episode_0168

Han Feizi said.

A dragon is a type of beast that can be tamed and ridden.

But if you touch the scales arranged in reverse, about a foot in diameter, below the dragon’s neck… .

The gentle dragon also changes.

That is the reverse scale.

Everyone has scars that should not be touched.

For me, that wound is… .

The scales of the river… .

It was my parents.

however….

“Then, Ms. Ha Ye-rin. What do you think about the fact that Ms. Ye-rin’s parents were booked by the police on charges of fraud, document forgery, and child abuse?”

The reporter in front of me touched a sensitive spot.

I don’t know if he wanted to write an article that would be a hot topic or if he had malicious intent toward me.

This man had touched something he shouldn’t have.

So what should I do now?

I feel like my stomach is boiling.

I was itching to swear at the reporter who asked me that question… and I actually opened my mouth.

but….

“That… ….”

As soon as I opened my mouth, the Rookies members looked at me with concern in their eyes and… .

“… … .”

I noticed fans looking at me with wide eyes.

Instead of the angry reply I originally intended to give… .

“… They are not my parents anymore.”

A rather concise and self-deprecating answer came out.

I thought I answered as if nothing had happened and I didn’t seem sad at all, but it seems like it wasn’t the case when the fans heard it.

“Aaaaahhhh… .”

“Yerin-ahhh… .”

Deep sighs from the fans and…

“Are you in your right mind, reporter?”

“Why have you been so rude since a while ago?”

“Where are you, reporter? Oh, this really pisses me off!”

A clear outburst of anger was directed at the reporter.

Eventually, the reporter was asked that question and was forced to leave the room by the staff.

but….

Shh.

Even as he was being dragged away by the agents, he was smiling as if he had done everything he had to do.

After that, the showcase proceeded as if there were no problems, but… the atmosphere was not as bright as it was at first.

And so, in less than an hour, our rookies’ debut showcase came to an end.

Overall, it was a success, but… I felt a little uneasy because I tasted some bitterness at the end.

**

“Thank you for your hard work~”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

After the showcase, the members bowed their heads to the staff who prepared the showcase with bright smiles.

All the members have bright expressions on their faces as if they were very satisfied with this showcase… .

‘…Everyone is watching me.’

In reality, they were watching my every move and deliberately raising the tension because of me.

After the MS Planning incident, talking about my parents was almost taboo among us rookies.

Our members were anxious because they couldn’t hug me if I ever showed any sign of sadness because of my parents.

So again, I didn’t want to make our members worry about their parents.

And now, I think I’ve become a lot more insensitive, so even when I hear stories from my parents, I don’t feel as shaken as I thought I would…

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“… !”

I also bowed my head to the staff without any hesitation.

Only then did the members confirm that I was okay and smile sincerely.

Thanks to that, the atmosphere that had been briefly sagging at the end of the showcase came back to life, and then Director Jeong appeared in the waiting room and spoke to us.

“Ah, everyone is here. This showcase. Everyone worked really hard. Thanks to you, it was able to end successfully.”

“Wow-!”

When the usually rational Director Jeong said that, I was confident that the showcase would end successfully.

Applause erupted everywhere.

Of course, the loudest cheers among our rookies came from Director Jeong’s next words.

“There are only two days left until the release of the song, so I would like to give the Rookies a short break to commend their hard work over the past three weeks.”

“… Phew, rest?!”

“Waaa …

A break, huh?

How much we have hoped and hoped for this.

When the Rookies heard the word “rest,” they let out an even louder cheer than when they were included in the six-member debut group.

Since we were truly happy, the staff watching us also laughed and Director Jeong also laughed.

The mood that had been gloomy because of one loach became good again.

That was when.

Swish.

As I was looking at the other members with a happy expression, Director Jeong came closer to me and whispered.

“… I’m sorry about earlier, Yerin. I said I would keep a close eye on the reporters, but I guess it wasn’t perfect.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Then that’s good… Forget what the reporter said earlier and get some rest this time.”

Director Jeong must have been worried that I would get hurt too.

There were so many people around me who cared about me like this.

What a blessing this is.

That’s why I smiled and bowed my head to Director Jeong.

“Thank you for your concern, Director Jeong.”

“No, this is my job.”

After confirming that I was okay, Director Jeong spoke to the Rookies members.

“Okay, now that we’ve finished with the makeup, hair, and outfits, let’s get moving. The car is ready.”

“Yep!”

Now all that’s left is to head to your accommodations and rest.

The faces of the members traveling by car were filled with smiles, perhaps because they thought they could sleep for 8 or 10 hours.

So I moved along laughing in between… .

“Oh, I need to go to the bathroom for a sec!”

“Go and come back quickly! I’ll be there first.”

I stopped by the bathroom for a moment.

and….

“… … .”

As soon as I went to the bathroom, I stopped laughing… .

Slap.

“Haa… … .”

