Chapter 20: A Brief Moment of Normalcy

As soon as I stepped out of the building, a cool summer breeze greeted me.

“Phew…”

That was rough…I dragged myself over to a nearby bench and collapsed onto it with a heavy thud. It was really rough… No, honestly—

“What the hell is a Sin of the Seven…? That’s so weird…”

Greed this, greed that. What is this, middle school fantasy club? All I did was poke and prod at Jo Jeongjae’s little greed balloon to get what I wanted, but somehow, I’d ended up triggering something way bigger than expected. Felt a bit like I’d just broken the fourth wall of genres.

“Well, at least everything after that went pretty smoothly.”

Once he fell head over heels for my proposal, Jo Jeongjae couldn’t stop himself from signing every single document I shoved in his face.

“If it doesn’t get in the way of taking Kim Haram for myself, then I don’t care.”

The goal… yeah, the wording felt a little off. But I decided not to dwell on it. It’s not like I had any intention of letting myself be “possessed” or whatever. Just looking at the thick stack of papers in my hand made me feel at ease.

‘With this…’

With this, we can all finally prepare without worry.

“Haram-hyung!”

While I was sitting there for a moment, a taxi pulled up in front of the company.

“Jiwon-ah.”

It was Lee Jiwon and Go Jeongeun, back from the hospital.

“Hyung! Are you okay? Did everything go…?”

Lee Jiwon’s voice was full of concern as he rushed over. I casually unfolded the stack of documents in response with a little flick—pop.

“Uh… what’s that?”

Ah, I guess it’s hard to grasp just from this angle.

“Hold on. Let’s see here…”

Right. This one.

I picked out one specific paper from the bunch and pulled it halfway out to show them.

[Contract Termination Agreement]
[Lee Jiwon]

“It’s yours.”

Lee Jiwon’s eyes, nose, and mouth all stretched vertically in a stunned expression. Wow, your eyes are seriously huge, Jiwon.

“Hyung, how did you even… Seriously… What the… Hyung, you’re…”

Ah. A bad feeling crept in. And sure enough—

“…Seriously… Hyung, you always go way beyond anything I expect. Honestly, when you went in there, I didn’t fully believe that Jeongeun would walk out right away. I mean, come on, right? Jo Jeongjae—no, that bastard—there’s no way he’d just let Jeongeun go like that… But not only did he come out immediately, but you also managed to… to get this done… Hyung, you’re seriously… you’re really just…”

Wow, I hadn’t been hit with this in a while, and it was throwing me off. Still, somehow… it felt like we were finally slipping back into a normal rhythm. And that wasn’t a bad feeling at all.

“Um… I…”

“Hm?”

From behind Lee Jiwon, who was still rambling on, Go Jeongeun made a quiet sound. His face was covered with bandages here and there—what a sight.

“Th… Thank y—”

“No need.”

I cut him off and pulled another document envelope to the front, then slid out the contents just enough to show them.

[Contract Termination Agreement]
[Go Jeongeun]

“Got yours too.”

Go Jeongeun gasped in surprise, drawing in a deep breath. His shoulders lifted with the motion.

“Well… we’ll talk in detail later.”

You’ve got someone waiting for you, you idiot.

*****

A little while later—

“OppaaaaaaAAAAAA!!!”

“…!!!”

The moment the car even neared the dorm, before it could come to a full stop, someone bolted toward us from the front of the building—as if he’d been standing there the entire time. It was Jeongyoon. More precisely, it was Go Jeongyoon, running straight into the arms of his older brother, Go Jeongeun.

“Jeongyoon-ah… how did you… wait, how are you even—”

“Waaaahhh! Oppaaaaa!”

And at that exact moment—

Thud!

“Urgh.”

A dull sound echoed from Go Jeongeun’s body.

It was, to be precise, a body blow delivered by his nine-year-old little sister.

“Eun?”

At the unexpected thump, all four sets of eyes turned to stare at Go Jeongeun’s abdomen.

“You didn’t even pick up your phoooone!! You made Grandma soooo worried!!”

The body blows kept landing one after another. Ah, hitting the same spot again and again… that’s a bit much…

“Jeongyoon, hngh—sorry—I’m sorrrry!”

…Was he really sorry just for not answering his phone? Maybe this is just how siblings with a big age gap express affection, I thought, watching as Lee Hyunjae approached.

“You did well, Haram. Are you okay?”

As expected of the hyung, he carried himself more maturely than the other kids.

“Of course. I’m perfectly fine.”

I spread out another stack of documents.

“I’ve got tons of good news too. I’ll tell you everything once we’re inside.”

The four of them exchanged warm smiles and started heading into the dorm when—

“Waaaahhhhh!!”

“Ugh—hnghh hnghh!!”

Go Jeongeun’s beating continued for quite a while with no signs of stopping.

“…Shouldn’t we do something about that habit of his?”

