Chapter 111

Chapter 111

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

Episode 111: It’d Be Okay To Rape Me.

Suddenly, Oh Yoori asked me if I was good at acting. When I asked why, she cited a lack of influence as the reason.

“It’s not enough just to bring the trainees of Girl 100 to our side. The people Writer Ye Han-na is recruiting aren’t enough either.”

“Hmmm…”

No, I can’t say it’s insufficient.

If we secure those two factions, we can pull the control of the broadcast towards us, just as Ye Han-na and I planned.

But if we desire more than that, the story changes.

“Yoori, do you want to completely take control of Girl 100 beyond just seizing the broadcast initiative?”

“Yes. We need to eliminate the hate speech-like process where trainees and broadcasts tarnish each other’s images and be able to utilize Girl 100 directly.”

Oh Yoori’s words represented an ideal outcome.

It was evident that it would have an even more positive impact on us beyond just gaining control.

But whether that could be realized was a different story.

“I would want to do that if it were possible. But Kim Seon-ye isn’t a fool or incompetent; she wouldn’t just sit by and watch that happen.”

“Then how do you think PD Kim Seon-ye will act?”

“Are you asking how Kim Seon-ye will intervene with us?”

“No, I’m asking about her overall movements.”

That wasn’t a particularly difficult question.

“PD Kim Seon-ye is probably focusing on internal control right now since the source of the controversy surrounding Girl 100 ultimately came from internal personnel, including you. It’s true that there’s much to do, whether it’s dealing with higher-ups, sponsors, or the media, but first, that internal control needs to be somewhat resolved before they can issue statements or rebuttals. If another piece of information or revelation breaks while they’re determining their course and communicating their policies externally, that could lead to serious issues.”

She must be feeling a pounding headache.

But that wasn’t her only problem.

“Above all, the biggest issue is that she has to do all that by herself, since there’s no one she can trust.”

Oh Yoori let out a small gasp of admiration and nodded, responding.

“I agree with Team Leader Seon’s assessment. Most of the information known now likely came from colleagues she trusted and worked with.”

“That’s right.”

It seems reasonable to think that Ye Han-na, the core of the opposing faction, was likely involved.

But from Kim Seon-ye’s perspective, that’s not necessarily true.

“In reality, the evidence that Writer Ye Han-na, who provided the basis for the public discourse you initiated, possesses is hard to obtain solely through her authority, making it even more likely that way. If someone close to Ye Han-na is acting as a spy, it would make sense.”

The records she obtained had a certain quality because I provided assistance with my system.

But from the standpoint of PD Kim Seon-ye, who didn’t know about my existence or abilities, it would be more reasonable to think that Ye Han-na, who was a step removed from the center of power in Girl 100, gathered all the records.

It would make sense to believe that one of her subordinates betrayed her.

As the conversation progressed, I began to anticipate why she brought up this topic.

“Right now, Yoori, are you trying to point out that Kim Seon-ye is in a situation where she can’t trust people?”

She readily agreed with my statement.

“Yes. If PD Kim Seon-ye can’t trust people and is working independently, it wouldn’t matter at all. But now, she’s facing a challenge. It’s a huge disadvantage to have difficulty trusting people when she needs to recruit and expand her influence. She’ll desperately need someone she can trust as a subordinate.”

Oh Yoori’s unique red eyes sparkled as she spoke.

“And I believe that Team Leader Seon can be that subordinate.”

I had doubts about her judgment.

“How? Even if I seem somewhat capable to Kim Seon-ye, I lack the reliability to be a subordinate she would entrust everything to. To put it bluntly, I’m someone who started by defying Kim Seon-ye’s intentions and dramatically shifted to an equal relationship through transactions, so I’m far from a trusting relationship.”

If the goal was to become her subordinate, I should have drafted the initial plan differently.

At this point, it was safe to say that my relationship with her had become fixed.

“Moreover, I’m an outsider. While I can be called a stakeholder in Girl 100 since I’m Gyeoul’s manager, I fall short of being part of the core operations. Would she really trust someone like me to be her subordinate? Even if Kim Seon-ye is in a desperate situation, I don’t think she would make such a risky choice.”

She would trust a new hire who had been there for two days rather than trust me.

“If there’s proof to buy trust, then it’s possible.”

“Proof? In what way?”

“We need to offer her the most essential thing she needs right now to build trust. It should be something everyone knows will bring her a great benefit if Team Leader Seon uses it for a deal.”

“What is that?”

Oh Yoori pointed at herself and said.

“Me.”

“…You?”

“Yes, if I’m sold off, it will be possible to gain PD Kim Seon-ye’s trust.”

“…”

It wasn’t an impossible scenario.

It was indeed possible.

After all, the trainee that Kim Seon-ye was most obsessed with, even more than the other 99 trainees, was Oh Yoori, who was the starting point of this situation.

If I handed her over, trust that didn’t exist before would emerge.

But the burden Yoori would have to bear in that process was a different matter.

“Are you okay with that?”

“What do you mean?”

I spoke while watching Oh Yoori, who responded innocently, as if she didn’t understand the meaning of my question.

“Right now, you can slip away safely without anyone knowing. But if you go back through Kim Seon-ye, she’ll hold you responsible for the consequences of this situation. You would be sucked into the eye of the storm that is Girl 100 and become a criminal yourself, unable to escape.”

