Chapter 191

Chapter 191

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

Episode 191: President-Approved Date

As soon as the emergency hit, Cheon Aram summoned me and asked urgently,

“Team Leader Seon, what’s on your schedule today?”

I was trying to assess the situation when Aram suddenly called me in. I opened my mouth, trying my best to stay calm.

“Originally, I was preparing materials for the PS Trading ad model meeting and was supposed to meet with their staff. But with everything happening, I was going to take the girls to the hospital…”

“I’ll take care of that. For now, just take the girls out on a date or something.”

“…A date?”

Did I mishear that?

The President is telling the manager to forget work and go on a date with his assigned idols?

Hmm… I must’ve misheard.

But Cheon Aram crushed my very reasonable assumption.

“Yes, a date. Go eat something nice, take some pictures with a pretty backdrop, do a little skinship, some flirting—go for it.”

What kind of unhinged statement is this?

“Forget whether it’s even okay for a manager to do that—how can you suggest a date when they’re dealing with bipolar symptoms, anorexia, and now one of them can’t even speak? Obviously, the hospital comes first.”

“You think a hospital’s going to fix this? At most, they’ll get some therapy and a prescription. What we need is to address the root cause.”

“…And what’s the root cause?”

“What else? You, Team Leader Seon!”

Nope, not me.

Do you know how hard I’ve worked to not leave a single bad impression on those girls?

“As I reported before, yes, I changed how I interact with them—but I didn’t do anything extreme! I never treated them poorly. I was calm, professional, and thoughtful! I just pulled back from being overly personal.”

Aram nodded at my sincere defense and said,

“Yeah, I’m sure you didn’t do anything major. You probably just stopped casual conversations and avoided seeing them outside work. That’s why I overlooked it too—figured it was fine. But we forgot what your baseline was. You treated them with 100% warmth. Dropping to 20%? That doesn’t feel calm—it feels cold.”

“I understand how it could feel colder by comparison. But to say they spiraled into crisis just from that? No way. It’s probably a mix—overloaded schedules, no private space, the constant pressure of being an idol. We still need to go to the hospital.”

At my reply, Cheon Aram let out a deep sigh and said,

“Team Leader Seon. You know about my sense of smell, right?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Guess what kind of scent I’ve picked up from Gyeoul, Gaeul, and Yeoreum lately?”

“…”

Uh… Doesn’t sound like it’s gonna be a positive one.

Seeing that I couldn’t answer, Aram shook her head.

“…You don’t get it, huh. Even I think it sounds ridiculous. People don’t break down just because someone talks to them less or spends less time with them. And all three of them? At the same time? That’s insane.”

“Exactly, our girls would never—”

“And yet, shockingly, that’s exactly what happened.”

“…”

Cheon Aram held her head in frustration and slumped.

“If you get it, go on a date. Actually, even if you don’t get it—go on a damn date.”

Holding my throbbing head, I tried to protest.

“You must realize how crazy that sounds. There’s no way that’s the right—”

“Just do it! I know it sounds wrong—so go coddle each one, kiss their foreheads, ruffle their hair, or whatever!”

“What if someone sees?! What if it gets caught on camera?!”

“Then just don’t get caught!”

“…”

Having screamed things a President should never say, Aram suddenly stood up and opened the door. Confused, I asked,

“Uh… where are you going?”

With firm determination, Aram said,

“Didn’t I say? I’ll go do your work for you.”

“…”

“Go and date in peace. No—please, I’m begging you. It’s the best option right now. I’ll handle all your work.”

…Seriously, is this real life?

I followed Cheon Aram’s orders dutifully—met with Gaeul, Yeoreum, and Gyeoul one by one. And one by one, I said yes to everything I’d previously refused. Encouragement, praise, heart-to-hearts, dumb jokes, small talk about life—just hanging out. I did it all, enthusiastically.

And amazingly—Gyeoul, who was supposedly crying from bipolar symptoms, smiled the whole time. Yeoreum, said to be suffering from anorexia, didn’t eat much but still enjoyed a variety of food. And Gaeul, who “couldn’t speak,” started talking the moment she saw me… and even dragged me into a coin karaoke booth.

“…”

…What the hell?

I seriously began to wonder if this was all some kind of hidden camera prank aimed at me.

After thoroughly checking my surroundings for cameras, I confirmed that wasn’t the case—but that didn’t mean any of this made sense.

After some deep reflection, I concluded: the girls were under immense psychological strain from their long idol careers. The symptoms weren’t gone—they were just holding them back because they were with me.

That’s right. They were holding it together… for my sake.

With that in mind, I decided I really would get them proper hospital care. But when I arrived at work the next morning, I was greeted by road managers rushing in—faces bright with joy, not panic.

They spoke nonstop, like proud parents dying to brag about their kids.

“Whoa, Team Leader Seon! What kind of magic did you use? Gyeoul went from unstable to a variety show nuke! She’s in top form! Every line she drops hits! Her game stream clip is all over AllTube—it’s basically a meme now! It’s huge!”

“Report: Jin Yeoreum stole the spotlight at the Mille fashion show and received rave reviews for her visual presence. She’s blowing up on SNS. When she had anorexia, every outfit looked frail on her—but now? I can’t imagine anything that wouldn’t look good on her.”

“Team Leader Seon! Gaeul… she’s speaking again. And of course, singing too! God, I was afraid she might never sing again… but she’s been praised for singing with even more depth and emotion than before. The song she sang on that broadcast? It’s climbing back up the charts!”

“…”

…So yeah. It was my fault.

“”…Haaah.““

At some point, Oh Yoori and I had ended up in my office—now our usual post-disaster debrief spot—and let out synchronized sighs.

“There’s no such thing as an easy job in this world.”

“…Not just not easy—this might be one of the hardest.”

…Facts. I don’t think anything in my life has ever been tougher.

Across from me, Oh Yoori, in her now-too-familiar rhythm, sipped non-alcoholic beer and vented.

“Honestly, from the sidelines, it didn’t seem that bad. But turns out it was way worse. Is this even fixable? I don’t think it is.”

“Let’s think positive. If I’d been more strict, maybe something even worse would’ve happened. I probably prevented that.”

“…Worse than all the members spiraling into mental breakdowns together? How?”

“I don’t know either. …Which is even scarier.”

“…”

Whatever she just pictured, it made Oh Yoori pale and shudder.

I was curious, but decided I was better off not knowing.

“So… what now?”

“First, no more negative stimuli. Actually—everything I do has to feel positive.”

“Then how are you gonna break that ‘we’ll date after your contract ends’ promise? In their state, nothing would hit harder than you backing out. Like, if you said that right now, I swear their mental collapse would be instant.”

Mid-sentence, Yoori suddenly looked at me, realization flashing in her eyes.

“Wait—did you change the goal to just keeping the status quo?”

“No. Doing nothing would be irresponsible. To my coworkers, to you, and especially to those girls.”

She gave me a look that was somewhere between understanding and worry.

“…Don’t overdo it, okay?”

I smiled faintly and gave her soft pink hair a gentle pat.

Yoori avoided my gaze and asked,

“Then how are you going to handle this?”

“I have a plan.”

“…A plan?”

“Yeah. A plan.”

I recalled the best solution I could come up with and said,

“A perfect plan—one that accepts all conditions, and keeps the girls from getting hurt.”