Time flew by faster than I expected. That anonymous person's words about happy times passing quickly proved true. Living with the 13 of us was happier than ever. Before I knew it, it was audition day. It was supposed to start at 10, but I woke up two hours early. I'd been working hard up until then, but I wanted to double-check. Since the members were still asleep, I practiced quietly, keeping my voice low.
“You’re so enthusiastic since morning.”
It was Shua oppa. His voice was especially loud because his room was right next to mine.
“Are you awake? Sorry… I was so nervous.”
“No. It was originally time to wake up.
“You don’t have to be so anxious.”
“I wanted to do it right while I was at it.”
He strokes my head as if he is surprised by my words.
"Yeah, I believe you can do it. I'll be rooting for you."
Having just one person like this by your side makes life easier. If someone believes in you, you can take a step back from giving up. Everyone gives up because no one listens to them.
“Yeah, thanks, oppa. Oh, is oppa giving you a ride today?”
Even though I'm only eighteen, there are more things I can't do than things I can do. I don't even have a driver's license, so I have to take the bus, taxi, or subway to get around. The allowance I receive from my members is 50,000 won a month. That includes transportation. My brothers wanted to give me more, but I firmly refused. They were responsible for my food, clothing, and shelter, so I couldn't accept more. They barely managed to agree, telling me to tell them if it wasn't enough.
“Why, do you want me to take you there?”
I nodded shyly. Everything about him was good.
"It's too bad. Jeonghan is on duty today. Jeonghan is on duty this time."
“Your turn?”
“I take you there, and I take turns doing it.”
I laugh slightly at his words, dumbfounded.
“Then… when it’s Miza’s turn to go, do you take public transportation?”
Jisoo-oppa laughs excitedly at my words. He must have found me quite cute.
"No. Only those with a driver's license can go back."
“Okay, I got it.”
I can hear Jun-Hwi and Jeong-Han's voices as they come in.
“What does ‘Ool’ in front mean?”
“Hmm… It’s a shift system I never imagined.
Besides, I couldn’t have imagined that Jeonghan’s older brother would be on duty today.”
“Wow, am I that bad?”
"huh"
I didn't even answer, but Jun-hwi answered from the side. If this continues, Jeong-han will get upset.
“Eight, won’t you take me?”
As expected. Seungcheol oppa calls me Choi Toppi, Choi Toppi, but Jeonghan oppa also gets upset easily. I told you not to say anything to Seungcheol oppa.
“Okay, then. Jisoo, what are your hours today?”
“Empty. Should I take you there?”
Unlike Seungcheol oppa, when Jeonghan oppa gets upset, the more you make him upset, the more he will calm down. It's really different if you're really friends.
“No. I’ll take you there.”
As expected, I knew it would work out.
“Okay. I’ll take care of you today~”
I play a little prank. Jeonghan oppa seems to dislike the fact that I used formal language. Why do you sulk so much? Oh, this is the feeling. Jeonghan oppa, I'll hold your hand. When I held your hand, Junhwi oppa and Jisoo oppa's eyes lit up with twinkles, and Jeonghan oppa's lips turned up cutely. I took his hand and went out to the living room, and all the members were sitting on the sofa, on the floor, and on the dining table chairs.
"Oh, there's an audition today. The CSAT is just around the corner..."
Hansol, who won't even take the CSAT, laments. Honestly, if you were a student right now, you wouldn't be doing this. Some celebrities are taking the CSAT, and they probably study hard, too.
"Yeah, there are five days left. I'm not going to study though."
Oh, Seungkwan, except for oppa. That oppa is the kind of person who wouldn't study even if the world were to end tomorrow. He'd rather just die, he's got a positive outlook. It's not that I dislike him, though.
“If you do that, you’ll be ruined.”
Chani, the only person Seungkwan calls his brother "hyung," said. "I don't think you call him 'hyung' much these days. At this rate, you're just going to end up eating your friends."
"Don't worry. I've already debuted."
“I feel like I’ve heard that a lot~”
At my words, Seungkwan sings a useless and sweet song.
“That’s me♪♪”
Yeah, well, as long as you sing well, that's fine. But Seungcheol next to me seems to have the opposite opinion.
