Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: A Painful Misunderstanding
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The trainees' over-the-top greetings seemed to have pushed Isa-nim's curiosity to its peak. To be honest, this was a situation I likely wouldn't have experienced without the Charisma trait.
“I think it's because of how I trained the new member.”
“New member?”
“You entrusted me with her orientation, remember?”
Isa-nim blinked hard a few times, her eyes looking tired.
“…Right.”
“I even brought in male trainees to simulate synchronizing in front of a real audience.”
Isa-nim gave a slight nod.
“An audience…”
“Yes. It seems they learned something from watching me coach her back then.”
“Oppa, you're training our new member?”
The members looked at me, surprised.
“…Wait here for a moment.”
Sometimes you don't feel drunk until you stand up. I think that was what was happening to Isa-nim now.
“Let me come with…”
“No. I'll be right back.”
Seol-ah, noticing Isa-nim's condition, tried to follow, but Isa-nim firmly refused.
“So Oppa is really training the new member?”
“…I'm just helping with the choreography. There's a difference between dancing alone and having someone watch you from the front.”
Yi-na nodded as if in agreement.
“But you know what's more important than that?”
“…”
Seul-bi asked with a sigh.
“The fact that I didn't get to finish the meat.”
“Hey…! You ate three times more than me. How embarrassing, your foot sme—”
Seol-ah was scolding Seul-bi, who couldn't let go of her obsession with the meat, but then she clamped her mouth shut.
Isa-nim really did come back quickly. But her pale face and red eyes showed just how bad her condition was.
I could see her struggling to focus, forcing strength into her blurry eyes just to walk straight. She might have been regretting not just calling a designated driver.
Isa-nim insisted on sitting in the passenger seat, likely not wanting the members to see her struggling.
“Isa-nim, where do you live?”
“…Go to the dorms first.”
“Okay.”
Despite her pale face, Isa-nim's voice was surprisingly steady. As I started driving, my 'Best Driver' trait activated.
The car moved with a stability that made it feel glued to the road.
“…That's strange.”
Isa-nim, who had her eyes closed, spoke.
“What is?”
“…The ride is as smooth as a train, even though this road has a lot of speed bumps.”
“It really is, isn't it? I don't think I've ever felt a single bump when Oppa drives. I slept like a baby when we came back from our event in Gangwon-do.”
Yi-na agreed with Isa-nim.
“Maybe it's just because you're tired?”
“I've been going to events for over ten—”
Isa-nim trailed off. Through the rearview mirror, I saw Seol-ah give a wry smile from the back seat. She seemed to know why Isa-nim had cut herself off. Saying 'over ten years' would make her sound too old, right?
But Isa-nim had been in a girl group at an age similar to Yi-na's. She might have the air of a veteran, but she was only in her early thirties with looks that could rival any active idol. Honestly, based on pure beauty alone, ignoring age, Isa-nim would rank in the top 10 of any girl group.
We arrived at the dorm.
“Rest well and be safe. And…”
Isa-nim brushed back her hair and rummaged through her bag, pulling out three envelopes. The members' eyes widened.
“You girls got a good manager.”
The members' faces filled with surprise as they checked the contents of the envelopes.
“Huh? It's money again?”
A cold sweat ran down my back at the sound of a drunk Seul-bi's voice. It seemed Isa-nim remembered the words I'd mumbled.
Seol-ah spoke, her expression hardening.
“…What is this, Isa-nim?”
“So you can have dinner with your parents. You girls don't have any money, right?”
I broke out in a cold sweat.
Isa-nim's words were exactly the same as what I had said when I gave the members the money from selling my mother's ring.
Seol-ah's face went rigid.
“It's fine, take it. Think of it as an allowance from me and the head producer. The company's situation isn't great right now, so I couldn't give you much.”
The money Yi-na pulled out looked to be at least 500,000 won.
“Thank you, Isa-niiiim!”
