Chapter 38

Chapter 38

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

Episode 38: You Were Flirting, Right?.

The music ended, and so did Gaeul’s dance.

Gaeul, wearing the yellow Adidas jersey, tried to hide her heavy breathing and looked at us anxiously.

The evaluation panel, which included me, Cheon Aram, Seo Soo-yeon, and the basic skills trainer Lee Hyerin, kept a solemn expression as we pondered. Cheon Aram, as the president, spoke to gather opinions.

“We need to align our opinions for a moment. Miss Gaeul, could you step outside for a bit?”

“Ah, yes! I’ll step out. Thank you!”

Gaeul bowed at a 90-degree angle and carefully closed the door without making a sound.

Seeing this, Cheon Aram said,

“…She’s much better than I thought.”

Seo Soo-yeon cautiously agreed.

“Even as a trainee, she looked pretty good to me.”

Cheon Aram turned to look at the invited trainer Lee Hyerin and spoke.

“What do you think, Trainer Hyerin, who has taught Miss Gaeul for a short time?”

Lee Hyerin nodded and said,

“Honestly, she’s far from having a genius sense. If you’re expecting a performance like Gyeoul’s, you’ll be disappointed.”

None of us here expected Gaeul to deliver a performance like Gyeoul, who showed top-tier talent in both dance and singing.

“But she’s not slow. If we teach her the choreography, she will learn step by step and keep up with the team.”

I recalled that Gaeul’s current dance ability was rated at C+ and added,

“Gaeul said she worked hard on dancing in a dance club during middle school. It seems she built her foundation there.”

Seo Soo-yeon and Lee Hyerin nodded. They also didn’t see Gaeul as a complete novice who had just started learning dance.

However, Cheon Aram tilted her head as if a question had arisen.

“I’m glad she’s a better talent than I thought, but one question arises.”

I asked Cheon Aram,

“What question are you talking about?”

“Why hasn’t she been scouted by other agencies yet? Did all the scouts go blind together? Why was Miss Gaeul left alone?”

Seo Soo-yeon looked at Cheon Aram and said,

“It seems that her family situation and the one hundred million won were obstacles.”

“Still… Even if it was a fraudulent contract, wasn’t there anyone who said they’d give her a hundred million won? With a kid like her?”

I also had the same question about that point.

To address that question, I shared what I heard from Gaeul.

“Originally, Gaeul never mentioned a hundred million won. There were scouts who approached her, but she refused them citing personal reasons without explaining the situation.”

“Then why did she mention the one hundred million won only to you, Team Leader Seon?”

“…I don’t know either.”

At that time, I just said it without any particular plan. There was no special strategy.

Seo Soo-yeon looked back and forth between me and Cheon Aram and said,

“Maybe she felt persuaded because Team Leader Seon is good with words?”

“…Were there so few scouts who were good at talking?”

Cheon Aram didn’t seem completely convinced but nodded eventually.

She seemed to think that was the only answer as well.

At that moment, dance trainer Lee Hyerin cautiously raised her hand.

Cheon Aram saw it and gave her permission to speak.

“Do you have an idea why? Feel free to speak.”

Lee Hyerin looked at my face and cautiously said,

“…Maybe because of your face?”

“….”

…What nonsense was that?

Cheon Aram rubbed her forehead, seemingly troubled by the absurd remark, and said,

“So you’re saying that Miss Gaeul was so smitten with Team Leader Seon’s face that she shared her personal circumstances in detail?”

“…Probably?”

“….”

We all did our best to pretend we didn’t hear Lee Hyerin’s words.

“It’s fortunate that Gaeul’s dance skills are at that level. President.”

“As Team Leader Seon said, it’s fortunate that Miss Gaeul, who has top-notch singing skills, doesn’t seem to have major flaws in dancing.”

“…Uh, yes, right. Negotiating with investors and getting the foundation’s name out there feels like worthwhile efforts, so I’m satisfied.”

Lee Hyerin looked dejected after being ignored, but it didn’t matter.

Cheon Aram seemed to think the evaluation was mostly done and was about to call Gaeul back in.

I interrupted the mood a bit. There was something that needed to be said while Gaeul was not present.

“By the way, I have something to say about Gaeul’s father.”

“Huh? Didn’t you properly finish the contract, Team Leader Seon?”

“The contract was signed, but there was a concern.”

I spoke under the gathered gazes.

“According to Gaeul’s younger brother, Gahyeon, it seems their father is addicted to gambling.”

Seo Soo-yeon nodded as if she understood.

“…So that’s why she needed money despite having a guardian.”

“What about her mother?”

