Chapter 188

Chapter 188

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

Episode 188: I’m Sorry. I Love You.

After Girl Revolution’s first place win, I ended up at a sudden Marine Corps camp for the filming of Girls in Road, and honestly, I felt great.

Because just imagining the four chaotic Girls in Road variety idols doing PT drills and rolling in the dirt like beagles lifted my mood by itself.

Sipping a hot cocoa in the freezing wind, thinking about casually watching their suffering warmed my heart.

At least until Yeo Hanna casually dropped, “Team Leader Seon, you’re joining them too.”

“…Ugh, my back. I’m seriously gonna die.”

I figured the kids wouldn’t like me reeking of pain relief patches, but honestly, I had bigger problems right now.

Screw the smell, survival first.

Clutching my aching back and groaning my way toward the office, I spotted Oh Yoori sighing deeply, her head in her hands.

“Why aren’t you practicing? Break time?”

“Ah, Team Leader Seon.”

Seeing my face, Oh Yoori let out another heavy sigh.

…Why are you sighing at me, making me all anxious?

“Um, so…”

“…Yeah? You got something to say?”

“Fighting!”

“…”

Leaving only that behind, Oh Yoori bolted away like she was fleeing for her life.

…What the hell was that?

Considering she wasn’t the type to act like that, it left a bad feeling.

Honestly, I wanted to chase her down and ask, but I decided to just let it go.

She’s a smart kid. If it had been important, she would’ve said it properly… probably.

But honestly, that wasn’t the important thing right now.

At a time when Girl Revolution was standing at a crossroads, there were bigger things to worry about.

Just like the saying, “row when the tide comes in,” Girl Revolution was rowing at full speed right now.

Which directly meant their schedules were filling up like crazy.

Naturally, every staff member, myself included, was grinding nonstop.

One such zombie-eyed staff member was Seok Hyun-woo, soaked in overtime work.

When he spotted me, he brightened up and greeted me energetically.

“Team Leader Seon, you’re here? Weren’t you supposed to rest today after the Girls in Road shoot?”

“Ah, Deputy Manager Seok. I felt restless at home. We’re short on hands anyway, so I figured I’d help.”

“Goodness, you should think about your health too.”

“This much is fine. I’ll take Gyeoul’s schedule today. You focus on the rest of your work.”

“…Phew. I feel guilty, but that’s incredibly helpful.”

I brushed off Seok Hyun-woo’s earnest promise to repay me someday and went to find Gyeoul.

“Gyeoul, I’ll be going with you today.”

“Really?”

At my words, Gyeoul’s face brightened—only to suddenly fall into gloom, as she hesitantly glanced at me and spoke.

“Could you maybe… hang out with me a little after my schedule ends?”

“…”

I didn’t know how long “a little” meant, but with my own workload piled up, it wasn’t an easy favor.

Logically, it would make more sense to promise to spend time with her another day.

“Of course, Gyeoul. I can hang out with you anytime.”

Yet the words that came out of my mouth were completely different.

“Really? Really?!”

“Of course. It’s you, after all.”

Hearing that, Gyeoul smiled.

Her smile felt so endearing that I smiled back without thinking.

I sighed inwardly at how easily I made promises, but really—what could be more important than making a kid smile like that?

Well, our little dork is just too cute.

We grabbed mango frappuccinos from the café where Gaeul used to work.

Then we walked across the big bridge to feel the river breeze, and stopped by the old practice room near our first shared house.

Right after, we dropped by my house to eat malatang with my sister.

Following all the nostalgic stops Gyeoul wanted, we eventually wandered into the motel district we’d passed long ago.

I couldn’t help but carefully ask if we really had to stop here too, but when she said it was a place that stuck in her memory, I quietly accepted reality.

Well… I guess it is kind of a landmark for us.

“Right over there in the center… that’s where I clung to you and begged, remember?”

Wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a huge beanie to cover my face, I watched Gyeoul hopping and pointing to the center of the street, and smiled softly before playing along.

“You did. ‘Since you helped me already, please help me a little more! I’ll never forget your kindness!’—that’s what you said.”

Thinking back, it was a pretty funny and pitiful thing to say.

For that timid kid to say something like that… she must have been truly desperate.

Even as I thought that, the memory of Gyeoul yelling, “You said it’s okay to ask!” popped into my head, and I couldn’t hold back a chuckle.

Seeing me laugh, she bashfully ducked her head and twirled shyly before speaking quietly.

“…I still haven’t forgotten the kindness.”

“I can never forget the kindness you showed me, back when nobody else even looked at me.”

