Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Genius Idol's Strategy for Conquering the Entertainment Industry
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The next day after unexpectedly settling into the Seed Entertainment dorm was a Monday.
A miserable Monday when students had to go to school and office workers to their jobs.
Thank goodness On Raon was living such a diligent life.
If he hadn't graduated two years early, he'd be stuck right now among students whose names he only vaguely knew, sitting through classes he couldn't even understand.
And once Pick Heart started airing, nasty rumors like "On Raon is that irresponsible student who sleeps through every class" would definitely spread.
Anyway, since Seo Moon-gyeol hadn't said anything about it, it seemed like there hadn't been any major issues with school life so far.
Actually, the lack of problems was more of my hopeful assumption.
Seo Moon-gyeol, who had graduated alongside him, headed off to university classes as a proper college student with Kang Ji-woo.
They'd both aced the regular admission into the vocal major of a practical music department at a Seoul university boasting insane odds of over 200:1.
Fine, Kang Ji-woo could pull that off as a solo vocalist with star potential, but for a rapper like Seo Moon-gyeol to major in vocals too? He must sing pretty damn well.
Shouldn't someone that good at dancing and rapping be a little weaker at singing to balance it out?
Knock knock. Dev, please patch the balance.
Buff the player and nerf the NPCs.
Anyway, even Geon Seong-ha, the third-year at Han Gongye Arts University, headed off to school.
The only one left lounging around the dorm was Ban Yo-han, who was on a leave of absence.
Ban Yo-han had the TV tuned to a foreign documentary channel with no subtitles, but he didn't seem interested in practicing dance or vocals at all.
Even though his first stage in front of an audience was just days away.
It was probably due to Ban Yo-han's trademark carefree nonchalance and laid-back attitude. Or maybe he had some plan I didn't know about.
On the other hand, it was also because of the dorm rules posted in the living room.
It was a natural rule for an apartment with people living above and below.
So, with nowhere else to go, I had to find things to do inside the house.
I picked up and put down the 1kg dumbbells in the living room to pretend I was working out, or I tried to grab Ban Yo-han—who looked like he had nothing better to do—and play Go or baduk to grind some stats.
Of course, it didn't always go up—sometimes it ticked up by 1 or 2 like this.
Very occasionally.
And to think that just lifting and lowering those dumbbells a few times counted as exercise appropriate for my level.
Not wrong, but...
Coming from this dog system that nitpicks me at every turn, it just rubbed me the wrong way.
With that in mind, I opened my status window for the first time in a while to check my abilities.
Faintly Faintly? What the hell.
I'd checked it occasionally early on, but as I'd been ignoring it more lately, the status window felt pretty unfamiliar now.
Still stuck under level 10, huh.
Habitually cursing this garbage unbalanced game cooled the rising heat in my head a bit as I eyed the pathetic stats.
I dumped all the stat points I'd gotten from unnoticed level-ups into Charm.
After sorting out my stats, I hummed a bit of Talksick while scrolling the internet on my phone for info gathering.
That's when Ban Yo-han, who'd been lounging around the whole time, suddenly dragged me out.
His energy was sky-high like we were heading on a picnic, and I barely managed to grab my jacket before we dashed out the apartment entrance. Only then could I ask.
"Where we going?"
"The company."
"Why do I have to go?"
"No matter how at home you act, you're still a guest. Can't leave a guest alone in the dorm."
"Fair enough."
I nodded in agreement.
We left the dorm and walked about 15 minutes, exiting the residential area into the bustling streets.
Ban Yo-han, who kept striding ahead, finally stopped at a crossroad where a tall building gleamed blindingly in the sunlight up ahead.
"Whoa, that the place?"
Ban Yo-han widened his eyes at my words, then just grinned without a reply.
Passersby couldn't help but stare at him, grinning like he'd just popped out of a comic book.
This is supposed to be my role. Just you wait, Ban Yo-han.
"Nah, not it."
"Next to it."
Following his gaze, I spotted a five-story building.
We crossed the crosswalk and descended the external stairs on the building's side.
Down in the basement, a door led straight into the building.
The words "SEED ENTERTAINMENT" glowed white on the wooden-paneled wall.
