episode_0016

#16

“Excuse me, wait a minute… ”

The office that Do-han left after that.

​’… Wait.’

Unfinished words lingered in Hwayoung’s mouth.

How long has it been since I’ve been treated like this? – Hwayoung sat there blankly, trying to remember.

Before and after becoming a hero, I could count on one hand the number of times I’d been treated like this. It was almost non-existent.

“… .”

Hwayoung blankly stared at the office door through which Dohan had left.

The reason she recommended Do-han to become her manager was simple: she wanted to see Yun-seol’s reaction.

If the prince who melted the ice of that proud princess were next to me, what kind of expression would she make?

Should I get angry? Should I cry? Or should I pretend like nothing happened?

I couldn’t stand to be curious about that.

It’s not that I wasn’t interested in his somewhat unusual personal information, but Dohan was just a tool for that. Nothing more, nothing less.

however.

“… .”

Hwayoung got up from her seat and watched Dohan go out of the building through the window.

“… He’s a more interesting person than I thought.”

***

A few days after meeting Hwayoung.

I thought she might come back again sometime, but fortunately, Hwayoung never came back to our store.

“Mr.”

“… I told you to call me boss at the store.”

“There’s no one here anyway.”

… The problem is that today, not only Hwayoung, but no other guests came.

As Jia said, there was only Jia and I in the store. Even though it had been quite some time since it opened.

‘But I thought we’ve had quite a few customers recently…’

This is why business is difficult. Especially in a somewhat specialized industry like a cocktail bar.

Fortunately, since it was a building where a murder had occurred, the building owner barely had to pay rent, so we were able to breathe a little easier… Wait a minute.

‘…Is it ethical to say that it is fortunate that a murder has occurred?’

At that time, I was doubting my own morality.

Tiring

Today, for the first time, I heard the store door open.

“Welcome… Ugh.”

It was a visit from a guest I had been waiting for, but… I sighed reflexively as soon as I saw the person with my own eyes.

The familiar hat and sunglasses, and the red hair that sparkles in the light.

“… What brings you here today?”

“To scout yourself.”

Hwayoung came to my store dressed in the same way as last time.

… this time, holding a piece of paper that appeared to be a contract in one hand.

“Hey, honey. As expected, you’re interested in the old man… .”

That’s not it, Jia.

While Jia, who had no idea what was going on, was having a strange misunderstanding, Hwayoung immediately handed me the paper she had been holding.

‘Daily Manager Contract?’

The contents were, as I had guessed, a contract, and the specific details were as follows:

[A (Hwayoung) hires B (Dohan Kim) as a daily manager, and B performs the tasks specified below at A’s request.]

– Manage and adjust your hero’s daily activity schedule.

– Schedule and manage events, interviews, photoshoots, meetings, etc. related to hero activities.

– Support for other activities.

If I had to compare, it seemed similar to the work of an idol manager.

Working hours are 10am to 6pm. Daily pay is…

‘… Is it too much?’

Only 8 hours of work. And only for one day. And yet the daily wage was beyond imagination.

“How is it, honey? Are you feeling a little hungry now?”

Hwayoung asks me with a confident smile.

It was the same last time. Why is this person so obsessed with me?

I asked point blank.

“Why are you making this suggestion to me?”

“Hmm. Didn’t I tell you last time? My manager ran away… no, he resigned, that’s why.”

“Then it doesn’t have to be me, right?”

If it becomes known that Hero Hwayoung is looking for a manager, people will line up to do it.

But the reason why he insisted on making me his manager… Actually, I had some idea.

“… .”

I leaned my head close to her ear, still smiling at me.

Because it’s something that might be a little embarrassing for Jia to hear.

“Oh, mister?!”

It must have been my imagination that I heard Zia, who had been watching from a distance, startle.

“Oh my. Honey, you’re being proactive?”

I whispered softly to Hwayoung, whose face seemed to have turned slightly red for some reason.

“You’re suggesting this to me. Is it because of Yoonseol?”

What I felt from my meeting with Hwayoung yesterday was that Hwayoung cares quite a bit about Yunseol.

… whether it’s affection, jealousy, or something darker than that.

According to our conversation yesterday, Hwayoung seems to misunderstand that I have a special relationship with Yunseol.

