Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: This Life is Space Star 15
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“New Black?”
“Yeah.”
Seokhwan hyung tilted his head.
“Any problems?”
“No, not really.”
There were no problems.
It was just that I wondered if it was okay to use the name he’d casually come up with from the writing on my clothes as our official group name.
“It might seem sudden, but after the year-end evaluation, the CEO went to a fortune teller for the first time in a while.”
“A fortune teller?”
“He asked what to name the new boy group launching this time, and they told him to go with New Black just like that. Said it had a good vibe.”
Who in the world decides a boy group name at a fortune teller’s?
It was absurd.
But the moment Yoon Seok-hwan mentioned the team names the CEO and company staff had considered, we changed our minds.
“There were a few candidates. Let me read some. First, Guardians. Meaning they protect their fans or something.”
“……”
“Flying Angels. Shortened to FAG.”
“……”
“Hot Voice. They said the point is to keep the last syllable to confuse Voice and Boys. Oh, this one got scrapped midway.”
“……”
“Let’s see. There was Black Hole too. Probably meaning once you fall for their charm, you can’t escape like a black hole—”
With every group name he read from his smartphone, our faces grew paler.
How had this company survived without going under until now?
No wonder it felt off since Lemon Boys.
By the time the explanations ended, we desperately squeezed out our voices.
“New Black really seems great.”
“Yeah.”
“Looking at it again, it’s a gem.”
Yoon Seok-hwan chuckled.
“See? New Black is the best, right?”
“Yes.”
“The group name might not be to your liking, but it’s not that important. Even if the name’s weird, once you get famous, it’s fine. Look at the American kids. Dostoevsky—they can’t even pronounce it, right?”
We nodded at his logical argument.
And so, New Black officially became the name of the group we’d debut with.
Yoon Seok-hwan spoke as if something funny had occurred to him.
“You guys know what?”
“What?”
“The CEO must’ve given a generous tip, because the fortune teller said something weird. Just for fun.”
Yoon Seok-hwan said with a grin.
“That fortune teller said you have to use the name New Black for massive success. That with that name, you’ll become the most famous boy group in the world.”
We laughed at that.
It was obvious nonsense to anyone.
* * *
That Sunday.
I dragged my suitcase through a Gangnam alley.
Soon, my destination came into view.
A four-story villa.
I’d heard 301 was our new dorm.
“An elevator? In this day and age?”
My body ached with every step up the stairs, weighed down by my heavy luggage.
Damn! If I make it big, I’m moving us to a place with a top-grade elevator. For real.
Finally reaching the third floor.
I punched in the door lock code and opened the door to reveal a surprisingly spacious interior.
Not bad at all.
I was smiling contentedly, thinking how roomy it was.
Then something felt off.
Wait. This isn’t spacious……
In my panic, I looked around the dorm, but it was exactly as I’d seen.
Living room and bathroom.
That was it.
There was one attached bedroom, but it hardly qualified as a room.
It was crammed full with three bunk beds, and I could almost hear the CEO’s voice in my ear.
Haha.
Woojoo, if you want to escape this, succeed.
“……”
As expected, there was sawdust piled up here and there on the floor since they’d only installed the furniture.
Feeling a bit grimy, I checked the bottom of my sock—it was black.
“Gonna need to clean.”
Was there a way to leave it to the others and bail?
I seriously pondered, then gave up.
Eh, good enough.
I turned on my smartphone and angled it to capture the living room in the best light. With years of selfie experience, I snapped a photo.
Then I sent a message to Grandma.
Me [Grandma~ Our dorm]
I picked the shot where the living room looked prettiest.
I’d carefully selected the best take to reassure Grandma in case she was worried.
The reply came right away.
King God Kim Deoksoon [Looks good]
King God Kim Deoksoon [Gotta suffer a bit]
Me [What]
Me [What grandma tells her grandson to suffer? That’s not my grandma?]
Me [Return my grandma, Kim Deok-soon]
The playful messages got a short reply.
King God Kim Deoksoon [Crazy bastard.]
“Wow, that’s too much. For real.”
Is this really my grandma?
I sent a protest message, but no reply came.
Cool read-and-ignore, I guess.
Still, sending a photo like this should ease her worries. Thinking that put my mind at ease.
I switched chats to the group chat.
【 Seon Wooju and His Minions (5) 】
Me [Made it!]
Me [Where’s everyone? On the way?]
The four unread marks on my yellow messages started disappearing one by one.
Kim Jung-hyun [I’ll be a bit late]
Seo Ri-hyuk [Eekung Ri-hyukie’s on the way~]
Me [What’s with that weird speech]
Seo Ri-hyuk [Dehet..]
What the hell is this? As I blinked in confusion, the chat filled up.
Seo Ri-hyuk [Wang Ji-ho stole my phone]
Seo Ri-hyuk [Wasn’t me just now]
Seo Ri-hyuk [Pissing me off for real]
Wang Ji-ho
Wang Ji-ho [It was me, hyung]
Wang Ji-ho [We’re on the bus now lol]
Looks like Ji-ho had messed with Ri-hyuk’s phone.
Seeing their reply that it’d take 30-40 minutes, I tilted my head at the lingering unread 1.
Weird.
Bijoo usually reads and replies first.
As that question lingered, I heard the door lock beep.
“Ughhh!”
A sweaty face appeared.
Average height, lean build.
The boy who looked like a youthful scholar plopped down in the entryway, hands full of luggage.
“Man, I thought I was gonna die, hyung.”
