Chapter 12: There is No House

Changing the concept required capital.

Unless there was a groundbreaking investment, the only remaining method was saving.

And it had to be extreme saving.

“I’m sorry for asking to downsize even your dorm, but there’s no other way.”

The Demon God recalled the villa they were currently staying in.

It was clean and lacked nothing, but it seemed like it would be a bit cramped once all the members returned.

And yet, they were telling him to downsize even further?

Did they intend to trap him in a birdcage?

“Unacceptable! I shall not permit it! CEO, give up your own house instead!”

At the Demon God’s exclamation, the CEO quietly stared out the window.

“I’ve already put it on the market.”

“…….”

It was a sad story.

The Demon God hesitated for a moment before looking at the Team Leader.

“Then give up the Team Leader’s house!”

“I rent. It’s not my house.”

The Demon God was at a loss for words.

Do these fellows intend to make me work without any money?

Ah, no. I was the structure through which money was made. It was said that if I didn’t earn, they would have no profit either.

Realizing just how poor he was, the Demon God whispered softly.

“Buy me the phone, at least…”

The CEO nodded.

“Of course. I promise you that.”

“…….”

Faced with capitalism, even the Demon God had no choice but to remain silent.

“But, CEO.”

Tae-young, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

“Hmm? Go ahead.”

“About Sun-woo… it seems you’re forgetting something important.”

The CEO tilted his head.

“What could it be? I’ve originally forgotten almost everything about Sun-woo.”

Tae-young let out a deep sigh before speaking.

“…You haven’t heard him sing yet.”

“…Huh?”

A silence fell over the room.

The joining was rushed, and the variety show appearance was a crash course.

They were so preoccupied with dance practice that they were out of their minds.

No one had confirmed the Demon God’s vocal ability.

To think they hadn’t even recalled it until this moment.

“This makes no sense.”

Everyone felt a chilling sensation.

What if Sun-woo was tone-deaf?

It would be awkward to set him up as the visual center and only have him lip-sync. Yet, they couldn’t just give him no parts either.

Of course, they say anything can be fixed with machines these days, but it wasn’t a method the CEO, a producer, preferred.

The CEO asked in a trembling voice.

“Sun-woo?”

“What is it?”

“Are you good at singing?”

“Perhaps?”

Everyone squeezed their eyes shut.

It was clearly going to be the same situation as the choreography.

“Do you want to try… singing?”

“Understood.”

The Demon God recalled a soulful melody he had seen on YouTube.

“APT, APT! APT, APT! Uh, uh, hoo, uh, hoo!”

“Stop right there!”

The CEO had sharp ears because he was a producer.

It was scary.

It was completely different from the original song.

It had a bizarre feeling, as if ghosts, not people, lived in that APT. Was this “The Haunted Apartment”?

“Whew… you’re going to need a lot of lessons. Ha-gyeom, our main vocal, will have to come and take a look too.”

“Yes.”

Just as it seemed it would end with a regretful evaluation.

“But there are merits, too.”

The CEO asked those around him.

“The pitch and rhythm were accurate, weren’t they?”

“Yes. They were spot on.”

That was the Team Leader’s answer.

And Tae-young’s words followed.

“His voice is good, too. His diction was clearly audible.”

“If we utilize Sun-woo hyung’s specific color anyway, it might not be bad…?”

Yoon-seo also added a positive comment.

The Demon God’s singing was truly in the same vein as his choreography.

It was primitive and full of power, so if refined well, there was a possibility that something amazing would come out.

“Just where did I bring a kid like this from?”

That was the CEO’s single remark.

In many ways, Origin’s future depended on the Demon God.

“Alright, go back for now. I’ll set up the lessons soon.”

“Understood.”

“Yes!”

The Demon God and Yoon-seo answered and stood up, but Tae-young did not yet lift himself.

“Why is it?”

“CEO, back to the dorm story. If there aren’t many options and it won’t take much time, could we go see the houses together?”

“Hmm?”

At the unexpected words, not only the CEO and the Team Leader but also the members looked at Tae-young.

“Since we’re the ones who will actually be living there, I want to see it with my own eyes.”

At a glance, it seemed like they could just leave it to the adults like the Team Leader or the manager, but that wasn’t necessarily the case.

There are things one only knows by experiencing multi-person dorm life. Furthermore, since they were going to a smaller place, they definitely had to check it out.

“Tae-young is right. If the dorm is uncomfortable, the members will clash over trivial matters.”