Next to it was their logo—a seed sprouting in soil.
Ban Yo-han unlocked the door with his fingerprint and strode in. I hurried after him before it closed.
Unlike the dingy image "basement" evokes, the interior was spotless and refreshing.
The wood-accented interior gave a warm, stable vibe overall.
A diffuser tucked in the corner added a fresh forest scent that lightly tickled the nose.
What hit next was the black 3D letters on the corridor wall.
The phrase protruded boldly to catch every entrant's eye.
Warm lighting from above softly illuminated the sternly arranged words.
Ban Yo-han followed my gaze and explained like a tour guide.
"Company motto. Also the president's favorite saying."
An entertainment agency's motto being "What goes around comes around"? Kinda more intimidating than your average warning sign.
We passed the lobby with lush potted plants that looked well-cared-for and arrived at the president's office.
"She's inside, so go say hi, then head to the practice room over there."
Being at the company, Ban Yo-han used "President" instead of "Auntie."
"You not coming in?"
"Nah, think it'll be fine without me."
No point dragging him in if he said that.
I nodded that I got it.
Knock knock. A calm woman's voice from inside said to come in.
"Excuse me."
As I opened the door, my eyes met those of the woman seated at the wide desk.
Her dark brown hair was loosely tied back, and classic round glasses perched on her nose bridge.
From the nameplate on the desk and the standard NPC marker above her head, I learned the name of the woman regarding me with a warm gaze.
Seed Entertainment President Ban Ga-eul had a serene demeanor fitting her name "Autumn," nothing like her nephew Ban Yo-han, who radiated annoyingly bright spring vibes even right after waking up.
If anything, her vibe resembled Kang Ji-woo's more— that natural positive aura from exceptionally kind, upright people.
And that aura was strong enough that the moment our eyes met, I readily accepted her as someone who'd make the bold call to house a pitiful teen in her trainees' dorm.
The polar opposite of the trash ex-president from my old company I'd buried in my past.
"Hello. I'm On Raon."
"Yes. I figured we should meet at least once, so I had Yo-han bring you. Everything okay with the living arrangements?"
"Yes. But... am I imposing too much...?"
This felt different from getting Grandpa Go Su-jong's approval.
That was direct one-on-one permission; this felt more hearsay-based, less certain.
Thankfully, Ban Ga-eul kindly denied it.
"If I permitted it, how could it be an imposition? I've heard so much about you from Yo-han that I was curious. Nice to finally see you."
"...".
Why treat me like some poor fish that blundered into Ban Yo-han's net?
After leaving me with that sticky message and asking a few more questions, Ban Ga-eul glanced at her watch, signaling the end of the talk.
"I was worried how you'd adapt with Yo-han and Gyeol's unique personalities, but glad you're getting along. Not to say it's in exchange for the dorm, but... can I count on you going forward?"
Okay, Ban Yo-han the vixen cub rooting for my elimination aside, isn't Seo Moon-gyeol pretty normal aside from being quiet?
But I kept a straight face, smiled, and nodded.
"Leave it to me."
Ban Ga-eul smiled warmly.
"Great to meet you, then. Feel free to use company facilities as long as it's reasonable. We can register your fingerprint for the doors too—just tell a staff member if needed."
Her sly smile, reminiscent of her nephew, made it hard to tell if she was joking or dead serious.
If that's for real, did I somehow become a trainee here without knowing? Talk about a big deal.
At least now I knew everyone from trainees to president here was anything but ordinary.
In the practice room, Seo Moon-gyeol was warming up his body while Kang Ji-woo loosened his throat.
Ban Yo-han sprawled in the corner, waving lazily when he spotted me.
"You made it?"
"Met the president? What'd you think? Nice person, right?"
"Totally. But she's no ordinary one either. In several ways."
Kang Ji-woo chuckled amusedly at my words, then nodded toward Ban Yo-han, who was one with the floor.
"Drag that guy over and get him stretching."
I hauled over Ban Yo-han, who grumbled lazily but didn't resist much, and put him through the usual Pick Heart camp stretches.
Geon Seong-ha, who had arrived in training gear, watched curiously.
Usually in cases like this, isn't it Ban Yo-han who's the weirdo?