Chapter 8 : Changed accommodation
“Isn’t the company supposed to provide the dorm?”
Her expression still didn’t change.
I couldn’t tell if she was just curious, if she was annoyed that I was passing her gift on to someone else, or if she simply didn’t like my approach.
There was no way to read her face.
“That’s right. They’re still living in the dorm the company provided.”
“Then?”
“It’s not good enough. It’s too small for three girls to live in, and it’s really old. It’s not a dorm fitting for Pine Entertainment’s standards.”
“Then why don’t you ask the company to change it? Why are you handling this yourself?”
“Because we’re in a situation where we can’t ask.”
It seemed like she didn’t know much about Red Blossom, so I explained their circumstances — how they flopped after debuting and the kind of treatment they were getting now.
After listening, she pulled out her phone and started searching for something.
After scrolling for a bit, she suddenly got up and came to sit next to me.
What’s happening?
“Is this them?”
On the screen was a picture of Red Blossom’s members, smiling brightly.
“Yes.”
The pleasant scent coming from her made it hard to focus, but I somehow managed to answer.
Even just sitting next to me, she was a woman who could make my head spin.
“They’re pretty.”
“…Sorry?”
“This one.”
She pointed at Yeoreum.
“That’s Ryu Yeoreum. She’s also an actress.”
“I thought so. She’s got a face that suits acting more.”
Then she turned her head toward me.
First the scent — and now eye contact.
It was a powerful one-two combo that made any kind of defense feel useless.
“If I help change their dorm, what do you get out of it?”
“…Get out of it?”
“I’m asking if there’s any benefit to you.”
“Well… If their living situation improves, they’ll feel more stable mentally. They’ll also stop feeling like the company’s abandoned them, so they’ll probably start feeling more hopeful about their future.”
“Not them — you. What’s the benefit for you?”
“What’s good for Red Blossom is good for me. They’re the artists I’m managing, after all.”
She just blinked, as if she still didn’t get it.
Why is this so hard to understand?
[It seems like she doesn’t believe in pure goodwill.]
It’s not pure goodwill.
It’s part of my goal to make them shine.
That’s my benefit.
[Most people wouldn’t consider that a benefit.]
I didn’t care.
Why should I align my standards with the world’s?
My artists shining was my benefit.
“And besides, it’s not like the company’s going to take credit for this. You’re not planning on telling them I arranged the dorm, are you?”
“If they ask where the money came from, I’d have to explain everything from the start. I was planning to just say the company worked things out and got them a better dorm.”
“You’re going to let the company take credit for what you did?”
“Well, I could say you did it—oh, wait, no. That’d be too random. Why would an actress be helping a girl group get a new dorm?”
“……”
Was this hard to understand too?
“You’re… interesting, Juwon.”
You were about to call me weird, weren’t you?
Then she fully turned toward me, getting even closer.
She must’ve had the same broken sense of personal space as Rina — our knees were almost touching.
“It feels a bit weird to put conditions on a gift, but if you agree to two things, I’ll make sure you get the dorm you want.”
Conditions ?
I had a bad feeling about this.
“First, you have to tell them that the dorm is a gift from me. Make sure you don’t leave out a single detail — from the moment I saved you in the parking lot and everything after.”
Ugh, that’s going to be such a pain.
Rina’s definitely going to start interrogating me about our relationship.
“Second, once everything’s settled, you have to host a housewarming party. The five of us — the three members, you, and me — we’ll all get together, check out the new place, and have a meal.”
“…A housewarming party?”
“Exactly. I want to meet them and see what they’re like.”
It was a bit out of the blue, but it wasn’t an unreasonable request.
And just like that, I succeeded in upgrading Red Blossom’s dorm.
*****
Cha Soyeon’s efficiency was on par with Rina’s.
In just two days, she found a suitable officetel and told me we could move in over the weekend.
I figured I should check the place out before the move, so I headed there after work.
It was only a ten-minute walk from the company — no need for a car.
When I punched in the door code and stepped inside, my jaw dropped.
The pristine hallway and the marble floors gave the place the feel of an art gallery.
Walking past the hallway, I was greeted by a spacious living room and an L-shaped kitchen.
A luxurious wooden partition separated the living room from a dressing and powder room area.
This… this is basically a hotel.
[Your rooftop room suddenly feels like a pigsty, doesn’t it?]
Shut up!
I checked every room, opening every door.
Most of the furnishings were built-in, so the girls would only need to bring their clothes and personal belongings.
The next day, I brought the three of them to see the officetel.
It was their dorm, so they needed to know about the place in advance — they’d have to pick their rooms and unpack their stuff, after all.
