Chapter 64

Chapter 64

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

Episode 64: Chapter 4 -Jin Yeoreum (END).

Jin Baek-ho, staring blankly at the spot his daughter left, called the nearest man in a black suit, Park Pyo-chung.

“Pyo-chung.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Invest some money in TwoBear so that Yeoreum doesn’t feel neglected.”

Park Pyo-chung, watching his expression, asked,

“How much should I invest?”

Jin Baek-ho looked at Park Pyo-chung as if questioning why he would ask that and said,

“Enough to make sure my daughter can do everything to the best.”

Although Jin Baek-ho’s reaction was somewhat ambiguous, the quest was completed, and I received permission to recruit Yeoreum, so I considered it a satisfactory outcome.

“Please exit this way.”

“Yes, thank you for guiding me.”

After finishing my business, I left the Jinkang building, guided by the man in the black suit.

When I was respectfully kidnapped, I even thought I might end up cemented and thrown into the sea. It felt quite surreal… Actually, it seemed like my sense of reality hadn’t fully returned.

It just felt like I was dreaming a long dream.

To regain my sense of reality, I took out and reread the letter from Jin Yeoreum from three years later.

As I walked down the empty corridor, reading the letter, I heard hurried footsteps behind me.

Curious, I turned to look behind me and saw someone running towards me.

“Team Leader Seon!”

It was Jin Yeoreum.

“…Haah. Haaaaah.”

She was panting heavily, as if she had run urgently.

“Ms. Yeoreum, how did you get here?”

It wasn’t until I spoke that I noticed her outfit.

She was wearing the same black suit, as those in the Chairman’s office.

Come to think of it, there were quite a few women in there too.

I couldn’t hide my suspicion.

“Don’t tell me you were in there?”

Jin Yeoreum spoke with trembling eyes.

“Yes, that’s right. I heard everything.”

“…Oh god. You saw that.”

Honestly, it was embarrassing to know she saw all of that.

Suddenly, rushing in and declaring myself a businessman was cringeworthy, even to me. It was quite embarrassing.

I wondered why they had so many people in black suits, but it seemed not just to intimidate, but also to hide his daughter’s presence.

Jin Baek-ho had a nasty personality.

I tried to hide my embarrassment as much as possible and spoke nonchalantly.

“It turned out that way. He didn’t seem entirely welcoming, but we got the Chairman’s approval anyway… You’ve worked hard. There was a lot going on, but everything ended happily.”

Those words seemed to have struck a nerve with Jin Yeoreum as she spoke in a muffled voice,

“…It’s not everything. Because you’re not included in that ‘everything,’ Team Leader Seon.”

“Huh?”

What is she talking about now?

“In the end, it’s just me receiving everything one-sidedly from you, Team Leader Seon!”

It seemed Yeoreum had some misunderstanding.

The future laid out for her wasn’t that bright.

Although TwoBear Entertainment and I would do our best, the one who had to endure the barrage of public opinion and strive for success was Jin Yeoreum herself.

Now was not the time for her to say she had only received from me. It was a moment to worry about the uncertain future.

“You’re the only one receiving? No way. From now on, you have to work hard for TwoBear’s success, Ms. Yeoreum.”

Did you think only I would suffer?

I’ll make you work so hard that you’ll think the days of volunteering and cleaning were better.

“Of course, I plan to do everything I can. But there’s no reason for you to do the same, Team Leader Seon.”

I gave a small smile and looked at her as I spoke,

“There is a reason.”

This was related to the essence of who I am.

Something I hadn’t revealed to anyone.

“I failed big time once. I was betrayed by people I trusted.”

But there was causality in that betrayal.

“The people who betrayed me were wrong, but I wasn’t without fault either. I was foolish enough to experience such things. I blindly trusted people. I didn’t want to see their flaws. Even when I knew there were irregularities, even when I realized the plagiarism allegations were real, I stupidly trusted and helped that person without changing my stance. I was a really stupid guy.”

Thinking back to my previous life, I was really stupid. In hindsight, I deserved to be betrayed.

“Someone like me, who foolishly gives trust and consideration to people, met someone like that.”

“Who is that?”

“Of course, it’s you, Ms. Jin Yeoreum.”

“….”

Jin Yeoreum looked at me with a sullen expression.

There was no elegance that didn’t match her age on that face. She looked cute like that.

I gave a small smile and looked at Jin Yeoreum as I spoke.

“Do you know how cute it was when you said you wouldn’t give affection, but started breaking down the walls after just two days, with your thorns sticking out?”

“…Cute?”

“Yes, it was cute. And that foolishness, that stubbornness of blindly trusting people again even after being hurt by them, felt familiar. That’s why I decided I didn’t want to be one of those who betrays you, Ms. Yeoreum. In fact, I hoped it would be a bit of a reward. A kind of self-satisfaction.”

