Internal Division (3)
After finishing dinner outside, Ha-young, Yuna, Eunjae, and Sera were heading back to the dorm when they spotted a sleek limousine parked by the roadside. Each of them had something to say.
"Whoa, loaded. Check out that limo."
"Who rides around in something like that?"
"Probably some chaebol heir or VIP, right?"
"What kind of VIP?"
"Who knows? Maybe here to hand out the list of idols doing pillow service?"
"Hey, sis!"
Ha-young blushed at the blunt remark and scolded Yuna, but even she couldn't tear her eyes away from the limousine.
"I've never seen one like that before. Wonder if Seona's seen it? If she's still in her room, I should tell her to come down and check it out."
"Are you her mom or something? You take care of every little thing for Seona like a ghost. Try doting on me like that sometime."
"You're an adult, sis. Adults don't get babied."
"Hey! I'm only two years older than you!"
"But seriously, what's up with Seona lately? She seems... like her soul's left her body or something, doesn't she?"
"Yeah... she's been off. Even in her room, it looks like she's lost in thought all alone."
"Sigh, it's stressing me out... Feels like something's wrong, so I can't even get mad. If it keeps up till the season starts, it's gonna be bad..."
"It's fine, it's fine. I'll cheer her up and get her fired up. No worries! Just trust your captain here. Hehe."
As they headed up to the dorm, they ran into Manager Kim Ki-hyeon and Staffer Han Sang-cheol in the hallway.
All four greeted them at once.
"Manager, sir. Staffer, sir. Hello."
"Ah, it's the players. Out for dinner?"
"Yes. Time to head to the practice room and get ready now."
"Ah, well... It might not be a good idea to go to the practice room right now."
"Huh? Why not?"
Manager Kim Ki-hyeon scratched his head vigorously as he replied.
"You know SA Group? Chairman Kim Seon-woo from there showed up in the practice room. Turns out Kim Seona's his youngest daughter. The chairman's telling her to quit pro gaming and come home to study or something... Seona... Uh, you okay?"
Manager Kim Ki-hyeon trailed off as he noticed the players' faces draining of color in real time.
Ha-young looked the worst. Her face went pale, her breathing grew ragged, and she bolted up the stairs to the upper floor, taking them two or three at a time.
"Damn it, this is nuts. Hurry, follow her!"
The other three players shot upstairs right after Yuna's words.
"What's with them?"
"Who knows? Probably dying to see a celebrity up close. Let's get back to work. And Staffer Han, don't breathe a word of what you heard to anyone."
The two who hadn't been at the honest heart-to-heart between Yuseong and the players on the second night of the workshop had no idea what mess they'd just stirred up.
Ha-young's heart felt like it would explode as she raced up the stairs.
No way, it must be a misunderstanding. There's no way. No way...
Even when they went to the aquarium, Seona had said it was her first time there. Ha-young had assumed they had similar rough upbringings and felt a strange sense of kinship.
And after that, Seona had kept taking her out to all sorts of fun places she never knew about—a real good friend.
But after hearing about Ha-young's family background on workshop day, there was no way Seona wouldn't have said a word about it all this time.
Yet at the same time, a dark whisper crept up in Ha-young's mind, denying that possibility.
Think about it.
Seona started changing right after the workshop, didn't she?
When you badmouthed her family, she started putting distance between you.
Hasn't Seona been avoiding you ever since? Gone out together since then? Has she ever suggested shopping first?
She cut ties because you trash-talked her family.
Because you're poor. Because your statuses don't match.
"Huff... huff..."
Back at the practice room, Ha-young headed straight for the closed conference room door.
And there, she heard a man's voice.
"Kim Seona. As your father, this is my final word. I'm giving you exactly two weeks. You've slummed it with the commoners long enough—cancel the contract and come home."
Slummed it with the commoners...?
Those words buzzed in Ha-young's head like a mosquito, gnawing at her heart.
Moments later, the conference room door opened, and two men emerged. One was a tall middle-aged man.
No doubt about it. SA Group Chairman Kim Seon-woo. How could she not recognize that face?
One of the most famous people in the country—and the enemy who destroyed her father.
He might not have killed her father directly, but as the head of the group, Kim Seon-woo bore responsibility for pushing him into the deadly circumstances. And then refusing compensation, spinning it as her father's fault in the media.
She'd learned more after growing up, but back then, media outlets under SA Group's influence had all pinned it on worker negligence. Her mother, unable to afford a proper legal team, dragged through years of a first trial and lost. The image of her sobbing before her late father's photo, endlessly apologizing, was etched into Ha-young's mind like a tattoo, never to fade.
Yet Kim Seon-woo walked right past her as if she didn't exist. Their shoulders even brushed, but he didn't spare her a glance before leaving.
He'd said "as your father." There was no longer any doubt—Kim Seon-woo was Seona's dad. The realization snapped Ha-young's reason.