Unlike the joyful Seul-bi, Yi-na and Seol-ah were looking back and forth between me and Isa-nim. I was worried by the look on Seol-ah's face, her pride clearly wounded.
“It's dark, so go up with them. I'll stay in the car.”
“Okay.”
“We'll head up first, Isa-nim. Thank you so much.”
“Alright. Don't wander around unless it's a crowded place. Let's work hard when you get back, okay?”
As Isa-nim leaned her head back and closed her eyes, Seol-ah started up the stairs before I did. Her sharp stride didn't care that her skirt was fluttering about.
“Ah, Unni! Your skirt, your skirt!”
“Unni, wait for us! Ugh, she's just overflowing with energy.”
I climbed the stairs like a guilty man, unable to lift my head. If I did, I might really become a sinner.
The more I think about it, the angrier I get. That was money I got from selling my mother's precious ring. Why do I have to go through this?
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Clack.
The door was thrown open roughly. I ran and caught it just as it was about to close. Seul-bi and Yi-na went inside first.
“I'll be here on time tomorrow.”
“Wait a moment.”
Seol-ah, who I thought had gone to her room, reappeared. Her eyes were glistening with tears.
“Whose money was it that you gave us, Manager-nim?”
If I was going to lie, I might as well make it a convincing one.
“It was money the Daepyo-nim gave me separately, without Isa-nim knowing. She doesn't...”
“Oppa. The Daepyo-nim never gave us anything separately.”
Yi-na cut me off with a bitter expression.
How does Yi-na know that? Things have gotten strangely twisted.
“…Did we look that pathetic to you?”
My heart sank at Seol-ah's words.
Why is this going this way? Seol-ah, you're jumping to conclusions.
“…”
“…Are we… such beggars that we deserve that kind of pity!”
“…”
[Seol-ah's favorability and trust in you have decreased by -50.]
The aura connecting me to Seol-ah severed, and a chilling sensation washed over me.
[Sudden Quest Generated: 'Misunderstanding'.]
Your pity has touched a sore spot. Good intentions are worse than nothing if the result is bad. Clear up the misunderstanding and restore normalcy.
Reward: Major increase in favorability and trust, 5 distributable points.
Failure: Seol-ah will leave the group and go to SJ.
To hell with the quest.
I feel so damn awful I could go crazy.
Her sorrow erupting, Seol-ah bit her lip and stared at me with resentful eyes. Coming from Seol-ah, who had been the strongest of the members, this was a shock. It seemed her complex, fueled by her strong pride, was far deeper than I had ever imagined.
“…”
I couldn't find the words to say.
“…Unni.”
As tears welled up in Seol-ah's eyes, Yi-na's eyes also started to fill.
“I'll tell you the truth when I get back. Don't cry. It makes me feel like a criminal, and I don't like it.”
I left the dorm without waiting for a reply.
It's true my meddling was excessive. No, this wasn't meddling, it was supposed to be a win-win situation, wasn't it?
I returned to the car where Isa-nim was waiting. I had to take her home quickly and then clear up the members' misunderstanding. Isa-nim was asleep, oblivious to me even getting in the car.
“Isa-nim. Where is your home?”
“…”
“Isa-nim! I need to know where you live to take you there!”
Her willpower must have run out, as she was now completely passed out—a totally different state from just a few minutes ago.
“Ugh... mmmph...”
“…”
Isa-nim just mumbled something unintelligible, whether it was sleep-talking or something else, I couldn't tell.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
I felt like she wouldn't want me to take her to the dorms. I waited for a bit, but Isa-nim didn't wake up.
If it weren't for the members, I would've just waited here until she woke up, but I had to resolve their issue quickly.
But I couldn't just leave her here alone either.
***
Vzzz.
Lee Yoo-ah, engrossed in her music production, was startled by a call from her mother. It was already very late.
“Yeah, Mom. I think I have to stay at the company tonight.”
-Why, at this late hour?
“I have a lot of work to do.”