I didn’t want to be one of those trying to use Jin Yeoreum. Like those bastards who stabbed me in the back the moment I was no longer useful before my regression.

In the end, this was my true intention.

“So, Ms. Yeoreum, you don’t need to worry. I’m more than satisfied.”

In the past, I remember her winning awards in rhythmic gymnastics and smiling brightly.

In the future, I remember her smiling kindly even while feeling awkward during a reporter’s photoshoot.

In the present, I remember her smiling warmly as she watched us volunteer.

I liked her smiling face. So I wanted to make her smile.

And because she smiled holding my hand, I was satisfied.

But Jin Yeoreum didn’t seem satisfied with just my answer.

“…There’s no way that’s enough!”

She clung to me, shaking the hem of my clothes.

“Arrogant, self-righteous, stubborn! Pretending to be strong while being swayed by others! Your so-called consideration always ends up ruining things around me! The fact that you’re sacrificing yourself for me hasn’t changed at all! Why are you sacrificing so much for me?!”

“…I’m telling you, it’s not something to be called a sacrifice. I said I’m satisfied, didn’t I?”

What more do you want? If the person involved says it’s fine, believe it.

“I’m anxious! I’m not someone who deserves such excessive treatment. So it’s not strange if your consideration disappears at any time. But if that consideration disappears, I’ll find it very difficult.”

“….”

Jin Yeoreum shook me, demanding an answer.

“Ah.”

Because Jin Yeoreum shook me like that, I dropped the letter I was holding.

Startled, Jin Yeoreum quickly picked up the letter with an apologetic expression.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Why apologize for something like that? It’s fine.”

…Wait, wouldn’t it be quite problematic if Jin Yeoreum saw the contents of that letter?

It’s a letter written in her handwriting, but she wouldn’t remember writing it. It would be quite a bewildering experience if she saw it.

“But Ms. Yeoreum, please don’t read the contents of that letter…”

[“Anytime Recipient Message” has contacted the sender. The memory of the time of writing is being transmitted to the sender.]

Yeoreum’s body froze as if it had been momentarily paused.

Huh?

“…What is this?”

The memory of the time of writing is being transmitted?

So, does that mean her memory of writing the letter three years later while studying abroad is being transmitted to the present Jin Yeoreum?

…Isn’t that like returning to the past?

Jin Yeoreum, starting to move again, looked around with a confused expression and said,

“…Team Leader Seon? This is America; how are you here…? Huh?”

She trembled, clutching her head and muttering as if she were in a panic.

“…I was definitely studying abroad, studying economics. This is…”

And then, as if realizing something, she murmured quietly.

“…I’ve returned to the past?”

She definitely regressed.

Wow, there are actually two regressors now?

How the hell do I handle this?

…Come to think of it, do I really need to handle it? Just utilizing the information could be a big help.

Jin Yeoreum, severely startled by this sudden situation, sat down trembling and expressed her anxiety. She looked precarious, as if she might collapse with the slightest shock.

From her perspective, would it feel like she suddenly time-traveled? If she has no prior knowledge about regression, it might be a terrifying experience.

First, it seemed wrong to leave her in such a precarious state.

“Ms. Yeoreum, take a deep breath and calm down. I’ll tell you the real reason why I’m recruiting you.”

She looked at me with trembling eyes. There was a faint hope in those eyes.

Jin Yeoreum seemed to want an answer from me about this situation.

Yeah, it must be really confusing to return to the past without warning.

Hiding things from such a child wasn’t the answer.

Don’t worry, Yeoreum. I’ll tell you.

I spoke with the intention of becoming a guiding senior to her.

“You said you wanted to be an idol in your letter, right?”

Jin Yeoreum, bewildered by my words, muttered,

“…That was definitely three years later… No way?”

I revealed the truth in front of the bewildered Jin Yeoreum.

“So I pulled some strings. Honestly, I wanted you to be an idol too, Ms. Yeoreum.”

Jin Yeoreum’s expression, movements, and breath all froze.

“…Ah.”

Soon, she exhaled a sigh as if she realized something.

Two streams of tears flowed down her white cheeks.

Jin Yeoreum, with an indescribable expression, suddenly jumped.

And she suddenly ran towards me and hugged me tightly without giving me a chance to stop her.

As if she would never let go, with all her strength.

Jin Yeoreum buried her head in my chest and rubbed her face.

I gently patted her back.

“…Team Leader Seon, you are really, really, really strange.”

“It’s embarrassing to say this, but I do live with the awareness that I’m strange.”

“…Really.”

Jin Yeoreum looked at me and smiled.

She set aside all the elegance she usually showed and smiled foolishly.

“Meeting such a strange person like you must be the greatest luck in my life.”

That smile, so pure it seemed almost foolish, looked beautiful.

The most beautiful of all Yeoreum’s smiles, past, future, and present.