Chapter 12
After knocking Jo Yu-na unconscious, Hee-ju returned to her usual expressionless face.
Team Leader-Manager, huh.
It was an undeniably cute title.
“Come with me.”
“Yes.”
I led Hee-ju out of the classroom without giving the unconscious Jo Yu-na a second thought.
After what I’d done, I couldn’t just irresponsibly tell her to finish the graduation ceremony on her own and find her way to the agency by herself.
Eun Hee-ju had planned to get her diploma today and leave.
Was that even possible?
Normally, no.
But in this world, there are surprisingly few things that are truly impossible.
Especially after leaving Hee-ju in this state, what right did they have to insist she have a proper graduation ceremony now?
[Teachers’ Office]
“No. We can’t give special treatment to one student. The graduation ceremony is tomorrow anyway. What kind of ridiculous request is that?”
At first, we met with Hee-ju’s homeroom teacher.
Then the principal and vice principal joined us, and for nearly ten minutes now, I’d been hearing them repeat “no” like parrots.
“Special treatment, huh.”
I licked my lips like I was possessed by some gangster and gave the teachers a slow once-over.
Swoosh.
It would’ve been nice if I could use killing intent again this time.
Then maybe I could’ve made these people who barely deserved to be called teachers piss themselves, too.
But that wasn’t possible.
Besides, I’d borrowed quite a bit of power from Nobel today.
I’d have to handle this situation somehow with my own strength.
“Tch. And you call that a request?”
I took the phone out of my pocket.
For some damn strange reason, it had recorded not only the moment Jo Yu-na kicked Eun Hee-ju earlier, but all of Jo Yu-na’s crazed shouting, too.
How had I prepared something like this?
Can’t a guy have a little insurance ready?
“……!!”
As Jo Yu-na’s voice began to play, the adults’ expressions changed in an instant, as if they were watching Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde switch places.
Damn, that was satisfying.
“It seems you thought I was making a request. I’m not.”
“Y-you bastard!”
They wouldn’t even treat Eun Hee-ju like a person,
but they treated Jo Yu-na like something more than human.
It was perfect discrimination.
“Uh, well. I don’t have a business card yet. You might not know N&P, so let’s just say I’m a team leader at an entertainment agency. At that level, you know, I happen to know quite a few reporters.”
As I spoke, I showed the people in front of me my favorite contacts, not the recording.
[Reporter Kim Dae-gwan]
[Reporter Seol In-seo]
[Reporter No Tae-ryong]
As the reporters’ names appeared, the teachers’ faces turned a ghastly blue.
Damn, anyone would think I’d poisoned them.
Though it probably felt like their throats were closing up as if they’d been poisoned.
Serves them right.
They’d either stood by while Eun Hee-ju suffered or even helped it happen. What did they have to feel so confident about that a list of reporters’ names wouldn’t bother them?
“Should I call an ambulance for you?”
“Are you threatening us right now?!”
“Oh, you caught on. A threat.”
I answered without batting an eye.
“That’s right. I’m threatening you. I’m telling you to hand over Hee-ju’s diploma. I don’t want her spending even one more second in this shitty school.”
At my words, the teachers looked at Eun Hee-ju.
Then they looked at me.
Huh?
What was with that puppy-dog look?
“Let’s be reasonable. What are you doing all this over one student?”
“Whoa, that gave me chills. I mean, are we on the same wavelength or what? That’s exactly what I wanted to say. What are we doing all this over one person? Let’s wrap this up quickly. This is a pain. Or what? Can I call a reporter right here and now?”
I really did press the call button next to a reporter’s name.
At the sound of the call connecting, all the teachers panicked and quickly grabbed my wrist.
“A-all right! We understand!”
“Haha. Don’t worry. I hung up right away. Just give her the diploma and I’ll leave quietly. I don’t particularly plan to make a scene unless you go out of your way to provoke me first.”
A little while later, Hee-ju’s diploma, stamped with the principal’s seal, was in my hand.
When I handed it to Eun Hee-ju,
she accepted it while continuing to look at me in wonder.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
That was a pretty flat answer.
