Chapter 46
Chapter 46
"A ghost?"
"You're not scared?"
"No, but...."
Ghost rumors existed everywhere.
Superstitions about getting involved with ghosts bringing box office success, or that entertainers are fated to see ghosts easily, meant they didn't have a negative image for me. They were just success-wish totems.
But since I wasn't living alone, I asked.
"You okay with it?"
"With what?"
"Ghosts."
Kim Sanho, who had been buried in the back seat, answered blankly.
"As long as they don't cause harm...."
So he was scared of bugs but okay with ghosts.
Anyway, the claim that it was a five-minute drive from the company turned out to be true, as the car stopped a moment later.
I told myself not to expect anything and opened the door.
I put my foot down on the asphalt, and before I completely stepped out of the car, the first thing that caught my eye was an ivory-colored wall.
I lifted my head a little more. A red brick house came into view.
"What do you think?"
"......It's nice?"
It felt slightly dated, but it was just a perfectly decent house.
Since I hadn't expected a brand-new building from the start, simply not looking like an imaginary ghost house already gave it a perfect score.
'Guess I should thank the ghost?'
President, who had unlocked the place, pushed the gate all the way open. Kkiiik—a suspenseful sound effect rang out.
"Wow, a yard."
As soon as we stepped inside, a space worthy of being called a yard, as Kim Sanho put it, revealed itself. The gap between the gate and the front door.
It was only big enough for a few flowerpots and paved with cement, far from the romantic yard people dream of.
Still, if we had it, we should use it.
"Let's buy tomato seeds tomorrow."
"Why tomatoes?"
"To plant them."
The first and second floors were separated by an outdoor staircase. I was about to go up to the second floor first, but President's gesture made me come back down.
"It's good that you're excited, but let's tidy up first and go to sleep quickly. It's late."
"......Yes."
So I had looked that way.
Embarrassed for no reason, I shut my mouth and followed behind President.
"The passcode is nine six times, so change it yourselves."
Beep-beep-beep, a sound of identical pitch rang out six times.
The front door opened, and the interior I finally confirmed was a landscape with no other description needed besides "a slightly bare, ordinary home."
'So the dining table, fridge, and air conditioner are all optional extras.'
Had the owner left them behind because of the ghost? Whatever the case, I was grateful.
After flinging open all the doors and checking every room, my impression of this dorm was simple.
It was more spacious than the Mary trainee dorm, a bit older, and......
It felt more like a home than a dorm.
Now that I put it into words, it seemed like a very vague expression, but what was certain was that the feeling was different from when I first entered a trainee dorm.
"I'll be sleeping on the second floor, so come up if you need anything. I'm just staying tonight, so from now on, you two live comfortably."
"Ah, yes, good night."
"Look around and write down any furniture you need."
"Yes, thank you."
This time I was truly grateful and even gave a polite bow, but President was already heading out. Judging by the lack of footsteps going up the stairs, the soundproofing seemed decent too.
After that, I began to inspect the rooms more carefully than before.
The room only had a bed and a standing coat rack. The beds President had personally placed were all bunk beds, probably anticipating more trainees would be recruited.
'So he really is planning to form a group.'
As I was looking at the bed, which appeared brand new, I sensed a presence behind me. It was Kim Sanho.
He must have just washed up, holding a damp towel in his hand. Kim Sanho spoke.
"I'm really glad you're here, hyung."
"Why all of a sudden?"
"The dorm.... I wasn't expecting anything."
That the reason he was really glad I came was because of the dorm.
It was a bit of a shallow thing to say, but the conclusion was that he was happy, so I let it slide.
I nodded as if moved and plopped down on the floor. Then I took out my phone and opened the memo app.
"Let's write down what we need first. Blankets and pillows?"
"We have them."
"We'll probably need a rice cooker too. Since it's an induction cooktop, we have to look carefully when buying cookware...."
"Hyung."
I raised my head and saw Kim Sanho already rolled up in his blanket.
"Can we do it tomorrow...?"
Ah, right, it was the middle of the night.
"Fine. Let's sleep."
He had looked tired for a while, so I immediately turned off the light and came out.
'So that automatically makes another room my room.'
They were all pretty much the same anyway, so it didn't matter much.
I dragged the suitcase I had left in the living room into the room closest to the entrance. While unpacking, I realized there was no storage cabinet and opened the memo pad again to write it down.
'I should bring a few things from my family home.'