“Where is this?”
“Your new dorm.”
All three of them just stared at me like I was speaking another language.
They clearly hadn’t even imagined the possibility of moving.
I opened the door and gestured for them to go inside.
They hesitated at first, so I nudged them forward.
The moment they passed the entrance and hallway, Rina let out an awed gasp.
They looked around wide-eyed, like country girls seeing the big city for the first time.
When they finally stepped into the open living room, they froze.
Their eyes reflected the sudden shift from their cramped, run-down dorm to this wide, airy space.
“T-This is our dorm…?”
“It’s so much nicer than the place we had when we debuted!”
Even Sera — who rarely showed excitement — was thrilled.
Rina was already running wild all over the living room — no surprise there.
Our cool-headed leader, however, seemed to have finally come back to her senses, because she was now glaring at me.
“What’s going on here?”
I had to fulfill the first condition Cha Soyeon had asked for.
*
I sat the two excited younger members and our leader down at the table, then took a seat across from them.
“Here’s what happened…”
As promised, I told them everything — from the attack in the parking lot to how we ended up here — without leaving anything out.
Their reactions varied at first, but in the end, they all landed on the same one: disbelief.
All three of them wore identical “Is this even real?” expressions.
“So… Oppa stopped a guy with a knife who was trying to kill Cha Soyeon?”
“And then Cha Soyeon wanted to reward you for it?”
“But instead of taking the reward for yourself, you got us this officetel for our dorm?”
Good summary.
“That’s right. The cleaning crew is coming tomorrow, so we can move in this weekend. On Saturday, we’ll—”
“Why did you do that?”
Yeoreum’s face still hadn’t softened.
It seemed like she still hadn’t fully processed everything.
“It’s your reward. You’re the one who deserves it — why give it to us? It’s not like we can do anything for you in return. The company won’t care whether our dorm changes or not… So why would you give something that’s rightfully yours to us?”
This was the first time I’d heard Yeoreum speak this much in one go.
It wasn’t just disbelief — she genuinely didn’t understand my reasoning.
“I already told you — I want to show the world that you guys are shining. And to do that, you can’t keep living in a dark and cramped space. That old dorm was way too small and gloomy.”
“That’s just because… we’re a failed group…”
“I know you’re considered a failed group. But remember what Sera said last time? The failed album, the two members who left — none of that was your fault. And yet you still haven’t been given a proper chance. That’s why I made up my mind. If the company won’t give you that chance, then I will.”
This wasn’t a sudden decision.
Even before I asked Cha Soyeon for the officetel, I’d already been planning this.
Getting them out of that dreary old dorm was the first step toward a new beginning.
Just as positions shape people, the environment shapes their mindset.
“There’s an order to things, so we can’t add new members or release an album right away. That’s why I focused on what we can do right now. Turning my reward into your new dorm is just the start. This place isn’t just a comfortable home for a girl group — it’s going to be our base of operations, a place where we can fight to survive and build something new.”
I kept talking.
I needed them to accept my intentions without feeling guilty or burdened.
If they started feeling indebted to me, it would only upset the balance of our relationship.
“Once the move is done, let’s figure out what we can do from here. There are at least three people above me in the company who are on your side. That makes four of us — and I don’t think that’s a small number at all.”
Including the members, that made seven of us already — and with two more members coming in the future, we’d soon be at least nine.
“If you guys make a comeback, people will call it a miracle. Some say miracles happen because they’re impossible, but I disagree. Miracles don’t happen because people refuse to believe in them. How can a miracle occur when the people who need it the most don’t even believe it’s possible?”
And then I drove the point home.
“So start by believing that your comeback will happen. That’s the first step. And if you can’t believe in that… then believe in me. Believe that I’ll make Red Blossom’s comeback happen. Believe that I’ll help you shine on stage again.”
[Careful there. God doesn’t like cults — and that last line of yours sounded very cult leader-ish.]
It’s just pure conviction, okay?
You’re connected to my soul — you should be able to tell that.
[I do know you mean it. I’m just messing with you because you’re talking so much.]
This spirit really liked running its mouth.
I hoped they’d say something in response, but instead, they all stayed silent, sniffling quietly.
Their eyes had been red for a while now.
And then the three of them stood up and came toward me.
Letting out soft, choked sobs, they each wrapped their arms around me.
The volume of their crying gradually increased until it turned into full-on wailing.
They didn’t say a word — but through the sound of their heartbeats, I could still hear their voices loud and clear.
“Thank you. We’ll believe in you, Manager. And we’ll start over — together.”