As soon as the intense board game ended and the cameras were turned off, Ryu Jae-hee threw the dice aside and made a suggestion.
“Hyungs, how about a sincere Yaja Time without the cameras?”
“Wow, how could it be any more sincere than it already was? It felt plenty genuine to me.”
While tidying up the Monopoly board, I replied, and Kim Dobin chimed in with his usual antics.
“Hyungs, I only held back because the cameras were rolling, but if you promise not to hold grudges, I’d be up for a more genuine Yaja Time.”
“These kids are sneakily trying to rebel, huh? You got a taste of it during the 20-minute Yaja Time and now you’re addicted?”
[Detected a comment promoting discord among members.]
[Initial intention -1]
Who was it? Ryu Jae-hee or Kim Dobin? I’d gone out of my way to tone down my words, even switching the endings to sound softer, yet here we are, with my precious resolve points being docked.
“You’re in a state of rebellion 365 days a year,” Seo Ye-hyun casually added.
I almost showed them what real rebellion looked like, but remembering my recently lost points and the relationship improvement meter I needed to hit 100% within two years, I let it slide.
Since we had schedules the next day, the proposed Yaja Time was postponed to an uncertain “next time,” and we started preparing for bed.
The private villa we rented had room for four, so there were two double beds, and one person inevitably had to sleep on bedding laid out on the floor.
And the Monopoly game earlier had been to decide who would sleep on the floor.
No wonder we played it with such intensity.
Seo Ye-hyun, today’s loser of the Monopoly battle, let out a groan, looking troubled as he stared at the bedding on the floor.
For reference, I had reclaimed my dignity after the Halli Galli fiasco by winning the most money in Monopoly.
“I can’t sleep on the floor. It’s too uncomfortable, and my back will hurt.”
Even after seven years of indifference toward one another, I knew this much about Seo Ye-hyun: he absolutely couldn’t sleep on the floor.
At first, I thought it was just an exaggeration or whining, but after seeing him toss and turn all night, unable to sleep, I realized, Wow, the world is wide, and there really are people like him.
“Then switch places with me.”
I kindly offered him a solution.
I needed to improve my relationship score with Seo Ye-hyun anyway, and he would get a comfortable bed in return. It was a win-win situation.
Unlike someone I could name with a picky body, I could sleep anywhere.
As long as there was a surface to lay my head on, it was fine.
Seo Ye-hyun turned to me in shock and asked, “Really…?”
“Why? Have you been deceived your whole life? Just sleep comfortably. You said you can’t sleep on the floor.”
[Relationship improvement +1]
It was a relief that Seo Ye-hyun was the type to be touched by small gestures like this. At least I wouldn’t be forced to regress two years later because of unresolved relationship scores.
That delicate sensibility of his was the only thing I liked about him.
I willingly gave up my bed and lay down on the bedding next to it.
The younger members had long since dashed upstairs, claiming they wanted to sleep on the loft bed.
To accommodate Ha-jun, who couldn’t sleep with lights on, we turned off even the mood lights near the bed and lay down in silence.
Lying on the plush, comfortable bed, Seo Ye-hyun kept tossing and turning before finally turning toward me and quietly calling my name.
“Hey, Yoon Eden.”
“What?”
“Isn’t it uncomfortable?”
“Not really.”
I answered briefly and closed my eyes. After a moment, Seo Ye-hyun spoke again.
“Are you really okay? Your back isn’t sore or anything…?”
“Uh-huh.”
Giving a half-hearted reply, I turned my back to him, but shortly after, Seo Ye-hyun’s nervous voice reached me again.
“Are you sure it’s fine? Can you really sleep like that?”
“If it bothers you so much, why don’t you come down and sleep here yourself?!”
I snapped, raising my voice, and Ha-jun, lying perfectly still next to us, pulled his blanket over his head.
A silent plea: For the love of God, shut up and go to sleep.
Sneaking glances at each other and at Gyeon Hajun, the two of us quietly shut our mouths and closed our eyes. The night passed in silence.
Unlike the night at the haunted house in Sokcho during our last trip, it was a truly peaceful night.
The absence of snow helped. No matter how much bedding you lay down, I couldn’t say it was entirely comfortable on the floor, though.
***
Day 2 of our Jeju Island trip was packed with sightseeing and a yacht tour.
The plan was to drive around several famous tourist spots in my car, ending the day with a sunset yacht tour we’d reserved.
“This is so nostalgic. I remember coming here on my middle school trip, but coming here with you guys feels so different.”
“Wow, you went to Jeju for your middle school trip? At our school, the funds were misappropriated or something because we went to the same boot camp for three years. Have you ever had the water cut off while showering? It’s an island, so they said there was a water shortage and turned it off mid-shower. My friend was shampooing when it stopped and screamed his head off.”
“Wow, if the facilities were that bad, it’s not just a little misappropriation—they must’ve embezzled everything. What kind of school would take you to a place like that?”
“Exactly. The facilities were so bad we should’ve been the ones getting paid to stay there. Sweltering during the day, freezing at night, ants in the rooms—I’ll never forget it, no matter how many years pass.”
At the tourist spots, we reminisced about school days.
“Dobin! Stop shaking and strike a good pose already!”
