Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: The One Who Laughs Last... (12)
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Go Min-cheol might have been crushed by defeat.
But inwardly, I was quietly impressed by his resolve.
Even with his fear of Jeong Byeong-in.
Having already been fucked by me once, rejecting a succubus's temptation wasn't easy.
Yet this guy kept trying to break free, time and again.
'He wouldn't give in until I let him have my ass.'
Ah, of course, half of that was my own desire.
It had been so long since I'd had anal sex; I just wanted to feel it again.
"Alright then... Why don't you explain in detail with your own mouth what kind of scheme you were planning to pull on me from now on?"
"Fine... damn it."
Go Min-cheol clearly didn't want to say it.
But his body, which had indulged in my ass to its heart's content, wouldn't let him.
It was the deal and promise with a succubus, after all.
"First, about An Tae-ho."
First?
I tilted my head at the odd word but focused on Go Min-cheol's words for now.
"Hoo... That guy's the one I sent to isolate you from the team or stir up trouble in the group dynamic. I told him to do it. Promised I'd promote him to deputy manager if he got me what I wanted."
"Ha, I knew it!"
I nodded, as if to say I'd suspected as much.
Yeah, that bastard had seemed suspicious from the start.
I'd just been agonizing over it alone without solid proof.
Now there was no need to agonize.
'That damn bastard. I'll seduce him right now and turn him into my slave. How dare he pull that arrogant stunt?'
At that moment, Go Min-cheol smirked at me.
"Heh, I can tell exactly what you're thinking right now. Planning to turn An Tae-ho into another me, huh? Using that body of yours."
"And if I am?"
"Won't be easy. I handpicked him, figuring you might try something like that—and that he wouldn't screw up my orders by falling for you."
"......"
What was this now?
As I tilted my head, Go Min-cheol smiled and continued.
"You idiot bitch. Didn't you notice the ring on An Tae-ho's ring finger?"
"...!"
That's when I realized what he meant.
"That fucker has a girlfriend."
After hearing the details of his scheme from Go Min-cheol...
I was completely dumbfounded.
That damn bastard had come prepared this time.
I never dreamed his schemes numbered not one, but two.
"Haa, fuck."
Even considering the 'second scheme' made my head throb.
For now, I had to deal with the first one.
An Tae-ho, the temporary manager...
'This damn bastard's doing dirty work like that even with a girlfriend?'
No.
Was that a selfish thought?
Maybe he was even more desperate for promotion because of her.
They might want to get married or live more comfortably, and money was key for that.
'Damn it, what should I do?'
When I first learned An Tae-ho was part of Go Min-cheol's scheme,
I'd planned to seduce him immediately and make him my slave.
But hearing he had a girlfriend plunged me into deep anguish.
"......"
Since becoming a succubus.
More precisely, since being gang-raped by three 5th Grade Hunters in the tower and fully awakening my succubus instincts.
I'd thrown my body around recklessly, sure.
Compared to other women, I'd spread my legs easily and used it to my advantage plenty of times.
I'd done plenty of things that made me ripe for being called a whore or slut.
Couldn't be helped as a succubus.
But even so, I had a 'line' I'd drawn for myself.
'I never touched married men or guys with girlfriends. Never even considered it.'
More accurately, I never had sex with anyone where it could hurt others.
That's why my head hurt even more now.
'Damn, he has a girlfriend?'
If I seduced and fucked An Tae-ho here, what about his girlfriend?
'It'd just be simple cheating.'
And after fucking me, his dick wouldn't even get hard in front of her anymore.
How devastated would she be?
"......"
Go Min-cheol had played smart.
From that trash's perspective, it was probably just that a girlfriend would give him some resistance to my temptation.
He never imagined I'd care about her existence.
'Should I just... tell the girls?'
If I couldn't touch An Tae-ho,
The only option left was telling the members about Go Min-cheol's schemes.
But that wasn't easy either.
'What would I even say?'
I simulated conversations with them over and over.
And every time...
「How did you find out about that, unnie?」
No simulation avoided that question.
It was inevitable.
Then I'd have nothing to say.
'I got it from fucking Go Min-cheol.'
