Chapter 23

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 23

Chapter Title: Why Is She Acting Like This?

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How long can she keep dieting alone?

023

I blankly watched Ye-rin on the verge of bursting into tears.

Should I try to comfort her? But if I even patted her shoulder, she’d probably jump out of her skin.

How the hell was I supposed to get out of this mess?

After agonizing over it, I made a decision.

Break through with a drip.

I’d calmed her down with nonsense earlier, after all.

"What’re you crying about?"

"...You’re asking like you don’t know right now..."

"Because I confessed? Come on, it was just a confession—do you really have to cry like your heart’s breaking?"

Ye-rin shot me an incredulous look when I framed it like her tears were over the top.

"Stop saying creepy shit, even if it’s empty words. Please."

"Creepy enough to give you chills? And I’m telling you, it’s not empty."

"No, cough! Hack! Kek!"

Ye-rin choked and coughed repeatedly, then finally caught her breath—only to snap at me irritably.

"Ugh, damn it... My tears are all gone because of you."

"Good, crisis averted. That was me trying to cheer you up."

"......"

Ye-rin’s brows furrowed deeply.

She always took my concern like it was bullshit.

Whatever—at least the crying stopped.

I glanced at the cold sweat beading on Ye-rin’s forehead and asked.

Her state made me worry about today’s schedule.

"You gonna make it through today’s schedule?"

"...I can do it. Don’t worry, I won’t flake."

She sounded like she’d crawl through hell if she had to, but something still felt off.

I pulled out my smartphone, messaged the shop, and said.

"Pushing back the shop reservation a bit. Let’s get you an IV drip first."

"What? Why’re you deciding that on your own?"

"Should I ask your permission first?"

I’d already booked the IV.

Being an idol manager had its perks, but hearing Ye-rin bitching next to me made me question if it really was convenient.

"Fine, call someone else. I’m ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not going with you even if I die."

"What’re you saying? I’m the one who caused this—I should take care of it. Plus, I’m worried."

My cute little Ye-rin needs to recover fast so we can bang again—how could I not worry?

Her eyes flickered at my last words, then she muttered softly.

"...Then quit."

"Think that’ll happen?"

"Fuckin’ asshole."

Ye-rin glared daggers at me as she got up.

I set down the hangover remedy and medicine and stood too.

"I’ll let it slide since you’re sick. Get dressed and come out."

Then I left the room.

In the meantime, Chae-rin, Ha-neul, and Cookie had woken up and come out. I told Ji-woo.

"I’ll call another manager for today, so head out separately for now."

"Is Unnie okay? She looks really ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bad."

Cookie worried, nibbling her lip with her bunny teeth. I shook my head.

"She says she can handle the schedule, so it’s probably not that serious. I’ll get her IV done first, so the rest of you go to the shop ahead."

The four nodded and started getting ready. Soon, Min-jae arrived, and they filed out one by one.

A moment later, Ye-rin came out dressed. We headed to the hospital.

*

No hospitals open at this dawn hour except emergency rooms.

Ye-rin lay flat on an ER bed, getting her IV.

As the drip flowed in, her fever seemed to drop, and she fell asleep with a much more relaxed expression.

‘First girl to catch a fever and get sick just from a little sex.’

Listening to her soft breathing, I tried to manipulate Ji-woo’s status window—when a script window popped up.

Now? It hadn’t settled until now? Almost lost out on points. Even settlements have delays, huh.

Definitely different scoring from usual.

Good thing—the score would’ve been trash otherwise, and I’d be pissed.

Now, time to tweak the overall evaluation based on this.

I pulled up Ji-woo’s status window right away.

"She’s really gained some weight."

Ji-woo absolutely needed a slim 125 body type.

56kg? I clearly remembered the freakout when she even hit over 50kg.

No wonder she looked puffy.

But from now on, I had to make her gain so much she couldn’t handle it herself.

What to put in the ‘Overall Evaluation’ section?

‘Park Ji-woo’s weight balloons in an instant’?

Damn it.

Does a broad manipulation like that eat up massive MP?

Fine, then.

[Daily fluctuation within ±0.5kg range, up or down.]

How’s that?

"Oh."

A more positive message appeared than before.

‘Fuck. Maintenance is expensive as hell.’

One fuck with Ye-rin to earn the points, and now dumping them all here.

Infuriating, but no other way.

Yes for now.

Overall Evaluation

-Weight increased due to uncontrollable appetite.

-Daily fluctuation within [0.?kg] range: [Gain / Loss]. (30 days remaining)

I set it to +0.5kg immediately.

Okay, perfect.

Option saved, so I closed the status window.

I was secretly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠looking forward to it.

How long can she keep dieting alone?

"Eh, if she keeps starving herself, I’ll just use that other method."

I’d already learned plenty of ways to shake her mentally through Ye-rin.

*

After the IV finished, I loaded Ye-rin into the car and arrived at the shop.

