Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Chaotic Household
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Today, an announcement came down from the B-Class manager.
"You all know tomorrow starts the monthly evaluation period, right?"
The end-of-month evaluation.
It was a kind of test to check how much the trainees had grown over the past month.
If you got lucky, it was a chance to move up to the next class. In the worst case, you could get kicked out.
But most people said it just ended with feedback and staying in the same class.
"This month's evaluation is just one personal song, so no need to stress too much. Oh, Sarang, this is your first one, right?"
The manager pointed right at me.
"Yes."
"Good. Do your best. Ask me anything if you don't know."
End-of-month evaluation, huh.
They wouldn't try to take back the signing bonus just because I messed up, would they?
I wasn't confident at all.
"I'll help you."
Lee Seo-yoon placed her hand on top of mine. Warmth seeped into my skin from the point of contact.
Was it my imagination? Her face looked a little different from yesterday.
She'd always had a stoic expression before, but today it felt somehow softer, like a layer had melted away. There was a strange glow around her eyes.
And for some reason, her cheeks were faintly flushed.
Because of the kiss?
She definitely hadn't seemed to hate it.
It really hit me how wide the range of skinship was between girls.
Kisses were apparently within bounds. If it had been the opposite gender, it wouldn't have ended with just a couple punches.
Well. Different genes and all that.
"Thanks, unnie. Looking forward to your help."
I didn't pull away from Lee Seo-yoon's hand on the back of mine. Instead, I intertwined our fingers, locking them firmly together.
Whatever. She looked better like this.
She seemed to have a bit more emotion now than before. Her eyes looked clearer, too.
"Just focus on personal practice during the evaluation period."
The new end-of-month evaluation period had begun. The manager handed out the updated schedule accordingly.
Personal practice time overwhelmingly outweighed lessons. From right now until 9 p.m., it was all slotted for individual practice.
At least I wouldn't have to endure that hellish dance lesson for a while, which was a huge relief in several ways.
'Kinda disappointing, though.'
...Huh?
Did I just think "disappointing"?
I questioned the thought that had popped into my head.
There was no way I'd miss that hellish time. I'd been dancing my bones off lately—must be messing with my head.
"Alright, everyone, fighting!"
As the manager left, the trainees started getting up one by one and claiming spots in front of the mirrors.
Maybe because it wasn't their first time, hardly anyone seemed fazed by the end-of-month evaluation.
Except for me.
'...What do I do?'
A personal evaluation meant preparing and performing something solo, just like it sounded.
I wanted to just sing like at the audition, but that would definitely draw bad comments from everywhere.
Most of my lessons this past month had been dance. Everyone was probably expecting that from me.
'I'm bound to disappoint.'
I'd taken lessons every day until I was out of breath, but I didn't think I'd improved much.
Effort always had shitty cost-performance anyway.
Life was full of things you couldn't achieve no matter how hard you tried. No way a person changes from just this much practice.
Still, I had to at least pretend to be diligent. For the ten million won contract money in my account, if nothing else.
"Picked your song for the personal evaluation yet?"
Lee Seo-yoon spotted me squatting by the corner mirror and came over to ask.
"No. Haven't decided. I don't really know recent songs either..."
"How can you be prepping to be an idol without knowing that stuff?"
Well, I never planned to actually become one.
"Yeah, you're right."
"Sigh... Then let's pick one together."
Lee Seo-yoon plopped down right next to me and pulled out her phone.
"Sarang, you could totally go with a cute concept."
Lee Seo-yoon scrolled through, carefully showing me various performance videos. All of them pushed cuteness front and center, full of bouncy expressions and cheeky gestures.
"What do you think?"
"Cute doesn't really suit me."
"Huh?"
Lee Seo-yoon stared at me like she had no idea what I was talking about.
"No one fits cute better than you."
"I'm not cute."
"???"
This time, her gaze was pure bewilderment.
What? Come on.
I knew I was pretty. That was an objective fact anyone could see.
But cute? No way.
Sure, I wagged my tail and buttered people up to build connections. But that wasn't cuteness.
It was just approaching them amiably with my good looks.
But on stage, in front of thousands, doing all those cheeky poses and expressions?
Might as well die.
"C-Couldn't I do something a bit cooler instead?"
"Cooler?"
What? Girl crush concepts existed too. That might be less embarrassing.
"Hmm... Cool stuff is mostly dominated by one person."
Lee Seo-yoon scrolled again and pulled up a different performance.
A familiar white-haired girl filled the screen, dominating the stage and singing in front of thousands of fans.
"Baek Yeon-hwa."
"Yeah. You know her?"
Of course.
There was a hardcore fan at school who talked about nothing but her every single day.
Her beauty still looked like it'd burst through the screen. It was amazing how well white hair suited her.
