Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Pacemaker
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We were on our way to the hospital to get the wound on my head stitched up.
Seul-bi, who had been slumped over, seemed to have recovered as she glanced at me through the rearview mirror.
“The new song mentions a club, and I’ve never been to one… I thought the experience might help. Really.”
“……”
“I also thought that dancing in a club might inspire some moves I could incorporate into the choreography. You’re not going to assign the entire choreography to someone else, are you?”
“……”
Seul-bi, feeling guilty, began to make excuses.
“I don’t have a schedule tomorrow—I mean, today.”
“……”
“I thought if I used my card, my location would pop up on the phone I left behind… That’s why I intentionally left the screen unlocked…”
“……”
I couldn't help but smile, imagining Seul-bi thinking through all this before leaving the dorm. She was never the type to be selfish enough to ruin the team in the first place.
“But… how did you find me?”
“……”
I hadn't thought of an excuse beforehand. As I was sweating bullets, Seul-bi spoke up.
“…Don’t tell me you were following me from the start? Pretending you didn't know?”
“……”
“Aww, Oppa. I’ll be good from now on, so please say something…”
Seul-bi whined, twisting her body playfully. When in doubt, staying silent was indeed the best policy.
We arrived at the emergency room.
“Doctor, is it possible not to shave his head?”
“No, there’s a risk of infection.”
“Please!”
Seul-bi pleaded with the doctor who was about to stitch my head, her hands clasped together. She must have felt incredibly guilty.
“…But, a scab has already formed. When did you get hurt?”
“Really? Then you don’t have to stitch it?”
Seul-bi beamed at the doctor's words as he examined my head. My healing rate was abnormally fast, but it seemed relief outweighed her suspicion.
The roads were quiet at this late hour as we arrived back at the dorm.
Getting out of the car, Seul-bi took one step into the villa before hesitating.
“It’s past two… Unni is probably asleep, right?”
“If you were in her shoes, do you think you’d be asleep?”
“…But she wouldn’t wait up all night, would she?”
Seul-bi stepped back outside and looked up at the dorm’s dark window.
“See, she’s sleeping.”
She re-entered the villa and took off her heels.
“Ugh… cold.”
With winter approaching, the villa floor must have been freezing, but Seul-bi tiptoed up the stairs, muffling her footsteps.
Arriving at the fourth-floor dorm, Seul-bi pressed her ear to the door and then sighed in relief.
“…Thank you so much for today, Oppa. From now on, I’ll stop causing trouble and work really hard.”
Seul-bi bowed her head sincerely, but I could only manage a bitter smile. I could feel that Seol-ah was not asleep.
*Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep.*
The door opened under Seul-bi’s careful hand.
The motion-sensor light flickered on, faintly illuminating the pitch-black darkness. A large, hunched-over teddy bear suddenly shot up, making Seul-bi shudder.
“Eek!”
She must have mistaken it for Seol-ah, who had been sitting beside it.
“What were you doing in the dark, not sleeping…”
Seol-ah’s eyes blazed as she scanned Seul-bi’s revealing outfit from top to bottom.
Without a word, she grabbed Seul-bi’s arm and smacked her back with a loud thwack.
“Aah! That hurts! Stop the violence!”
“This is how you’re going to end it? Are you really going to be like this?!”
As Seul-bi turned to flee, Seol-ah began hitting her indiscriminately on her bottom and arms. It was like watching a real mother and daughter.
But Seul-bi, who had more than enough strength to block or dodge, was uncharacteristically passive in her defense, taking the full force of Seol-ah’s stinging hands.
It must have been because she saw Seol-ah’s tear-streaked face.
“I was just getting some fresh air and looking for things to help with the album…”
Seul-bi was the one being hit, but it was Seol-ah who burst into tears.
“…I’m sorry, Unni… I won’t do it again. Don’t cry…”
Seul-bi started crying too, and Yi-na came out of her room to join them.
The sight of Ro-si standing awkwardly, unable to blend in with the other members, felt like the last piece of homework I had left.
