I felt a paralyzing wave of nervousness wash over me on the drive to the SDR building in Gangdong district. My stomach was churning, performing agressive cartwheels as the taxi navigated the busy streets, bringing me closer and closer to the gigantic glass structure.

Over the past few days, I had discreetly contacted some of the old staff members I knew, capitalizing on lingering goodwill. They, in turn, had managed to secure an appointment for me with the new head of recruitment. I wasn't expected to endure a full audition, but I had to show up in person for a 'consultation,' allowing them to take a thorough, professional look at me.

Little had changed inside since my last visit two years ago. The lobby was still a cavernous space of white marble and corporate polish. I went straight to the sleek reception desk and was promptly guided down a sterile hallway toward the recruitment office.

A man in his forties, with a slightly unnerving, practiced smile, stood to introduce himself.

"Park Ahnyoul, nice to meet you," he said, offering a hand that felt soft and damp in mine. "I've heard many, many good things about you from my colleagues."

"Pleasure to meet you, too. Choi Minjae," I replied, forcing a polite expression.

"Shall we get started?" he asked, his voice oily smooth, as he guided me toward a chair set opposite his desk. I nodded once and took a seat, trying to look eager and pliable.

"You haven't gained weight. That's good," he observed, his eyes scanning me with clinical detachment.

"Yeah, I actually lost some weight, sir..." I murmured.

"That's even better!" He practically beamed. Yikes... Slimy bastard, I thought, fighting a grimace. "Have you been training consistently over the past two years?"

"No, sir. I was focused entirely on my studies," I admitted.

"I see..." He steepled his fingers on the desk, looking down at some papers. "According to the footage from your trainee years, you are capable of a very impressive vocal range, you have the stamina to sing while dancing, and you have a very marketable face. You're quite tall as well."

"Uhm... Thank you, sir," I managed, feeling increasingly like a piece of meat being graded.

"Here's the deal, kid. You're simply too old to start being a trainee again from scratch. So we have two viable options. You can try out for a modeling contract, or we have a pre-debut group around your age with a more mature concept." He leaned back slightly, the leather of his chair sighing under his weight. "You were here for five years, so I don't think I have to sugarcoat anything. You know exactly what's up. We've been debuting young, 'fresh' concepts for the past five years, but we've only had major success with our girl groups. Every company keeps pushing out teenagers with a youthful concept. That’s why we’ve decided to take a more risky turn. Our new group is named V1ne, and it only consists of members above the age of twenty. With a concept the industry has never seen before. It's really risky, and the success isn't guaranteed. But desperate times require desperate measures, am I right?"

Ahnyoul let out a short, grating chuckle as he delivered his speech. I felt icky just looking at his face, but his voice and mannerisms made the whole interaction even more repulsive.

"Yes, sir, I think I understand what you mean," I said, keeping my posture rigid. "May I ask what this concept really is?"

"The seven deadly sins!" he announced, as if presenting a brilliant new invention. "Refreshing, isn't it? We want women all over the world to go absolutely feral when they see this group. And we have one last spot for the final little sin: Lust. It's the most risky sub-role, and because of that, it's been difficult to cast someone who's willing enough to fully act out this demanding concept."

I loudly gulped, feeling my composure momentarily slip.

"I see," I replied, pulling my shoulders back. "I am willing to try my best to show another side of myself to the company and, more importantly, to the fans." I delivered the most polished, sticky-sweet idol response I could recall from years of media training.

"Wonderful!" Ahnyoul exclaimed, a predatory glint entering his eye. "This isn't a temporary project group. We anticipate great success as a reward for our risk-taking and the money we invest. If you dedicate yourself to V1ne now, it's a long-term commitment. Hopefully decades. Are you willing to do so? No dating. No public misbehaving. No scandals. No drinking out in clubs—at least for a few years. But you know how the rules go."

"I am completely willing, sir," I confirmed, my voice ringing with false sincerity. "I've been dreaming of becoming a performer since I was a small child. If I fulfill my role in V1ne, I will also fulfill my own dreams." I wanted to immediately gag from my own saccharine words, but I had to maintain the act perfectly.

"Perfect," he said, reaching for a folder. "Then let's go over the contract and conditions..."

My anxiety was through the roof once I got home after signing my contract with SDR. The entire process had gone smoother than I could have possibly imagined—suspiciously so. I gave Park Hana a quick call to report my success, then immediately started making dinner for Minsung and myself.

Minsung trampled through the living room the moment he arrived home. He yeeted his heavy backpack onto the sofa cushions and then plopped onto the floor, still fully dressed in his high school uniform.

"I'm completely pooped. What's for dinner, Hyung?" he mumbled into the carpet.

"I made some rosé pasta," I replied, stirring the rich pink sauce on the stove.

"Ooh, fancy," he said, pushing himself up to sit at the dining table. "Are we celebrating something?"

"I got into SDR today," I announced, yawning and stretching my arms high above my head before I started plating our dinner. "It went suspiciously easily. But who am I to complain?"

