Chapter 72: Chapter 72: I’m Really Filming ‘Army Body.’ (Part 1)

The day came.

The day when I had to start filming for Army Body. I only have this night left, and then I have to leave at 5 AM.

“Are you kidding me?”

This really sucks. I just found out that I have to stay overnight for five days.

“What is it, Sian?” Jinwoo asked.

“You’re telling me this right now?”

“I thought you already knew.”

“Ugh.”

I thought that it was just one night at some camp or something, but it’s four nights and five days. This was complete and utter bullshit.

“Here’s your chicken,” a server said, placing a platter of fried chicken on our table. Half seasoned and half garlic-flavored. It truly did look magnificent.

“Here. Eat it and try to feel better.”

“Okay.”

I tore into a chicken leg, spitting out pieces of bone in the process.

“That really is impressive,” Jinwoo said, watching me.

“This is why you should put me on a mukbang show as well.”

I really wanted to go on one, a show where I get to eat that is. Sounded like a dream come true.

“Okay, okay. I promise that when you’re finished with Army Body, I’ll try to get you on a mukbang. Have you finished packing?”

“I’m going to do it tonight. The members said that they’ll help me.”

“Oh, really?”

That seemed to make Jinwoo uncomfortable for some reason, as if he was wondering whether the girls would really be able to help.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Do you want to help?” I asked. Again, Jinwoo shook his head.

“I think it’s good that the girls are helping you. It’ll make things more entertaining,” he said.

“Entertaining?”

At the time, I had no idea what Jinwoo meant by that. It wasn’t until way later that I understood.

“Can we get another one?”

“What? You’re done already? Wow.”

I ordered another chicken…and then another one. Then, I asked for three more to be wrapped up before I returned to the dorms.

***

“Hey, guys~”

When I came back, everyone greeted me eagerly. Well, not me exactly. The food that I was holding was the one they greeted.

“Will three be enough?” I wondered. Everyone said that it was plenty. I asked how and they informed me about the bunch of snacks laid out in the living room.

“Of course.”

You know, I must say, the other members are pigs as well. It’s just that they were lucky enough not to gain any weight from it. I bet that there’s no other girl group in the world that eats as much as we do.

“I thought you were going on a diet, Jia?”

“I gave up.”

“No surprise.”

It’s only been three days.

Anyways, we all dug into the chicken.

“Sian, you need to pack,” Yoo-young reminded me. She looked just as organized and practical as she looks. Yoo-young Lee. Maybe that’s why she’s so boring. Still, it’s because of her that the group manages to keep itself together.

“You guys are going to help, right?”

“Of course!” They all answered, and I believed them. I figured that they knew the show better than me since I never watched it. Isn’t that why they had agreed to help me?

Anyways, after we finished the chicken, we returned to the living room.

We opened my duffel bag. It was pretty big.

“What do I need to pack?” I said, tapping on my chin.

“First, you need clothes,” Jia said, putting in some of my underwear.

“Just underwear?”

“You’ll get cold at night so take this too,” Jihyun said, putting in my cardigan.

“This too,” Hainan said, holding up my curling iron.

“A curling iron? Can I really bring that?”

“Of course. I’m sure you can. You’re a girl. What will a girl do without a curling iron?”

With that, Hainan began to pack my dryer as well.

“I guess I will need a dryer as well,” I said with a nod. I mean, I do have to dry my hair, right?

“Don’t forget this,” Yoo-jin said, holding out a thick book. It was a non-fiction book about various cultures.

“What do I need this for?”

“You just look so tough and scary these past few weeks. This will help you look more knowledgeable.”

“Will it really though?”

I mean, it’s true. I’ve been fighting a lot on TV these past few weeks. It’s really all I do, to be honest. I wouldn’t say that people see me as someone intellectual…though I’m sure I seem more so than Yoo-jin.

“I’ll take it then.”

I placed the book into the book. The bag was already getting full.

“Sian, you forgot the most important thing.”

Jia came out with an armful of makeup, which she then proceeded to stuff into my bag.

“That’s a lot.”

No, really, it was too much.

“It’s fine. Actually, you need more. Your skin will be ruined by the end of the show if you’re not careful.”

“What’s this?”

“Colored lenses,” Jia answered.

“I don’t use colored contact lenses.”

“Tough girls wear colored lenses, so you should wear some as well. They’re red. You’ll look like a vampire.”

“Oh.”

I don’t think I really need them, but if they’ll make me look tough, it can’t hurt. I packed those as well in a nonchalant manner.

“Oh, Sian! When you do your morning drills, your eyes will hurt, so here.”

Hainan placed a pair of sunglasses on top. The others began to stuff more things into the bag, some of which I don’t even remember. Finally, we placed some snacks on top before I zipped the bag closed.

“This should be okay, right?” I muttered, slapping the bag. It was really stuffed. I’m sure that this was enough for five days.

“Oh, your razor,” Hainan said. She brought it over and put it into my bag.

“Sian, next time, let’s get laser hair removal,” Jihyun said.

“Laser hair removal?”

The idea of getting rid of my body hair forever…well, I guess I should…my body is that of a girl, after all. But still, it’s awkward. My mind, after all, is still that of a man…

“We’ll go next time.”

“I don’t have money.”