As the CEO nodded, Tae-young wasn’t finished yet.

“And also.”

“?”

“I thought it would be good to show Sun-woo the reality of the situation.”

““Ooh!””

Exclamations broke out at Tae-young’s insight.

“Tae-young is right!”

“Exactly! Once he sees the reality, he’ll accept whatever dorm we choose!”

“Sun-woo hyung… needs to learn a bit about how the world works…”

The CEO, the Team Leader, and even Yoon-seo spoke in unison.

“Behold, there is no being more well-versed in the world than I.”

No one acknowledged the Demon God’s words.

“Team Leader Oh, narrow down the choices and exclude any ambiguous ones.”

Thus, it was decided that they would go together.

***

After sending the members out for a moment.

“We’re getting quite a few scouting offers, so what should we do?”

The Team Leader brought up the remaining business.

Thanks to Agola becoming a topic of conversation, scouting inquiries were coming in.

Since it had been difficult to get appearance opportunities until now, it seemed like they should send him out anywhere, but—

“Only pick out the productive ones. Tell them we’ll participate, but say it’s difficult right now.”

Unexpectedly, the CEO shook his head.

“They won’t like it if we tell them to wait. They might just cancel the scout.”

The probability of that was high.

Only one YouTube variety show had blown up; Pantheon’s position remained unchanged.

“It can’t be helped.”

The CEO’s attitude was firm.

“Sun-woo still can’t filter his words. Agola is friendly toward idols, so they cover up slips of the tongue, but other programs aren’t like that. If Sun-woo, who’s currently a hot topic, makes a big mistake, they’ll be more than happy to broadcast it.”

The CEO was looking far ahead regarding the future of Sun-woo and Pantheon.

The Team Leader also knew how the broadcast world worked.

“I’ll try to buy some time somehow.”

“Right.”

It seemed the business talk was wrapping up, but after a moment, the Team Leader spoke with difficulty.

“Did you… put your house up for sale?”

He couldn’t show it in front of the members earlier, but in truth, it was the first time the Team Leader had heard of it too.

“I put it up when the profile pictures were mentioned. There are plenty of places where money will be needed afterward anyway. Look at us even now.”

“But didn’t you put it up too early?”

That was when only a single festival video of Sun-woo had become an issue.

The basis for putting up a house was weak.

“I had a gut feeling.”

The Team Leader gave a smirk at the random remark.

This wasn’t the first time he had heard those words.

“You said the same thing when Pantheon debuted.”

The Team Leader remembered clearly.

The CEO was full of confidence, saying he had a feeling, a very, very strong feeling.

However, Pantheon had been below the surface for eight months since their debut.

“No. I still have that feeling.”

“Still?”

“Yes. It’s just because we’re being sabotaged by Izm, but I believe those kids are the ones who will make it.”

“Hmm.”

To someone else, it might sound foolish.

But a producer is also an artist.

If they didn’t have faith in their own senses, they wouldn’t have made a name for themselves as a producer.

The CEO bet his own house on his gut feeling.

And the Team Leader was also a person who had followed the CEO this far out of trust.

“Understood.”

He accepted the complicated situation with a short answer.

“Hehe, go find a good dorm. At this rate, I might end up moving in there too.”

“Gosh, don’t say things like that.”

“It’s the truth, though.”

The Team Leader shook his head.

“I don’t know if I can find a decent place within the budget.”

With those final words, the Team Leader left.

“Whew—”

The CEO sank into his sofa.

“Sun-woo, you have to pull through.”

He had bet his house, his very house.

***

Since they had contacted the real estate office in advance, there was no need to set a separate date.

There were exactly three properties for the Team Leader and the members to look around.

Since they were already out, they decided to see them and go. The group moved to the real estate office in the company’s regular vehicle.

“We’re here. That’s the place.”

A small office located in an alleyway.

Through the front glass, an old man with white hair could be seen.

“There? Did we search for such a shabby office just because we’re downsizing the dorm?”

The Demon God raised a question.

“No way. This is a place that entertainment agencies in Seongsu-dong use frequently.”

“This place?”

“Yes. The elderly couple who runs the office is very accommodating, and they keep their mouths shut.”

“Hmm, I see.”

They all got out of the car and headed to the office. As they opened the door and entered, the bell hanging above went tinkle—. Even this was classic.

“Ho ho, welcome.”

“Hello. This is the first time we’ve met in person.”

The elderly real estate agent they had just seen and Team Leader Oh Dae-ho exchanged business cards.

