A few days later.
“Phew… it feels like it’s all over, doesn’t it?”
“I’m all done too.”
The day before the Rookies were about to start their intense schedule, all the members of Rookies, including me, who had come to the dormitory early due to some circumstances, had finally unpacked all our stuff and finished tidying up.
“Ugh…, that was so tiring…”
Seo Yoo-jin, who had lived a pampered life as a rich girl and had low stamina stats, collapsed immediately onto her bed right after finishing the unpacking.
It seemed like I needed to take care of her just like I did in Na Ah Ah, even in Rookies.
So I smiled and patted her head, and Yoo-jin held my hand and rubbed her cheek against it.
“Hehe, sis, our schedule starts tomorrow! Aren’t you excited?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“I feel like the other unnis haven’t finished unpacking yet. Should we lay down and rest a bit together?”
Swish!
Yoo-jin said this while lifting the blanket next to her bed, beckoning me to come in.
Her expression looked a bit sneaky, like someone with a hidden agenda.
I chuckled and shook my head, pulling her up.
“Others finished way earlier. We’re the ones who are late. So get up.”
“Eh….”
Dragging the still sleepy Yoo-jin into the living room, we were greeted by the other members, who had indeed finished tidying up long before.
“Unni!”
“Why are you two so late?”
“Hurry up and eat!”
The members had even prepared dinner already.
I exchanged a look with Yoo-jin, who was pouting, and then led her to the dining table.
Yoo-jin held my hand tightly as we walked towards the table, pouting her lips.
And the food on the table was….
“What’s for dinner today….”
“Oh, today’s dinner is poke.”
…Naturally, it was all just fresh greens.
It was really hitting home that we were starting our serious activities as Rookies, especially with the diet.
From today onwards, our Rookies would be following a meal plan prepared by a professional nutritionist, and no outside food was allowed in the dormitory.
So I sat down to eat with a gloomy heart.
“Enjoy your meal!”
“Eat well.”
Of course, the diet had various proteins like chicken breast and salmon, and it wasn’t tasteless, but…
“I feel like my soul isn’t being fed….”
In this new life, that is, in Ha Ye-rin’s body, no matter how much I ate, I didn’t gain weight.
So I had been gorging on instant noodles, frozen foods, snacks, and chocolates, all the unhealthy foods that had no nutritional value.
Maybe that’s why the poke in front of me was harder to eat than I thought.
But….
“Where did you get this poke? It’s amazing.”
“I heard it was made by hiring a nutritionist at the company?”
“Wow, insane. Even the greens are exceptionally made by big corporations?”
Unlike me, the other members were diving into their poke, claiming it was delicious.
They were already used to managing their bodies and tasting greens, having prepared to become idols for quite a while.
Yoo Seol, Park Yoo-jung, Na Han-na, and even Lee Hye-jeong, who was gradually recovering from an eating disorder, found their poke delicious and comforting.
Even Seo Yoo-jin, the picky one, munched away at her greens, as if she saw no issue with it.
I was the only one unable to adapt to the suddenly changed diet.
“Ugh….”
Especially broccoli and chickpeas were the types I didn’t even want to touch.
Sneakingly pushing them aside…
“Ye-rin?”
“…… Yes?”
I was caught by Yoo Seol, who was sitting next to me.
Yoo Seol gave me a smile that was the warmest but spoke in a tone that was colder than ever.
“You shouldn’t be picky! Don’t leave anything behind, just chew it all up.”
“But….”
“Should I shove it into your mouth for you?”
“Ugh…, I’ll eat it….”
Stab.
Though I picked it up with my fork, it was, after all, not easy to put this green monster named broccoli into my mouth.
“At least with some dressing….”
“Here you go, balsamic vinegar.”
“I don’t like that, it’s too sour….”
“…That’s it, Ye-rin. Open your mouth.”
“W-wait, unni…! Ugh, mmm…!”
In the end, I was punished for being picky and forced to eat greens by Yoo Seol.
After I was mercilessly played with by broccoli and chickpeas, and dinner finally ended…
Feeling weak from the shock, I lay on the couch in the living room when our only same-age members, Park Yoo-jung and Na Han-na, approached me.
“Unni!”
“Unni.”
“…Oh, hey. Yoo-jung and Han-na…”
“Goodness, look at how pale your face is.”
“Was the broccoli that hard to eat?”
I flinched at their remarks, which felt a bit like talking to elementary schoolers, but it was true, so I nodded.
“Phew… The diet chart says we’ll mostly be eating greens for lunch and dinner like this… I’m not sure if I can endure this hellish diet.”
“Yeah, the diet is pretty strict.”
Park Yoo-jung nodded in agreement.
Then she exchanged a glance with Na Han-na and whispered into my ear in a tempting tone, like a devil.
“…Unni, once we debut and our schedule begins, it’ll get even harder. Don’t you want to eat something special on a day like today?”
“…Something special?”
“…Follow us.”
I was pulled into Park Yoo-jung and Na Han-na’s room without knowing what was going on.
Park Yoo-jung pushed me into their room, while Na Han-na glanced around as if making sure no one was watching before she quietly closed the door.
What on earth could be special that required such a covert operation, like a spy movie?
Then, as soon as Park Yoo-jung confirmed the door was locked, she pulled out something from her bag…
“Ta-da!”
“Wha, what…! Yoo-jung…!”
