Chapter 92

Chapter 92

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

Episode 92: Chapter 7 – Oh Yoori (END).

Oh Yoori’s eyes gleamed red as she spoke, her breathing excited.

“Isn’t it amazing? Do you understand how I felt when I first realized the scale of your achievements, Team Leader Seon? My whole body was tingling…”

I flushed and calmed the overly excited Oh Yoori.

“Alright, calm down. We still have things to discuss.”

“…I’m sorry.”

She took a deep breath and, still tense, continued, her eyes cautious.

“I may have gotten off track, but this is why I decided to approach you, Team Leader Seon.”

She unfolded her fingers, counting off as she spoke.

“Making this kind of proposal is risky, so I had to limit the number of people involved and choose my partner carefully. It had to be someone I could reach while confined in the Girl 100 dormitory. Considering all that, I chose the best option.”

“So, you’re saying you chose based on ability alone?”

Oh Yoori adjusted her clothes as if embarrassed and replied.

“Actually, it wasn’t just about ability. It seemed like you made that deal not for your own success but for the sake of the trainees—or rather, for Gyeoul unnie.”

Huh? How do you know what’s in my heart?

“I understand your assessment of my ability, but how did you figure out my motive? It’s not like I’ve shown any particular kindness or favor toward you, Yoori.”

“It’s impossible not to know. Just look at Gyeoul unnie’s behavior.”

She asked with a slightly more relaxed expression, her tone straightforward.

“Do you know what Gyeoul unnie talks about when she chats with me?”

“I don’t know. Maybe she talks about Girl 100, the judges, or perhaps dancing and singing?”

“She does talk about those things, but only occasionally. Mostly, she talks about one thing.”

What is it? Her favorite scantily-clad female characters?

“What is it?”

“Gyeoul unnie always talks about you, Team Leader Seon.”

I felt an emotion I couldn’t quite describe.

“‘This tastes like the malatang I had at Taeyang ssam’s place,’ ‘I wonder if Taeyang ssam prefers cat pajamas or penguin pajamas,’ ‘Taeyang ssam called me today, and even though he’s so busy, we talked for 52 minutes.’ Stuff like that.”

“…”

“When she talks about those things, she always lights up with a smile, as if just mentioning them makes her so happy. And I believe that someone who makes another person feel that way genuinely cares about them. That’s why.”

It was a feeling too generous for me, one I felt I could never fully repay.

So I decided to ask a slightly mischievous question.

“What if that was just deception?”

“It couldn’t be deception.”

Oh Yoori spoke calmly, as if stating the obvious.

“If all the trust Gyeoul unnie shows is born out of your deception, then I’d rather just be fooled. Because the world is full of people who wouldn’t even bother showing that kind of deception.”

Had no one ever shown even that level of deception to this young girl?

…It must have been a pretty difficult life.

“Let me summarize. The reason I chose you, Team Leader Seon, over anyone else is because I highly value your ability and heart. If I were to bring in one collaborator, it would have to be someone like you. I can’t do this alone.”

She finally showed a pure, middle schooler-like smile and said.

“Does that answer your question, Team Leader Seon?”

“…Yes, it does.”

As I continued to gaze at her, deep in thought, Oh Yoori, perhaps feeling uncomfortable under my stare, cautiously spoke.

“Then, if it’s not too much to ask, please take pity on me and go easy with the punishment. Like reporting the recording to Flower Entertainment instead of PD Kim Seon-ye… I’ll be really ruined otherwise.”

She bowed her head deeply, like a condemned prisoner awaiting execution.

“…”

Originally, I had planned to expose the voting manipulation controversy of Girl 100 at the end of the broadcast.

That’s why I negotiated with Kim Seon-ye and secured the recordings.

Since it aligned with my original goal, there was no reason I couldn’t cooperate with Oh Yoori.

She might appear naive, but her sharp judgment and reasoning seemed useful. She was also the most deeply embedded insider in Girl 100.

Moreover, if the suspicions about Ban Seongcheol were true, I had personal reasons to act.

But I hesitated to cooperate with her.

The reason was that Oh Yoori’s story lacked credibility.

There were contradictions in her words.

The most notable one was her claim that Ban Seongcheol was still demanding her services.

It wasn’t that I believed Ban Seongcheol had any moral compass that would stop him from targeting a minor. It was simply a matter of risk.

Right now, Oh Yoori was the main product that Flower Entertainment or Ban Seongcheol were trying to sell. Considering her performance in the Girl 100 recordings, she already had the necessary talent.