“What if I fall into the sea? And I took off my life jacket for this picture!”
“Unbelievable. At least smile! Why do you look like you’re being sold off somewhere?”
“Let’s take a group photo over here. Excuse me, could you take a picture of all of us?”
On the yacht, we took photos with the open sea as the backdrop, for both social media and our fan community.
“The sun’s setting. The view is incredible.”
“Yeah, this is a sight I won’t forget.”
“Hey, Eden hyung, does this sunset and the open sea give you any inspiration?”
“I wish it did.”
“I’m hungry…”
“Seriously, you’ve got the top talent for ruining the mood.”
Sitting at the bow of the yacht, watching the sun dip below the horizon, we wrapped up our Jeju healing trip.
Unlike our previous reality videos, there wasn’t anything particularly spectacular to capture, so it probably wouldn’t draw much attention.
Still, the trip was worth it just for the chance to fully relax and recharge without overthinking.
Of course, that’s assuming this trip actually helps me overcome my slump.
***
Even after returning from Jeju, I was making no progress on my work. Eventually, I couldn’t take the stress anymore and stormed out of the studio, heading back to our dorm.
“I mean, I wasn’t expecting the kind of dramatic resolution where a trip magically fixes a slump, but still…”
Sprawled out on the living room couch, I muttered to myself.
The members, eating dinner at the table, kept stealing glances at me.
It’s not like I’d guilt-tripped them about enjoying their meal while their leader was in a slump, so I didn’t get why they were acting so awkward.
“Eden, are you seriously not eating dinner?”
“No, I’ll eat.”
This cursed system didn’t count the “health management” section of my weekly quests unless I ate at least two meals a day. Because of that, I had to eat regularly even when I wanted to skip meals due to the agony of creation.
Maybe that’s why no one knew I was struggling with a slump unless I outright said it.
Even my insomnia had disappeared, so they all assumed I’d already gotten over it. On the surface, I looked way too healthy for someone stuck in a rut.
“Then hurry up and eat before your food gets cold.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.”
At Hajun’s call, I dragged myself off the couch, shoving my hands into the pockets of my loosely worn hoodie, and slowly walked over to the dining table.
I had a reason for showing up in time for dinner when all the members were gathered.
“Spit out all the concepts you’ve been wanting to try.”
Before even picking up my spoon, I dropped the bomb, and four pairs of eyes turned to me all at once.
I hesitantly asked Hajun, who was grinning at me, “Why, why are you looking at me like that…?”
“I was just thinking you finally understood my advice.”
Hajun’s advice? What advice?
Honestly, I didn’t remember whatever Hajun had said. My realization felt far more significant, but considering his words might’ve influenced my subconscious, I kept my thoughts to myself.
Kim Dobin raised his hand first and shouted, “Sexy! Or a noir concept!”
I didn’t even bother responding. With two minors in the group, a sexy concept wouldn’t fly. Same for noir.
Maybe after Ryu Jae-hee’s coming-of-age, but not now.
Ignored, Dobin pouted and lowered his hand. Seo Ye-hyun raised his next and cautiously offered his idea.
“How about a ballad, like our latest track Highlight Film? Until now, we’ve only done foreign high-teen concepts, so how about going with a K-high-teen theme, like wearing school uniforms…”
“To be fair, the hyungs are only going to look more awkward in school uniforms as time goes on.”
“You think you’ll stay a teenager forever, Dobin? You’re turning 20 next year, you know.”
“That said, people are already getting tired of the high-teen and refreshing concepts. If we keep doing that for the full album, we might face backlash for overdoing it.”
“And if we go with a ballad concept, Ye-hyun hyung won’t get the sharp choreography he wants.”
“Dobin hyung, your lack of tact is amazing. Clearly, this is all part of our eldest’s master plan to avoid sharp choreography.”
“That’s not true, Jae-hee!”
Seo Ye-hyun gritted his teeth in protest. Gyeon Hajun, resting his chin on his hand in thought, let out a short sigh.
“Sorry, now that you’re asking, I can’t think of anything.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. Take your time. It’s not urgent.”
At my words, Ryu Jae-hee clicked his tongue and said, “Stop discriminating against Hajun.”
“Hajun? Is Hajun your friend, or are you having Yaja Time all by yourself?”
“Calling him Gyeon Hajun is a meme. If I add ‘hyung,’ it’s too long.”
“Still, you should add ‘hyung,’ punk.”
“It’s fine, Eden. It’s a meme, after all.”
Fine. Since it’s not Kim Dobin but Ryu Jae-hee, I’ll let it slide.
I gestured for him to share his idea since he’d already spoken up. After a brief moment of thought, Jae-hee began.
“A detective crossing time and space to catch a criminal—”
“Ahhh! Ryu Jae-hee’s been possessed by the CEO! No, wait, the CEO’s alive, so it’s not a ghost—it’s a wandering spirit!”
“Are you serious, Jae-hee…?”
“Kid, if you keep joking around, you’re definitely going to get scolded by Eden. Look at his face already.”
While the members teased Jae-hee, I crossed my arms and stared at him with a tilt of my head. Once they quieted down after Seo Ye-hyun’s comment, I finally spoke.
“Keep going.”
***
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