“Have Jinwoo pay for it.”

I guess Jinwoo was our designated wallet now.

“I’ll talk to him.”

Anyways, we were soon finished packing. Suddenly, Jia’s face looked sad.

“You’re going to be gone for five days. I’m going to miss you.”

She fell into my arms and began to cry. I engulfed her with a hug. Ugh, she was just so cute. And now, she was making me not want to go. How am I supposed to be away from these girls for five days? The thought of it was really making me sad.

“I’ll write to you,” Hainan promised as she clung onto my arm. I ruffled her hair. As the girl with the top visuals in our group, Hainan truly was lovely and adorable.

“You should go get some rest, Sian. You have to leave early tomorrow,” Jia said.

“Okay,” I replied with a nod. I headed to my bedroom to turn in for the night.

***

I woke up at the crack of dawn.

“Ah….fuck…” I cursed without much thought.

After getting ready, I went towards the living room. The bag sat in the middle of the room, as if it had been waiting for me. I grabbed it and dragged it outside. To my surprise, Jia and Hainan were waiting for me.

“Sian!” They both called out.

“Huh? When did you guys get up?” I asked, immediately feeling better. To be honest, I was touched. I thought that they would all be sleeping, but they actually came out here to see me off.

“We didn’t sleep,” Jia answered.

“Really?”

“Yeah. We got together and decided who would stay up to watch you leave. Hainan and I were chosen.”

“Oh.”

The fact that they even thought about those things was adorable. I didn’t think that they cared this much.

“Sian, let’s go,” Manager Lee said as he got out of the van. I climbed in as he put my bag in the trunk. Jia and Hainan sat on either side of me.

Manager Lee then started the car. Poor Manager Lee. He really does go through a lot. The manager at Han Entertainment has a nice office and lives a luxurious lifestyle, but what about our manager? He’s driving around at the crack of dawn, and he doesn’t even get paid that much. It really is a shame.

Soon, we were on the road, driving towards the Training Center. The Training Center. The place where hundreds of our country’s men train before they are assigned to their individual units. It’s a tough place to be.

“Hey, Hak-gyu, is the army hard?” Jia asked. She seemed to be more curious about this stuff than I am. To be honest, I don’t really care that much about it. Why should I when it’s only men that go? I want to be where the women go.

Anyways, at Jia’s question, Manager Lee spoke up.

“It’s a hellhole,” he answered.

“Is that all you got?”

“Yeah. That’s all you need to know. It’s a hellhole,” he spat out. Then, he added, “You couldn’t even pay me to go back there and take a piss.”

“Was it really that bad?” Jia asked.

“I was seriously considering taking a laxative just so I’d have to stop in the middle of the road to take a dump.”

“Pfft. Why do that?”

“If you act crazy, they discharge you early.”

“I guess it must have been hard,” I acknowledged. People deal with hardships differently and some people cope with it better than others. I even remember sneaking my own shit into my master’s soup because he drove me so crazy when I was a boy. I totally understood how Manager Lee felt.

“But it’s gotten a lot better now. Back then it was…ugh…I don’t even want to think about it.”

It’s always like this. People think what they went through is the hardest, but Manager Lee wasn’t finished.

“But Sian, your bag felt really heavy earlier. What did you put in there?” he asked with a smile.

“I put in a curling iron, my dryer, a pillow, some snacks. Oh, should I pack more snacks?” I said.

Jia and Hainan nodded.

“You’re going to be really hungry when you get there, so make sure you take a lot of food. You need to share with the others too,” Hainan said.

“Yeah, I guess,” I answered.

Manager Lee stared at us.

“Hey, Hak-gyu,” I said. I suddenly decided to use his first name. I once asked him if that was okay and he said yes. So now, I’m doing it. To be honest, it’s hard to see him as someone older than me…it’d be hard to keep my last shred of dignity as a man if I did…

“Yeah?”

“Can I borrow some money?”

“…Who said you can…?”

“I’ll pay you back. I don’t have any money right now.”

It’s true. I really had no money. When do I get paid? Of course, it’s not just me. All the members were poor. Except for Jihyun. She had a lot of money, because she came from a wealthy family. That’s why Jihyun was currently taking care of everything at the moment. We wouldn’t be able to survive without her. That’s why the moment we do get paid, we all agreed to buy something for Jihyun. Oh, and of course, something for Jinwoo too. He is our banker, after all. It’s only right that we show our appreciation.

“Here.”

Hak-gyu tossed me his wallet and I took out 10,000 won.

“Thanks.”

“Buy a lot of snacks. And some instant food too,” Hak-gyu said with a smile.

But what was with that smile? It looked…mischievous. Like the kind you give someone when you’re trying to trick them. It felt a little off, but then, what reason did Hak-gyu have for trying to trick me? I even have his wallet. So, I shrugged it off.

“Okay. Thanks, Hak-gyu.”

At that, Hak-gyu smiled again.

Anyways, we arrived at the Training Center just in time, my new home for the next five days. To be honest, I’m quite pissed at the moment, but a part of me is a little excited. It could be fun, and it’s a chance to try some new things.

“The thought of not seeing you guys for the next five days…”

I pulled Jia and Hainan into a hug. The thought of leaving these two kiddos behind really got to me.

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