episode_0003
by admin
# 03
“Oh! Manager Jeon! You’re here already.”
As we entered the hotel lounge, a man waved at us from a distance.
At one corner of the lounge, two wide couches faced each other across a table.
Approaching closer, I saw snacks and wine laid out on the table.
Seeing them, Harin discreetly hid the plastic convenience store bag behind her.
The man—no, Music Center PD Park Dong-chul—grinned at us.
Worn-out suit paired with sneakers, no tie, shirt untucked at the waist. His beard looked like it hadn’t been shaved in a week….
He was the epitome of a middle-aged man who neglected self-care.
“Hey~. Is this the kid?”
“Ah, yes. Harin-ah.”
At my signal, Harin immediately bowed in greeting.
“…Hello. ……I’m Jin Harin from .”
“Ah. Nice to meet you. I’m PD Park. Feel free to call me ‘PD-nim.’”
“…Yes. PD-nim.”
When Park Dong-chul extended his hand, Harin hesitated before shaking it.
A handshake… was still within the acceptable boundaries of a fan meeting.
“Here. Have a seat.”
Park Dong-chul scooted inward slightly and patted the empty spot beside him.
“……Yes.”
Harin cautiously walked over and sat down beside Park Dong-chul.
“……Hhk!”
Suddenly, Harin let out a startled gasp and stood back up.
On the spot where she had been about to sit, Park Dong-chul’s hand was waiting.
“Ah~. Sorry. My bad. Sowwee—. Just a slip-up. Forgot to move my hand.”
Only after finishing his sentence did Park Dong-chul move his hand back to the table.
There was no way that was an accident… Both Harin and I knew that.
For six years, I hadn’t laid a finger on Harin’s firm backside.
I’d only ever let my gaze linger on it during practice or by chance.
But Park Dong-chul had touched it within a minute of meeting her.
“……Ugh.”
Though her face remained hidden, Harin’s disgusted expression was clear. Still—
“Come on, sit back down.”
She couldn’t refuse Park Dong-chul’s words.
Harin sat down again, and I also moved to the seat opposite them.
“So, just released a new song, right? You must be busy, Manager Jeon. Thanks for making time despite that. Huh?”
“Not at all. I’m grateful that you made time despite your own busy schedule, PD-nim.”
“For me, time like this is always welcome~.”
With a sly glance, Park Dong-chul looked Harin up and down.
“But how long are you gonna stay all wrapped up like this? Not like you’re a Joseon-era bride on her wedding day.”
“Ah, right. Harin-ah. …It’s fine.”
The lounge was nearly empty, and Harin and Park Dong-chul had their backs to the few people there.
Harin glanced around before removing her sunglasses and mask, tucking them into her crossbody bag.
Her face was now revealed.
Small pink lips, unusually long eyelashes, trademark large eyes—cold but not sharp in expression.
Topped off with light makeup.
Still gorgeous. Always gorgeous.
A beauty befitting ’s leader.
“…Wow.”
Even Park Dong-chul, who worked with celebrities daily, quietly let out an admiring whistle.
“Okay. ’s Harin? How old are you this year?”
“Twenty-three… years old.”
“Twenty-three, huh?… Let’s see. …Oh, born in 2001?”
“…Yes.”
“Heh. I’m ‘78, so that’s a full two-generation gap. Right?”
“I… guess so.”
Harin’s voice grew quieter with each reply.
Park Dong-chul turned back to me.
“She’s pretty nervous, isn’t she?”
“My apologies. She’s never done something like this before….”
“Nah, it’s fine. Understandable. I prefer more outgoing types, but… eh, whatever.”
That last part absolutely wasn’t fine.
Glancing at Harin, she seemed to understand what I was conveying and gave a small nod.
“So. Harin… Twenty-three. Hm. Alright… What color?”
“…Huh?”
“Color. You don’t know ‘color’?”
“……?”
Harin genuinely looked lost, glancing between Park Dong-chul and me.
“Wow~. You sure you’re from Gen Z? How do you not know this slang when even I do?”
“She spends most of her time practicing…”
“Listen, idols gotta keep up with trends. Falling behind is exactly why you get left in the dust.”
‘Left in the dust’—that phrasing was deliberate.
An outdated “pure and innocent”-style idol group, unsuited for the current era—that was the general consensus on .
There had been extensive debates about whether to pivot the concept for this album, but I insisted on maintaining the original vision…
And the result was exactly this.
“Harin-ah. It’s fine. You can learn from me starting today, okay? ‘Color’ means….”
Park Dong-chul leaned in and whispered something into Harin’s ear.
Her face immediately twisted as she jerked her head away.
Park Dong-chul just smirked.
“…So. Color?”
“………White.”
……White, huh.
“Hah~. White. Nice. Very fitting for an innocent idol-like you. Right? Was this Manager Jeon’s idea?”
“…Not mine.”
Today’s outfit—down to the underwear—was entirely Harin’s own styling.
“So, Harin, do you have a boyfriend?”
