Chapter 59: My girlfriend is awesome!

The hurried footsteps of the staff, the sound of cameras being set up, and the tense atmosphere filled the studio.

“Queendom’s stage begins in one minute!”

The lights dimmed, and four silhouettes stood on the stage.

“Who is it this time?”

A female student in the front row asked her friend next to her.

“It’s a new girl group from GY Entertainment. They’re called Queendom.”

“Queendom? I’ve never heard of them… What’s their song?”

“First Crown.”

“Huh? Who’s that?”

Replying to the girl’s question, a man in the back seat, who had been pulling his hat down, took out his phone.

He was none other than Jeong Tae-woo’s self-proclaimed eternal rival, Lee Tae-yang.

“Seriously… what kind of video does he want me to take…”

Lee Tae-yang grumbled under his breath and opened the camera app.

His friend, who was currently active in the Premier League, had called him after a long time, so he had answered happily.

But the request was to take a video of his girlfriend.

‘I’m not some lackey… geez.’

Of course, being a guy, he was quite fond of girl groups, and coming to a place like this wasn’t a loss.

But he didn’t like the situation of following Tae-woo’s orders.

“When I meet him as an enemy later, I’ll punish him with a barrage of goals.”

He had signed with the same agent as Tae-woo.

But due to his parents’ circumstances, he was set to transfer to the Bundesliga next year.

“First Cr-“

Before he could finish his words, a powerful beat erupted from the speakers.

At the same time, the stage lights blazed brightly, illuminating the entire concert hall.

“Wow, they’re so pretty!”

“Damn, it’s my first time seeing them, but they look like dolls.”

The exclamations bursting from the surroundings were no exaggeration.

The four girls on stage boasted an unrealistic visual that seemed to have popped right out of reality.

‘Wow… are those the Mina and Damin I know?’

Lee Tae-yang couldn’t hide his surprised eyes at the glamorous stage presence, so different from the usual appearance of his friend and younger sister.

The four members, dressed in matching silver crop tops and high-waisted miniskirts that sparkled like crystals, looked as if they were from another world.

In particular, Damin’s glitter makeup, added to her long wavy hair, and Mina’s chic smokey eye makeup further enhanced their atmosphere.

The outfits of the Queendom members brought out their individual personalities while creating a perfect sense of unity.

“First Crown, put it on me

Look at me, I’ll be tomorrow’s Queen

The dazzling Spotlight, it’s my turn

Like First Crown, First Crown

It will be a name everyone remembers”

The performance, which began with a powerful beat, captivated the attention of fans of other groups.

“The one in the center is really pretty…”

“Wow, that tall unni’s dance skills are insane!”

“Her facial expressions are amazing!”

Along with the exclamations bursting from all over the audience, phone flashes twinkled.

Despite being a rookie girl group they had never seen before, the audience was quickly falling for

Queendom’s charms.

“Ah, right! I have to take a video…”

Lee Tae-yang was so focused on the stage that he almost forgot what he was supposed to be doing.

He quickly raised his phone and started recording.

But his gaze kept drifting away from the screen to the stage.

It seemed even he was completely mesmerized by Queendom’s perfect performance.

‘This… I think Damin and Mina are really going to hit it big.’

Even while filming, a smile naturally spread across Lee Tae-yang’s face.

***

“Fly higher (Fly high)

Run towards my dream (Run now)

Like a star that brightens the stage, I’ll shine forever

First Crown, put it on me

Me, who will open a new era

The dazzling Spotlight, it’s my stage

First Crown, First Crown

It will be a name everyone remembers”

The video Lee Tae-yang sent ended.

At first, I was about to say something about the shaky screen and unstable composition, but my words melted in my mouth.

No, to be precise, I understood the heart of Lee Tae-yang who had filmed this video.

‘It looks this amazing even on video… to see it in person…’

The addictive beat that would make anyone nod their head.

The synchronized dance of the three girls and one woman created a catharsis for the viewer.

Their performance, which fit together perfectly like a work of art, was so powerful that the heat of the stage was palpable even through the video.

Especially Damin, whose girlfriend she was, was the most radiant and beautiful among the four girls, and she really stood out.

‘Ahem… whose girlfriend, you ask? My girlfriend, of course.’

“Kehehehe…”

“Tae-woo, why are you suddenly laughing so creepily?”

Chan-gyu hyung looked at me with a puzzled expression from the side.

“Hyung, really…”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

I quickly straightened my expression and held back my laughter.

‘Ah, I really want to see Damin. I wonder if she’ll answer if I call.’

“Tae-woo-ya~”

I raised my head at the gentle sound of Chan-gyu hyung’s voice.

“Do you know who the worst person in the world is?”

“Who?”

“Someone who starts talking and then stops.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Chan-gyu hyung attacked my armpits.

“Aack! Hyung, wait a minute!”

Unable to stand the tickling, I rolled around on the sofa, trying to escape.

But I was no match for Chan-gyu hyung’s hands.

“Tell me, what is it? What were you thinking about while smiling earlier?”