* * *
Early in the morning, Seul-bi was dragged away by Isa-nim and got an earful so severe that I and the other members standing nearby flinched.
Especially…
“What would you have done if you’d gone to a place like that and something terrible happened!”
“Hic!”
Seul-bi’s hiccups were so violent that her long, ash-blonde hair swayed.
“…What was that just now? Nothing happened, right?”
“No, ma’am!”
Isa-nim seemed a little startled by my loud voice.
It was a mistake.
“Nothing you’re worried about happened. I even took a video as proof that I was with her.”
“Good. But I was talking to Seul-bi.”
Seul-bi tried to explain why she went to the club, but her severe hiccups only led to her getting scolded even more.
A moment later, the Answer members scattered to practice. It was because the part distribution would be decided soon. But Ro-si, who had stopped and hesitated, turned back.
“Manager-nim, I have something to tell you.”
Ro-si wore the expression of someone who had made a firm decision after much deliberation.
“Go ahead.”
It had to be about the issue with Seul-bi.
“…I still don’t get it. Why Seul-bi…? Not Unni, what is it? Senior…”
Ro-si looked frustrated, as if she couldn't recall the word.
“Ah! Seonbae! Seonbae Seul-bi is better, so why are you making me compete with her?”
Come to think of it, even though Ro-si was a native English speaker, she didn’t roll her tongue on English words. Aside from being from Australia, where they don’t roll their R’s, she had clearly made a great effort to adopt a Korean-style English pronunciation.
She must have tried her best, knowing that having a strong English accent while speaking Korean could draw criticism.
“Why do you think that is?”
“…Am I a pacemaker, by any chance?”
A pacemaker, meant to ignite a rival’s competitive spirit and passion for a better result.
I couldn't help but laugh at Ro-si's plausible theory.
“…If that’s what you’re thinking…”
“If that’s what I’m thinking?”
I was curious to hear what Ro-si would say next.
“If that’s the case, I think I can work without feeling burdened.”
“Ha.”
Why are all my girls so soft-hearted and lacking in grit? Even Seul-bi, supposedly the most rebellious one, couldn’t last a day before repenting. Of course, that was also why I ended up rooting for them.
Seeing my fond smile, Ro-si must have felt frustrated, as she spoke again.
“I’m a pacemaker, right?”
“No. I made the suggestion because I saw your potential.”
Ro-si’s expression hardened seriously.
“Then I think it’s better if I step down.”
“You want to leave the team?”
This was a bit much.
“Yes. Because once we record, I don’t think it can be undone.”
The look on her face was that of a warrior resolved to face a glorious death.
“If you’re that scared of competition, you won’t survive in this industry.”
“…It’s different from being scared. If things continue like this, I feel like I’ll cause discord in the team. No, it’s already happened.”
I could imagine Ro-si, sleepless all night, tormented by Seul-bi’s little escapade.
“Seul-bi has already agreed with my decision.”
Ro-si sighed with a look of resignation and opened her mouth.
“…On the surface, maybe. If I were in Seonbae Seul-bi's position, I wouldn’t be happy either. I’m the stone that rolled in, after all. And it’s only natural for Unni Seol-ah to side with Seonbae Seul-bi.”
In contrast to Ro-si, a fondly smiling Seol-ah peeked her head around the corner. Then, muffling her footsteps, she approached stealthily.
I already knew she was listening to our conversation. Wanting to team up with Seol-ah and tease Ro-si, I pretended not to notice and spoke.
“Doesn’t Ro-si want to succeed? Is it okay to just stand there like a folding screen?”
“…I don’t know what a… folding screen is.”
“…I’m asking if you’re okay with being an extra with no lines.”
“I’m fine with that. I’ll work hard and slowly… Ah… for some reason, words are hard to… merge… Ack!”
Ro-si jumped in surprise as Seol-ah’s right hand wrapped around her waist.
“Were you upset because I didn’t try to stop Seul-bi?”
“Uh, Unni… that’s not it…”
Ro-si was flustered by Seol-ah’s warm smile, a rare sight.
