolutely can’t stand?”
“I have one. Cleaning up right after eating.”
This time, Lee Ho-jun answered Haru's question immediately.
I agreed with his opinion.
Other things could wait, but if you don't clean up food right away, it starts to smell and attract bugs, becoming a huge pain.
“I totally agree with that.”
“Me too.”
“Same here.”
The first rule was decided instantly.
“I’ll write it down then.”
Not knowing how many rules we would have, I wrote in a moderately sized script, ‘1. Clean up immediately after eating.’
“I’ve got one. Let us know in advance before bringing friends or family over.”
“That’s a really important one.”
“Right. Even with family, it can be awkward if they just show up.”
As soon as I finished writing the first rule, the second was decided.
“What else? We’re all going to label our own food anyway, right?”
“Well, that’s a given.”
Everyone was so well-versed in dorm life that there wasn't much else to add.
We all knew what to be careful about around each other.
“Uh… there’s nothing left to write?”
“I think we would’ve followed rules 1 and 2 even if we didn't write them down.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with Lee Ho-jun’s words.
“Then let’s just erase it all and write one thing.”
“What?”
“Under the name RE-V, let’s get along well.”
And so, the RE-V dorm rule was established.