Chapter 59

"Good work again this week, Chaegyeom. Sleep well and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Get home safe."

I said goodbye to the manager and got out of the car.

'Coming back to the dorm really does feel different.'

All this time, I'd always been commuting back to the company. To be honest, even when I clocked out, it never really felt like I had.

I stood in front of the still-unfamiliar front door and entered the strange passcode. The newly changed passcode was 134759, which, as you can see at a glance, meant absolutely nothing.

I opened the door and walked in. The clock hung on the living room wall for appearances' sake greeted me. 3 a.m.

The lights in the living room were brightly on, so I'd expected someone to be awake.

And I'd naturally assumed that person would be Kim Sanho.

"Oh, you're here."

"You were awake, weren't... you weren't asleep?"

It was Jeong Sowol.

I was momentarily startled by the appearance of a person I hadn't just failed to predict, but hadn't even imagined at all. But I quickly pulled myself together.

"What are you doing up?"

"You said you'd be back today, hyung."

"Ah, so you stayed up waiting for me?"

"Yes."

I stared at the firmly shut door.

'So Kim Sanho is asleep.'

When we'd been staying at the practice room, there was only one room, so I'd had no choice but to forcibly wake him up. But today, I'd just let him keep sleeping.

I'd already been starting to think that since we'd be seeing each other every day from now on, exchanging cumbersome greetings was getting a bit bothersome anyway.

"Thanks. Now go on to bed. I'm going straight to sleep myself."

"Hyung."

"Yeah?"

I was heading to my room to unpack when Jeong Sowol called and stopped me.

"The stage."

"Huh?"

"How was it?"

"Today's?"

"Yes."

I'd say it wasn't bad. Though there were some disappointing parts.

I gave an answer along those lines, and Jeong Sowol fired off a series of follow-up questions.

"What song did you do?"

"Watch it when it airs. That's a spoiler."

"Did you really do 'Hustle'? You sang that?"

"'Hustle'? ......Bone say?"

Jeong Sowol nodded vigorously.

I was about to say no, but then I realized I'd just been talking about spoilers with my own mouth.

Well, what's the point of sticking to that anyway.

It's not like I'd meant to keep it a secret from the start. I was just tired and trying to brush it off by saying anything.

"No. We did a different one."

"No Matter What?"

"No, I Want to Give All This Spring... wait, how do you know all those songs?"

"All the previews are already out."

"I know that... but did you listen to them all?"

Jeong Sowol answered with an expression that said, 'Why are you asking the obvious?'

"There were spoilers out too. People were going crazy saying you were doing 'Hustle,' hyung."

"You even went around looking up spoilers?"

"What? Yes."

Jeong Sowol paused, thought for a moment, then spoke.

"Is it illegal to look at spoilers?"

"No, not really......."

"But I didn't look at any reviews. Because I could just ask you when you got home. That's what I thought."

I recalled Kim Sanho, who hadn't shown an ounce of interest in my stage even after I'd returned from a whole week of training camp.

'Is this what being touched feels like?'

But wait, isn't this how it's supposed to be?

Isn't it normal to get questions like 'How was the competition?' rather than asking if the cafeteria really only serves stir-fried sausage and vegetables?

"It'll be out soon anyway, so just wait. We can all watch it together then."

"But I'm curious."

"Well, what then? You want me to dance for you right here?"

"Awesome. Can you?"

No, I was joking.

I pretended not to hear and moved my feet, trying to take back what I'd carelessly said.

I thought this would make him just go back to his room and sleep on his own, but Jeong Sowol trailed right behind me. I was genuinely flustered.

"......."

Eventually, he followed me right into my room.

I couldn't bring myself to close the door on him, and I awkwardly asked.

"Aren't you going to sleep?"

"I'm going to."

"Then go sleep."

"I'll sleep here."

Why on earth.

"That, this is... the room I'm using."

"Yeah. Why?"

Jeong Sowol answered nonchalantly and blinked.

Then, as if he'd just realized something, he went 'Ah!'

