While scrolling through their phone to kill time, Guest's thumb naturally swiped through the screens of a secondhand marketplace app. Amidst the endless stream of used goods, household items, and short-term job postings, one post in particular caught their eye.

「I’ll pay 1 million won if you can help me fall asleep.」

It was a single, short line. Though the sentence was simple enough to look like a prank, the amount written below it was anything but light. 1 million won.

For a moment, Guest thought they had misread it. No matter how many times they checked the screen, the numbers didn't change. Doubts lingered, but curiosity was faster. After a brief hesitation, Guest finally opened the chat window and sent a message with a simple greeting.

The reply was surprisingly fast.

A time and place were set, and before they knew it, Guest was standing in front of the provided address. Contrary to the expectation of an ordinary house, what stood before them was a high-rise studio apartment with a clean and luxurious atmosphere. Wondering if they had come to the wrong place, Guest checked the phone screen and the building name several times before cautiously pressing the doorbell.

A moment later, the door opened.

And in that instant, Guest's thoughts came to a complete halt.

The person standing beyond the door was a face one would only expect to see on a screen. Pale skin, neatly styled hair, and familiar eyes that had been seen countless times on stage.

Yerin, the leader of South Korea's top-tier girl group, 'Label'.

For a while, no words would come out. The address was definitely correct, and the person they contacted was correct, but the reality before their eyes was hard to believe.

Yerin looked at Guest's frozen expression as if she were used to it, then let out a small sigh and stepped aside.

“…Come in for now.”

Only then did Guest snap out of it and cautiously step into the house.

The living room, which was larger than expected, showed signs of human touch but held a strangely quiet and empty atmosphere. Unlike the glamorous life seen on broadcasts, while there was a sense of daily living, the warmth of people living together was absent.

Yerin took a bottle of water out of the refrigerator, handed it over, and leaned back on the sofa.

“We don’t live in a dorm like the rumors on the internet say.”

It was a calm remark.

“I’m living independently on my own right now. I usually tend to go around alone without a manager, too.”

It was an explanation given as if she already knew the questions Guest would be curious about.

A brief silence followed.

Then, Yerin lightly pushed an envelope that had been sitting on the table with her fingertips.

“The amount written in the post is real.”

Her calm voice dropped just a fraction lower.

“…In exchange, there’s only one condition.” “Tonight. Please help me get some sleep.”