Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Question
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Chapter 156.
“The director mentioned Team Leader Lee looked busy, so I said I’d take care of Yoo-ah today. Since they’re appearing together anyway.”
“Oh… okay. Thanks. I’ll send you the schedule, then.”
I could guess the director’s intentions, but there was no need to rub in the fact that I was above Team Leader Lee. So, I tweaked the truth and acted humbly. After all, Team Leader Lee was already aware of my position.
After the radio show, Lee Yoo-ah was scheduled for Tube’s ‘Stage On.’
It was a channel that invited talented indie artists and rookies to create and upload live performance videos, and it had a large international audience.
A good feeling about this.
- I’ll pick you up today. It’ll take about 35 minutes.
I sent the text to Lee Yoo-ah and set off, listening to music.
It was a song I’d been working on recently, with a repeating acoustic guitar riff of G, B7, Em, and C. As I layered a beat like a heartbeat, evoking a warm spring day and the excitement of the present, a song that I was quite fond of was taking shape.
Even though it had no lyrics, I hummed a rap-like, yet not-quite-rap melody to the beat.
It would probably be even better if I wrote the lyrics myself, but I was only commissioned for the music.
- Extend the delay at 3:24. Mute it, then raise the key to emphasize the hook.
I jotted down parts to add to the song whenever I stopped at a red light. After listening to the track about seven times, I began to see Lee Yoo-ah’s house.
“…Oh, dear.”
Next to Yoo-ah, who had her face covered with a hat, stood her mother, the owner of the chicken restaurant. Her beaming smile told me she knew I was coming.
I got out of the car and greeted her.
“Hello, ma’am.”
“Oh, my, Manager-nim.”
“No, it’s PD-nim.”
Yoo-ah said, looking a little flustered.
“That’s right. PD-nim.”
“It’s alright. I do manager work too.”
“My daughter succeeded thanks to you, PD-nim. You have no idea how much I cried watching the broadcast.”
Lee Yoo-ah’s mother’s eyes welled up with tears as if she were reliving the moment.
“Mom, why are you talking about that? We have to go.”
“Oh, right, right. You should get going.”
“I’ll see you next time, then.”
“When will you be coming?”
I was momentarily at a loss for words at her mother’s cheerful question.
“Mooom!”
“Alright, dear. You should be on your way. You must come for a meal sometime.”
“Yes…. Goodbye, then.”
I broke out in a sweat over such a small thing.
As I got into the car, Yoo-ah soon followed. Though her face was hidden by her hat, the corners of her lips, turned up in a smile, showed her recent satisfaction.
“Are you happy?”
“Thanks to you, Oppa.”
Lee Yoo-ah’s self-esteem had grown quite a bit.
She used to stumble over how to address me, but now she called me ‘Oppa’ with confidence.
“I’m glad.”
“Glad about what?”
Because if you had stayed at SJ, you would have died.
The funeral portrait I saw at Lee Yoo-ah’s funeral once again overlapped with her current appearance.
I wish I could shake it off already. It’s something that didn’t happen, yet it still unnerves me.
“Yoo-ah, if you had stayed there, you would have been ruined.”
“That’s why I’m always grateful. Me and my parents.”
“Well, it’s because you trusted me. You really seem like a celebrity now. You’ve got an aura.”
“…I’m not even wearing makeup, what are you talking about?”
She seemed a little embarrassed about her bare face and tried to avoid eye contact, but I could see a smile threatening to reach her ears.
On the way to the salon, Yoo-ah caught herself humming and stopped in embarrassment several times.
♪♬
“Hmm-hmm, haaat… Ahem! I listened to it so much while practicing that it’s stuck in my head.”
Yoo-ah made a lame excuse.
We arrived at the salon.
- The lovely Lee Yoo-ah has arrived.
As we followed an employee to a chair, a group of familiar girls approached us.
It was the popular group Pink Edge, who had cheered for Answer and me when I first started managing their schedule.
“You’re Answer’s manager, right?”
“Hello. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Ah! You remember greeting us.”
“Of course. I’ve always been grateful for the support you showed Answer.”
Just then, a staff member from the salon chimed in with a bright face.
“You know our Team Leader Min-jun?”
“Huh? Unni, you introduced us back then. You asked if we wanted to say hi to a new group called Answer.”