That’s why I guessed that Hwayoung’s suggestion was probably partly to provoke Yunseol.

“Hmm. Well?”

Hwayoung stares at me with a meaningful smile on her face at my question.

… that was the moment when my guess turned into certainty.

“I think you’re worried… Hmm. Then how about this?”

After that, she slowly scanned her surroundings with her eyes.

“This cocktail bar. I can help you out. I can’t advertise it directly, but… a post on Institial would be nice.”

Back, back advertisement?

A somewhat socially controversial proposal!

… is not the case.

Because giving away a free drink if you write a review on Instina’s Facebook is a pretty standard promotional strategy.

“… .”

The reason why Hwayoung made that suggestion to me.

That’s probably because there’s no one else in my store right now besides her.

It was now 10 o’clock. Considering that this was the busiest time for cocktail bars… it was obvious that this wasn’t a good situation.

“That cute little girl deserves her hourly wage. Don’t you think so? Even so, I’m pretty popular.”

Mentions from celebrities can be a huge promotional boost for a store.

Since I was thinking about creating a store Instagram account anyway, her suggestion seemed even more appealing.

Even more so when you consider that the target is none other than Hwayoung, who is the most popular along with Yunseol.

“… .”

But it is true that it is a bit difficult to accept it readily.

Because there are usually hidden intentions behind people’s kindness.

“What the heck. Honey, you’re more greedy than I thought. Do you want more? Wait a minute.”

Hwayoung seemed to have noticed that I was worried, and she said as if she had no choice.

Finally, she takes a fountain pen out of her pocket.

She crossed out the salary section on the paper I had handed her with a fountain pen and wrote new numbers on the right.

‘Do you think it’s because I’m short on money?’

If you saw it that way, you were mistaken.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t buy it with money… ”

Wait a minute. The amount written on the contract I glanced at was… one, ten… one hundred? Huh, per day?

“… Please take care of me.”

“Mister?!”

It was too much money to turn down.

Why did someone’s famous quote come to mind: “If there’s something money can’t buy, check to see if you don’t have enough money?”

“Then, as it says there, this Wednesday. Please take care.”

She walked out of the store with a satisfied look on her face.

“That customer left without even ordering… What did he say?”

Perhaps to avoid interrupting my conversation with Hwayoung, Jia, who had been looking this way from a distance, slowly approached me.

Afterwards, Zia glanced at the contract placed on the bar table.

“… Oh my god.”

Thanks to that, she realized that the customer who had just left was Hwayoung, and her expression was almost shocking.

“Ah, sir. Hey, bow your head.”

After that, Jia gestures for me to put my ear to her side. Is she trying to whisper?

‘Why did you have to whisper…?’

There are no guests right now.

“As expected. Sir, you were a famous former hero, right…!”

I said no.

***

Modern hero management companies are somewhat different from the companies that traditional entertainers are affiliated with.

Unlike celebrities whose main source of income is appearances at events or on TV, a hero’s main job is to deal with the villain’s problem.

That’s why heroes often base their activities on management companies.

Yoon Seol’s case is a typical example. However, if there is a separate base, such as an office, outside, there are cases where people do not necessarily commute to work. Hwayoung is a typical example.

“Hey, Hwayoung. Long time no see?”

“Hoohoo. Hello, boss.”

Kim Soo-ah, the president of Youngwoong Management, who Yoon-seol calls Unnie, greeted Hwa-young with an awkward smile when she ran into her in the hallway.

“So, what’s up today? You seem pretty happy?”

“… Are you feeling good? Actually, something good happened.”

“Oh, I see. What brings you to the company?”

To be honest, Su-ah found her a little bit awkward.

Seol-ah, who had been signed to her own company since her debut as a hero… Unlike Yoon-seol, Hwa-young applied to her own company after she had already become famous.

It was something I had no idea what she was thinking. There would be a lot of big management companies that would welcome someone like her with open arms.

“I also have to show up at work sometimes. I have to see our princess too.”

“Princess? Oh… Is that what Seol is talking about?”

I’m saying that I feel strangely obsessed with Seol-i.

Is it competition? Or admiration?

Suah really hoped it would be the latter.