“Hey everyone, do you have any intention of extending the contract?”
After receiving Shock Enter’s proposal, I hesitated to answer right then and there.
The important thing was the original agency’s stance since both I and the members belong to different companies.
Also, I realistically expected that most of those agencies wouldn’t be inclined to agree to the Seven contract extension.
But the bigger reason was that I was feeling troubled inside.
I had to weigh and choose between the older sisters from Topist, who had waited for me since my trainee days, and the Seven members and fans, who had become more than just colleagues after sharing the same bed and place every day for 24 hours, 365 days a year.
The same likely went for the members.
That’s why they probably put off answering too.
Or perhaps, even if they wished for an extension, they didn’t bring it up considering other members’ perspectives.
“Hey guys, they said our Gocheok Dome show is sold out!”
And with the news of the Gocheok Dome selling out, my confused and complicated feelings grew even more as the agencies decided to hold an extension meeting.
Worried that we might be swayed, we decided to return our phones during the remaining schedule and focus solely on new songs and the concert.
*
Days, weeks went by, and the negotiations for the extension continued, but our schedule remained unchanged.
All schedules were proceeding as before.
And that was the same for our title song.
Just like the project groups of Season 1 and Season 2, the last title of a project group on the verge of disbandment needed a ballad genre.
We needed a lyrical song to convey emotions of parting to the fans.
Since we couldn’t change the song in such a short time, we decided to keep the title as is.
As it was a ballad, most of the members gathered in the practice room, except for when we practiced for concert stages or had vocal lessons, and retreated to their own vocal rooms to practice the song alone.
“What did I look like back then?”
And I too was holed up in my vocal room, continuing to practice.
“What do you think you thought of me?”
As I sang the lyrics with emotions, feelings unexpectedly swelled up and made me feel choked, but I briefly leaned back in my chair, threw off my headset, and closed my eyes.
“Am I really getting emotional over this…?”
I picked up the water bottle on my desk and gulped down some water to calm myself.
“Ah…”
After spending over a year with the young female members, I suddenly realized that I had unconsciously started to act more feminine, probably because as a girl group member, I had to behave like one.
“Well, I guess I did.”
“Sigh… Seriously, I’ve become such a girl.”
I thought this could happen when becoming a girl group member, so even more self-deprecating grumbles came out.
“But I am a girl…?”
“Oh, you scared me!”
I jumped in surprise at the voice suddenly coming from behind. Turning around, I saw Sara Unni standing there with a big smile on her face.
“Do-hee is super cute…!?”
“When did you come in?”
It seems I didn’t hear her due to wearing my headset while practicing.
“Um… about 10 minutes?”
“No, then you should’ve made some noise instead of just standing there.”
“Do I have to…?”
It’s not new for her to suddenly show up, so I’ve gotten used to it by now.
“Anyway, go out for a bit!”
But now’s not the time.
It was practice time, after all.
‘She must’ve seen my whole singing practice… how embarrassing…’
Especially since Sara Unni sings better than I do.
“D-Do-hee sings well! Better than me…!?”
Did Sara Unni sense my feelings? She shook my arm and exclaimed desperately.
“Why do you need to sing better than me?”
Even my ultimate bias fan wouldn’t say such things.
“No, Do-hee, you sing well! You’re amazing…!”
“Just go out for a bit. It’s embarrassing while I’m practicing.”
At my firm words, Sara Unni looked a bit down.
“Really going out…?”
“Yeah. Come back in a bit.”
She looked at me with pity for no reason.
“Aww… I guess I’ll go…?”
And somehow, my heart softened at that sight.
“Sara’s going out…”
She looked the saddest among the members as we faced disbandment.
Although she seemed a little better after hearing the news about a possible extension recently.
“Sigh… Let’s just play for 10 minutes. I have to practice afterward anyway. People come to see us after paying a lot, so we need to work hard.”
“Okay!”
So, I spent 10 minutes playing with Sara Unni.
Well, it was just chatting while eating the snacks she made.
“So… can I go out now…?”
“Yeah, we’re seeing each other at dinner anyway. Let’s eat something you like.”
“Okay…”
In the end, she left looking a bit gloomy.
Anyway, after Sara Unni went out, I started practicing again.
As I put my headset back on to sing, suddenly, the door burst open again.
It hadn’t been long since she left, but Sara Unni came back, and I turned my head somewhat irritably.
“Oh, Sara Unni! I need to practice!”
But when I looked back, it wasn’t Sara Unni.
“That’s not it, Sara Unni.”
“What does it matter, you can’t sing better than me.”
A vocal line that has no worries about singing, just like Sara Unni.