“Ah! Oh, right, that was you girls. Well, one can forget. Right, Teamjang-nim?”
“Of course. I appreciate it.”
Lee Yoo-ah couldn’t join the conversation and stood nervously to the side.
“We saw you perform CPR. You were so cool.”
“Thank you.”
“Our manager oppa is just getting fat.”
“I’m so jealous.”
The members of Pink Edge, who had finished their makeup, gathered around one by one and muttered.
“Did you change who you’re in charge of?”
The leader of Pink Edge asked, looking at Yoo-ah.
“No. I’m still in charge of Answer, but I have a schedule with Yoo-ah here today.”
“Hello, Seonbae-nim. I’m Lee Yoo-ah, a rookie from JD Enter……”
Yoo-ah seized the opportunity and bowed deeply. I felt the need to introduce her further.
“Oh…. The JD juniors are all so pretty, aren’t they?”
“Not at all, Seonbae-nim. Thank you.”
“Hee. She says ‘not at all’ but then says ‘thank you.’”
Finding Yoo-ah’s reaction cute, the Pink Edge members giggled amongst themselves.
“She’s a singer-songwriter. She has the potential to be even more successful than Answer.”
“Wow, hearing the manager say that with such confidence, it must be true.”
Flustered, Yoo-ah stared at me with a stiff expression.
“…Why would you say that, PD-nim?”
“Haha, Yoo-ah is so cute.”
The leader of Pink Edge smiled at the flustered Yoo-ah.
“I have a feeling she’s going to be a huge hit.”
“Thank you, Seonbae-nim.”
After an exchange of greetings that involved countless bows, Yoo-ah’s makeup session began.
“I’ll be back in a little while.”
“Okay. See you later.”
I headed to Answer’s dorm.
* * *
The members of Answer came out of their dorm, each wearing natural makeup and high-waisted, thigh-hugging bootcut jeans.
“Oppa, my pants are pretty, right?”
Yi-na, who had matured physically quite a bit since last year, said while striking a model-like pose.
The little crybaby wants to act like a grown-up now, huh?
“Yeah. The fit looks good on you, Yi-na.”
“Ahaha!”
Yi-na suddenly spun in place.
“Geez. Why is she so hyper again?”
Seul-bi shook her head as she walked down the stairs, and the other members chuckled as they followed.
Bootcut jeans were a trend from long ago, but they suited the members of Answer perfectly with their retro disco concept. Maybe they would even bring flared pants back into fashion…
“They look really good on you all. I think Answer might just make bootcut jeans a trend again.”
“Oppa has a good eye. Trend confirmed!”
“Confirmed!”
The members of Answer got into the car.
“The coffee smells nice.”
“Roasters Coffee?”
How she could identify the cafe just by the scent was beyond me, but she was right; I had bought the coffee from a cafe called ‘Roasters.’
“You’re like a psychic, Seul-bi. It is Roasters.”
“This much is basic.”
“Thank you for the coffee.”
“I’ll enjoy it.”
Seol-ah took a sip of her coffee, her expression one of small bliss, and then spoke up.
“It’s pretty far from here. How did you manage to get it?”
“Yoo-ah was getting her full makeup done, so I had a lot of time. And I know you all like it.”
Yi-na made a heart with both hands, and Ro-si, though a bit awkwardly, joined in.
I started the car.
But for the past few days, Seul-bi’s energy seemed to be low.
“Seul-bi, are you not feeling well these days?”
“Huh? No? Not at all.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
The way she tried not to show it made me even more concerned. If it were something serious, a quest window would probably pop up.
We arrived at the salon. The members of Answer could have stayed in the car, but they made a point of getting out and going inside.
“Hello, teacher!”
“Unni, hi!”
After cheerfully greeting the salon staff, the members watched until Lee Yoo-ah’s makeup was finished and then came out with her.
“Yoo-ah, you’re so pretty.”
“Unni, you’re prettier.”
Ro-si watched with a pleased expression as Seol-ah and Yoo-ah playfully argued over who was prettier.
“But… Oppa, aren’t you going to buy a car?”
Yi-na asked casually, which was unlike her.
“I mostly use the company car. It hasn’t been a major inconvenience so far.”
