Chapter 22

"Are you a friend?"

"By the way, have you all ever lived in a group before?"

The thought of living together in a dormitory was his biggest concern. He had always lived with his parents, and the idea of living with many people who were not family was daunting. Moreover, he had heard from Green that they might have to share a room with several others.

Could he endure the unfamiliarity? Would he make others uncomfortable? The worry of experiencing something he had never done before overshadowed everything.

"I live with a friend now."

Seohun said he lived with a friend from the same university. Although Seohun claimed he only slept there and spent most of his time at his friend's place.

In that case, there might not even be many opportunities for conflicts. After all, as a newly formed debut group, they would be extremely busy.

"I haven't done it, but I'm not worried."

"Ji-on, you should be worried about the people you'll be living with."

"What do you mean?"

Maximalist Ji-on was shameless. Or was he just oblivious?

"I've never lived in a group before either. Maybe it'll be fun to figure things out step by step?"

"Our members all have strong personalities. I can already picture myself suffering."

Strong personalities? Did Seohun really think of them that way?

Green, on the other hand, had a subtle strong personality. Olan and Parkha were openly strong. So was Ji-on. Come to think of it, only Seohun had a slightly different temperament. But I didn't think I was particularly strong...

"Bro, you're going to have a tough time."

Green laughed as if it were someone else's problem, teasing Seohun.

"I believe you'll mediate for us."

"Me?"

"If we had to choose a leader, who would everyone pick?"

"Green."

"Green."

"You."

The responses from Ji-on, me, and Seohun harmonized. Green naturally took the lead in practice, took care of everything, nagged, spoke logically, and had a good relationship with the company staff. The reasons for Green to be the leader were abundant.

"Accept it. The company probably thinks you're the most reliable too."

Green tried to deny the reality. Someone had once compared the leader of an idol group to the leader of a group project.

The leader's role required a heavy sense of responsibility. Long-serving idols often emphasized the importance of the leader's role. However, leading a group without conflict was far from easy, as numerous examples proved.

"Realistically, there's no one better suited to be the leader than me. It sounds like self-praise, but unfortunately..."

"I'm the oldest, so I'm passing the responsibility to you. Sorry."

"There's no rule that the oldest has to be the leader. The best person should do it, right? Seohun."

"Thanks. In return, I'll work hard to help."

"I won't refuse that."

The brothers created a warm atmosphere and eventually decided to clean the basement with cleaning tools. It was dusty from lack of use. After cleaning and getting covered in dust, we escaped the basement, washed up, and met again.

"Stylish. But it feels awkward."

Ji-on, who didn't bring any clothes, changed into the ones I lent him. I picked a white T-shirt and breathable banded slacks, but they didn't suit his style.

Ji-on preferred strong and hip fashion, fitting for a rapper. While a suit would look best on his face, his rapper-like movements and attitude made the hip-hop style fit him well.

"Iwon, do you have any other clothes...?"

I turned to see Seohun coming down after changing into the clothes I lent him. My eyes automatically scanned him from head to toe.

"It feels a bit humiliating, Seohun."

The clothes that fit me perfectly were tight on Seohun, especially around the shoulders and thighs.

"Your shoulders are so broad? I knew they were broad, but... Wait a moment. I have some loose and big clothes."

While I was picking out new clothes, Green came out after washing up. Even though he had brought clothes to change into, he decided to borrow some, perhaps to avoid feeling left out.

In any case, Green's style didn't change much. He was about the same height as me and seemed to prefer a simple and clean style, like being at home.

He wanted to dry his hair and see my room, so I showed it to him, even though there wasn't much to see. While showing my instruments to the brothers and Ji-on, I heard my dad calling softly.

"Dad is calling. The party must be ready."

"Let's go quickly."

* * *

The house was bustling. It was unusual to have six people gathered at my house, making the atmosphere lively.

Mom, who had just come home from work, was newly moved. She was surprised that her son had brought so many friends.

"Congratulations on becoming a debut group."

Although it was too early to relax until the debut, if nothing major happened, they would debut. Just being selected as a debut group was a significant achievement. We exchanged congratulations and gratitude, then blew out the candles on the cake.

Since I had never invited guests my age before, Dad might have overestimated the amount of food. A long table was filled with dishes to greet us.

