We didn’t arrive at the Topist headquarters but at our new living quarters instead.
“Daughter~ Is this the right place?”
“Yeah, it should be?”
First things first, we had to drop our luggage and unpack, even if practice was ahead.
However, this wasn’t the same place I’d known near the old headquarters. That one was already rented out.
“Wow, our daughter is living in a better place than her dad?”
Instead, the new place assigned to us was a riverside apartment known to be the residence of some idols.
“Seriously? I didn’t know we’d be moving to such a great place!”
Honestly, the old place was okay with two bathrooms, but this one looked even better than where we stayed during the Seven days.
Of course, we had to consider the actual square footage, but from the outside, it sure looked promising.
I can’t believe this is happening.
“Should I head out now?”
As I opened the car door, Dad stepped out too, spreading his arms with an expectant look.
“Daughter…”
“Oh come on, come here.”
“You need to visit home often, okay?”
After finishing the hug with Dad, I replied, “Sure, sure.”
I entered the apartment while punching in the code I’d received.
Reaching the 17th floor…
Beep beep beep beep
“One… six, five… four, six, oh.”
As I entered, the interior was as neat as the exterior, and it looked to be over 50 pyeong at a glance.
“Wow, jackpot.”
Yet, no one was coming out.
“What’s going on? Where is everyone?”
There were the sisters’ shoes scattered at the entrance.
“There are shoes, but…”
Still no sign of anyone.
I brought my suitcase inside, calling out, “Is anyone here…”
Just as I was about to call louder, I spotted Chiyo Unni and Na-eun Unni sitting by the window.
“What…”
They gazed at the Han River with a misty look in their eyes.
“It’s not a bad place for a commoner.”
“Yeah, right.”
They were talking nonsense. Na-eun Unni was even sipping coffee.
“What are you doing?”
Only then did they turn their heads.
“Oh, no, Chiyo suggested we act this way…!”
Na-eun Unni flustered, set her coffee cup down, her cheeks flushing.
“Did you come, commoner? You’ve put in quite an effort. Well done.”
“What the heck are you talking about?”
“This place has a pretty high equity stake. Although, it’s a bit disappointing that there’s no terrace… hehe.”
At that moment, a song drifted in from somewhere.
“Its another day of Sun~”
Kim Seo-yoon appeared in a yellow dress, humming like the leading lady in La La Land, spinning around cheerfully.
Then, as if to bolster her spirit, she clenched her fist confidently.
“Yeah, Kim Seo-yoon! Today marks a new beginning!”
Honestly, her singing made me a bit mad.
We had cried and complained during our farewell trip with the Seven members.
Clap clap clap
Chiyo Unni applauded like a chaebol.
“Commoner, your musical performance isn’t half bad?”
“Of course.”
Our sisters, after so long, hadn’t changed at all.
In fact, it felt like we’d stepped into an even bigger mess.
“Hey… Do-hee, do you want some coffee? Oh wait, you don’t like coffee, right? How about some fruit? I brought some on the way here this morning.”
“Hey, Do-hee, do you want some coffee? Ah, you don’t like coffee, right? How about some fruit? I brought some this morning.”
At least Na-eun Unni, feeling a bit embarrassed to be with those two, quickly got up from her seat, took her coffee cup to the kitchen sink, and started rummaging through the refrigerator.
“No, I’m good.”
Meanwhile, Kim Seo-yoon looked at me and asked her question.
“Hey, Do-hee. What role do you want to play?”
“What role?”
“Oh, I just thought of the perfect one! The role of the rich kid falling in love: ‘That arrogant brat from back then’!”
The rich kid, has Chiyo Unni claimed it? She immediately jumped up and pointed at me.
“That arrogant brat…!?”
“Ha-ah…”
I tried to ignore them but ended up playing along a bit.
“Oh, you mean that royal brat?”
Honestly, it’s somewhat my type.
The three of us chuckled together.
“…Do-hee?”
Na-eun Unni shot me a cold stare.
“Oh right, I need to unpack.”
I picked my suitcase back up.
“So where’s my room? Haven’t we decided on rooms yet?”
I heard everyone moved in today.
