Today had brought yet another physical training session.
Even though it was winter, the dance practice room was filled with heat.
The dance practice room had the heater turned on to maintain a basically warm temperature.
Once physical training began, the inside of the practice room became indistinguishable from winter or the height of summer.
That was why we members of the debut team always had PT in thin clothing, but... in the end, we all collapsed just the same.
Personal Trainer Minyeong shouted as she looked at us slumped on the floor.
"Guys, just one more set. Hwaiting!"
Seoyun unni spoke with the expression of someone on the verge of death.
"Trainer... you said that was the last set earlier too..."
"Looks like Seoyun still has strength left if she can talk? Let's do one final set!"
Seoyun unni rolled her eyes back and pretended to faint, as if to prove she was on the brink of death, but Trainer Minyeong didn't even bat an eye.
Naeun unni, who always practiced in silence without a single complaint no matter how hard things got, spoke as if she were about to cry.
"Trainer... can't we please just go to the bathroom real quick?"
"No, you can't~ This time it's really the last one, so let's finish quickly. Everyone up! Aja aja!"
Ugh...
I had no choice but to get up.
The trainer played a song and shouted.
"Alright, start!"
.
.
.
When physical training ended, we collapsed onto the floor again today.
Trainer Minyeong approached me as I lay there and said.
"Dohee, why are you struggling so much these days?"
"It's never not hard..."
"No. You didn't gain weight, did you?"
The voices of my teammates rang out from beside me.
"That's right... she gained weight..."
"Dohee... she got huge..."
Guess they still had the strength to badmouth someone despite being half-dead.
Honestly, I had been eating a lot these days.
My exercise volume had increased too, and I was in my growth spurt.
But did it show?
I lowered my head and looked at my stomach.
To the naked eye, there wasn't a single flab.
Of course, if I pinched my stomach, a bit of cute belly fat could be grasped, but really, that level was just baby fat, so whatever.
"I don't really see it..."
Trainer Minyeong stared intently at my stomach, clearly exposed in a crop top, and spoke.
"What do you mean you don't know? Let's weigh you. Come here."
I flexed my stomach and said.
"Trainer, I really don't have a single flab."
"Right. Our Dohee doesn't have a single flab—Trainer knows that well. Now hurry up and come here."
The trainer grabbed my arm and pulled me up.
I had no choice but to step onto the scale, and my weight appeared on the scale's LED display.
- 54.1 kg -
"Dohee."
Trainer Minyeong was looking at me with a cold gaze.
"Your chest got bigger."
Seriously.
"What do you think I'm going to say?"
"Trainer, my chest really grew."
"Really? Congratulations~ But you still need to lose weight, right? Let's start your diet today too, Dohee."
Ah.
Everyone cheered from behind.
They were all dying earlier, but now they were practically dancing for joy.
"Trainer, I'll manage my diet diligently from now on."
Trainer Minyeong smiled broadly and said.
"Good, good. Let's keep doing that after you go on your diet, okay?"
"I'll work even harder at exercising."
"Oh, really? You're doing plenty already. As expected, I like that Dohee always works hard~"
"Please."
"Hwaiting!"
...She didn't look like she planned to let me off.
"Then... do I have to weigh myself every day now too...?"
We members of the debut team had our weight checked every single day.
Except for me, who was in my growth spurt.
They told me to eat as much as I wanted because I was in my growth spurt...
I just ate without a care in the world...
It's so unfair...
"Of course."
"Ah."
Usually, the ideal weight for celebrities was their height minus 120.
Because the camera lens made you look heavier than you actually were, you had to look almost too skinny in real life to come out pretty on screen.
For now, the target weight individually assigned by the company for each member of our debut team was height minus 118.
Since my current height was 167.5 centimeters, my target weight was 49.5 kg...
Sigh...
Did that mean I had to lose almost 5 kilos?
I should at least try to negotiate.
"Trainer... then since I'm 169 cm tall... I should get down to 51 kg, right...?"
"You're 167.5."
Busted.
Trainer Minyeong let out a sigh and spoke.
"Dohee, what was your original weight?"
"Me? 51 kilos."
Maybe I should have said 52.
"Sigh. I'm letting it slide because you're still in your growth spurt, Dohee. 51 kilos. Let's maintain exactly that."
"Understood..."
At least that was a relief.
***
"Ugh, I really don't want to eat this."
One week had passed since I started living on a diet meal plan.
Today too, a banana, vegetable salad, and chicken breast sat on my plate.
Without even any dressing.
If there was at least sauce, I could eat it somewhat tastily.
No matter that we're a debut team, not even giving us dressing was too much.
Seoyun unni, already used to it, chewed on her chicken breast and spoke.
"It's been a week, you should be adapted by now. Just eat it."
"That's because I've been eating it for a week. I'm sick of it now."
Currently, only Seoyun unni and I were over our target weights.
The remaining members had already achieved their target weights during their trainee days and were freely adjusting their diets...
