Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Raise Three Idols Well And They’ll Launch a Confession Attack.

Episode 14: Life Is Fucking Easy.

The short-term training ended just after a week.

Gyeoul proved her diligence and talent in that short period and received a contract offer.

After hearing about the contract offer from the SS representative in just a week, Gyeoul brought her grandfather to see me.

They wanted me to review the contract.

I advised them that hiring a lawyer to review the contract would be more reliable.

Although reviewing the contract wasn’t very difficult given my past experience, I knew that as an unemployed person now, I had no credibility.

Gyeoul and her grandfather still wanted me to review it.

They thought I would review the contract from Gyeoul’s perspective better than anyone else.

Thinking they were genuinely kind people, I finally accepted their request.

“There seems to be no problem with signing the contract. It looks like the contract is written very favorably for SS. It seems they hold Gyeoul in very high regard.”

“Whew, that’s a relief.”

Gyeoul, being a natural crybaby, didn’t miss this moment and started crying again.

I took out Gyeoul’s special tissues and handed them to her, saying,

“Don’t cry, Gyeoul. This is a happy moment, so you should smile. There will be plenty of reasons to cry during your trainee life ahead.”

Gyeoul was confused about whether to laugh at the joy of passing or cry at the tough days ahead, making a strange face.

In the end, joy won over, and she smiled brightly and said,

“It’s all thanks to you, Taeyang ssam. I think you’re a real genius!”

“Hey, it’s not all my doing. You deserve 70% of the credit for following well.”

I did have a part in it.

“And the real genius is you. Erasing deep-rooted habits in five days is something not just anyone can do. Don’t get complacent and keep working hard.”

We celebrated the successful contract, warmly praising each other.

“Thank you for coming despite your busy schedule. I transferred some gas money to your account. Check it out.”

I checked my account on my phone at Gyeoul’s grandfather’s words.

Contrary to his words, it wasn’t an amount that could be considered just gas money.

It was an amount similar to what it would cost to hire a lawyer to review the contract.

For someone like me, who was working part-time to save seed money before joining SS, it was very sweet money.

“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”

Gyeoul’s grandfather nodded in satisfaction and asked,

“How long does it take to debut?”

“I can’t give a definite answer to that. It depends on whether there’s an ongoing project and what the project’s leader envisions. Debuting at the right time isn’t just about effort.”

SS wasn’t a newly established company run haphazardly.

It was one of the prestigious agencies that had built a systematic system over the years.

To live up to its reputation, those with star-like talents were burning their youth as trainees at SS.

To debut, one must surpass all of them and prove to be the brightest star.

It was a miracle that required the perfect combination of luck, timing, talent, and effort.

Well, aside from these difficulties, Gyeoul, having been picked by Cheon Jonghoon, was almost certain to debut with Alcest.

“Can that tender-hearted child survive and endure there?”

“She can do it. She has that kind of talent. If the person in charge has eyes, they can’t miss her talent.”

I smiled playfully and said,

“Above all, Gyeoul is pretty, isn’t she? Very much so.”

“Well, my granddaughter is indeed pretty.”

“Um… My nose keeps running, so I’ll go wash my face!”

For some reason, Gyeoul blushed bright red and ran away.

It seemed she was embarrassed by the compliment.

It was quite amazing that she was not used to being called pretty despite looking like that.

I was worried that it might also be the influence of Yeji, the demon of Jeonnam and the master of gaslighting.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“Yes, if it’s okay with you, I’ll be the listener.”

He spoke while watching Gyeoul hurriedly run towards the bathroom.

“You already know that the child is of mixed race, right?”

“Yes, I heard from Gyeoul.”

“Her mother, my daughter, said she hated our conservative family and didn’t want to inherit the family business, so she decided to study abroad. Of course, I didn’t allow it.”

Gyeoul’s grandfather began to speak candidly.

“Starting from now, there’s not enough time to learn as an apprentice, and she wanted to study abroad to escape? I shouted that I wouldn’t support such nonsense and told her to save money herself if she really wanted it. Then she went to Australia on a working holiday. She disappeared without giving me a chance to stop her.”

