Chapter 11
Is this a bug?
For a moment, that thought crossed my mind.
[No way.]
Nobel immediately corrected me.
If so, then what I was seeing right now was real.
‘Haha. This is interesting.’
I was so surprised. So happy that a smile came over my face.
Wasn’t it?
In reality, you could spend all day loitering on the street and still have trouble finding even an A-grade talent.
And yet.
At the place I’d come to in hopes of finding some talent, there was an SS—not just an S.
[Eun Hee-ju, SS]
No matter how many times I looked, she was SS-grade.
Honestly, I had some doubts.
From a distance, the one who shone brightest right now was Jo Yu-na.
She was the main character of Class 3, Senior Year, in every sense.
Everyone’s eyes followed the tips of her fingers, and they hung on every word she said.
“……”
On the other hand, was her name Eun Hee-ju?
She looked ordinary.
I hadn’t asked Nobel right away if this was a bug for no reason.
Her appearance was utterly ordinary.
No, only her looks were barely ordinary. Everything else was below average. Her worn-out uniform was visibly the wrong size, as if it had been handed down to her.
It was torn, too.
Her skin was a little dark, and she clearly didn’t take care of herself at all.
I couldn’t imagine that girl ever becoming a successful idol.
One hundred people out of a hundred would choose Jo Yu-na.
That was the cruel reality.
‘But did she still have any will left?’
Of course not.
For some reason, cases of people committing suicide because of school bullying never seemed to disappear. Looking back through history, there were cases every year.
It was ridiculous.
Every year, they warned people about school bullying and showed examples of people whose lives had been ruined by it, and yet the history of it never ended.
‘If I’m being blunt, was her name Eun Hee-ju?’
Her eyes were dead.
A girl who showed no will to live. Someone like her wouldn’t even report it to the police, and even if she did, she’d probably just get targeted even worse.
She was powerless.
That girl could never beat Jo Yu-na.
Someone else might have turned a blind eye to this side of Jo Yu-na and simply raised her into an idol.
Who cared about Eun Hee-ju?
But I was different.
「Rattle!」
I opened the back door and went inside.
For a moment, everyone’s eyes landed on me.
“Whoa, shit…… I thought the homeroom teacher was here.”
“So what? We’re graduating now. Graduation’s tomorrow.”
“Who’s that guy?”
“Holy shit! Isn’t that suit he’s wearing from Heaven Day? I heard those are fucking expensive. That has to cost at least four million won, right?”
I heard them whispering.
Every single one of them lacked personality, and none of them had much influence.
Except one.
“That’s only five million won.”
Jo Yu-na.
“I think I’ve seen it a few times when I went shopping with my mom.”
She smiled at me and looked me over.
“Excuse me, mister. You know outsiders aren’t allowed in high schools, right?”
“Ah, sorry.”
I smiled right back at Jo Yu-na.
“I don’t have a business card yet, but I’m a team leader at N&P.”
“N&P? Oh, isn’t that the agency behind that drama where Han Hye-eun’s finally back in form?”
“If it’s Han Hye-eun’s agency, isn’t that where those Japanese guys are?”
As expected, the girls who were interested in idols seemed to know a little about N&P.
The same went for Jo Yu-na.
Whether she was a chaebol heiress or just a smart girl, she didn’t seem completely clueless. Or maybe she’d already been approached by someone besides me.
“N&P? Isn’t that just some small-time agency?”
Bitch.
What a shitty way to talk.
‘A bitch like that would be so fucking good to fuck.’
It was hot imagining a cock shoved into the pussy of some arrogant bitch like her, leaving her panting and not knowing what to do.
But this time, I had to give up on her.
Because there was a woman even tastier than her.
“If an entertainment agency came all the way to a school like this, it’s obvious why. Jeez, how many times have I been street-scouted? Excuse me, I’m sorry, but I have no particular intention of becoming an idol. Why bother going through all that trouble? I come from a good family, I’m smart, and I’m pretty.”
