Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: A New Rule
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After setting the dorm rules, we each unpacked our things and took a break.
Of course, it wasn't a very long one.
We were filming a reality show, after all, so they needed to get some footage.
*'They'll probably let us rest like this and then suddenly give us something to do.'*
"There's another mission here!"
At the sound of Haru's voice from the kitchen, everyone rushed out of their rooms.
*'How can this happen the moment I think about it? The timing is...'*
"What does it say?"
"I haven't opened it yet."
Park Ji-ham shook his head in response to Haru's question.
"Then where did you find it?"
"Well, I was just thirsty and came to get some water, and it was right here."
Park Ji-ham said, quickly reenacting the moment he found the mission envelope.
"Really? Wow. There was nothing there last night. They're amazing."
Haru seemed completely bewildered.
"Let's just open it and see what it says."
As if he didn't have the courage to open the mission envelope himself, Park Ji-ham handed it to Haru.
"Alright."
With careful hands, Haru began to open the mission envelope.
*'Did they hide mission envelopes all over the dorm?'*
[To the members of RE-V who found this mission, can you guess how your day will unfold now?]
The tone was almost teasing.
[Don't worry too much. We'll only give you a simple mission.
It's just that it's time for lunch, isn't it?
We've done the grocery shopping and left it by the front door.
Please use it to make your own lunch. Since it's your first day in the dorm, try to strengthen your bond while cooking!]
"Our bond is already strong."
Park Ji-ham said, looking at one of the installed cameras.
It seemed to be directed at the production staff.
"That's right. We've already been through thick and thin together."
"But I'm a terrible cook... I don't even know how to make rice. The only thing I can make is instant ramen."
"Same here."
Park Ji-ham and Haru exchanged words in lamenting tones.
"I can cook a little."
When Jung Eun-woo carefully spoke up, Haru's and Park Ji-ham's eyes sparkled as if they were looking at a savior.
"What a relief. I was worried we'd have to starve on our first day living together."
"Then what have you been eating until now?"
"Me? Your parents gave me side dishes."
It was the first I'd heard of it, so I assumed my parents weren't included.
"Eun-woo's parents gave me seasoned bean sprouts and stir-fried fish cakes, Ho-jun's parents gave me braised tofu, Ji-ham's parents gave me galbi, and Yoon-seul's parents gave me stir-fried sausage and vegetables and soy-braised quail eggs. I survived on that for a week. Sometimes I ate ramen, too."
"This is the first I'm hearing of this."
"Me too."
"Me too."
It seemed everyone was in the same boat as me.
"They gave them through the company. I even called to thank them. I also went to a karaoke bar with Ji-ham's parents when he wasn't around."
"You went to a karaoke bar with my mom and dad?"
"Yeah."
In response to a bewildered Park Ji-ham, Haru nodded with a bright smile.
"I've never even gone with them."
"Yep. They said you were mean for never going with them and asked me to go often! I even learned how to sing trot."
Right now, Haru was the only one looking cheerful in this situation.
"I-I see..."
"Thanks to them, I ate well. Anyway, let's go see what ingredients we have."
"Okay."
We brought two large boxes from the entrance back to the kitchen.
They were quite heavy, as if they'd been filled with all sorts of things.
"It's eggs."
Jung Eun-woo seemed to be pondering what to cook as he looked at the ingredients.
Eggs, green onions, onions, various seasonings, and so on.
There was nothing special.
The weight was mostly due to the basic vegetables and seasonings for cooking.
"What should I make... Haru, there weren't any basic ingredients here already, right?"
"Nope."
At Haru's answer, a slight frown formed between Jung Eun-woo's brows.
Since it wasn't a problem I could help with, I started organizing the refrigerated and frozen foods in the fridge.
"Oh? Eun-woo, there's chicken here."
The moment I opened the crisper drawer of the refrigerator, I saw two prepared chickens.
"Really?"
When I took out the chicken and showed it to him, Jung Eun-woo's expression relaxed.
"We can make something with this."
"There was nothing here yesterday. They must have put it in today."
It seemed they hid the mission envelope and put in the ingredients while moving around to install the cameras.
"How about braised chicken?"
