“Chairman, could I get two more servings of the grilled chicken, please?”
“Director, I’ll cook it. Give it to me.”
“That’s enough, Na-eun, hurry and eat too.”
“I’m eating a lot.”
“Chiyo.”
“Hehe, I’m just joking. Please give it to me!”
“Don’t worry, finish eating. Both of you must have had a hard time managing your diet during activities, so at least today, you should eat well.”
Next to the grill, Director So-hyun and the two unnis were having a heartwarming time together.
─Click!
“Seo-yoon Unni, how come you’re so pretty even while grilling meat? You’re so pretty, I feel like I should get some beauty tips from you.”
Unlike here.
“Hmm, what’s that…? Hehe.”
Over here, Woo-ah Unni was taking photos under the pretense of celebrating finishing their first activity while I was just enjoying my meal.
“Nom nom.”
Indeed, only those who have eaten know how good the meat is.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
Seo-yoon Unni handed me the tongs.
“Now you should grill some too. Don’t you know it’s usually the youngest who does this? Are you going to act like this when you’re somewhere else? A leaky bucket inside will leak outside too─”
“I want to grill too… how can I not cook…”
“What does not being able to cook have to do with not being able to grill meat?”
“…”
“…Wow, that’s sharp?”
I received the tongs reluctantly.
Truth is, these days, my ‘bad cook’ persona has become serious, and I’ve been avoiding anything related to cooking.
Grilling meat is easy.
Alright, I’ll grill it nicely.
─Sizzle
“That’s it! Good job! Ogu Ogu~”
─Click!
“Seo-yoon Unni, your hairstyle today is a jackpot. It’s so pretty I need to borrow some of your looks.”
“…Are you teasing me right now?”
“No, I’m serious.”
“…Ah, stop teasing me.”
“Why are you so pretty today~?”
“Hehe… hehe.”
Yup, she likes it.
Meanwhile, the chaos resumed at the next table.
“Everyone, please pay attention!”
Chiyo Unni stood up suddenly with a cup overflowing with soda, seemingly about to give a toast.
“Until our first debut activity is over… how hard did everyone work?”
While pulling several tissues, Chiyo Unni pretended to wipe away fake tears.
“I understand. I relate…!”
If I ignore her, she’ll definitely be a nuisance again.
─Clap… Clap…
I clapped with one hand, hitting my opposite arm while cooking meat with the other.
“Eat. This one is well-cooked.”
“Ogu, good grilling~ my baby~”
“Yeah~ Unni’s baby.”
“…That sounds a bit weird?”
─Click!
“Unni, Seo-yoon Unni, stop taking pictures and eat quickly.”
“Just a moment, just a moment. Do-hee, look here for a second.”
“Oh, why…”
Do I look like I would act foolishly like the clueless Kim Seo-yoon!
“You look so pretty. How is it that you can look beautiful even in a casual shot?”
“Is that me in the photo?”
“Yeah, look at this. It has a great vibe, right? It feels like a close friend, totally thrilling. Should we sell it as a photo card? Let’s do it!”
“Hmm… I do look kinda cute there…? Hehe.”
“Hey, Jiwoo! Don’t mess around with our pictures!”
“Hey, Jiwoo! Don’t mess with us!”
“But, we! We’ve come in first place! We! Successfully wrapped up our debut activities. We couldn’t have achieved this without all of you. This glory truly belongs to our senior, So-hyun, and our members…”
“Chiyo, look over here!”
“What?”
Click!
“Chiyo looks totally like a leader~ Awesome! Awesome!”
“Of course, Woo-ah knows how to recognize Chiyo! It’s like a classic saying, ‘Chiyo is a guardian!'”
“Na-eun must be having a tough time leading.”
“I’m okay. The kids are just too cute.”
“Hehe… Everyone, raise your glasses! Kanpai!”
I casually responded while sipping on my cider.
“Cheers~”
But it was the last day of our debut activities, so everyone was in a really cheerful mood.
