Chapter 172

Chapter 172

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

Episode 172: You Must Stay By My Side, Absolutely

I had used the “Unbelievable Deep-Rooted Transaction History,” and now I found myself deeply troubled, staring at the result in front of me.

“What should I do about this?”

It wasn’t that I failed to use it. In fact, it was a complete success.

But it was excessive.

What I had expected was that the doctor was paid to intentionally administer drugs to Yeoreum, but the truth revealed by the reward was far more immense than that.

No joke, if I were to expose all of this, the country might turn upside down, and many people would die.

Naturally, I felt like I, the original leaker, would be quietly buried in some ocean somewhere.

“…”

I sat there for a long time, deep in thought.

I seriously considered how to use this information or if I should just cover it up due to the risks involved.

‘…As I thought, everything fell apart because of me.’

And what came to mind was the image of the frail girl who, in the hospital room, shed tears and was consumed by self-pity.

It wasn’t her own pain that she felt, but rather the burden she caused others to feel—Yeoreum, the girl who suffered because of herself.

“Well, if I just pretend not to know the key details, it should be fine. Surely, nothing bad will happen, right?”

Thus, I made my decision.

I stood up immediately.

I was the one who had to disseminate the actual information, and I also had to find the contextualized evidence and prove it.

It was also my responsibility to guide public opinion using the information that was scattered.

Since the information I obtained as a reward could only be seen by me, it was impossible to let it flow easily like last time with the reporter.

It wouldn’t be easy.

Given that major players were involved, there would be movements to disrupt things.

I thought I might end up wasting all the rewards I had accumulated over the past two years since my regression.

Despite realizing this reality bit by bit, my determination to proceed didn’t change.

After all, this was for Yeoreum.

While I was cleaning the urinal solo, a question popped into my head.

“Yeoreum, didn’t we clean this properly last time? How did it get so dirty so quickly?”

“There are so many kids, so it seems to get dirty quickly.”

“We might need some proper training on how to use the bathroom cleanly.”

Since sometime in the past, Yeoreum and I had made it a routine to clean the urinal solo at the daycare center, and we continued chatting as we worked.

“Should we tell Haneul?”

“No, I’ll talk to the Director directly. Haneul can’t come here as often because of her debut.”

“That’s right… I hope it goes well for her. I know it’s tough, but I still hope she does well.”

“Don’t worry too much; I’m sure Haneul will succeed for sure.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, to be honest, I was thinking about recruiting Haneul before you. I have a good eye, you know? She’s that kind of kid, so she’ll definitely succeed.”

At my casual words, Yeoreum suddenly stopped her hand, looking at me with a trembling gaze as if she was about to cry.

“You were planning to recruit Haneul before me? Then I’m just a spare for Haneul…”

“No, of course, I thought you were more attractive, so I suggested recruiting you! Yeoreum, you’re the best! It was such luck to recruit the best beauty in the universe, Jin Yeoreum. For sure.”

Startled by Yeoreum’s reaction, I praised her indiscriminately, and she erased her anxious expression, blushing, and said,

“I’m the lucky one. It’s because I met you, Seon Team Leader.”

“Yeah, thank you for thinking that way.”

I was honestly stunned.

Since the fainting incident, I knew Yeoreum’s mental state had been unstable, which made her reaction just now seem quite precarious.

Yeoreum, who had previously held the atmosphere of the Girl Revolution group together with a strong and solid presence despite physical and emotional stress, now showed extreme emotional fluctuations with a seemingly overreactive response to my small comment.

It seemed that her self-esteem had been severely damaged due to the series of events.

“Team Leader, I’m suddenly feeling nervous, and I have a headache. I think I need comfort. Would it be okay if you hugged me right now? I’d really appreciate it if you could pat my back.”

“It’s fine, but can we not do that right now? We’re wearing rubber gloves from handling the toilet.”

“Ah… I’m fine with it.”

…I’m not okay.

I gently accepted Yeoreum’s childish request, and as I was almost done cleaning, I hesitated to bring up what I had wanted to say to her.

“Yeoreum, listen.”

“Yes?”

I hesitated to ask her to appear on the show.

It wasn’t just asking her to appear as part of Girl Revolution on a regular schedule, but to go as Jin Yeoreum herself, where all the focus would be on her in a survival program. That was not an easy request to make.

