Chapter 96
Yang Juhee liked the idol group Dorangmul Girls.
Among idols full of sophisticated girl crush concepts, Dorangmul Girls were rare idols who competed with cute charm.
The youngest, Kwon Sua, was the core of Dorangmul Girls and the center of their popularity.
Yang Juhee liked Kwon Sua too, and after learning they were the same age, she felt somewhat envious and admiring. But when she actually met Kwon Sua, Yang Juhee didn't feel that happy.
For some reason, she felt more uncomfortable.
"I didn't think about women's clothes, so for now we'll have to wear the clothes I prepared. I'm not sure if they'll fit... Wow, you're so slim. Do you do some kind of exercise?"
In the room used as a changing room. Kwon Sua spoke to Yang Juhee while changing clothes.
"What do you usually eat? Even my unnies can't manage their weight like that..."
Glance-
Kwon Sua looked at Yang Juhee enviously.
Yang Juhee, who had been running hard on the track for weeks, had a balanced weight that was closer to an athlete or model than an idol.
In contrast, Kwon Sua could be said to be fatter compared to Yang Juhee.
Mainly in the chest area, and for Kwon Sua, her chest was a bit of a complex.
She always felt men's gazes inevitably drawn to it. It was a good weapon as an idol, but Kwon Sua was still very shy.
They changed clothes moderately. When an awkward silence flowed, Kwon Sua was the one who broke it first.
"I'm sorry about earlier. For high-fiving... Is Ha Young-won your boyfriend?"
"Huh?"
Yang Juhee unconsciously made a funny sound. And she could realize that idol Kwon Sua was making a very strange misunderstanding.
"No. He and I aren't dating. We're friends."
"Really? Can a boy and girl who aren't even cousins be friends?"
The innocent eyes of the idol.
Yang Juhee felt like there was a sharp bone in this naive question. So when she didn't know how to answer, Kwon Sua sighed in relief.
"That's a relief. I thought I'd caused trouble between you two... I see. So you two aren't dating... Then does Young-won have a girlfriend?"
"Probably not."
Yang Juhee answered grumpily with slightly narrowed eyes.
Even though she had actually seen the idol she had wanted to see so much, Yang Juhee was starting to understand why she felt so displeased. But the reason was so funny and embarrassing even to herself that she was avoiding it, when Kwon Sua spoke first.
"Then can I confess to him?"
"...What?"
It was a question that made her frown involuntarily. Soon, Kwon Sua added words as if making excuses incoherently.
"Well, I've never been good at talking to others since long ago. But at some point I felt it was unfair, so I decided to do everything I want from now on. That's why I'm doing the idol thing too..."
Kwon Sua had met someone who could share her scenery for the first time.
This heart-pounding feeling was a first, and it was a flutter she had never felt even when a famous main vocalist from a popular male idol group confessed, "Will you go out with me?"
I'm not alone in this world-
A male student who could empathize with the loneliness that had filled Kwon Sua's heart. Kwon Sua could feel a hot flame starting to burn in her heart.
However, Yang Juhee couldn't understand.
'A confession after meeting for just one day? What kind of girl is this?'
For Yang Juhee, romance was something that could only be shyly started when you knew a lot about each other and thought there were matching parts.
To such a Yang Juhee, Kwon Sua's behavior was completely incomprehensible, an unknown itself.
"Don't you have to stop idol activities if you have a boyfriend?"
"That's okay. Our group is disbanding after this album anyway..."
"Huh...!? Disbanding?"
"Our leader, Sarang unnie, is pregnant. Her belly will start showing soon, so it's impossible to continue activities. She says she'll give birth secretly and continue idol activities, but honestly, that's nonsense..."
Yang Juhee felt dizzy in many ways.
It was entertainment industry behind-the-scenes information she didn't really want to know. She also felt like the idol image in her mind was cracking and crumbling.
"So what do you think? If I confess... could I succeed?"
Kwon Sua was somewhat aware that she was pretty and attractive. That's why she was doing the idol job, thoroughly commercializing and selling herself.
She had received countless confessions. Among them were many world-famous men like the vocal of an idol group. But still, she wasn't confident.
Glance-
Kwon Sua looked at Yang Juhee, the woman in front of her. From ankle to head, like an entertainment industry planner evaluating trainees at an audition.
Even to Kwon Sua, who had seen many women in the entertainment industry, Yang Juhee was a sufficiently pretty woman.
She must have heard casting offers quite often when walking down the street. But besides just having a pretty appearance, Yang Juhee had something like an atmosphere that was hard to explain.
