Episode 11: Why Am I Nervous About Visiting Their Dorm?
4:30 a.m.
As I left my room to head to work, I found my dad, the Creator, sitting alone in front of the TV eating cup ramen in the early morning.
With the volume turned down low to avoid waking the family, he was in a tank top, blowing on the noodles. The sight somehow made me feel the weight of being the head of the household.
His hair even looked thinner than usual…
“Creator, you’re up already?”
“Yup. Did Creation No. 1 sleep well?”
“Didn’t wake up once—slept like a rock.”
“Good job. That’s proof you worked hard.”
“But why ramen for breakfast?”
“Had a dream about eating cup ramen and woke up. Couldn’t resist.”
“Oh, that’s valid. Can I have a bite?”
“No way. Make your own.”
“Come on, it doesn’t taste as good if it’s not yours. Just one bite…”
“There’s a code of conduct even between blood relatives. The most I’d give you is a yogurt lid. I’m pretty sure that’s written in the Five Confucian Ethics, under filial piety.”
“You’re so cold, I feel like I’m standing in the middle of Antarctica.”
“The only person in the world I’d share a bite of ramen with is your mom.”
“…You’re hitting me with that out of nowhere?”
“Love always hits like a sucker punch.”
“It’s so wholesome, it’s melting the Antarctic glaciers.”
“If you measured my love for your mom in degrees, I’d be the main culprit behind global warming.”
“Are you writing poetry these days?”
“I was a literary boy back in the day, you know.”
“What haven’t you done back in the day?”
“Not loving your mom.”
“Your sweet talk’s killing my appetite. Enjoy your meal.”
“Hoo, hoo!”
Teasingly slurping a big chopstick-full of noodles, the Creator chewed and asked,
“How’s work? Still boring?”
“Nah, it’s starting to get fun. I’m heading to a newspaper interview today.”
“When’s their album coming out?”
“No date yet. Honestly, at this rate, they might have to shut down before even releasing one.”
“They must not be very popular. But the other group you like is doing super well, right?”
I subtly scooted closer to him on the couch.
“Total opposites. Since GraceOne is killing it, the company’s not paying much attention to our kids.”
The Creator blocked my attempt to sneak toward his ramen with his arm and asked,
“What are your kids’ personalities like?”
“I need more time to know for sure, but they seem nice so far. They don’t boss me around as their manager or act superior… Honestly, they’re so down that it’s kind of heartbreaking to watch.”
“And their skills?”
“Not bad. Turns out the main vocalist won an audition show. Their visuals are solid too.”
“So why haven’t they made it?”
“The company set a weird concept for them early on. Girl groups do best with a mainstream vibe…”
“When’s payday?”
“Why the sudden shift?”
“Want a bite?”
Finally, he offered me a chopstick of ramen.
I took a delicious bite and answered,
“Next week, I think. I haven’t been here a month yet, but they said during probation it’s paid hourly.”
“Buy some thermal underwear when it comes.”
“It’s almost summer. What thermal underwear?”
“Then how about replacing the air conditioner?”
“First paycheck’s definitely for thermal underwear.”
“That’s my boy.”
“I’ll never forget the grace of being raised with cost-efficiency in mind.”
“Material things, lightly.”
“Love, grandly.”
“What parent would ever skimp on their kid? But don’t forget, you went to college debt-free because of the art of cost-efficiency.”
“I know, I know. Thanks to you and Mom investing wisely, I could blow all my part-time job money on fangirling.”
“What time do you have to be at work?”
“6 a.m.”
“I’ll drive you. Since I’m up early, I might as well head to work too.”
“Oh, thank you!”
“Twelve thousand eight hundred won.”
“…When did you start the meter?”
“Huh? Of course I started it when you got in.”
“Man, if I knew this was gonna happen, I’d have taken the subway. You said you’d give me a ride!”
“And I did. Swipe your card.”
“Wow, you’re a real hustler, driver.”
“I’ve got three mouths to feed, so I’m out here grinding.”
“Alright, make bank and get rich. I’ll pray hard for you.”
“Have a good day, sir.”
Beep.
Taking a taxi to work on my measly salary?
Arriving at the company, I headed to the office while calling Seung-ah.
–Hello…
“You up? I just got to the company.”
–The others are still sleeping. I’m the only one awake.
“Get ready and come out. I’ll wait in the car.”
–Just come in.
“Nah, I’m good.”
–You need to wake the others while I shower. Otherwise, we won’t make it on time.
I’ve never been inside their dorm before.
Sure, it’s not weird for a manager to go into an artist’s dorm, but the thought of entering a place where girls live made me feel inexplicably shy and nervous.
It’s too early to ask Team Leader about it…
“Uh… okay.”
–I’ll send you the front door code via text.
“But is it really okay to just walk in? They’re not, like, in their underwear or anything, right?”
–It’s fine. They’re all in pajamas.
“Alright, got it.”
Come to think of it, have I ever been to a girl’s house since hitting puberty?
Not since elementary school, if memory serves.
Guess that means never.
From the outside, the dorm looked decent enough for three people.
It’s a two-room villa near the company. According to Team Leader, the rent is 1.2 million won a month.
Monthly rent: 1.2 million. Three meals a day, occasional salon visits costing over 100,000 won per person per session, plus outfit rentals.
Until two months ago, they were getting regular vocal, dance, acting, and beauty lessons.
Production and operational costs are typically split 50-50 between the company and the artist.