It was a bundle of various snacks like potato chips, chocolate treats, and more.
I was astonished and covered my mouth, whispering to them.
“You, you guys…! What are you thinking bringing this here…!”
“Haha, that’s not all. Han-na, show her.”
“Okay.”
I was already blown away by the snacks, and to learn that it wasn’t the end…?
My heart raced as I waited to see what else Han-na would pull from her bag.
And when Han-na pulled out a brown bottle from her bag…
“I-is that… whiskey?”
I almost screamed but was stopped by the two of them.
“Shh…!”
“Unni, keep it down… If Seo unni finds out, we’ll be in big trouble.”
“…….”
Yeah, I guess so.
Since Yoo Seol had been a trainee for a long time, she was very strict about group living.
We already considered her somewhat of a drill sergeant.
If she caught us sneaking in snacks and whiskey…
“…We’d be in major trouble.”
So I let out a small sigh and asked the two of them.
“Where did you even get this alcohol?”
“Han-na said she snuck it out of her dad’s display case!”
“I took it without him knowing!”
“Yamazaki…? 18 years…? Is this Japanese whiskey? It looks pretty expensive…”
As I examined the high-end whiskey that Han-na had brought, the two exclaimed.
“Since we’re starting our schedule tomorrow, we should celebrate days like today with something special!”
“I asked our friends, and they all said they secretly drank things like this on their school trips. …Almost none of us have been on school trips. So can’t we at least recreate that feeling a bit?”
“…….”
Park Yoo-jung and Na Han-na were both 18 years old.
Just the right age to have such curiosity.
I hesitated for a moment and asked them.
“But have you two ever tried alcohol?”
“No, we haven’t.”
“Me neither. Have you, unni?”
“No… I haven’t either.”
To be precise, in Ha Ye-rin’s body, I hadn’t tried any alcohol.
But in my past life…
“I’ve drunk alone in my studio a few times.”
I had had a few moments where I couldn’t bear the loneliness and had some soju by myself.
That was it.
I knew what alcohol tasted like, and in my past life, I’d never gotten to try something as high-end as whiskey because I was poor.
That’s why I felt an unbearable temptation.
Logically thinking, as an idol, I shouldn’t engage in such reckless behavior, but…
“Hey, you’ve never had whiskey before, right? Aren’t you curious? Just one sip…”
The little devil inside me kept whispering to cross the line just once.
After a moment of contemplation, I made up my mind.
“Yeah… as much as I think about it, this isn’t right….”
Drinking might feel good at the moment, but it could interfere with tomorrow’s schedule, and it’s high in calories, likely leading to fat accumulation.
We were now idols on the brink of debut.
For the fans waiting for us, this was…
“Unni, we even brought soda! Let’s just have one highball each!”
“…Should we?”
Well, wouldn’t just one be okay?
With fine whiskey after 19 years and celebrating this monumental day, I nodded.
Then Park Yoo-jung and Na Han-na exchanged gleeful looks and whispered to me with a giggle.
“Then later tonight, I’ll text you to bring Yoo-jin to my room. We’ll just have one highball each.”
“…What about Hye-jeong unni?”
“Well, she’s stuck being quiet just because she’s sharing a room with Seo unni.”
With those words, Park Yoo-jung and Na Han-na were filled with excitement for that night.
So, we decided to hold a secret meeting in the same-age dormitory once Yoo Seol fell asleep that night.
This felt like a successful plot.
Of course…
“…What do you mean being in the same room is a crime?”
Bang!
If only Yoo Seol hadn’t been watching us with hawk-like eyes from behind.
“Se-Seol…! Uh, unni…!”
“Uh, how long have you been there…?”
“Hmm… Since you two started talking about highballs?”
“…….”
“Park Yoo-jung, Na Han-na, show me what you’re hiding behind your backs.”
At Yoo Seol’s command, the two fumbled and pulled out the hidden snacks and whiskey.
“Ho ho…”
Seeing those, Yoo Seol smiled coldly before turning her gaze to me.
“Ha Ye-rin, explain yourself.”
“W-well…”
As I stumbled over my words, Park Yoo-jung and Na Han-na looked at me with wide eyes.
Please say something good, they seemed to plead.
I had to make a choice now.
Should I persuade Yoo Seol to save my little sisters, or do I save myself?
And I chose…
“The snacks were brought by Yoo-jung, and the alcohol is from Han-na.”
“…….”
“Those two asked me to eat with them, but I firmly declined. I was just about to tell you…”
I chose to abandon my two sisters and save myself.
At my answer, the two looked at me with betrayal painted across their faces, while Yoo Seol smiled satisfied and patted my shoulder.
“See, that’s right…. Now our good Ye-rin can stay outside if she doesn’t want to get in trouble.”
“Thank you…”
“Yoo-jung and Han-na, sit here for a moment.”
“W-wait…!”
“Y-Ye-rin, how could you abandon us…!”
BANG.
I closed the door so Yoo Seol could give them a good scolding in peace.
And I let out a quiet chuckle.
“Phew.”
Living together with six people makes for such fun and noisy events.
“What other things will happen in the future?”
I couldn’t help but be immersed in that sense of anticipation.
Maybe that’s why.
“……”
The emotions that had been swirling for days started to settle.
“Just like this every day….”
Yeah…
I wished every day could be like today, not more nor less….
I thought that as I let go of the doorknob.
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