71 - Upki Girl

< Talent Itself > The children, still drowsy from sleep, stumbled into the living room and flopped down on the sofa and floor, groaning with weary sighs. "Wow, Hong is incredible, seriously..." "Shouldn't she get surgery or something...?" "Let's sleep separately from tomorrow..." Thinking about the loud snoring from Neug Hong made me chuckle. "Haha, really... wow... hahaha. It's unbelievable." Even now, a regular thunder-like sound echoes faintly in my ears. "Do you know how many people I've heard snoring in my life? There were a few in the army, and even in jjimjilbangs, it's no joke. Plus, my dad snores like crazy. Eunbit, you've heard it, right? Kim Kyudon snoring." Eunbit, who was curled up like a shrimp on the sofa, murmured as she hugged her pillow tightly. "Yeah, it's no joke. Sing Sing Girl was so shocked during her honeymoon that she thought about getting a divorce. And his feet smell really bad..." "You don't have to bring up the foot smell... Anyway, from now on, Hong's snoring is number one. No one can beat that." "Hehehe..." Even Alya, who claimed she hadn't heard it because she fell asleep first, let out a disbelieving chuckle. With her eyes half-open, she asked Yona, "How long does Hong snore?" "Until she wakes up." "O.M.G." Through the veranda's glass, the dawn's light began to touch the Han River. To the left, Dongho Bridge; to the right, Hannam Bridge; the cars' headlights passing over. It set quite the atmosphere. "Guys, the sun's rising. Get back to bed quickly." Too tired, everyone just closed their eyes in their respective spots. Eunbit and Seowon curled up at the couch's edges while Yona and Alya lay on the wool carpet. Except for Alya, who dressed perfectly in pajamas, everyone else wore comfortable shorts and T-shirts. Even if I wanted to avoid it, glimpses of thighs or waistlines appeared—it’s a scene I had to grow accustomed to. Still, I couldn't help but steal glances now and then. As I was gazing at Yona's ankle, Alya lay next to her, muttering, "So cold..." while sticking her hands between her thighs. The indoor temperature was set to a constant 20 degrees, which could feel quite chilly once you drifted off. Now, where did the blankets go? After searching both rooms, I finally found the neatly folded summer blankets in the closet. I brought out four and returned to the living room only to find Alya clinging to Yona’s back like a cicada. Her legs wrapped around Yona's thighs and arms around her waist; she slipped her hands beneath Yona's T-shirt and subtly moved them upward... I'll omit the rest of the details. This was the skinship that disturbed Yona's sleep last night. From just the movements under the shirt, it was clear how dynamic the touching was, but thankfully, Yona didn’t wake. She simply let out a peculiar sound from her nose—Mm, huh. It was truly an astonishing sight. I covered them with a blanket, encouraging their private enjoyment, before doing the same for Seowon and Eunbit. Seowon was sucking her thumb as if it were a baby bottle. An unconscious behavior likely meant to alleviate anxiety. Something to monitor more closely in the future. After removing Seowon's finger from her mouth, I went downstairs to check if Neug Hong was breathing properly. Hwk-uh! Sha-ha—! As she was breathing through her mouth, I closed it for her, but the exhale wouldn’t come. Her nose made a bubbling noise as if something were obstructing it. When I released her mouth, finally a satisfying exhale escaped. This seemed much more serious than I thought. I decided I'd definitely take her to the hospital tomorrow. And so, with Hong's sleep apnea checked, the first night's vigil came to an end. I went back up to the first floor and lay down in my bedroom. Being a naturally good sleeper, and with such amazing bedding, I managed to sleep through the night without waking. I slept soundly enough not to notice that Seowon had climbed in and was sleeping next to me. "Oh... what is this..." When the alarm woke me up, there she was, using my arm as a pillow. I had no idea how long she’d been there, but my arm was completely numb. It was a first, and it frightened me. Doesn’t blocked blood flow lead to necrosis?! Genuinely scared, I quickly pulled my arm out and shook it to restore circulation. Seowon groggily opened her eyes. "Mmm... Did you sleep well..." "Uh, yeah." "What are you doing?" "My arm's numb." "It's fine. You won't die. It’ll pass. I’ve been through it plenty of times." "When did you get here?" "I don't know. I can't remember." "If you do it again, you’ll be in trouble." "I told you, I don't remember." From outside, I could hear the women's murmured voices. The housekeeper had apparently arrived to prepare breakfast. "Let's wake the others and get ready." "I don't eat breakfast, so wake me later." "No, you have to gain weight." "I'll eat a lot for lunch and dinner." "No, no. Get up." "Are you worried about me?" "Yeah. I'm very worried, so get up." "Hehe..." I got Seowon up and went to the living room. A positional change had occurred. Yona moved to the sofa and on the carpet where she had been, Eunbit and Alya were now clung together tightly. Okay, check. Seems like they have good chemistry when sleeping together. "Rise and shine, everyone! It's morning!" After clapping my hands to rouse them, I greeted the housekeeper and headed back downstairs. Neug Hong was still sleeping soundly, unchanged from her previous position. Even though the snoring had finally subsided to a level akin to that of an average adult male, I decided it was time to wake Hong up. "Hong, time to get up." ―Phew! "Yeonhong, wake up." ―Shoo-hic! Well, sleeping soundly is a blessing in itself. I shook her shoulders quite firmly, yet she didn't budge, and since there wasn't a hammer or a pickaxe nearby, I thought I'd try a different approach. "Hong, breakfast is ready. Breakfast!" "Uuugh..." And astonishingly, that did the trick. After a few mumbles and grumbles, she responded. "Did you sleep well...?" "Yeah, a strong and spirited morning has dawned. Wash up and come upstairs." "Where did everyone go...?" "The kids slept on the first floor." "Oh... did I snore...?" "Let's