They probably haven’t unpacked yet either.
The decor seems like just the basic furniture the agency provided, and there are no personal belongings.
‘First of all, there seem to be at least four rooms…’
Just then, someone grabbed me from behind and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Hey, baby.”
This back hug was clearly from Woo-ah Unni, who’s known me for seven years.
“Did you miss me?”
Woo-ah Unni, who appeared out of nowhere, rested her chin on my shoulder and flashed a bright smile.
Meanwhile, I could hear some commentary from the back of the living room.
“Oh… Do-hee, turns out you’re the heroine caught between a rich kid and childhood friends…?”
“Commoner…! I was wrong…! Please come to me…!”
“And her choice is!?”
This is a complete mess, really.
“It’s only been a little while since we saw each other.”
Before I could react, Woo-ah Unni’s arms that were wrapped around my shoulder suddenly dropped.
“Shall we see how much our baby has grown?”
And then she started to poke my chest.
“Ah, stop it! What are you doing?!”
Moments later, I found Woo-ah Unni sprawled out on the floor whining.
“This isn’t the Do-hee I knew! Boo-hoo, you’ve turned into a breast monster…”
And I’m the one who got hit.
“And that’s not even correct!”
What breast monster? It’s not that big.
It’s just a nice, perfectly shaped D-cup.
“Becoming a breast monster like Do-hee vs. being praised for having a beautiful body like the body genius Kim Seo-yoon without preference among fans.”
“That’s a no-brainer.”
“Hey!”
Na-eun Unni slightly nodded as well.
“I choose the first one…”
“Ah, Unni!”
Under the intense gazes of the unnis, I unconsciously felt a bit shy and covered my body with my hands.
*
Everyone was busy unpacking their things.
“Seo-yoon, do you want this?”
“What is it? Whoa, this is totally my style. Why? Aren’t you wearing it?”
“Oh, I don’t think I will. I think I brought it by mistake.”
I also dealt with the clothes Mom had stuffed in.
Of course, it was after we decided on our rooms.
There were a total of four rooms, and three of us would have solo rooms.
“I’ll share a room with Chiyo, and the three of us will take solo rooms.”
I’ll be sharing a room with Chiyo, you three can have the single rooms.
ㅡ Why? Just play rock-paper-scissors.
ㅡ No, Seo-yoon and Do-hee have personal schedules, and Na-eun Unni has to have a single room since she’s a little older. But next time we switch rooms, can we get priority, okay?
Thanks to Woo-ah Unni and Chiyo Unni’s willingness to give in first, we quickly made a decision, and the three of us ended up getting single rooms.
Then we got busy ordering items to decorate our rooms.
ㅡ Wow, there’s even a styler here?
Most of the furniture was already prepared, so it wasn’t strictly necessary, but everyone has their personal taste.
And all of this was funded by the company.
Of course, we’d have to buy big things like furniture or beds with our own money, but it felt like the company had high expectations for us.
So the first day flew by as we organized and cleaned the dormitory, and we held a modest dinner party to celebrate the new beginning.
*
The aroma was calming and comforting.
Maybe it was because I missed it.
It was a scent that triggered nostalgia.
Well, I’d been smelling it every day from age 11 to 15, so it made sense.
After all, it had been a place where I spent just as much time as my home.
The practice room in the basement of Topist’s office.
“So are we starting our practice now?”
“Well, they told us to go downstairs and warm up first.”
“Do-hee, pull me a bit.”
We changed into our indoor shoes and warmed up, stretching our bodies.
Chatting quietly, we speculated with excitement about what was coming.
“Still, don’t you think today they’ll explain our debut name and concept?”
I wondered what kind of event would unfold that day.
“Maybe? Oh, I want something pretty and angelic! Honestly, isn’t Kim Seo-yoon recognized as a refreshing beauty?”
“Pfft.”
“Chiyo is super kawaii… so I’m going for a cute concept! Why are you all staring at me like that! I’m really cute! No denying it!”
And how we’d debut.
Before long, Jung So-hyun, our overall team leader, came down to the practice room.
Flashing a smile, she confidently stated.
