Chapter 15

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 15

Chapter Title: Ji-woo's Weight Gain

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Shin Ye-rin couldn't budge an inch, so what made Park Ji-woo think she could?

At that moment.

Novia Entertainment, practice room.

As Ye-rin entered the practice room, the LUNIQUE members practicing their dance greeted her warmly.

The first to approach was Ji-woo.

"Ye-rin-ah! How'd the shoot go?"

"Ah, yeah..."

Ye-rin nodded hesitantly.

Ji-woo sensed something off from her unusually listless demeanor, unlike her usual self.

"What's wrong? You look so drained."

As Ji-woo voiced her concern, Chae-rin, who was nearby, quickly pulled some alphabet chocolate from her crossbag and brought it over.

"Unni, did something bad happen on set? I have chocolate. Want some?"

Cookie and Ha-neul turned off the speaker and started heading over at the sight of the three.

Before the members' worries could deepen, Ye-rin forced a smile.

"No, I couldn't sleep last night. Must be tired. Can I lie down for a bit and join practice later?"

"Ah, sure. Of course. Cover up with the blanket and take a nap."

"Thanks, unni."

Ye-rin hurried to the sofa, pulled the blanket over herself, and lay down.

Thump, thump.

Her heart pounded fiercely.

She felt confused. And scared.

She'd thought she wouldn't have to see Kim Sung-woo even for just one day. Thought she could escape him someday.

But seeing that crazy bastard appear had shattered any hope.

She'd exposed her body to him—parts she'd never shown any man her whole life.

Recalling that old man's groping hands and the way his mouth had sucked at her skin sent waves of disgust surging right to the top of her head.

And yet... it also itched.

Ye-rin rubbed her legs together.

She was thrashing about desperately, trying to erase the sensation of Kim Sung-woo.

But as she did, she suddenly flinched in shock.

'Oh, come on!'

The itchiness she'd been trying to rub away started to feel more and more... stimulating.

'I must be losing it.'

No matter how much she chalked it up to some physiological reaction, she couldn't shake the self-loathing.

Just then, the practice room door burst open.

"Ji-woo-ssi? You in here?"

It was Kim Sung-woo's voice.

Ye-rin jolted in surprise and clutched the blanket tight. Her head spun.

Has he come to drag me off?

What the hell is he planning this time?

Those were her worries, but Kim Sung-woo didn't spare her a single glance before leading Ji-woo out.

'......What?'

In this unexpected turn, Ye-rin felt more bewildered than relieved.

Why Ji-woo unni, all of a sudden?

I led Park Ji-woo into the meeting room.

Before she could even ask what this was about, I showed her the YouTube Short I'd prepared.

The 15-second clip played her movements in slow motion, languid and drawn out.

Her T-shirt rode up, exposing a sliver of belly fat on her lower abdomen, while her plump thighs were emphasized below.

"......"

Park Ji-woo's expression twitched faintly.

The look on her face said she'd known this was coming.

Before bringing Ji-woo here, I'd checked the reactions on the Short.

What a spectacle.

It's chaos.

Someone was defending her with everything they had, but there was no denying it.

This was legit.

Whether from the Short or in person.

Park Ji-woo had gained weight.

A ton of it, enough to wonder why it took so long to notice.

'Hard to believe this is all butterfly effect from Shin Ye-rin.'

Because I'd been too wrapped up dealing with Shin Ye-rin's power trips and man-hating bullshit, I hadn't paid attention to the other members. And somehow, Ji-woo had packed on the pounds for whatever reason.

The stylist had even grumbled that Ji-woo's recent weight gain was making styling a nightmare.

'Should've stepped in then.'

I hadn't totally brushed off the stylist's words.

Ji-woo had always been so meticulous with her self-care that it felt awkward to say anything first.

The company felt the same.

But this crossed the line where we could afford to wait.

Mindless fangirls might spam "healthy beauty queen~" likes, but for an idol—especially in a girl group—who lives off her looks, this level of weight fluctuation was a massive hit.

I pocketed my smartphone and asked,

"Has weight management been tough lately?"

"Just... I've been really stressed out recently."

"Stressed?"

Ji-woo brushed it off with a smile like it was nothing, but it left a bad taste, so I narrowed my eyes.

She quickly added,

"Sorry for letting it slip. But I can handle it myself."

Herself?

Didn't she gain it because she couldn't handle it herself?

As my skeptical gaze lingered, Ji-woo widened her eyes and grinned.

"You don't believe me?"

"......"

It was an answer born from confidence and sheer stubborn determination that she'd solve her own problems.

I considered suggesting a PT trainer, but since she was so adamant about handling it herself, pushing harder felt off.

'Still, if she doesn't drop that weight fast, it'll be trouble.'

Ji-woo had maintained 44kg at 169cm for years, but in about a month, she'd ballooned.

By eye, at least 10kg more.

And seriously, why did it take me this long to notice?

'...Hold up.'

Suddenly, an idea sparked in my head.

Weight was physical, right?

Which meant the Trainer Program could probably control it too.

The moment that thought hit, a subtle possessiveness welled up.

Shin Ye-rin couldn't resist, so why would Park Ji-woo be any different?

I pondered a bit longer, then said to Ji-woo,

"Ji-woo-ssi, there are ways I can help, so think it over and let me know if you need it."