“…Huh?”
Harin’s pupils trembled.
“A boyfriend. Oh, c’mon, relax. We’re all industry people here. I’ll keep my mouth shut, promise. Just curious, so be honest.”
“Well… I…”
Harin looked at me with pleading eyes.
But there was nothing I could say.
“……No, I don’t.”
“Huh? Seriously? Look, I already said it’s fine. Most idols—except maybe rookies—have someone. too must—”
“ doesn’t have boyfriends.”
Cutting him off, Harin spoke firmly.
“Really? Then ever had one before?”
“Never… had one.”
Park Dong-chul quietly clapped a few times, feigning astonishment.
“Wow~. Damn, that’s impressive. Manager Jeon, you really keep them in line, huh?”
“…Thank you.”
“Then what about sex?”
“…….”
Harin’s body stiffened.
“You’ve done that, right? Usually during trainee days…”
“No.”
Again, Harin shut it down flatly.
I could see her fists clenching tightly.
“No way. Seriously? Wait, so this ‘pure and innocent’ thing isn’t just a concept—? Wow~. Didn’t expect such strict management. Color me impressed. ’s full of good girls.”
I forced a bitter smile at Park Dong-chul’s forced praise.
Soon enough, he’d see exactly what these questions were leading to.
But Park Dong-chul kept probing Harin with more invasive questions.
Had she ever had her first kiss?
Who was her first love?
And so on.
An uncomfortably excessive interrogation.
Harin answered every question with a “no.”
No way to verify if it was true, but…
As the questions continued, Park Dong-chul’s hands inched closer to Harin.
Placing his hand over hers.
Caressing her arm.
Patting her shoulder.
“Okay, then….”
And finally, his hand reached her thigh.
Swish. Slide.
His fingers traced the rip in her jeans, where the fabric strained against her skin.
Harin didn’t resist, silently enduring his wandering hands.
“Wow~. Firm. Guess you really do practice hard. Total honey thighs. Honey thighs.”
“…….”
Harin didn’t react.
Park Dong-chul’s expression darkened.
“Tch. A little reaction when I compliment you would help~.”
“……Thank you.”
“That’s more like it.”
Satisfied, Park Dong-chul smirked at me.
“Manager Jeon. I gotta work tomorrow morning… Can you make it before eight?”
For a manager, 8 a.m. was considered late.
“Yes. I’ll be there by then.”
“Good. Let’s have Harin call me then. Okay?”
“Understood.”
As I bowed deeply, Park Dong-chul wrapped an arm around Harin’s waist.
“Then Harin, you and I will…”
“…Excuse me!”
Harin suddenly stood up, raising her voice.
Park Dong-chul’s hand flinched away in surprise.
“Promise me… right now. Next week’s Music Center… You’ll have us perform.”
“Whoa~. Bit sudden for that.”
“Now! Promise me. In front of Manager-nim…!”
Harin kept her head lowered.
Yet I could still see an expression I’d never seen on her face before.
…Was she on the verge of tears?
Park Dong-chul shrugged after studying her face.
This clearly wasn’t new to him.
He’d probably heard similar pleas from countless girls before.
“Come on~. No need to look so grim. That kind of promise is…”
“Next week’s Music Center. Confirm ’s appearance. …Right now.”
“That’s not something we settle here on the spot. What if I say yes but end up disappointed tonight?”
“…….”
“Let’s talk tomorrow morning. Okay? If you want me to promise in front of Manager Jeon… Well, we can do that too. But.”
Park Dong-chul’s gaze hardened.
Like a predator eyeing its prey.
“It depends on what you do tonight. You already know that, right?”
Harin said nothing else.
She only looked at me once.
I knew exactly what she was silently asking.
But in this situation, there was only one thing I could say.
“……Alright. PD-nim. …Take care of her.”
“…Ah.”
Harin merely nodded slightly.
“……Yes.”
*
[1106]
“See you in the morning, then.”
Park Dong-chul’s arm was already draped around Harin’s waist.
Harin accepted his harassment without resistance.
His filthy middle-aged fingers trailed down from her waist toward her hips.
“……!”
But unlike before, Harin didn’t resist.
“Call me if anything comes up.”
“Yes, PD-nim.”
As I bowed to him—a full 90-degree bow—his hands continued groping her.
Creak.
Park Dong-chul closed the door.
“…….”
I knew Harin wanted one last look at me, but with my head bowed, I couldn’t see her.
Thud.
Even after the door shut completely, I remained bent at the waist.
Park Dong-chul and Harin vanished from sight, leaving only the silence of the hotel hallway.
Only after lingering in the quiet a while longer did I finally straighten up.
Click.
I turned up the volume on my earpiece and quietly walked down the hallway.
[1107]
Swiping the keycard, I silently pushed open the door.
The room wasn’t spacious.
Just a queen-sized bed.
Harin’s room probably had the same.
I sat on the edge of the bed and adjusted the earpiece’s volume higher.
Static crackled briefly before voices became audible.
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