episode_0126

#126

Everything finally ended close to noon the next day.

After barely finishing their work, I handed the girls fresh clothes and picked them up after they showered briefly.

“It was really fun today! Please remember !”

Until the very last moment as they left, we smiled and said goodbye to the men.

Just because they had spent one night together, the men acted as if they were lovers—holding the girls close and even kissing them before parting.

The girls accepted everything.

Only after the last man got into his car and disappeared from sight did our “sponsorship” finally come to an end.

“……Let’s go.”

At my words, the girls silently boarded the van.

Harin took the passenger seat, just like when we arrived.

Within less than ten minutes of driving, snoring could be heard from the back.

“…Looks like everyone’s exhausted.”

“…Yeah.”

“Harin, you should rest too. You’re tired.”

“It’s okay. I…”

Harin awkwardly smiled at me.

It was obvious she wasn’t okay.

Tousled hair, completely smudged makeup, flushed cheeks, darkened under-eye bags.

And the lingering stench of alcohol, cigarettes, and the metallic smell of semen…

Though she didn’t say it, Harin still carried all the undeniable proof that she had spent the night being held by multiple men.

Her faint smile as she looked at me… seemed more haggard than ever, darkened beyond exhaustion.

“…Actually, you look more tired, Manager-nim.”

“Me?”

“…Yeah.”

I guess so.

I glanced at myself in the rearview mirror.

My eyes were ringed with dark circles.

I wasn’t in a position to judge anyone.

“With this…” she muttered. “Things will get better for us, right?”

“Huh?”

“Earlier, when we were with the broadcasting director… I seduced him until I got a definite answer. He said… will appear in ‘Queen of Idols’ Season 2.”

“Ah…”

“Of course, he only promised an appearance—not that they’d push us or… pick us as winners.”

“Right.”

There’s no way we’d be the only group appearing.

Clearly, he’d accept favors from most of the groups there and make his decisions accordingly.

“But if we want to do well there… The director said… We should keep showing him our ‘good side’ going forward.”

“………”

Meaning, she needed to keep coming back personally to please him.

“Harin.”

“Yes?”

“……Will you do it?”

At my question, Harin’s lips pressed shut.

Her fists clenched tightly on her lap.

I didn’t know what was going through her mind.

But I just couldn’t watch this anymore.

The excitement I felt, the benefit would gain—none of it mattered anymore.

I was uneasy.

A premonition gnawed at me—that if things kept going like this, would disappear completely.

We weren’t like this before.

We started this industry with dreams.

When did we become like this?

“I have to.”

“…Huh?”

Startled, I turned to look at her.

Harin smiled back at me with those same hollow eyes.

“If the director wants to see us… Of course I have to meet him.”

“………Do you even understand what you’re saying?”

“Yes. I do.”

“But you—”

“It’s fine. I’m confident I can do well. Next time we meet, he’ll help us pass the preliminaries… Then the main rounds… Oh, I should ask for more screen time and better edits too. And then—”

“Harin…!”

My raised voice made her fall silent.

This wasn’t right.

This wasn’t Harin.

The more she repeated this, the more the Harin I knew seemed to disappear.

“Let’s stop now…”

“Huh?”

“I… don’t want this anymore.”

I didn’t even know why I was saying this myself.

An inexplicable unease took root inside me.

A terror I couldn’t name.

It was telling me—it was time to hit the brakes.

Pressing the accelerator had been thrilling.

Exciting. Electrifying.

Watching Harin’s hidden facets unfold, seeing the girls I guided discover men—it intoxicated me.

But now…

“We can’t do that.”

“…What?”

“I already promised the director. He wants to see me again…”

Harin showed me her phone.

Six new contact numbers were saved.

“A chance like this doesn‘t come often… I can’t waste it.”

“But Harin…!”

“Manager-nim.”

She leaned toward me.

Her face drew close.

(Though not enough to touch.)