visit the ENT clinic today." "Ah... I'm sorry..." "It's alright, keep your head up. It’s all part of living together." "Okay..." "Do you feel sorry for the others?" "Yes..." "Then you can start by being determined and losing some weight from today." I wasn’t sure if there was a direct link between weight and snoring, but I wanted to motivate her. "Yes, I'll work hard..." Hong's diet is another thing I must keep an eye on starting today. Nowadays, activities begin even before an official debut for promotional purposes, and without managing Hong’s weight, it would be impossible to proceed as a five-member group. The exercise and diet at the gym would be managed by a professional trainer, but the real challenge is controlling her food intake outside of that environment. Most people fail at dieting because they can't control their eating habits outside structured spaces. From what I observed during our meals together, Hong indeed eats a lot. She’s usually the first to pick up her spoon and the last to set it down. Another concern is that since no one else besides Hong — perhaps except for Eunbit — needs weight management, she might feel a sense of relative deprivation. "We're starting with diet control today, ready for it? I noticed it mostly includes cherry tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and unseasoned chicken breast." "Well, chicken breast is still meat, so..." "Great. Staying positive is good. For today, let’s see if you can stick to just one bowl of rice for breakfast, even though the housekeeper's prepared more. Try managing it yourself." "Yes. I’ll give it a try." True to her word, Hong ate just one bowl. Instead, she finished all the side dishes the others left behind. Watching her eat so heartily and satisfyingly made me realize that this would be a tough battle. If it came down to a physical tussle over food, would I stand a chance against her? *** 10 AM. The kids' official schedule for the day began with dance practice. From today, my duties included documenting the kids' every move with photos and videos along with road manager Lee Jang-woo. These materials were for the team’s official website and SNS, though we decided to upload content from only the other four members, excluding Hong for the moment. "Hello, teacher!" As the dance trainer, Ruzu, entered, the kids greeted her in unison. "Hi. The two new ones, come forward, please?" Ruzu called Alya and Neug Hong to the front. "Have either of you danced before? Like at school events or field trips?" "No." "Not really." "Hmm, okay. Yona, could you show them the B part of 'Flower'?" "Sure." "Hong and Riya, watch and try to follow along. It's okay if you can’t do it perfectly, just try what comes to mind. Eunbit, play the Flower B part." "Got it!" The music started, and Yona demonstrated the choreography. Despite being a famously simple song with pose-focused moves, the B part was intricate with complex hand movements and beats that even those familiar with the choreography would struggle to replicate on the first try. Having watched Yona practice numerous times, I doubted I could do it if asked. After Yona’s demonstration, it was Neug Hong's turn to step forward. Her withdrawn demeanor already spelled trouble, and she ended up flailing with shy movements, confirming our expectations. However, Ruzu and the trainees surprisingly found her performance commendable. Not bad for a first attempt, they commented. "Come forward, you two." Ruzu unexpectedly turned to me and Jang-woo, who were filming, and called us out. "Huh? Why?" "You both laughed when Hong danced." "No, we didn't." "Oh, please, I saw you. At least Jang-woo tried to hold back, but Yoon-ho, you were giggling, weren’t you?" Ultimately, dragged forward under the critical eyes of the kids, Jang-woo and I faced a mortifying experience. Eunbit mimicked my expressions openly, teasing me, while Yona and Seowon laughed heartily. Alya, planning to tease me forever, even filmed the whole episode. After trying it out myself, I realized how well Hong had performed. She's officially Our Hong again. "Next, Riya." "Yes!" Riya cheerfully skipped her way to the center. Let's see how well you do, smart one. Despite having a 100-rated potential for dancing, she had zero field experience. Current stats showed her level even below that of national klutz Eunbit. I anticipated a hilarious outcome as I checked her stats. Huh? Why were her stats so... The moment the music began, Ruzu clapped and signaled the start. "One, two, three, start!" Riya, scratching her head with a disinterested look, began her dance. "Whoah! What's going on?!" Indeed. It was unmistakably a dance, one that even left Ruzu stunned, eliciting exclamations and a bemused laugh at the sheer excellence of it. The children were equally astonished, unable to close their mouths in disbelief. “Incredible.” “Feels like she already knew it.” Although Riya replicated Yona’s demonstrated movements, the vibe was entirely different. So much so that even the fairly strict Ruzu couldn’t hold back her admiration. “Oh wow, look at her keeping time with the back beats.” While I wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, the essence was clear. If Yona’s movements were ‘whoosh whoosh whoosh’, then Riya’s were more of a ‘shwish shwish shwish’, something like that? Yona often received compliments for her graceful dance lines and poised movements, but Riya appeared even more fluid and supple. As Seowon had suggested, even if Riya had learned this dance before, no one could deny her raw talent for dancing. This was innate talent. I recalled something Hyundong once said, in a slightly inebriated state, lamenting his own musical abilities. "They say a genius can't surpass someone who works hard, and someone who works hard can't beat someone who enjoys themselves, right? That’s all a lie. When it comes to singing and dancing, innate talent is supreme. In the arts, you can't beat the geniuses." Through Riya, I grasped the deeper meaning of his words, witnessing firsthand the vivid embodiment of talent. ――――――――― ―Title/Name: Princess Alya (Jin Riya) ―Choreography: 3/100 → 56/100 ――――――――― < Talent Itself > End