Chapter 45

Chapter 45

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

Episode 45: I Don’t Want Him To See Me As A Child.

“I used to think that I must not fall. I believed that if I fell even once, everything would collapse.”

Gaeul continued her confession to Gyeoul.

“Because there was no one. All I had was the burden I had to carry.”

Her burden.

“So I tried to give up and become indifferent. That way, it felt a little less painful.”

Her weakness.

“There was someone who told me it was okay not to give up; it was okay to fall.”

And the person who changed her.

“Of course, I didn’t believe it. I thought I was mature. I thought such dreamlike words were deceitful. But he showed me that my doubts were just narrow-mindedness.”

“Is that Taeyang Ssam?”

Gaeul spoke shyly.

“Yes, that’s Taeyang Oppa.”

Her words flowed like a melody, creating poetry.

“Taeyang Oppa always becomes a reliable adult for me. And he treats me like a child. Just thinking about him makes me smile without realizing it. It’s so sweet and warm… but I have a greedy heart that wants more.”

It was a pure truth she hadn’t revealed to anyone yet.

“I don’t want him to see me as a child.”

The child who had to pretend to be an adult wanted to become an adult again, for a completely different reason.

“I want to meet him more, even if by chance or force. I want to know what he thinks and what he likes. And I hope Taeyang Oppa thinks of me this way, too.”

Gyeoul thought as she looked at Gaeul.

‘Gaeul Unnie is truly a lovely person.’

Her innocent yet youthful and warm appearance was overwhelmingly lovely. But it wasn’t just her looks that were lovely.

Her dedication to thinking of others before herself. The energy that makes others smile even in hard and painful moments. Her always considerate and caring attitude.

That was the real reason Gaeul was lovely.

‘Taeyang Ssam is really cool and really, really reliable.’

Gyeoul imagined Taeyang and Gaeul as a couple. The image she envisioned suited them so well, much more than it did for herself.

Gyeoul’s chest ached again. Her nose tingled, and her eyes felt wet, as if she were about to cry.

She carefully suppressed those feelings and spoke.

“…I will help with your feelings, Gaeul Unnie.”

As calmly and indifferently as possible. As if she was just doing what she had to do.

Gaeul was startled by Gyeoul’s words and spoke up.

“No, Gyeoul! The reason I told you this wasn’t because I wanted that…”

“It will help. Having someone in the same group makes a big difference. And I’ve always wanted to play Cupid!”

Gaeul’s eyes met Gyeoul’s. Unlike her usual shy demeanor, Gyeoul did not avoid her gaze this time. She looked straight and firmly.

Gaeul spoke with trembling eyes.

“Are you sure? Gyeoul, you…”

Gyeoul hurriedly interrupted Gaeul’s next words.

“Yes, of course, it’s okay! That’s what I want.”

Gyeoul wanted the two people she liked to be happy. And she wanted to be called their friend or colleague.

Even if it was just that way, Gyeoul wanted to stay by Taeyang’s side.

There was a girl group called Bubble Shower.

This group, which was a promising project of Dreams Entertainment, a company that produced quite successful singers and idols, performed poorly despite the agency’s active push.

The agency did not blame the failure solely on the members.

After internally judging that the failure was due to the selection of the concept and planning, they gave Bubble Shower another chance, investing even more aggressively in promotion.

But even so, they messed up.

Two failures, aging members.

In the end, Dreams Entertainment tentatively concluded that they were a failure.

As a result, the agency’s investment became passive, and they only undertook money-making schedules like events to recoup their investment.

It was a common fate for a failed girl group.

They seemed destined to slowly sink, just like many other senior girl groups that failed to rise and disappeared.

Until Yoon Haneul, one of the members, caused a positive stir in the community with her continuous volunteer work.

The incident started when a scandal involving preferential treatment and corruption related to a third-generation chaebol ignited.

When the suspicion of military service evasion by the second grandson of the Jinkang Group, which was the trigger for the preferential treatment controversy, became a fact, the fire spread to the entire chaebol family. The scandal also included the third granddaughter, who had been accused of doping in her childhood.

Reporters, in search of sensational headlines, tracked down the third granddaughter, who was involved in the original preferential treatment scandal, and soon discovered that she was doing volunteer work at an orphanage.

The news of the third granddaughter, revealed along with photos of her seemingly insincere volunteer work, was met with harsh criticism from the public. The defense that she was doing volunteer work to atone for the controversy was seen as a political show and a mere formality.

Thus, the news of the third granddaughter, uncovered by reporters, did not go beyond a brief piece of gossip or a topic for criticism.

But then, this news took a strange turn.

Among the photos taken by the reporter of the granddaughter doing volunteer work, the beauty of Yoon Haneul, who was volunteering with her, became a hot topic in the community.

Yoon Haneul, who heated up the community under the name “Volunteer Girl,” was revealed to have continued volunteering at various orphanages for years, and she was compared to the chaebol granddaughter, who was criticized for her showy volunteer work.

