“Yeah, yeah. You miss me, huh? Really? Alright, I’ll definitely stop by Do-ah’s entrance ceremony! Oh, of course, I have to cover my face… Allowance? Now that you’re in middle school, I have to give you something as a commemorative gift! But don’t spend it all at once, okay? You know how to manage yourself well, right? Huh? You’re busy? It’s morning? Hey, what… are you busier than me? Hey, Do-ah. Don’t hang up. Listen to me, okay? Hey, Do-ah!”
Today, I slept well and even had a phone call with Do-ah in the morning, so my condition was better than ever.
It was just the perfect day to be up to something big.
Though spring hadn’t come yet, the last remnants of winter were still there, guarded by the cold.
I dressed in a short padded jacket, checking my outfit in the mirror, and as I topped it off with a navy beanie, I stepped out of my room.
“Do-hee~ Come eat some tomatoes.”
Na-eun Unni pointed to the bowl of fresh cherry tomatoes on the dining table.
“What about strawberries?”
“Strawberries? Sit down, sit down. I’ll wash them for you soon.”
“Huh? I was asking if you ate them all. I’m going to wash them…”
“Just sit still~”
At that moment, with a rustle of clothes, Kim Seo-yoon popped out from the next room all dressed up.
“Hey, hey! I’m not late, am I?!”
I checked the LED clock attached to the fridge that Na-eun Unni was opening.
“Ten-thirty.”
“Oh, just on time, just on time.”
I bolted for the front door.
That Unni has an individual schedule today.
“I’m off to work!”
─Bang, beep, clatter
The sound of the door slamming shut.
“But where’s Do-hee going?”
Na-eun Unni, who had placed the washed strawberries on the table, scanned my outfit.
“Don’t you have a schedule today? You were happy to have a break from lessons.”
“Huh? Oh, I just wanted to get some fresh air. I have a very simple schedule today, anyway.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, but it’s practically no schedule at all, so since I’m going out, I might just meet someone.”
I had commissioned several dance teams for the choreography of the comeback song, but I still hadn’t received the drafts.
If I had gotten them…
I would have spent all day at the practice room again.
Kim Seo-yoon probably cleared her schedule too.
Well, anyhow, from tomorrow, I have my regular MC gig for the trending songs, plus new schedules lined up, so things will get tight again until the comeback.
“But is Chiyo Unni and Woo-ah Unni still asleep?”
“I don’t know about Chiyo, but Woo-ah went to the practice room early this morning. She said she wanted to try designing some choreography herself.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. Chiyo will probably wake up later, and they’ll go to the building together for lessons.”
After munching on a couple of strawberries, I stood up.
“Why? Aren’t you eating more?”
“Diet.”
“Really…? Again?”
“How much for one hotteok?”
“Well, it’s 2,000 won for one and 5,000 won for three.”
I rummaged through my wallet and handed the auntie a 5,000 won bill.
“Okay then, I’ll take 5,000 won worth…”
Forget dieting. I was planning to snack outside, so this was just my minimum conscience.
‘How many calories could a strawberry even have?’
But man, the price of hotteok has gone up a lot. Back in my day, it was just 500 won.
“Thank you~”
Holding three hotteok, I pulled down my mask a little and took small bites as I walked.
I figured I’d burn off what I ate.
It was about 7 kilometers to my destination, roughly 10,000 steps.
A little over an hour’s walk.
Still, listening to indie songs through my earbuds kept me refreshed and entertained.
Enjoying this rare moment of walking, I hoped nobody would recognize me today…
“Excuse me…”
Turning around, I saw a girl fidgeting, looking nervous.
She looked around 20 or 21.
“You’re Do-hee, right…?”
Her words were a question, but her phone was already pointed at me as if she was sure.
I smiled, somewhat awkwardly, and put my finger to my lips in a ‘shh’ gesture.
“OMG… I really, really… totally love you…!”
I felt a mix of annoyance and disappointment, but for her, encountering a celebrity by chance could be the start of a wonderful day.
So…
“Wow, what a coincidence! I love it when people recognize me too. This must be fate, let’s take a picture together!”
“Really? OMG, totally!”
I slyly headed toward a spot with fewer people.
“And do you want to try this? It’s super delicious.”
I gave her some hotteok that I wouldn’t be able to eat while walking anyway.
I pulled my mask back up to cover my entire face and brushed my bangs down as I walked.
If I jogged a little… I shouldn’t be late for my appointment.
After running and walking for a while, I arrived at the JS headquarters.
“This place is huge too.”
Our company, Topist, had a building of impressive size.
I wondered…
Did my unni Kim Ye-eun forget I was coming, or does she still remember?
In our Seven group chat, I pretended everything was fine, so she probably forgot.
‘It’s one of the few exciting things in my daily life, there’s no way I could forget, right?’
So, today’s schedule was to do the challenge that Sara Unni had been nagging me about, together with her.
It was a bit silly since we were doing it after our activities, but the company was on board and it felt pretty legit.
‘They must be practicing their comeback song right about now, so everyone should be around.’
The important part was that it was a schedule set up secretly between me and Sara without Ye-eun knowing.
I headed toward the front, slightly lowering my mask.
“Do, Do-hee…!”
I didn’t even need to take it off.
“What’s up? Were you waiting for me?”
Sara Unni was already out in the lobby on the first floor.
I was out in the front on the first floor.
