Chapter 15

"New Black?"

"Why."

Seokhwan hyung tilted his head.

"Is there a problem with it?"

"No, not really."

There was no problem.

I just wondered if it was okay to use a name we roughly came up with based on the writing on my clothes as the official team name.

"It might be sudden, but after the year-end evaluation, the CEO went to a fortune teller for the first time in a while."

"A fortune teller?"

"Yeah, when asked what the name of the new boy group should be, the fortune teller said it should be New Black. He said it felt good."

Who decides a boy group's name at a fortune teller's place?

I was flabbergasted.

But when the team name that the CEO and company employees had thought of came out of Yoon Seokhwan's mouth, we changed our minds.

"There were several other options. I'll read a few. First, Guardians. It means protecting the fans."

"......"

"Flying Angels. Short for FAG."

"......"

"Hot Boys. The point is to emphasize the last sound to avoid confusion with Voice and Boys. Oh, this one was rejected halfway through."

"......"

"Let's see. There was also Black Hole. It means that once you fall into their charm, you can't escape, like a black hole."

Our faces paled with each name Yoon Seokhwan read.

How has this company not gone bankrupt yet?

No wonder they seemed unusual even back when they had Lemon Boys.

When the explanation was over, we desperately squeezed out our voices.

"New Black sounds really good."

"Agreed."

"Upon second thought, it's like a gem."

Yoon Seokhwan chuckled.

"See, New Black is the best, right?"

"Yes."

"Even if the name doesn't feel right, it's not that important. Once you become famous, no one will care if the name is weird. Look at the Americans. They can't even pronounce Dostoevsky, but they still use it."

We nodded at his logical argument.

And so, New Black officially became our debut team name.

Yoon Seokhwan seemed to have an amusing thought.

"Isn't that you guys?"

"What do you mean?"

"The fortune teller said something strange because the CEO gave him a generous tip. Just listen for fun."

Yoon Seokhwan said with a smile.

"The fortune teller said that if you use the name New Black, you'll achieve great success. He said you'll become the most famous boy group in the world."

We laughed at this.

Because it sounded completely absurd.

* * *

That Sunday.

I dragged my suitcase through the alleys of Gangnam.

Before long, my destination came into view.

A four-story villa.

I heard that our new dorm was room 301 here.

"Can't believe there's no elevator in this day and age."

My body ached with each step up the stairs under the weight of my luggage.

Ah! If I succeed, I'll move to a place with a top-notch elevator using my own money. Really.

Finally, I reached the third floor.

I pressed the door lock code and opened the door to find a space that was wider than expected.

Not bad.

I smiled contentedly, thinking it was spacious.

But something felt off.

Wait a minute. This isn't spacious at all...

I was flabbergasted as I looked around the dorm, but it was just as I saw.

The living room and the bathroom.

That was all there was.

There was a bedroom, but it was hard to call it a room.

Three double-decker beds were crammed inside, and I could almost hear the CEO's voice in my ear.

Haha.

Joo, if you want to get out of here, succeed.

"......"

The floor was littered with sawdust because the furniture had just been installed.

When I lifted my foot, feeling a bit uncomfortable, the bottom of my socks had turned black.

"I need to clean this."

Is there any way to avoid it and leave it to the kids?

I seriously considered it but gave up.

It'll be fine if I just do it roughly.

I turned on my smartphone and found the best angle to take a selfie of the living room, using the skills I had honed over years of taking selfies.

Then I sent a message to my grandmother.

Me [Grandma~ This is our dorm]

I sent a photo where the living room looked nice, carefully selecting the best shot to reassure her in case she was worried.

A reply came immediately.

KingGodKimDeoksoon [It looks good]

KingGodKimDeoksoon [You'll have to work hard though]

Me [What?]

Me [Is there a grandma who wants her grandson to suffer? That's not our grandma, right?]

Me [Give me back our grandma, Kim Deoksoon]

The reply to my playful message was short.

KingGodKimDeoksoon [You're crazy.]

"Wow, that's too much. Really."

Is this really our grandma?

I sent a protest message, but no reply came.

A cool read-and-ignore, I guess.

But at least sending a photo would ease her worries. Thinking this, I felt relieved.

I switched the chat window and entered the group chat.

【Seon Woo Joo and His Minions (5)】

Me [I've arrived!]

Me [Where is everyone? Are you on your way?]

The number 4 in front of the messages started to disappear one by one.

Kim Jung Hyun [I'll be a bit late]

Seo Ri Hyuk [Ekkung, I'm on my way]

Me [What's with that weird tone?]

Seo Ri Hyuk [Dehehe..]

I blinked, wondering what this was about, when the chat window filled up.

Seo Ri Hyuk [Wang Ji Ho | Manneir]

Seo Ri Hyuk [I didn't type that]

Seo Ri Hyuk [I'm really pissed]

Wang Ji Ho [Hahaha]

Wang Ji Ho [It was me, hyung]

Wang Ji Ho [We're on the bus, hahaha]

It seemed Ji Ho was playing a prank with Ri Hyuk's phone.

After reading the reply that it would take about 30-40 minutes, I looked at the 1 that remained in front of the message and tilted my head.

That's strange.

Usually, Biju would be the first to read and reply.

Just as I was wondering about this, I heard the door lock being pressed.

"Ugh!"

A face glistening with sweat appeared.

A decent height and a lean build.

A boy who looked like a young scholar sat down at the entrance with his luggage in both hands.

"Wow, I thought I was going to die, hyung."

