Chapter 405
Chapter 405
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 405
Chapter Title: Idol Maker (43)
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"Oh, really? So you're taking lessons with Eun-a too, Ciel?"
"Uh, y-yeah..."
"That's great... Congrats, Ciel!"
"Th-thanks."
"Hey, are you feeling okay? You don't look so good..."
"Huh? Oh, no! I just didn't sleep well... Ahaha..."
Ciel taking lessons with Eun-a was music to my ears. No matter how wild Eun-a could get, she wouldn't pull any weird, un-idol-like stunts with Ciel right there beside her. Sure, there was no guarantee Eun-a wouldn't try something... but just having Ciel around was enough to keep her in check. For me, it was a total win.
So now I could finally relax and have sex with the Vice President without a worry, right?
Lately, the Vice President and I had been enjoying sex in all sorts of concepts... N-no, wait! We'd been doing lessons with various concepts. If it was just for the audition, vanilla lovemaking would've been plenty... but when you're aiming for acting gigs, you need more than that, don't you?
That's why I was building up experience for my future as an actress.
From the tragic heroine raped by the Vice President, to the cheap fling spending one night with a stranger she just met, and even flipping it to me as the aggressive girl-crush pinning him down... Heh heh heh, thanks to all that, I could now read his timing perfectly... and clench just right to match it.
...N-not that! A-anyway! I'd matured so much that I could fully immerse myself in any role.
So in short, I was one step closer to nailing that audition.
That left just condition management and some light practice for the music video shoot. Which meant I could spend my days blissfully with the Vice President, no stress. ...As long as Siwoo oppa didn't keep popping in during breaks to bug me.
"Jin-hee, got a sec?"
Siwoo oppa, striking up a conversation again today.
"...Sure."
Back when we first met, he'd been such a reliable guy... but somewhere along the line, he stopped sparking any real interest, and lately, it had turned into outright dislike. He was my producer and a benefactor, so I didn't want to feel this way... but he kept butting in at every opportunity with his overbearing meddling. It was impossible not to grow distant.
"I dug up some intel on the PD's tastes. You should use this for your acting. Oh, and... word is the lead role's already cast. So, about that..."
I could pass without knowing any of that... Why does he have to act like this?
Siwoo oppa didn't trust my skills, always pushing shady shortcuts. Honestly, it was a huge letdown. Hadn't he said he believed in my acting when he gave me the music video lead? Yet now he was acting like it was all a lie, fretting nonstop.
"And... you can't just blindly trust the Vice President. Plenty of girls who've fallen flat at auditions because they relied on him alone. Here's the list..."
And badmouthing him behind his back? Seriously, what's his deal?
The Vice President deserved all the gratitude in the world, yet Siwoo oppa kept trash-talking him. No wonder I was starting to dislike him. The guy was covering for things Siwoo oppa couldn't handle, squeezing out time he didn't have... Sigh, how could he not see that? It was just too much.
"...Got it."
"Oh, and... has something happened with Yuki?"
"Huh?"
"No, it's just... she seems kinda down."
"Hmm... No idea."
Why bring up Yuki out of nowhere? She was fine during lessons today... Is he planning to gossip about her next? Suspicious, I played it cool and brushed Siwoo oppa off.
God... I was in such a good mood thinking about sex with the Vice President...
Ugh, one person was enough to ruin it all. My irritation spiked.
Even after sharing the hard-earned info, Yu Jin-hee's reaction was surprisingly lukewarm. Was she not serious about the audition? Feeling a pang of disappointment, Lee Siwoo stepped back, having hoped for her beaming smile.
Jin-hee's attitude today was as cold as ever. Just months ago, she'd trusted and followed him... but now she was ice-cold. And Siwoo had a pretty good idea why.
The Vice President, who handled actors, kept crossing lines.
Starting unasked-for lessons was the real problem.
Jin-hee relying more on the Vice President than him? That wasn't the future Siwoo wanted. Sure, it was probably temporary, but it grated on him. So he set out to uncover the guy's flaws by seeking out his ally.
"Huh? Eun-a? Yeah, she went for lessons."
"...Already?"
"Yep. Said the lessons expanded since more people are joining."
"More people?"
"Oh, Ciel's doing them too... Wait, you didn't know?"
Unfortunately, his ally had already flipped to the Vice President's side. Ga-eun expanding lesson times without telling him. Ciel starting lessons without a word to him. Siwoo frowned in confusion, staring at the lone Eun-ha.
"Oh, r-right... I think I heard. But... is Yuki joining too?"
"Nah, haven't heard that."
"I see... Hey, Eun-ha, what about you? Thinking of joining?"
