149. Taming (2)

Nothing much changed in my life after that day.

The manager had only just started being investigated and wasn’t locked up anywhere; rather, it was me who couldn’t go outside.

The only time I could step outside was exactly once a day.

Just going to the gym with Hinami in the early morning.

Even the Director suggested that it would be better if I stayed with someone, anyone, for about a week or two, so I didn’t really have any options.

Of course, the Director is a sensible person, so she couldn’t possibly imagine that the prospective ‘brother-in-law’ was already messing around with her prospective sister-in-law’s friend, and now was trying to get his girlfriend’s sister involved too.

So, excluding him and the manager, I don’t intend to blame anyone.

I don’t even want to blame them anymore.

“Ah, my head….”

“Oppa, you shouldn’t drive drowsy, right? If we get hurt, you couldn’t pay it back even if you sold your body?”

“I’m not sleepy, I’m just tired.”

“…You should’ve taken it easy yesterday then.”

“You seduced me.”

“Ehehe….”

Watching my friend, who had pulled down her mask and hat low, chatting away in the passenger seat, I fiddle with my phone alone in the back.

Casually opening my now-clean Twitter feed, I let out a deep sigh of relief that the worst hadn’t happened.

After being caught by the police once, the manager seemed to have finally regained a sense of reality; he closed the Twitter account where he posted my candid photos and hasn’t contacted me or loitered outside since.

Of course, I deleted all the photos he posted on my Twitter too, but fortunately, he didn’t give me any disadvantages.

…He probably downloaded them anyway, and the videos on Kang Joo-hyuk’s phone are stored separately, so he probably doesn’t care.

Regardless, the ‘me’ the public sees hasn’t changed at all from the idol ‘Seo Jia’ who experienced no incidents or accidents.

Hinami is the same.

“We’re here. Get out.”

“Ah, already? I wanted to chat with you a bit longer, Oppa.”

“If you wanted that, you shouldn’t have sat in the passenger seat.”

“Okay, I’ll sit in the back next time. Let’s get out now, Jia.”

“…Mm.”

An idol nobody noticed had been scratched.

But looking closely, Hinami and I, covered in wounds, were ironically being transported to our destination in the car of an ordinary gym owner.

As soon as we arrived, getting out of the car with Hinami and heading up to the gym alone, I couldn’t shake off the unpleasantness stemming from the irony and frowned unnecessarily.

But the one who inflicted the wounds… doesn’t follow us.

Even though it wasn’t time for him to clock in yet, he could have easily watched us.

As if what he did to me that day was a lie,

As if the promises he made to me that day were sincere.

Kang Joo-hyuk really gave me no attention or pressure.

I don’t think it’s because he’s honest or upright at all.

There’s only one reason I can guess.

…Because Unnie quit her part-time job.

I couldn’t know the exact reason why Unnie quit her job since I didn’t ask directly, but after seeing the multiple links on her YouTube channel, I had a pretty good idea.

Instagram, Twitter, and various other sites, everywhere.

There were tons of newly taken photos, wearing the same clothes from her previous videos.

Along with a few casual photos.

Naturally, there wasn’t even a trace of Kang Joo-hyuk, let alone his appearance.

The accounts hadn’t been open long, so the follower count wasn’t high yet, but they were growing quite rapidly.

Maybe not as popular as me, but probably more popular than a washed-up idol.

I was a little scared about how he planned to use Unnie, even risking damage to his own gym, but…

There was nothing I could do about it.

…After all,

Unnie wouldn’t listen to a word I say anyway.

If it was Kang Joo-hyuk’s words,

She’d do anything he asked, even crawl like a dog.

**

“…Are you really okay?”

“I told you I’m fine. …You started it in the first place, YouTube or whatever.”

“That’s true, but…”

“What are you hesitating about now? Joo-hyuk, you told me to sell my breasts from the very beginning. …So I’m selling them. It’s not like I’m going to go around naked. I’m just going as I was when I filmed the videos.”

“….”

Wearing a tight-fitting leotard, with a sky-blue wig on, I strike a pose for the camera.

Holding a guitar instead of the bow that was still being shipped.

Looking at Joo-hyuk, who was hesitating uncharacteristically, I put on a smile that wouldn’t be revealed anyway and tried my best to capture my image beautifully through the lens.

“For now, I’ve taken all the photos for the thumbnail and upload.”

“Um…, …So, wanna do it?”

“Stop talking bullshit, play the guitar first.”

“Just kidding, just kidding.”

After taking photos for uploads here and there, I pick up the guitar lying limply and sit down on the bed.

It’s an instrument I don’t play very well, but it’s become much more familiar since meeting him.

Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn’t matter even if I didn’t have it.