“What’s going on, Seo-yoon?”
Suddenly, Seo-yoon Unni blew air into my cheek.
“Yep, cute little Tayu…”
“Ah.”
Seriously disgusting.
When I shot her a contemptuous glance, Kim Seo-yoon excitedly plopped down in the chair next to me.
“But why does that Sara like you so much? Tayu Tayo~”
Ah, why is this happening?
“Well… because you’re cute, pretty, kind, and have a good personality?”
Now Seo-yoon Unni was looking at me with contempt.
Does she have no conscience?
“Should I just leave?”
“Oh, go ahead. I need to practice.”
Of course, I wanted that, so I just put my headset back on.
“No, play with me.”
Kim Seo-yoon tried to take off my headset.
I swatted her hand away.
“Wow… I thought you were finally leaving quietly.”
“Tayu, play with me~”
Whining came through my headset.
It can’t be helped, I guess I’ll have to let Kim Seo-yoon play for 10 minutes and then kick her out.
“Yeah, even after 10 minutes, I won’t leave~”
“Then I’ll throw a punch.”
Kim Seo-yoon dodged her eyes.
Unni is an adult now, but I’ve got more strength.
“Anyway, don’t you want to eat something?”
Kim Seo-yoon quickly changed the subject.
“Why? Not really.”
“We should decide where to go on our next vacation. Hana Unni found an escape room she thought you’d like.”
“Vacation?”
“Yep. You had your birthday not too long ago, but you couldn’t even celebrate. I feel bad.”
She’s worried about everything.
“It was fine just cutting the cake and celebrating together.”
Plus, we even had a celebration party and went live.
“Still, the concert ends next month, so let’s hang out then.”
“I mean… I don’t really care about my birthday that much… and if the contract gets extended, we might not even have a vacation.”
The chances of an extension are low, but still.
“That is true…”
Seo-yoon Unni’s expression subtly changed.
“So, what do you want to do?”
It seems like the same as before, but the tone and atmosphere were different.
What Seo-yoon Unni is asking about isn’t trivial things like vacation.
“Extension?”
Seo-yoon Unni nodded slowly.
It’s a topic we’ve never really talked about, even though we don’t have gaps between us.
A topic we had never talked about.
I think Seo-yoon Unni came in to ask this when it was just the two of us.
“Well, I guess it’s foolish to just worry.”
I put on the headset that was on the desk.
It was a gesture that said I didn’t really want to talk.
“Just think of it as over and focus on preparing for the concert.”
Hearing that, Seo-yoon Unni looked somewhat annoyed.
Maybe it’s because of her emotional nature.
Of course, I felt like I had been a bit rude, too.
“Can you even do that?”
“Then what should I do?”
“No…”
Seo-yoon Unni tried to say something but swallowed her words.
And then there was a brief silence.
Before putting on the headset, I finally spoke.
“Honestly, it’s better to think there won’t be an extension. There are too many things at stake.”
“So you’re saying we should keep it short. Just one year.”
“Whether it’s a one-year extension or a half-year extension, once it ends, there will be talks of extensions again. Fans will want to do it again since it’s already happened. It’s better to finish the contract as it is.”
Unni agreed with my words but continued to show her displeasure.
“Must be nice to be so rational.”
I couldn’t deny that I understood her frustration.
Feelings and rationality were different.
And saying that didn’t make me feel great either.
“I’m just saying.”
So I felt like saying any more would just stir up emotions and lead to a fight.
That’s why I fully put on the headset.
At the same time, Unni slumped back in her chair.
“I just have too many distracting thoughts.”
In fact, it was probably just me who was hearing Seo-yoon Unni talk like this.
“It’s a fool’s characteristic. Stephen Hawking would tell you to focus on the things he could do.”
We had been together since our trainee days for a long time.
Good or bad, we were bound to be together going forward.
“Must be nice to be smart.”
“Right. That’s proved by my grades. Do-hee Lee is planning to go to Korea University. Or should she just go to Harvard? Maybe Juilliard?”
“Juilliard? Just go to Hanseong Arts High School.”
“Oh~ The world limits me~”
Finally chuckling, Seo-yoon Unni continued.
“By the way, you’re entering high school next week, right?”
“Yeah. Sigh… At this age, going to school? I really don’t want to.”
“That’s exactly why you go to school. I’ll find some pretty flowers to bring for your entrance ceremony. I learned flower arrangement last time.”
“I can already tell I’ll show up empty-handed and say I’m the flower.”
“Oh, right on target.”
But even if everything else changed, I felt like our bond wouldn’t change.
“I’m so bored.”
“Your face.”
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