My current diet was.
Breakfast: half a sweet potato, two eggs, and nuts.
Lunch: 1 banana, 100g of chicken breast, and vegetable salad.
Dinner: 100g of chicken breast, vegetable salad, two eggs, and nuts.
It was a diet that somehow included all nutrients necessary for growth.
I was really grateful to the company for caring about my growth too.
Really.
While I was eating my unappetizing lunch, three people who had nothing to do with dieting brought food and purposely sat beside me and in front of me.
The smell of food stung the tip of my nose.
Suddenly, irritation flared up.
I pushed Chiyo unni, who had sat beside me, and spoke.
"Ugh, go eat over there."
"Oho. Dohee, this is an appetite-stimulating mukbang."
"What nonsense... I said go over there..."
Wooa unni looked at me with a pitiful expression, perhaps because I looked so miserable.
Still, Wooa unni really was the kindest.
"What are we going to do with our poor Dohee... but the tteokbokki looks delicious, right?"
"Ugh. I guess."
Naeun unni, well.
She ate without saying anything.
But why was she eating so heartily today of all days?
***
Practice ended and we returned to the dorm.
These days, when everyone came into the dorm, they just flopped down everywhere.
So tired I could die.
Manager Soyeong unni spoke.
"Kids, you're tired so hurry up and wash, then sleep."
Soyeong unni was a manager in the new artist development team who lived with us at our dorm and took care of us.
Thanks to her, we couldn't even secretly eat late-night snacks.
Starving to death.
"I'll wash up quickly~"
Wooa unni took clothes to change into and entered the bathroom.
Fighting over washing order had only lasted a day or two.
These days, we were so tired we didn't even have the strength to argue, so we just took turns peacefully.
Today I was last.
At least there were two bathrooms, so thank goodness for that.
I heard that groups with over ten members just went to public bathhouses.
While the unnis were washing up, I decided to lie on the sofa and do some ego searching.
When I searched for Lee Dohui on the internet, there still weren't many posts.
Even if there were, most of them were only on female-dominated communities.
Was it because I searched for Lee Dohui?
I tried searching for "Ion Sweat Girl."
Oh, there were results.
[ Recent Changes in Ion Sweat Ad Trends ]
( Past Japanese Ion Sweat Commercial Videos )
Japan has continued the theme of youth, mainly casting young actresses while expressing images of schools and students.
( Past Korean Ion Sweat Ad Photos )
Meanwhile, Korea mostly used actresses who embodied the innocent image of their era, giving off a star-elevating vibe.
( 2017 ~ 2020 Ads )
But after 2016, they lost their direction.
( Last Year's Ion Sweat Ad Photo )
In the end, last year they just used some weird-looking girl.
Killing off pure innocent women and going for youth dramas.
( This Year's Ion Sweat Commercial Video )
As expected, they ended up shooting another youth drama this year.
└ Fact) Pure innocent Korean women have disappeared, so the ad company is smart.
└ No wonder I couldn't even remember the ads these days.
└ But the last girl looks young is all—she's pure innocent though? Freaking pretty.
└ Agreed. She's more desirable because she's young.
└ Ion Sweat is a high school girl's armpit sweat flavor, I'm going to buy it right away.
└ Wow, who's in the last pic? Freaking pretty lol.
└ My bride candidate.
└ No way.
└ Want to lick the last one's armpits lol.
Fuck.
I should have just searched for Lee Dohui.
Ignorance was bliss.
Still, most comments said I was pretty, so I continued ego surfing.
While ego surfing and waiting, Seoyun unni, who had gone in after Wooa unni, had been in the bathroom for a while and still hadn't come out.
Why wasn't she coming out?
I went to the main bedroom bathroom and knocked.
"Excuse me."
Seoyun unni's voice came from beyond the bathroom door.
"Yes, what is it?"
"What are you doing that's taking so long?"
"Half-body bath."
"Ah, what half-body bath. Hurry up."
"You can just use the other bathroom. Chiyo and Naeun unni should have already washed up."
"But my toothbrush and cosmetics are in there."
"Really? Didn't know that. Sorry~"
Sigh...
.
.
.
When I finished washing and came out, it was already 1 a.m.
Seoyun unni and Wooa unni were chatting in the room.
"Aren't you tired?"
I'm dying of sleepiness.
"We can only turn off the lights and sleep once you come out."
"Oh, you usually sleep first. Why are you waiting today?"
"You're the only one who does that? Turn off the lights and sleep."
"Okay~"
Thus another exhausting day came to an end.
***
The next day.
The team leader called us during practice.
"Kids, I have something important to tell you, so everyone come up to the conference room."
The team leader's expression was not good.
I had a foreboding feeling.
When we entered the conference room, Director Lee Jeonghye was there.
"""Hello~"""
"Yes, kids. Sit down first."
After we all sat down, the director paused for a moment, then let out a sigh and opened her mouth.
"Kids. I think we'll have to postpone our debut to the year after next."