“…Yeah. You’re right.”

Just then, a system window popped up in front of me with a pop.

[You have completed the ‘Sub Quest – Siblings’.]

[You have gained ‘Peace of Mind’.]

[Due to overwhelming quest performance, bonus reward distribution has been delayed. Further notice will follow.]

Geez, what on earth are they planning to give me?

‘Well…’

My gaze drifted back to the siblings still tightly hugging each other.

Not bad at all.

“So in conclusion! All of us will now be able to participate in without any issues!”

Six pairs of eyes sat quietly, focused on my explanation.

Why six pairs, you ask?

“Well, that’s good. I don’t know how you managed to butter that guy up… but nice work, Haram.”

Because Manager Woo still hadn’t returned home yet.

I mean, I did take the car and all… Now that I think about it, I feel a little bad.

“So now we can really… just focus on practice without worrying about anything else, right?”

Choi Woojin asked with eyes gleaming like stars.

“Exactly. Oh, and also—we’re moving.”

“Moving?”

Lee Jiwon repeated, puzzled, and I nodded enthusiastically toward him.

“After everything that happened, there’s no way we can keep living here.”

Everyone’s gaze briefly shifted toward Go Jeongeun, then turned away again.

Go Jeongeun gave a small bow with a slightly awkward expression.

What’s with him? Why’s he acting all timid all of a sudden? So not like him.

“Anyway. That’s enough about the past. We’re moving out as soon as possible, so start preparing little by little. I might suddenly say, ‘Let’s go,’ at any time.”

“I have a question.”

Lee Hyunjae raised his right hand as he spoke. So polite, this guy.

“Yes, Hyunjae hyung.”

“Who’s paying for the rent and moving costs?”

“Ah, that…”

I hesitated for a moment, and Choi Woojin’s eyes sharpened instantly.

“Don’t tell me it’s coming out of Haram hyung’s pocket again…”

“No, no. Definitely not. It’s not like that.”

“Then that means… we can really just focus on practicing now, right? No need to worry about anything else?”

Choi Woojin asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Exactly. Oh, and also, we’re moving.”

“Moving?”

He nodded repeatedly at Lee Jiwon, who had asked back in surprise.

“After that whole incident, how could we possibly keep living here?”

People’s gazes unconsciously drifted toward Go Jeongeun for a moment before returning.
Go Jeongeun lowered his head slightly with an awkward expression.
‘Why’s that guy suddenly acting all timid? That’s not like him.’

“Alright. Let’s leave the past behind. We’ll be moving as soon as possible, so everyone should start preparing little by little. I might say ‘let’s go’ out of the blue.”

“I have a question.”

Lee Hyunjae politely raised his right hand.

“Yes, Hyunjae hyung?”

“Who’s paying for the rent and moving costs?”

“Ah, that…”

As I hesitated to answer, Choi Woojin’s eyes sharpened.

“Don’t tell me Haram hyung is paying out of pocket again…”

“Agh, no, no! It’s not like that!”

Well… it actually was like that. But I didn’t want to make him feel pressured. Hmm… just as I was hesitating, a perfect target came into view.

“Manager Woo! So generous! He offered to help us out of his own pocket!”

“Huh?”

Manager Woo Taeyoon, who was suddenly promoted to “generous man” status despite being someone who orders delivery just to eat two meals in one go, looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

‘Just go with it, please.’

‘Ah.’

Thankfully, Manager Woo was quick on the uptake.

“Yes, exactly! Haram and I looked into it thoroughly together! We’ll take out a loan if we need to! We’ll find a place in no time!”

“Haram hyung is taking out a loan…?”

“So it’s Haram’s money again after all…”

Ugh. He figured it out not even one second after I complimented his intuition. I shot him a blazing look, and he hurriedly corrected himself.

“No, no! Totally with my own money! If I just use the savings I’ve been putting away, it’s nothing!”

“Wow! That’s amazing, Manager Woo!”

“A true model of hardworking youth in this era!”

…Wait a minute. Are you guys just saying that because you’re jealous? Especially you, you little—

*****

And so, having regained our peace of mind, we immersed ourselves in practice for several days.
The long-awaited moving day finally arrived.

Apparently, Manager Woo had already scouted out a dorm for the debut team when the company was established.

“Rock-paper-scissors!!”

“Rock-paper-scissors!!”

The true highlight of moving day: room assignments. The guys’ loud shouts echoed throughout the living room.

“Rock-paper-scissors!!”

“Aaaagh—!!”

“Let’s gooo—!”

Wow, they’re really having the time of their lives. Must be nice to be young and full of energy.

“Yesss! I’m rooming with Haram hyung!”

“Huh? Really?”

The new place was much bigger than the old one, but the room I had chosen was actually one of the smaller ones. With everyone’s agreement, I had picked a medium-sized room first, and was now watching the intense rock-paper-scissors match with amusement when—

“Why? You’re not using the big room?”