Even if it was for Yeoreum’s sake.

But I had to do it.

“Would you be interested in going on a show?”

I explained in detail about the “Ready to Dance” program that I had discussed with PD Seon Yujung and what Yeoreum would experience there.

“It’s something like that. If you participate, I believe it’ll help your image a lot.”

“…”

“I’ll respect your decision about whether or not to participate, so please feel free to tell me.”

After a long silence, Yeoreum finally spoke.

“Team Leader Seon, I’m afraid of people.”

Her body was slightly trembling.

“Everyone except for the small circle around me… I always feel like they are laughing at me and putting down everyone associated with me. I’m scared. I’m afraid.”

“I see.”

From that statement, I immediately understood.

It seemed that Yeoreum’s wounds hadn’t healed enough for her to step in front of others yet.

“Thank you for being honest with me. I’ll cancel your appearance on ‘Ready to Dance.’”

“No, you don’t have to cancel. I’ll still participate.”

“It’s okay; you don’t have to push yourself. I understand the pain you’re going through. Let’s take it slow.”

That was what I needed to do — not force her into something, but create a space where she could heal.

I wasn’t going to push the hurt girl onto a broadcast.

“I’ll be okay; I just need one thing beside me.”

“One thing?”

Yeoreum looked at me with a trembling gaze and said,

“Yes, and that one thing is you, Team Leader Seon.”

“…”

“I’m still scared, but if you’re with me, I feel like I can stand up again. So, please, accept one childish request, and I’ll go on the show.”

Yeoreum, with her silk-like long black hair, elegant eyes reminiscent of luxury brands, and a beauty that could be compared to historical artwork, spoke earnestly despite her bashfulness.

“You have to stay by my side. Please.”

At the first recording of ‘Ready to Dance,’ someone came into Yeoreum’s waiting room, where she was nervously reading her script.

With a bit of uncertainty, I opened the door to check, replacing Yeoreum.

“Excuse me. Is this Jin Yeoreum’s waiting room?”

A woman with faded green dyed hair, tattoos on her neck, and piercings stood at the door and asked.

“Yes, it is. How can I help you?”

“Oh, I’m one of the underground dancers participating in ‘Ready to Dance.’ I just wanted to greet everyone, so I was walking around the waiting room.”

Now that she mentioned it, I thought I had seen her face briefly during the pre-meeting.

I opened the door and greeted her.

“Please come in.”

Yeoreum, who had been reading the script, put it down and politely greeted the woman.

“Hello! I’m Jin Yeoreum, from the group Girl Revolution. Please take care of me!”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Cha Yeji, the leader of the dance crew, Sword.”

“…Yeji?”

Upon hearing that name, both Yeoreum and I froze in place.

Not only me, but Yeoreum, too, had heard the stories and the fear surrounding people named Yeji, especially from Gyeoul, so we both became tense.

“Yes, it’s Yeji.”

Seeing our stiff faces, Cha Yeji politely asked,

“Did I say something wrong? If so, I apologize. I’m from the underground, so this is my first time on a broadcast, and I’m not very familiar with the etiquette.”

“No, it’s just that some bad memories came to mind. My apologies.”

“Ah, haha, I’m glad to hear that. I was worried I might have made a mistake.”

She appeared very polite and gentle, completely different from the impression I had gotten from her name.

Right, prejudices aren’t good.

There are so many people named Yeji in the world. Why should I judge based on a few strange cases I’ve encountered?

Perhaps Yeoreum thought the same, as she nodded at me and reached out her hand to offer a handshake.

“Yeji, I’ll be relying on you during this broadcast.”

“Thank you. I’ll be counting on you too!”

The two exchanged greetings with a handshake.

It was a heartwarming scene to watch.

During the broadcast, Cha Yeji asked the MC,

“Hey, aren’t you doing a doping test? Who knows what the druggie did this time? Heh.”

Then, during the naming battle, Cha Yeji said,

“Who am I going to pick as my opponent? Let’s go with Yeoreum. I admit she’s scary when she’s on drugs, but honestly, without them, she’s just trash.”

“…”

It wasn’t a prejudice, was it, Yeji?!