Chapter 47
Though she gave no clear answer, Ho Haneul already seemed to have made up her mind.
To get a job rather than enter an arranged marriage.
Since her family thought of her as a disgrace, she would no longer beg for affection and instead choose independence.
"It won't be easy."
"...What do you mean?"
"Even if you weren't loved by your family, it's not like they didn't support you at all, right?"
Not as much as her older brother or sister, but the Ho family had still done quite a lot for Ho Haneul.
They sent her abroad to study.
They bought her a car.
They paid her living expenses.
And even if her credit card bills ran a little high, they never said a word.
At this point, she was living a silver-spoon life.
But what if she refused to be a pawn in an arranged marriage and moved out to live on her own?
The Ho family would cut off all the support they gave her.
"All of that support would disappear."
"....I see."
But the future didn't change.
Ho Haneul would leave home and get a job.
"Think it through carefully. Just because it's an arranged marriage doesn't mean it has to be unhappy."
"What will happen if I get a job?"
"Surprisingly, the place you get hired by is run by someone I know."
"Huh? Really?"
"Yeah. And she's a good person."
I don't know about other people, but at least to me, she was a good person.
She'd done me a lot of favors, so it was only natural to speak well of her.
"...Who is it?"
"Should I tell you?"
"Ugh... no. I'll find out on my own."
Fair enough.
"But what kind of work can you actually do?"
"I graduated from a business school in the U.S...."
It wasn't an Ivy League school, but she still graduated second in her class from a fairly reputable university's business department.
At this level, you wouldn't have to go hungry anywhere, Ho Haneul muttered quietly.
"Wow. You're an elite. Just how accomplished are your brother and sister, Ho Haneul?"
Seo Yurim, who had been listening from the side, asked.
For Seo Yurim, who had only lived in the entertainment world, Ho Haneul must have seemed quite fascinating.
"My brother graduated from Harvard, and my sister from Cambridge."
"Th-that's amazing."
Sure enough, elite was elite.
Well, but that's them and this is us.
There was no need to envy their lives.
"Anyway... thank you. No one has ever talked to me this seriously before."
Then she held out her hand to me.
What? Was she asking for a handshake?
When I took her hand, she gave a grin.
"I'll definitely repay this favor."
"I don't know how you'll repay me, but I'll look forward to it. And hand over the divination fee. The divination fee."
"...How much?"
"Pay as much as you can."
She actually dared to make an offer to me.
Then I'll make a counteroffer.
After thinking for a moment, she opened her wallet.
She pulled out ten checks.
A whopping ten million won.
"This is all the money I have on me right now. If it's not enough..."
"Oh, no. That's more than I expected."
Of course, I do earn a lot.
Still, ten million won was not a sum to take lightly.
Let's make good use of it.
"And..."
"Hm?"
"If I end up completely separate from my family someday, let's have a meal together sometime."
"Are you asking me out?"
"Ha!"
She let out a snort.
Gone was the dejected look from earlier; she now wore a bright smile.
"Then what are you going to do about it?"
"Then I'll see you next time."
She stared blankly at me for a moment, then giggled.
Her makeup was smeared by tears and her face was a mess, but even so, her smile was beautiful.
.
.
.
Ho Haneul left.
And so I was left at the bar with Seo Yurim again.
A few people were sneaking glances our way, but nothing worth worrying about.
"Hmm..."
Seo Yurim, sipping her cocktail, let out a small sigh.
"Kang Noa."
"Yes."
"Let's play Dunsa."
"Yes."
"What's your ID?"
"MushroomEaterIsMushroomMushroom."
"......."
"Um... you know?"
"Know what?"
I didn't ask what exactly she was talking about.
I just smiled at her, who was looking at me with trembling eyes.
"...You do know!!"
"I know. Mereuljjujju-palgosipdaya. How can a female idol's game ID be..."
"Th-that was an ID I made when I was a trainee...!!"
Flustered and red-faced, she fumbled around before letting out a heavy sigh.
Then she took a step back and bowed deeply to me.
"Thank you."
Seo Yurim's words of thanks.
It was for stopping her from being stalked by her manager-cum-bodyguard.
"Don't mention it. We're in the same guild, aren't we? If you really can't get over it, then give us some support when we run a raid later."
"That's all you want?"
"I didn't help you expecting anything in return."
I sipped my cocktail.
Seo Yurim, who had been watching me intently, hesitated.
"Do you maybe like me? If you helped me because you want to date me or something..."
I looked at Seo Yurim.
Seeing that self-assured face made me laugh.
"Then what are you going to do about it?"
"Ah! It! Eh! Hup!"