As I stretched, a thin line of skin on my stomach was exposed, and Minsung slapped it with the back of his hand. "You're out of shape, hyung. How will you dance and do all the physical labor?"

"Are you calling me fat?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"No, the opposite," he chuckled. "You're practically skin and bones. Look, here." Minsung flexed his arm in a goofy, exaggerated body-builder pose, his biceps straining against his uniform sleeve. "That's how real muscles look like."

"Okay, I didn't realize you became such a gym rat," I teased, placing a bowl of pasta in front of him.

"Rat? Take that back!" Minsung was about to throw hands, but I still had a slight height advantage over him, even though he had started growing rapidly this year.

"Sit your muscle-bound ass down and start eating," I commanded, pulling out my own chair.

"Yes, boss," he replied with a wide grin, instantly diving into the food.

"You know I won't be home too often in the near future," I told him, twisting a forkful of pasta. "Enjoy my cooking now, because you'll have to rely on Grandma for a while. I called her. She's agreed to move in during the weekend, and I'll have to move to the dorms."

Minsung looked up, a string of pasta dangling from his chin. "That's fine. I love Grandma's cooking. And she's quite funny. I'll just ignore her inevitable tangents about her drama shows. But you will still visit when you have free time, right, Hyung?"

"Of course," I reassured him. "Gangdong isn't that far."

The weekend arrived with disorienting speed. During the weekdays, I officially halted my studies, thanks to Professor Lee successfully advocating for my leave of absence with the Dean.

I was super nervous about the meeting with the members and the manager. I had asked Park Ahnyoul about arranging a formal introductory meeting first, but he had dismissed the idea entirely, telling me I would simply meet my manager at the SDR building in Gangdong, and he would lead me to the dorms where I would meet the members—since, after all, I was about to live with them.

"Nice to finally meet you, my name is Kwon Garam, the manager of V1ne," the man said, extending his hand as I arrived at the SDR headquarters. He was in his late twenties, tall but not quite my height. His expression seemed genuinely kind and responsible. Crucially, I didn't get that awful icky hunch that had instantly repelled me when meeting Park Ahnyoul.

"Choi Minjae. A pleasure to meet you as well," I replied.

"The dorm is only a few blocks away from the headquarters," Garam launched into speech immediately, his hands gesturing enthusiastically. "It's a comfortable three-bedroom apartment with a kitchen, a decent living room, and three full bathrooms. Are you excited to meet the other members? The boys are amazing. Truly, very talented. I have incredibly high hopes for this group..."

He kept talking in a manner that reminded me of an excited, overly enthusiastic puppy—a little endearing, perhaps. But I couldn't fully pay attention to his words. My anxiety began to creep in further. I hadn't had a full panic attack in over a year, but the recent wave of emotional and mental stimuli had made me significantly more anxious. I found myself wondering, in a cold flash of doubt, if accepting this job was actually a good idea.

"Here we are," Kwon Garam announced brightly, snapping me out of my spiraling thoughts as we stopped in front of the modern apartment entrance.

"Two of the members are currently out of town," he explained, punching the keypad code with practiced ease. "They usually visit their families during the weekends when they aren't scheduled. And two other members are currently in the studio. They're working hard on the debut song with our producers. Very talented individuals. You’ll see for yourself. So, only two members are home right now, as far as I know. Maybe it’s easier to meet them in smaller doses, am I right? I saw in your files that you were an ENFP, but you became an INTP. I'm an introvert myself, so I know how you feel—surprising, huh?"

I mentally noted that Kwon Garam either loved to hear the sound of his own voice, or he was the type of nervous introvert who started yapping incessantly out of sheer nervousness.

"Bang, Boom, the new member is here!" Garam yelled enthusiastically into the apartment entryway.

At first, I thought I was having genuine delusions and started seeing double. Two almost completely identical men showed up in the communal living area of the apartment. They were likely in their early twenties, just like me, similar in height to Garam but very well-built. Their wide, defined shoulders and bulging arms made it obvious they loved hitting the gym.

"I'm Bang, and this is my little brother Boom," he introduced themselves, their voices deep and smooth.

"Choi Minjae," I replied, shaking their hands in turn.

"The first ever K-pop group to debut with twins!" Garam cut in, unable to contain his excitement. "Bang and Boom are from Thailand, but they've been in Korea for four years now."

"Are you just lore-dropping casually, Garam-nim?" Boom asked with a playful, dry tone, crossing his muscular arms.

Despite my initial nervousness, the atmosphere seemed surprisingly warm and nice. Both the twins and Garam appeared to be genuinely decent people. I felt a wave of profound relief wash over me; I had definitely met some true assholes during my previous time in the industry, and these introductions were thankfully smooth.

"I'll take you to your room and show you around the place," Bang offered, stepping forward. We left Garam and Boom in the living room, presumably for Garam to speak his heart out while Boom stood there, listening patiently.