Free Web NovelJanuary 7th
It was the day we were supposed to pick up the members from Director Jo’s house.
The vehicle carrying Manager Seo Min-gi and Director Yoon Seok-hwan turned into the alley.
“Wow, this house is really impressive.”
“Told you so.”
I’d heard it was an upscale home in Pyeongchang-dong, but at this point it deserved to be called a mansion.
Yoon Seok-hwan got out of the car and was about to press the doorbell...
“Come on in!”
...before he even finished muttering, the door slid open automatically. Seok-hwan tilted his head in confusion.
‘That sounded urgent....’
It was definitely Jo Gyu-hwan’s voice, but unlike usual, it was thick with exhaustion.
‘That’s strange.’
As they climbed the steps leading to the yard, he wondered. As far as he knew, Director Jo hadn’t been producing an album lately—he had no current songs in progress. Investor and external relations were normally handled by the head of the department or the CEO, so Jo, in charge of production, wouldn’t have reason to be worn out. Besides, wasn’t he incredibly energetic? Even after three nights straight without sleep, he’d still wander around wearing a gentle smile. The only possibility was...
‘Surely it wasn’t our guys?’
Seok-hwan laughed at the thought, but jumped when the front door opened.
“...Director?”
A figure with dark circles down to his chin greeted them. His cracked, hoarse voice splintered out.
“...Go, good morning.”
“How did it come to this?”
Before Jo Gyu-hwan could answer, raucous noises came from the second floor.
“Seok-hwan hyung! You’re here!”
“Whoa, Director! I feel like it’s been ages! High-five to commemorate?”
“Director, I’ve bulked up, right?”
...Jung-hyun?
“Jung-hyun?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
It couldn’t be.
Oblivious to the manager’s flaring anxiety, Jung-hyun beamed.
“I’ve been training at Director’s house and it’s been insanely effective. I even drank protein shakes.”
“...You’re banned from working out for a week.”
Someone’s face fell, and the uproarious laughter resumed.
He couldn’t get a word in edgewise amid the chatter about everyone’s updates.
“Oh right, hyung. I actually made the title track for the next album.”
“What...?”
“After seeing Bi-ju dance in the living room, I made it. Ri-hyuk’s doing the lyrics.”
“Wh-what?”
At first Seok-hwan thought it was a joke, but it was real. Whatever had happened, it was clear the people under his care had done something extraordinary. You could tell just by looking at their faces. Unlike the storm clouds covering Director Jo’s face, the members were giggling, their smiles blooming like flowers.
Jo splashed cold water on his face and said,
“Let’s take them then.”
“Th-thank you for everything you’ve done.”
“Anything but ‘thank you’... I’m sorry, my words are getting tangled.”
Watching him speak with his spirit almost gone, Seok-hwan felt genuine sympathy.
I couldn’t believe it was already time to leave. At the entrance I took one last look around the house to remember the time spent there. Then I looked at Director Jo, leaning against the wall. His empty eyes met ours.
“Director.”
Why did he flinch?
“Thank you so much for this week. Thanks to your consideration, we were so comfortable here. I almost wanted to live here forever.”
Was I touching him? I watched his pupils waver and earnestly said,
“We’ll definitely repay you.”
“No, no need. Go on in and rest.”
My juniors yelled as if to say I was out of my mind.
“We’ll spoil you next time!”
“Thank you, Director. Wishing you a long life.”
At Jung-hyun and Ji-ho’s farewells, Jo broke into a broad, wry smile and then bid us goodbye.
“Yeah, I had fun this week too. I’ll invite you again whenever I get the chance.”
“Really? Can we come back?”
I nudged the youngest’s side as he interrupted naively.
“Thank you!”
We bowed to the one waving at us and stepped outside. With Director Jo’s warm smile still in view, the door closed behind us.
But as I pulled my suitcase, I suddenly remembered something I’d forgotten.
“Oh, right.”
“What is it?”
I answered Seok-hwan.
“I left something in the living room.”
Grabbing the doorknob just before it closed, I opened it again. Director Jo jumped back as if he’d seen a ghost. He dashed to the entrance.
“Why, wh-what, wh-why?”
As I slipped off my shoes to reenter, he blocked me like a goalkeeper saving a penalty.
“I, uh, left something behind.”
“...Fine. Hurry and get it.”
He said in resignation.
Saying he’d left something in the living room, Sun Woo-joo rummaged around, grabbed it, and came back out.
“I’m off, Director!”
Jo waved. His calm smile lasted only an instant. The moment Sun Woo-joo stepped out, he immediately locked the door. Then, leaning against it, he took a deep breath.