Having only moved between dorms already furnished with the essentials, stocking a place from scratch felt daunting, but... it was sort of fun in its own way.
After showering and lying down, the sleepiness I had forgotten rushed in.
This month, I'd finally be able to cancel the study room room—with that thought, I must have fallen asleep.
* * *
Whenever I opened my eyes, Kim Sanho was always making breakfast.
The first morning menu Kim Sanho prepared, after repeatedly turning the induction cooktop on and off like a person discovering civilization for the first time, was a fried egg; the second day, it was pan-fried ham.
Then on the third day, he suddenly reverted to microwaveable convenience meals. He must have gotten bored after only three days.
I wasn't someone who ate breakfast regularly in the first place, so I just ate whatever he gave me.
After breakfast, I would hustle Kim Sanho out for a run together, and when the run was over, I would head to the practice room, while Kim Sanho would go to the academy that matched his schedule for the day.
Kim Sanho was leading a busy life in his own way. The gym, which I thought he would attend a few days a week at best, he was showing up at every single day.
"They said they're closing soon. When I go, there's no one there but me. Except for the director."
"Aren't they unable to close because of you?"
"Hmm.... But they like me. They said I'm like a son to them."
"That's what everyone says to people our age."
"Want to come visit?"
I wasn't going to go, but I did plan to pay my respects later.
While Kim Sanho was at the academy, I spent time alone in the practice room. Then, when it got too lonely and boring, I'd exchange texts with Han Neuti.
[Me: What are you doing, hyung?]
[Han Neuti: Oh, hey Chaegyeom]
[Han Neuti: Raising my house's dog]
[Han Neuti: MyMom brought him while I was gone what the heck]
[Han Neuti: He keeps trying to kick me out thinks I'm an intruder]
[Me: What about a photo]
[Han Neuti: Can't take one]
[Han Neuti: Barks the moment he sees me]
And just like that, Friday came.
"I swiped this from Tae-hun's place."
A TV had appeared.
These days you could watch everything with just a tablet, so I hadn't specifically asked for one, but President must have found the empty living room wall unbearably desolate.
For reference, Tae-hun was the Team Manager's name.
After finishing installing the TV, President left the house without any lingering attachment. According to Team Manager, who was an old friend of President's, he was originally a shy person by nature.
Left alone, the two of us lay down like walruses and sat like the Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara statue, waiting for the broadcast.
"It feels weird watching someone on screen while they're right next to me."
"But you watched it with Gyeon-woo last time."
"Oh, right...."
While having such nutritionless conversation with Kim Sanho, the broadcast finally began, incongruously starting with mealtime at the training camp.
[If I get eliminated, I think I'll miss the food here the most.]
[You really can only eat this food here, right?]
[Let's eat a lot now. I'm going to get seconds!]
[Unforgettable <MAKE100%> dorm-style sausage stir-fry~ T_T]
[Self-serve distribution so you can eat y~our fill, satisfaction up! up!]
The production crew had apparently finally started paying attention to the persistent community posts titled 'MAKE100%'s Shocking and Horrifying Meal Chart...'
The sight of the same faces that complained about meals every day now raising their thumbs on screen and saying it was so delicious was utterly bizarre.
The trainees were just conscious of the camera, but the captions were purely, genuinely obnoxious.
Reactions instantly popped up on the SNS I had already opened.
—Is this even a meal? It's sausage torture
—The captions are trying so hard lol
—If you feel sorry for them, vote harder
—(zoomed-in corner shot) Chaegyeom, you're surviving on just this little?... T_T
└Wow that's so little
└He can just go to the dorm and sprinkle salt and pepper on his books and eat it ㅊㄱ
What on earth was the relationship between me, books, and salt?
Anyway, being worrisome over a shot caught during mealtime was embarrassing for no reason. Even though I wasn't a big eater, I usually ate more than the minimum required amount.
Anyway, the name-tag stealing game that followed had all its brutality stripped away, transformed into a chaotic and raucous atmosphere.
[An Jiwon: Ah, hyung, stay still! (I want to be on a team with you♡)]
[Seo Cha-gyeom: Why, why are you like this? (Why are you like this?)]
They even edited An Jiwon and me to look lovey-dovey. The feeling of my neck being strangled because An Jiwon kept grabbing and pulling my clothes back then was still vivid in my mind.
Irrespective of the obvious intent to solidify the relationship angle between An Jiwon and me, there was nothing bad for my image.