“My guess is they divorced. It seems they’re completely out of touch now.”

“Hmm… That’s not good news.”

I explained why I brought up this topic.

“Have you already paid the signing bonus?”

Cheon Aram nodded and said,

“Yes, it’s already been deposited. But hearing what you said, it makes me uneasy. We should have arranged the contract to deposit the money into Gaeul’s account beforehand.”

“It seemed that if we didn’t deposit the money into that account, they wouldn’t have signed the contract. They wouldn’t have agreed to open an account either.”

Cheon Aram sighed softly and said,

“So, you’re mentioning this because you think the signing bonus might be used for gambling?”

“Yes, and if that happens, it would greatly affect Gaeul’s mental state. Protecting her brother is the most important thing to her.”

“Sigh… It’s troublesome. Since Gaeul is a minor, her father is the only guardian we can contact, so it’s difficult for us to handle. In the end, it’s a family matter, and there’s a line we can’t cross as outsiders.”

Seo Soo-yeon and Lee Hyerin also continued to ponder, unable to find a special solution.

I, too, couldn’t come up with a clear solution and remained silent.

In that silence, Cheon Aram spoke cheerfully, as if she had found the answer.

“Team Leader Seon.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll give you money for the trouble, so how about you go beat him up? Maybe he’ll learn his lesson if he’s hit.”

“….”

Coming from someone like Cheon Aram, it didn’t feel like a joke.

Lee Hyerin seemed shocked by Cheon Aram’s remark and looked around nervously.

However, her words were very tempting.

If I followed through, I could complete the quest that felt like a difficult task all at once.

Alright, let’s give it a shot. I couldn’t resist the ‘Sword Saint’s Sense.’

I made up my mind and answered in a solemn voice.

“Shall I do it now?”

“Oh, I’m kidding, Team Leader Seon. Why are you so scary?”

Cheon Aram laughed playfully and waved her hand.

I was greatly disappointed.

“Okay, I understand we need to be cautious. But it’s also true that it’s hard to come up with a proper preventive measure right now. So let’s prepare for the future as best as we can.”

Seo Soo-yeon looked at Cheon Aram and said,

“I’ll look into gambling treatment centers and related laws.”

“Good. I’ll trust you, Soo-yeon. They couldn’t have blown the signing bonus on gambling in just one day, right? Let’s not rush and prepare what we can properly.”

With those words, Cheon Aram called Gaeul, who was waiting in the hallway.

When Gaeul came in, we praised her just enough so she wouldn’t become conceited and wrapped up the evaluation in a warm atmosphere.

Someone stopped Trainer Lee Hyerin as she was about to go home after finishing the evaluation at TwoBear Entertainment.

“Teacher Hyerin?”

It was Yoo Gaeul, wearing a yellow Adidas jersey.

“Yes, Gaeul, what’s up? Do you have more questions?”

Lee Hyerin responded with a happy expression.

It was because she was glad to talk to Gaeul, who usually showed Golden Retriever-like friendliness and made conversations enjoyable.

Despite having an outgoing job as a trainer, Lee Hyerin, who had an introverted personality, liked Gaeul.

“…Yes, I have something to ask.”

However, Gaeul’s demeanor felt completely different from usual.

It felt eerie, in a way. It was somewhat scary.

“Do you like Taeyang Oppa?”

Lee Hyerin was taken aback by the completely unexpected question and answered.

“No, no, not at all.”

Gaeul tilted her head and asked,

“Then why did you mention Taeyang Oppa’s face?”

“…His face?”

Hyerin felt embarrassed knowing that Gaeul also heard that awkward comment during the evaluation.

She felt like she wanted to crawl into a hole.

But that feeling was swept away by Gaeul’s next words.

“Yes, you were flirting, weren’t you?”

Hyerin was flustered by Gaeul’s completely different demeanor, but she said what she needed to.

“Wait, Gaeul. That comment seems a bit out of line. Even if I were to feel attracted to Team Leader Seon and tried to flirt with him, there’s no reason for you to talk to me like that. What does it have to do with you and Team Leader Seon?”

“It does matter.”

A chilly wind blew, lifting Gaeul’s bangs.

Her revealed eyes glinted ominously.

“If Taeyang Oppa were to go through such a troublesome situation, I might become a bit strange.”

Hyerin, feeling the strange pressure, shivered and asked,

“…How?”

Gaeul stared into Hyerin’s eyes and said, as if she were troubled.

“I don’t know either.”

Uncontrollable emotions were overflowing from the girl in front of her.

Dark and intense.

With her life experience, Hyerin realized immediately.

That was a bomb that shouldn’t be touched.