I knew not all chaebol were like this.
In fact, as the saying went, the riper the rice, the lower it bowed.
The more successful someone was, the more likely they were to keep their mouth shut. But there were definitely exceptions.
Jo Yu-na was exactly that kind of case.
Her shitty personality couldn’t stand not flaunting how great she was and crushing other people with it. In a way, she was just like Park Ju-yong.
The kind of people who couldn’t stand it unless they crushed others to affirm their own superiority.
“Haha.”
“What are you grinning at, you fucking creep?”
“No, I just think you’re seriously mistaken.”
Click, click—.
I deliberately made my shoes clack loudly as I walked toward Jo Yu-na.
“You’re cute, Yu-na. I admit you’re pretty and charming. But I didn’t come all the way here today to meet you.”
“What… did you say?”
Jo Yu-na’s initial bewilderment was worth seeing.
But that wasn’t the really funny expression.
“I have a pretty good eye, you see. I’m especially good at finding gems that haven’t had a chance to shine yet. And in my eyes, the person who’s really going to succeed isn’t you. It’s this girl here.”
“……!”
“What’s your name…… Oh, Eun Hee-ju. That’s a pretty name.”
For an instant, Jo Yu-na’s triumphant expression twisted completely.
Then she smirked.
“Ha! Hahahaha, wow, is this old guy cross-eyed or something? Mister, if you have eyes, use them. You’re saying this idiot is better than me? Wow, I’ve heard a lot of bullshit in my life, but this is a first.”
As if they’d been waiting for her cue, the whole class started laughing at me.
“Mister, he’s seriously lost it.”
“How did you even become a team leader with skills like that? Oh, N&P’s going under these days, right? Guess it really is true.”
“Wow, you get paid for doing work like that? Where’s your conscience?”
“Making money is so fucking easy! If you think he’s getting his salary for free, hit like, hit like!”
Everyone stood up for her.
Everyone was on her side.
Not a single person here—not one—stayed even momentarily quiet in Eun Hee-ju’s defense.
What a school. Hanbit High School.
‘No wonder Yoon Won-seok bragged about all the crazy things that happened here. This place is on another level.’
The thought of these assholes going out into society and smiling like normal people suddenly made me feel sick.
But the bigger problem was Eun Hee-ju, who didn’t even twitch despite everything I’d done.
‘Wow, she’s really dead inside while still alive.’
Honestly, I’d never been bullied at school, so I didn’t know what it was like.
Still, I’d seen it happen indirectly a few times.
From an observer’s perspective, the person being bullied might seem foolish. Why not go to the police, or their parents?
Why not ask for help somehow?
Or pretend to go crazy and fight back?
But that was something you could say as an observer.
If you experienced the victim’s feelings firsthand, you could never say that.
Almost every victim of school bullying gave the same answer.
It was ‘hell.’
‘Eun Hee-ju seems to have gone beyond hell and fallen into some distant abyss. How am I supposed to get her out?’
Even if she had SS-grade potential.
In the end, she was the one who had to make it bloom.
If I couldn’t find that will in Eun Hee-ju no matter how much of a scene I made, it’d all be for nothing.
“Hee-ju! Say something, too. Do you think the bullshit this mister just said makes any sense?”
“……”
“Ha, you bitch. Now you’re ignoring me right to my face? You fucking bitch. I’ve been going easy on you lately because graduation’s coming up, and now you think I’m a joke?”
Thud!
It happened in an instant.
Jo Yu-na, who’d been perched on the desk, kicked Eun Hee-ju hard in the face.
I didn’t even have time to step in.
She did it like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I’d never seen anyone kick someone in the face that easily in real life.
Thump—.
Even more astonishing was that Eun Hee-ju, who’d fallen as if knocked out by the blow, immediately got back up.
“Goodness. Our little roly-poly. We worked so hard to build up your pain tolerance, and it paid off, huh? Yeah, if you’d stayed down, I might’ve gotten in a worse mood and hit you even harder.”
