episode_0151

Buuung-.

“… … .”

In the car on the way to the press conference, Ha Ye-rin closed her eyes for a moment as if she was tired.

“… … .”

“… … .”

Sang-gu’s brother and lawyer Lee Kim-jang in the driver’s seat and passenger seat did not say anything, so there was silence in the car.

But soon there was someone who broke this silence… .

“… Yerin.”

“Yes, oppa.”

… It was Sang-gu.

After this incident broke out due to MS Planning, it was Brother Planning that suffered the most.

Hundreds of protest calls poured into the office every day, and the company was branded an unscrupulous company on the Internet.

Above all, only Kang Hyeong, who was a benefactor to the Brothers Planning people, was arrested by the police.

In such a worst situation, Kang Hyeong-man said something with the nuance that he would take all the blame for himself, so Sang-gu, the main force of Brothers Planning, couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

and… .

I was a little resentful of Yerin for not immediately coming forward and denying the claims of MS Planning and Yerin’s parents.

From Sanggu’s perspective, Yerin’s parents were truly unbelievably evil.

I leave all the housework to my young daughter and let her earn living expenses.

As soon as Yerin won Naaa, they blocked Yerin’s path for their own ambitions.

On the other hand, what was Brother Planning like?

Yerin was the first trainee of Brother Planning, and since they had known each other for a long time, the organization family secretly thought of Yerin as a younger sister.

In response, Brothers Planning gave me unbelievable, unconventional treatment and gave me the opportunity to appear on Naaah… , It also gave affection as human to human.

… Even though it is a situation where everyone should side with the sibling planning side, not the parents side.

I can’t help but hate Yerin a little because she didn’t react in any way while Brothers Planning suffered damage.

But Sanggu’s feelings disappeared as soon as he saw Yerin at Rookies’ dormitory today.

‘… Sanggu oppa.’

… I saw many faces like this while collecting debts.

Sadness on your face… , joy too… , contains nothing… .

An expression that has given up on everything.

Usually, people who are pushed to their limit make that kind of facial expression.

Usually, if the debtor had that kind of face, Sang-gu would not collect on that day.

But Yerin is making that face right now.

Sang-gu couldn’t help but ask about this.

“… Are you okay, Yerin?”

“… Yes?”

“Your expression… , because it doesn’t look very good.”

Yerin responded to Sanggu’s question with a mechanical smile:

“It’s okay, brother. Don’t worry too much. I will not cause any more trouble to Brother Planning.”

“… … .”

Do you think that your existence is a nuisance to other people?

As expected, from Sanggu’s perspective, Yerin looked in danger. As if it would collapse at any moment.

but… , Brother Planning and… must finish this press conference well. Because only Kanghyung, his eternal big brother, was safe… .

“… Yes, there’s still a little bit left to get to the press conference, so keep your eyes peeled.”

“Yes, I will.”

Sanggu couldn’t reach out to Yerin.

And not long after, the car arrived at the press conference site.

**

The location chosen by NAS Entertainment for the press conference was a hotel in Seoul.

When Sang-gu said that I had arrived, I got out of the car door and was greeted by an empty parking lot.

“It’s the hotel parking lot, but there are almost no cars?”

Considering that it was a luxury hotel and that it was a weekday, there seemed to be very few cars, so I asked, and a voice other than Sang-gu’s or lawyer Lee Kim-jang’s intervened and answered.

“Private parking for VIPs. Non-designated people cannot enter.”

“Director Jeong.”

He was none other than Director Jeong.

As I bowed my head towards him, he also bowed his head towards me and said.

“I came to see you off in advance. You arrived sooner than I thought.”

After hearing his words, I turned on my phone and saw that there was still quite a bit of time left until the official press conference.

“There are about 20 minutes left until the press conference… . Shall we spend some time here?”

“No.”

When Director Jeong asked while looking at his watch, I firmly shook my head.

“If possible, let’s go right now.”

“… If Miss Yerin wants, I will do so.”

Most reporters would have already arrived at the press conference anyway.

It was clear that there would be no problem even if I went about 20 minutes early.

When I told him to go up quickly, Director Jeong nodded and called the elevator.

“… … .”

“… … .”

Perhaps because it was the VIP floor, the elevator that had been up for a while came down quickly.

During that short wait, Director Jeong asked me.

“As I said before, if Ms. Yerin tells reporters only what is written in the script, me and Brother Planning’s legal counsel will handle the rest. Miss Yerin, did you read the script well?”

“Yes.”

“Good job. However, just in case, I printed out the script and uploaded it to Ms. Yerin, so please refer to it.”

“Okay.”

chin.

I answered that and entered the elevator that reached our floor.

There was no one inside.

Hold.

Director Jeong pressed the floor where the press conference room was located and asked me again.

“… How are you feeling now?”

“… … .”