‘Finally.’
His heart pounded.
‘They’re finally gone.’
He glanced through the peephole. He could see Woo-joo’s back as he descended the stairs with his suitcase. He watched until they disappeared completely.
“Phew...”
Only then did he exhale a long breath. Looking around the empty house brought tears to his eyes.
‘I was so fortunate.’
He’d often felt lonely when he was alone at home. But now he knew how blessed that solitude had been.
“You guys?”
Like a child checking for ghosts, he wandered the first-floor living room. There’d been a scene like this in Dooly the Little Dinosaur. Go Gil-dong tried to chase out Dooly by locking him in a box, chaining him in the fridge. No matter what he did, Dooly always came back and said, “Gil-dong.” Luckily, there was no answer today.
“...They’re gone.”
Alone at last, he regained his composure. Jo Gyu-hwan sat elegantly cross-legged on the sofa, sipping coffee. Pressing the remote, he played the fourth movement of Beethoven’s “Choral” Symphony, closing his eyes gently. What blissful peace it was. Just as he was thinking that,
“...?”
He noticed an envelope on the corner of the table.
‘Did they leave this?’
Opening it, he laughed. As soon as he unfolded the Christmas-tree–decorated card, a tune played, “Ttiriri~” /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ A message from Sun Woo-joo and the members, thanking him, was written inside. Except for Ji-ho’s “I’ll come again!” it was impossible not to smile.
As a warm feeling filled his chest from the morning’s gesture,
Wiiiiing—
“Ah!”
He screamed at the sight of the robot vacuum gliding past behind the sofa.
“Woaaah!”
When the manager dropped us off, we screamed for joy.
“An apartment!”
“Apartment! Apartment!”
Unit 1103 on the 11th floor of Building 101 was our new lodging. From the first-floor entrance we stared wide-eyed.
“10th floor.”
When we pressed the button, the elevator voice announced it and we looked at each other.
“No way. If you press by mistake you can cancel too?”
“Hold on.”
Bi-ju reached out. We all held our breath as he pressed 10 firmly with a determined expression.
“10th floor canceled.”
“Woaaah...”
We gaped at one another in amazement.
“Unbelievable—you can cancel when you press by mistake.”
“We must’ve come to a really nice place.”
On the elevator ride straight up to the 11th floor, happy humming broke out all around. Entering the apartment felt like a continuous delight. Besides the spacious living room and sunny balcony, there were three bedrooms.
“Wow.”
“This is unreal—three rooms?”
A storm of gratitude hit us.
“Seriously, everyone does ‘we’re roommates!’ reality shows, and we were so sad.”
“Right? We were all roommates.”
“But that’s in the past now.”
As Bi-ju looked around the roomy kitchen with a blissful expression, Ri-hyuk, acting as the vanguard, came running back.
“Did you see it?!”
“What?”
“There are two bathrooms!”
We were all shocked.
“Is that for real, Ri-hyuk?”
“Two for real?”
“No more hellish bathroom lines at dawn.”
Memories surfaced of how difficult the dawn bathroom dash had been: one bathroom for five people was an utter madhouse. United in relief, we stared into space. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
“Thank you, CEO.”
We all felt like the CEO’s figure was sparkling in midair, and we heard a cheerful “You’ve worked hard, haha” in our heads. As we all gaped at the new home, Manager Seok-hwan asked,
“Have you decided the room assignments?”
“We did at Director Jo’s. Jung-hyun gets the master room. The rest split among me, Ji-ho, and Bi-ju with Ri-hyuk.”
“...Because of the snoring?”
“No, it’s because...”
A look followed, but I ignored it. It was true. When Jung-hyun drew straws, he saw the yellow end and said, “Master room, jackpot!” But all five straws were dipped in yellow. Only the four of us knew that secret.
Just then Jung-hyun called me.
“Hyung, where should I put this?”
Bi-ju and Ri-hyuk were unpacking trophies: the Mango Chart Rookie Award, the HBS Gayo Daesang Rookie Award, and the music-show trophy for their first-place win.
“Hmm...”
I studied the shelf in the living room, then pointed.
“Let’s put them all there.”
“What if it’s cramped? Maybe split upper and lower shelves?”
“Let the bottom stay empty.”
I shook my head.
“So we can fill it again.”
My juniors smiled silently and clustered the trophies into one compartment. After the two managers left for a meeting, Mr. Won-seok stayed behind to help us lug our heavy luggage. Finally, when everything was organized, we laid out newspapers in the living room and ordered Chinese food.