This crazy bitch……
“But I’m in an even worse mood today because of this mister. So you can take a few more hits.”
Wham!
“Ugh.”
I lunged forward, a groan escaping me.
At the same time, laughter erupted.
“Puhahahahaha!! Wow, here comes the hero of justice. Mister, get a grip. The police and teachers in this country are all on my side. And N&P? I can screw you over there with just one call. Ah, this is so fucking funny. Right, guys?”
“This is why comedy shows in our country are going out of business, k-k-k-k-k!”
“Wow, I’ve never seen anything like this in real life! This is so fucking hilarious. That’s our Yu-na! Jo Yu-na!! Jo Yu-na!!”
Chilling.
Even I, a twenty-nine-year-old who considered himself a grown-up, felt anger flare from within and goosebumps crawl all over me.
And a girl who’d only just turned twenty had been putting up with this all this time?
‘She definitely has potential, damn it.’
If that was the case, all I had to do was awaken her will.
Whew, should I do what I’m good at one more time?
“You’re one seriously fucking crazy bitch.”
“……”
“……”
Jo Yu-na’s eyes went wide.
But then.
‘Why are you surprised?’
Even Eun Hee-ju’s eyes widened—something I hadn’t expected. Had she really never even gotten this much revenge despite being treated like this?
‘Or maybe Jo Yu-na’s backing is so powerful that even this much would be enough to ruin her.’
Thinking that far, I quickly suppressed the anger rising up in me.
“I was just about to say that. Haha.”
“Are you insane, mister? Do you really want me to get you blacklisted from society?”
“Hmm.”
Honestly, this was where I should back down.
Pride aside, Jo Yu-na did seem like a dangerous bitch.
But I didn’t want to back down.
‘Nobel, can’t you do something?’
[Hmm! Normally, I couldn’t. But she’s a bit of a bitch even by my standards, so I’ll help you just a little.]
[From now on, you’ll be able to use ‘killing intent’ for a very short time.]
I didn’t know what killing intent was, but.
“Everyone, shut the hell up.”
It happened in that instant.
All I’d done was blurt out a harsh command, but the room instantly froze. The kids who’d been snickering on Jo Yu-na’s side fell silent, and.
Jo Yu-na, who’d received that killing intent right in front of her……
“Uh……”
She even ended up wetting herself.
Watching that, a tiny bit of light returned to Eun Hee-ju’s eyes.
‘This is it.’
I’d immediately found the hook that could bring Eun Hee-ju back to life, that could win her over.
I gently stroked the back of Eun Hee-ju’s head and whispered in her ear.
Revenge.
“……!”
For a moment, I felt Eun Hee-ju’s body stir. Her heart was beating.
Right, what did someone who’d only ever been victimized want most?
It was revenge.
“I’ll help you get revenge on that fucking bitch.”
At my words, Eun Hee-ju’s gaze turned toward me for the first time.
Her eyes, with all emotion dead in them, were asking me.
Was that really possible?
[As a bonus, I’ll give you some special information. Jo Yu-na will eventually debut as a new idol in AM.]
Thanks to Nobel’s bonus, I smiled brightly and promised Eun Hee-ju once again.
“It’s absolutely possible. Later, Jo Yu-na will be crying tears of blood in front of you, clasping her hands and begging. And then, you’ll trample her in full view of everyone.”
It happened in that instant.
For the first time, the corners of Eun Hee-ju’s mouth lifted.
It was an incredible smile, one worthy of an SS grade.
“What should I do?”
I answered Eun Hee-ju’s quiet question.
“Just do what I tell you. I’m both a team leader and a manager.”
Eun Hee-ju gave a small nod.
“Yes. Team Leader-Manager.”
Then she turned toward Jo Yu-na, who was at a loss after wetting herself, and smiled again.
Seeing that, Jo Yu-na immediately went into a fit and fainted.