Chapter 4

Just washed, it seems, the woman, girl, woman, whatever she is, has her wet hair covered with a towel.

A coexistence of purity and sexiness. A charming face that is beautiful yet not common.

I can't help but marvel. She is the most beautiful person I have actually seen so far. The gap between her and the second place is enormous.

She should be an actress, not a singer.

"You were the first to wake up again today. You went to bed late yesterday because of practice. Aren't you tired?"

"I have to, even if I'm tired... It's been a while since we had a broadcast schedule."

"You've really grown up, Songha."

Neptune's youngest member, Songha.

According to her profile, she graduated from high school this spring. Among the Neptune members, who are all visual representatives, she stands out with her superior looks. Even when she's just spacing out, she has an air that makes her look like she's deep in thought.

Her position is sub-vocal and sub-dancer, but I need to study more about these positions. I know about football and baseball positions, but this is my first time learning about girl group positions. I didn't know they were this specialized. It's a cultural shock.

"Brother, when are we leaving?"

"We have to go by 4:30. We have 30 minutes left."

"Got it."

Her voice is good too. Since she sings, her pronunciation is naturally good, her diction is clear, and most importantly, there's a rhythm to it. It's an addictive voice that just sticks in your ears.

That's a rare quality.

If she were an actress, she would have collected all the roles by now. It's so frustrating.

Songha, rubbing her sleepy eyes, approaches me. Water drips from her hair, which is only covered by a towel. I feel an urge to wipe it off for her. Songha stops right in front of my nose.

Is this the time to greet her?

Just as I think that, Songha bows her head. Before I can return the greeting, she tilts her long, white neck to look behind me.

"Could you move a little?"

"Huh? Oh, sure."

It seems the item she needed was the refrigerator I was blocking. As I step aside, Songha opens the freezer and takes out an ice cream tub. It's labeled 'Songha's' in thick marker.

I thought only families with quadruplets did that...

"Everyone, wake up!"

Kim Hyunjo calls out again.

"The youngest is already up and getting ready, what are you older sisters doing?"

His appearance overlaps with my old self, who had to wake up four kids and send them to kindergarten and school.

Sigh... It was a war. When I woke one up, another would fall asleep on the sofa, and when I woke another, another would crawl back into bed... Damn. I need to stop thinking about the kids. I feel like a worn-out working dad, not a fresh new employee!

"Good morning..."

The door with a dinosaur sticker opens. A woman with tousled curly hair, wearing a yellow nightgown, comes out, rubbing her eyes and bowing her head deeply.

That's Im Seo-young.

She's 21 years old. Her position is sub-vocal and lead dancer. Her profile describes her as having a lovely baby face and a curvaceous body.

It's exactly as described. If you didn't know, you'd think she's the youngest. She looks like a high school student.

She's also Neptune's variety show representative. She briefly worked as a guest reporter on a cable TV show. She's the hardest-working girl trying to boost the recognition of the virtually unknown Neptune.

"Brother..."

"Yeah, wake up, quickly."

Im Seo-young, who was walking unsteadily, suddenly opens her eyes wide.

"Songha, you're gaining weight. Do you know how many calories that has?"

Songha, who was eating the ice cream standing up, glances at Im Seo-young and turns away. She continues to eat, holding the ice cream tub as if to hide it.

"Does it not show if you eat it like that?"

"It's fine as long as you don't see it."

"But it's my favorite! How can I not see it!"

"Then do you want a bite?"

"Don't tempt me! I'll gain weight!"

"Complaining from the moment I wake up..."

"Complaining to me? Wow, brother, look at her. She doesn't give in on a single word. If she were in another team, she'd be scolded for being disrespectful and would probably quit from hiding and crying. Do you know how many bad-tempered kids there are? You should know you're really pampered in our team."

The lovely Im Seo-young turns out to be the nagging representative of the house. As her nagging continues, Kim Hyunjo pushes her shoulder toward the bathroom.

"While you wake the others, take a quick shower. Do you want an apple or something simple?"

"Okay! Thanks, brother."

After finally getting Im Seo-young into the bathroom, Kim Hyunjo sighs.

"Two are done, but I have to wake the other two. Can someone get the apples...?"

"I'll do it."

I raised my hand. I'm confident in this. I found two large apples in the fridge's fresh compartment and a peeler in the corner of the sink. Soon, the thin peels are coming off in my hands.

Look at this, this. I can't help but marvel at my own skill.

Even Choi Geonyeong claps.

"It's art."

"If I add up all the fruits I've peeled, it would make an orchard."

Taking care of the snacks for quadruplets every day makes you a fruit-peeling master... I need to stop. It's too much, really.

I peel two apples, put them on a plate, and stick forks in them. Just then, the other two members of Neptune wake up. The main rapper, L.J., a blonde mixed-race girl, and the team's eldest sister, the main vocalist, the charismatic leader, Lee Tae-hee.

According to the profile...

Lee Tae-hee puts her hand inside her T-shirt and scratches her belly. Despite Kim Hyunjo's urging, she sits on the sofa and falls asleep again. L.J. is stretching in front of me while eating an apple.

"This is delicious. It's sweet."

"Eat more. If you want more, I can peel more."

Why do I feel like I'm working as a taste tester at a supermarket?

But if I were a taste tester for Barbie dolls, it would be manageable. Lee Tae-hee has a model-like slender body, while L.J. has a perfect hourglass figure, with a curvy chest, an S-line waist, hips, and legs that stretch out from under her short training pants, looking almost unreal.

