204 - Upki Girl

< What’s Aliya’s Worry Anyway? > Juyeong, this guy’s something else. Even if the mystique of celebrities has faded somewhat, being an idol still relies heavily on maintaining an image of pure innocence. Yet, here he is, nonchalantly talking about his ex-girlfriend. And not just any idol, but a global Hallyu star. Quite the bold character, contrary to his delicate appearance. Of course, he didn’t drop any hints that might lead to her real identity as Yona, and suggested she’s living as a regular person now. It was a smart smoke screen, yet the fact that a top idol mentioned an old relationship live on air was a feat worthy of ‘Man of the Year.’ Juyeong’s tale of his first love went like this: During his trainee days, he faced a major slump when his mother fell ill. He was so distracted that he messed up his evaluation and even considered giving up on his dreams of becoming a celebrity. But friend A was a great comfort. This friend pulled him out of his complacency with sharp advice and helped him get back on track. ―Listener 7104, you’re asking why we broke up? Well… Trainees caught dating would be expelled immediately, so we weren’t officially dating. We definitely had feelings for each other, but we couldn’t express them openly because of the company. We’d meet occasionally, talk about music and dreams, that sort of thing. But even that had its limits; she was the one who drew the line first. Before our feelings deepened, she thought it best to part ways and focus on our futures. She was only seventeen back then, incredibly realistic and mature. She quit being a trainee first, and shortly after, I moved to the company I'm with now. Not officially dating? Then what was that Polaroid from KU's practice room of Juyeong kissing Yona on the cheek? Did he just go for it in the moment? ―That’s all for my first love story. Listener 0901, you’re asking if I was also her first love? Hmm, not sure… I hope so. Being remembered as someone’s first love… doesn’t just the thought make you excited? Damn, that was smooth hosting. That line he just gave was spot-on. Come to think of it, being someone’s first love is indeed rare and special. It’s not an everyday experience. A warm feeling spreads through me. I wonder if there’s a girl who considers me her first love? As I was sifting through the faces of past girlfriends, Yona suddenly turned to me and said, “You’re my first.” Whoa! That confession just came in heavy like Cro Cop’s high kick—like a bolt out of the blue! Was she saying she wants me to be her first love? My heart rate skyrocketed. Wait, what’s going on? Could today be “that day” for Yonna? Seo-won’s face next to me briefly froze. The air inside the car thickened with tension. Pretending not to hear clearly, I cautiously looked at Yona through the rearview mirror and asked again, “Huh? What… what did you say?” With a bright, smile-filled gaze, she responded, “Let’s play a game where we each share our first love story. You go first, Manager.” “Oh, that first… Going first…” You little…! So instead of “You’re my first love,” it was “You go first.” Is she trying to confuse and mess with people’s feelings with wordplay? “Who was your first love, Manager?” Yona asked again, and Sibah suddenly blurted out, “He says it was a girl named Gyeong-u he met while attending a prep academy.” “What, how do you know that?” “Duh. You told us.” “I did? When?” “Back when you were working, after you came back from a company party all drunk and made a fuss while everyone was asleep.” “I said that?” “Yeah. Was it the night before? Anyway, I jokingly called you a romance dud, and you insisted you weren’t, saying you had your volcano days.” “Man, I must be getting old. I can't remember at all...” Gyeong-u, are you doing well? Your “oppa” is living like this, it seems. Seowon asked, “Was she pretty? Gyeong-u?” “No, not the prettiest face. But she had her charm. We resonated well.” “What do you mean?” “Well, we had great conversations, enjoyed being together, felt the heart flutters… Stuff like that.” “How old were you then?” “I was twenty, back at the prep academy.” Seowon pouted, displeased. And from the back came Sibah’s voice again. “Twenty-year-old Kim Yoon-ho must’ve melted!” Hong’s shy voice echoed softly like a murmur, sniffing. “Yeah, melted… like white cream… huff, huff…” Then Riya asked Yona, “Yonna, who was your first love?” “Unnie, it's a secret. Riya, how about you?” “Aliya’s going for a no-comment, Misery unnie?” “What, you guys are playing dirty. Then I’m not telling either. Pig, you don’t have a first love, do you? For the sake of others, you really shouldn’t.” “Well, I may not know about first love, but I can definitely tell you about someone I’d love to hit.” “No, no, I don’t need to know. Eunbi, when was your first love?” “For me, Yoon-ho oppa is my first love.” Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! “Twenty-year-old Kim Yoon-ho may have melted, but thirty-six-year-old Kim Yoon-ho could also melt. Among us, I’ll say it, he’s both my first and will be my last love.” Why is she being so aggressive, Sibah. Thanks to one word from Sibah, our suspenseful Cold War came to an end. Seowon, serious, shot back. “What’s with you, Eunbi, having no manners? Did you think we didn’t want to talk about it? Of course, Manager is my first love too. And weren’t you holding hands with and kissing some boy in first grade? Isn’t he your first love, then?” “Huh? That doesn't count as dating, remember? In that case, your first love must be that kid from nursery school!” “...Ahem! Ahem! Oh, I have a cough. Manager-I-love-you-cough!” “Stay out of this, Pig. This isn’t a place for you to jump in.” “Hmm? What did you say, Seowon? You want your shoulders dislocated? Want your second vertebrae attached to your eighth? Got it.” At that, Hong, having reached her limit with the constant provocation, grabbed Seowon’s trapezius muscles. ―Squeeze “Ow! Ow! It hurts, Pig! Manager, Hong has gone mad!” “Come on, laughing at someone should be done in moderation, alright?” “It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Manager!” “Hong-ah, let go.” “Yes, yes!” As Hong released the grip on her muscles, Seowon turned her head back and shot Hong a legendary death glare reminiscent of a ghost story with heavy fox-like breathing. “You just watch. I’m going to start learning all sorts of martial arts from today—taekwondo, judo, everything—and get my revenge.” “They say everyone’s got a plan that sounds good until a punch lands.” “Oh, it bothers me that someone so clueless has such brute strength!” “Eunbi, because of you, the sisters are fighting. We agreed not to say such things to the Manager.” “Oh, right. I’m sorry, Yonna Leader, I momentarily forgot…” “Good grief…” “It’s all Myun-myung’s fault.” “Huh? It was my fault?” “Yeah, it’s because Myun-myung is too good looking. Let’s just say that was the reason.” Gyeong-u, are you well? Your “oppa” is living like this. Looks good, right? Sure, it must look good, having a bunch of girl group members declare me as their first love. But you know what? It’s all just fluff with no real substance. This is like the entrails you flip inside out and grill; it may taste good, but it’s incredibly unhealthy in the long run. *** I arrived back at the dorm and finished taking a shower. After quickly drying my hair, I lay on my bed and opened a real estate app to search for our new place. After much humming and discussing, we decided that UpKey Girl’s second dorm would be a rented apartment close to the office in Gangnam. Before diving in, I decided to gather information on our current place of residence first. ―――――――― < Hannam-dong LX Village Detached House Rental Info > Floor Space: 186 pyeong Built/Remodeled: 1989/2007 Households: 1 Rooms/Bathrooms: 6/4 Total Floors: 2 above ground/1 basement Parking: 4 cars Rent: 10 million won Monthly Rent: Call for details ―――――――― That’s 10 million won a month without a deposit. Aliya’s class. Had I known the rent was 10 million won beforehand, I would have opposed it, but Riya handled the contract through her connections and simply informed us of our move-in. Still, it was an interesting experience. When else would one get to live in a place with a rent of 10 million won a month? ―Knock, knock “Who is it?” “It’s Aliya.” After about 10 minutes of searching for possible new places, Riya walked into my room unannounced. “What were you doing?” “Oh, just looking for a new dorm. A realtor called earlier saying this place might be rented out soon. Apparently, two groups came to view it today.” “Oh… I see…” Uh-oh. My casual response seemed to dampen Riya’s mood. She was clearly feeling guilty. Avoiding my gaze, she scuffed her foot against the floor. “So, what brings you here, Riya?” “Well, I have a favor to ask of you…” “What is it?” “You… you can’t make fun of me.” “I won’t.” “You have to promise first…” What’s this about? It was only after she crossed her pinky fingers that she hesitantly began to speak. “Aliya has some items she wants to sell and hopes you could help her out. You know, like those platforms where people buy and sell second-hand stuff…” “Oh, sure. What do you want to sell?” Before moving into the dorm, Aliya mainly resided in a suite at the Oscar Hotel. She also owns an apartment in Seongsu-dong where she keeps her personal belongings like clothes. Her assets are gradually being transferred to the Brunei royal family. The main assets involved are real estate, stocks, and bank accounts under Riya’s name, but thankfully the investments she made in UpKey or her cash and jewelry aren’t affected. Her personal vehicles, like the Rolls-Royce and Maybach, will go, but the van and Carnival under UpKey's name will remain. “Well, just some stuff from the Seongsu-dong place…” “What kind of things are there?” “Just bags or watches that I don’t use. It’s not much, but I’d like to put it towards our new place’s deposit…” “Why are you worrying about the dorm deposit?” Riya often turns into a bit of a worry wart when we return to the dorm, even if she’s slightly more confident while practicing at the company. Feeling sorry for her self-blame, I unintentionally raised my voice, but quickly toned it down, recalling the