"But personally, I don't recommend Baek Yeon-hwa."
"Why?"
"It's personal evaluations, so probably half the trainees will cover her songs."
Baek Yeon-hwa, the idol of idols. It really sank in.
Oh, right. That person existed too.
"Unnie, what about Han Sea-ah?"
"Huh? Han Sea-ah?"
"Yes."
"Hmm... Her songs are a bit older, but with you, it might work."
"Then I'll do that."
If I was doing it, a song by Han Sea-ah, someone I knew, seemed better.
I'd met her in person, so mimicking her expressions and vibe would be way easier than with other celebrities.
Dance would be another story, though.
"Okay, let's narrow down some good ones. Personally, I recommend this."
Lee Seo-yoon helped me enthusiastically, like it was her own business.
She put her own practice on hold and stuck by my side even on the walk home, picking songs.
We were chatting away like that as we walked the night streets when a fork in the road appeared.
"Ah, I go this way."
I headed left, while Lee Seo-yoon went right. Time to part ways.
"Too bad. I wanted a bit more help from you, unnie."
Still, we'd narrowed down the candidates. I could pick the final one at home.
"...Then, Sarang."
Lee Seo-yoon stopped dead at the fork and called my name.
"If your parents are okay with it... wanna sleep over at my place?"
"Pardon?"
"We can finish picking the song for the evaluation. Since it's Han Sea-ah, I could give you some advice too."
Right. Lee Seo-yoon was such a huge fan she wanted to become an idol following Han Sea-ah.
"Ah, if it's a hassle, just let me know tomorrow! Parents might not like sleepovers."
Like they'd care.
They wouldn't even notice if I came home or not. They might prefer I didn't.
"Are your parents okay with it? If I just show up suddenly."
"Yeah. With you, Sarang... they'd probably love it."
I looked down the fork under the night sky.
Was it my imagination?
The streetlight on my left path—the one I was supposed to take—flickered dimly. Meanwhile, the right path where Lee Seo-yoon stood was brightly lit.
"......"
I turned on my toes.
Stepping away from my path, I walked toward the bright light where Lee Seo-yoon stood.
"Okay... let's sleep together."
As I spoke, I pressed close to her, nestling into her embrace.
"Y-Yeah! Great."
Lee Seo-yoon's body trembled ever so slightly.
It was the first time.
Going over to a friend's house to hang out.
※
Well, as you'd expect.
Unlike mine, Lee Seo-yoon's house was above ground. We took the elevator up and stood in front of the front door.
Soon, the door opened, revealing a sight I'd never see at my place.
Instead of the rotten stench of alcohol, a savory potato aroma tickled my nose. Instead of harsh prison-like fluorescent lights, warm lighting softly illuminated every corner of the home.
"Back already, sweetie?"
Her mother, wearing an apron, naturally welcomed her daughter home.
"Yeah, Mom. I told you on the phone... this is Sarang, my classmate trainee."
Seo-yoon's mom approached me with a warm smile blooming on her face.
"Oh my! So you're Sarang. Seo-yoon made such a pretty friend."
"H-Hello."
I bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.
"Goodness! Such manners too. Totally different from our daughter."
"Mom."
Lee Seo-yoon grumbled. Her mom shrugged and took my hand warmly.
"Have you eaten? I made kimchi jjigae. Join us."
"We're good, Mom. We ate dinner at the company—"
"I'll eat. I'm hungry."
I cut off Lee Seo-yoon and answered first.
"Perfect! Come sit."
Seo-yoon's mom headed to the living room and smacked the shoulder of a man leaning on the sofa.
"You too, get up and eat. Don't ask me to make something later."
"Sheesh. Gotta hit me?"
"That's the only way you move!"
Along with the couple's playful bickering, a door across from us swung open.
A girl who resembled Lee Seo-yoon but looked much younger peeked out, then froze wide-eyed upon seeing me.
"Whoa. Super gorgeous."
Thud thud thud—
Without hesitation, the girl rushed over, grabbed my hand, and sparkled up at me.
"Wow... You're so pretty. Are you a celebrity? First time seeing someone this pretty in real life."
Her energy was worlds apart from the somewhat introverted Lee Seo-yoon. Even in the same family, personalities could differ this much.
"But why are you friends with someone like Lee Seo-yoon?"
"Hey!"
Lee Seo-yoon yelled, and the girl plugged her ears like she didn't want to hear it.
"Eww. Unnie, that temper's the problem."
"...We'll talk later."
Lee Seo-yoon clenched her fist. The girl flinched, tucked in her tail, and stepped back.
"Sorry, Sarang. Pretty chaotic, right? Let's just eat and head to my room."
Yeah. Just like Lee Seo-yoon said.
A chaotic household.
So noisy it was hard to find a gap in the voices.
So...
Lively.