Nevertheless, suspicion came before relief.
'Is this the last supper before the devil's edit kicks in?'
And, the prediction was spot on.
[Jo Woo-jin: I only ever thought of one song from the start.]
[Kim Han-ul: Total respect itself! He's my role model too.]
[Lee Jae-young: A familiar song would obviously be Yuri.]
[Choi Jun-bin: I wanted to follow the rappers' opinions.]
[Kim Seung-yeon: Isn't it obviously ?]
[Among team members whose opinions were all in agreement]
[Seo Cha-gyeom: I want to do <Lost and Found>.]
After that, scenes of me stubbornly insisting on my solitary opinion continued without any background music.
[Lee Jae-young: Chaegyeom is... really stubborn. (Laughs)]
[Kim Han-ul: The youngest's audacity? Passion? I thought it was cute.]
Showing the team members contrasting with me like that had an obvious intent.
'Targeting the biased votes, huh.'
Being an idol was a long-term team project. A team member who doesn't follow the majority opinion had a high chance of becoming a stumbling block to the team.
On the other hand, the benevolent image of embracing even an independent-minded team member was a positive factor worth considering recruiting once, right?
But there was one thing the production crew overlooked.
—Role model lolol Kim Han-ul spoiling his own future (Jesse controversy collection.jpg)
└Just because someone's your role model doesn't mean you become them... My role model is King Sejong but I got a grade 5 in Korean
└Lol looks like it
└Pushing a serious and warm image through editing... it's shattering
└He even took the leader role for himself, this guy is a leader?? It's only a matter of time before the team is tainted hahaha, people voting for him ㅍㄹ think again
—Congratulations on Seo Cha-gyeom being freed from Strong Boys
—Lolol ㅅㅊㄱ's downfall detection sensor performance is good lolol
—Ah... so he... wanted to do this kind of song? (screenshot)
└Hey get out of your basement and go outside, who the hell doesn't know this song you dumbass
└I didn't say anything else?? Did I perhaps hit a nerve...?
—You bastards are trying to make idols and you can't even do some research, fucking production crew
└But it's your guy who picked the song, why curse the crew lolol
What fans avoided most of all, more than anything, was 'a guy who seems like he's going to cause trouble.'
Of course, that statement only applied within idol communities.
In more mainstream communities, I probably got branded as the team's nuisance member. There was no topic easier for all age groups to weigh in on than a group project, so they were probably gleefully tearing me apart.
'My fans must be having a rough time too.'
Every time this happened, the thought that I came out for nothing... No, at times like this, the only answer was an official debut, which was far better than a project group. Don't waver.
Kim Sanho lost interest when it seemed I wouldn't appear any more.
While he dawdled, adjusting his pillow to the optimal position, Han Neuti's team appeared on the screen.
Nothing special, just uneventful. From awkward self-introductions to an awkward song choice, it was all nothing but awkward and boring content.
Naturally, I couldn't think of anything to say to Han Neuti, but he sent a message first.
[Han Neuti: Gyeon-woo and I had a fucking huge fight but it didn't air]
[Han Neuti: Thank god]
"......."
Suddenly, the messages started being deleted.
[Me: Why are you deleting them?]
[Han Neuti: After sending it I thought you'd get mad]
"Hyung is on."
"Huh?"
I raised my head at Kim Sanho's voice.
[The atmosphere of Lee Jae-young's team, decided on ?]
[Lee Jae-young: For lifting the on-site mood, sexy is the best.]
[Kim Han-ul: Since the original is a love song, if you intensely express the intense feelings of meeting a woman for the first time, it'll look intense in the Kes fans' eyes too, won't it?]
[Seo Cha-gyeom: I just... didn't like it.]
"Hmm...."
Between 'just' and 'didn't like it,' I had explained the reasons in great detail, but it was all edited out.
So I looked like a guy who just opposes things without any plan.
[Lee Jae-young: What can you do. It's a team.]
[Seo Cha-gyeom: Our concept is ○○○○.]
The attitude of the team members, as if they had no choice but to concede, was shown in contrast to my confident demeanor.
The keyword was bleeped out. Seeing as they made it look like something was there, the production crew must have judged the idea wasn't bad.
'And they still made it look like stubbornness like that.'
They were pulling out all the stops to devalue me.
I didn't like the feeling of my temper rising. I started to get up from my seat to go drink some water, but stopped.
[ stage reveal!]
"What?"
They were showing the stage right away?