Chapter 34

Chapter 34

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

Episode 34: I’m Busy, Please Get Lost.

After discussing the contract with Cheon Aram, I headed to the practice room to greet Gaeul, who had gone ahead to meet Gyeoul.

Through the small window of the practice room, I saw Gyeoul squatting and Gaeul standing, seemingly engaged in conversation.

They seemed to be getting along already.

It was a pleasant sight.

I abruptly opened the door and asked,

“Did you have a good talk?”

“…Huh? Oh, yes. Gyeoul was very welcoming, so we had a fun conversation!”

Gaeul looked momentarily flustered but then smiled brightly when she saw my face.

It was nice to see that she seemed to have forgotten about yesterday.

However, Gyeoul’s reaction was odd.

She was trembling and looking at me with desperate eyes.

Now that I noticed, the situation looked strange.

Gaeul was standing and looking down at Gyeoul, who was shivering.

It seemed quite significant.

Even though I doubted Gaeul would do such a thing, I asked just in case.

“Gaeul, you didn’t bully Gyeoul, did you?”

At my question, they looked at each other with bewildered expressions before reacting strongly.

Gyeoul shook her head vigorously, like she had a motor attached to it, while Gaeul’s face turned pale.

“Absolutely not!”

“…Then what was that awkward situation just now? Gyeoul, why were you trembling?”

“Ah… it’s really not like she was bullying me. Gaeul approached me kindly… It’s just that I’m a dark and gloomy social misfit, so I felt intimidated by her bright presence.”

Oh dear, our introvert.

Making friends must be hard for you.

I thought it might have been too much to pair extremely extroverted Gaeul with Gyeoul right away.

“Still, you’ll have to work together as a team, so let’s try to make an effort. Gaeul will help you, too.”

“Yes… I’m sorry.”

Listening to my conversation with Gyeoul, Gaeul squeezed her eyes shut and said,

“No! It’s not Gyeoul’s fault.”

Gaeul, looking like a condemned prisoner bowing her head before the executioner, said,

“It must be because she sensed my jealousy. I didn’t say or do anything specific, but emotions can be conveyed.”

She trembled because she felt jealous, even without words or actions? Was that possible?

…But if it was Gyeoul, it somehow made sense.

With Gyeoul’s natural introversion, it seemed possible that she could tremble just from that.

If Gaeul had actually harmed her, Gyeoul would be in tears by now.

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed in Gaeul.

Of course, I understood.

Even I feel jealous sometimes, so how could a young girl like Gaeul stop such feelings from arising?

Spending 24/7 together, even stronger feelings could emerge.

Moreover, the fact that she could express her feelings honestly was commendable.

Big fights usually happen when feelings are bottled up and then explode.

With Gaeul’s honesty, it seemed unlikely that things would escalate into a big fight.

But what exactly did Gaeul feel jealous about?

“Gaeul, what made you feel jealous?”

Gaeul looked at the black Adidas tracksuit that Gyeoul had taken from me and said,

“It’s the clothes…”

“The clothes?”

Gaeul glanced up and down, frantically watching my reaction, and said,

“…I felt jealous because she looked so pretty in those clothes.”

I let out a light laugh, feeling a bit deflated.

“Oh, don’t be silly. You’re just as pretty as Gyeoul.”

Gaeul blushed at my casual response.

Gyeoul answered instead of the silent Gaeul.

“…That pretty?”

“Yes, really pretty. Enough to be called the best in the world.”

This time, Gyeoul’s face turned red.

I thought she would be tired of hearing compliments about her looks, but why were they both acting like this?

I decided to change the awkward atmosphere.

“A dance trainer will be here in 30 minutes. Take a short break and stretch a bit. We need to start the lesson right away.”

Gaeul nodded with a flushed face.

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

“Her name is Lee Hyerin, and she’s one of the best trainers for teaching the basics. The President specially invited her, so learn as much as you can.”

She even passed Cheon Aram’s scent test, proving she was a great person in terms of character.

She would be able to teach them a lot.

“Gyeoul, you’ve already taken a lesson with her, so please help Gaeul get used to the training schedule.”

Gyeoul spoke with a determined expression.

“Yes, Taeyang ssam.”

Her overly serious expression made her look like she was about to commit a crime.

Anyway, it was good to see her motivated.

“Okay, once you’ve completed the training schedule for today, you can go back to the dorm and rest. Call me if anything comes up.”

Gaeul raised her hand as if asking a teacher a question.

“…Team Leader Seon?”

“Yes? What are you curious about, Gaeul?”

“Won’t you be at the company?”

“That’s right. I have to go out for scouting.”

This time, Gyeoul raised her hand.

