Full House

Woozi's pov~

            Looking back, I would believe that if I try hard enough, the struggle would be worth it. I repeatedly lied my belief like a mantra, hoping to make my grand debut. A mantra that was ritually running through our veins as we danced to the rhythm of the stereo. But these past sleepless nights, I came to my senses of the manufacturing system happening behind the scenes with a leash tied around my neck.

    The feelings rushed back to my body, stress evident through the eye bagged slim figure in the fogged mirror. I eyed every talented figure laying like the aftermath of a well-earned battle. My brothers and sisters were slowly dragging their souls with slouched shoulders and packing their things to end the night. Suddenly, the loose hinges of the door squealed the arrival of the company’s staff. Despite having a low-paying job, “Myung” walked in with a swagger-like presence, as if he owned the place.

    “I always thought I would get used to the smell of perspiration,” he stated with sarcasm.

    “I always thought your vocabulary was the length of the Macarena song,” someone muttered quietly followed by a group of chuckles.

    I have never seen a neck snap to the side as quick as Robbie did at that moment. With a glare, he went straight to business.

    “I need Chloe, Mark, Nayoung, Rei, and Rena to go straight to the office. Everyone else head back to your dorms and get some sleep. Tomorrow’s schedule will be longer than today.”

    Once finished, he left without hesitation and the people named quickly followed him out the door. I glanced around to see a glint in everyone’s eyes. They have a plan that could land us into trouble, but I followed like the rest of the crowd to witness a scene that I would never forget.

    We had the advantage of being light weighted due to dancing for years with a strict diet, so sneaking into a dark room with a thin window that can see through the office was no problem for anyone. I huddle close to the alpha of our pack, almost bumping to the ugly, yellow stained sofa next to the recording desk. This room seemed even smaller than before while containing 37 young adults. As soon as everyone settles inside, we waited for the show to begin.

    Through the dark-tinted window, the chosen ones were seated with a strange look on their faces. They seemed tired, emotionless, and scared. For a minute, I thought they would be energetic, excited, and pleased. All thoughts faded when the CEO walked in. I could see my siblings cower down in shock; even I felt the weight of the sudden turn of events.

    “Whatever they did to have the CEO come here, they will surely be expelled. No questions asked,” the alpha whispered.

    Without a single response, we watch. The CEO sat in front of the kids in his wrinkleless suit and crossed his arms while closing his eyes with a deep frown. He apparently asked them the “why do you think you are here” question. We could not hear anything from the other side, but we can see the hesitating responses of our companions. Though it seemed the CEO did not appreciate the honesty because he threw their contract to their worn-out shoes. They jumped in fright when the door opens once again with Myung and a couple of staff with suitcases ready for them to take home. With their head lowered, they grab their bags and left the room.

    When the drama was over, everyone dispersed to their corresponding path. I stayed behind and watched the CEO restart the computer. He logged in, opened a file named “Full House Project” and began to erase each expelled student as if we were mice to his experiment. I coughed a little louder than expected and saw the CEO look up. Before he could see the source of the noise, I rushed out of the dark room without looking back.

    The next morning, we could feel the emptiness of the five missing students. It was unsurprisingly quiet even with the squeaking of the shoes on the marketed floor. We continued to dance until the hinged door took our attention.

    I felt a rush of goosebumps crawl on the back of my neck. I had never felt scared than what I experienced on this day. Five new lambs stepped into the room with an air of innocence and took in their surroundings with excitement. I had the exact feeling when I entered the room years ago. That is until I knew the dirty work that was happening behind closed doors.