“Manager, here, eat this. My dad says this fish meat is the best part of nurungji-tang.”
“Is this enough?”
“Try this too. It’s hot so blow on it.”
On the manager’s plate flew sweet-and-sour pork, ganpoonggi, and all the nurungji-tang toppings. He spoke apologetically.
“It’s enough.”
“You didn’t eat the samgyeopsal last time. Now it’s our turn to repay you.”
“...Thank you.”
Mr. Won-seok laughed broadly and began eating the dishes we’d brought. After a long, cheerful meal, we saw the managers off as they returned to the office.
“Well, we’ll be off.”
As he waved goodbye with a smile, my juniors gestured urgently for me to speak. I immediately parted my lips.
“Manager, before you go, there’s something I want to say.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you so much for everything this time.”
I bowed and he blinked.
“Are you talking about organizing our things?”
“No, another day. New Year’s Day.”
“Ah.”
I smiled at him.
“I was so flustered that day I didn’t get to properly thank you... Really, thank you.”
My juniors nodded vigorously in agreement. Mr. Won-seok gave an embarrassed smile and scratched the back of his head, waving his hand as if to say it was nothing.
“Don’t worry about it. I just have a wide-reaching personality...”
But we just smiled quietly. He called it meddling, but we knew how hard it was to care for someone like he did. That was why we silently handed him a gift we’d prepared. His large hand took the gift box.
“What’s this?”
“It’s something we bought to give you for a while. We were going to give it on the 31st last year but... here we are.”
“You didn’t have to...”
“We got the same gifts for the other two managers, so don’t feel pressured. It’s our tradition.”
He gazed at the box, then smiled.
“Thank you. I’ll treasure it.”
As he lifted the box and prepared to leave, I called after him.
“And one more thing before you go... I’ve been meaning to tell you this.”
“...?”
“Please speak informally. Hyung.”
“...Hmm.”
“Try it now.”
“...Okay.”
He tried awkwardly, and my juniors shook their heads. Our acting expert coached him.
“You need to lower your tone.”
“Okay.”
“That’s it.”
“Okay.”
The entrance filled with raucous laughter again.
At the same time, in an office in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul.
“All right, now we need to discuss guest bookings...”
Producer Seong, seated at the head of the table, cleared his throat.
“At the end of the last meeting, I think we said to bring good candidates. Did you all prepare?”
The writers tapping on their laptops immediately began naming celebrities. Mostly unknowns, some the others had never heard of. No surprise—Kiwoom Productions was a small external production company. They handled a couple of cultural programs for the HBS network, but none were major. The new show they were launching was the same: a low–viewership time slot and a tight budget, far from the level to book big names.
“Hmm...”
Names flew but Producer Seong’s expression remained unlit.
‘I guess we just have to stay within budget.’
Since they’d put effort into the show, he wished for personalities that fit the broadcast. Just as he considered narrowing down from the suggested names, one writer beamed triumphantly.
“Young-ji writer, what do you think?”
Seong asked, and everyone turned to her as she spoke confidently.
“Remember at the last meeting we defined two ideal conditions for guests?”
Everyone recalled the two: some knowledge of history, and an appearance appealing to younger viewers. She flipped her laptop around.
“Take a look at this.”
Two videos played. In one, five idol members in strange outfits were soothing a crying child in a movie theater.
“Oh, I’ve seen that. It was pretty hot on SNS.” ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
“But who are they again? I feel like I know the faces but with the costumes I can’t tell.”
Then the second video played.
“Oh, it’s NewBlack.”
NewBlack, guest stars on HBS MTV’s “Idol Show,” were flaunting their looks. The writers smiled in approval.
“Listen to this.”
Young-ji writer turned up the volume.
“As I mentioned, King Gwanghae’s policies...”
“Ri-hyuk, Gwanghae was deposed in the Injo Restoration. The one wearing the crown here is King Injo.”
“Was the Qing invasion during Injo’s reign?”
Two members of NewBlack bantered about Korean history as easily as comedians. The entire production team murmured “Oh” in unison.
“Perfect match for our conditions, right?”
“True, but...”
Voices of dissent rose.
“But I heard from contacts in the music industry that NewBlack is on the rise. They’re in high demand.”
“Right. Even matching their appearance fee would be tough.”
“They’d probably refuse. Why would they come on our show unless they liked the concept?”
Then supporters spoke up.
“It doesn’t hurt to ask.”
“They keep saying ‘this show, that show,’ but what’s wrong with our program?”
“Right. It’s so informative.”
Those skeptical falls silent at that.
‘What’s so great about our show?’
It’s a kids’ educational program, people...