The person who most appreciated the abundance was Green. The big eater seemed especially grateful for Dad's generosity.

I was about to start eating when my phone vibrated in my pocket.

It was a group chat complaining that we were only playing together. Parkha and Olan couldn't attend because they were celebrating with their families.

But maybe they felt a bit disappointed?

"Mom, Dad, can we do a video call? Two members couldn't come, so I want to show them to you."

They readily agreed.

"Seohun, call Olan. It'll make her feel like she's with us."

As soon as I made the video call, Parkha answered immediately.

Her loud voice came through the phone. Parkha chatted with my parents, and then the parents started greeting each other. It was a strange flow.

"I thought she wouldn't answer right away."

Seohun muttered. Olan didn't answer the video call immediately. After explaining the situation in the group chat and trying several times, the call finally connected.

"Olan, did you receive the congratulations well?"

Seohun, who had adapted to Olan's prickly personality, asked affectionately.

"I won't be able to see you for long and have to come back."

Olan was raised by an older brother with a significant age gap after both her parents passed away. Perhaps that's why even the cynical Olan was affectionate towards her brother.

"Olan, let's definitely debut."

Olan couldn't say anything. When she pouted, she giggled. After finishing the call with Parkha's mother, Olan smiled and greeted my parents politely.

I couldn't believe my eyes. Was her attitude really that different? I rubbed my eyes and blinked, and Green laughed loudly beside me.

"Completely different, right? In front of us and in front of her parents?"

"...Is she a split personality?"

"That's her public face. What we see is the unadorned Hong Olan. Get used to it. If you're surprised every time, Olan will tease you."

"It's too different. How can someone's expression and tone change so much!"

She could be an actress. I was still in shock even after the video call ended. If I was surprised, Olan would definitely tease me. Even thinking about it again was surprising.

After the party, I lent the guest room to the others. The guest room's bed was large, but it was too small for three guys. So, the brothers decided to sleep on the floor with toppers.

Ji-on, who got to sleep in the bed alone, was happy about it.

"Seeing him so happy makes me feel jealous. Iwon, are you going to sleep here too?"

I originally planned to sleep alone in my room, but it didn't seem bad to treat this as a practice for group living. It felt like a school trip.

Lying next to Ji-on felt strange. The idea of having friends my age at my house...

Seohun, Kim Ji-on, Nam Green, Hong Olan, Parkha. I wondered what they were if not my friends, but I hadn't truly acknowledged it until now.

Because I wasn't sure if we would all debut together. If we didn't debut together, I thought we would drift apart.

We might meet again in the entertainment industry, but there was also a high possibility that we wouldn't. I couldn't bear even that thought. So, I tried not to get too attached.

I tried to think of them as fellow trainees with the same dream. Even though I wanted to get along, I couldn't bring myself to call them friends. It was cowardly.

After the debut group was confirmed, I was happy, but I was also relieved that I could now freely become close friends. It was fortunate. Really.

"...Are we friends?"

Was it too late to confirm now? Surely, I wasn't the only one who thought of them as friends...

"Finally admitting it?"

"Huh?"

"I felt like you were keeping your distance. Am I wrong?"

You noticed. Green was perceptive, and it wasn't strange that he figured it out.

Still, I was surprised that he pointed it out so directly, and I couldn't find the words.

"I kind of understood the reason, so I didn't push it. It's understandable. But we can get hurt too. Don't forget that."

If someone I genuinely cared about kept their distance, I would be hurt too. It was my fault. I had hurt others to avoid getting hurt myself...

After the incident with Hyun Oh, I had become overly cautious about breakups and separations. Was it a kind of trauma?

"Sorry. I'll be more careful."

I couldn't promise that I wouldn't do it again. If a similar situation arose, I might still take a step back.

But if I thought about the people who would be hurt by my actions, I couldn't take that step back.

"Thanks for being my friend."

"Ugh. Is that something to be thankful for?"

"Iwon, you can say such cringeworthy things. Aren't you embarrassed?"

Ji-on shuddered, and Green laughed.

"Should I be embarrassed? I'm being honest."

If I spoke my mind honestly, why should I be embarrassed? I had no shame.

"Ha ha. Thanks for getting along with me, Iwon."

"Me too."

"Friends, go to sleep. We have to wake up early tomorrow."

Following the instructions of the future leader, Green, I quickly closed my eyes.