"Ways you can help?"

Ji-woo tilted her head, then blinked her almond-shaped eyes and smiled.

"Manager oppa, I know more about PT and diets than you do. Thanks for worrying."

PT and diets.

Did she think that's what I meant?

This girl sees me as a total idiot.

"Did that upset you?"

"Ah, no. I wasn't talking about stuff you're already an expert in."

"......?"

Ji-woo looked puzzled.

"You mean there's something you know that I don't?"

"Yes."

Maybe my tone was too firm.

Ji-woo's skepticism softened a bit.

But not right now.

"For now, I'll respect your decision. I'll trust you to handle it, but say the word anytime if it's not working out. I'll help."

"......"

At my show of respect, Ji-woo hesitated, then flashed a big, wide smile.

"I get why Ye-rin trusts you now, manager oppa."

My image must be totally in the toilet.

But Ji-woo, you're wrong.

You couldn't possibly know.

Ye-rin doesn't trust me at all.

It was thrilling, openly so.

Having this secret felt too good.

Ji-woo brushed her brown hair behind her ear and bowed her head.

"Thanks for caring about my issue and offering to help. I'll think it over and let you know."

And that wrapped up the conversation.

That afternoon.

I loaded the LUNIQUE girls into the Carnival to take them back to the dorm after their schedule.

As I checked their faces one by one, Park Ji-woo's expression looked off—really down.

'What's with her?'

Stressing over the diet? But her face was too sour for that.

Whatever.

She said she'd handle it herself.

I shifted my attention from Ji-woo and drove to the dorm.

Thirty minutes later, I pulled up to the dorm and turned to the back seat.

"We're here. Good work today, everyone. Head in safe."

As I announced arrival, the girls tumbled out, tickling and goofing around.

Checking Ji-woo's face again, she was smiling happily now, unlike at the start.

See?

Told you she'd handle it fine.

I thought they were all out.

"...?"

Glancing in the rearview mirror, I spotted Yoon Chae-rin still in the car.

As I turned to her, Chae-rin pouted her full lips and fidgeted with her fingers.

"Chae-rin-ssi, why aren't you getting out?"

"Well, um..."

Chae-rin scooted right behind me and sneakily checked the girls outside.

Looked like she wanted to talk alone.

But Ye-rin, oblivious, counted heads, noticed one missing, and whipped around.

Spotting Chae-rin, she snapped irritably.

"Hey, Yoon Chae-rin! What're you doing still in there?!"

"Unni, I have something to say to Sung-woo oppa..."

"Something to say? What?"

"It's nothing big, so go on ahead, unni. Won't take long."

Chae-rin shook her head ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lightly.

But Ye-rin seemed bothered by something, glaring sharply.

At me, naturally.

'Touch Chae-rin and you're dead.'

That's what her eyes said.

Worry about yourself, I wanted to shoot back, but held it in since Chae-rin was there. That's when—

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"If it's about me, don't."

Oh, it was about her?

I replied, exasperated.

"Why would we talk about you, Ye-rin-ssi? Right, Chae-rin-ssi?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Totally, unni! We weren't talking about you!"

"......"

With Chae-rin backing me up, Ye-rin glared daggers, looking thoroughly pissed.

I said as sweetly as possible,

"Go on ahead. I'll send her right in."

Got it, you paranoid bitch?

Ye-rin scrunched her face like she'd seen a bug and stormed off without a word.

Not a shred of manners.

"So, what'd you wanna say?"

With Ye-rin gone, I asked first. Chae-rin blinked her big eyes and spoke softly.

"Oh, uh... I heard you showed Ji-woo unni that Short today."

"The Short? ...Ah, yeah. I did. Is that it?"

"Yeah. Looks like Ji-woo unni checked the comments there. Said it might be the shock therapy she needs..."

Whoa. That girl's savage.

I figured it was about Ji-woo since Chae-rin brought up the Short, but didn't expect her to dig through the comments like that.

Should've confiscated her phone or something.

I smiled faintly at Chae-rin.

"Just take good care of her for now. She wouldn't have lost control of her eating if the stress wasn't that bad—and she's got that strong sense of duty."

"......"

Suddenly, Chae-rin looked at me with warm eyes.

Her cheeks flushed as she murmured,

"...Sung-woo oppa, thanks for worrying about us so much."

Damn, busted.

Couldn't even say "no big deal" as empty politeness—not after what went down with Ye-rin in this car.

Still, I didn't want to look like a jerk to Chae-rin.

I flashed a kind smile.

"Thanks for telling me. Head in."

"Okay. Drive safe, Sung-woo oppa."

Chae-rin closed the door gently and headed to the dorm.

She kept glancing back and waving—I waved back a few times.

Such a quiet, pretty girl with a great personality; no wonder she thrives in this industry.

Anyway, right after seeing Chae-rin off.

'This might turn into a problem.'

I started getting a little worried.

Ji-woo getting shocked was secondary; if she went hardcore on the diet after, it'd mess up my plans.

I needed her to fail at dieting first so I could swoop in as the lifesaver and become indispensable.

"Ah... Shit, bad vibes?"

I fidgeted anxiously, tilting my head every which way, then turned the car around.

And luckily.

The very next day.

I confirmed that nagging feeling and worry were just baseless paranoia.