INTERLUDE. 3 | Dopamine

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“You know you could have asked me for help getting you an apartment in my building, right?” Chaeyeon asked as she put on her pants after spending the night with you. You watched her gather her clothes from around the couch from the doorway of your bedroom. “It literally meets all your criteria.”

You crossed your arms, remained silent, and gazed at the floor as she spoke.

“Besides, you’d be just an elevator ride away!” she continued, putting on her blouse. “And I wouldn’t have to perform miracles through your assistant to contact you.”

A sigh escaped you, thinking about how simple your life used to be when you didn’t have to behave like a mythical animal that only appeared after summoning it under specific situations and conditions. What a pain.

“Well, it’s too late for that,” you said, and walked to the kitchen to pour yourself a glass of water. “I’ve already signed the papers and everything’s ready for me to move tomorrow.”

Chaeyeon finished dressing and went with you to the kitchen, leaning her lower back against the edge of the counter. She crossed her arms.

“Don’t you think it’s ridiculous that you’re not even an idol and yet these guys are putting restrictions on you about where you can or can’t live?” she asked.

“Of course it’s ridiculous,” you replied, mimicking her pose but from the other side. “But what can I do?” You shrugged.

“Well, At least they’re not making you stay in a dorm with 11 other people,” Chaeyeon rolled her eyes.

“I really can’t blame them for being worried,” you scratched your temple, staring straight ahead. “The neighbors and the security guard were starting to get suspicious about why so many idols were coming to this specific apartment. So it’s best to nip the problem in the bud before it becomes a leak.”

“That’s also true,” Chaeyeon agreed. “That guy looks at me weird every time I come here.”

“See? They’re not crazy for wanting to find me a controlled environment,” you looked at her. “And with the money I’m making now, an upgrade is more than necessary. Oh, and it’s a lot closer to my office.”

“Well, then you better make sure you tell me the new address, because a late-night booty call with you is always worth it,” Chaeyeon approached you and gave you a peck on the cheek before going back to the couch to look for her purse. “But don’t even think about asking me for help moving. I have plans.”

You walked behind the couch and rested your hands on the back of it to look at her.

“What other possible plans could you have that are more fun than helping me move?” you asked in an amused tone, and handed her purse to her, knowing she’d dropped it behind a cushion. She snatched it up from your hand. “Call someone else on your roster to fuck?”

Chaeyeon faked a laugh and then looked at you with a poker face.

“Very funny, idiot,” she said. “No, some of the Iz*one members and I are planning a hangout to see Chaewonie and Kura at Coachella.”

“Oh yeah? Who’s going?”

“Wonyoungie, Yujinie, and Eunbi,” she thought for a moment. “I don’t know if Hyewonie and Yena can make it. Yuri definitely won’t; that woman is busy all the time. Nako and Hitomi won’t be going either, and Minju… well, she ghosted us all.”

“At least your fans will love knowing you’re still close,” you said. “I guess I’ll manage on my own then.”

“You had your assistant hire movers, right?” Chaeyeon chuckled.

“What do you think?” you laughed. “And I’m going to bill the companies for every penny.”

Chaeyeon laughed louder on her way to the door.

“Looks like someone’s letting the power go to their head,” she said, her hand on the doorknob. “By the way, don’t forget that my little sister is coming back Friday of next week. I know I don’t need to tell you this, but maybe you should do something for her. You know, some nice gesture. You know she loves that.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” you nodded. “Of course I won’t greet her empty-handed, woman.”

“That’s how I like,” Chaeyeon opened the door and blew you a kiss. “Bye, handsome..”

“Have a nice day,” you blew her a kiss and waved goodbye. “I’ll be sure to invite you to my new place when I get settled in.”

“You better.”

Chaeyeon then left your apartment, leaving you back to your damn demons: packing. Walking on broken glass was even more appealing than that.