"You know how to make it?"
"Yes."
If it weren't for Jung Eun-woo, we probably would have ended up just eating fried eggs with rice.
*'What a relief.'*
"But they told us to cook together, so Eun-woo, you give us instructions."
"Okay."
The five of us squeezed into the small kitchen and began to cook.
Actually, except for Jung Eun-woo, the rest of us were sitting at the dining table, doing things that were embarrassing to call 'cooking'.
All we did was chop onions or open packages as told.
But we couldn't just leave, so we sat there waiting for Jung Eun-woo to give us something to do. I had a feeling this scene would look hilarious when it aired.
"It's ready, so get ready to eat."
"Okay."
Thanks to Jung Eun-woo's efforts and the side dishes our parents had sent in advance, we had quite a lavish spread.
"Let's eat."
The meal was, without a doubt, perfect.
"Eun-woo, did you learn how to cook?"
"No."
"Then you did it all on your own?"
"Yeah. I just watched a lot of cooking shows and followed along with YouTube videos, so I naturally got better at it."
"That's amazing."
At Haru's continuous praise, Jung Eun-woo looked a bit embarrassed.
"I just got tired of eating gimbap and ramen every day, so I started."
"Yeah, I know that feeling."
"They would even buy us gimbap, but they'd only give us two rolls of tuna gimbap. We'd all just eye each other, wanting to eat it."
"Right. The misery of having no money is really something."
Everyone had experienced failure firsthand, so we couldn't help but sympathize deeply.
The life of an idol with no money or popularity was utterly draining.
The company didn't look after us, so it was hard to even get a decent meal, and if there was a problem with the dorm, they wouldn't fix it.
With no money, we couldn't fix things ourselves, so we often had to swallow our pride and ask our moms or dads for help.
*'I felt so bad asking my parents that when the boiler broke, I just layered up my clothes and endured it. The landlord pretended not to know, too.'*
"This time, let's really succeed so we can eat good food often and go on trips together. Let's live like that."
"Sounds good."
"Ah, right!"
Haru clapped his hands mid-sentence, as if a great idea had just struck him.
"What is it?"
"I want to add another dorm rule."
"A dorm rule?"
"Yeah."
Seeing him bring it up now, it was clear it was something very important.
*'Is he going to talk about dishes or chores?'*
Usually, the biggest cause of fights in a dorm is the division of chores. If the same person always ends up cleaning, it's fine at first, but as it builds up, it's bound to become a major complaint.
"Let's all speak informally to each other."
"What?"
"I'm saying let's all drop the formalities. Koreans only speak informally with people they're close to. We have to live together for years, so I think it'd be better to be comfortable with each other. Besides, some of us are already speaking informally while others aren't, and that can get confusing."
It was a good idea.
In my case, I was already speaking informally with Jung Eun-woo and Lee Ho-jun, but I used a mix of formal and informal speech with Haru and Park Ji-ham.
The other members were all in different situations as well.
It wouldn't be a problem now since the team just formed, but as time went on, people would definitely start talking.
[Why do the guys speak informally to some members but formally to others? Are they not close? I'd get it if it was a large group, but with five members... To be honest, it's a problem if they split into cliques.]
↳They seem to get along well, but I'm worried they'll get awkward trying to be careful because of people like you.
↳? Our boys are comrades who went through hard times together. You can't judge their relationship based on honorifics alone, can you?
↳By that logic, what about Chaeyeon from 'Serenity'? She hasn't spoken informally to her older members in over 10 years.
↳That's a different case. She speaks formally to *all* her older members. Here, they speak informally to some and formally to others. It depends on the person. And Chaeyeon's personality is just like that; she can't speak informally, so she even uses formal speech with people younger than her when she first meets them.
↳Please, just stop writing stuff like this. Ugh... I swear, people like you are the most pathetic. Why stir up controversy for no reason? Are you even a fan? You have the boys' faces plastered on your profile, but you act like a drama-baiting YouTuber.
"What do you think?"
When Haru asked again, everyone glanced at each other, none of them seeming opposed to the idea.
"Looks like no one's against it. Then from now on, we speak informally!"
And just like that, we all decided to drop the formalities.