"Ye-rin. Wake up. We’re at the shop."

I woke her from dozing in the back seat.

She blinked groggily, then slowly sat up and stretched with a big yawn.

"How’s your body? Feeling okay?"

"...A bit better. I can handle the schedule no problem."

I’d asked about her condition, not the schedule—but if she could do it, she was fine enough.

I led Ye-rin to the elevator in the underground parking.

I side-eyed her state on the way up.

The IV worked well—her sallow face was back to its usual pale white.

The eye swelling... Makeup team would handle it.

The elevator stopped.

Inside the shop, the prepared staff swarmed Ye-rin.

The first to catch my eye was our pretty Chae-rin. Cookie and Ha-neul were cute, but couldn’t compare.

"Ye-rin Unnie! You okay? Did the IV shot hurt?"

"I’m fine now."

"Waaah, Unnie’s arm has a bruise. Bad Sung-woo!"

"Kuh... Bad Sung-woo..."

"......"

I dodged Cookie cursing me and Ha-neul who burst out laughing, heading deeper into the shop.

Ji-woo was finishing her makeup inside.

She spotted me in the mirror and smiled.

"Manager Oppa, you’re here?"

"Yeah. Ye-rin’s starting makeup soon too."

As we chatted idly, I eyed Ji-woo’s face in the mirror.

Her cheeks bunched thicker than usual when she smiled, and her jaw looked a tad fuller—though maybe just an illusion.

‘But soon enough.’

Illusion or not now, Ji-woo’s jaw fat would soon pile up.

Inevitable, set fate.

Imagining her rounding out all over already had me excited.

Then.

‘Hm?’

I felt eyes on me, turned, and locked gazes with Ye-rin.

She’d caught me staring at Ji-woo.

Ye-rin sidled over and ventriloquized softly.

"What’re you staring at?"

...Shouldn’t have wasted that IV?

Does she have radar? Knows the look of me scheming from experience?

Then Ye-rin sharpened her tone more.

"I’m asking. Why’re you grinning like a creep at her?"

She’d almost said “splitting grin” or something.

The other three members noticed too, eyes widening at Ye-rin.

Not just me, huh.

I’d been busted fair and square, but whipped up an excuse and pivoted.

"Ji-woo really hasn’t been eating lately, right?"

"...Ah."

Ye-rin eased her edge, expression shifting to ‘oh, that’s why you were looking at Unnie.’

"She hasn’t been eating much lately."

"Good then. ...But is it a crime to look at my charges? Why glare like that?"

"...!"

Ye-rin’s face flushed red instantly.

"That’s not what I—!"

She started to say something, then clamped her mouth shut.

What? Why’s she like this?

Even Chae-rin and the others looked puzzled at her reaction, exchanging confused glances but saying nothing.

Did they make some secret pact without me?

Why’re they all clamming up and rolling eyes at each other?

*

That night.

LUNIQUE members barely finished their schedule and returned to the dorm.

After showering, Ji-woo entered her room to rest but startled at the full-length mirror.

Her reflection looked puffier, and not even a full day had passed.

‘...Did I bloat?’

I didn’t eat anything today?

Ji-woo scanned her body, mentally reviewing the day’s food.

Salad for all three meals...

‘Was eating salad three times a day still too much?’

‘Gotta ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠really watch it from now on.’

Ji-woo steeled herself.

Gaining more weight and burdening the manager and members? Her pride wouldn’t allow it.

That’s also why she couldn’t ask the manager for help—her obsession that she had to solve her own problems to preserve pride.

So she’d actually skipped meals, today truly only salad.

The reason she could binge occasionally was her metabolism.

Didn’t gain easily, and cutting carbs shed any fat quick.

This time would be the same.

With that thought, she’d continued her binge—but now, eyeing her thicker thighs, she vowed again and lay on the bed.

‘Get it together, Park Ji-woo. Diet properly.’

And the next day.

"Wha... Wha...?"

Ji-woo woke in horror.

Even puffier than yesterday.

She frantically pulled out the scale hidden under the bed and stepped on.

-56.2kg

"Wha... Wha...?"

Her eyes shook violently.

With trembling hands, she checked her phone app’s weekly weight log.

"N-No... How...?"

She’d dropped from 56kg to 55.5kg over the week, but it all rebounded overnight.

Ji-woo dazedly stepped off the scale.

A bit disoriented, she desperately clung to reason, trying to analyze coldly.

"This doesn’t make sense."

Not even 24 hours—48 tops—and only salad, low salt, plenty of water but none for the last 2 hours before bed, i.e., 8 hours dry.

Impossible situation, but she could rationalize.

"It’ll... It’ll drop soon."

Ji-woo kept stroking her pounding chest, muttering.

"Yeah, right before losing weight, there’s always that bloating phase... Yeah..."

But fear had already taken root in her heart.