Chapter 176

Chapter 176

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

Episode 176: Begging For Attention And Love

While Yeoreum, engrossed in dance in the training room, took a break to hydrate, Oh Yoori approached and asked.

“Yeoreum unnie, are you okay?”

“…”

“Yeoreum unnie?”

“…”

“Yeoreum unnie!”

“Ah, Yoori, what’s going on?”

Looking at her with a worried expression, Oh Yoori asked.

“I don’t know where you’ve been lately, but you seem tired. I was wondering if you’re struggling with something.”

“Struggling.”

There was a struggle. A struggle that had never been this desperate in her life.

Even when the doping scandal ignited, or when she lost her national team qualification, she hadn’t struggled this much.

Back then, she quickly judged what she could do and came to a clear decision.

But now, she didn’t know. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t find the right answer.

“Is something difficult happening?”

“…”

The beginning of all her conflicts and struggles started the moment she saw Gaeul and Taeyang together on the rooftop.

‘We agreed to date, didn’t we?’

She had a heart that she had cherished carefully.

Before she knew it, the feelings had grown so strong that they filled her entire heart, an overwhelming impulse.

The man who erased her trauma, the man who fulfilled the wish she had endlessly longed for, the man who willingly became the shoulder she could lean on.

The feelings of liking him, loving him—all of it.

All of it crumbled with the one sentence Gaeul spoke on the rooftop.

Yeoreum felt so suffocated that she wanted to speak about her feelings and current situation.

But when Yeoreum met Oh Yoori’s worried eyes, she immediately gave up on speaking her mind.

She knew exactly what Oh Yoori would say.

It would likely be giving up. And Yeoreum knew, more than anyone, that logically, that was the best answer.

“I’m okay. It’s not a big issue. I won’t show any strange behavior while I’m active in Girl Revolution.”

“Even if it’s not a big issue, if you talk about it…”

“It’s okay.”

“…”

“I’m okay.”

But Yeoreum didn’t want to hear that answer from anyone else.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“What do you mean? I didn’t do much. Since you’ve completed your mandatory training hours, considering your skills, your license will be issued soon. See you in the skies later.”

“Yes, thank you. I hope so too.”

Yeoreum greeted the instructor at the aviation training center with a bow.

“Ah, would it be possible to take a picture? My daughter is a fan of yours.”

“Of course.”

After parting with the instructor, Yeoreum was greeted by Seok Hyun-woo as she exited the runway.

“Miss, are you hurt anywhere?”

“Yes, thank you for your concern. As you can see, there’s nothing like that. Honestly, if something were to happen, I wouldn’t just be hurt; I’d be dead.”

“Please refrain from saying things like that. Honestly, just imagining it is hard for me.”

Seeing Seok Hyun-woo’s reaction, Yeoreum was flustered and apologized.

“I’m sorry. I spoke carelessly.”

“Haha, it’s okay. I was more sensitive in my reaction.”

Reading the emotions in Seok Hyun-woo’s playful words, Yeoreum reflexively spoke the thought that had just come to her mind.

“If I die, will Team Leader Seon be troubled?”

“…”

“Ah, what I mean is…”

Seeing the wavering in Yeoreum’s eyes, Seok Hyun-woo changed the subject.

“By the way, how did you learn to fly a small plane so quickly? It would be great for the agency to promote it as a unique talent, but I’m not trying to oppose it. I’m just genuinely curious. The instructor even said there was nothing left for him to teach and was amazed.”

“Well, that’s because…”

Yeoreum answered the question inwardly.

‘Well, it was the only hobby I truly enjoyed in the past.’

For the Yeoreum of the past, dancing could not be a hobby, as it brought up trauma.

That’s why she chose to learn to fly small planes.

It was an unexpectedly accessible hobby in the U.S., where she had been living.

However, mentioning the past was difficult even for Seok Hyun-woo, so Yeoreum simply said,

“Maybe I longed for the ability to fly freely without any constraints.”

