Chapter 47

Chapter 47

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

Episode 47: Why Are You Taking Off Your Pants All Of A Sudden, You Crazy Woman?.

Gyeoul and I entered the orphanage, which was the stage for Bubble Shower’s rise.

“Is anyone here?”

“….”

But the atmosphere was different from what I had expected.

Since it was a place where a chaebol’s granddaughter volunteered, I expected it to have good facilities, but it looked quite poor.

Did they allow the granddaughter to volunteer but not provide any support?

Or did they choose a particularly rundown place?

If they were doing volunteer work for image improvement anyway, wouldn’t it be okay to provide some financial support?

It wasn’t like they didn’t have money, so why?

It was hard to understand the thoughts of the rich.

The inner grounds were not properly maintained, with rusted and broken swings.

No matter how much I called for someone, there was no answer, so I approached the front gate.

Inside the slightly open front gate, there was a bulletin board decorated with brightly colored paper and felt.

It seemed to be poorly managed as well, with the colors faded to the point of turning white.

It looked not just poor but also somewhat eerie.

“…Taeyang Ssam, can I hold your hand?”

Gyeoul, seemingly scared by the strange atmosphere, reached out her trembling hand.

“Are you scared?”

“No! Not scared, just feeling a bit chilly or something…”

She looked like a delinquent who would scoff at ghost stories, but she seemed quite scared.

It was a bit funny how she tried to act tough despite being scared. Seeing Gyeoul like that made me feel a bit playful.

“Boo!”

“Eek!”

When I suddenly shouted to scare her a bit, Gyeoul trembled and tightly closed her eyes.

“You said you weren’t scared.”

“…”

Gyeoul couldn’t respond and just looked tearful, but she still kept her hand out.

I chuckled softly and held her hand.

“This isn’t some haunted spot, so why are you so scared? It’s just a place where people live…”

“Who are you?”

Just then, a woman appeared behind us and spoke.

She had long black hair and a ghostly pale face.

“Eek! A ghost!”

Gyeoul screamed and fell backward as if she had fainted.

Her hand, which was holding mine, trembled as if she had been electrocuted.

“Gyeoul, calm down! It’s a person! A person!”

…You’re making me scared too.

“Oh, it was a person. I’m really sorry for being rude.”

Gyeoul wiped away her slight tears and cold sweat as she spoke.

The ghostly woman stared at us intently.

I wondered if she was offended by Gyeoul’s reaction, so I apologized as well.

“Sorry for the rude reaction. We’re both a bit easily scared.”

The ghostly woman spoke in a monotone voice.

“Who are you?”

She matched the eerie atmosphere of the orphanage, looking even more haunting.

I tried to stay as calm as possible and spoke.

“I’m sorry for the late introduction. I’m Seon Taeyang, who mentioned volunteering today.”

Gyeoul bowed at a 90-degree angle and greeted.

“I’m Han Gyeoul.”

She was still holding my hand as if it were natural.

“You two are the ones the director mentioned. Please follow me.”

The ghostly woman said that and started walking down the hallway.

Gyeoul looked at her, trembling, and then whispered in my ear.

“Taeyang Ssam! That person doesn’t make any footsteps! Could she really be a ghost?”

“It’s just a skill. She’s not a ghost.”

“A skill to not make footsteps? Then, is she a ninja?”

Gyeoul, who had been trembling, suddenly looked at the ghostly woman with hopeful eyes.

I mercilessly shattered her expectations.

“There wouldn’t be ninjas in 21st-century Korea. She’s probably a dancer. There are dance steps that reduce footstep sounds.”

“…A dancer, huh.”

“Okay, so you’re reassured now? Then, you can let go of my hand now.”

How long do you plan to hold it, Gyeoul? Think about how it looks to others.

“…Can’t I hold it a bit longer?”

“No.”

“Oh…”

I used my free hand to forcibly let go of Gyeoul’s hand.

Gyeoul looked at her left hand with a forlorn expression, then glanced at me and grabbed my shirt sleeve.

I felt a bit sorry to remove that too, so I pretended not to notice.

The ghostly woman led us to a small, tidy room.

Looking at the nameplate on the desk, it seemed to be the director’s office.