“You told me to do this.”

“………”

“You said no matter what it was, if you ordered it, I’d obey. That I’d trust and follow you no matter what. That’s been my life for so long.”

“…”

“So now that you’ve given me permission… I’ll do as much as I can, work as hard as I can, to make sure benefits.”

“Harin-ah…!”

“As for you, Manager-nim… Just drive me to the places I need to go, praise me when I come back, and… Keep treating me like you did after our performances. That’s all I need.”

No. Harin.

I don’t want that anymore.

If I let this go on, if I allow this to continue—

It feels like you’ll disappear completely.

So please…

“Ah… Also, Manager-nim. After dropping the girls off at the dorm… Could we stop by YBC?”

“…Huh?”

Why there?

“It’s… There’s something I need to take care of…”

Why?

Why is it just for “something”?

Why are you blushing even more, Harin?

Wait…?

I had to stop her.

YBC was where Park Dong-chul worked.

I wasn’t stupid—I knew exactly what sending her back there meant.

“………Is it important?”

“Umm… ……Yes.”

“What kind of business could you possibly—”

“It’s… hard to explain to you…”

“………”

Words failed me.

Harin had never been like this with me before.

She always told me everything, never hid a single thing from me.

What could be so difficult to tell me…?

“If… you’re tired, I can just take a taxi.”

“No… I’ll take you.”

I turned the steering wheel toward the broadcasting station.

I wanted to know what was happening.

Even if just a little, I wanted to ease the dread filling my heart.

That was all I could think of.

But at the same time—

My pants were hurting yet again.

*

Knock, knock.

“Yeah, come in.”

The moment we stepped into the PD’s office, Harin bowed toward Park Dong-chul.

“PD-nim. I’m back.”

“Oh~ Harin. And Manager Jeon came too.”

“………Hello.”

“Manager Jeon, why do you look half-dead?”

“Sorry… I was up all night.”

“You should pace yourself. Time management is self-care, don’t you know?”

Did this man even realize we pulled an all-nighter because of him?

…Of course he did. He was rubbing it in.

“Take a seat. Yeah.”

Following Park Dong-chul’s direction, we sat side by side on the couch.

Across from us, the PD settled in.

“Ahh~ Sitting here drinking tea like this, just the three of us—it’s been a while, huh?”

“……Yes.”

“When was it again? The first time we met? You remember—when you first introduced Harin to me, Manager Jeon.”

“……That’s right.”

“Back then, Harin sat right next to me…”

She had.

And the moment she did, he immediately sexually harassed her.

“Ah…! Should I move next to you?”

“Harin’s always so quick. Isn’t she?”

“Sorry for not noticing sooner, PD-nim.”

Harin got up from beside me and sat next to Park Dong-chul instead.

So close they were practically touching.

His hand, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, wrapped around her shoulder.

“So? Did things go well with the sponsors?”

“……Yes. Thanks to you, we greeted them properly.”

“They treated you well, right? I made sure they were vetted, so there shouldn’t be any major issues.”

“………”

By “major issues,” Park Dong-chul probably meant—

Things like beating the girls… or fulfilling some perverse sexual desires.

Compared to that, the orgies from last night were… relatively normal.

“All of this is thanks to Manager Jeon allowing it. Right? I’m grateful.”

“………Don’t mention it.”

“Don’t mention it? You think managers who allow this kind of thing are common? Plenty of them would scream and refuse outright.”

“………”

“Of course, with a little pressure, most of them get replaced. Or they come begging, pleading for us to take their girls instead… But in that sense, you and Harin are quick on the uptake. Makes things easier, not having to deal with stubbornness.”

Sssk. Sssk.

His hand slid up from her waist, groping toward her chest.

With each rough touch, Harin gradually leaned into him.

“So then… is settled. Next is…”

“PD-nim.”

I clenched my fists and spoke up.

“Yeah?”

“From now on… Please don’t involve anymore.”