"If it was too heavy, you should have called for help."

"What? Why would I do that? I can carry it."

"Anyway, you must have had a hard time getting here. A glass of water... Oh, right. There's nothing in the fridge."

"I brought it."

Biju rummaged through the mart plastic bags and pulled out a bottle of water.

"Let me find some cups in the kitchen."

"It's okay."

"You brought those too?"

This time, a box of paper cups came out of the plastic bag.

I was genuinely impressed.

"You're really well-prepared. Really."

While Biju slowly drank the water, I looked at the mart bags.

"Why did you buy so much?"

"The manager said there were only beds and a fridge in the house, so I stopped by a nearby mart."

"What's this?"

"Mold remover."

"And this?"

"Deodorizer. I'll put it in the closet and shoe rack."

I whistled, seeing that he had even brought cleaning supplies that we needed.

You're really good at housekeeping.

As I watched Biju neatly organize the cleaning supplies by type, I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.

"What did you buy this with?"

"This? Of course, I bought it with my own money."

"Show me the receipt."

"Why?"

"Because we need to split the cost."

"Ah, it's fine."

Biju waved his hand with a smile.

"Since we'll all use it, it's fine."

"Even if we all use it, it's not right for you to pay for everything."

"But hyung, since I bought it on my own, isn't it a bit much to ask the others to pay?"

"No, it's not."

I said firmly.

"Show me the receipt."

"......It's fine."

"If you get used to losing money, it'll be a big problem later."

How do you plan to survive in society being this nice?

I posted a photo of the receipt and the amount to be deposited in the group chat.

I was about to tell him to take a photo of his account number and post it when I met his gaze.

"Why?"

"Ah, I'm just curious."

"About what?"

"Our sister always says that."

"Really?"

I smiled and asked, then gave Biju a rough tour of the dorm.

After finishing the tour, Biju expressed a similar sentiment to mine.

"It reminds me of a movie I saw with Jung Hyun recently."

"What movie?"

"The Shawshank Redemption..."

"A prison movie?"

"Yes..."

We laughed for a while, but by the end, it was hard to tell if we were laughing or crying.

A funny yet sad situation.

As we inspected the cramped dorm, we started making a list of things to clean.

"Are you going to start right away?"

"No, we need to wait for the others."

With a calm smile, I also put on a warm expression.

Yeah.

We should all do this together.

While pondering who should do what on the cleaning list, the slaves started arriving one by one.

"We're here!"

Our always lively maknae.

"Wow, what kind of stairs are these..."

Ri Hyuk, who entered with a dazed look, put down his luggage and sat down.

Ri Hyuk, who took the bottle of water Biju handed him and drank it like it was life-saving water, looked around the dorm.

Then he showed the same reaction as the maknae.

"Is this all the dorm?"

"Yeah."

"......"

"It's not bad if you look around."

I had never seen this kid at a loss for words.

I patted the maknae, who looked as if he had lost his country.

There was only one thing I could say.

"...Let's succeed."

* * *

Human adaptability is truly remarkable.

The New Black prison, which I thought I could never adapt to, became like home after a few days.

I got used to Jung Hyun's snoring every night and Ri Hyuk's mumbling of 'I'll escape' in rhythm with it.

And the maknae, who always woke everyone up by saying, "Hyung, are you sleeping? If you're not, play with me," and then fell into a deep sleep himself.

We all adapted to the dorm.

After a few days, we developed a routine for our morning activities in this prison... no, dorm.

"Yawn."

In the early morning.

As usual, I yawned and came out to hear clattering sounds from the kitchen.

Biju, who always woke up first and prepared breakfast.

"Did you sleep well, hyung?"

"No."

I shook my head.

"Jung Hyun snored a lot last night."

"It was really bad."

"I couldn't sleep at all. Really."

"Me too."

"I was defusing a bomb in my dream last night and cut the wrong wire. It exploded, and I woke up to hear Jung Hyun snoring from the second floor."

Biju chuckled.

After putting the water bottle back in the fridge, I poked my head into the kitchen where Biju was in the midst of cooking.

"What are you doing?"

"Making toast."

Most of the cooking was simple, but making five servings every day was quite a task.

"Is there anything I can help with?"

"Just set the plates."

"Okay."

When I laid out the plates in the cramped living room, another member would wake up around that time.

"I'm up."

The maknae, who opened his eyes groggily and plopped down on the living room sofa.

It would be better if he just slept.

He repeatedly opened and closed his eyes, nodding his head.

The member who sleeps the most but wakes up so well is all because of breakfast.

"Ji Ho."

"...Hmm? Yes?"

"Just go back to sleep."

"No, I can't. I need to eat a big piece of toast."

At this point, it's quite a determination.

When Biju brought the frying pan to distribute the food, this kid would look at it and take the biggest piece.

"Wait and don't eat. I'll wake the others."

While the maknae and I drooled over the toast, Biju went to wake the others.

Who would wake up first was obvious.

"I'm not eating, hyung."

Seo Mo, the main vocalist with a short palate, who always skips breakfast, went straight to the bathroom.

Biju's disappointed expression.

When Jung Hyun, who had just barely woken up, joined us, the four of us having breakfast became our daily routine.

Rumble-

Jung Hyun looked up at the ceiling and said nonchalantly.

"Looks like the upstairs toilet is flushing."

"Yeah."

A dorm where the sound of the upstairs toilet flushing could be heard.

This was also part of our daily routine.

-Oh, that too.