There’s no reason to increase the risk on such a valuable product by involving her in something like that. And as a middle schooler, she’d be the first to refuse any advances… unless the person involved was completely unhinged.

If they needed to arrange such meetings, they could have easily chosen a different trainee who was already involved in the industry.

Perhaps someone who had aged out of the debut range.

This gap in reasoning made me hesitate to accept her offer.

Perhaps Oh Yoori was just slandering Ban Seongcheol.

At that moment, a quest window appeared before my eyes.

[Ban Seongcheol pretended to care for the children while secretly forcing them into compromising situations. Reveal his crimes and judge the long-time betrayer.]

[Reward: Deep-rooted Transaction History]

The system gave me a quest, as if to push me past my hesitation.

It confirmed Ban Seongcheol’s guilt and offered a top-tier reward to secure evidence.

…With this, there’s no reason to hesitate.

I spoke to her with confidence.

“Let’s do it. Let’s bring down Girl 100.”

Oh Yoori, who had been waiting with her head bowed, looked up at me in surprise.

“Really?”

“Yes, really. To be honest, I knew there were issues with Girl 100. Besides, your goal isn’t something that would harm me or Gyeoul. Let’s do it.”

“Wow… Thank you so much. I thought I was really done for, but thank you, really.”

She smiled brightly and thanked me, then suddenly paused as if something had occurred to her, looking at me.

“Then, um…”

She fidgeted with her clothes, her face turning red as she asked.

“Do you want money in return? Or… me?”

“I don’t need either, so please, don’t say stuff like that.”

“…I’m sorry.”

After regaining my composure and discussing our general plans, I was about to leave the waiting room when Oh Yoori stopped me.

“Um, Team Leader Seon.”

“Yes, Yoori. Is there something else you’d like to say?”

Oh Yoori pulled back the hood of her flying squirrel pajamas, revealing her pink hair and red eyes. Those red eyes glowed as she spoke.

“Do you remember me?”

…It was a difficult question to understand.

“I’m not sure what context you’re asking in. Could you explain a little?”

“…No, I’m sorry for saying something strange.”

She gave a weak smile and said.

“It was nothing.”

“Oh, I left my tie.”

After finishing our discussion and heading outside, I remembered that I had left my tie in the waiting room where I had spoken with Oh Yoori, so I went back.

And in a corner of the hallway where no one passed by, near a fire extinguisher, I found a trembling figure crouched down.

“Haa, haa.”

It was Oh Yoori.

Slap!

Oh Yoori, who had been trembling, suddenly slapped her own cheek hard and muttered to herself as if making a resolution.

“…Just because you met that person after a long time, don’t get weak; don’t even think about getting your hopes up. It has to be you, not someone else. Oh Yoori, if you don’t do this, Eun-byeol unnie’s future will be completely ruined. There’s no one else to help.”

In that moment, she looked both fragile and desperate.

Having seen her like this by chance, I chose to remain silent and not reveal my presence.

Everyone had their own circumstances.

And in Oh Yoori’s case, those circumstances seemed deeper and darker than I had imagined.

I pulled up Oh Yoori’s status window that I had previously reviewed.

[Name – Oh Yoori (Female)]

[Appearance – A- Potential A+]

[Vocal – C+ Potential B]

[Dance – B Potential B+]

[Rap – B- Potential A+]

[Acting – A- Potential S]

[Variety – F+ Potential D+]

[She is well-suited to be a main rapper. Highly recommended for recruitment.]

Even on a second look, her potential was outstanding.

Her acting talent was S-rank… She might be better off as an actress.

Unlike her abilities in dancing, singing, and rapping, her talent for acting would shine in everyday life as well. And there was no reason it wouldn’t shine in front of me.

Tears, trembling, tension, fear—all of these could be tools to showcase her talent.

Even though I had gained some insight into acting in the past, I wasn’t confident I could distinguish between her true feelings and her acting. After all, her acting talent was S-rank.

Perhaps the attitude Oh Yoori showed during her recent threats was partially, or even entirely, an act.

And perhaps the small mutterings she made while slapping her own cheek were her only true feelings.

Or maybe I was overanalyzing due to my obsession with her acting talent, and everything she had shown was entirely genuine.

In any case, figuring out the truth would be beneficial, considering the close cooperation we’d have in the future.

Yet, I chose to pretend I hadn’t heard her mutterings and quietly left the scene.

“…”

I simply didn’t want to uncover the truth.