He looked at the clouds in the sky with a subdued gaze.

“I was angry. But as her father, I was also worried about her. I worried she might meet strange people or face racial discrimination.”

The clouds drifted peacefully and slowly.

“But looking at her social media, she seemed to be living happily. I thought, ‘That’s enough.’ Until she suddenly returned to Korea, revealed she was pregnant, gave birth, and then ran away.”

He laughed bitterly.

“Every time I saw that child’s face, I thought of the unknown father and my disrespectful daughter. A feeling of nausea kept writhing inside me.”

His face was filled with intense self-loathing.

“…This is indeed a narrow-minded feeling. It’s not a stance an older adult should show. But human emotions aren’t so easily sorted out.”

Knowing the problem and fixing it were separate matters.

It wasn’t because Gyeoul’s grandfather was particularly bad.

That’s just how people are.

“I managed until she started school, but after that, I made excuses about focusing on my work as a master craftsman and neglected her. I didn’t care about what she saw or thought.”

He muttered self-deprecatingly, “I was a really irresponsible guardian.”

“Living like that, at some point, I suddenly wondered, ‘When was the last time I talked to that child?’ How long do you think it has been?”

“Well, judging by what you’re saying, it must have been quite some time. Maybe three months?”

This was my attempt to give the longest estimate.

“It’s been three years.”

So I couldn’t hide my shock at Gyeoul’s grandfather’s words.

“…Three years?”

“Yes, three years. I’m not in my right mind.”

I couldn’t respond with any words.

“I heard about that girl Yeji. I knew she had a cunning side, but I didn’t know she would do such things. Besides the incident you know about, there were also financial issues. She borrowed money from friends under the pretense of friendship.”

…Could she have extorted money?

“I thought I was sending enough money, but I couldn’t understand why Gyeoul was in such a state. Now it makes sense.”

“That crazy b– Ah, excuse me. I spoke out of turn in front of you, Sir.”

He laughed kindly at my slip of the tongue and said,

“Don’t worry about it. That wretch deserves all the curses. I’m preparing a lawsuit, gathering everything I can. It’s no big deal for an old man with money to ruin a young brat’s life.”

I applauded internally.

Gyeoul’s grandfather’s fiery revenge made me feel refreshed inside.

“But all this is just fixing the barn door after the horse has bolted. It’s too late now.”

“No, it’s not too late at all.”

At my words, he shook his head and said,

“I don’t think I’m qualified to protect that child. But you seem to have that qualification.”

He looked at me seriously and said,

“Can I ask you to continue supporting that child as you have? I’m not short of money, so I’ll pay you well. I don’t expect you to spend a lot of time. Think of it as a side job; it wouldn’t be bad.”

At that moment, Gyeoul, who had gone to the bathroom, ran back.

In that short time, she had apparently fixed her makeup, and her face was glowing.

“…Take your time to think about it.”

Gyeoul’s grandfather took a step back, giving me time to think about it.

I was grateful for his consideration and thought about it seriously.

In fact, it was foolish to even consider it.

Anyway, if I joined SS and became Alcest’s road manager, supporting and caring for Gyeoul would be my job.

It was exactly what Gyeoul’s grandfather wanted.

So accepting this offer would be like getting paid twice for the same job.

Considering he gave 300 for lodging, the salary he mentioned wouldn’t be small either.

What if I used all that money to buy SS stock?

With the returnees and SS starting to soar…

“Gyeoul.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s see each other for a long time.”

“Okay!”

I smiled warmly at my client. No, at Gyeoul.

The path to success was paved and shining.

Now, as long as the recruitment officer Cheon Jonghoon introduced contacted me, it would be the start of the royal road.

[Quest Complete! You have been awarded the ‘Medium’ Fragment of the Future (No restrictions on financial gains).]

The quest notification for the reward came, putting the final touch on it.

It was very sweet.

Man, life is so easy.

I laughed at the ridiculously easy difficulty of success and indulged in happy thoughts.

A month passed.

There was still no contact from the SS recruitment officer.

“Why?!”

I said I liked the easy difficulty. Damn you, Cheon Jonghoon.