“We’ve arrived at the new lodging. Unlike the last place, this one has two floors. Currently, there are a total of four bedrooms. As expected, one person per room is just a pipe dream. Once we decide on rooms today, there’ll be no bedroom switches for the three days we’re staying here.”
Hyunsu, who could be called the proceedings coordinator, naturally began explaining the layout as they entered the lodging. The main bedroom had everything—a king-size bed, a balcony, and even a bathroom.
“Jackpot. I’m definitely sleeping here. Nobody come in!”
Ian voiced his opinion first, clearly pleased with the room, but everyone just laughed and playfully ruffled Ian’s hair.
Next came a bedroom with two single beds and a bathroom. After touring the bedroom with bunk beds and the room with a double bed, the members gathered in the living room.
“I really want to use the main room on the second floor.”
Seven people could stay comfortably enough if the assignments were done well.
“Honestly, we spent over six hours just traveling today. Everyone’s tired and we need to eat dinner now, so let’s decide as simply as possible. First, we’ll determine the order with rock-paper-scissors.”
If the goddess of luck had been on Evan’s side yesterday, today she was not.
The first pick was Siwoo. And the very last was Evan.
“Room 1 is the main room we saw first, the best room. It fits two people. Next is Room 2, the place with two single beds and a bathroom. Room 3 has no bathroom, bunk beds. Room 4 is the room at the very end in the corner, a double bed. You all understand, right? We’ll draw in the rock-paper-scissors order from earlier.”
Siwoo, who drew a paper from the pouch Hyunsu was holding, tried to unfold it right away.
“No! Wait, wait. Let’s draw all of them and look at once.”
At Yechan’s mediation, Siwoo waited with the paper clutched tightly in his hand.
“At the same time, one, two, three.”
Everyone checked their own paper and quickly turned it to show the camera.
“Ah! I got number 3. I wanted Room 1.”
Ian, who had been calling out for Room 1 from the start, rolled on the floor with exaggerated actions.
“Number 1! Number 1, who got number 1?”
Yechan raised both hands and shouted loudly, then soon shared a warm embrace with Hyunsu, who had also drawn number 1.
Siwoo smiled slightly and made a V sign toward the camera. No matter what anyone said, wasn’t a private room the best? When they first decided on rooms, luck had been on his side, and this time too, he’d gotten to stay alone comfortably.
Entering the room, Siwoo placed his suitcase in the corner and walked to the window, spreading the heavily draped curtains to both sides. The first thing he saw was a sky full of red sunset.
Should I scratch one more lottery ticket and just live in a quiet, wonderful place like this? When he opened the window, a cool breeze embraced him.
“I want to have beer. With butter-grilled squid.”
He could hear the sound of everyone moving luggage and walking around, but there was no one who would come into Siwoo’s room.
Siwoo grinned at the sound of members shouting noisily in the hallway. The small room at the very end. The small room that was filled up with just the double bed didn’t even have a bathroom.
Rather, the cozy room gave him a sense of security.
“Siwoo hyung! Siwoo hyung, where are you?”
At Yechan’s voice looking for him from outside, Siwoo opened the door with a grin.
“Jackpot. In this trip, Siwoo hyung is the winner, the winner. You’re alone again.”
“Ah~ I’m so lonely.”
Saying words he didn’t mean at all, Siwoo flopped down on the bed.
He had to use a shared bathroom, but what did that matter? Just the fact that he wouldn’t be tangled up with someone on one bed was heaven.
“Then switch rooms with me. I have to share with Ian. It’s obvious Ian will say he doesn’t like the second floor, so I have to sleep on the second floor.”
“Games are fair.”
Since it was official break time when they had to prepare for filming and the staff were also organizing their luggage, Siwoo went down to the living room and sat comfortably on the sofa. Since it was a room he was using alone, no one would say anything even if he unpacked late—it was literally freedom.
“I’m totally jealous.”
Louis, who had changed into comfortable clothes, came out to the living room and lay down using Siwoo’s legs as a pillow. Perhaps because they all lived in groups, or perhaps they were naturally friendly. It wasn’t like he particularly needed to avoid or push him away, so Siwoo just stayed sprawled out as he was.
“Hyung. Take a selfie with me. I really feel like uploading at least one picture a day is also work. I don’t have a single picture taken with you, hyung.”
“I’m a mess right now.”
Siwoo mumbled without lifting his head, leaning deeply against the sofa backrest.
“We can just use an app to take it. Oh! Hyung, they say you look like a quokka so they call you Coco, right? I searched for it again.”
“Mm.”
Siwoo fumbled and pulled out the phone he’d put in his pocket. Since they were filming, he’d set it to silent and vibrate-off and hadn’t taken it out until now.
However, the battery on his phone, which he’d brought out fully charged at 100% and barely taken out during the day, had dropped below 10%.
The only thing he’d done today was briefly take it out in the afternoon to discuss with Evan before updating a similar photo on SNS. His follower count, which had been modest, had increased exponentially. There were also many missed calls and messages flooding in.