Even the Director downed his beer in one go and said in a good mood, “Hey kids, your settlement payment will be coming soon. It won’t be much yet, but…”
Na-eun and Seo-yoon have already seen some of it come in.
“Have you three thought about what you’ll do with your settlement money?”
“I don’t think I have anything in mind yet. I was thinking of putting it into a savings account like my New Year’s money from when I was a kid. Oh, I do want to buy something delicious for my parents.”
Our very conventional Na-eun.
“What did Seo-yoon and Do-hee do with their settlement money?”
“Me?”
Well, since I was getting paid since my trainee days, it didn’t change anything for me.
“I just stuffed it in my bank account and used my card in daily life. Seo-yoon bought a bunch of stuff.”
“I didn’t spend much, you know? Just bought some clothes, shoes, and a small refrigerator for next to my bed…”
“You bought quite a bit. Right?”
“That’s why it’s still not much. Want to pick a fight?”
Naturally, the members’ gazes turned to the next Woo-ah.
“I mean… should I just give all my money to my mom? I want to show off a little.”
Woo-ah seemed excited at the mention of settlement money.
I worriedly said, “Hmm… I wouldn’t recommend it. You need to set the expectation low from the start…”
“Hey, what are you saying about giving a path to your mom?”
“I mean… what should I say… You have to lower their expectations? You need to create a habit?”
That doesn’t sound good either…
“Anyway, I understand wanting to give it all, but if you do, they’ll naturally start to expect it next time. Not that Woo-ah would do that, but you see many conflicts with seniors. Just be cautious.”
“Yeah~ Our Do-hee is so sensible. It’s just that I’m feeling like I want to give it all.”
She pulled out her card statement.
“See? If I just put the money in the bank and give her the card, just like my mom, she’ll just know what to swipe when needed, right?”
Of course, it was mostly just small transactions totaling a few thousand won.
But there was a significant amount listed in one line.
“Oh, look. This week, she spent 1,410,000 won again. For gas, 60,000 won.”
“1,410,000…?”
“…Is that for real?”
“I know, right? She really spends a lot…”
Wait a minute, it feels like I’m putting my mom on blast here.
My mom is a kind and good person, but…
“Actually, on this day… it was while I was shopping for Do-ah’s clothes. It wasn’t mom who wore it.”
“Oh, I knew it.”
My mom doesn’t usually stretch out her hand, despite what she says.
It’s somewhat like Seo-yoon.
Since dad is the one working…
“I’ll, I’ll pay off our family’s debts.”
“Eh? Chiyo Unni, did we have debts at home?”
“…Quite a bit. A home mortgage. Mom and dad sent us allowance every month and I’m going to pay it off.”
Hearing that…
“Oh, Rai-hee is worse than Chiyo.”
“What’s different about you, Unni…”
What can I do about making my parents proud…
“If we work harder, we can make Chiyo Unni earn money… Chiyo Unni, do you want me to buy you something…? Anything you need…?”
“No thanks. Just buy me some food.”
Looking at Chiyo Unni, who coyly rejected me…
“Ugh…”
I awkwardly took a piece of meat and turned my gaze away.
I asked the director, who was quietly smiling.
“What did you do with your first paycheck, Director?”
“…Me?”
His expression isn’t very bright either.
“I… did some stock trading.”
It doesn’t seem like it was a good memory for him.
“Right, so since we’re all rookies still unsure on how to spend it, it’d be good for everyone to save for now.”
With an awkward smile, So-hyun, the director, flipped the meat and asked.
“Kids, what do you think is the most necessary ability to succeed as an idol? Do-hee, stop messing with your face.”
“Oh, Rai-hee with that…”
“I was going to mention personality…”
I may be all about looks and figure, but it’s the demeanor that highlights them.
Always putting in effort, maintaining decorum, and even having a dash of cheerful humor—this noble personality is the most beautiful part…
“That’s me…”
But nobody agreed with me, and the Unnis started sharing their thoughts.