That’s what I said, but as someone who had to split my time, I did wonder if buying a car would be more beneficial.
At this point, the most efficient way to grow my assets was to grow JD Enter and take it public. I already had as much equity as I could get.
If I developed Answer according to my plan, they would generate profits on par with Fire Emblem, which was pulling in over 100 billion won in revenue every half-year from their international activities.
Should I just buy one since I’m thinking about it?
But why did the members’ expressions suddenly change? They had looked expectant just a moment ago, but now they were staring sullenly at the radio script.
Did they not like the script? I had already reviewed it all. But if that were the case, Yoo-ah, who was looking at the same script, wouldn't have such a bright expression.
* * *
- Welcome back to Part 3 of Cheol-su and Yeong-hui’s Flirty Radio!
- Woohoo!
Answer and Lee Yoo-ah cheered for the opening of part three, hosted by the male and female comedian DJs.
- Did you hear those lovely voices? As we announced, the hot group Answer is with us today, along with the singer-songwriter Lee Yoo-ah, who is doing a mashup project with them.
“Ask us questions! Hello, we are Answer.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Lee Yoo-ah, and I’m honored to be working on a project with my seniors, Answer.”
- Wooohooo!
At the loud cheers and applause, Lee Yoo-ah wore a pleased expression.
- Ooh… You’re wearing bell-bottoms, I see.
- What do you mean, bell-bottoms? They’re high-waisted bootcut jeans.
- Hey, why do we have to use a foreign word when we have a perfectly good Korean one like ‘napal-baji’?
- Ah, yes, yes. I get it. No need to get angry. Anyway, Answer, your outfits are hip. Very hip.
- You’re something else. Anyway, since Answer is wearing them, I’m sure they’ll become a trend.
- Of course.
The DJs’ ad-libs brought bright smiles to Answer’s faces.
- A few days ago, Answer and Yoo-ah had a special stage, right?
- I saw that performance. It was amazing. It was like a musical that traveled between the past and the present.
- I saw it too. I already love retro disco, and then suddenly, it wasn't Answer but Lee Yoo-ah who came out.
- You thought it was a broadcasting accident, didn’t you?
- Yes, yes. I thought, ‘Oh no, a broadcasting accident. This is bad.’ But it wasn't; it was a mashup project. I was amazed when I first saw you, Yoo-ah.
- That’s right. Especially the rap part, right? The one in English. That part was so captivating. It had an American pop feel.
The DJs, Cheol-su and Yeong-hui, bantered back and forth, excitedly building up the atmosphere, while Answer and Yoo-ah warmed up the show with short answers and laughter.
- Ah, but Answer, you came dressed relatively comfortably despite the retro concept… but Yoo-ah, you came fully geared up, didn’t you?
“Yes. After this broadcast, I’m going on Tube’s ‘Stage On’ channel.”
- Ooh. The one that only casts talented vocal teams?
“Ah, no, that’s not it.”
- Oh, so are you saying the people who have appeared there so far aren’t talented?
“Ack! Nooo!”
- Hahaha.
Everyone burst into laughter at Yoo-ah’s flustered scream.
- Yoo-ah, you’re too modest.
“I’m not……”
- She says ‘no’ again!
- Hahahaha!
Lee Yoo-ah was completely drained from her first radio broadcast, but thanks to her sacrifice, the show’s atmosphere became incredibly lively.
- I know you all in Answer have gone through a lot. The toughest time… you’ve probably talked about that many times, so how about you tell us about the most embarrassing moment? This question is for Seol-ah!
That question wasn’t in the script. Why did they suddenly change it?
I was worried Seol-ah would be flustered, but she suddenly covered her mouth and started holding back laughter. Then, she seemed to mouth something to the other members, as if asking for their opinion.
- What is it, what could it be?
“Ah… ahem. I’m sorry. Last year, one of our members left, and the catalyst for that was a concert for the troops in Gangwon Province.”
- Concerts for the troops are fun! I went to one once, and the thunderous cheers from the soldiers gave me chills.
This creeping sense of dread…
“We had to go on stage right after our lead vocalist suddenly left.”
- Oh no!
“And to make things worse, our debut song at the time had a two-person sexy dance routine.”
- Oh my gosh, what did you do!
Damn it.
A cold sweat broke out all over my body.