With a just-in-case feeling, Siwoo accessed Evan’s SNS and let out a long sigh.
This wasn’t even a manhunt, yet the Fishes were in the middle of looking for him. The influence of someone popular was enormous.
“Hyung.”
Louis called out softly to Siwoo, who couldn’t say anything and was just looking at his phone, too flustered by the situation.
“Congratulations. On entering the world of the popular.”
Louis, who had told Siwoo to take a selfie but was trying to open the camera app, simply checked a message when it came in. The content of the message from a celebrity friend was just one thing.
[That kid who took a picture with Evan. Who is he?]
“Siwoo-ya, let’s take a selfie.”
There was a crashing sound and Luca hyung was standing in front of the sofa with his phone clutched tightly in one hand.
“Hyung, get in line. I’m first.”
The power of a few photos was more frightening than Siwoo knew. If there had been a lot of information about Siwoo, it certainly wouldn’t have reached this level of situation, but unfortunately, he was a mysterious figure.
During break time, questions about the person who appeared on Evan’s SNS were pouring in to all the members who looked at their phones.
And a short while later.
Siwoo had to sit face-to-face with PD Lee.
“Siwoo-ya.”
“Yes.”
“You know the saying ‘you have to row when the water comes in,’ right?”
“Yes.”
Not knowing what would come out of the PD’s mouth, Siwoo bowed his head slightly and just stared at the table.
“You should stop being unknown and rise up too. In this world, timing is life. The fact that you’re in this situation is also because of timing and luck and all that. So about using the room.”
But this is a real variety show. You said it’s not rigged Go-Stop. You said deceiving viewers is bad.
Siwoo could predict what PD Lee would say.
I like being alone. Being unknown isn’t so bad. I just looked at my phone and by the time it airs, I’ll probably be fleeing overseas. Popularity I can’t handle isn’t mine. And it’s not just any fandom—it’s Ocean.
“I think it would be good for Evan to go to your room.”
The moment was approaching when he’d have to share a basic-size double bed—not king-size, not queen-size—with someone.
“I’ll switch with Luca hyung.”
Siwoo cut off PD Lee mid-sentence and made the first move.
There are two single beds there. Then it’ll be fine. You have to create a hole for me to survive. Right? PD-nim.
“No. Then it won’t be fun.”
“We already filmed deciding on rooms. If we change like this, we’ll have to film again.”
Siwoo swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth while watching the PD, who was lost in thought stroking his chin.
Let’s just go with the original plan. What is this, manipulation?
“You’re telling him to switch rooms?”
Siwoo whipped his head around at the familiar voice he heard from behind. It seemed like he’d already heard this story from someone.
“Yeah, come sit down. It’s easier to talk together.”
“I refuse.”
Evan spat out words of refusal with a cold, stern face.
“How can two people sleep on that narrow bed?”
Siwoo patted his chest at Evan’s words, who had suddenly appeared. It’s narrow, very narrow. He nodded involuntarily while looking over Evan standing beside him. Would I get crushed to death by those shoulders? To exaggerate a little, it was a bed that would be packed full even if Yechan lay down alone.
But was that really something to get so stern about, lower your voice, and flatly reject?
In a situation where a guy almost twenty years younger was putting on a stern face and talking back, PD Lee’s expression didn’t change one bit as he continued stroking his chin.
“Really? Then should I let you switch with Room 1?”
“Huh?”
Siwoo covered his face with one hand while watching the PD address not him but Evan.
Why on earth are you doing this? The promotion is already going crazy well, so why are you trying to stir up aggro? Do you want to see me die from that aggro? Even without you helping, PD-nim, I’ve already become fish food.
“I’ll consider that.”
No. Why is that also something to consider? At the PD’s subtle suggestion, Evan gave a somewhat softer answer.
“Oh right. Siwoo, did you do that live properly?”
He had done it, but the live stream that ended lukewarmly because he’d hastily turned it off in the middle came to mind. Anyway, since only about forty people had watched that live stream, it was a live stream that completely died without becoming any kind of issue.
“I did do it, but only my fan club members came in a little. I didn’t really talk about anything related to the program.”
“Evan, you don’t do lives.”
PD Lee, who seemed lost in thought again as he threw out a comment, continued stroking his chin. Rather than Evan not doing lives, he’d never done one where he was the main focus. Most of the time, he’d occasionally visit when group members were doing lives.
“Siwoo, your SNS followers increased a lot, right?”
Siwoo just rolled his eyes around and nodded slightly. Yeah, doing a live stream seemed much better than sleeping on that cramped bed with Evan.
“Then do a live together tonight, you two. Siwoo, you bastard. Taehoon called me earlier. He said to take good care of you, to let you see some light while we’re at it. You know what I mean, right?”
The meeting that had the room switch as an agenda item ended appropriately with them doing a live stream together. It seemed like this time, for Taehoon hyung, the agency CEO who had believed in and supported him for decades, he should at least hover near a star.