“Oh, would it make you uncomfortable, hyung?”

Well, not really. I’m just… curious.

“Hmm… I kinda feel it’s a shame that Haram hyung won’t be my roommate…”

Choi Woojin pouted slightly and glanced at me with a conflicted look, clearly gauging my reaction. His eyes practically screamed ‘If it’s okay, can we share a room?’ I couldn’t help but let out a snort.

“Sure. If you’re okay with it, let’s share again this time.”

“Hehe. Thank you, hyung.”

Thanks to that, looks like I won’t be bored again this time.

“Then what about us…?”

Lee Hyunjae looked over at Lee Jiwon—who’d lost at rock-paper-scissors just like him—and Go Jeongeun, who hadn’t participated at all.

There were three rooms left: one very large room, one decently sized, and one slightly smaller than mine.
At first glance, the most ideal setup would be two people in the big room and one in the small room.
However—

“Hmm… If Jiwoon and Jeongeun are okay with it, how about the three of us share a room?”

Lee Hyunjae smiled at Go Jeongeun, who was standing a bit apart from the rest.

“What do you think?”

Before the hesitant Go Jeongeun could answer, Lee Jiwoon spoke up first.

“I’m in. I think it’d be nice to share a room with Hyunjae hyung.”

Go Jeongeun also opened his mouth, albeit reluctantly.

“…Sure, I guess.”

“Great. Then it’s me, Jiwoon, and Jeongeun in the big room, okay?”

Lee Jiwoon walked over to Go Jeongeun and slung an arm around his shoulder. Although Jeongeun looked visibly uncomfortable, he didn’t shake him off.

“Hey, sharing a room with Hyunjae hyung is the best. He even does all the cleaning.”

“Oh… really?”

“What do you mean, ‘really’? Come on.”

Lee Hyunjae raised a fist like he was about to throw a playful punch.

Wow. Vio-lent, huh? Watching them bicker like that made the peace feel almost surreal. Had I ever been this relaxed since becoming possessed by Kim Haram?

Just then, as if to remind me that this peace wouldn’t last much longer, Soram popped up a new system window.

[Sub-Quest – “Ideal Competition” has been cleared.]

[“Be the IDOL” success probability has increased.]

[During quest progression, your actions had a significant impact on Producer Jang Yeonju’s trait awakening. Additional rewards granted.]

[You have acquired: Random Box (High Grade).]

‘Oh…’

A high-grade random box—this was the same kind of reward I’d received before for helping Woo’s unique trait blossom.

Producer Jang Yeonju’s growing steadily all on him own, huh…

It must mean that the preparations for “Be the IDOL” filming had reached a point where they met his expectations.

The actual filming couldn’t be too far off now.

The fact that I had become Kim Haram, an idol, suddenly hit me again.

“Members.”

As even Woojin jumped in and joined the chatter, the once-boisterous group suddenly fell silent.

“Let’s do our best together.”

“……”

“……”

…Huh? The silence felt oddly long.

Did I say something wrong?

“Jiwoon hyung. Did you hear that?”

“Yeah. I heard it.”

Wh-what?

“It’s been a while since Haram hyung called us his members.”

Ah?

“Yeah, it really has. I was thinking lately that he suddenly stopped saying it… Finally…”

Hyeonjae picked up the thread.

The shadows of the three began slowly moving toward me.

Guys? You’re kind of creeping me out here…

“Haram hyung!!”

Suddenly—wham!—Woojin hugged me tight.

“What the heck!!”

“Haram hyung! I’ll work hard!!”

“I will too!”

“Me too!”

Hyeonjae and Jiwoon both chimed in, creating a whole commotion around me. Ugh, it’s so chaotic!

Over Woojin’s shoulder, I spotted Go Jeongeun still standing a step away. That… that guy…

“Hey, Go Jeongeun!”

“…What.”

Look at him all blunt. Zero charm.

“You’re temporary. I’ll put you down as a temporary member for now. So do well, got it?!”

I haven’t fully forgiven you yet!

“……!”

Jeongeun’s face froze for a moment before he gave a small smile.

“Okay…”

“Wow! Jeongeun hyung’s a member too!”

Having been clinging to me just a second ago, Woojin now ran off toward Go Jeongeun.

“No, I’m—!!”

Great! And with that, I’m free!

“Wow!! That bastard Jeongeun’s a member too!!”

“Jiwoon hyung! Why are you only rough with Jeongeun hyung?!”

“Don’t care!!”

Hmm. Three tall guys tangled up like that… what a terribly indecent sight. They couldn’t see it, but even Soram, who had gotten caught up in the mess, looked pretty ridiculous, so it was worth watching.

“Yeah. Let’s do our best.”

[<Be the IDOL> Finals filming begins in: D-3]

[<Be the IDOL> Wildcard Round begins in: D-19]