Rina's Calculated Advance
"Just the two of us…?"
[Giggle, giggle. You could be an actor, you know?]
The Guide laughed and teased me as I feigned bewilderment.
"Yes… is that all right?"
Rina fidgeted with her hands clasped together like a girl about to confess.
I knew her actions were meant to invite misunderstanding, so I only smiled inwardly.
"As long as it's before the recording starts, it should be fine… but where should we talk?"
"I'll show you the way. This way, please."
Thud.
Without hesitation, Rina grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward a room off the hallway.
"Whoa," I muttered in a low, flustered voice, playing along as she dragged me.
Click.
The door shut, and silence settled over us.
It was a darkened broadcasting equipment room. Metal shelves and translucent lamps revealed only their outlines in the gloom.
How had she known about this place? How had she known it would be empty?
The situation felt too deliberate to be coincidence. It was clearly part of her calculated plan.
She turned to face me, smiling shyly. Her face was soft and gentle, but her eyes were different—subtly focused on me.
I felt no flutter in my chest. I already knew the malice hidden behind that gentle gaze, so instead a cold rationality crept into my mind as I prepared to respond to her act.
"Manager… what do you think of our members?"
Rina's voice was low and composed. The quiet space we shared alone seemed designed to make me feel as though I had been specially chosen by her.
I scoffed inwardly at the illusion she was trying to create.
"They're all wonderful. I heard from the news that they do a lot of charity work, and their faces are beautiful, their singing and dancing are outstanding—"
"Not how others see them. How you see them, Manager."
Rina quietly cut me off. At first glance it seemed gentle, but I sensed the hidden sharpness beneath.
So I scratched my head and played the clueless manager even harder.
"Hmm… this is awkward. After all, today is my first day working as ASTRA's manager. But if you insist on hearing my first impression… I'd say they all have strong personalities? Most artists do, so it's not strange or bad or anything."
"That's true. They all have strong personalities… especially Yu-na."
Rina's expression brightened subtly as she brought up Yu-na. A faint flush rose on her cheeks, and her voice grew slightly excited.
"Is that so? I think the others have strong personalities too, not just Yu-na. Of course, in a good way."
I deliberately steered the conversation away, pretending not to notice her emotion.
"…What do you think of Yu-na, Manager?"
After a brief silence, Rina asked in a low voice. Up close, I could see that the smile on her face was carefully constructed.
"I like the other members too, but I especially want to support Yu-na. I've had a special connection with her since our trainee days."
Before I could answer, Rina continued.
Knowing full well the intent behind the bait she had thrown, I asked anyway.
"I want to support Yu-na too. She's a member of ASTRA and the leader who guides everyone."
"…Is that so?"
Her upturned eyes studied me. The corners of her eyes, curved in a pleasant arc, narrowed slightly.
"Don't I seem too docile to you?"
The topic shifted abruptly. Rina continued in a low voice.
"It's just… I've been thinking that lately."
Rina suddenly leaned her face close into my field of vision. At a distance where her breath nearly touched me, her scent drifted into my nose.
The atmosphere had shifted in a strange way.
"Could I ever just be… a woman to someone, I wonder…"
Though her words ended in a question, her eyes weren't waiting for an answer. Rina—this detestable woman—already knew the answer and was quietly waiting for my next reaction.
Her words were strange. We had only met two days ago and barely spoken, yet she expected me to feel some meaningful emotion toward her. It made no sense.
But would most men in this suggestive situation be capable of such rational thought?
If I didn't already know her true nature, I would have fallen for her by now.
"Is it rude of me to say something like this?"
"I-it's a bit sudden. Haha…"
Rina's expression remained gentle and perfectly composed as she watched my flustered reaction. But there was an unmistakable purpose behind it.
She was probing my emotional boundaries, reading my responses, and slowly drawing me in.
Very slowly, she took one step closer. The room was small, but her movement felt natural and deliberate.
Her lips were still curved upward, her voice soft and sweet.
"It must seem strange, hearing me say this, right?"
As her words trailed off, Rina placed a hand on my shoulder. The distance between us was now less than a hand's breadth.
"For some reason, whenever I see you, Manager… I feel at ease. Have you ever thought about it? What it would be like if we were a little closer? People might talk, but sometimes those opinions don't seem to matter much. Especially when I'm with you. Isn't that strange? I don't even know why I'm like this."