Not exactly the kind of answer an idol would give.
“It’s just that I’m not exactly helpless. This much is nothing.”
“Yes.”
“Mm. Right.”
“Yes, Team Leader-Manager.”
Could this girl actually be an AI?
Her answers were so…
matter-of-fact.
Still.
“Your eyes look a little livelier now.”
“Yes.”
“……Maybe not.”
Feeling a little embarrassed for no reason, I asked,
“Mm. Where do you live? Well, I’m just asking for now, but do you have any guardians? Your parents, or maybe your grandparents?”
Eun Hee-ju answered,
“I don’t. I have family, but I don’t live with them.”
I wasn’t planning to pry any deeper.
“Well, I’m not doing this because I feel sorry for you or anything. I don’t particularly intend to pity you. I just thought I should ask for a guardian’s permission. So, let’s see. I don’t need anyone’s permission, then? I can just pack your things and take you with me?”
“Yes, Team Leader-Manager.”
“Haha……”
I gave a small laugh, then stroked Eun Hee-ju’s head and said,
“Then let’s go home.”
“Yes. But the uniform I’m wearing now is the best-preserved one I own.”
“Come anyway. I told you earlier. Just do what I say.”
“Ah.”
As if she’d just realized something important, Eun Hee-ju’s eyes widened, and she nodded.
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
We didn’t have a car, either,
so I think we walked from Hanbit High School for about an hour and twenty minutes.
Are you kidding me?
They’d assigned her to a high school in a place this damn far out.
Still, as we walked, the alleyways seemed to get shabbier and shabbier, like we were traveling back in time. At least it kept my eyes occupied.
-Woof, woof!!
We entered a run-down alley that smelled strongly of dog shit, the kind of place you wouldn’t take even if it were free.
When we reached an old green gate with no lock on it, the kind I’d only expect to see from when I was a kid, Eun Hee-ju stared blankly at me.
“What?”
“What should I do? We’re here.”
“What do you mean, what should you do? Open it.”
“Yes.”
Creeeeak!
With a horrible sound that scraped at my soul, I stepped inside a house that looked perfect for a haunted-house tour.
It seemed to have two rooms, including the bathroom.
“Mm. There really isn’t a damn thing to take with you.”
I’d thought she might have at least some makeup or clothes, since she was a girl.
But there wasn’t even basic toner or lotion,
and the rags that were supposed to be clothes weren’t fit to be seen in public.
‘Is this girl really SS-grade?’
Honestly, I had my doubts.
Of course, everyone had different innate talents and circumstances. But celebrities and idols were in professions that required them to take care of themselves.
Even popular idols had to work hard as trainees from a young age, and even then, success was no sure thing.
That effort naturally included skincare and maintaining their figures.
Considering that, even being generous, Eun Hee-ju might not even make it to B-grade.
“Well, maybe she’ll look pretty if I get her cleaned up and dressed.”
As I muttered, pulling Eun Hee-ju’s cheek, she asked me in a completely emotionless voice,
“Should I take my clothes off now?”
“If I told you to, would you?”
“If you tell me to, Team Leader-Manager, I’ll do it. If I just do what you say, I can get revenge, right?”
“……”
If this was an act,
if she was really acting,
then I’d have to give it to her. I could believe she was SSS, not just SS.
“Don’t even think about it.”
I liked women,
and I’d brought Eun Hee-ju along with the intention of sleeping with her eventually,
but I didn’t want to sleep with her right now.
“You’re not even that tempting. That’s enough. Just wait here quietly.”
I was about to turn around,
when Eun Hee-ju quickly grabbed the hem of my clothes.
“What?”
“They might come after me first. They could kill me during the brief moment Team Leader-Manager is away.”
“Ah…… You’re right.”
Jo Yu-na.
There was no way that crazy bitch would just let Eun Hee-ju go. That was a sharper observation than I’d expected.
“Uh, then let’s go together for now. I don’t know if they’ve assigned me a dorm yet. It’s only my first day as team leader.”
“It’s okay. I only met you today, too, Team Leader-Manager.”
