As I stood up abruptly, the blanket that was covering me slid down.
Whose blanket is this, anyway?
"Ah, you seemed to be cold, hyung, so I was going to put a thin blanket over you. But all I could find in the moment was the thick one on my bed, so I just brought this."
"Hyunggg! Are you awake? Do you have a sore throat?"
Mmh, I see. It was Oh Rion's blanket.
I shook my head and sat down next to Park Jitae.
So what the heck is happening?
"Um, what's up with that camera?"
I asked in confusion as I stared at the camera that was fixed right in front of me, pointing in my direction.
"Apparently we'll be filming a reality show starting today. The program director and Chief came early in the morning to install cameras around the house, and left as soon as they told us when it would be broadcasted.
"Oh… is that so?"
Shit, this is real. Hahh, who the heck films a reality show without even discussing it beforehand?
I sat on the couch and basically gave up.
That's right. Since it's a reality show, so they'll edit this out.
There's no way that they'd just broadcast this without even editing.
—ding-dong!
The doorbell sounded across the quiet living room.
"Huh? Who could it be?"
"Not sure."
"Did someone order food?"
"It's too early for delivery, stupid."
"I'll get the door."
In order to avoid the cameras in the living room for at least a little while, I approached the source of the doorbell that was ringing repeatedly. Through the intercom, I saw a figure of a man with plain clothes and a baseball cap that covered his face standing there. I picked up the receiver of the intercom.
"Who's there?"
— iridescent's mission card has arrived.
The man in the intercom left a brief answer and disappeared after placing a red envelope on the floor in front of the door. I returned the receiver to its place and walked towards the entrance. I opened the door and carefully looked around, finding no trace of people other than the lone envelope on the floor.
Hmm, so what could this be?
I picked up the envelope and closed the door. I fiddled with the envelope before finally opening it.
「iridescent's Debut Project!
First mission D-12
In order to get to know the members better before the debut, pick a location that relates to the precious memories of how each of the members came to be where they are now.
P.S. Explain why you chose your location.」
This is bullshit. I never had to film this in the past.
"Suan-hyung, who was it?"
I hadn't noticed Oh Rion standing beside me until he asked me, glancing at the mission card.
"Seems like our reality show has ongoing missions."
"Oh, you're right. It says 'first mission' over here."
"Yeah. But what are we supposed to do at the location that relates to our precious memories?"
"Wouldn't it be taking photos?"
Would that be the case? Where would be my special location?
I sank into my thoughts as I listened to the members. Was there even a location that was special to me?
"Hyunggg, who was it? Was it food?"
"Suan, you're going to fall if you walk around blankly like that."
"Hey. Sit here. You're gonna hurt yourself again."
Park Jitae pulled me in by my wrist while still sitting down on the couch. I nodded and sat back down beside him.
"Suan-hyung was holding this. Apparently it's the mission card for our reality show."
"Do we have to go to the place that holds our memories?"
"Yeah, seems like we have to go to where we think is the setting of our precious memories."
"Let's write it down on a piece of paper amongst ourselves and decide where we're we'll go first."
"Yes. I'll write."
We gathered around the living room table and pondered over the mission.
"Since Suan was the one who brought the mission card, would you like to start?"
I have no such thing as a precious memory.
"I'll go first."
"Okay, okay. You can go first then, Rion."
"Seo Yoon-hyung should go next. As the leader, you should be our role model."
"Yes, yes. The leader shall serve as your role model, so Mr. Middle Child should also show off his leadership as one of the older members."
"Sure."
"I'll go last,"
Unlike his usual cheery self, Ryu Sunho's shoulder sank. Oh Rion sat in front of the table and picked up the pen to write on the paper. Seo Yoon-hyung and Park Jitae did the same and handed me the paper as they glanced at Ryu Sunho.
「Oh Rion: hospital
Seo Yoon: school
Jitae: Hongdae
Lee Suan: dance studio
Sunho: 」
No matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn't think of any memories. I wrote down the dance studio, as it was the most familiar location to me, and handed the pen and paper to Ryu Sunho, who was frozen stiff. Ryu Sunho was still for a while even after taking the pen. Then, he let out a short sigh and wrote something down with determination.
"I'm done."
Ryu Sunho gave the completed paper to Seo Yoon-hyung and said in a subdued voice.
"Before we go to each location written here, should we tell each other why they hold the most precious memory?"
"I was admitted to the hospital four years ago, and decided that I wanted to be a singer after watching a concert for the patients."
"I see, that's why you wrote down 'hospital'. I wrote mine because I was scouted after a performance at my school festival. It was also the first time I thought that running around the stage was fun."