"You don't want to share?"

"No, no, it's not that I don't want to."

It just felt like there was absolutely no need for it.

Three people are staying in a three-bedroom house, so what reason is there to have to leave one room empty?

But I was far too tired to argue more. I hadn't even unpacked yet. And it was honestly true that it didn't matter much to me either way.

I finished getting ready for bed and came back. Jeong Sowol was already lying on the top bunk, wrapped in a blanket with just his head peeking out.

Thinking he was asleep, I carefully lay down on the bed, but then I heard his voice.

"Good night."

"Uh, you too......."

Still, I was glad he'd taken the top bunk.

* * *

"Hyung, wake up."

I woke up at the sound of the voice.

It had been a long time since someone had woken me up. Usually, I was the one getting up before everyone else, or I just woke up on my own.

Kim Sanho had always been the type to leave me to the latter.

If that's the case, then this voice was.

"It's ten o'clock."

"......Right, I slept a lot."

Jeong Sowol, having woken me, only turned his back and disappeared after confirming my eyes were open.

"......."

Can I not sleep in?

I stared blankly at the bottom of the top bunk, then got up. Because throwing a sleepy tantrum in front of a kid three years younger than me really seemed pathetic.

Once I went outside, I found Kim Sanho sitting on a chair at the kitchen table.

"Hyung, you're up."

Kim Sanho greeted me. His chopsticks held a neat, rectangularly rolled piece of rolled omelet.

Hm.

"Did the side dish store sell rolled omelets too?"

"Huh?"

Kim Sanho tilted his head as if asking what I was talking about.

Then he looked at the rolled omelet in his chopsticks.

"Ah, this....... Sowol-ssi made it."

What was with the extreme honorifics?

Just then, Sowol-ssi appeared. He walked over from the direction of the living room and went straight to my room... no, to Jeong Sowol and my room.

Curious about what he was doing, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠took a peek. It turned out Jeong Sowol was closing the windows in the room.

Come to think of it, I thought I'd heard the sound of a window closing from the living room side just a moment ago.

'Why were they all open in the first place anyway?'

As I stood there baffled, Kim Sanho explained.

"He says you have to air the place out every morning, so he leaves them open for an hour."

So that meant he'd been up by at least 9 a.m.

I closed the window behind the kitchen for them and sat down at the table.

Jeong Sowol came back after meticulously checking all the windows and sat down across from Kim Sanho. It was the seat next to me.

"......."

"......."

In the silence, only the clinking of spoons and chopsticks passed back and forth.

'This isn't working.'

As the eldest, it was my duty to speak up first.

"Did you two get along okay?"

"Yes."

"Yes....... He says so."

Jeong Sowol answered first, and Kim Sanho's answer came a beat later.

'Anyone can see you didn't get along.'

I remembered what Kim Sanho had said before I left for camp about it being 'hard to deal with a younger sibling.'

At the time, I'd just dismissed it as something people say. Guess it was true.

I couldn't just let the conversation die there, so I pulled out a question I'd been curious about for a week like a trump card.

"Did you end up checking out the Mary Audition?"

"Yeah. It was not good."

"......What was?"

Jeong Sowol kept his mouth shut.

'He was so talkative at dawn, I thought he was a good speaker.'

If he didn't want to talk, I had no intention of dragging it out of him, so I was about to accept the silence as an answer.

But then Jeong Sowol made a full confession on his own.

"I didn't go."

"Huh?"

"I wasn't really interested so I didn't go. It just felt no good, kinda."

"Ah, okay......."

A guy who doesn't go because he doesn't feel like going to Mary.

I wanted to ask him exactly what that 'kinda' feeling was, but I didn't think I'd get a proper answer even if I asked, so I let it go.

The awkward meal ended, and Jeong Sowol was the first to stand up.

It was only my first day with Jeong Sowol. But I had already figured out one of his defining traits.

This kid seriously... never stops moving except when he's eating.

What was he up to this time? He brushed his teeth, then immediately changed clothes and put on his shoes.

