What? What’s with this crowd? What is this place?

Seo-ryeon and the other FOB members had arrived at their last event of the night, and they were thoroughly thrown.

Since their song had taken off, they’d been working events from dawn until late at night.

They got up at four in the morning to have their hair done and got hauled all over the country—studio tapings and everywhere else.

The president had money sunk into them, so now that they’d hit, he meant to squeeze them hard.

The members couldn’t collect their share until his investment was paid back, so they went along without complaint.

Row while the tide is running—no saying fit the entertainment business better. (TL Note: The Korean proverb is “row while the water is high” — push hardest while things are going your way.)

More than a few of their peers had gone from the height of fame to nothing overnight, melted away like ice dolls.

They were also giving it everything to pay for their next album.

But today had been truly brutal.

A morning event at a ski resort in Gangwon Province, then the dried-pollack festival at Jinburyeong, then a TV taping, and now here.

With the cold on top of it, their bodies felt ready to give out.

And then the last job of the day.

They’d been booked from eight p.m. to midnight.

Their manager had said the terms were double the usual fee for those hours.

Since it was at a hotel, they’d assumed it was some special event.

But…

A reunion? The class of ’84, no less???

The words on the banner hanging right there made them doubt their eyes.

As a girl group, they got over ten million won a gig.

They weren’t getting A-list treatment yet.

Even so, paying double—twenty million won—for a reunion was very strange.

Holding her place in the formation, Seo-ryeon sensed something odd.

When they said hello, nobody cheered.

Just grown-ups in their fifties or so, looking at them curiously.

I’m starving…

On top of that, the most heavenly smells were drifting from the food laid out at the back of the banquet hall.

She swallowed hard.

A salad in the morning and a boxed lunch of chicken breast had been everything she’d eaten today.

Today she was dying for the neighborhood Pizza Hat she used to share with her friends in school.

And she missed the oppa she’d met back then, her first love.

Tae-san oppa…

They hadn’t spent much time together, and he’d never told her he loved her.

Even so, she’d gotten through it all by thinking of him.

Just thinking of him made her happy for no reason.

She’d even set herself the bold goal of earning money to support him through the state exam.

Jang Tae-san, the first man she’d ever liked.

On hard days like today, she missed him even more.

“Thank you so much for inviting us to such a special occasion. Please enjoy~.”

Ju-min, the leader, kicked things off.

Their bodies moved on their own, ready to catch the rhythm.

♪ Dda-ra-ra-ra~ ♪

The backing track kicked in.

All they had to do was lip-sync through the hard-hitting choreography.

“White snow is falling~ ♬.”

The dance moves they’d rehearsed thousands of times to the AR track began.

“Oh my~ nice figures, and they dance well too~.”

“Are they a new group you know?”

“I think I’ve heard the song.”

The middle-aged couples nodded along, enjoying the girls’ high-energy moves right in front of them.

It wasn’t a very fast dance number, so they could keep up with the beat.

A few songs went by quickly like that.

Pleasantly tipsy, the Hongin University alumni got drunk on the youth the girl group gave off.

“One, two, three! That was your sweethearts, FOB!”

They hadn’t even sung, and the moves weren’t hard, but the girls were wiped out.

Still, they finished with big smiles.

“Good job.”

“You girls are going places. Hang in there~.”

“Yeees! Thank you!”

They finished with a bright goodbye and left the banquet hall.

Just then.

“Your dinner is ready.”

A hotel employee suddenly appeared.

“Huh? Who are you???”

“I’m An Chang-su, banquet manager of the Pelton Hotel.”

“Where’s our manager?”

Ju-min, the leader, asked.

Their manager, who always waited at the entrance after an event and kept an eye on them, was nowhere to be seen.

“Your manager has approved it. This way, please.”

“Okay…”

“They’re feeding us?”

“Whoa… this hotel is the best!”

“I thought I was going to starve to death…”

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”

Outside, they were a girl group worshipped as goddesses by their fans, but right now they were just girls worn out with hunger.

Full of anticipation, they followed the banquet manager.

He led them to a private room not far from the banquet hall where they’d just performed.

There was a long table with chairs for ten or so.

“Please, have a seat. We’ll bring everything right out.”

“Um, excuse me. Are we really allowed to eat?”

“Of course. You can confirm by phone.”

An Chang-su held out his phone.

Ju-min hurriedly called their manager.

“What?”

The same prickly tone as always.

“Manager Hwang. Are we really allowed to eat?”

“Whew…”

A deep sigh came from their manager.

He seemed to have some trouble he couldn’t talk about.

The members crowded around the phone, straining to hear.

They kept to extreme diets day after day to stay in shape, and by now their cravings were through the roof.

“What should we do… Chief?”

The leader asked him one last time.

“Eat. Go on, eat! Just don’t mess up tomorrow afternoon’s schedule—eat in moderation! Got it?”

“Yeeees!!!!!”

“Thank you, Chief! We love you!”

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The girls’ high-pitched shrieks rang out in every direction.

“Sir, what are we having?”

“Anything’s fine. Even just rice and kimchi!”

Told they could eat, they all went wild.

Mouths watering, stomachs growling, they gripped the forks and knives on the table and turned into fired-up competitive eaters.

“Then I’ll bring out the food.”