"I wrote mine down because Hongdae was where I performed as a fourteen-year-old underground artist for the first time."
"I wrote mine because I'd been holed up in there for six years, trusting the president who kept nagging me to debut."
"Three years ago, my mom passed away. On my way home after the funeral, I kept tearing up because I was reminded of Mom every time I passed a familiar street. I think it was the hardest day of my life. I knew that even if I went back home, Mom wouldn't be there to greet me anymore. So I wandered around aimlessly towards the opposite direction of my house, and cried in front of EJ Entertainment for a long time. I was crying alone in the middle of the day, standing in the centre of a very crowded street. Everybody passed by, until a boy who looked like an elementary school kid came up to me. Without a word, he took off his jacket and slung it over my shoulders before walking into the EJ Entertainment building. I became a trainee so that I could meet the kid who comforted me without saying anything."
Ah… that's why he decided to become a trainee.
He was always so energetic and affectionate, so I had just assumed that he must be a son to loving parents. Despite having worked with him for 7 years, I never knew about Ryu Sunho's family.
Seo Yoon-hyung was the first to break the heavy atmosphere.
"It must have been hard for you at such a young age. Still, you grew up so well. I'm sure she'll be happily watching over you from heaven."
"Did you find that person?"
"Yeah, I did! I found him as soon as I became a trainee, but he didn't recognise me."
"If you became a trainee just to see him, what made you decide that you wanted to debut?"
Huh? He has a point. If they've already met, was there a need for him to debut?
Park Jitae's question triggered the curiosity within me.
Ryu Sunho smiled bashfully. As I sat there on the couch, he pulled me into an embrace.
"They told me that I could debut with that boy, so what choice did I have? Right, Suan-hyung?"
Could it be that the elementary school kid in his story…
"When I first became a trainee, I for sure thought that Suan-hyung was in elementary school. I was surprised to hear that he's actually older than me."
"I also thought that Suan-hyung was in elementary school when I first saw him."
"No way. He actually offered that kind of comfort back then?"
"Yes! I saw him around the company, but I never had the chance to talk to him. So I could never say thanks."
That's why you always followed me around during our trainee days and for the first month after our debut, going all like "hyunggg".
"I guess Suan was awkward at expressing himself back then, too. Now I know why our little kid especially likes Suan!"
"Yeah! That's why I like Suan-hyung the best!"
Mmh, yeah… I, uh… don't remember.
I stayed in Ryu Sunho's arms without resisting. It definitely wasn't because I felt bad for not being able to remember.
—ding-dong!
Since I was being hugged by Ryu Sunho, I couldn't stand up to answer the doorbell.
"I'll go this time."
Oh Rion quickly got up and walked towards the door where the doorbell was ringing. He opened the door and returned with a yellow envelope.
"It's yellow this time," said Ryu Sunho's voice above my head.
"Is it a mission telling us to go to the locations that we wrote down?"
"I guess so?"
"We'll know once we open it, right?"
Seo Yoon-hyung took the yellow envelope that Oh Rion had retrieved. He opened the envelope and read the contents out loud:
「iridescent's Debut Project
Second mission D-12
Buy some groceries from the supermarket and make a delicious meal for each other.
P.S. You can only use the enclosed debit card.」
We were expecting to go to the locations of our memories. Our expectations were blatantly betrayed.
Oh, that reminds me… Didn't they suck at cooking?!
Get groceries and cook? I really don't want to eat compost. Can't I take it all into my hands?
Is there a need for all five of us to go grocery shopping?
"Let's split into two groups. One can go get groceries, and the other can prepare to cook."
Let's do that, please. I'm scared to go grocery shopping with you guys.
"How should we divide the groups? Just rock-scissors-paper?"
"Aw, hyunggg! I suck at rock-scissors-paper!"
"I don't mind. It's just luck."
"How about we take ladders, so that Sunho can't complain?"
"Alright. Let's have three people buy groceries and two people prepare to cook."
"Okay, then let's have everyone take turns in drawing the horizontal lines for the ladder so that it's fair."
"Yes."
"Let's do that! It's way better that rock-scissors-paper!"
We flipped over the paper that we wrote our memorable locations on and drew a set of ladders. Beneath the ladders, we wrote groceries and food prep.
"Who's gonna pick first? Should we decide this one with rock-scissors-paper?"
"Let's just go in order of age."
"You can pick first, Seo Yoon-hyung."
"If we choose this by rock-scissors-paper, I feel like that'll bring me bad luck. Yoon-hyung can just go first."
"Anyone just go. It doesn't really matter which one you pick, anyway."
You're all bad at cooking to begin with. Why are you trying so hard?