"Kim Dahye unnie said we'll be moving into our new house next Sunday."
Kim Dahye was the head manager assigned to their group.
Two weeks ago, JYP-nim had informed them that they would soon begin living together, as it would be far more convenient for both the group and the company.
However, with so many members, finding a suitable place had proven difficult.
Their dorm needed to be spacious enough to accommodate everyone, close enough to the company, and secure enough to protect their privacy and safety.
JYPE owned an apartment building where many of its artists and staff lived. It was the same building where the Major Team had stayed while filming SEVENTEEN.
Unfortunately, one unit would not be large enough for all the TWICE members to live comfortably.
They could technically squeeze everyone into a single apartment if they really wanted to, but that would mean cramped bedrooms, barely any personal space, and constantly getting in one another's way.
Such an arrangement might work for a short time, but it would not be ideal in the long run, especially once their schedules became busier.
Everyone needed enough space to rest properly after practice, recover from exhausting performances, and enjoy at least a little privacy whenever they were not working.
Forcing them all into one crowded apartment could eventually affect both their physical health and mental well-being.
The company could also divide them between two separate units. That would solve the space problem, but it would defeat the purpose of having the entire group live together in the first place.
Until recently, they had simply been told to start packing while the company continued searching.
But now that Kim Dahye had finally given them a moving date, it seemed JYPE had already found a suitable house.
They had not been shown any pictures yet, nor had they been told where it was located.
Llana was curious about the house, but she was also relieved.
During the past two weeks, she had considered offering one of her own properties if the company failed to find anything suitable.
She owned several houses that could meet all of JYPE's requirements. Some were spacious enough for every member to have their own room while still leaving plenty of space for a large living room, kitchen, practice area, and even additional rooms for managers or staff.
However, Llana had decided not to say anything unless it became necessary.
Finding accommodation for the group was still the company's responsibility. Since JYPE was already searching, she saw no reason to interfere before giving them a chance to handle it themselves.
If they truly failed to find a suitable place, she would have offered one of her properties as another option.
Of course, that did not mean she would allow them to use it for free.
She was not running a charity.
She would not casually offer up one of her properties for free simply because she could.
Llana was willing to help her unnies, but that did not mean she would allow the company to take advantage of her.
Any house she offered would still be one of her investments. Letting an entire group live there would also mean paying for maintenance, repairs, security, utilities, and other expenses.
If JYPE wanted to use one of her properties as TWICE's dorm, then the company would have to rent it properly and pay a fair price.
She worked for the company, not the other way around.
Besides, the members had already signed contracts with JYPE.
Providing accommodation was already one of the company's responsibilities under those contracts.
If Llana allowed JYPE to use her property for free without a proper agreement, the company could still claim that it had fulfilled its obligation by providing the members with a dorm.
JYPE would not have to spend anything on rent, yet the members could still be charged for accommodation according to the terms of their contracts.
Unless the money saved by the company was deducted from their debts, JYPE would be the only one benefiting financially from the arrangement.
Llana had no intention of allowing that.
It was not that she was stingy.
She simply knew the value of what she owned.
She would gladly spend her money helping people who genuinely needed it, but JYPE was not a struggling family that needed her generosity.
It was a company.
If they wanted to use something valuable that belonged to her, they would have to pay for it properly.
Fortunately, it seemed that none of that would be necessary anymore.
Since JYPE had already found them a house, Llana could keep her properties out of the arrangement and let the company fulfill its responsibility.
"I'm so excited!" Chaeyoung squealed. "I wonder what the place looks like."
"Do you think we'll each get our own room?" Jihyo asked.
"I hope so," Mina said softly.
"We'll probably have to share," Nayeon replied. "There are too many of us. Finding a place with enough bedrooms for everyone won't be easy."
"Mm. And I doubt the company would spend that much on us," Llana added casually, pouring cold water on their hopes. "Giving every member her own room would probably cost a lot."
Everyone quietly nodded in agreement.
After all, who would spend that much money on a rookie group?
Yes, they were popular at the moment because of SEVENTEEN.
But survival show fame was temporary.
Who knew whether that attention would remain once they released their debut album?
They might be the most talked-about trainees today, only to flop the moment their music finally reached the public.
Until their album proved successful and they started earning money, the company would probably avoid spending more than necessary on them.
If it were only Llana, JYPE might have been willing to make that kind of investment.
But for all of them?
They had not even earned back a single cent of what the company had already spent.
Even if they became successful, it would probably take at least two years before they managed to repay all their debts.
And if they failed to gain enough popularity, the worst possible outcome would be reaching the end of their contracts without ever paying everything back.
They might not earn a single penny throughout the entire five years, just like many idols who had debuted and worked for years without receiving any real income.
Among them, Jihyo was probably in the most difficult position.
After all, she had trained far longer than any of the others.
"As long as I don't end up sharing a room with Momo, I'm fine," Jeongyeon suddenly butted in, clearly trying to break the heavy silence.
One thing Llana had noticed after spending time with them was that whenever the atmosphere became too serious, Jeongyeon was usually the first person to lighten it.
She always tried to make everyone laugh.
And her favorite target?
Momo.
Then again, Momo was practically everyone's favorite person to tease.
She was naturally silly and expressive, and her reactions never failed to amuse them.
"You think I want to share a room with you?" Momo rolled her eyes. "If I end up sharing with you, I'll never eat jokbal again."
"Don't jinx it, unnie. You two might actually end up together," Llana teased, chuckling at the thought.
What were the odds, right?
"Hahaha! That would be funny!" Sana laughed, smacking Nayeon's shoulder and making the older girl wince.
"Yah! Why are you hitting me?"
The others quickly joined in, throwing more jokes at Jeongyeon and Momo until the heavy atmosphere completely disappeared.
"By the way, we still haven't decided who our leader will be," Chaeyoung said, timidly raising her hand as though she were asking a question in class.
"Hahaha! Why are you raising your hand? That's so cute!" Jihyo laughed, amused by the meek way Chaeyoung had spoken.
The others immediately joined in, copying Chaeyoung and raising their hands as well.
"Yah! Don't make fun of me!"
Chaeyoung lowered her arm with an embarrassed pout.
Their laughter gradually died down.
Choosing a leader was harder than it sounded.
If they based it on age, Nayeon would be the obvious choice.
But she could be far too childish and reckless sometimes. More importantly, the others would probably tease her more than they would listen to her.
Jeongyeon was not much better.
Whenever she teamed up with Nayeon, the two of them became the biggest troublemakers in the group.
Llana could lead them.
Whenever she slipped into leader mode, everyone seemed to follow her without even realizing it. Those who had become her teammates during SEVENTEEN knew that better than anyone.
But Jihyo was different.
Llana was more like the chill father who let the noisy children run around as long as nobody got hurt.
Jihyo was the strict mother who could silence the entire room with a single shout.
So, Jihyo was the obvious choice.
"If no one else wants to do it, then I'll be the leader," Nayeon suddenly declared, confidently volunteering herself.
"No, thanks."
"No!"
"Ani!"
Everyone rejected her at the same time without the slightest mercy.
Nayeon stared at them in disbelief.
"Yah! Why did you all answer so quickly?!"
"Why don't we vote anonymously?" Dahyun suggested. "We can write down who we think should be the leader and explain why, then tally the votes afterward."
"Let's do that!"