I ended up just sitting down.

I tried to live my life without ever caring about it… but there were some parts I absolutely could not help but care about.

‘What do you think about the fact that Yerin’s parents were recently booked by the police on charges of fraud, document forgery, and child abuse?’

My dad and mom reported me to the police….

then….

“My dad and mom might go to jail… .”

Dad and Mom… , in prison… .

Of course, I didn’t know because no one told me that.

‘The boss will know more about this.’

So I took out my phone, thinking about calling Kang Hyung-man and asking for more details… .

Swish.

He quickly shook his head and put the phone back in his pocket.

“No… , like I said before, those people aren’t my parents anymore.”

How did I get away from my mom and dad… .

I couldn’t let myself be swayed by those people again.

Didn’t you see the members and Director Jeong a little while ago not knowing what to do in case I got sad?

For the sake of those who cared about me… I couldn’t show myself as weak.

“Yeah… , let’s not be alone and depressed on a nice day.”

So I tried to bring a smile back to my lips and grabbed the doorknob to go out.

That was when.

“Sister.”

“Ah, Eugene.”

As I was about to leave the bathroom, someone came in.

It was Seo Yu-jin.

“I came to get you because you didn’t come… .”

I guess he was worried because I didn’t come quickly.

“Oh, sorry. Now that everything is done, let’s go back quickly.”

Then I gave Seo Yu-jin a smile and was about to go out… .

widely.

“… Eugene?”

“… … .”

Seo Yu-jin grabbed my wrist.

And Seo Yu-jin caught me and made me stand in front of her… .

Swish.

“Ah… .”

I wiped away a tear that I didn’t know when I shed with my finger.

“… Sister.”

“… … .”

“… It’s okay.”

“… … Black.”

Prison.

And Seo Yu-jin hugged me and put my face on her shoulder.

Only then did I shed the tears I had been holding back, one drop at a time.

“… I’m sorry. I ruined the mood for no reason… .”

“… … .”

“… I feel like my existence is only a nuisance to the Rookies. I’m sorry.”

“Nobody thinks so.”

“But… , because of what I said earlier, there’ll be another weird article coming out and stuff… . It’s all because of me… , sob… .”

“What if a few articles about that shit were published? We’re rookies. We’re not a small group that would be swayed by a few lines of trash articles.”

“Eugene…, Eugene….”

Seo Yu-jin hugged me tightly for a long time and stroked my head.

At that moment, I suddenly remembered Seo Yu-jin and I in our younger days.

‘Sister…, sister….’

At that time, Seo Yu-jin, who was being witch-hunted because of the new PD’s pranks, cried in my arms and desperately called out to me… .

Now the relationship was reversed.

“Ugh… , uhh… .”

“It’s okay, everything’s okay.”

But I wasn’t unhappy with the current relationship.

Rather, I am proud of Seo Yu-jin who has grown up so much… and she has become my support.

I held Seo Yu-jin in my arms for a long time and cried.

**

Meanwhile, the reporter who left early due to a rude question… .

“Hehehe… , the picture came out well.”

In fact, there were complex reasons why he deliberately mentioned Ha Ye-rin’s parents to provoke her.

First of all.

‘Any rude questions directed at the Rookies will be considered an attack on NAS Entertainment. The newspaper in question will be disadvantaged in future reporting on NAS Entertainment.’

“Huh, what the hell. What did you say?”

A backlash against NAS Entertainment CEO Jeong, who dared to try to control the media.

Secondly.

“This guy, reporters have a duty to deliver the news that people want to hear.”

A twisted sense of mission.

And the last reason was the biggest… .

“Hehehe, this article will probably get some sweet views.”

That was the focus of people’s attention.

After the Hayerin MS Planning tampering incident, there was strong public sympathy for her and many reporters were reluctant to cover stories related to her parents due to NAS Entertainment’s threats.

Thanks to this, unlike PD Shin and CEO Ahn, articles related to Ha Ye-rin’s parents are as dry as a drought.

Here, if he were to write an article based on what Ha Ye-rin said about her parents at the showcase…!

“People will probably flock to my articles. Haha.”

Although NAS Entertainment’s retaliation was scary, it was only a matter of hiding for a few months and then sneaking off to cover the story as another reporter.

Having already tried black several times at other large companies, he had a rough idea of how to destroy it.

For him, this article about Ha Ye-rin did more good than harm.

“What should I title the article? [Ha Ye-rin: The cruel attitude of a new idol?] or [Controversy over the remarks of the leader of the new girl group ‘Rookies’: It doesn’t matter what happens to the parents.] Should I go with this? Which is more provocative?”

Speed is the lifeblood of Internet articles.

Since I was already forced to leave early, I planned to go to my car, finish the article, and upload it right away.

So he headed to his car, happily pondering what would be more stimulating.

and….

Swish.

Behind him, men in black suits were secretly following him.