"Ha... haha... ahahaha... So that's how it is... That's it..."
The other players, who had hurried after her, watched Ha-young laugh like she was losing her mind, their faces full of worry.
Yuna placed a hand on Ha-young's shoulder, her own face etched with anxiety.
"Hey, hey, Lee Ha-young. Calm down first—"
"Let go."
Ha-young's short, sharp word.
Yuna, who was no slouch physically or temperamentally, couldn't bring herself to defy her—not when she knew the context.
Yuna groaned softly and slid her hand away. The other two approached and whispered to Yuna.
"Yuna sis, is Ha-young sis okay?"
"Does she look okay? This is insane. Shit, I think we're screwed..."
"What do we do? If they run into each other like this..."
Ominous premonitions are never wrong.
Ha-young crossed her arms and stood like a statue in front of the conference room door. Voices from inside were faint.
A few minutes later, the door opened, and Seona appeared. As expected, Seona's eyes widened in shock at the sight of Ha-young.
"Had enough fun slumming it with the commoners, Miss Kim Seona?"
Shit.
We're really fucked.
From Ha-young's tone, she already knew everything.
This was the one thing that absolutely shouldn't have happened.
If she'd found out, better if Seona had confessed it herself... but her figuring it out on her own like this...
"Ha...young? Don't get too worked up, at least hear Seona out—"
"Hey."
Ha-young ignored even my words, keeping her arms crossed and lowering her voice menacingly.
Ha-young, who always called people by name, calling someone "hey" for the first time.
"Was slumming it with the commoners fun? Guess my words don't even sound human to you anymore? Oh~ Or do only stuck-up rich folks like you know proper etiquette?"
"N-no, Ha-young! I was gonna explain from the start—"
"Explain? Ha!"
Ha-young sneered coldly, mockingly—something unimaginable from the usual her.
"Explain what? How you deceived us all, came down to play commoner, and tricked us? Pretended to be friends with a single-parent kid like me because of your company, your dad? Kept your mouth shut even after hearing about my family?"
"That's..."
"Because of you people, I grew up without a dad from childhood. You took him and refused even a penny in compensation, so Mom worked the mart register by day and washed dishes at a restaurant by night just to feed me.
Know what that did? Mom's back is wrecked now, chronic housewife dermatitis on her hands. Nights, the power barely worked, so I'd study by flashlight in a pitch-black single room. Rain or snow? Leaks from the ceiling, no heat—on cold nights, we'd huddle under one blanket, shivering and clinging tight.
And what? Commoner playtime? Do you even know what real poverty is? Who do you think made my family like this?!"
"Ha-young, please listen. I—"
But Ha-young, half out of her mind, cut Seona off again.
"Mom and I thrashed around in that pit without a dad, trying to survive somehow. When I finally passed pro trials and could earn money, I was over the moon. Cried my eyes out getting my first paycheck. 25 million won a year? Chump change to you, right?
Oh, tough life? Pretending to be friends with the daughter of the family you orphaned? First time eating pizza, never been to an aquarium—acting buddy-buddy with trash like me? I had no clue, cheering you on, propping you up whenever you looked down... Ahahaha! How pathetic must I have seemed?"
"No... no... Ha-young, please..."
"...Why didn't you say something from the start."
"Ha-young..."
"It's been two months since workshop. Why didn't you tell me after hearing my story? I heard from the manager on the way back. You have any idea how I feel right now? I thought you were my friend!
My closest friend! How could you? Knowing everything, how could you lie to me for two months, hide it all like that—how?!"
Ha-young was gasping for breath, her voice rising with every word—not anger, but a scream.
Seona trembled violently. None of us, me included, dared intervene.
Ha-young forced a mocking laugh through her quivering voice.
"So, how was it? The single-parent beggar girl you orphaned entertaining you cluelessly to soothe your moods? Fun? Enjoyable? Satisfying? Or just natural, a lowlife like me flattering the rich missy who belongs beneath your feet?"
"No, Ha-young! I'm sorry! That wasn't it!"
Seona rushed to Ha-young and hugged her tight. But...
Slap!
A sharp crack echoed as Seona's head snapped 90 degrees. Clutching her reddened cheek, Seona stared at Ha-young in bewilderment.
Ha-young, who had swung her right hand, panted heavily.
"Don't touch me."
"H-Ha-young..."
Tears welled up again in Seona's eyes—not just from the stinging slap.
"We never should have become friends."
Ha-young was trembling too.
"Yeah, it was wrong from the start. The chaebol heiress and the slum welfare kid. Hilarious we ever thought we could be friends."
"No... please, Ha-young..."
"Don't talk to me ever again. Don't act like you know me."
Tears streamed down Ha-young's cheeks too.
"I won't talk to you either."
And in that state, the Division 3 Winter Season began.