Chapter 19

The first day ended with a fantastic serving of pork belly.

It was a really enjoyable time as our musical tastes matched well, but unfortunately, the work progressed sporadically.

It was due to our individual schedules.

We had our own lessons, and Senior Jang So-won was busy working on the OST for an upcoming drama.

Despite the busy schedule, whenever we met, we worked happily.

"Take a listen."

The acoustic guitar in the studio.

I picked up the guitar, which had become familiar in my hands, and strummed the strings.

My hands moved freely, following the melody progression I had been thinking about every night before bed.

At first, my younger brothers were amazed, as if they were watching monkeys at the zoo.

"Bro, you can play the guitar now?"

"I've always known how to play."

"You keep showing new abilities when we least expect it."

But now, they listen to my playing as if they are used to it.

They nod their heads or tap the rhythm.

Jang So-won also listens to the melody I added, with her eyes closed and focused.

After I finished playing, I asked.

"How about if we do the top-line melody like this?"

"It might work. Give it a try."

The guitar was then passed to Jang So-won, and she immediately played the melody I had created, transforming it.

Of course, it was much better than what I had made.

She really is a pro.

Every time I see her copy and transform my melody so quickly, I can't help but be amazed.

* * *

February 2014.

It was the evening before the release of Jang So-won's album, which included "Something."

It was a Sunday, the only day of the week when we could relax in the evening at our dorm, so the atmosphere was relaxed.

It was like inmates in a prison taking a break.

Or rather, why do I keep thinking about prison?

I shook off these stray thoughts as I turned on the internet on my smartphone. When I typed in 'NewBlack,' the results appeared immediately.

-Jang So-won, New Album 'Wishful Thinking' Imminent

-'Something,' a Collaboration with Newcomer 'NewBlack'

-Who Are the Newcomer Boy Group 'NewBlack' Collaborating with Jang So-won?

There were many articles, but most of the content was repetitive, so in essence, there were only about 3-4 different ones.

Most were promotional materials released by Hwa Entertainment or our company.

There were no comments, of course.

If there were any, they would probably be something like, "Go So-won, fighting," or something along those lines.

I felt a bit disappointed that there wasn't much content about NewBlack.

I hoped it would go well.

After putting so much effort into thinking about how to arrange the melody every night, I really hoped the song would achieve some success.

Wait, is it too greedy for a newcomer to hope for success?

No, with Jang So-won's name value, it could do well?

My thoughts were complicated.

While I wanted to win the lottery without buying a ticket, I naturally felt more humble as the release approached.

It seemed like I was subconsciously setting up a defense mechanism to avoid disappointment.

Ah, whatever.

I turned off my smartphone and lay down on the living room sofa.

While staring blankly at the ceiling, a sweet and delicious smell wafted from the kitchen.

Chicken galbi.

The smell spread every time Be-ju, wearing an apron, stirred the pan with a spatula.

"It smells good."

The youngest, who was sweeping with a mop, grinned.

"Good, right?"

"Yeah, really good."

"Our dad said he sent the best chicken from his stock for us to eat together."

The chicken galbi Be-ju was cooking was actually sent by Ji-ho's father a few days ago.

There was so much that it filled the refrigerator.

There were different parts like breast and wings, enough to last us for a year.

"Ji-ho."

"Yes?"

"What does your dad do?"

"He runs a chicken restaurant."

"Isn't it hard for him to run a business these days? Is it okay for him to send us so much?"

"I don't know."

The youngest shrugged.

"Dad will figure it out."

I shook my head at his naive response.

He still has a lot to learn.

His father is working hard to support him.

Ji-ho's parents are also very devoted.

With three older sisters and him being the only son, it's not hard to guess.

A T-shirt with a designer logo and expensive watch.

The youngest, wearing these, was sweeping with a mop.

Thud!

Something flew onto my face as I lay on the sofa.

"Ah!"

I was startled and found it was my underwear.

"What? Who is it?"

"Who else could it be?"

"Lee Hyuk?"

Lee Hyuk, sitting next to a mountain of laundry, looked at me with a disdainful expression.

"Hey, mister."

Lee Hyuk, who was sitting next to a pile of laundry, tapped the floor.

"Why did you suddenly stop folding laundry? Stop slacking off and come fold some more."

"I am folding."

"Really?"

"I'm doing my best, in my own way."

Lying on the sofa, I picked up a piece of laundry with my left hand and raised it.

Then, with my right hand, I caught it and folded it lightly.

Lee Hyuk seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Do you really think that's folding laundry, lady? I'm speechless. Are you folding clothes like that?"

"Yeah."

"Have you never done housework before?"

"I've done a lot."

"But why do you fold laundry like that?"

"If it's not important, it's better to do things casually for your mental health. What's the point of folding clothes? You're going to wear them again, right?"

I picked up another piece of laundry with my toes.

"Disgusting, really."

"There are important things and unimportant things in life, Lee Hyuk."

"Huh?"

"Practicing singing makes you a better singer, and practicing dancing improves your dance skills, right?"

"Right."

"Improving your skills makes you perform better on stage, and performing well on stage gains you more fans. More fans mean more popularity. Isn't that right?"