In reality, no one looking for me showed any interest in the guitar.

It was the same with the ads that contacted me even before I set up my YouTube and Instagram accounts,

And even after it was confirmed that I was a Korean resident, most of the contacts were looking for cosplayers.

“….”

Plucking the useless guitar strings, I recall the contact I accepted a few days ago.

It was for a game event, wearing the outfit I have on now.

It was surprising to receive an invitation even though I hadn’t revealed my face, but I originally had no intention of accepting it.

I thought it would be better to create a new YouTube channel as Joo-hyuk suggested and get ads in a more wholesome way.

But the reason I felt willing to accept it now…

It must be because I figured out Joo-hyuk’s true intentions.

Why he desperately tried to grow my YouTube channel.

Why he got so horny over Hinami, who has small breasts.

And why he’s now trying to get involved with Ye-eun too.

“…Okay. Done. Finished it all in one go today.”

“It’s because the song is easy.”

He.

When he feels superior to others.

When he feels like he’s the only one who can touch a woman others can’t.

…He gets extremely excited.

It was the same when he taught me exercises at the gym.

It was the same when he took photos or videos during sex.

It was the same even when people just looked at me while walking down the street.

I couldn’t understand why a man who likes tall women would get so worked up over Hinami.

After understanding Joo-hyuk’s true nature, I finally realized how foolish I had been.

That there was a desire I, working part-time at the gym and doing YouTube on the side, could never fulfill.

Going out, meeting more people.

The more those people wanted to devour me.

I realized he would get more excited about me.

I decided to quit the part-time job helping Joo-hyuk and choose the path to becoming more famous.

Not a woman who hides her face and sells only her body,

But someone whose name anyone could look up.

A woman everyone desperately wanted to get their hands on.

“Anyway, we have plenty of time… Wanna do it?”

“Hey, that outfit… you have to wear it outside next week, you know?”

“Isn’t that even better? …Leaving your scent on clothes that others will stare at.”

“…To fuck, I’d have to rip the leotard. No. That’s really expensive.”

“Then how about holding the horns and doing it in my mouth? …This won’t damage the clothes.”

“Forget it. And those are attached to the wig, so they could come off if you’re not careful.”

Watching Joo-hyuk, whose veins were bulging noticeably, I smile mysteriously and lie on the bed, watching the video being transferred to the computer.

He could have touched me if he wanted to, but it was kinda cute how he held back because he had to go to work later.

…Hmm, if I earn more money, maybe Joo-hyuk won’t need to go to the gym anymore?

My YouTube earnings are pretty good right now, and if I reveal my face, become more famous, and get ads and event invitations, maybe that could happen.

The gym, well. It’ll run fine without the two of us anyway.

The male members who decrease because I leave can be sufficiently replaced by putting Hinami in as the face of the gym.

…That pisses me off a little, but since the money comes into our account anyway, I can let it slide.

“You’ll come back early after work, right?”

“I’ll come right back after I finish up the work left because a PT client ran off.”

“…Why did they run off?”

“Who knows? I don’t really know. Maybe I trained them too hard.”

“Really?”

Of course, if someone openly flirted at the gym like that woman who was getting PT from Joo-hyuk, I’d have to punish them.

Ah, ‘punish’ doesn’t mean doing anything terrifying.

…It’s just showing off that this man likes me by sticking close.

And since she’s an idol, I trust she won’t cross the line outside.

If I had to consider the danger…

It would be Ye-eun, actually.

Joo-hyuk somewhat… cherishes Hinami, so he’d try not to cause a scandal.

But he dislikes Ye-eun.

He wouldn’t care whether she gets hurt or not.

“Anyway, prepare well for the event next week. Your face… do you want to reveal it beforehand, or pretend it’s naturally discovered when you get there?”

“Which way do you think is better?”

“If you reveal it beforehand, we can show it with some editing, and if it’s naturally discovered at the event, it’ll attract more attention, but depending on the photographer, you might look a bit bloated.”

“…Did I gain weight?”

“No.”

“Do I not look pretty without makeup and editing?”

“No.”

“…Then I’ll pretend it’s naturally discovered when I get there. Ah, maybe I could reveal just my eyes on Instagram?”

“…Let’s do that then.”

The reason I’m ultimately going to reveal my identity to the public…

…Is honestly because I was afraid of my sister.

Because my sister could fulfill desires that neither I nor Hinami could.

His true nature, which he couldn’t act upon because he harbored affection for me.

Would come out without restraint in front of her.

I didn’t want to see Joo-hyuk get more turned on by my sister than by me.

Bending my body low, I reflect my face into the dark camera lens.

…I know he won’t be satisfied until I let it all out, but.

After the accumulated anger cools down.

So that in the end, he’ll choose me.