123 - Upki Girl

< Witnessed by Seowon > “You really should go.” “The actors from both sides really seem to like you, chief. I'm a bit envious.” With both Upki Girl and Plan L calling me over, the accompanying managers egged me on, urging me to join. Lee Jeong-ho, the one-day manager from Plan L, seemed a tad miffed... Jehee and Seowon-Reeya, such a combination. Would it be beneficial or detrimental for me to join them now? If Yona were there, it would be a different story, but could I manage those two on my own? Knowing Jehee’s personality, it’s unlikely, but if I had to choose sides between our kids and Jehee, who would I pick? Obviously, our kids. But what if Jehee asked me to stay with her tonight...? Ugh, that would be rather troublesome! What should I do? What should I do! As I ran through various simulations in my head, Reeya wouldn’t leave me alone, shouting as if beckoning a servant from the comfort of her own room. “Moony-Moon! Hurry up and come over! Aliyah's stuck drinking alone and bored! Hurry up! Move! Move!” Oh, how embarrassing. After my little runaway incident, she had started calling me chief in public settings for a while, but now we’re back to square one. “Moony-Moon!” “Alright, alright, I'm coming. I'll be back in a moment.” “Sure, take your time.” I excused myself from the snickering managers, grabbing my drink, spoon, and chopsticks, and headed to the room where the kids were. Seowon was there, and Jehee looked at me simultaneously. It felt like I was walking into the lion’s den. “Yolo, come over, Moony-Moon.” “Yes, please, come sit in the middle, chief.” Reeya and Seowon made space between them specifically for me to sit down. As I settled in the middle, I greeted the members of Plan L. “Thank you for the feature today. Did you see we reached number one on real-time searches?” Sua, the youngest, who was one half of Plan L's visual duo alongside Jehee, replied while playfully dancing and giving double thumbs up. “Yes, my manager told me.” It was my first meeting with Dahee and Sua, and wow, their presence was palpable. All four of them were stunning and dazzling. Ah, this must be what it takes to own a building at twenty-five. After pleasant introductions, Dahee asked why Manager Kim Sang-in didn't join us. Before I could say anything, Jehee answered first. “Sang-in oppa rarely visits the scene himself; he focuses on promotions and scheduling.” She then launched into an explanation about the origin and structure of our Whistle Sound, as if she were part of the promotions team herself. After hearing the explanation, Sua turned to me with a question. “So, it’s safe to say it all started because of Upki Girl?” “Yes. We were planning on producing originally, but the timing just accelerated. Since we jumped in without knowing much, the debut album was definitely lacking in preparation. We’re working on a mini-album now and aiming to do it properly this time.” “The debut song was ‘Hold Me,’ right?” “Oh? You know it?” “That was a good song. Hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me like it's the first time.” “Yes, that’s right. How do you know?” Curious as to how she knew, I asked, and Suhyeon shook her head as if it was tiresome. “I must have heard it over a hundred times at Jehee’s place. I even memorized the rap.” Nodding along, Sua began detailing the situation to Jehee. “It was my birthday in October, and Jehee unnie invited us to her place for a home-cooked meal. The song was good, and she kept playing it. Even in the company group chat, she was insisting everyone download it, acting like she was Upki Girl's manager or something.” Ah, so that’s how it was. It was a part she hadn't mentioned to me. Jehee seemed embarrassed and avoided my gaze. “That’s Jehee for you; once she latches onto a song, it’s all she listens to.” “When we lived in the dorms, I seriously thought I’d lose my mind.” “Do you remember that? What was it from Noa oppa?” “Oh yeah, that one, ‘Love Position’!” “Ah! ‘Love Position’! She seriously listened to that for more than a month.” “More like over three months, wasn’t it?” Plan L, caught up in the nostalgia, clapped like seals and laughed heartily. All four were fully made up for the Girl Crush shoot, exuding star quality, but Jehee was the standout as usual. Did I actually share such an intimate moment with someone like her? Ahh! Ugh! “How do you guys remember things I barely recall?” “You must have overplayed them.” “I genuinely considered leaving the dorms because of her.” “Oh, really? Haha.” “There were two times I wanted to quit dorm life—once when Suhyeon unnie smoked in the room, and whenever Jehee unnie replayed the same song repeatedly.” Plan L, famous for their candidness, brought up the smoking incident without hesitation. Often, senior entertainers would host gatherings after recordings or joint rehearsals like today, and those with schedules of course wouldn’t attend, while those who were free would eat or drink together. Being part of Whistle Sound, lacking field experience and practical knowledge, we naturally ended up influenced by Manager Kim Sang-in from Planmaker—Kim was of the opinion that attending these gatherings, despite any hassle, was crucial. Building connections and fostering off-set camaraderie would often carry over to filming settings. I had attended several gatherings with the Upki Girl kids, and the recurring impression was that ‘celebrities are just like us.’ It was purely about personal character differences; they weren’t any more cautious or reserved simply because they were celebrities. Of course, things would differ in the presence of non-entertainment folk, but at least among colleagues and staff, many tended to have even more fun and speak more freely, embodying the celebrity persona. Among them, Plan L was renowned for their relaxed approach. The first time I had drinks with Yeom, I felt it clearly: Suhyeon and Jehee always stayed true to their characters. They weren’t necessarily kind to everyone, but they were refreshingly candid, like laid-back juniors from university—without pretense or artifice. Dahee and Sua were much the same. I’d heard from Manager Kim Sang-in that the entire group was known for their unique personalities, but this was something else. They shared stories from their shared dorm days that even Manager Kim didn't know—like sneaking boy idol groups into their dorm or heading out to clubs at 4 AM. These stories were wild! Compared to them, our kids seemed downright adorable. As I laughed along with the tales, Riya poked my shoulder. “Moony-Moon. Aliyah wants an orange Fanta. Can you order one?” I glanced at her glass, still more than half full with pineapple Fanta. Ah, so that’s it. “Tired of the pineapple flavor?” “Yeah.” “There's no orange here, though. Should I go to the convenience store? Or would you like soda instead?” “No need to go out. I’ll have soda then.” “Uh, where’s the bell...?” There wasn’t one. “Excuse me, ma’am!” “Yes!” “Could you bring us a bottle of soda, please?” I made the order and casually glanced at the grill, noticing Seowon clumsily cutting the pork belly with scissors. Seowon usually doesn’t do stuff like this. Is she trying to make an effort in front of the seniors? But why’s she cutting the uncooked meat and leaving the cooked one? Oh, I see. Making those exaggerated groans...she wants some attention. “Pass it here. I got this.” “I can do it.” “No one wants to eat meat you’ve butchered. Aren’t your hands burning?” “They are.” “Give it here. You need experience to cut meat properly.” She quickly handed me the tongs and scissors twice over, looking relieved and grateful that I understood her intent. I’m basically raising another child. Chop, chop, chop. I sliced up a strip and placed pieces on Seowon’s and Riya’s plates, then poured soda into Riya’s new glass after the staff brought the can. Then, it dawned on me. Riya just wanted some attention too with the drink order. Honestly. Not waiting while I was absorbed in Plan L’s tales, she escalated her own attention-drawing tactics. Her antics were endearing, making me chuckle as I reached for the tongs again. “I’ll handle this, you should eat something,” Jehee said, snatching the scissors and tongs. “No, it’s fine. I’m used to this. I actually enjoy cutting meat.” “Who enjoys cutting meat?” Jehee, with a crisp, no-nonsense expression, placed a piece of meat on my plate, and there it was—that flutter of excitement. This feeling of being taken care of…it’s been a while. The pleasure of being served! Surely there was a time I, too, was a precious child of a household, struggling to cut meat in my junior days. As I grew older, I guess I started getting sentimental over small things. Feeling a bit peckish, I gratefully put the meat Jehee gave me on a bed of seasoned scallions and took a bite. Oh, it’s delicious... The savory fat and tangy sweetness of the scallions filled my mouth with delight, sticking to my tongue like glue before slipping down my throat along the silky-smooth road through my organs. “Sometimes when I think back, we were really quite difficult to our managers, weren’t we?” Suhyeon remarked, watching my face as I ate with proud, almost affectionate eyes. Jehee nodded in agreement with a wistful look. “Indeed. Didn’t realize at the time, but at some point, I began to see the hardships our oppas faced. I wish I’d done more for myself back then instead of telling them to do every little thing.” Riya paused just as she was about to grab her soda glass, and Seowon stopped as she was about to eat the meat I’d given her. “I was going to wrap that for you.” Seowon wrapped the meat she was about to eat in lettuce and fed it to me, while Riya held the soda glass under my chin. “Aliyah’s a standby for you. Nothing like soda with pork belly!” I noticed. Jehee’s gaze, looking at Seowon and Riya with an almost amused disdain. As if to say, “Oh, these rookies…” She grabbed a soju bottle and offered it to me. “Oppa, have a drink.” My, the atmosphere had shifted. We’d been avoiding hints of our particular relationship until now, but it was like Jehee had flipped the switch on those feelings. I quickly swallowed down the wrap in my mouth and shook my hand. “No, I need to drive.” “Come on, on a day like this, just call a chauffeur.” “Yeah, oppa. Drink with us. It feels wrong with you not joining.” Suhyeon chimed in, and Jehee called over to the table where the managers were seated. “Manager Jeong-ho! We’re taking a taxi later, so please go ahead and drink! We don’t need a ride!” “No, really!” “We’re all heading out separately anyway. Relax and drink! We'll make sure the stylists get home safely, too!” Though not verbally coordinated, Dahee and Sua seemed unfazed by the change in plans. In case I might change my mind, Jeong-ho quickly ordered a bottle of soju from a staff member walking by. Jehee, who had offered me the soju bottle, smiled at Seowon and asked: “Seowon, is it okay if the chief drinks?” “Huh? Oh...you don’t need my permission...” Mumbling as she glanced furtively at me, and before I even asked, Aliyah replied: “Unnie, Aliyah likes when Moony-Moon drinks. He gets funnier. Moony-Moon, should I pour?” “Do you want to get scolded? Don’t even think about touching that bottle.” “Oh, uncle, such an old-fashioned smell. Even if you offer, I won't drink. Aliyah only drinks champagne, you know? You need to study more about Aliyah.” “Oh my, a seventeen-year-old only drinks champagne? Our sweet Riya.” “Aliyah is eighteen now! Learn more about Aliyah!” Driving myself would be more convenient. Besides, I planned to let Jangwoo drink freely today. He's probably abstaining now due to his responsibility with Yona, but once he joins us later, I intend to pour him a drink myself and tell him thanks for his hard work. If I start drinking though, Jangwoo, being who he is, would insist on driving himself rather than call a chauffeur. I firmly reached for the soju bottle that Jehee extended, making my intentions clear. “No, I’ll pour you a drink. Please, hand it over.” At that, Jehee’s eyes turned sulky. We were in a room, seated directly across from each other. I was sitting cross-legged, and something kept tapping my shin under the table. I didn’t need to look to know what it was. It was Jehee’s foot. Gulp! Without a change in her expression, she gently rubbed my shin with her toes. Ahh...! A shiver ran down my spine, making me involuntarily shudder. But the real chilling moment was yet to come. Seated to my right, Seowon witnessed the entire scene. Jehee's foot brushing against my leg. < End of What Seowon Witnessed >