And men tended to fall madly for women like this. Yet Yang Juhee said she and Ha Young-won were just friends.
'It's strange they're not dating.'
This meant there was a very high probability that Ha Young-won, the ghost-seeing male student, had a different view of women compared to typical men, and that even Kwon Sua, with her conventional beauty, might be rejected if she confessed.
Originally, Kwon Sua had never been interested in other men.
An idol who sings about love but is a complete novice in romance. She had become a girl in love for the first time.
"What kind of girl does Young-won like? His ideal type?"
I want to confess when I can score as high as possible-
With that thought, Kwon Sua asked Yang Juhee.
However, Yang Juhee was experiencing great confusion.
Ha Young-won's type of girl? Yang Juhee had never even thought about such a thing.
'Well, doesn't that bastard just like all women?'
Yang Juhee had often seen Ha Young-won's gaze busily moving between various women. Ha Young-won didn't particularly have a type; he was a guy who just liked all women.
At least, that's what Yang Juhee thought.
And that meant that if Kwon Sua confessed to Ha Young-won, the woman-loving Ha Young-won would be unlikely to reject her. Even if Yang Juhee herself were a man, she would have been the same.
Yang Juhee got really annoyed. And she was also annoyed at the fact that she was getting annoyed over something like this.
***
Putting on the robe made me look like I was in a historical drama. I looked like I was cosplaying as a Taoist priest.
Actually, it was cosplay. It felt like my face was floating above the ill-fitting clothes. When I put on the dried squid mask, my appearance became even more bizarre.
"From today, I am Oh Young-won, the bachelor shaman who serves the Squid Boy."
My concept was a bachelor shaman. Since there are virgin bodhisattvas, it wouldn't be strange to have bachelor shamans too.
I watched several shaman videos on MeTube, worried about what to do if other shamans recognized me as a fake.
There were quite a few MeTube videos with the concept of "Can shamans recognize other shamans?" and I could conclude that even they can't recognize each other.
"Why aren't they coming out?"
I looked at my watch while waiting for Yang Juhee and Kwon Sua. It was already 7 PM.
They said the opening gut ritual to open the water gate would start at night, so shouldn't we be leaving soon?
The women were clearly putting more care and effort into their preparations. Suddenly, I started imagining the scene of women changing clothes.
It was a very interesting imagination. Especially Kwon Sua, whom I saw in person today, was quite impressive.
What kind of guy would a girl like that date?
Since she's a celebrity, wouldn't she secretly date other celebrities? I heard the entertainment industry is even more of a jungle than Africa.
After all, if you gather young and pretty men and women in their prime at a broadcasting station, it would be stranger if they didn't hit it off. Anyway, as I was thinking this, Kwon Sua came out.
Kwon Sua hadn't changed much, but Yang Juhee looked quite peculiar.
"Wow, I can hardly recognize you."
Yang Juhee was wearing wide red pants like a skirt with a white top that looked like a jeogori. The top was also loose like the pants.
It wasn't something Korean shamans would wear and had a strong Japanese influence.
As I was slightly admiring the outfit that should be called miko rather than mudang, Kwon Sua said.
"It's an outfit I wore for a game photoshoot before... This was the only thing that fit Juhee. It's not strange, right?"
It wasn't strange. It actually suited her well.
"Wow, Yang Juhee, you look like a local. Are you sure you don't have Japanese ancestors?"
"What are you talking about? Stop talking nonsense."
"Young-won, you tied the knot wrong."
Swish-
Just then, Kwon Sua reached out and fixed the knot on my robe. If there were newlyweds with the wife fixing her husband's tie before work, it would feel like this. I felt awkwardly shy for no reason.
With that feeling, we got into the black van that arrived in front of the officetel. The driver asked.
"Sua, who are these people?"
"Uh... Manager. These are... very skilled? shamans I know. They said they'd help with today's gut ritual after hearing about my oppa's condition... They're really skilled people, you know? I barely managed to invite them."
The driver in a suit looked at my squid mask.
It was a suspicious look.
"...I don't think these people were on the list I compiled. Where are you from?"
"I am Oh Doctor, the bachelor shaman. I'm a wanderer with no fixed abode, but I came because I heard they're opening the water vein gate in this Gaeryong. Do you know this Gaeryong was built on water veins?"
I imitated the shamans and strange mediums I had met. They always talked about water veins.
The manager nodded as if convinced.
"We're late, so let's go. The Chairman will perform the cleansing gut as a representative, and then we'll all chant the mantra of the Cheondogyeong. There must be no mistakes in any part of the process."