“Take a cue from the heroine, Mija.”
Seungkwan doesn't pay any attention to Seungchul's words. He just continues to be excited.
"It's okay, it's okay. You won't die. It'll work out somehow."
As soon as Seungkwan speaks, Minkyu, who is next to Seungkwan, speaks.
“Somehow that tone of voice is something I should use when teasing the female lead.
“It’s the same way of speaking.”
Yeah, I agreed inwardly. That kind of sarcastic tone was how Min-gyu used to talk to me.
“It’s noisy. The kids who don’t usually wake up
“Why are you getting up and making a fuss?”
I 100% agree with Seungcheol. It's been a while since we had a day off from our schedules, so everyone should sleep in. You must be tired from all the practice and recording. Oh, and of course, I'm not saying that I'm the one who's getting louder.
“I got up to cheer for Yeoju.”
What should I do with Wonwoo oppa's sweet words, seriously... Honey is dripping from his eyes and voice. I love you, oppa...
“Wow, not me. My eyes just opened.”
Oh seriously, didn't you hear what Wonwoo said? That's the model answer. Of course, that doesn't mean Mingyu is a bad person.
“Who said what? But really, everyone woke up…
If everyone got up because of me, like Wonwoo oppa
“It’s a bit touching…”
“I sat down to drink kimchi stew.”
Min-gyu oppa… If it weren't for you, I would've already hit you once, really. Because of the 22cm height difference, I couldn't even attack you…
“I thought it would be good if you took a look at it one last time.
“I think you might need it too, Yeoju.”
“As expected, our Jihoon is my older brother.
“How did you pinpoint exactly what I wanted?”
Jihoon oppa answers with a fluttering smile. Ha… I’m really melting, melting.
“Was that Seungwoo? Did you match with him? How much?”
Seokmin asks to confirm. "Even so, it's Jang Yeo-ju. How hard did she work?"
“That’s basic. We’ve probably met more than 20 times.”
My words strangely chilled the atmosphere. Why on earth?
“Did I… say something wrong?”
I gazed at the thirteen men with anxious eyes. Starting with Seungcheol, I could hear faint, barely audible voices, starting with the cheering instructions.
“Even though we are friends…”
“Even though it’s because of practice…”
“We’ve met more than twenty times…”
“I feel uneasy for some reason?”
“Well, isn’t it strangely annoying?”
“Oh shit. It all just sucks…”
“This is clearly a situation that deserves praise..”
“It’s strangely annoying…”
“I feel bad for some reason…”
"Ouch. Let's just admit it coolly. It's jealousy."
“It’s annoying even if you hide it and only do this with your friends,
If it was revealed… wouldn’t Carats be jealous too…”
“Why are they all male friends? Do you not have any female friends?
“If it were a girl, I wouldn’t even care…”
“The heroine should only play with me… Ah, this is not right…”
Listening to their lament, which wasn't really a lament, I couldn't help but laugh. Who on earth am I to them that they're acting like this? They even seem to think I didn't hear them, but I heard them deeply. And I'm so happy.
"What? What did I do wrong? Then tell me."
“How can you say you were jealous?”
Seokmin was my older brother. He put extra emphasis on the word "jealousy."
“I told you, I was jealous. What, Seventeen, did you like me?”
“I like you. But it’s not rational.
“I just like the person you are.”
Jun-hwi oppa says. Sometimes I can't tell if he's Chinese or Korean. His Korean pronunciation is really good, and his vocabulary is no joke.
"Of course. If it were that way, I'd be even more appalled..."
For some reason, some of the faces darkened at my words. It's fortunate it wasn't all 13 like just now... What the heck is going on now?
“…”
"…nice"
“…Is that so?”
"…I see."
“…It’s so scary that it gives you goosebumps?”
“…J, Jihoon hyung. I told you I’d try to match it.”
In order, Jisoo oppa - Mingyu oppa - Wonwoo oppa - Soonyoung oppa - Jeonghan oppa - Chani. Why do they react like this?
“Oh, that’s right. Lady, would you like to come in?”
"Yeah, I will."
But I didn't have time to worry about that right now. All my attention was focused on the audition.