“Isn’t it talent? Look at Do-hee. She’s a total cutie and bursting with talent.”
“I rose to fame for my star quality.”
“Of course, I’m more talented…”
Seo-yoon Unni jumped right in after looking at Chiyo Unni making a cute face.
“If it’s talent, then it’s me too~ But in the end, it’s about performance on stage. Capabilities to handle songs or something. Not that I’m the main vocal or anything~ But fundamentally, it’s vocal ability, right?”
“Tsk tsk. Who’s going to dance for you? Handling a song ultimately relies on talent. In other words, it’s about expressiveness. Rap is also about expressiveness. Ugh~”
“Oh my? Look at them talk?”
“Hey, you two, stop arguing. In the end, a noble personality like mine…”
The other two Unnis seriously responded to the director with the most fundamental answer.
“Isn’t it about the basics?”
“Yes, just like Woo-ah said… It definitely seems like it’s all about the basics.”
“Me too,” I nodded.
“I think so too.”
“Do-hee, don’t just ride along. You were just touching your face and talking about character.”
“Right? What character… You’re just being selfish…”
“Quit it with the flashy and loud ones.”
The endurance of our original intentions—that’s the basics, right?
How easy is it to get infected with star disease, huh?
“Yeah, everyone, eat while listening.”
The director, who was laughing like it was a variety show, placed a piece of meat in front of us.
“Everyone’s right. Star quality, basics, talent, character, endurance. The fact that your debut was successful is definitely thanks to your long efforts.”
Then our eyes met.
“But to say it’s solely your accomplishment…”
Definitely, as soon as we debuted, the reason we were on track was due to the good composers, choreographers the company brought in, and the concept they envisioned.
That’s the company’s creative element.
“I’m not saying that since your debut was successful, you can let your guard down. The fact that our company, Topist, helped is only part of the story in the domestic scene. The slight rise in reaction overseas this time is undoubtedly thanks to Do-hee and Seo-yoon’s existing overseas fans.”
The director poured a full glass of beer for himself.
“Some groups break records on foreign music sites, like Spotify, immediately upon debut. Seo-yoon, Do-hee, what would happen if ZY released a new girl group as the follow-up to Coral Blue?”
With Ha-rang Unni, who established her fandom with Seven, a follow-up group to Coral Blue…
“Coral Blue’s YouTube subscribers are 100 million. And since your former member Ha-rang will be part of that new group, yeah, just the spillover effect could easily make them the top among 4th generation girl groups.”
The director spoke a bit darkly.
“I’m not saying to compete. I’m only pointing out that even with a good song, the existing listener base and fandom of the company will definitely show meaningful differences.”
Then he took a sip of beer.
“Did everyone enjoy the Lunar New Year holiday?”
Hearing the positive responses, Director So-hyun nodded.
“I know you were probably looking forward to it, but it seems like you won’t really have a separate holiday now that the activities have ended.”
The fact that we got the Lunar New Year holiday during our activities was already a special favor from the director, so no one had complaints.
Just a little disappointment.
“As you mentioned, each of you has a lot to do.”
The director then talked about the schedules.
Basic vocal, dance, fundamentals, language lessons from when we were trainees, of course.
And each member’s personal plans they’d thought about.
The amount was even more than when we were trainees.
…Other groups aren’t like this.
“Do-hee and Seo-yoon will be busy with their booked personal schedules, so good luck.”
“Yep.” “Yes~”
“Okay, first, you’ll be participating in a blind test for the next comeback song… Still, you’ll need to rest a bit in place of a holiday, right?”
After thinking for a bit, Director So-hyun nodded.
“Let’s go on a trip for this self-content. Healing among the members…”
“Anyways, let’s just go on a trip and have some fun next week. That’ll be nice.”
Why is he trailing off like that?
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![[TS] Malicious Sniper](https://cyborg-tl.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1729904607-3104-TS-Malicious-Sniper.png "[TS] Malicious Sniper")