“Guys, I’ll make it clear: Debut is confirmed.”
Thanks to her, the members smiled in anticipation.
“The member lineup will remain the same, and we’ll debut early next year.”
But then came the team leader’s next statement.
“However, it might be really tough during that process, so we need to focus on working out and building our stamina for a while.”
Seeing who came down next, I felt a bit deflated right off the bat.
“Looks like we have our Do-hee and Seo-yoon here today~”
Our dedicated PT trainer, Min-young, smiled brightly at me.
*
“What was Seo-yoon’s height again?”
“165.2cm.”
“Okay, weight 45, you pass!”
“Yay! See? I’m really good at self-management.”
One by one, the members stepped on the scale.
I felt a bit uneasy.
“Teacher, this isn’t just a pre-meal weigh-in… I’m 171cm tall, you know?”
“I know~ I’m taking everything into account.”
I exhaled completely and stepped on the scale.
Hoping for a lighter number.
And without any exaggeration, the scale showed my weight: 55.2kg.
‘Damn, when did I gain this much? Did I just eat normally during my break and not dance? Or have I really eaten too much?’
“Is that why? Or did I really eat too much?”
Considering the weight of my chest, which is bigger than the unnis, I was pretty stuffed.
I hurriedly covered the scale with my hand.
“Do-hee, could you please move your hand?”
Just when Woo-ah Unni, who was slightly taller than me at 172 cm, weighed in at 51 kg.
“Teacher, just a minute.”
My goal weight set by the teacher was 52 kg.
If I just added some muscle, it would be a good weight to look at.
“I’ve gained a little, you know?”
“Yeah, I figured as much. The teacher can see it with her own eyes. So move your hand~”
If I kept this up, it felt like I’d roll around all day.
“But I’m a singer, communicating with the world now, right?”
“Teacher~ Do-hee’s tongue is too long~”
“I checked my belly fat yesterday, and hey, it’s a little pinched~”
“Our youngest is slacking in her management.”
“Looks like Do-hee needs another diet plan~”
Ignoring the familiar criticisms coming from behind, I looked at the teacher earnestly.
“So from a different perspective, it’s not that I’ve gained weight but that my connection with the world has expanded. You can see it like that, right? What do you think?”
Right?
“Haha, our Do-hee has gotten better at speaking~”
The teacher pried my fingers away.
She looked at the scale.
“Of course~ Do-hee is the most professional! Just look at how beautifully the body line is shaping up with this bulk. Now, everyone, as a tribute to Do-hee, let’s start with 100 burpees divided into 5 sets?”
“Ah, Lee Do-hee!”
“No, Do-hee should just do it!”
“This isn’t happening. Not happening!!!”
“Do-hee, starting tomorrow, I’ll check your meal plan…”
“Everyone, spread out the mats~ Don’t worry, if you follow what the teacher says, you’ll have a nice line!”
Missing this practice room was just an illusion.
*
That night, when the members returned to the dorm, they were all sprawled out.
It was a familiar sight.
“Ah, Kim Seo-yoon, I’m going to use the bathroom first!”
Of course, Kim Seo-yoon rushed to claim the bathroom.
And Woo-ah Unni sneaked into the master bathroom.
Chiyo Unni just collapsed onto the bed or sofa without washing up.
Na-eun Unni sighed.
Still, somehow all the members who managed to wash up sprawled out on the sofa.
The sofa, now larger than before, had plenty of space even with all of us lying down.
We turned on the TV and flipped through the channels.
“Should we watch a movie instead?”
And the channel we were flipping through paused for a moment.
—Kim Chan-woo, slipping back with a surviving step!
The screen showed a live broadcast of the popular UFC championship match.
—Kim Chan-woo extends both hands. He goes in straight, straight! Oh, he’s extended! He hit it, a perfect counter!
And the gasps from next to me.
“So cool…”
Chiyo Unni’s eyes were sparkling.
‘Oh damn…’
“Hey, hey, change the channel.”
Seo-yoon Unni, hearing Na-eun Unni, hurriedly changed the channel, but from that night onward, Chiyo Unni kept trying to practice striking on the members.
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