-...It's not for some other reason, is it?
Hearing the worry in her mother's voice, Lee Yoo-ah sighed and switched to a video call.
“Here, look.”
Yoo-ah showed her workspace on her phone—the master keyboard, console, monitors, and all.
-You don't have to prove it to me. Since it's so late, it's probably better for you to stay at the company anyway.
“Yeah. That's the plan.”
-Is anyone else at the company?
“I'm not sure, but the security guards are on the first floor, so it's fine. They do patrols every hour, too.”
-Okay. That's a relief. What about food?
Groooowl.
Right on cue, a loud noise erupted from her stomach.
Ever since Min-jun's visit, inspiration had struck, and Yoo-ah had been focusing on track making, ignoring her hunger.
-Oh my. Was that your stomach?
Growl.
“Uh, yeah. I guess so. I'm going to get something to eat.”
-Is there anything to eat?
“Yeah, there is. Go get some rest.”
As soon as she hung up, her stomach started churning again. Forget hunger, her lips were dry from not even drinking water. She had been so engrossed in her work that she hadn't had a sip of water, let alone attended the company dinner.
Yoo-ah walked to the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor.
‘Why am I so nervous about this?’
It was customary for trainees to use the stairs for various reasons, and Yoo-ah felt a strange thrill from her small act of rebellion.
The elevator doors opened to reveal the dark third-floor hallway. The office, usually just gloomy, was now casting the only sliver of light into the eerie corridor.
A light that reminded her of the recent past, when she had struggled to find an escape from the bleakness of SJ.
‘If it wasn't for Min-jun Oppa...’
The faces of SJ's CEO, Gyeon Sang-jin, and Team Leader Jang, who was notorious among the trainees, came to mind, and she shuddered. Even after coming here, she had to endure the subtle territorial behavior of the existing trainees, but it was nothing compared to that.
‘I'm going to succeed.’
This was why Yoo-ah was so devoted to making music. No one would dare point fingers at someone successful.
She walked quickly into the office.
The pantry was attached to the office. Its refrigerator was stocked daily with salad packs for hungry trainees.
Though most of them were usually gone before dinner time.
‘If there are none left, I'll just have some vegetable juice.’
She opened the refrigerator.
“…Yes!”
Luckily, there was exactly one salad left. The one with cream cheese and smoked chicken breast was known as the most high-calorie yet palatable option delivered to the company.
She took out the salad and a pack of green juice. She didn't particularly like salad, but she was so hungry right now that it even made her hum.
Ding.
-Third floor.
The sudden sound made Yoo-ah's humming stop, a chill running down her spine. The security team that patrolled each floor's key points always used the stairs, not the elevator.
Yoo-ah held her breath and focused her hearing.
Creeak.
The door opened.
“Eheheu.”
Tatatatatak.
A strange nasal sound was followed by the sound of fast footsteps heading toward the office.
“Aah!”
“Aaaah!”
Startled by the sudden appearance of white hair, Yoo-ah screamed.
“?”
“?”
Realizing they knew each other, Yoo-ah and Ro-si both clutched their chests in relief and bowed their heads slightly.
Since Ro-si had been a trainee at JD for several years, her relationship with Yoo-ah, who had started working with the CEO right after joining, was bound to be awkward, transcending jealousy and envy. Even if Ro-si wanted to be friendly, it would be difficult if the younger trainees around her disliked it.
Ro-si opened the refrigerator.
Realizing the salad in front of Yoo-ah was the last one, Ro-si felt a little embarrassed. She took out two vegetable juices and was about to leave the pantry.
“Wait a moment.”
“Yes?”
“You're Ro-si, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Want to eat together?”
“It's okay. The vegetable juice…”
Growl.
Ro-si's stomach screamed.
“…”
Groooowl.
Yoo-ah burst out laughing, covering her face as she sank to the floor. The culprit, Ro-si, also started laughing, covering her face with both hands.