"Where are you going?"

"For a walk."

Then the door immediately opened, and shut.

"......."

He's really restless.

I'd been watching the closed door, then turned my head. Looking at Kim Sanho's face again, it was visibly more haggard than a week ago.

I said with an air of knowing it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all.

"You two seem pretty incompatible."

"Yeah, I missed you, hyung......."

"I'm not that great a match with you either."

Wasn't there a way to mix the two just right? Jeong Sowol 70, Kim Sanho 30, that would be absolutely perfect.

For now, the meal was over, so I got up to do the dishes.

Dishes had originally been my responsibility. Everything from worrying about the menu, grocery shopping, to setting the table had all been Kim Sanho's job.

But it seemed there had been a change while ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I was away.

"Ah, give them to me. Washing the dishes is my job."

"Is that right?"

Well, that's nice.

I handed the dishes over willingly. Honestly, Kim Sanho did so much of this and that, I'd only been stuck with the job because I had no choice. More than dishes... well, uh, like any chore, there's nothing I specifically want to take charge of.

But more than that, they'd even divided up the housework and were living together. Were they getting along better than I'd imagined?

When I said that, Kim Sanho answered gloomily as he washed dishes.

"We've... barely had a conversation, you know. Sowol-ssi probably doesn't even know my name."

"Just call him Sowol. It's hard for me to listen to, capiche?"

"I can't do it......."

Maybe because of the sound of the water, Kim Sanho's voice sounded even damper.

Don't most people find extreme honorifics more awkward? Just like how I got chills every time I heard Kim Sanho say 'Sowol-ssi' now.

"You might not have had a younger sibling, but you must have had friends, right? Just call him like you'd call a friend."

"......."

"......."

Let's drop it.

I hurriedly switched to a sympathetic tone to appease Kim Sanho.

"You must've had a hard time this past week."

"Hmm, but it was more... than I thought. Since we talked so little, I've gotten to where I can just look at his eyes and tell what he's about to say."

To think it could turn out that way.

I can't tell if this is a somewhat fortunate situation or an excessively serious one.......

Worrying about how to get those two to be friends was a bit much, considering I'd also only exchanged a few words with Jeong Sowol myself.

I had to get close to him ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠first before I could help out or anything.

Besides, weren't we roommates now? The very same roommate situation that, no exaggeration, single-handedly occupies first through third place as the most critical factor at any training camp.

Right, separate from accepting it, I was indeed curious.

Why on earth did he want to share a room with me?

"Ah, that... it has nothing to do with you, hyung. It's for another reason."

"What is it?"

"He says there's a ghost in that room or something."

"A ghost?"

"Yes."

I shot up from my seat and opened the door to the controversial room closest to the kitchen.

I saw a bed and a standing coat rack, no different from any other room. Though it was a bit dark, perhaps because the window was small.

"There isn't one? A ghost?"

"Hyung, you couldn't even see the ghost in our practice room......."

"......There was one?"

"Gyeonwoo hyung said he saw it too. Our practice room ghost."

"When?"

"The night you two slept there."

So they'd even had that kind of conversation.

Considering he still came looking for the company after that, Baek Gyeonwoo doesn't seem like the type to be scared of ghosts.

Right, I'd momentarily forgotten about the existence of ghosts since I'm only surrounded by such weirdos. If it was fierce enough to lower the housing price, it must be pretty formidable.

'If it's out of fear... I can understand.'

Shall I switch rooms for him then? I don't seem to have any connection to ghosts.

I stopped worrying about it. I could just switch if someone got fed up.

Right on cue, Jeong Sowol came back from his walk. It had been about 40 minutes since he'd left.

And at that exact moment, a phone call came in. It was the president.

I watched Kim Sanho and Jeong Sowol awkwardly exchange glances and nodded greetings, and I answered the president's call.

"Okay, got it."

When I hung up, Jeong Sowol asked.

"What'd he say?"

I answered as I put my phone into my pocket.

"He says for you to come sign your contract."