… How do you feel now?

Director Jeong’s expression did not look very comfortable when he asked me that.

I am now on my way to the reporters to report someone, and the targets of the complaint are MS Planning CEO Ahn, PD Shin, and my parents.

The relationship between parents and children is often called heavenly principle.

I was now on my way to betray the law of heaven.

Of course, it would not be an easy thing to see from the perspective of those around me watching me.

but… .

‘… I don’t mind.’

Perhaps due to the influence of the trait ‘Extreme Demon’, I, the person involved, felt nothing.

Even though I am leaving my parents with whom I lived for 19 years, I do not feel any remorse or guilt.

rather… .

‘It should have been like this a long time ago.’

My heart was filled with the relief of finally breaking off ties with my parents and the deep resentment towards my parents who had made this situation.

To this, I smiled and answered Director Jeong.

“How are you feeling? It’s nothing.”

“… Is that so?”

“Isn’t it okay if it’s too casual? Should I at least act crying?”

My acting skill stat is only 18, so I seriously wondered if I could act in tears, and Director Jeong shook his head and said,

“… no. This press conference will also be streamed through the YouTube channel, so many people will see it in real time, so just keep it natural.”

“Naturally… , I understand.”

“If you make a mistake, I will help you, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

“Yes.”

Ding.

As soon as Director Jeong and I finished our conversation, the elevator stopped at the floor where the press conference was held.

Murmur.

As soon as I got off the elevator, I could feel the buzz of many people in the main banquet hall where the press conference was held.

Dozens of reporters are gathered there right now.

In some ways, I was more nervous than when I performed on stage in front of 10,000 spectators, but I wasn’t nervous at all.

Jerk.

That was when I left the elevator and walked into the grand banquet hall.

chin.

“… !”

I was startled by the hand suddenly blocking me and looked up to see Sanggu looking down at me with a frown on his face as if he was worried.

“… Yerin.”

“Why are you doing this, Sanggu oppa?”

“… Are you sure you’re okay?”

“… … .”

Sanggu oppa is also very soft-hearted.

Why are you asking this question if I suddenly say I don’t want to hold a press conference here?

“Sanggu oppa, I’m really fine.”

“… … .”

“I will do well at the press conference.”

After saying those words, I gave Sanggu a small smile.

and… , We slowly entered the large banquet hall filled with countless reporters and dozens of cameras.

**

“Hey, what time is it?”

“Are there 20 or 30 minutes left until the interview starts?”

Even though there was quite a bit of time left until the press conference started, the banquet hall was very busy.

That’s because the target of this press conference was ‘Ha Ye-rin’.

Naaah is the star and winner of the sensation that led to high viewership ratings.

I can’t believe she, one of the most popular idols currently, got caught up in something like this right before her debut.

For the entertainment reporters who normally go around picking up trivia about secret relationships, this was literally a festival.

“What do you want to talk about at the press conference this time? Are you going to fight with your parents?”

Reporters, desperate for provocative material, were eagerly hoping that Ha Ye-rin would rebel against her parents.

That way, people’s attention will be more focused on the article.

“I don’t know about that, but I hope the reaction is a little more enjoyable. The kid always has an expressionless face, so it’s hard to write news about him.”

“There’s nothing we can do about that. It’s the new ‘Ice Princess’. Hehehe.”

In slang among reporters, female celebrities who were popular but had dull reactions were called ‘ice princesses.’

And he is famous for his expressionless expression… , Ha Ye-rin, who only smiled slightly when winning Naaah, was fully qualified to inherit the title of ‘Ice Princess’.

“Ah… , if I screamed out of excitement or shed even a single tear, there would be no respite… .”

“I wonder if the Ice Princess would do that~ We should just try to draw pictures that are as provocative as possible.”

It was a time when reporters were agreeing on how to write articles.

“Now! The interview will start 20 minutes before the scheduled time!”

“… What?”

With the announcement that the press conference will begin sooner than scheduled… .

Jerk.

“Oh… !”

Click, click, click!

… Ha Ye-rin appeared.

“Hey, hey! Quickly turn on the camera and start streaming!”

“Yes, yes!”

It started 20 minutes earlier than the previously announced time, but the reporters took pictures without even having a chance to complain.

‘Oh, there’s already an article out.’

The reporters wrote the title ‘Ha Ye-rin’s press conference look’ as they watched Ha Ye-rin slowly coming inside.

Yankees baseball cap, sweatshirt, and sweatpants.

Fashion that looks ordinary and simple, but that makes it even more eye-catching.

Everyone in the room could have predicted that soon those clothes would be sold out under the name Hayerin sweatshirt and Hayerin sweats.

“Thank you to all the reporters who gathered, and now we will begin Rookies’ emergency press conference with Ms. Ha Ye-rin.”

The press conference began with remarks by NAS Entertainment Director Jeong.