Rina knew exactly how carefully she was brushing against my heart, seeping in.
At this breath's distance, her expression remained unbroken. She was still smiling like a gentle idol.
But that smile was nothing more than a device meant to push and pull at my heart until I fell into her.
"Manager… do you feel any different when you're with me…?"
Haa…
The soft breath she exhaled while speaking tickled my skin in a suggestive way. The sticky, heart-fluttering heat between man and woman began to seep into the atmosphere around us.
[Aha—! Shooting a drama? This is getting wild. …That annoying bitch. I want to kill her right now.]
The Guide's voice continued, but I had no time to pay attention to it now.
"Manager…"
Swish.
Rina closed her eyes and slowly leaned in, lips slightly parted. With the irresistible atmosphere she had created now forcing me to act, I smiled faintly and took out the Brainwashing Stamp, gripping it in my hand.
Tap.
"Eek—"
I stamped it on Rina's forehead and quickly hid it. She reflexively opened her eyes, looking flustered.
"What…"
She frowned slightly, staring at me with a confused expression. Even bewilderment showed on her face at the unexpected situation.
"…Huh?"
Her pupils contracted as she tried to question me. For a moment, her expression went blank. Focus left her eyes, her facial muscles relaxed, and her lips parted slightly.
It was the reaction caused by the Brainwashing Stamp taking effect, but unfortunately it didn't mean complete brainwashing.
This was the effect of the upgraded stamp I had received upon becoming a Regular Employee. The old Intern stamp required a target's favorability or despair to reach a certain threshold before it could be used. Now I could stamp without meeting that requirement, though there were still many limitations.
Even so, by using this partial brainwashing, I could make her fall under my control much faster without slowly building up the gauge as before.
"I like Yu-na too. Just like you do, Rina."
"…Eh?"
Rina looked startled at my sudden words, then quickly understood and furrowed her brows, hostility flashing across her face in an instant.
I knew exactly why her expression had changed.
She liked Yu-na. Not as a fellow member, but romantically. And that love went beyond simple affection—it was obsessive.
Rina, the female idol, was a lesbian.
She had fallen for Yu-na since their trainee days and had nurtured that love ever since, but she had never confessed. Of course she hadn't—Yu-na wasn't a lesbian and would never accept her feelings.
Knowing that, she had kept her emotions hidden all this time.
The only reason I knew this secret was because of Su-yeon. Su-yeon had been Rina's lover before Rina started one-sidedly loving Yu-na.
In other words, Su-yeon was also a lesbian.
'I never thought I'd witness this kind of soap opera in real life. What's even more ridiculous is—'
Rina was a misandrist.
Because of that, she despised any men near Yu-na. I was no exception.
That was why she had been scheming behind the scenes to prevent other men from even approaching Yu-na.
The previous male manager had been the same—she had pretended to seduce him, found his weaknesses, and made sure he couldn't get close to Yu-na. Even if he had no such intentions, she did it under the insane reasoning that she had to take precautions in advance.
"Say it again… You like Yu-na?"
Her voice was ice-cold. The moment the innocent, kind idol revealed her true nature for the first time, I quickly activated the partial brainwashing.
"Yes, so let's like her together. I'm the same as you, Rina. In that sense, we're comrades. Comrades who support Yu-na, regardless of gender. Isn't that right?"
The focus left Rina's eyes once more. Her furrowed face slowly relaxed. Then she suddenly came to her senses and looked confused again.
She blinked several times, replaying what had just happened, unable to understand, question marks floating above her head.
"Uh… um??"
She felt something was wrong but couldn't identify what it was. I smiled at the bewildered Rina and spoke.
"How about we talk more deeply about Yu-na together next time?"
I took her hand and spoke energetically. She flinched and looked around, clearly flustered.
"S-should we?"
Rina answered in a daze, swept up by the atmosphere. The dynamic had shifted—now she was the one being pulled into the mood I had created.
"Yes, we both like Yu-na, after all."
Rina looked as though something was stuck in her throat, still trying to process my words, but the brainwashing in her mind erased her doubts.
"Y-yes… We both l-like her… right."
"So we should cooperate, as people who like her."
"We… should?"