Basically, idol dorms are found as close to the agency as possible.

That way, transport and management are easier.

Since entertainment agencies swarmed into Seongsu-dong, real estate agents have had more work handling such properties.

“Oh my, these are the friends who will be looking at the house? You all have such fine features.”

The agent was of an age where he wouldn’t know idols well.

However, he looked at the members like a grandfather looking at his grandsons.

Tae-young and Yoon-seo greeted him politely at that warm gaze.

““Hello.””

The Demon God also nodded with satisfaction.

“Your eyes are blurred with age, but you are seeing quite correctly.”

Gasp, Yoon-seo was startled, and Tae-young quickly stepped forward to explain.

However.

“Ho ho, Sun-woo’s way of speaking is exactly the same as in the Agola video.”

“?!”

“It wasn’t a concept, but real, ho ho.”

The agent laughed and added an explanation.

“I tend to pay some attention when an inquiry comes from an entertainment company.”

If he had seen the recent Agola video, it wasn’t just ‘some attention.’

As expected of an agent who specialized in agency dorms.

“Hmm, you are different from how you appear.”

“Ho ho.”

‘I can trust this office.’

The Demon God nodded.

“Now, shall we look at the map?”

The elderly agent, who was well-versed in idols, pointed to a map hanging on the wall.

“Here… and here, and then over this way. Within the budget range you gave, these three places are the best. But—”

“Yes?”

“If you add just a little bit more to the budget, there are a few more places in better condition. Just for your reference.”

“Well, I understand.”

“Shall we go straight away?”

There was no need to stall.

They headed to the first dorm candidate.

“It’s a bit cramped for five boys to live in.”

The Team Leader expressed his reluctance.

It was a clean villa, but the space was too narrow. It was obvious it would be packed once five boys and their luggage moved in.

“Shall we go to the next one? It’s a bit wider, but—”

With a slight expectation at the word ‘wider,’ they arrived at the second dorm candidate.

“Ahem. It’s a semi-basement.”

“Yes, but the space is wide.”

It wasn’t just a semi-basement; it was very humid somewhere.

Health management is essential for idols. They need to maintain their throats and respiratory systems, but this place seemed somewhat inappropriate.

“Let’s go to the next one.”

The last one was at the top of a hill.

The second floor of a villa was reasonably clean and the space was appropriate, but.

“Are there any problems that arise because the ground is high here?”

“Well, yes. The toilet clogs frequently, and in winter, the road freezes, making it hard for cars to come up.”

It was now early September, and winter was coming soon.

If things went according to plan, they would have many schedules in winter, but the car couldn’t travel.

It would be a disaster if the members fell and got injured while walking down.

“Sigh.”

“I’m sorry. But within the budget, this is about it.”

“No, we’re the ones who are sorry.”

The Demon God also didn’t particularly like any of the places.

“Is there none? Within the money the CEO can pay, a wide and pleasant place?”

The agent replied with a smile.

“There is no such place. If there were, it would be a place with a defect.”

“Ugh, I do not even count a place without a garden as a house.”

“A garden?”

The Demon God pointed to a house down the hill through the villa window and spoke.

“A house like that!”

When they all looked down together, it was a place that could be called a mansion.

Tae-young and Yoon-seo, seeing the scale, shook their heads simultaneously.

“Sun-woo, a house like that will be incredibly expensive. It’s impossible.”

“Sun-woo hyung, let’s earn a lot of money and go to a place like that. Let’s endure for now.”

But then.

“Hmmmm. It does fit the budget, though.”

Strange words flowed from the agent’s mouth.

“What? That place fits the budget?”

The Demon God whipped his head around. It wasn’t just the Demon God. The Team Leader and the members also stared at the agent.

The agent waved his hand at that intense gaze.

“But there’s a defect there. It’s not a place I can tell young men to go. No, it’s a place I want to strongly discourage.”

Indeed, if there were no defect, a luxury mansion wouldn’t be out for a low price.

The Team Leader asked cautiously.

“What kind of defect is it?”

The agent answered hesitantly for some reason.

“Well, I don’t know if you’ll believe this…”

“?”

“It’s a haunted house.”

“Gasp.”

The Team Leader had no intention of sending the members to such a place.

Tae-young and Yoon-seo also had no intention of seeking out such a place to live.

However.

“Oh?”

There was exactly one person.

“Haunted?”

A person who wasn’t even afraid of things like ghosts.

“Let’s go at once.”

The Demon God smiled brightly.

‘I’ve found it, my house.’