As she said that, Yeoreum remembered.

What the deeper reason might have been for her choosing to fly.

“Or maybe it was because I strongly wanted to fly and go to someone.”

Both knew who that someone was.

Unable to bear seeing her like this, Seok Hyun-woo broached a topic he had been avoiding.

“Miss, do you know? Seon Taeyang and Gaeul…”

“Seon Taeyang and Gaeul unnie decided to date?”

“…”

“I know. I know.”

Tears streamed down Yeoreum’s eyes.

Recently, without even trying, whenever she imagined that scene, tears would flow.

Until now, she had hidden her tears, but it was hard to hold them back anymore.

“But I can’t give up. I know that my feelings now are nothing but a burden to Team Leader Seon, that they’re only an obstacle between them, and I know it’s wrong, but I can’t stop. How can I?”

“Miss…”

Once the tears started flowing, they wouldn’t stop and kept falling.

“Do you think I’ll meet someone good in the future? That love is just a fleeting emotion? That I might be mistaken because I’m young? I’ve read and seen a lot of those outdated pieces of advice, but none of it helps.”

“…”

Seok Hyun-woo, unable to speak in front of Yeoreum, who had already spoken the advice he had also thought of, remained silent.

“That’s impossible, right? How can someone feel these feelings for someone, someone like this, and then expect to feel the same way for someone else again, or even many times in their life?”

“It’s possible. Life is long, and you’re still young.”

“Then, it’s better to die. I’ll choose to drown in these feelings and die.”

“…”

Yeoreum’s eyes, wiping away her overflowing tears, flashed with a dangerous light.

“That’s right. If I die, I’d rather die in a plane crash like just now, or if I don’t die, at least be in a situation where I’m close to death. Maybe Team Leader Seon will finally pay attention to me…”

But that look in her eyes soon crumbled under the reason she had upheld, and she regained her usual composure.

“I do have those bad thoughts.”

“Miss…”

Yeoreum pondered.

What the way was to capture him, or how to be by his side.

There was no answer. He had already made his choice.

Maybe she could think of it as simply dating.

She could believe it would break soon, or wait, believing it would fall apart someday.

Yeoreum could wait for 10 years, if that’s what it took.

But that wouldn’t happen. The fact that Seon Taeyang, a person like the embodiment of responsibility, chose to date despite the risks to the company and colleagues meant their relationship wasn’t something that could easily fall apart.

She also thought about how she might sabotage them.

How to break their relationship by sowing discord between them.

Using the resources she had as the daughter of a chaebol family, it wouldn’t be impossible.

But soon, her reason stopped her.

She, with her clear reasoning, knew that in such a process, Seon Taeyang would get hurt.

Yeoreum didn’t want to hurt him.

So, all that came to mind was to manipulate his sympathy, to beg for his attention and love.

That was all.

But that too was stopped by her reasoning.

Because she knew that by doing so, she would never receive the love of Seon Taeyang, as she wished.

“I don’t know. I have no idea what to do. But one thing is certain: I can’t give up.”

With those words, Yeoreum collapsed and cried, unable to wipe away her tears.

Unable to bear watching her fragile state, Seok Hyun-woo closed his eyes tightly and spoke.

“In fact, Gaeul and Seon Taeyang’s relationship isn’t normal.”

Lost in self-loathing, guilt, impulse, and regret, Yeoreum opened her eyes at Seok Hyun-woo’s words and asked desperately.

“Not normal? What do you mean by that?”

Seok Hyun-woo, who had struggled with whether to tell the truth, finally made up his mind after seeing Yeoreum’s desperate gaze and finished speaking.

“Well, because there was blackmail.”

“Blackmail?”

“Yes, blackmail. Even if it’s a confession filled with love, if it’s made from beyond a cliff, it must be called blackmail. Seon Taeyang had no choice in the matter.”

“…”

A silence flowed.

Heavy, cold, and eerie.

Finally, Yeoreum broke the silence that filled the space between them.

“Please, tell me more about that.”