As if I could say that.
「The manager told you about his own scheme? That sounds suspicious, doesn't it?」
Sharp-minded Han Ji-woo would definitely say something like that.
'A real dilemma...'
Unable to advance or retreat.
The idiom perfectly described my situation.
"......"
But eventually, I had to decide.
I'd kept some boundaries, sure, but I couldn't abandon my future for them.
'Come on, Kim Hyun-ah... stop pretending to be pure.'
I mocked myself.
Thinking about it, who even set that 'line'?
I'd been doing whore- or slut-worthy things all along, yet drew the line at married men or those with girlfriends?
Pathetic hypocrisy.
'This industry isn't just full of Jeong Byeong-ins.'
Jeong Byeong-in wasn't the only dirty one.
If he were the only filthy person, he'd have climbed to the top by now.
Yet Purem Entertainment still couldn't touch the Big Three agencies.
Just a mid-tier company with a decent public image among the small-to-medium ones.
That was Purem's status.
'No wonder people say the entertainment industry is dirtier than politics.'
Let alone sponsorship deals...
Back when you had to sleep with PDs to get on shows—those days might return worse.
'Most of those PDs who demanded idols and actresses spread their legs are still in the industry.'
Not just surviving, but in high positions.
Why? Because it was so normalized back then.
"......"
Now they all pretend to be clean due to the times.
But the industry was full of them.
Who knows what dirty schemes brew behind closed doors.
For a newbie like me to survive, I couldn't hesitate.
That hesitation could choke not just me, but the members too.
"Unnie! You're back? All done?"
"Huh? Yeah. What're you up to?"
Returning to the practice room,
the members and An Tae-ho were huddled together.
"We've been listening to the songs you brought over and over. Wow, they're all so good!"
"Agreed. Great songs. And with flashy choreography on top... Man, our dance could go viral on Shorts, right? That'd be insane! We upload a Short, and everyone's copying our moves!"
"Hmm, getting ahead of ourselves isn't great, but the songs are too good. Plus, the choreographer's the legendary Wang Im-hwan."
Even humble Han Ji-woo going that far meant the songs were ridiculously good.
'I don't really get what's so great about them...'
No repulsion, so probably good enough.
Guess my ear for music sucks.
"The manager thinks so too!"
At excited Chae-rin's words, I looked at An Tae-ho.
His eyes crinkled kindly as they met mine.
Nice face, really...
"Ultimately, you brought these amazing songs, Hyun-ah. Wow, you're incredible. Best rookie ever? You've barely joined, and your contributions are huge. This could be a drama. Should I pitch a script for real?"
Kang Chae-rin and Han Ji-woo took his exaggeration in stride,
but
"Isn't that a bit much, Manager? It's not that big a deal. Groups aren't carried by one person. We all pull together—that's what makes a group. Success is shared."
As expected.
I knew Seol Su-bin would bite.
No, An Tae-ho had said it to provoke her.
To tie into the 'second scheme'.
'Pretending not to while hyping me up and downplaying the group—how could Su-bin not get mad?'
Even if I'd gotten closer to the members,
I was still the rolling stone.
Obviously.
Even the latest joiner, Kang Chae-rin, had been with them over six months; I'd only been here about two weeks.
'Plus, I've been absent a lot, bouncing around.'
Actual time together was even less.
'I'd feel prickly too. Su-bin's not one to let this slide.'
I eyed An Tae-ho more coldly.
"Ah... I might've overstated. But I don't think it's wrong. I heard at the office—if not for Hyun-ah, midterms evaluation, even debut would've been impossible. She's brought luck to Luminous, right? Even the CEO and Manager Go Min-cheol said so."
"......"
"There's one member they're watching closely, so focus a bit more there."
"That member they're watching... Argh, forget it! I'm stepping out for air! Damn..."
She held back the curse,
but stormed out fuming like she'd sworn.
"......"
The warm atmosphere chilled instantly.
That settled my hesitation completely.
"Manager, could you watch and help with my language studies and solo practice for a bit? I get lazy alone..."
"Of course!"
Watching him agree eagerly,
my smile grew even colder.