Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Han Yu-ra, Why on Earth?
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A meeting was held regarding the selection of my next item.
There was still plenty of time left, but preparing in advance for a perfect plan was standard procedure.
Thanks to my item getting approved, the other writers were also actively pitching their ideas.
"Hmm, everyone's items are pretty good, but..."
Kang Seo-yoon scanned the documents and picked up one sheet.
"Yu-ra, I like this one."
"Ah! Thank you, Writer!"
Han Yu-ra, who was sitting next to me, jumped up and bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.
She was that thrilled.
"The concept of touring nighttime landmarks to capture stunning night views while introducing nearby tourist spots. Adding a couples' game would really bring out the romantic vibe."
"Thank you so much! Thank you!"
"Still, there's a lot to refine. Let's polish it up in future meetings."
"Yes! Writer! I'll work really hard on it!"
Han Yu-ra was absolutely beaming.
'It's too similar to my item.'
After the rural and urban items, I'd been preparing a plan with the exact same concept.
I'd been planning to refine it more since it wasn't perfect yet, but something almost identical to what I'd envisioned got selected.
Just a coincidence?
"Min-seong! You can help me out, right?"
Han Yu-ra asked with a bright smile.
How many guys could say no to a request from such a pretty girl?
It might just be that the items overlapped by chance.
These things happened all the time, or so I'd heard.
"Sure, I'll help you out."
"Thanks, Min-seong!"
But still, why?
Why did the image of Han Yu-ra snooping around my desk suddenly pop into my head?
"The filming location I had in mind is this one."
I looked at the phone Han Yu-ra held out.
'Ah, this place...?'
Surprisingly, it was the exact spot I'd thought of first.
And that wasn't all.
Out of the six landmarks she suggested, four matched the ones I'd prepared.
Night views were limited, so some overlap was possible, but...
This was way too many.
When I casually brought up the guest topic,
"Really? I was thinking the same thing! We're going to make a great team."
Too many similar ideas.
It felt like she was reading my mind.
'No way... did she steal my item?'
Based on how Han Yu-ra had been so far, she didn't seem like the type.
She went to church regularly, volunteered consistently, and was always kind and friendly as a senior.
But... the unease wouldn't go away.
'Still, just to be sure, let's check.'
"Senior, which idol were you thinking of for the guest?"
"Hmm, haven't decided yet. You?"
"I have some files organized on my PC, so I need to check those."
"Oh, you even sorted them by character traits?"
"Yeah. Not just idols, but actors too."
"Then show me~"
"Nah, no way. This is my treasure."
"Tch. Fine."
She pouted like she was disappointed.
That evening,
Everyone had gone home, but Han Yu-ra was still at her desk.
"Senior, aren't you heading out?"
"Trying to refine my item a bit more."
"Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?"
"Forgot I'm the Iron Goddess? This is nothing."
I smiled lightly and headed home, ate dinner, then returned to the company.
In the pitch-black office, only one small light remained on.
'My desk...'
Was Han Yu-ra senior really stealing my item?
My spot was in the corner, lights off, so I couldn't see who was there clearly.
But it was highly likely to be her.
'My PC doesn't even have a password.'
Once when I was out on an errand, I'd urgently called Han Yu-ra to grab some materials I'd collected and told her the password.
I hadn't changed it since.
That was the trap I'd set.
Mentioning actors and idol files on my PC on purpose was the bait.
I could barge in now, but opening the door would make noise, giving her a chance to destroy evidence.
If she denied it, it might be harder to uncover the truth.
Soon, Han Yu-ra emerged.
I wanted to trust her, but I was already suspicious.
The next day's meeting continued.
"Yu-ra, we're booking an idol group, right?"
"Yes. For a romantic vibe, bring in a girl group to enjoy night views and date spots with the performers, then play a game to see who's more romantic."
"Good idea. Any groups in mind?"
"Yes. Something lively and energetic. Good reactions too."
"Like who? Which one?"
"How about Candy Bell? Cute and fresh image, great member reactions. Sweet vibe, so they have a solid uncle fanbase too."
My heart went ice-cold in an instant.
'Candy Bell...?'
Lee Yu-jin and Choi Sung-hwa reacted positively, but Kang Seo-yoon furrowed her brow.
"Han Yu-ra. Did you actually do your research properly?"
"Yes?"
"What's the most important thing when booking guests?"
"That's... program direction and..."
"Controversy."
Kang Seo-yoon stated firmly.
"Forgot that the industry is all about hiding images well?"
"Ah..."
Han Yu-ra's face went pale.
"What's the issue with Candy Bell?"
Lee Yu-jin and Choi Sung-hwa seemed clueless too.
Kang Seo-yoon looked at me with an irritated expression.
"Choi Min-seong. You didn't know either?"
"Is it because of that one member's school bullying scandal?"
"You knew?"
Only then did Han Yu-ra's eyes widen in shock.
"I'm sorry! I really didn't know!"
"Sigh. It's not public yet, so that's possible. But this is our job. One wrong guest can trash the program's image—it's happened more than once or twice. That's why writer communities exist. And you make a mistake like this? You should've researched properly from the start!"
Booking carried big risks.
A hit was great, but issues could turn into identity crises for the show.
Especially with sensitive school violence topics these days—it could brand the program as defending it.
That meant responsibility fell on Kang Seo-yoon, the final decision-maker.