The banquet manager smiled and left.

Then the staff came in one after another with carts of all kinds of dishes.

“Jerk pork with grilled corn and a crispy tortilla salad.”

Pork tenderloin, corn, romaine, avocado, lime and cherry tomatoes came heaped high on crispy tortillas.

The server, a woman, explained each dish as she lifted the lid.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

“I totally love meat!”

“Meat! Meat! Meat!”

The dishes were all protein, vegetables and fruit—food a girl group could eat without gaining weight.

“Beef stroganoff with rice and a fresh red onion and parsley salad. The executive chef made it himself.”

One silver platter after another was uncovered on the rolling carts.

“Kyaaaah! Sir-sirloin!!!”

“Waaah… I think I’m going to cry.”

Some of the members actually teared up at the sight of the food.

They’d traded away their teenage years—the years you want to eat everything—for success, but girls were still girls.

“Broccoli chicken salad with plain yogurt. The fresh taste is out of this world.”

The server couldn’t help smiling at FOB’s reaction.

It reminded her of when she’d been that innocent.

“Baby lamb köfte with a Greek salad.”

“L-lamb too…”

“Shrimp linguine with a Sicilian fennel salad.”

“Pastaaaaaaaaa!!!”

It wouldn’t have been complete without noodles.

“Enjoy your meal. I’ll be right outside if you need anything.”

The server stepped out.

“U-unnie, are we really allowed to eat this?”

“The manager… said we could.”

They swallowed hard, but their bodies froze out of habit from all their restraint.

The members glanced at one another.

“Hey! If we don’t eat tonight, we might never get another chance in this lifetime! Clean it all out!!!”

Brave Seo-ryeon was the first to swing her fork.

“Oh, what the heck! Everybody eat!!!”

When number two Seo-ryeon made her move, Ju-min, the leader, picked up her fork too.

“Aaaaaaaaah! Meat for me! Meat!”

“I’m living for today and then I’ll die!”

The seven FOB members attacked the food like mad with forks and chopsticks.

Chopsticks and forks flew at the speed of light.

Plates clattered noisily.

“Th-this is to die for!”

“I think I could die happy now…”

The members demolished everything on the big platters.

The food vanished in a flash.

The girls’ exploding appetites were terrifying.

High in protein, low in calories, and delicious on top of that—it was nothing like the tasteless chicken-breast salads they usually ate.

“Burrrp.”

With nobody around, they even let out burps.

“Oof… I’m going to burst.”

After fighting it out for thirty minutes, the FOB members leaned back in their chairs, panting.

They’d packed in as much as their shrunken stomachs could hold.

Every bit of the stress that had built up was gone.

The room filled with the contentment of people who have everything in the world.

“So this is happiness…”

“I wish I could just go straight to bed…”

Full and drowsy, the members longed for their beds.

With full bellies, they wanted warm backs. (TL Note: A Korean saying sums up contentment as “a full belly and a warm back.”)

“I’ve brought dessert.”

A young man’s voice came from outside.

The members, who’d eaten their fill and were looking for something to finish on, perked up at the word dessert.

“C-come in.”

Ju-min, the leader, pulled herself together and answered.

They all straightened up.

If anyone found something to pick on, the girl group’s image would be ruined.

A tall man came in pushing a cart.

What? Why is he so good-looking?

Does he really work here? Whoa…

In a spotless black dress shirt with the top two buttons undone, the hotelier looked like a celebrity.

The members put on their demure faces.

On the man’s cart were sweet ice cream, fruit like strawberries, kiwis and bananas, and juice.

“Let’s stop stuffing our faces… I’m going to burst.”

Seo-ryeon, done with her war on the food and drowsy from being full, said it without even opening her eyes.

Unaware her bandmates were on their best behavior, she came on strong as usual.

The man quietly set the fruit and juice down in an empty spot on the table.

“Thank you.”

“We could have done that ourselves~.”

“Oppa. Thank you.”

The FOB members tucked their hair behind their ears or caught his eye and smiled sweetly.

Among male idols, a hunk that tall with such a perfect build was rare.

To look good on camera, you had to have a small frame and a small face.

But the hotel employee in front of them was different.

Even in winter, you could sense firm muscle under his thin black shirt.

His smile was as sweet as the ice cream.

That man walked up to Seo-ryeon.

He quietly set down ice cream and a glass of strawberry juice.

Then he slowly brought his face close to Seo-ryeon’s ear.

“!!!”

The members watching were startled.

For a moment it flashed through their minds that he might be a pervert, a creep.

Six girls glared at the man.

“Seo-ryeon. Let’s have some ice cream.”

“???”

It was a man’s voice, calling Seo-ryeon’s name tenderly.

“Wh-who’s there!!!”

At the man’s voice in her ear, the dozing Seo-ryeon’s eyes flew open.

“Aaaaaah! Who are you!”

She jumped up out of her seat in a panic.

“H-help! There’s a pervert in here!!!”

The members who’d been watching Seo-ryeon leaped to their feet and shouted.

For a girl group, this kind of thing happened now and then.

“Hic…”

Then Seo-ryeon suddenly burst into sobs.

And then…

“Oppaaaaaaaaa!”

Seo-ryeon sprang from her seat and threw herself into the man’s arms as hard as she could.

(End of Chapter 91)