"Me? Not really... I don't even know what they're teaching."
"Yeah... makes sense. Right, it does."
"Huh?"
"Oh, nothing. Anyway, seen Yuki?"
"Dunno, said she was meeting someone... She'll be back soon."
"Thanks."
He still needed to sort out Yuki's issues... but the Vice President was piling on the headaches. Juggling Yuki while warning the guy off? Siwoo sighed and headed back to his office. It was supposed to be "Lee Siwoo's Citrus"... but things were starting to twist.
Feeling the unease, Siwoo popped an antacid.
Was trusting Ciel-chan a mistake? She said she'd just watch, but now she's taking lessons too... and dodged every question about what kind. Her face turned red, so she's definitely hiding something... but what? I had no clue.
Made me feel like a total idiot.
Getting duped by that airhead Ciel-chan... It bruised my pride big time.
But it did reveal one thing: Jin-hee unnie's lessons weren't normal either. Realizing that, I tailed her right away. Better me than relying on dumb Ciel-chan.
"Oh? Curious about what's going on in there too?"
But... sneaking peeks into the lesson room in a busy building like this? Near impossible without getting caught.
"Ehhh? Me?"
"Yes, Yuki. You."
Even playing careful... somehow Han Ji-young knew. She approached me, venting her own grudges, then started slamming Jin-hee unnie right in front of me.
"...So yeah, that's that. No hate for idols or anything, but boundaries matter. Hogging the Vice President all to herself when she's not even an actress yet? Not cool."
"Heh... Is that so?"
Trash-talking unnie like she knew her, painting her as some clueless bimbo. It pissed me off... but Ji-young was useful.
"So let's grab some leverage."
"...Leverage?"
"Even if Yu Jin-hee's a great actress, him giving her daily lessons? Sketchy, right?"
"Ehhh, is it?"
"Just my hunch... but she's suspicious."
"Jin-hee unnie?"
"Yep. Totally. So... let's check it out."
Her bold plan: She'd lure the Vice President away, I'd sneak in a phone to record. No reason to say no, so I feigned hesitation before nodding like I had no choice.
"Hee hee, see you tomorrow then."
And the next day, filming the lesson room as planned... I got the shock of my life.
The Vice President and Jin-hee unnie, using "acting lessons" as cover for sex.
Two people who didn't match at all... were sex friends. No, unlike the Vice President, unnie looked genuinely happy—so she loved him. This was massive scandal material.
"Unnie..."
A massive wave of betrayal surged in my chest.
Jin-hee unnie cherished that man's filthy "thing" more than Citrus. Beating her as an idol meant nothing now. To her, Citrus was worth less than his cum on the floor.
But that didn't make netori impossible.
If I could steal the Vice President unnie loved... Ugh, imagining it was gross, but picturing her despair at "Sorry unnie... the Vice President and I are dating now"... Haa, I could stomach it.
'Y-Yuki...? W-what? Dating the Vice President...? What do you mean?!'
For unnie clawing at my arms in hysterics... Heh heh, owning that man was doable.
'Sorry... that's how it is.'
'What do you mean 'that's how it is'?! Yuki!!!'
The worse the process, the sweeter the payoff.
Resolved, I meticulously edited the footage. Told Ji-young nothing happened, then at dawn, grabbed my phone and hunted down the Vice President.
Being a planning company VP meant tons of responsibilities. Blackmail with this vid? He'd have to cave with so much on his plate. Especially since he wanted Citrus's success more than anyone—he'd obey me from here on out.
Netori achieved, new toy acquired... Heh heh, perfect.
Ji-young made it all too easy.
Ji-young made everything fall into place.
Hearing from Ciel that Yuki was curious about the lessons, I'd set the trap perfectly. She filmed as planned, then came to me. Now the real fun began... What would she do with my weakness?
I played the naive fool, waiting for her move.
"Heh heh heh, you idiot! Doing crazy shit at the company? What if you get caught."
"...W-what's this?!"
"Now I've got blackmail material. Huh? How're you gonna make this up to me?"
"Yuki?! No, that's..."
"See? Showing me this... I have to blackmail you now."
What...? She's a total thug! Thought she was pure and innocent... but her true colors were ruthless. Face hardening, she switched to casual speech and threatened me flat-out.
"What're you... looking down on me?"
My heart raced for the first time in ages. Tired of playing sweet guy... finally, a chance to cut loose. Bratty bitch like her? A little roughhousing was fine. Ignoring her, I locked the door and grinned wide at Yuki.
"Wh-what?! Didn't you see this? Know what happens if it leaks?!"
Panicking Yuki looked delicious.