Chapter 13
Was I only half asleep?
I realized I was dreaming.
No, to be precise, I was witnessing a scene like a dream.
[You could say it’s half a dream.]
I wanted to answer Nobel’s voice, which rang clearly in my ears, but my mouth wouldn’t move at all.
Anyway, what I could see right now was—
“Aaaaaaagh!!! Fuck!!!”
A room about as large as the living room of an average house.
A clean, neat Hanbit High School girls’ uniform hung in a luxurious wardrobe, ready for the graduation ceremony.
And on the wall hung a picture of Jo Yu-na as a little girl.
「Riiiip!! Rrrrip!!」
Jo Yu-na went into a fit and tore her bag apart.
Tore up her textbooks.
Tore up her workbooks.
I almost laughed without meaning to.
‘Still, she’s just a kid.’
Considering what she’d done to Hee-ju, it wasn’t something that could be excused as childish behavior.
But throwing a tantrum like this was, in its own way, pretty childish.
Though even this kind of childish venting might depend on what sort of family the other person came from.
“Dad’s home.”
A man who looked exactly like Jo Yu-na opened the door and came in.
Even seeing the scene Jo Yu-na had made, he didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow. It was downright creepy to watch.
Was he a psychopath?
“Hoo, hoo……”
Jo Yu-na didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding her current state from her dad.
If anything—
“Why aren’t you asking me?! Your daughter’s this angry!”
“Because you’re cute. I was just thinking, how is it that even when my daughter gets angry, she’s this adorable and lovable? Sorry.”
Fucking hell……
Jo Yu-na’s father was none other than Jo Go-gwang.
He was the chairman of one of Korea’s ten largest conglomerates, famous enough that even someone like me, who didn’t care much about other people, knew who he was.
So that was how powerful her backing was.
It really was powerful backing.
“What could’ve happened to make my daughter this angry? Tell me what it is. Dad will take care of everything.”
There was confidence in Jo Go-gwang’s voice.
The sort of confidence that said he’d really do anything.
To the point where, if it came to it, he might hire someone to kill me for embarrassing his daughter today.
“No! Well, you know!”
Jo Yu-na told her father her version of what happened at school today, leaving out the part where she’d wet herself.
Jo Go-gwang nodded as he listened.
“N&P, huh. If it’s an entertainment agency, I’m sure our company has placed ads or sponsorships with them here and there. One moment. Dad’s going to make a call.”
“Okay, Dad!”
Jo Yu-na smiled happily, thinking I was about to get screwed.
The way she sat on the bed, swinging her legs, was fucking terrifying.
And it really was scary.
Because……
“Hello, is this the CEO? This is Jo Go-gwang from BE Electronics.”
Jo Go-gwang had called Cheon Tae-oh.
And at that very moment—
My vision suddenly flipped, and the place and people I could see changed.
It was Cheon Tae-oh.
“Ah. Chairman Jo. What brings you to call the CEO of this shabby little agency in person?”
After lighting a cigarette with a click, Cheon Tae-oh asked cautiously.
Just from this, I could tell how deferential Cheon Tae-oh was being toward Jo Go-gwang.
It was only natural.
As I’d said earlier, Jo Go-gwang headed one of the ten largest companies in Korea.
Even Cheon Tae-oh couldn’t afford to ignore him.
“Yes, Manager Kim Hyeon-woo…… Ah, you mean Team Leader Kim Hyeon-woo?”
It seemed my name had finally come out of Jo Go-gwang’s mouth.
But that wasn’t the surprising part.
“I think there’s been some misunderstanding.”
-What?
“Team Leader Kim Hyeon-woo is exceptionally capable. So, about that request you made just now, I’ll have to pretend I didn’t hear it.”
-……Are you daring to reject my proposal? You’d rather drink the bitter liquor?
What proposal?
At Jo Go-gwang’s blatant threat, Cheon Tae-oh took a long drag on his cigarette, then smiled faintly.
“I’ll say it again. I think you’re misunderstanding me.”
Cheon Tae-oh said,
“I’ve been drinking nothing but bitter liquor all this time. I’m in the mood for something sweet now. Well, I’ll be hanging up.”
Then Cheon Tae-oh really did coolly hang up with a click.
Wow.
This bastard wasn’t exactly sane, either.