Did they agree to raise their hands when asking questions?

“Then, will you stop by before you leave?”

“I should. I need to report the progress to President Cheon.”

President Cheon said it was okay to leave straight from the field, but I thought that wouldn’t be right.

It was a basic principle for building trust, and my pride as a salaried worker for over ten years.

Gyeoul and Gaeul smiled at my answer. Although they didn’t look at each other, their smiles were very similar.

It was nice to see they had something in common.

“Alright, let’s all do our best.”

“Goodbye, Team Leader Seon!”

Gyeoul, watching Gaeul wave energetically, said.

“…Goodbye, Taeyang ssam.”

I gave them a small smile and left the training room.

I raised my hands as if in surrender and said.

“I’m not a strange person; I’m an agency employee. I approached you because I want to cast you, not because I’m stalking you!”

Park Jina, who had been pointing a pink stun gun at my neck, stared at my face and then lowered the stun gun.

“…Well, it’s a face worth stalking. I’ll believe you.”

Park Jina took a step back and mumbled as if analyzing my face.

“The dark circles are a bit unfortunate, but they give off a certain decadent charm…”

Then she nodded to herself as if understanding something and said.

“I apologize for overreacting. I’ve been stalked a lot lately.”

“It’s fine. I’m not hurt.”

“As an apology, I’ll seriously listen to what you have to say.”

Anyway, it was a relief that I could clear up the misunderstanding and talk about casting.

“Thank you. I am this kind of person.”

I handed her my business card and said.

“I want to create the best girl group with you, Ms. Jina.”

Park Jina looked closely at the business card and said.

“…Team Leader Seon Taeyang of TwoBear Entertainment?”

Then she gave a slight smirk and said.

“It seems like a company that isn’t even a medium-sized agency since I’ve never heard of it. I’m not interested in such places.”

Park Jina lightly touched her face with her hand and emphasized her beauty as she spoke.

“Look at me. With this face, I can aim for the top three agencies, don’t you think? Isn’t it excessive for a new company that isn’t even medium-sized to try to recruit me?”

Her words were a bit rude, but I understood.

It was only natural for her to react that way when a no-name agency asked her to pour her prime years into it.

With her current A- looks and A potential, she would naturally have a lot of pride.

But it was my job to bring down her high nose and take her to TwoBear to have Cheon Aram check her out.

I was ready to paint a rosy picture of TwoBear’s future, as I always did.

“You might think that our TwoBear Entertainment is just a typical new company since it’s not well-known, but actually…”

At that moment, I heard the ringtone from the smartphone in my inside pocket.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

It was Gaeul who called.

She should be in the middle of training, so what could it be?

“Hey, Gaeul. What’s up?”

“…”

“Gaeul?”

“…Team Leader Seon.”

“Yes, Gaeul. Speak freely. Do you need my help?”

“…I need your help.”

Only then did I realize that Gaeul’s voice was full of tears.

“Help me.”

As if she were holding back tears.

“…Gaeul, can you slowly tell me where you are and what’s happening?”

My head felt hot.

But I spoke as calmly as possible.

“I’ll help you.”

I started recording the call, and Gaeul clearly explained the situation and her location.

“Alright, I’m coming right away.”

I ended the call, straightened my clothes, and got ready to leave immediately.

Then Park Jina, startled, asked.

“Wait a minute. Are you just leaving like this?”

I apologized sincerely and explained the situation.

“Yes, it seems there is a problem with one of our trainees, so I need to leave immediately. I’m very sorry, but I hope we can continue our conversation later.”

“I don’t plan on doing that.”

As I slung my bag over my shoulder and looked at her, she said.

“I’m listening to you now as an apology. It means I’m giving you one chance. I don’t plan on talking to you again.”

“…”

“If you want to persuade me, do it now. My time is precious.”

…Huh. Look at this girl. Does she think only her time is precious? Do you know what Gaeul is going through right now?

Such a girl didn’t even need to be checked by Cheon Aram.

She seemed filled with greed, sacrificing others for her own gain.

Cheon Aram would surely scream and jump out the window the moment she got a whiff of her.

I approached her thinking she could be a charitable idol, but it was a bust.

I ignored her and walked to where I had parked my car.

“Wait! Are you ignoring me?”

Then Park Jina chased after me and called out.

Ah, why is she so clingy?

“You said your time is precious. My time is precious, too. Let’s save each other’s time.”

I waved my hand, like shooing away a fly.

Then Park Jina grabbed me tightly and said.

“So I’m telling you that I’m spending that precious time on you, Team Leader Seon! Don’t you get that? Why are you so dense?”

I raised my middle finger and answered.

“Fuck off.”

I’m busy, so please just go away.