Proceeding unknowingly could've been a huge career stain, so her anger was justified.
Of course, she'd known, so no such mistake for her.
She was probably scolding Han Yu-ra out of concern.
"I'm sorry, Writer."
"Is that rumor already confirmed? If so, I'll apologize."
"No, no. I'll look into it again."
"I'm disappointed, Han Yu-ra. Missing basics like this. You could've just made calls or at least asked Min-seong. I told you two to collaborate—why not? Ugh. Let's take a break."
Kang Seo-yoon stormed out of the meeting room.
"Ah... what do I do..."
Han Yu-ra hung her head low.
A while later, she looked at me.
"Min-seong... how did you know about that?"
"I overheard other team staff talking while running around."
"When?"
"Yesterday."
"...Then why. Why didn't you... ah, never mind."
For a split second, her eyes seemed to blame me.
'Why didn't you tell me, senior?'
Candy Bell.
It was the girl group at the top of my idol analysis files.
I'd even left a comment saying it fit the night landmark item best.
Of course, I'd edited it yesterday.
So she'd see and get caught.
'She really saw it and mentioned it.'
The source of my unease was clear.
All those times our thoughts aligned? Because she'd been peeking at my materials.
She might've recommended Candy Bell unknowingly, but
the circumstances and what I'd seen yesterday...
I had no idea why she'd done it.
Now I needed to find out the reason.
Han Yu-ra was truly a good person.
Since college, she'd done volunteer work and donated consistently.
Her kind personality and stunning looks made her loved by everyone, respected among juniors too.
I recalled going to a daycare volunteer event with her.
The kids chasing her around with beaming smiles.
Kids don't like insincere people.
She was genuinely kind.
So... why?
Why would such a good, warm Han Yu-ra try to steal my item?
If she'd seen Candy Bell, high chance she'd peeked at my night landmark item too.
'Did she have a hidden side?'
No, that wasn't it.
Even after joining the company, she was always kind and looked out for me.
So, what was the reason?
'Was she suffering?'
Writers constantly agonized over ideas, leading to daily torment.
The stress built up, and when creativity dried up, self-loathing and disappointment chained them.
That could breed greed.
Avarice.
The desire to steal others' items.
Plagiarism happened for those reasons.
'Don't speculate alone.'
Whether she tried using me or it was stress, I needed to hear the reason.
"Senior."
"Yeah? Oh, Min-seong."
"Dinner after work? My treat with some soju tonight."
"...Sure?"
"Yeah, senior."
"Okay. I have something to tell you anyway."
We headed to a nearby pork belly spot after work.
'She's really pretty.'
Her current yellow-dyed hair gave a different vibe from her pure, elegant college days.
More mature now, radiating sexy charm too.
If Kang Seo-yoon's star power added a halo of allure,
Han Yu-ra's younger energy felt vibrant and fresh.
She'd stolen my item, so I should be pissed or furious,
but oddly, that hadn't hit yet.
Just lingering curiosity about why.
I ordered meat, poured her a drink, and said,
"Senior, don't beat yourself up too much. Kang Writer..."
"I've never seen Kang Writer that mad at me."
"..."
"I worked so hard to earn her recognition."
Han Yu-ra downed a shot and sighed deeply.
It wasn't even a confirmed booking, so no need for this self-blame. Do better next time. Take it as tough love.
"It was just a mistake. Not public yet, easy to miss."
"You... knew."
"Me? As the maknae running around everywhere, I got lucky."
"That's information power. For writers, that's lifeblood. You know—deciding the show's direction, guests, needed characters, all relies on info."
"..."
She was right.
That's why writer group chats and communities existed.
Info came from there.
Factions formed too, so networking was key.
For Han Yu-ra, Kang Seo-yoon was the ultimate connection.
Capture her favor, and you'd tap her vast network and info.
'Was that greed why she stole my item?'
If she'd planned to use me and ignored me otherwise, we wouldn't be drinking like this.
"Sigh. Min-seong."
"Yes, senior."
"...I said I had something to tell you?"
"Yes. Go ahead."
"Sorry. I... looked at your PC. Night landmarks, idols, all the other item setups..."
"..."
Shocking.
I'd planned to use Conviction Ability to get the truth,
but her confessing first? Never expected that.
Her true nature shone through.
Guilt finally caught up.
Regret toward me and self-disappointment forced the apology.
Stealing was wrong, but admitting and apologizing showed character.
And a relief.
She hadn't crumbled completely.
If she'd dodged till the end, I'd have been devastated.
'Still.'
Forgiveness was another matter.
Couldn't just let it slide.
First, hear the reason.
"I figured as much."
"...You knew."
"Had my suspicions. Items were too similar."
"...I knew you'd notice but couldn't stop. Sorry."
"Why'd you do it?"
"Candy Bell. Was that... on purpose too?"
"Needed to update it but left it. I'd thought of Candy Bell for the night landmark item too. Before hearing about the scandal."
"So... you knew I'd fixate on Candy Bell."
"Yes."
"Sigh."
Han Yu-ra poured me a drink.
"Really sorry, Min-seong."
"Why would someone as good as you do that? Why on earth?"
"..."
She downed another shot and sighed deeply.
She'd apologized but skimmed over the reason, reluctant to explain.
I had zero intention of letting it go.
Conviction Target Designation: Han Yu-ra
I needed to hear that reason for sure.
Only then could I judge the sin.