As I muttered softly while looking up at the ceiling, for a moment I thought our eyes had met.
“Team Leader Kim Hyeon-woo. You’re already making things interesting. I’m really looking forward to this.”
* * *
Bubbling-
It felt like I’d gone back to my family home for the first time in a while.
The warm, familiar sound of soup simmering came from the living room.
I carefully sat up, rubbed my sleepy eyes, and asked,
“Was what I saw while sleeping last night real?”
[Can you really have dreams that detailed, Master?]
[It’s a special service.]
[A service that shows you how things are unfolding.]
Jo Yu-na, who’d just graduated high school, had genuinely tried to harm me, and Cheon Tae-oh had responded like it was nothing.
Why were there so many truly terrifying bastards in this world?
“Ah. Team Leader-Manager.”
“Yeah.”
Still disheveled, I looked to the side and saw Eun Hee-ju, still wearing her school uniform, watching me with a ladle in her hand.
“I just made a light meal—doenjang jjigae, fried eggs, and Vienna sausages. Is that okay?”
“Where’d you get the ingredients?”
“I went grocery shopping early this morning.”
“With what money?”
“……”
From her silence, I guessed she’d paid with her own money.
“Ah. We could’ve just eaten the leftover chicken from yesterday.”
That was why I’d skipped grocery shopping and just flopped down.
Not only had she gotten up early to shop, she’d even made breakfast.
“I’m sorry. It’s a habit.”
“No, no. I’m actually grateful. Why apologize when you did such a good job?”
I got up out of habit and ended up stroking Eun Hee-ju’s head.
A moment later, I apologized too.
“Ah. Sorry. That’s a habit for me, too.”
“No, it’s okay.”
[I wonder if you noticed, but just now, Eun Hee-ju subtly—]
Hm?
[No, never mind. As expected of an SS.]
What was she talking about?
If you’re going to say something, finish it.
Maybe because I’d just woken up, I was out of it too. If you put it like that, I wouldn’t understand a thing.
“Haaah. I’m worried. So worried.”
“Yes?”
“Whether someone as innocent as you can really reach the top of the entertainment industry.”
At my words, Eun Hee-ju stared at me without a hint of change in her expression and answered,
“Don’t I just have to do what Team Leader-Manager tells me?”
“Well. You’re not wrong.”
“I’ll do it.”
“That’s right! You have to, if you want revenge.”
“……Yes. For revenge.”
That was a strangely delayed answer.
I sorted out Eun Hee-ju’s schedule for the day in my head as I picked up my spoon. Naturally, I started by scooping up a mouthful of soup.
“Oh! What the hell? This doenjang jjigae is freaking delicious!”
“Ah. Have some more.”
“Huh?”
I’d only said one thing.
The amount of doenjang jjigae in my bowl had increased by one and a half times.
Well, it was delicious, so whatever.
“Oh! What the hell? Were Vienna sausages always this good? Wow, you put ketchup into every little slit?”
“Have plenty, Team Leader-Manager.”
“Huh?”
I could serve myself.
“Oh! What the hell? The fried egg……”
“Here.”
I quietly shut my mouth when I saw two fried eggs atop my rice.
I didn’t know what was going on, but
when I ate with Eun Hee-ju, it was probably best to just keep my mouth shut. At this rate, I’d get fat like a pig being fed without even realizing it.
I was already gaining weight more easily than before as I approached thirty.
“We’ll have to stay pretty busy today. It’s your first day. Let’s see. We need to go to a dermatologist, buy some clothes for training, and get some cosmetics based on the dermatologist’s recommendations.”
“You’ll come with me too, right, Team Leader-Manager?”
“Huh?”
I tapped my chin lightly and answered.
“Well, for now, I’m the only one in Idol Team 4, so I’ll have to go with you. You’re still not used to things—the hospital, the dermatologist, and all that. There are things I need to be by your side for.”
“Yes.”
She looked oddly happy.
“Still, once we get more members later, you’ll probably spend more time with the other members.”
“Are you recruiting other members too?”
“Of course. Who debuts solo and succeeds these days? People like that are really rare. Unless they’re lucky or have talent so incredible even God would be surprised. Especially here in Korea, I mean. Not on Billboard.”
“Ah. Yes.”
Eun Hee-ju’s voice suddenly seemed to grow a little stiff.