I wanted to dig deeper into her openings and do something more intimate right here, but time was running out, so I decided to save it for next time.
"It's almost time for the recording. Let's go."
"Huh? Ah… all right, Manager."
I walked ahead, leaving Rina behind. She followed me in a daze.
"With that guy… together with Yu-na…?"
I pretended not to hear her muttering seriously behind me.
* *
"Kyaaah—!!"
"Yu-na unnie is so pretty!!"
"Goddesses! Look over here—!!"
"Fighting! ASTRA!!"
"ASTRA! The star among stars, ASTRA!! You're shining today too! So cool—!!"
"Ice Princess Arin! S-i-l-v-e-r Arin—!! You're the best! Kyaaah—!!"
"Rina noona, I love you!!"
"Sena! Dance amazingly today too!!"
"Wheeew—! Narae, marry me!"
As the members stepped onto the stage for the recording, thunderous cheers from the audience erupted. Watching from the shadows behind the stage, my ears stung from the noise.
Other singers had received fan cheers before their recordings too, but ASTRA was on another level. An almost fanatical, burning passion surged toward the stage.
Seeing it with my own eyes, I finally felt the reality that I was working alongside truly remarkable people.
The members smiled and waved at their cheering fans, then calmly took their positions on stage.
As the lights dimmed and the ASTRA members wiped the smiles from their faces and struck their poses, a deathly silence fell over the stage.
Thrum—
The intro burst out with the bright lights. Countless cameras and gazes focused on the members.
In sync with the music, they began their sharp choreography.
Yesterday the members had stayed in the dorm, so I hadn't seen them practice. Yu-na had also been busy with individual schedules and wouldn't have had time to rehearse together.
I had heard they practiced in pairs whenever they had time, but I hadn't expected them to perform so perfectly without any prior rehearsal.
Rina's sexy dance, which had seemed so casual in the dorm, was flawless on stage. Narae sang beautifully without breaking her smile even during the performance. Sena, the main dancer, dominated the stage with acrobatic popping, drawing every eye.
'As expected, pros are pros… They're incredible. Especially the Ice Princess—she feels even more out of place.'
Ice Princess. Arin.
She didn't have any standout traits compared to the other three members, but it was clear she genuinely enjoyed being on stage. Her usually expressionless face was now brightly smiling under the lights.
Her joyful expression was so different from her usual self that it made my chest swell with emotion just watching her.
She loved the stage. She truly loved singing and dancing in front of fans—that feeling came across so strongly.
Her life, which had seemed monochrome, was now being painted with vivid colors on stage.
As time passed, the song reached its highlight, and the fans' cheers and support grew louder. Arin's happiness deepened along with it.
But as the song neared its end, her expression gradually changed.
Kim Yu-na. The leader of ASTRA, and perhaps its everything.
When Yu-na stepped forward for her solo part, all the lights and attention focused on her. As she began dancing in earnest with the song, Arin, who had stepped back, watched with a darkening expression.
'Whoa. She's insane.'
I was entranced. I finally understood what it meant to have your soul leave your body.
I had heard her sing in videos before, but hearing it live right in front of me was on a completely different level.
I could clearly see why she was the most beloved idol in the country. Why the whole world was watching her.
" "Waaaaah———!!!" "
The moment Yu-na's goddess-like song ended, ASTRA's performance also concluded. Thunderous applause and cheers erupted, deafening me.
In the darkness below the stage, countless light sticks waved wildly, and fireworks exploded to mark the finale.
After the prolonged cheers, the ASTRA members including Yu-na bowed in gratitude. As the dazzling stage quieted down, the members began walking toward the back of the stage for the next recording.
All except one.
Yu-na was still receiving everyone's attention.
"Next, let's hear Yu-na's 'Together'—!!"
The host stepped onto the stage and announced the start of Yu-na's solo performance. An even greater cheer erupted, as if ASTRA's stage had merely been a prelude to Yu-na's.
I wanted to stay and watch Yu-na's solo stage, but as a manager I had to attend to the other members coming down.
"Good work—"
The moment I approached to offer encouragement, my mouth closed.
At the stairs leading down from the stage, Arin was glaring at the woman still dancing brilliantly under the lights—as if she wanted to tear her apart.
An idol who usually seemed devoid of any will to live was now directing intense emotion toward another idol in her own group.