After giving a casual wave to Seo Yurim, who flailed in panic and ran off, I drank my cocktail.
As expected, cocktails were delicious.
.
.
.
The next day.
I headed to the event venue again today.
There wasn't anything especially different from yesterday.
But I had to collect the coupons, didn't I?
While I was going around the booths, collecting coupons and enjoying the attractions, new singers took the stage.
Four female idols.
They were cosplaying as Dunsa characters and singing the Dunsa theme song.
"Who are they?"
"Don't know? Aces? I've never heard of them."
As I watched, I heard the people next to me chatting.
"Isn't Ncia going to come out again?"
"She came out once yesterday; be satisfied with that."
"What a shame."
You idiots..
If you came to a game event, focus on the game...!!
"They're idols in their third year since debut."
"Oh? Cheolhon, you know them?"
"Their debut song was good."
But what came after that was the problem.
Their agency just didn't do anything.
They didn't promote them, and they didn't even manage their social media.
They had a fan cafe, but after a huge fight with the agency, even that fan cafe shut down.
Because they completely botched their response at the crucial early stage of debut, they flashed bright at first and then quickly sank.
Cheolhon gritted his teeth.
"Still, they could've turned things around with the next song...!!"
This wasn't just a casual acquaintance, was it?
"The next song... the next song..."
What on earth was the next song?
Curious, I looked it up.
"Oh..."
What is this?
A metaphysical-looking outfit?
A beggar?
Why does the dance look like Bongsan talchum...?
The song, the outfit, and even the dance were all impossible to make sense of.
I couldn't help wondering if this was really meant for female idols.
"It's not even the end of the world, so what the..."
"Exactly..."
The producer newly put in charge of Aces must have had a bad case of artistic pretension, because he was pouring his ego all over the place.
Aces suffered a total shipwreck.
Even the fans they had left quickly drifted away.
After that, they couldn't even dream of university festivals, let alone broadcasts.
In the end, their recognition crashed so badly they were reduced to events at local markets or elementary school sports days.
"What a shame."
"Really?"
"Yes. They're genuinely talented."
"They're that good?"
"Yes. Their singing, their looks, and their personalities too. And their leader, Wani, apparently lost her parents when she was young and grew up under her aunt's care."
"Huh? Really?"
Even though she's not an S-rank orphan like me, hearing that her parents are gone somehow makes me feel a sense of kinship.
"Even so, she grew up really kind and diligent."
"I see... but you know them well, Cheolhon."
"...Ahem."
He cleared his throat softly and looked away.
Running that fan cafe and fighting with the company isn't exactly something to be ashamed of.
"You don't seem like just a fan, but I won't ask any further."
"Haha..."
"What? You're interested in them? Want me to introduce you?"
That was when it happened.
I heard a familiar voice from behind me.
It was Seo Yurim.
The singer who performed under the name Ncia had disguised herself with horn-rimmed glasses and a hoodie, carrying bags full of Dunsa merch in both hands.
No one would ever guess from that alone that she was the haughty idol singer Ncia.
"They're really nice."
"You know them?"
"Yeah. I've worked with them a few times and talked with them too. They're really nice. It's surprising they haven't blown up."
You can't really separate popularity from luck.
"Anyway, if you want, I can introduce you to them."
"I'm not really interested in idols, though..."
Right.
I wasn't interested in idols.
I was interested in their future.
Aces.
Before long, they'd achieve a reverse chart run and become an idol group that would shake Korea.
The problem was after that.
When the tide comes in, you're supposed to row, but Aces' agency thought about cashing in on the oars instead.
So they worked them relentlessly.
They sent them to events all over the place.
They made them show up everywhere.
Idols who simply loved singing and dancing.
Idols who simply wanted to give people hope and make them happy.
For those who were going through hard times but still enjoying it with a smile, it was something to be happy about.
But that wasn't always good news for Aces.
They got attention.
That meant the company would manage them properly.
The agency president's nephew was brought in as manager, replacing the manager who had been with Aces from the beginning.
He also had more experience.
He knew a lot of big names in broadcasting and was also close with major YouTubers.
The company judged that having him as manager would let them sell even more.
From the company's profit standpoint, it wasn't a bad reassignment.
There was just one thing.
Except for the fact that he liked drinking.
He always drank until dawn as usual and then grabbed the wheel for the morning schedule.
And then the accident happened.
All four members were injured badly enough that they could no longer continue performing.
The only thing they could choose was retirement.
They simply loved singing and dancing.
The idol dream they had worked toward, trying to repay the aunt who raised them in place of their late parents, ended so emptily.
That was.
No matter how I thought about it, it was no fun.