“…”

Back then, it was true. I worked hard to win over this tiny kid, hiding my ulterior motives, planning to use her.

I treated her like a convenient tool, pretending to be a good person.

But now, I didn’t want her to think of those actions as some debt she owed.

I wanted it to remain nothing more than a simple story—not some heavy burden of kindness.

So I decided to be a little honest.

“Back then, when I approached you—it wasn’t purely out of kindness.”

“…Huh? Then what?”

“I saw your talent and wanted to use it. I wanted to get into a good agency.”

“So I thought, if I sold myself alongside your talent, it’d work.”

“Every action—approaching you, helping you, teaching you—was all under that calculation.”

“…”

“So you don’t owe me anything. Everything I did was for myself.”

From Gyeoul’s perspective, my approach might have seemed suspiciously kind, but that was the ugly truth.

A man mad for success, and a talented girl. That’s all it was.

“No.”

But Gyeoul shook her head and rejected my words.

“That’s absolutely not true.”

Startled, I tried to argue.

“…No, seriously, that’s what I did.”

“If it was just about using a talented kid, it wouldn’t explain everything you did.”

Gyeoul, behind her oversized sunglasses, stared straight at me and said,

“Then why did you advise me on how to move forward, not just fix bad habits, and encourage me to love dancing and singing?”

“…”

“Why did you keep running to help me even after the contract was done, when Grandpa kept bothering you?”

“…”

“Why did you risk yourself to save me when I was being bullied like an idiot?”

“That was because I needed to get you out to renegotiate…”

“Then you should’ve accepted Team Leader Cheon Jonghoon’s offer back then.”

“No, it was just my pride. I couldn’t stand the idea of bowing my head to Cheon Jonghoon again.”

“Was it really just that?”

“…”

“No. That’s not all.”

“Normal people wouldn’t sacrifice that much just on the chance of benefit without any guaranteed reward.”

“That’s the kind of thing only frustratingly, stupidly kind, devoted people do.”

“Only someone who’s kind to others but harsh to themselves would.”

Gyeoul spoke with the kind of certainty that didn’t allow for rebuttal.

“And I love that kind of Taeyang-ssam.”

She stopped walking, grabbed my hand tightly, and said,

“Please go out with me.”

“…”

My answer was the same as before.

Even though things were already broken, I couldn’t afford to break them any further.

“I’m sorry. I can’t date you.”

At that, a tear slid down Gyeoul’s cheek from behind her sunglasses.

Gyeoul, hesitating, trembling, terrified, yet still refusing to let go, squeezed my hand tighter and said,

“Me too—please go out with me.”

“…”

Just one word.

A tiny particle changed everything.

Gyeoul must have found out about my relationships with Gaeul and Yeoreum.

“Hic… Please promise you’ll date me too after the contract ends, just like Gaeul unnie and Yeoreum unnie… hic…”

My head was spinning.

My heart felt like it was about to burst.

“Gyeoul, you know how crazy this situation is for me right now. Of course I have to say no—”

Yet even as I tried to calmly explain and convince her.

Gyeoul ripped off her mask, sunglasses, and beanie all at once.

Her unmistakable platinum blonde hair and violet-colored eyes—one glimpse unforgettable—were exposed right there in the motel street.

As curious onlookers began gathering around what looked like a lovers’ quarrel, suspicion filled their gazes.

“Waaaah, I want to be your girlfriend too! I want to date you, Taeyang-ssam!”

People started murmuring, “What’s going on? Are they dating?” “The girl’s clinging to him!”

In my mind, I could already see the headlines: “Famous Idol Manager Caught in Forbidden Relationship with Underage Idol.”

“I’ll listen to everything you say and follow all your orders, just please date me!”

“W-Wait, Gyeoul, please, cover your face first—”

Dodging my desperate attempts to cover her, Gyeoul clung to my pants and sobbed, wailing with heart-wrenching desperation.

“Hic… Waaaah, let me be your girlfriend! Let me cuddle you in bed like Ryuko-chan! Let me kiss your tummy!”

“…Wait, haven’t we seen her somewhere before?”

“Yeah! Isn’t she that idol girl…?”

I saw someone pulling out their smartphone camera.

We’re fucked.

“Fine, fine! I’ll date you—just cover your damn face first!!”

Carrying Gyeoul piggyback and sprinting like hell out of the motel street, I barely managed to catch my breath.

Still piggybacked on me, Gyeoul cried openly, wiping her tears all over my suit as she spoke.

“Hic… Sob… I’m sorry. Sob… I love you… I love you so much.”

“…”

I don’t even know anymore.