Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Skewer Set
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I couldn't tear my eyes away from her. She looked so fragile, like she'd snap if I even bumped into her.
"H-Here, take it, unnie! I'm really fine!"
Misinterpreting my concern as anger, the girl squeezed her eyes shut and thrust the skewer set toward me in a panic.
This was tricky.
I wouldn't die without eating this skewer set, but the girl in front of me looked like she might actually keel over if she didn't eat it today.
How do I even hand this over...
Grrrooowl!
"...!!"
It was like thunder had struck.
Does a war in your stomach make a sound like that?
"Haha, looks like this one's got an owner now. Here you go."
"H-Huh?!"
As I handed over the skewer set with a smile,
she pretended to hesitate before taking it, then bowed at a perfect ninety degrees, her navel practically greeting me.
Wow... where did this polite, pretty girl even come from?
And her scalp is cute too.
"Thank you so much, unnie! Really, thank you. You're as kind-hearted as you are beautiful! You'll be blessed for this! I won't forget this favor!"
"No, it's not that big a deal..."
Anyone would think I'd saved her life.
Her gratitude was so earnest that my face started burning for no reason.
Man, if I could, I'd take her home right now and fatten up that bony frame of hers.
But I probably shouldn't...
"I-I'll be going now, unnie!"
"Yeah, go ahead."
Regretfully, I let the girl—who was totally my type—go first.
'Guess I'll just grab something random too.'
Nothing else caught my eye except for the one remaining skewer set.
I picked up some discounted food with a 60% off sticker and headed to the counter.
And that's when I witnessed something completely unexpected.
[2,000 won]
-Beep! Insufficient balance.
"Whaaat...? N-No two thousand won? Uh, uh... uh?!"
A voice that sounded a bit off, yet familiar and clear as a bell.
Suspecting as much, I stepped aside to check who was at the counter.
Sure enough, it was the same girl I'd just shared that heartwarming skewer set moment with, flustering about in confusion.
"Oh dear, miss. Do you have another card?"
"J-Just... give me a sec..."
She was just as pretty and cute as before.
The guys behind her were twitching, debating whether to offer to pay.
Luckily, their hesitation gave me my chance.
"Ah, could you ring this up with hers too? We're together."
"Oh, really? That's a relief. You're lucky to have such a pretty unnie, miss. Hehe."
"Y-Yeah? Ah, r-right! Yes! Hehehe!"
At least the kid had some flexibility and charm.
She quickly flashed a bright smile and nodded.
She's so cute I could die.
"U-Unnie! What do I do about this... I really, really owe you. How can I ever repay you..."
"... "
I'd been telling her it was too much from the start. It was just 2,000 won...
"No need to be that grateful. It's nothing. How about we swap numbers? You can pay me back whenever you have the money later."
"Aha! That works!"
She must be a bit slow somewhere.
She didn't seem bad, though... which made me worry even more.
'It's always the pure ones like this who get backstabbed once they step into society.'
Having seen it more than once or twice while doing rough porter work, it really got to me.
"If you're that grateful, I eat alone every day and it's lonely. Wanna eat together at the playground up ahead and chat?"
Oops, too pushy?
I realized too late, but...
"Ah! Sounds perfect! Anyone as pretty as you, unnie, I'm totally down for. Hehehe."
"... "
For the first time, I was glad to be a woman.
If I were a guy, it'd be impossible... probably.
"Whoa! That spot looks amazing. Let's go there, unnie. Eating while looking at the city view would be pure bliss."
"Got it. Let's eat there."
"Ah..."
"Yeah?"
"Unnie! How old are you?"
"...25."
"I'm 20!"
What did she want me to do about it?
I had no idea what she meant, but her cheeks puffed up like they might pop if poked. She looked seriously displeased.
Hmm, no way...
"Can I talk casually to you?"
"Of course! Heeheehee."
Her face lit up instantly.
At the same time, my own eyes felt refreshed. How could someone be this harmless and pretty? I'd never met anyone this pure in my life.
"Oh, right! I'm Kang Chae-rin. You?"
"Huh? Kim Hyun-ah."
"...Huh? That sounds familiar."
"Haha, I've been kinda hot on the internet lately."
"Wait! My memory's terrible... Ah! No, don't tell me! It'll come to me... Aaaah! Th-that! The one who got PTSD from a bad accident in the tower! The one everyone's talking about worldwide, right?!"
"Pffft, yeah, that's me."
I'd never once felt like spending money to support an idol no matter how many I'd seen.
But with her, I thought it might be worth it.
Whether she was an idol or not, who knows.
"Ah... has it been tough?"
"Not at all?"
"No way! For real? Wow, unnie, you're amazing. If it were me, I'd be too scared to even smile like you are after something like that."