“Yeah… I said I’d come at this time… Do-hee is really good at keeping her promises…”
Sera Unni ran over and hugged me.
“But unni, your body feels a bit cold?”
“No, I’m warm now…”
Why is she so emotional today?
*
Today, I couldn’t help but smile at Ye-eun Unni’s innocence.
“Haha, where are you going, unni!”
“Kyaaa, that’s Do-hee! Run awayyy!”
Even as I chased after her playfully, Ye-eun Unni’s escape was pretty slow.
“…Bomi!”
“Yes?”
“Run away too! That guy is a demon!”
“A demon? Do-hee Unni? That’s not true, she’s really nice…”
“The reason a demon appears in the Debonaire song is… that, that girl is a… tiger…!”
“Huh…!”
What is she talking about?
“Ah, unni, come here. We said we’d have lunch with Sera Unni and Hana Unni. I’m treating today!”
“What? Is that really true…!?”
“Then~ I’ll buy you Hanwoo!”
“Kyaa!”
Even in the entertainment industry, some people just never lose their innocence.
‘When am I going to get scammed?’
More than that, what’s up with this unni acting so confident lately?
While I was thinking this, Hana Unni, who was watching and laughing from the side, asked me.
“Are you really buying us Hanwoo?”
“……?”
Is she pretending to be innocent, or what?
Geez.
*
Honestly, I had no intention of teasing Ye-eun Unni at all.
At first, it was just that I wanted Ye-eun Unni to do well.
I was just giving some advice filled with overflowing kindness, love, friendship, and humanity.
It wasn’t that Ye-eun Unni’s reactions were cute and funny.
Yup.
That’s why now that we’re not in the same group, I didn’t have too many opportunities to give advice.
Things like her usual attitude and mindset.
How to handle choreography and its points.
Vocal guides, etc.
These details were things that could only be discussed with immediate feedback when we were together.
“But… unni. Flexibility is important even if you’re not in a girl group.”
“Gyaaaa! T-Time… It hurts, it hurts…!”
“You have to do this so you don’t get hurt normally.”
I climbed onto Ye-eun Unni’s back while she was stretching her legs.
And Sera Unni climbed on behind me.
With both of our weights, Ye-eun Unni’s moans came out naturally.
A strange thrill surged.
“Yeah… this is, this is the Ye-eun Unni I know…!”
Only I understand Ye-eun Unni’s true nature…!
“Ah, it hurts…!”
“…Should we rest a bit?”
As I let her go, Ye-eun Unni shot me a glare.
“…You little pest!”
“What…? Pest?”
“Give me a poem! Make a three-line poem with ‘pest’…!”
“Ge…!”
“…a bit.”
“A bit… a lot!”
“Saeng.”
“Saeng…kin!”
“It.”
“It… Lee Do-hee!”
“……”
After a brief silence, clapping started to trickle in.
─Clap… clap clap
“Can our Ye-eun go on variety shows now?”
“Bomi admits this, Unni!”
“Oh…”
Hana Unni and the other Ailee members, Bomi, Miho, were all present.
Honestly, I couldn’t help but acknowledge the quick wit.
The content was satisfying, and I couldn’t help but admire Ye-eun Unni’s growth.
“…Phew, I’ll let it slide for the quick thinking.”
“Re… really…?”
“No.”
“Yaaah!”
Ah, my dopamine…
*
“But being in the practice room together like this brings back old memories. Right?”
Ye-eun Unni sighed without answering and slowly stood up, stretching her hip joints like she was finally warming up.
Instead, the response came from the still-hugging Sara Unni behind her.
“Yeah, it’s so nice…! Do-hee, let’s become Ailee together…!”
“Shall we?”
“Yeah…! Let’s go sign a contract with our Producer…! He said he wanted to see us…!”
“…What? Are you serious?”
I pulled down Sara Unni, who was blabbering while being piggybacked.
“Enough, get down now. My shoulders are already sore.”
“Hmph…”
It’s not like we haven’t met in a while, so why is she being so clingy?
Of course, even in the dorm, the Unnis often cling to me, saying I’m soft.
“But Do-hee, I heard you composed this comeback’s title track.”
Hana Unni asked while finishing her side stretches.
“Huh? How do you know? Who told you?”
I wanted to brag, but I decided to keep it under wraps for now.
“Seo-yoon mentioned it in the group chat. Kept nudging you while producing.”
“…Ah, Kim Seo-yoon, really. I was trying to hide it but ended up spilling. Huh… Now that this is out, can I sneak a listen to Ailee’s song? Gotta practice.”
The firm response came back.
“You’ll play it perfectly after one listen.”
“Oh… sharp observations.”
Anyway, since people were saying Debonaire and Ailee were rivals, I was indeed a bit curious.
As a listener, I was looking forward to Ailee’s songs…
“Enough of that, let’s hurry and grab lunch. There’s a hanwoo restaurant up ahead. They say the sirloin is delicious.”
“…Hanwoo? We’re eating hanwoo for lunch?”
“You said you’d pay.”
“I’ll eat well, Do-hee Unni!”
“Do-hee, before… We said we’d just be Unni and Dongsaeng, but since you debuted first with Seven… I guess it’s right to call you Senior? Thank you, Do-hee Senior!”
Ye-eun Unni also playfully wobbled closer with a feigned coy look.
“……”
What’s going on, really? Why is it like this here?
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