“I was flustered, even after saying I wouldn’t do that. I’m sorry.”
As Seol-ah admitted her fault, Ro-si waved her hands, her face blushing.
“No! Unni, of course you would…”
“Enough of that. I think we need to have a team-building outing.”
Seol-ah seemed to have taken a great liking to Ro-si’s considerate nature.
[Seol-ah and Ro-si have come to an understanding. The group's experience points increase.]
Answer 50(+20)/100
[When experience exceeds 100, you can upgrade one of the group's traits.]
‘Upgrade a group trait? Does that mean ‘Unyielding Mindset (B)’ will be upgraded to A?’
I would find out soon enough.
Just then, the planning office door opened and Isa-nim came out.
“Weren’t you all heading to practice?”
A trace of anger still lingered on her face. Seol-ah and Ro-si bowed quickly and scurried away.
Was Ro-si’s issue resolved?
I hoped it was.
I had become so accustomed to the system that I now felt a bit uneasy when a significant event occurred without a quest popping up.
“Min-jun, follow me.”
I followed Isa-nim to the CEO’s office.
“Good morning, Daepyo Producer-nim.”
There was a display case showing photos of CEO Park Jae-yong in his prime and the evolution of trophy designs over the past 20 years.
“Aigoo, welcome, our Min-jun, who I want to 'sam-gwi' with.”
“What does 'sam-gwi' mean?”
Having picked it up from somewhere, the CEO was once again forcing himself to use modern slang, much to Isa-nim’s annoyance.
“Director Sun, let’s try to live a little younger. It’s the newest word for being in a 'some'.”
“Haa… 'sam-gwi' is already old news. Just say 'some'.”
“What! For real? I just learned it yesterday!”
The CEO’s face flushed, shocked by Isa-nim’s words.
“Ahem! More importantly, it seems Min-jun here is quite interested in my achievements.”
CEO Park Jae-yong gestured toward the display case full of trophies.
“Daepyo-nim. We’re busy.”
“…I wasn’t planning on talking for long…”
I was grateful to Isa-nim for cutting him off at the right moment.
“Let’s sit down first. The reason I called you here, Min-jun…”
Hyung? Was he trying to win me over with familiarity?
It was a classic move for a shady small company, but for me, who had no other options at the moment, it was a good atmosphere.
“You’ve only been with us for a few months, but you've contributed a lot to our company, and you seem full of passion, so we held an internal meeting.”
Are you giving me a raise?
“Considering what the KVM PD said last time, I’m making you a team leader. Our Min-jun deserves it. The youngest team leader in the industry! Isn’t that cool?”
I suddenly recalled a past conversation with Isa-nim, where I had mentioned that switching jobs was natural if one wasn’t treated according to their abilities.
However, becoming a team leader, a managerial position in the company, could potentially become an obstacle for Answer and my plans.
To the outside world, I had to be the loser who hid his power. That way, I could avoid Gyeon Sang-jin's excessive attention and scrutiny.
“I’ll gratefully accept the salary of a team leader. However, I’d prefer my title to remain as it is, an assistant manager dedicated to Answer. I’d like to avoid causing any trouble within the company.”
A corner of Isa-nim’s mouth turned up.
“…Wow. Look at that deep thinking. Let’s do that. You should be compensated for your abilities. Still, you could at least pretend to be happy?”
“Thank you. I’m happy about the raise.”
The faster I saved money, the more my investment account would grow exponentially, and the day I brought down Gyeon Sang-jin would come sooner.
By then, I’d be the number one figure in the Korean entertainment industry, wouldn’t I?
“Director Sun, add Min-jun to next month’s promotion list.”
“Yes, Daepyo-nim.”
“Daepyo-nim, Isa-nim. Thank you once again. How much will the salary increase be?”
“Huh?”
My sudden question seemed to catch both Isa-nim and the CEO slightly off guard.
It was an uncomfortable truth, but the loud ones get a bigger piece of the pie than the quiet ones. Even with allies, you had to get the best treatment you possibly could.