The provocative comparison spread beyond the community to social media, with titles like “Voluntary vs. Forced” becoming an internet meme.

The climax was when it was later revealed that she was an active girl group member. At a time when she had already built a broad, favorable image among people, Yoon Haneul’s previous albums and music videos were rediscovered.

People spread Bubble Shower’s previous activities, which had been buried, on the internet with titles like “The Identity of Volunteer Girl.”

And stories about Bubble Shower’s dedication and excellent fan service, even at small and poor event venues, began to emerge. And Bubble Shower succeeded in gaining national favor.

The result was Bubble Shower’s insane resurgence.

…I was insanely jealous.

But now that I had returned to the past, I didn’t have to be jealous anymore. I remembered exactly where that orphanage was.

With a bit of diligence, I could take the resurgence chance that Bubble Shower would get.

Of course, to seize this opportunity, I had to make an impression from now on.

The fundamental reason for the resurgence was Yoon Haneul’s sincere volunteer work.

That’s why I had to start preparing now.

I grabbed Gyeoul and Gaeul, who were returning to the dormitory after hard training, and spoke.

“I have some unfortunate news.”

Gyeoul asked, startled.

“What? What is it?”

“You have to work late with me.”

“With Taeyang Ssam?”

“Yes, with me.”

As Gyeoul seemed hesitant, I made a big decision and blurted it out.

“I’ll buy you delicious food. Just for today, I’ll allow you to eat greasy food.”

Let’s take a break from the diet just for today.

Gyeoul mumbled softly after hearing my words.

“…Sounds fun.”

But her voice was too small to be heard.

When I looked to see if Gaeul had heard Gyeoul’s words, she was smiling at me, welcoming me like a country puppy.

Gaeul, excited, said.

“Will it take long? It would be nice to see Taeyang Oppa for a long time.”

She seemed to be worried about overtime. But it was one of Gaeul’s good points that she could smile and speak cheerfully despite that.

Don’t worry, Gaeul. I’ll make sure you get your rest.

“It’s okay. There is no need for both of you to go. One person is enough.”

Considering that Yoon Haneul moved individually and led the resurgence, taking two people and splitting the focus could create variables.

There was no need to take both Gyeoul and Gaeul and risk it. Making a kid who trained hard all day do volunteer work would actually be wrong.

“…”

Gaeul did not respond to my words. She seemed speechless from the delicate consideration.

Gyeoul was watching Gaeul’s silence intensely.

What’s wrong with her now?

“…Um, Taeyang Ssam, how about Gaeul Unnie goes instead of me?”

“Why? Are you busy?”

“…Yes, I think I’m a bit busy.”

Busy with what? I know you just play games and watch anime in the dormitory. Where are you trying to escape to?

“Yes, take me.”

Then, a chill ran down my spine. It felt like a cold wind was blowing even in the enclosed space.

Gaeul stood at the center of that chill.

“…Gaeul?”

Gaeul spoke with a stiff face.

“I want to do it too… Work late with Taeyang Oppa.”

“…What?”

…Wait, did I hear that wrong? Want to work late? Has Gaeul gone crazy? How could someone say such a thing?

Gyeoul was also trembling, feeling fear from the shocking statement.

Seeing her state, I became calm instead.

I judged logically. A normal person wouldn’t say they want to work late. Therefore, Gaeul was not in a normal state. If a person was not normal, it meant they were sick.

Gaeul was sick!

“Gaeul! Are you okay?”

After judging the situation, I immediately approached Gaeul, lightly holding her shoulder and touching her forehead with the back of my hand to check her temperature.

“…Huh? Yes, yes!”

As suspected, her forehead was warm. Her face was so red that I wondered if she was okay.

“Oh my, you have a fever.”

No wonder it was hard for her to make a normal judgment.

“No, it’s just… you’re too close…”

Gaeul seemed dizzy and staggered, swaying. I instinctively hugged her tightly and supported her before she fell.

“Hik!”

She seemed fine during training, but it seemed she was actually so worn out that she could barely stand. It was good to work hard, but I didn’t want her to push herself to the point of breaking down. I wanted her to get plenty of rest.

“Gaeul, you don’t seem well. Let’s rest well today.”

“But… I still want to go…”

I looked into Gaeul’s golden eyes from a distance where our noses almost touched and said.

“Please, Gaeul. I don’t want to see you sick.”

“…Yes.”

Gaeul, who answered, had a dazed face as if she were drunk on medicine. It seemed her cold was quite severe.

Even in such a state, she nodded earnestly, as if she understood my concern.

I was relieved and supported Gaeul towards the dormitory. I felt proud to be able to help her like this.

When I looked beside me, Gyeoul was staring at me with cold eyes. Those eyes, as if looking at trash, reminded me of the delinquent mode of Gyeoul when we first met.

…Did I do something wrong?