Being in charge of a girl group is good. It's really good.

"Hey, leave me some apple!"

"No way."

Im Seo-young, who just came out of the shower, urgently says, and L.J. teases her with the last piece of apple. Kim Hyunjo only sighs, not bothering to stop them. In the end, I peel more apples.

While the members shower, change clothes, and get ready to go out, Choi Geonyeong and I wait like scarecrows.

Still, seeing familiar traits of my nephews in the Neptune members eases my tension, but Choi Geonyeong is still stiff.

"I really can't get used to this."

"I know. It's your first day, after all."

Choi Geonyeong covers his mouth and speaks in a low voice.

"I went to all-boys schools and a university. I don't have any sisters or female cousins."

"That makes sense."

"It does. But it's good."

"Really good."

We try hard to hide our grins.

When all four girls gather in the living room, Kim Hyunjo claps.

"Now that everyone is awake, let's introduce ourselves. We'll be working together for a while."

"What, is the manager changing again?"

"Where's Hyung?"

"He went AWOL. He even changed his phone number."

"Really? That's too much. He should have said something before quitting."

"Don't even mention his name. It's annoying."

"But I thought he would. He was always staring at legs, which was a bit off-putting."

Im Seo-young grumbles, and L.J. glances at her legs.

"Don't worry about your legs. There are so many legs here, why would he look at yours?"

"What?"

The two, who are the same age, often argue, but the leader, Lee Tae-hei, doesn't seem to want to intervene. She's a hands-off leader. And Songha has been meticulously eating the remaining apple flesh with a knife.

"The conversation is going off track again. Introduce yourselves. We don't have time."

Kim Hyunjo pats my back. I swallow and try my best to smile.

"Hello, I'm Jeong Seon."

"I'm much older than you, and my nickname is Jeong Jumma."

"Director, that's an old nickname..."

Im Seo-young raises her hand.

"Question! Why is your nickname Jeong Jumma?"

"Because I had quadruplet nephews and worked as a babysitter."

"Wow."

I didn't mean to, but the quadruplet nephews work here too. The members look at me with admiration. Is this image okay?

"And this is Choi Geonyeong. He worked with Blackout for a while."

"Hi, I'm Choi Geonyeong."

The Neptune members also introduce themselves one by one. It's just a normal greeting. I was worried they might take out their stress on the manager, but they don't seem like that at all.

Is it because they haven't become famous yet? Will they change when they do?

We decided to use informal language because they are young, but I need to prepare mentally. Seeing such beauties, and four of them, is a first for me. If they were just pretty, it would be fine, but they are overwhelmingly beautiful, which is still a bit overwhelming.

I'll get used to it eventually.

Wait. Will getting used to it make me too picky?

"Since we've introduced the new members, let's go. Get up."

Kim Hyunjo checks his watch and urges us. We all stand up.

"Is it cold outside, brother?"

"A bit. Put something on top."

The members put on coats or blankets over their slender shoulders and come out.

It was still dark outside.

It takes 30 minutes by car to the beauty salon in Cheongdam-dong. Another two hours pass while the artists work on their hair and makeup.

During this time, the managers' job is just to guard the blankets and bags and wait.

Kim Hyunjo is sleeping, Choi Geonyeong is dozing, and I'm yawning while playing with my phone. I'm collecting information on Neptune. I save good photos and watch their performances on music shows. I also download and listen to their songs.

Neptune has released four albums in the past two years. One is a full album, one is a four-track mini album, and the other two are digital singles with one track each.

They all flopped. I haven't heard any of their songs, even though they have more than ten tracks.

The title tracks don't seem bad.

Especially the latest single has a catchy chorus. The composer's name in the album info is familiar. If I know it, he must be famous.

The choreography is good enough to watch for three minutes, and the music video looks like they spent some money on it. But I can't find their songs on the charts, no matter how much I search.

Why aren't they becoming famous?

Besides good songs and beautiful faces, what else do they need? Is it luck?

There was a girl group that once dominated the nation. They were unknown newcomers, but a video that went viral on SNS made a song that wasn't even on the charts shoot to number one.

People say the song was that good, the group was destined to become famous, and those who are meant to become famous will eventually do so. But that's only because they became famous.

This isn't a rare case. Besides talent and looks, luck is also needed, right? That's really... You can't buy it with money, and you can't achieve it with effort alone. It must be tough for idol producers.

But thinking about it, it's not just idols. There are many actors who are good-looking and talented but never became famous. Even top actors who are now box office draws had long periods of anonymity... Hmm. I need to research what made these people famous.

Around 7, I went to get food. They asked me to buy something edible from the convenience store, so I brought back a lot of bento boxes and salads. That's breakfast. Judging by the looks of it, I won't be able to have proper meals while doing this job.

After the members finished their makeup, we squeezed back into the van. Today's schedule is a cable TV music show.

K-Pop Concert. Short for K-Pop Con.

My nephews are avid viewers, so I've watched it a few times with them. They all come out, sing, and leave, then come out again to dance and leave. To me, they all look the same, but my nephews can name them all, which surprised me...

The car heads to Sangam-dong via Olympic Avenue. The road is busy with morning commuters.

I yawn while looking out the window and realize it's getting light.

It's morning, right?

It feels like I've been at work for half a day, but the day is just beginning.

ⓒ Jang Woosan

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