Chapter 213
Chapter 213
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 213
Chapter Title: Let's Start Our Relationship from Zero Again!
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A fairly heavy silence ensued.
It was only natural, perhaps.
From a certain perspective, the relationship between the person sitting before me and I was akin to that of the perpetrator who posted malicious comments and the victim.
I didn't mind at all, but from her standpoint, it was surely different.
That must be why she averted her gaze whenever our eyes met, fleeing like.
In a way, it felt regrettable.
Her actions had been wrong, of course, but it seemed like she was burdened with far too much guilt over it.
"To explain the situation... Jang Ji-won applied for the second generation of Blue LUV this time. Her results were quite good, so I had already marked her as a passer personally."
"Wow, really?"
"Huh? Is that true?"
Breaking the silence, the President's words drew surprised reactions from both of us.
Ji-won hadn't even anticipated she'd make the shortlist.
Her eyes wide open, she stared at the President with a dazed expression.
"But before the interview ended, Ji-won confessed. She said she was the one who'd wronged you, Lulu."
"Ah..."
I see.
For Ji-won, it must have been a heavy burden weighing on her heart.
No matter how much she'd apologized to me, she couldn't just brush it off and pretend it never happened since I truly didn't care.
She's a good person.
Regardless of her actions back then.
At her core, I believed she was a good person.
"So I agonized over it a bit. As you know, Lulu, our company has no intention of recruiting anyone with personality issues. You'd remember that from the questions during your own interview, right?"
"Yes, of course."
Posting problematic content on SNS or past misdeeds.
Our company is quite strict about managing those things.
There's a saying about not picking at scabs, and the President's philosophy is basically that 'people with flawed character aren't worth nurturing, even more than those lacking talent.'
"In a way, Ji-won falls into that category too. But the difference is that you, the person directly involved, Lulu, have forgiven her for it."
"But you felt that wasn't enough, right, President?"
By calling me here specifically, I could grasp her intent.
Reading my thoughts, I posed the question cautiously, and the President nodded.
"Exactly. To be honest now, when I saw your stream back then, I even considered suing her. But since you brushed it off like it was nothing, I thought it might not be right for me to step in unnecessarily, so I let it go."
"Th-that serious?"
"Of course. For her to hurl that kind of trash at my girl... Ah, sorry."
I hadn't realized she'd even thought of legal action, so I asked back in shock.
The President started to raise her voice in agitation, using rougher language, but caught herself and stopped.
Ji-won hurriedly waved her hands in response.
"N-no, it's fine. I was the one in the wrong. I'm truly grateful you even let it slide."
With those words, Ji-won bowed her head deeply.
She still felt so sorry about her actions back then that she couldn't easily speak up.
Even if I said it was okay, it probably held little meaning for her right now.
"Anyway, that's why I wanted to hand the decision over to you, Lulu—that's why I called you here."
"Huh? The decision to me...?"
"Yeah. Sorry if it feels like I'm dumping the burden on you... but I'll leave how we handle Ji-won up to you. I think forgiving her is different from being able to work together."
Ughhh, suddenly saddled with this absurd responsibility.
But the President had a point.
No matter how much I said I'd forgiven her or didn't mind on the surface.
From the listener's perspective, they might think I was just saying it to avoid burdening them.
Besides, we hadn't met under the best circumstances anyway.
She might feel some resistance to becoming colleagues and working together.
That's why the President handed the decision to me.
Whether to accept Ji-won as part of the second generation or not.
"Um... Then, could I ask Ji-won something first?"
"Y-yes...! Of course."
"What made you write those comments back then? Oh, I'm not trying to scold you now or anything. It's just... seeing you, Ji-won, you seem like such a good person. So I was a little curious why you'd write something like that."
"Well, actually..."
Glancing at me briefly, fiddling with her hands on the table.
Then, trying to meet my eyes clearly, Ji-won spoke in a slightly subdued voice.
"I'm not on your level, Lulu, but... my family situation wasn't great. So I was always a bit mentally strained. Then I came across your donation post."
"Please go on."
"Yes. Looking at that post, I felt this inferiority complex bubbling up, you know? Like, 'I'm struggling just to take care of myself, so why is this person—who's been through something similar—helping others?' That kind of thought."
I nodded calmly at Ji-won's honest answer.
I got what she meant.
Her tweet back then had carried a similar sentiment.
She called it an inferiority complex, but it might have been closer to a question.