His hands were so loaded they’d turned bright red—Bijoo.
“Should’ve called if it was heavy.”
“Huh? Why? I can handle it.”
“Anyway, good work getting here. Water? Oh, right. Fridge is empty.”
“I brought some.”
Bijoo rummaged through the mart bags and pulled out a bottled water.
“Hang on, let me find a cup in the kitchen.”
“It’s fine.”
“You brought those too?”
This time, a box of paper cups emerged from the bag.
I was genuinely impressed.
“Your preparedness is insane. For real.”
As Bijoo slowly drank, I eyed the mart bags.
“What’s with all this stuff?”
“Manager said there’s only beds and a fridge. So I stopped by the mart nearby.”
“What’s this?”
“Mold remover.”
“And this?”
“Deodorizer. For the closet and shoe rack.”
He’d even brought all the cleaning supplies we needed. I stuck out my tongue in admiration.
He’s seriously good at housework.
Watching Bijoo neatly sort the supplies by type, I suddenly remembered something I’d forgotten.
“How much did this cost?”
“This? My money, obviously.”
“Gimme the receipt.”
“Why?”
“Why? We split it N ways.”
“Nah, it’s fine.”
Bijoo waved it off with a laugh.
“It’s stuff we’ll all use anyway.”
“That’s exactly why. Can’t let you pay alone.”
“But hyung, I bought it on my own. Asking the others for money feels weird, right?”
“Yeah. Not weird.”
I said firmly.
“Hand over the receipt.”
“……It’s really fine.”
“If you keep taking losses like this, you’re in trouble.”
So nice it’s a problem—how’s he gonna survive in society later?
I uploaded the receipt photo and the amount to deposit in the group chat.
Put up your account too, I was about to say, when I lowered my phone and met eyes staring at me.
“What?”
“Oh, just amazed.”
“At what?”
“My sister says that all the time.”
“Really?”
I smiled back and gave Bijoo a quick tour of the dorm.
After checking it out, Bijoo voiced the same sentiment as me.
“Reminds me of that movie I watched with Jung-hyun recently.”
“What movie?”
“The Shawshank Redemption……”
“The prison one?”
“Yeah……”
We laughed for a good while, but toward the end, it turned into sounds indistinguishable from sobs.
Funny yet sad.
As we surveyed the cramped dorm, we started making a cleaning list.
“Start right away?”
“No. Wait for the others.”
His calm smile brought a warm expression to my face too.
Yeah.
This stuff’s better done together.
As I pondered task assignments from the list, the slaves arrived one by one.
“We’re heeere!”
Our ever-cheerful maknae.
“Whoa, what’s with these stairs……”
Ri-hyuk came in half-dazed, dropped his stuff, and collapsed.
He chugged the water bottle Bijoo handed him like it was the elixir of life, while the maknae looked around the dorm.
Then he had the exact same reaction.
“This is the whole dorm?”
“Yeah.”
“……”
“But check it out—it’s pretty decent.”
First time seeing him speechless.
I patted the maknae’s face, vacant like he’d lost his country.
Only one thing to say.
“…Let’s succeed.”
* * *
Human adaptability is truly amazing.
Even the New Black prison, which seemed impossible to adjust to, felt like home after a few days.
Jung-hyun’s nightly snoring and Ri-hyuk tossing and muttering “I’m gonna go nuts” to the rhythm—they became familiar.
Same with the maknae who’d wake everyone with “Hyung, you up? If not, play with me,” then sleep soundly alone.
We all adapted to the dorm.
A few days later, we’d even developed a morning routine in this prison… er, dorm.
“Yawwwn.”
Early dawn.
As always, yawning my way out, I heard clattering from the kitchen.
Every morning, Bijoo was up first, preparing breakfast.
“Sleep well, hyung?”
“Nope.”
I shook my head.
“Jung-hyun snored like crazy last night.”
“It was no joke.”
“Couldn’t sleep a wink. For real.”
“Me neither.”
“I was dreaming I was defusing a bomb and cut the wrong wire. It exploded, I woke up—and it was Jung-hyun snoring from upstairs.”
Bijoo giggled.
I put the water bottle back in the fridge and peeked into the cooking zone.
“What’re you making?”
“Toast.”
Mostly simple stuff, but making five portions every day was still impressive.
“Need help?”
“Just set the plates.”
“Got it.”
By the time I laid out plates on the narrow living room table, another member stirred.
“I’m uppp.”
Maknae plopped on the sofa, eyes crusty.
Better off sleeping.
Eyes opening and closing, head nodding.
Among us, he slept the most, yet got up easiest—for breakfast.
“Ji-ho.”
“…Hm? Yeah?”
“Just sleep.”
“Nooo. Gotta eat the big toast.”
That’s some serious willpower.
When Bijoo divided the food from the frying pan, he’d scan and snag the biggest for himself.
“Don’t eat yet. I’ll wake the others.”
As the maknae and I eyed the toast hungrily, Bijoo went to rouse the members.
Who’d wake first was obvious.
“I’m not eating, hyung.”
Our main vocal, always skipping breakfast, headed straight to the bathroom.
Bijoo’s disappointed face.
Soon Jung-hyun joined, and the four of us ate our set routine breakfast.
Rumble—
Jung-hyun glanced at the ceiling casually.
“Upstairs flushing the toilet, I guess.”
“Yeah.”
The dorm’s soundproofing was so bad we heard the upstairs toilet flush.
That was daily life too.
-Ah, hot!
Oh, that too.