“Please sit on the guest sofa.”

We carefully sat on the old sofa as she instructed.

The ghostly woman stood in front of us without sitting down.

Sitting on the sofa, I finally noticed her appearance properly, which I couldn’t pay attention to due to the eerie atmosphere.

Her long, silky black hair exuded a unique elegance that well-maintained hair gives.

Her sharp features, combined with her pale skin, gave a somewhat eerie feeling, but her perfect facial structure made her seem elegant.

If someone modeled the most beautiful Asian face using computer graphics, it would look like hers.

If asked what a charming face was, opinions would vary, but if asked what a perfect face was, I would choose her.

Considering that she still had a hint of girlishness and immaturity, this was the highest praise I could give.

The white dress, reminiscent of mourning clothes, was a cheap off-the-rack item that could be bought for 50,000 won on an online shopping site.

Judging by the finishing, it would never exceed 100,000 won.

But the barely noticeable accessories were different.

They were all high-end luxury items.

Just by looking at the metal and black velvet headband, it was from Chanel.

That headband alone would be around 2 million won.

Yet, those luxury items didn’t stand out garishly but blended naturally into her overall look.

Even I, who constantly studied fashion brands for sponsorships, wouldn’t have recognized a tenth of those accessories if I hadn’t been aware. They just seemed like stylish items.

This was far from the fashion of nouveau riche, who flaunt expensive brand bags.

She didn’t look luxurious because of the luxury items; she herself looked luxurious.

If a fashion brand journalist described her appearance, they would probably use the word ‘dignity.’

She looked like she could be chosen as an ambassador for any luxury brand without question.

She was definitely idol material, and very unique at that.

How would she look beside Gaeul and Gyeoul?

“Do you have something to say?”

Continuing my deep thoughts, I realized I had been staring at her intently.

It was a near-professional habit of mine to appraise how attractive people would fare as idols.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

I apologized as politely as possible for my rudeness.

“You seemed to have an excellent sense of fashion, so my eyes lingered. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.”

“…Fashion? If that was the intent, it’s not a big deal.”

To refresh the awkward atmosphere, I changed the topic.

“Where is the director?”

“The director is currently out trying to secure funding.”

“What about the other staff?”

“There are no other staff on duty today. We had to reduce staff due to insufficient funds.”

“…?”

So, there was only the director and this ghostly woman in this large orphanage?

It was strange, but it felt somewhat familiar.

“But that’s not something you need to worry about as a volunteer. The work remains the same whether the director is here or not.”

“What work is that?”

The ghostly woman slightly lifted the corners of her mouth as she spoke.

“Cleaning the bathrooms.”

I scrubbed the bathroom tiles with a brush soaked in detergent water.

Since it was a facility for about 50 children, it was very dirty.

There was a pervasive smell of urine, which was quite troublesome, but I continued scrubbing without giving up.

Since living with my sister alone, cleaning had always been my job.

In terms of experience, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call me a veteran.

So, I had a certain pride in cleaning.

After quite a long struggle, the urinals, which had been disgustingly dirty, regained their pristine white appearance.

“This is it.”

No joke; I was confident enough to even lick it for a decent amount of money.

I had that much pride in how clean it was.

The problem was that the bathroom was very large due to the high number of occupants, so I still had more than half left to clean.

Would I be able to go home before midnight…?

“…I didn’t expect you to go this far.”

While I was steeling myself to clean the next urinal, I heard the ghostly woman’s voice behind me.

“Looks clean, right? I tend to do my best when given a job.”

I turned to look at the ghostly woman with confidence. And I saw a completely unexpected sight.

Her current outfit was unique in a different way than before.

All the accessories that added elegance were gone, as if she had left them somewhere.

Instead, she was equipped with pink rubber gloves, navy rubber boots, flower-patterned bloomers, a discolored apron, and a mask covering half her small face.

It was the typical style of a cleaning lady.

I was taken aback by the sudden image change and asked.

“What is that outfit?”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“…It’s not weird, but where did the white dress you were wearing earlier go?”

“Dress?”

The ghostly woman tilted her head and, without giving me a chance to stop her, took off her pants.

…Wait, why are you taking off your pants all of a sudden, you crazy woman?!