Could it be…?
“I understand you might still feel some distance from people besides me, considering what you went through at school. But don’t worry too much. Whatever else, I won’t recruit people with rotten personalities. You saw it yourself, didn’t you? I rejected Jo Yu-na on the spot and took your hand.”
“Yes. Don’t worry. I’ll do well.”
As she said that, I thought Eun Hee-ju murmured something softly.
But I couldn’t hear it.
“All right. Then let’s get the day started right away.”
As I’d said, we had to spend the day rushing around. Still, it was manageable, since I stopped by the company and picked up the car keys right away.
If anything—
‘Hmm.’
I bought her some new clothes and had her try them on.
We went to a dermatologist and booked some medication and treatments to take care of the urgent issues.
It wasn’t quite at debut level, but
I also got her hairstyle cleaned up.
“You……are pretty, though?”
Eun Hee-ju was the kind of girl who looked good with a bob.
Honestly, I felt a little bad saying this.
Maybe because she hadn’t eaten much, she was a little thin, but the bob really brought out the charm of her slender frame.
Even so, just in terms of looks, Jo Yu-na still had the edge.
No, even setting looks aside—
“Thank you.”
“……”
What was an idol, anyway?
Basically, idols were people who gave their fans joy, energy, and charm. But I wondered whether this expressionless, doll-like girl could really show any of that.
While we were back at the company waiting for a trainer to be assigned to Hee-ju,
“Hee-ju.”
“Yes, Team Leader-Manager.”
“Try smiling.”
“Yes.”
The corners of her mouth rose in a smile.
The way her expression changed as soon as I asked wasn’t bad.
The problem was that it was exactly the same smile she’d given Jo Yu-na yesterday.
“Wait. Wait! That’s not it. If you showed that smile to your fans, you’d be finished immediately.”
“Is that so? I thought it was the best smile I could make.”
“Why?”
“I felt good for the first time in a while.”
“Ah. I can see that. Hmm.”
This was driving me crazy.
Could SS stand for Special Sociopath?
“What should I do? Hmm. Like this? This kind of feeling?”
I figured I had to loosen up those frozen facial muscles somehow, so I worked her face around with my hands.
“Oh! Oh! That’s it. Yeah, that’s it!”
For the first time, a genuine smile blossomed on Eun Hee-ju’s lips.
“Wow. Yeah. That’s it. That’s a smile. That’s an idol’s smile. It’s a smile that makes even the person looking at it feel happy.”
“Because Team Leader-Manager told me to.”
“Yeah, yeah. Good job.”
But even while she was smiling, the expression vanished as soon as Eun Hee-ju turned her head.
Was she really a robot?
That was when it happened.
“Oh dear, Team Leader Kim Hyeon-woo. I heard you’ve already brought in a trainee. Surely it isn’t that girl?”
Park Ju-yong came in with three trainees.
The girls I’d seen yesterday.
That was……
“H-hello! I’m Mina, the leader of Oasis, and we’re preparing to debut.”
“I’m Serina.”
“I’m Lee So-ra! One, two, three.”
The three of them bowed to me in unison, almost folding in half.
“We’re Oasis.”
Judging by the fact they already had a name, debut probably wasn’t far off.
Though they’d probably train for a few more months.
“Go inside and practice.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
Park Ju-yong quickly ushered the girls into the practice room, as if I wasn’t even worth greeting.
Oasis, was it?
Those girls had also glanced nervously at Park Ju-yong and hurried inside.
Well, what could I do?
From the perspective of trainees who’d worked hard for over five years, it was only natural to want to attach themselves to the person with the better odds, the one with more power.
At N&P right now, Park Ju-yong had far more skill and name recognition than I did.
I didn’t particularly care.
The problem was this guy standing in front of me.
“You said you had a good eye. What the hell is this? Seriously. Hahaha. Well, I guess this is just about what I’d expect from you. Tsk, tsk. Hahahaha!”
As I watched Park Ju-yong finally let out a mocking laugh and leave, I silently shut my mouth.
Instead, Eun Hee-ju spoke up.
“I think that man should get his eyes checked.”
“Yeah, I agree.”
“Ah. And…”
Eun Hee-ju watched the Oasis girls warming up in the practice room for a moment, then shook her head.
“No, never mind.”