"Then what?"

"Practicing singing makes you a better singing idol, but folding laundry diligently makes you a better laundry-folding idol. And that doesn't help our career. So, it's about choosing and focusing, that's what I'm saying."

Lee Hyuk, following the logic of my argument, came to a conclusion.

"You just don't want to fold laundry, right?"

"Exactly."

"You're completely different from how you are in the practice room."

Lee Hyuk, who didn't like the way I folded, was refolding the laundry.

He folded it with the precision of a craftsman, not allowing a 1mm error, and when cleaning the bathroom, he didn't leave a single speck of dust.

He really lives a tough life.

Stretching, I got up from the sofa.

I was going to taste the almost finished chicken galbi.

Just as I was about to pass by, I saw Lee Hyuk struggling with how to fold a particularly difficult piece of clothing.

"Give it to me."

"Huh?"

Exactly 3 seconds.

Recalling the days in the training camp when I folded clothes neatly to earn bonus points, I folded the clothes.

And I handed it to him.

"…What?"

Lee Hyuk looked at me with a blank expression, and I smiled at him.

From behind, I heard a mumble, "What, how did you do that?"

I passed by Lee Hyuk, who was studying the clothes I folded as if they were a competitor's product, and the youngest, who was lazily sweeping, and went to the kitchen.

"Almost done?"

"Bro, you came just in time."

Be-ju greeted me warmly.

"It's almost ready, so just give it a taste. Want to try it?"

"Sure."

As I happily agreed, Be-ju handed me a spatula.

It was an impeccable taste.

I nodded and gave a thumbs up, and Be-ju turned down the heat.

"Ji-ho."

"Yup?"

"Go wake up Jung-hyun."

Jung-hyun, with his messy hair, finally appeared, and we all gathered around the makeshift dining table in the living room.

There was no actual dining table.

Or rather, the room was too small to fit one.

While eating the chicken galbi, we all marveled at the taste.

"How is it?"

Everyone was busy praising the chef.

Be-ju, feeling proud, and the son of the ingredient provider, also feeling proud.

While chatting about trivial matters during dinner, our conversation shifted to the events of February.

"Wow, our youngest is graduating from middle school."

Be-ju was amazed.

"Time really flies."

"Really, when I first met him, he barely reached my waist, but he's grown so much."

"Don't exaggerate, bro. He was already pretty tall back then."

"Right, Jung-hyun was also shorter back then."

"Only by 2-3 cm."

I quietly ate the chicken galbi, not knowing much about the past.

Our youngest, who is 17 and already 175 cm tall.

His face is still young, but his body has grown quite a bit.

"Now Ji-ho is taller than Lee Hyuk."

"Ah, Be-ju bro!"

Everyone laughed at Lee Hyuk's reaction, as if he had lost his appetite.

But it's true.

Maybe because of his build, he now looks slightly taller.

I asked.

"How tall are the two of you?"

"I'm 175 cm."

"I went to the health center yesterday and measured 174.6 cm."

"Huh?"

Jung-hyun, who had been inhaling the chicken galbi, stopped.

"No, Ji-ho is taller."

"Aren't you 175 cm?"

Lee Hyuk cleared his throat in response to my question.

Seizing the opportunity, the youngest asked.

"Then stand up and measure, bro."

"No way."

"Then I'll consider you the taller one."

"Ah, stop it. What's the point of arguing over height, Jung-hyun?"

I extended my fist, and Jung-hyun smiled and bumped it.

The other two, excluding Ji-ho, looked like they were ready to start a rebellion with steel rods.

Be-ju looked betrayed.

"Really unfair, Kim Jung-hyun."

"Shortest one."

"Do you not want to eat the chicken galbi, Ji-ho?"

He was supposed to graduate high school and enter Cyber University with us, right?

A school he enrolled in because of the military.

While the two of the same age were bickering, I spoke to Ji-ho.

"Right, Ji-ho."

"Yes?"

"What do you want as a graduation gift?"

"Me?"

Ji-ho thought for a moment and said.

"Instead of a gift, I hope our song does well."

"Me too."

"Now that the release is tomorrow, it will do well, right?"

"Who knows."

The others, who had suddenly become quiet, were looking at me as if I were a fortune teller.

Shouldn't we ask Manager Jo Gyu-hwan about this?

"Clear your mind."

"I can't."

Be-ju laughed.

"Because I keep having a compensation mentality."

"Whether it does well or not isn't up to us. The best song Jang So-won ever made, 'Sunflower,' only reached the 30s on the charts, right? Honestly, just making it onto the charts would be a huge success."

Honestly, it's impossible.

The chart rankings go up with streaming, but neither we nor Jang So-won have a fanbase that can stream 24/7.

I don't know about the title track, but it might be difficult for our song, which is the third track on the album.

Well.

If we get a sudden stroke of luck, who knows?

"Huh?"

The youngest, who was looking at his smartphone while eating, suddenly shouted.

"What?"

"What's wrong?"

"Bro, look at this."

Ji-ho showed us an internet article on his smartphone.

We all widened our eyes.

The reason was that today, the day before the release, a bombshell issue had erupted in the entertainment industry.