phrase ‘Love will lick it all away’ with Riya’s unwavering spirit. Gentle and reassuring. Softly, softly. “Aww, why’s our Princess Al going through this?” “I’m sorry, Myunmyun. If I knew it’d be like this, I would’ve just gone back to Brunei…” “No, we agreed not to say that anymore. We can always make more money, but someone like you, Riya, is irreplaceable.” “I’m trying to make sure I don’t regret anything too… but I can’t help feeling sorry…” “Honestly, we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. We achieved in less than a year what usually takes 3 to 4 years. You’ve done your part, so let the company and the girls handle it and take a break. Or are you saying you don’t trust us?” "No, no. Aliya trusts our sisters a hundred, no, a thousand percent…" She said the words, yet her shoulders remained hunched, unable to relax. It was heart-wrenching. Seeing her like this was as painful as looking at Mr. Kim Kyu-don's frail shoulders. "Silly girl..." I gently patted Riya's head. Her thin, smooth, orange-tinted hair, and the texture of the parting beneath my fingers—so pleasant. Riya seemed to feel a bit better, her shoulders giving a little shake. "Ugh…" "All you need to focus on is the stage. UpKey Girl and Whistle are capable; trust us and let it go." "You know Aliya is naturally distrustful…" "What are you talking about? You can't even stand in front of the camera without me." "That's just because M-god-Myunmyun is special…" "Now go get some sleep. Tomorrow, let's go to the Seongsu-dong apartment with Jang-woo. We need to clear that place out too, right?" "Right." "We should bring the furniture and electronics to the dorm. And the clothes and bags, they're all designer items, aren't they?" "Right." "I guess we should contact a moving company then. Until we find a new dorm, we'll need to store these somewhere. I'll handle it, so don’t worry." "Thank you." "Okay. Now off you go. Straighten that back! Go snuggle up to Hong and get some rest." "Okay. Hong-hong unnie's king-sized comfy chest is super cozy." "No, no, less of that kind of talk…" "Whatever Myunmyun imagines, Hong-hong unnie surpasses it. Goodnight." *** The next day. Riya and I, along with a trusted secondhand luxury dealer, visited the Seongsu-dong apartment. As I expected, it was the epitome of a luxurious home of a successful individual, like something straight out of TV. Riya presented several luxury bags and watch cases that she’d either never opened or only used a couple of times. Leaning in, she whispered to me, unable to say it out loud to the dealer, "Tell them these are practically new... really." Before coming, I had reassured her there was nothing to be embarrassed about, but Riya was clearly feeling awkward about the situation. Meanwhile, the dealer seemed in awe, asking if she was really planning to sell all these today. For the initial sale, Riya brought out five Hermes bags and seven Rolex watches. Even without Riya pointing it out, the dealer immediately recognized three of the bags as limited editions. They were limited-edition crocodile leather Birkin series. He marveled, saying they were items money couldn't simply buy. Hermes is the crème de la crème of luxury brands. I knew some pieces cost tens of millions of won each. The high resale value of Rolex watches was also something I was aware of. So, I did expect a high price, but... After completing the appraisal, the dealer showed Riya and me the calculator on his phone. "This is what we’re looking at." "Wait! Myunmyun, you check it! Aliya can't look!" Riya, clearly embarrassed, turned her head away abruptly. I was left to verify it alone... "Hmm…" All that came out was a groan. I was in front of the dealer, so I had to maintain my composure. I had to count the zeros multiple times to be sure I wasn’t seeing things. Given this amount, it seemed there was no necessity to sell to a secondhand dealer. It seemed possible to list them online for auction instead. Noticing my reaction, Riya took me aside and cautiously asked, "Why, why? Is it too little? Is it not enough for the new dorm deposit…?" "No, forget a deposit, this could buy a decent apartment." "Really? It's that much? I thought the secondhand value wouldn't be that high!" "But that’s not all, right? There’s more, isn't there?" "Yes! Wait, I'll bring out more." "No, that's not what I meant…" I stopped Riya as she excitedly prepared to bring more items. "Um… Riya." "Yes?" "You’re already wealthy enough. There’s no need to feel small." I wanted to inform the other members quickly. To let them know that there’s no need to worry about Riya any longer. "Boss, are you going to finalize the contract right now? We need to prepare some cash as well." "We’ll reach out after sorting through everything." "Yes, yes, we can offer a better price than others, so please contact us." The dealer was more eager than ever. After sending him off, I quickly typed a message in the group chat with the girls. Me: "Girls, there's an old saying: 'Don’t worry about Riya.' Some of her bags are worth more than our Mokdong house." < What’s Aliya’s Worry Anyway? > The End