With some uncertainty, I called the agency and got an answer I hadn’t expected.
-Yes, Team Leader Kim Hyeon-woo. I was just about to contact you because we’ve arranged accommodations for the trainees.
“What?”
That was fast. Way too fast.
It wasn’t like I’d even found any trainees yet. They’d already arranged a place for us before I’d even recruited Eun Hee-ju?
-It’s an apartment in Pilmuk-dong. It’s not very spacious, but it can accommodate up to five people. It’s a rental, and the contract was completed today at the CEO’s instruction. I’ll give you the front door passcode, so please keep it confidential.
As I stood there stunned, one word snapped me back to attention.
“……Ah, it was the CEO’s instruction?”
-Yes, that’s right.
A slight chill ran over me.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
CEO Cheon Tae-oh.
That man really was counting on me.
It was scary, but I was a little happy, too.
The thought that someone was expecting something of me—of all people, the CEO—made me feel that way.
-For your information, I believe they also bought a car for you to use today, Team Leader Kim Hyeon-woo. A Carnival. It’s brand-new. We’ll give you the keys when you come to the office tomorrow.
A place to stay.
And a car, too.
It was a little overwhelming, but not at all in a bad way.
“Yes, understood. Then please send me the exact location of the apartment.”
-Yes.
The call ended, and less than five seconds later, a text came to my phone.
I nodded, got a taxi, and headed there with Eun Hee-ju.
[Sprout Apartments]
It was a pretty decent apartment.
I found the building and unit they’d told me, entered the passcode, and the front door opened smoothly.
“Come in. And pick a room. That’ll be where you live from now on.”
“Yes. What about you, Team Leader-Manager?”
“Mm. I have to step out for a bit. There’s no shampoo or face wash here, but for now, just rinse off with water.”
“Yes.”
Even though she’d tried to clean her face, a shoeprint from Jo Yu-na’s kick and some redness still remained.
I stared at it for a moment, then left the apartment and bought chicken from a nearby fried-chicken shop.
Then I bought a cake at a bakery.
When I returned, Eun Hee-ju was crouched in the living room, her hair not even properly dried, staring blankly as she waited for me.
She was like some wild animal.
“……”
“You can be happy about it.”
“What is this?”
“You graduated, so I should at least congratulate you.”
“Yes, Team Leader-Manager.”
Her expression was so blank, as if you could prick her with a needle and not get a drop of blood.
She really didn’t seem like someone who could be an idol.
I wondered if someone like her could really smile brightly, sing, and dance in front of her fans.
“You’ve been through a lot. Congratulations on graduating.”
Pop, pop!
I even set off the little party popper they’d given me when I bought the cake, then handed her the cake and chicken.
“Is it good?”
“Yes. It’s good.”
I couldn’t tell if she really thought it was good.
It was rare to see a girl so completely unreadable.
Well, whatever.
“I’ll let you take it easy today, but starting tomorrow, things are going to get really intense. You want revenge, right?”
“……Yes.”
Her answer was a beat late, somehow.
“Then just do what I tell you.”
“Yes.”
This time, she answered quickly.
“All right, I’m heading out now. See you tomorrow.”
I was planning to leave.
I didn’t intend to sleep with Eun Hee-ju right now. I would eventually, since I had to make use of the Blessing of Sex, but
at least not today.
If I slept with her on a day like this, I’d be worse than an animal.
But then,
Eun Hee-ju grabbed the hem of my clothes again.
“Why?”
“Jo Yu-na……”
“No matter how influential she is, she can’t track down the place you moved into today and come kill you. Relax and get a good night’s sleep.”
As I turned to leave, Eun Hee-ju grabbed me one more time.
“I’m nervous. Couldn’t you stay here and sleep, too, Team Leader?”
I looked at Eun Hee-ju, whose eyes had turned into a puppy’s, and nodded.
“I guess you would be nervous. Okay, maybe I’ll stay here tonight. It looks like there’s a bed in every room anyway.”
Only then did Eun Hee-ju let go of my clothes and nod.
“Yes, Team Leader-Manager.” [sic]
“Yes, Team Leader-Manager.”