You were way behind on time in that regard, even with the help of the movers. You would have liked to blame Chaeyeon and her late-night booty call last night, but it had been several days since you had closed the deal with the real estate agent. It was just plain laziness on your part.

It was Gunwook who had told you, a couple of weeks ago, that you needed to move to a new place. He had come to your apartment for dinner to sweeten your deal. At first, he had said that you had already risen high enough to deserve finer things in your life, but all your objections and arguments about it forced him to get serious.

“Kid, a lot of influential people frequent this place. That kind of attention can draw the wrong crowd, and we don’t want you becoming a liability. We’d rather you be part of the solution, not a problem we have to fix.”

Given your lack of arguments, you were forced to agree. Gunwook was then very helpful, recommending areas that were far more expensive than what the average person could afford in a lifetime. All of this was completely foreign to you, as you had always been used to a simpler lifestyle, but you weren’t going to complain about being in a position where you could afford such amenities.

The price of the apartments was something you had a hard time getting used to, but Gunwook had an answer for even that.

“Idols visit your apartment to fulfill their needs, right? Then it must be a private and secure space for them. Additionally, I’m certain you store many files and evidence here. That means each of these companies should be responsible for the monthly expenses of your new apartment. You have nothing to worry about.”

After that, the search for a new apartment accelerated dramatically. You had your assistant clear a few days of your schedule, and made an appointment with a real estate agent to show you places that met your criteria. It was the fourth apartment that you finally found your winner. It was the closest to your office, had absurdly beautiful views of the Han River from one of the highest floors, and was surrounded by good restaurants and nice places.

Once the exhaustive search concluded and the final paperwork was signed, you were confronted by the daunting, colossal giant of your nightmares: packing. You procrastinated relentlessly, taking on unusual jobs, reconnecting with old clients for nights out, and even resorting to dinner with the YG morons. Any shit seemed preferable to packing.

So there you were, less than 24 hours away from the movers without even the first miserable packed box. There was no escape for you now: either get off your ass or get in trouble. You needed to lock in.

After spending the whole damn afternoon trudging around your apartment, you were finally able to get everything ready and packed. All you had to do for now was drive to your new place, sleep there for the first time, and wait for the movers to do their job.

The apartment was in a residential tower in Samseong-dong, the hotel and business district of Gangnam-gu. You parked in your assigned spot in the underground parking lot and took the elevator to the 25th floor.

Stepping inside, you were greeted by a hallway. Small, tall, rectangular tinted mirrors were embedded in dark wood panels, lining the walls all the way to a display case and a large window at the back. The hallway first opened to the right, then to the left. You opted for the right turn, which led you through another short hallway and into the living room.

Again, you were used to simple and modest things, but that huge living room still blew you away the first time you saw it. The shiny ceramic floor stretched out across a massive, curved space, with tall glass panels following the whole bend. A big block stuck out, separating the smaller area from the bigger one.

You stepped inside, pausing before the smallest glass wall to absorb the breathtaking panorama. From that vantage point you could practically see half of South Seoul, stretching across the impressive Han River, visible for you in its entirety thanks to the placement of the building and the span of the windows.

God damn, you’d started as a masseuse who had to work overtime to make ends meet. How had you gotten so far?

Turning towards the kitchen, you were surprised to find several boxes on the central island that weren’t yours. A card on them explained where they came from: Gunwook’s wife sent them as housewarming gifts. She specifically asked that they must not be opened until the next day, which you respected by leaving them alone for the moment.

What you could do was start packing all the groceries you’d bought, both in the refrigerator and in the pantry, both significantly larger than in your previous apartment. It was enough food for about a month, knowing that the next few days were going to be busy and you wouldn’t have time.

When you finished in the kitchen, the next step was to go to what would be your bedroom and set up the temporary inflatable mattress. Then you went to your bathroom to store all your personal hygiene products, and then you took a shower—there was the first problem you had to fix, since the hot water wasn’t working. You’d have to get an electrician later.