“Ah, really… hahaha! Hyung, please… keheheuk! Stop!”

“I won’t stop until you tell me~”

As Chan-gyu hyung’s tickle torture continued, the image of Damin on my phone screen was still playing.

“Phew… it’s finally over.”

After overcoming the persistent Chan-gyu hyung, I went into my room and turned on the internet.

[Queendom, the 4-member girl group ambitiously debuted by YG Entertainment]

Lately, the internet news had been mostly dominated by stories about me.

But now, articles about Queendom were gradually filling that space.

[YG’s rookie girl group ‘Queendom,’ a splendid first music show debut]

[Queendom steals the show with perfect synchronized dance… “Their skills are already top-tier”]

[‘Super rookies’ Queendom, debut song enters music charts…]

When I opened the comment section, the reactions were also heated.

-Wow… this is seriously amazing. It’s the first time I’ve seen such synchronized dancing lately.

-They’re all pretty and their skills are perfect. Especially Damin unni, she’s so prettyㅠㅠ

-The song is crazy, but the stage is even crazier… Are they really rookies?

-Wow, Mina’s visuals… YG has discovered a gem.

-Jimin’s visuals are sculpted by the gods… It’s like an AI designed her with every bit of prettiness.

-Yuna’s indifferent expression is really charming. Especially that tear mole, ah, it gets me. Really.

‘Hehe… that’s our Damin…’

A smile naturally formed on my lips.

I liked every comment that praised Damin.

And naturally, I disliked the comments that praised my own sister, Mina.

‘Did the big agency hire comment part-timers… why are there so many praises for Mina.’

No matter how she debuted as a girl group member, in my eyes, she was still a more unattractive younger sister than anyone else.

As I was busy liking and disliking comments, my phone rang.

Jiiing- jiiing-

‘Damin❤’

I answered the phone faster than I would block a ball.

-Hello?

Damin’s voice came from the phone.

“Yes, hello, dear.”

-…

Even though we had been dating for a while, it was cute how Damin was at a loss for words at such jokes.

-Did you see the video?

Her voice was full of shyness.

A smile naturally formed on my lips at this side of Damin that she only showed me.

“Of course I saw it. I could only see Damin among the four… our girlfriend is so cool.”

-Hmph… really?

I laughed when I heard the characteristic nasal sound Damin made when she was happy.

She had made that sound whenever she was in a good mood since she was young.

And she was still the same.

“Of course. I can only see Damin.”

And so, the call continued, without us realizing how much time had passed.

Forgetting that I had team training early the next morning.

From the story of Damin’s debut stage to episodes from when she was practicing.

We chatted away, forgetting the time difference between the UK and Korea.

The starting goalkeeper of Manchester City and a member of the rookie girl group Queendom.

A combination that wouldn’t seem to match in anyone’s eyes.

But we, smiling at each other’s voices like this, were just ordinary eighteen-year-olds who had gone from long-time childhood friends to lovers.

***

On the top floor of a tall skyscraper.

In a spacious office overlooking the night view, a man was reporting to another man sitting in a black leather chair.

“So, the company your sister founded…”

“It’s APEX Agent, sir.”

“Right… APEX Agent.”

On the triangular nameplate on the desk of the man receiving the report, the name ‘SC Electronics President Eun Sung-joon’ was engraved in gold.

“Right, continue your report.”

“Yes. It seems the young lady has invested a significant amount of initial capital.

She grew the company by scouting industry experts from the start, and she is gradually expanding her influence, starting with player Jeong Tae-woo.”

“Hmm…”

Tap- tap- tap-

Eun Sung-joon tapped his fingers on the desk.

His secretary, Kang Min-seok, standing in front of him, was sweating profusely, just waiting for the president’s response.

“I don’t like it.”

At those words, Kang Min-seok quickly took a step forward.

“Sir, this time… if you touch the young lady, the chairman will not stand by idly.”

Tension was evident in Kang Min-seok’s voice as he had to bring up the uncomfortable truth.

Knowing President Eun Sung-joon’s personality well.

He knew all too well what his words ‘I don’t like it’ would lead to.

“That’s right… it was a bet our cute little sister made, raising her voice in front of our father for the first time.”

Eun Sung-joon’s words brought a sigh of relief to Kang Min-seok.

‘Thank goodness… it seems he’ll leave the young lady alone this time.’

But his relief didn’t even last a second.

“But wouldn’t father also want the company to fail quickly so Ga-young comes back to his arms?”

A chill ran down Kang Min-seok’s spine at the smile that flickered across Eun Sung-joon’s lips.

“B-but…”

“Hey.”

The single, cold word froze the air in the office.

Kang Min-seok immediately realized his mistake and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“You know what I mean, right?”

“I’ll take care of it.”

As the secretary’s footsteps faded away after he left, Eun Sung-joon slowly turned his chair to look out the window.

The brilliant night view of Seoul was reflected in his cold eyes.

“Little sister… struggle as much as you can. It’ll be more fun to crush your wings then.”

The smile on his lips was filled with cruel pleasure.