It was a large-scale press conference watched by a total of more than 100,000 viewers via YouTube streaming from various broadcasters.

“Do you agree with what MS Planning CEO Ahn Min-seong said?”

“Is it true that you signed a dual contract with both Brothers Planning and MS Planning?”

“Now, the Q&A will be held at the end, so reporters, please wait a little while. Let’s start with Ms. Ha Ye-rin’s statement of position!”

Director Jeong calmed down the excited reporters and took a seat to Ha Ye-rin’s right… .

Click, click, click!

Click, click, click, click, click!

The sound of camera shutters pressing and flash firing filled the grand banquet hall.

The flashes exploded so much that it hurt my eyes just to look at them, and dozens of reporters gathered to bite her.

It was a stressful situation no matter who looked at it, but… .

“… … .”

Ha Ye-rin’s expression was so calm that she thought she might be an ice princess.

In dissatisfaction with this, the reporters clicked their tongues so that they could not be heard, and soon Ha Ye-rin picked up the microphone.

“Hello, my name is Ha Ye-rin from Rookies. The reason I came here… , I am trying to completely deny the claims of MS Planning CEO Ahn and my parents.”

“… … !!”

Crack, crack, crack.

Click, click, click, click, click!

At Ha Ye-rin’s words, the reporters’ expressions changed to joy and they began typing.

“All claims that I signed a dual contract with Brother Planning and MS Planning are false. This is all tampering by MS Planning to change my affiliation, and my parents went along with this.”

Most of the reporters immediately wrote the title with keywords such as ‘Ha Ye-rin’ and ‘corruption’.

People want more provocative material than whether it is true or false.

Is this idol who is scheduled to debut with sensational popularity having a conflict with his parents?

Korean society still values filial piety.

No matter the reason, children who rebel against their parents are bound to be criticized.

If things continued like this, it was clear that Haye-rin’s fans and non-fans would fight each other on the Internet… , this was a situation that reporters especially wanted.

“Especially my parents… .”

The reporters were so excited that they started writing down the article even before Ha Ye-rin finished speaking.

[Shock! Ha Ye-rin from Rookies. Discord with the parents who raised him for 19 years?]

[The other side of the winner: Ha Ye-rin, a loser]

‘This will definitely pop up.’

It was a time when reporters were preparing to prey on the public with various expressions.

Thump, thud… ?

The reporters, who had been tapping their keyboards with their heads down, looked up with a sense of discomfort.

‘Why don’t you just talk…? .’

and… .

Struggle, thud.

“… … .”

“… … .”

I froze when I saw the scene before my eyes.

Tap, tap.

Grumble.

Haye-rin… , shedding tears.

“… … Huh?”

Ha Ye-rin, who was shedding tears with an expressionless expression befitting her nickname Ice Princess, seemed to realize that she was crying only when she saw the tear stains on the desk… .

“… sorry. I’ll do it again. My parents… .”

I wiped my tears with my sleeve and tried to speak again.

but… .

Thuk, thud, thud.

The more Ha Ye-rin wiped away her tears, the more tears came out… .

Grumbling.

“… Hi.”

This got to the point where I couldn’t even continue speaking.

“Hmm… , my parents… , my parents… .”

Even though Haye-rin shed tears… , Even though his hands were shaking, he tried to continue speaking, but it didn’t seem to be easy.

‘… … ah.’

The Ice Princess’ ice was melting.

And behind the bitterly cold ice… , a girl who was smaller and more delicate than anyone else was crying sadly.

“Well, my parents… .”

Dozens of reporters who don’t know the human heart… , to the point of making me cry.

**

Among the effects of the ‘Extreme Demon’ trait that has been temporarily lifted this time, there is the effect of nullifying humanity.

That means that while the trait is in effect, I become as emotionless as the psychopaths in the movies.

In fact, until the press conference, my heart was hardened and only contained resentment and anger towards my parents, CEO Ahn, and PD Shin.

But at this moment.

Grumble.

Breaking through the effects of the hidden attribute called Extreme Demon… , old emotions burst out.

‘I love you, Yerin.’

I know that everything you said was not a lie.

‘Our daughter is more precious than anything else.’

I know that I was that person to you at one time.

‘Honey, our Yerin… , raise it well. The most precious thing in the world… .’

What you said back then wasn’t sincere.

‘Hey, honey… ! This is our baby… ! My baby… .’

‘This lovely baby came out of my womb…’ .’

If your arms weren’t so warm back then… .

I could hate you all I want.

I could have kicked you out a long time ago.

Struggle, thud.

“Hmm… , flaw… , my parents… .”

Hate, rely on, hate, … love.

You were definitely my ‘parents’ that I had longed for.

And now I… .

“My parents… , … They extorted and abused me for 19 years.”

They chose to abandon their parents and become orphans again.