“That’s actually good. To recruit the trainees, I need to enter at the core. There’s no one better than me for recruiting them.”

“You won’t even have the freedom to attempt recruitment. Since you’re the seed of the controversy, they’ll likely put someone next to you and keep you partially trapped.”

“Then I’ll need to try to recruit through Gyeoul. It’ll be more difficult since direct involvement is challenging, but if that genius, Gyeoul, agrees to help, it can work for sure.”

I felt a bit frustrated as I warned Oh Yoori, who only focused on our benefit without considering her own situation.

“In that process, if things go south, they might package you as a lunatic or someone with a delusion of grandeur. If such an image forms, it will be almost impossible for you to work in the entertainment industry as you wish.”

“Before that happens, Team Leader Seon will help me, right?”

“…”

“Am I being abandoned?”

“I won’t abandon you, so don’t say that.”

Oh Yoori smiled brightly at my words.

Her cheerful demeanor was both surprising and cute, so I gently ruffled her hair.

When she spun her head, I understood it as a sign to stop and pulled my hand away.

She grabbed my hand and brought it back again.

It seemed she wanted me to pet another spot.

Oh Yoori accepted my touch as if it were nothing and said.

“Well then, there’s no need to worry. I will recruit the trainees, Writer Ye Han-na will recruit the people from the broadcast station, and Team Leader Seon will recruit Kim Seon-ye. And we will cover her eyes and ears so we can smoothly build our influence. Of course, the hardest part will be for Team Leader Seon, but I believe you can do it.”

“…”

“Team Leader Seon needs to become a treacherous ally.”

Oh Yoori, who volunteered to be sold off, said to me.

“A treacherous ally to the extent that Kim Seon-ye would give away her liver and gallbladder.”

As a result of that conversation, I found myself here, leading Seok Hyun-woo and Oh Yoori.

Seok Hyun-woo, who was mumbling the word “action leader” like a mantra in front of the editing room door, nodded and asked Oh Yoori for a moment of cooperation, then he handcuffed her after she put her hands behind her back.

“Where did you get those?”

“Ah, I prepared them for acting. Even if the acting is lacking, having props to set the atmosphere makes it look more natural.”

“…”

…With this level of preparation, maybe Seok Hyun-woo wanted to do this after all.

As the one who suddenly found herself handcuffed, Oh Yoori complained in a slightly disgruntled tone.

“Hey, the handcuffs are too loose. Tighten them properly. I could slip out like this.”

…So that’s what she was dissatisfied with.

“But if I tighten them properly, it could hurt.”

“Some reasonable pain helps with immersion, so it’s actually good. Tighten them properly, please.”

“If that’s what Yoori wants, then yes, I will do so.”

“Don’t hold back even in the main broadcast. You can toss me around; it’s okay.”

“…Understood. I’ll act like the action leader.”

While it seemed a bit too aggressive, hearing the enthusiastic conversation between the two, I at least judged that there wouldn’t be any bad acting.

Thanks to that, I felt reassured and spoke up.

“Then, I’ll go in first. Please come in when I give the signal.”

As I opened the door and entered, I saw PD Kim Seon-ye, frowning and staring at the monitor like last time.

“You’ve arrived.”

I greeted her politely and said,

“Yes, thank you for making time for me.”

At that moment, Kim Seon-ye finally tore her gaze from the monitor and spoke with a crooked expression.

“As you can see, I’m very busy right now; a little rat is muddying my Girl 100. So if that important thing you mentioned is just a trivial waste of time, I will be very disappointed.”

“That will absolutely not happen. It’s about that little rat, after all.”

Seeing Kim Seon-ye snicker and give me an arrogant look as if to say, “Go ahead, speak,” I called out to the ones waiting outside the door.

“Come in.”

The door swung open, and Seok Hyun-woo dragged Oh Yoori in roughly, tossing her to the floor.

He pressed down on the fallen Oh Yoori, who was still handcuffed, as if he wouldn’t show any mercy.

Then he spoke in a cold tone.

“Don’t move. You’ll get hurt.”

“’…’”

That was an ad-lib I hadn’t instructed him to say.

…He’s really good at this.

Fallen on the ground, Oh Yoori looked around with a complex gaze filled with resentment, hatred, fear, and despair, trembling and welling up with tears.

Then, gritting her teeth, she looked down and said,

“…I-I’m sorry.”

It was truly the commanding presence and immersion expected from someone with S-level acting potential.

Startled by the overwhelming scene performed by the two actors, Kim Seon-ye inadvertently dropped her coffee cup and said,

“…What is this?”

Without panicking, I smiled as schemingly as I could and said,

“I’ve caught the little rat you were looking for.”

With a dazed expression, Kim Seon-ye completely dropped her cup and examined Oh Yoori’s face.

Suddenly standing up, she broke into applause and said,

“Do you know how I feel right now, Team Leader Seon?”

She must be feeling good since a problem she was pondering was unexpectedly resolved.

“Wouldn’t you feel good?”

“It’s not just good. Right now, I feel like I’d be okay even if Team Leader Seon dragged me to a hotel and raped me.”

“…”

“Are you thinking about it?”

“Not at all, you crazy woman.”