Even so, just by existing, each member is racking up about 1 million won in debt monthly.
That’s just the basic expenses I roughly calculated.
It’s said that a five-member girl group spends around 500 million won from training to debut album.
Considering Free Sense’s albums and activity period, their actual debt is likely much higher.
No wonder the company sees Free Sense as a money pit—the more they’re active, the more they lose.
Jin-ah, who joined later, has less debt, but Seung-ah and Ah-hyun, who’ve been with the company for over five years including their trainee days, might each owe tens of millions—or even hundreds of millions—of won.
They’d have to grovel in gratitude if the company quietly terminates their contracts.
In hindsight, if VIP Entertainment hadn’t signed GraceOne, I can’t imagine how bleak Free Sense’s remaining contract period would’ve been.
GraceOne may have sidelined them, but in a way, it’s thanks to GraceOne that they can leave the company without major drama.
Beep-beep-beep-beep, buzz.
I entered the code Seung-ah sent, passed through the first-floor security door, took the elevator, and arrived at their fifth-floor dorm.
Standing in front of the door, about to punch in the code…
“Goddamn, why am I so nervous?”
Even if I don’t have any ulterior motives toward the Free Sense girls, my male hormones are apparently reacting against my will.
Or maybe it’s not hormones—maybe it’s just because I’ve had so little interaction with women outside my mom and Creation No. 2.
Not that I’m a total loner or anything…
But my nerves and excitement shattered within seconds.
Ding-ding-ding-ding, click.
“What the hell is that smell…?”
Instead of the fragrant aroma I’d imagined from a girls’ home, an unpleasant stench hit me right at the entrance. What’s causing it?
Suspect number one: a garbage bag by the shoe rack.
Suspect number two: the kitchen sink to the left of the living room.
“Whoa…”
How many days has this been piling up? The sink was overflowing with unwashed dishes and disposable plastic containers.
This was the source of the foul odor—food waste.
It reminds me of my friend’s place near university when he lived alone.
“What are these girls doing…?”
I heard water running from what must be the bathroom, suggesting Seung-ah was showering.
I knocked on the door to announce my arrival.
“I’m here.”
“Okay!”
“Who should I wake up first?”
“Jin-ah!”
“Got it.”
I opened the door to the smaller room first, finding an empty bunk bed and a two-tier clothing rack.
The bed was piled with clothes instead of people, suggesting this was the room used by former members, now turned into a wardrobe space.
It’s a mess, but at least it smells okay in here.
I turned to the larger room and opened the door.
A bunk bed was set against one wall.
The bottom bunk must be Seung-ah’s.
Ah-hyun was fast asleep on a latex mat on the floor.
I’m well aware that girls might go braless at home, so the bra by her pillow didn’t faze me.
The top bunk, draped with a curtain, seemed to be Jin-ah’s spot.
I climbed halfway up the ladder and carefully pulled back the curtain.
Jin-ah, possibly stirred by my presence, was staring at me with half-open eyes.
“Oh, you’re awake?”
“…”
“Seung-ah asked me to wake you…”
“…”
“…You’re not sleeping with your eyes open, are you? Because your pupils are way too focused on me for that…”
“…”
What the hell, that’s creepy.
She’s actually sleeping with her eyes open.
Why is even her sleeping so weird?
With her jet-black hair and pale face, it’s downright eerie.
It reminds me of those creepy Japanese dolls…
“Jin-ah, snap out of it. You’re not in that world anymore. You belong here, in reality. Don’t you want to keep being a singer?”
I raised my voice a bit, but her half-open eyes didn’t even flicker.
Instead, Ah-hyun woke up.
“Uh… what’s going on…?”
“Seung-ah asked me to wake you guys.”
“Oh… you scared me…”
“You can get up first then.”
“No, I’m number three today…”
“Oh, there’s an order?”
“Yeah… we play rock-paper-scissors, and the winner gets to sleep in last…”
Her voice, hoarse from sleep, had a scratchy charm that tickled the ears.
“But does she always sleep with her eyes open?”
“Pfft, yeah…”
“Ugh… that’s creepy. I’d freak out if I saw that at night.”
“Hehe, unnie and I nearly died of fright the first time we saw it. We thought she was possessed because she wouldn’t wake up.”
“Jin-ah, get up.”
“That won’t work. You have to grab her chin and shake her or slap her cheeks.”
“That much?”
“Ugh, I need more sleep… Wake me up after Jin-ah showers. I washed my hair last night, so I just need a quick rinse…”
“Alright.”
Grabbing her chin or slapping her cheeks is a no-go.
I gently shook Jin-ah’s slender arm and raised my voice.
“Jin-ah. Let’s get up.”
Not only did she not budge, but she started giggling like she was talking in her sleep.
After a few more shakes, her hazy gaze finally sharpened, and her eyelids gained strength.
Still smiling, she looked at me and spoke.
“Oh. Hyun-jong-ssi.”
“Get up. Seung-ah’s in the shower.”
“Wow. That’s wild. I was just. Dreaming about you.”
Uh, what?
She was smiling because she was dreaming about me?
Why am I getting flustered…
“You got sliced in half by a giant stag beetle’s pincers, all nice and clean. Your guts spilled out. Guess what they were?”
“Guts are guts.”
“Nope. Pikachu katsu. Pfft, hahaha!”
“That’s funny to you…?”
“I’ll draw it for you later. Heh, haha!”
That damn stag beetle and Pikachu katsu again…