Was I on a hot streak with good people lately?
After Go Hyeong-tae, another nice one.
"I need to take after you and toughen up, unnie. No more whining."
"Whining?"
"Yeah... I didn't show it, but lately I've been so stressed I thought about running away over a hundred times. Seeing you makes me feel like such a wimp."
"What's got you so stressed..."
Grrrooowl!
Again. Thunder rumbled from Kang Chae-rin's stomach once more.
Wow, in this day and age, hearing such a blatant stomach growl was a first.
"...Is it because you're hungry?"
"Y-Yeah, p-personal reasons... My stomach told me I'm too fat."
"What?"
I was floored.
She was already so bony I was worried about rushing her to the hospital, and some blind idiot told her that?
'That guy's a total psycho.'
The more I thought about it, the more he seemed like a murderer.
Anger surged up inside me.
"What nonsense is that? Out of all the women I've seen, you're the slimmest. Watching you actually worries me."
"Gasp, really? Hehe, thanks for saying that, unnie. It's embarrassing coming from someone slimmer than me."
"No, it's not just talk... Ugh, never mind. Eat first. You're about to collapse."
"Ah! Yeah, unnie! Thank you so much. I'll eat well."
"Here, drink this too."
"Eh, it's okay..."
"Drink. It's zero cola. Won't make you gain weight."
"Okay. Thank you."
Kang Chae-rin hesitated but eventually snatched the zero cola I offered.
Watching her, words welled up in my throat—more than one or two.
Why was she so broke she didn't even have 2,000 won? What did her family do? And finally, who the hell said that crap to her?
"Uuuung! It's so sweet... gulp gulp!"
But I couldn't ask while she was eating—might make her choke.
Of the three skewers in the set, the fish cake and rice cake ones had vanished ages ago. Like magic. Did she even chew?
Then, as she picked up the main event—the chicken skewer—she said something unimaginable.
"Y-You eat this one, unnie. You were gonna buy it originally, right?"
"... "
I was dizzy, for real.
This felt like going on a refugee aid mission only for the refugee to share their rations with me.
Which made it even more touching.
"No, you eat it. I'm not hungry."
"No way! You eat it, unnie! If I eat this too, the other unnies will scold me for all the calories, especially this late at night. So you have to eat it."
"Ugh, f-fine... I'll eat it."
Her determination screamed she'd bite her tongue and die if I didn't, so I couldn't refuse.
"But in return, you eat this."
Lately, whenever my mouth felt idle, I'd just masturbate nonstop.
I handed her the zero-calorie jelly I'd bought on a whim, and she refused at first but soon gave in, shoving it into her mouth like a storm.
She eats so heartily.
It even revived my long-lost appetite.
"Chae-rin."
"Yeah."
"... "
When did she finish?
I swear I saw her stuff the jelly in just a second ago... Did she chew?
"I'm not asking in a bad way, unnie. I'm seriously worried. Who's telling you you're fat and making you starve like this?"
I asked carefully,
and Kang Chae-rin waved her hands in surprise.
"Ah, it's natural you'd misunderstand, unnie! But our CEO isn't a bad guy! It's all for my sake..."
CEO?
The hairs on my head stood up.
Whoa, shit... it already reeks of trouble.
"R-Really, it's a misunderstanding! I mean, um, uh... I can't tell you details because of the contract. But believe it or not, I'm a trainee about to debut as an idol! Gasp, was that not allowed? Ahh! You idiot!"
I nodded as she smacked her own head.
Ah, so this is what an idol trainee is like...
I get why I looked down on that industry and tried to mooch off it. Someone like her makes people want to spend money.
'No wonder Go Hyeong-tae reacted like it was tricky.'
Thinking about it, if I had debut-ready charm right now, he would've grabbed me even if it meant rewriting the contract clauses.
That's how companies work.
But telling me to contact him if I changed my mind...
Meant I needed that much time to gain value as an entertainer.
Whatever.
'Even if she's prepping for idol debut, this is too much, right?'
If I hadn't looked into Sun Entertainment recently, I might've let it slide.
Idols are often super skinny—way more than seems healthy—so I might've thought this was normal for someone like Kang Chae-rin.
But my research on Sun Entertainment taught me otherwise.
Kang Chae-rin's condition was excessively over the top. It was ruining her growing body and health.
Should I... probe a little?
"Come to think of it, I've been interested in the entertainment world lately, unnie. I've even gotten trainee offers here and there. But nothing's caught my eye... Hey, Chae-rin. Mind slipping me the name of your agency?"
"Uh, um... The CEO said not to tell."
"Please?"
"But..."
"I'll buy you another skewer set later."
No sooner had I finished than Kang Chae-rin spilled it.
"Purem Entertainment!"
Ah... so it was them.