Unexpected

Part 35

The food arrives just minutes after we do, and the four of us descend upon it like we've been fasting the whole day. The Snuper guys I understand, since they've been flying. I personally love Azerbaijani fare, maybe because some dishes are similar to Russian ones. Plov (a rice and meat dish), qutab (a type of pancake stuffed with minced lamb and cheese), and soup, followed by black tea and sweets.

Taewoong watches Makino as she eats with gusto. "Do you not get weighed anymore?"

"We never got weighed," she replies around a mouthful of qutab, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Maji ka?!" exclaims Taewoong. Seriously?! "So the rumors are true?"

She nods. "If you're talking about no diets and no weigh-ins. Wait, the no diets isn't strictly true. We've been told that if someone eats only junk food they will be put on a healthier meal plan. But no one has so far. I find that if you exercise, even if it's just dance practice, your weight is healthy. But our company does have girls, and boys, who are bigger than the average idol."

"Now I want to know if the other rumors are true, too. Sleep?"

"We strive for at least eight hours every night. No less than seven. Sometimes that means we say no to interviews if our schedules are full. Or we don't have dance practice that night."

Taewoong shakes his head. "That is unbelievable. You truly have time to do everything, and sleep eight hours?"

"Yes. Our company hired a consultant who followed us around for a few days, and found where we were wasting time, and how to be more efficient. One of the things we often do for our fans is go live for a few minutes while we're driving from place to place. They know the inside of our van very well," laughs Makino.

"Self defense classes?"

"Yes, that is the first thing we learned when we joined the company."

"I heard your albums have a photo card of every member, not just two random ones."

"Uh-huh. Each one has a complete set of photo cards."

I glance up at Sangil to see that he is paying close attention to their conversation. So I continue eating and don't interrupt.

"And the company doesn't think it loses money this way?"

"It may, but you must remember that it was started by a fan of Jpop. He liked the music and dancing, but there was plenty he didn't like. So if he, as a fan, was frustrated by having to buy several albums to get the photo he wanted, or hoping to find someone to switch with, then that's something he changed. So far all of our albums have been full albums, with at least twelve songs. Every member had a solo song. And the price is a little higher than normal, but you know exactly what you're paying for."

"So the owner is a man?" clarifies Taewoong.

Makino smiles. "That is a rumor I cannot confirm. I don't know, because the owner hasn't gone public. Our CEO is a female, so there has been speculation that the owner may be female as well."

"I heard that the groups in your company are re-debuts?"

"For the first two or three years, yes, all they did was re-debut disbanded groups. With new names. Akagi was the first girl group who was made up of original trainees. This helped to cut down on expenses, since they didn't have to train them." She winces. "Although they did end up retraining them vocally and in dancing. Most had picked up bad habits."

"And the big one: you can date?"

"That's right. Anytime. Trainee, debut, older idol. It doesn't matter."

"And that works?"

"I'm sure there have been people who thought about becoming a fan, but when they found out that our company is lenient not only about dating but other things as well, then they didn't. Become a fan, that is."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" he asks.

"No, I wouldn't have agreed to this otherwise. I know it's not dating, but I wouldn't be comfortable being on the show, knowing the viewers are going to pair us up, if I had a significant other."

After the meal I see my guests off, except for Sangil. Taewoong gives him a long look.

"I have a birthday gift for him," I say.

"So you'll be back in our room in five minutes or so?"

"No, he won't. It's not a gift that I hand over. It takes time. Maybe in an hour." Taewoong stares at me suspiciously. "You can ask him all about it when he returns, although he may not want to give you any details."

"Are you purposefully making this sound all wrong?" he asks.

"It's okay, Taewoong, we're married," I say as I shove him out and close the door in his face. Then I turn to Sangil. "You can hang out in here while I change." In the bathroom I put on the outfit that I chose for my dance routine. Something comfortable, but also tight enough to show off dance moves. Leggings and a long tank top. I step out and find him lounging on the bed. My innuendos to Taewoong must have messed with his head.

This time I'm the one hooking up my phone to a pair of speakers. "You may want to film this. And listen to the words."

"Are you dancing?" Sangil is thrilled.

I nod, and hope I won't mess up. I hit the play button and start dancing. I know that my moves aren't as fluid or sharp as they should be, but Sangil has a look of awe on his face as he watches. I sing the English lines, along with one or two easy Korean ones. As the last note fades away, I stay in position and gaze at him. When he stops recording I collapse on the bed.

"You were breathtaking. I loved it."

"I'm glad."

"I don't know this song. Who is the artist?"

"He's called IOne. He used to be in the group Speed."

"I know them. Especially Sejun, since we were on The Unit together."

"He has another song that I like, a ballad, but it's called I Don't Love You. Doesn't really fit the mood."

"How did you choose this song?"

"I asked my friends if they knew any Korean love songs, and after listening to them I decided this was the best one. At first I was going to perform this on camera, so I also wanted an unknown song so when I changed the choreo I wouldn't get hate."

"Why didn't you do it on camera?"

"Because you didn't sing on camera, either. And even though this wasn't sexy, I still feel glad that it was for your eyes only."

"It was sexy."

I blush. Sangil brushes my hair from my face and leans in to kiss me.

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