You know those people—ones who aren't well-off themselves but still strive to help others.
I wasn't on that level of kindness.
But to Ji-won, it might have felt frustratingly the same.
Like, 'Just focus on yourself.'
And since it overlapped with her own situation, it sparked some anger while watching.
So she impulsively wrote those comments.
"Then, when I went to your stream to apologize, hearing your words made me realize. 'There are people in this world who can love others this much.' It had nothing to do with material wealth. That's when I realized my thinking was narrow-minded."
"No, not at all. Actually, even the President tried to stop me at first. She said my heart was in the right place, but maybe wait until I had more leeway."
"That's right."
As if recalling that time, the President gave a wry smile.
In the stream, we'd said the President gladly joined the donation.
But initially, she'd tried to dissuade me, saying I'd do it alone and for me to wait until I was more secure.
But realizing my stubbornness wouldn't budge, she permitted it.
Thanks to that, we could do a good deed.
One that's still ongoing, even now.
"In a way, it's understandable why Ji-won thought that. Someone else might have wondered, 'Why go that far?' There are surely more people out there like you, Ji-won."
Of course, the fans were thrilled, cheering on the good deed.
But even in the chat back then, quite a few Cherries expressed worry.
Since many knew my family background.
Some even gave realistic advice as if it were their own issue, saying it might be better to wait until I had more breathing room.
Even so, I persisted with the donations—not just because I wanted to do something nice.
My current life was already more than satisfying, overflowing even.
So I wanted to share even a little of that excess with those around me.
Unlike truly kind people who split even the smallest scraps.
I was merely giving away what I had left over after my own needs.
That's why I've never thought of myself as a particularly good person.
"Anyway, thanks to that conversation with you back then, my view of the world changed a bit. Seeing you push forward, Lulu, made me want to follow your example. I succeeded in getting my first job, started working... and lately, I've even been volunteering a little at a nearby orphanage."
"Wow, really? That's amazing..."
"N-not like you, Lulu. Just playing with the kids on weekends when I have nothing else to do at home."
Ji-won waved it off modestly, but I still found it impressive.
If she'd started working after that, it hadn't been long.
Exhausted from work, most would want to rest on weekends, yet here she was volunteering.
It really drove home that she's good at heart.
"Honestly, I thought I shouldn't even apply for the second generation. Even if I've changed my mindset now, for me—the one who said those things to you—to apply to Blue LUV... it felt like I had no conscience."
"But I kept thinking back to seeing you at the birthday cafe not long ago. You shone so brightly, and that was the first time I thought, 'I want to be someone like that.'"
"So I applied on impulse. Honestly, I didn't expect to even pass the first round. But when the acceptance notice came, I hesitated. Wondering if I should give up the opportunity."
She must have wrestled with a lot.
It wasn't just pangs of conscience.
She was at a crossroads: abandon the dream she'd harbored for the first time in her life, or not.
"But then my brother said something. That if I backed out rashly here, what about someone else who might get rejected because of me? So I made up my mind. During the interview, I'd at least come clean about this. Even if it meant failing, no regrets."
With those words, Ji-won's gaze toward me held firm resolve.
Even if I flatly said right here that I didn't want to work with her.
It was the kind of resolve that said she could smile without a hint of regret.
I see.
Yeah, I definitely felt it.
This person wasn't just disclosing this to preempt any awkwardness for Blue LUV.
Even if she failed here and remained just one of our fans.
She clearly wanted to face us more squarely.
I thought that took real courage.
"...With that in mind, let me apologize once more. I'm truly sorry, Lulu."
Rising from her seat, bowing at a perfect ninety degrees.
Ji-won kept her head down for a long while.
Watching her, I steeled my resolve.
Of course, you can't know someone's full sincerity from a brief meeting.
The saying exists for a reason: you can know ten miles of water but not a foot of human heart.
Still, I wanted to trust my instincts.
"It's okay, Ji-won. You've been through a lot. And..."
Standing up myself, I gently extended my right hand to help her lift her head properly.
Seeing it, Ji-won's eyes widened, and I couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
"Please take care of me from now on, Junior."
"Ah...!"
Not hiding the smile.
I greeted my first-ever junior once more.
Ji-won reached for my hand but hesitated, bowing her head again.
Drip...
Drip...
The President silently passed her some tissues as hot tears wetted the table.
Perhaps through those tears, all the lingering resentment and debris between us was washing away.
The thought suddenly crossed my mind.