Idol Project
“What’s this?”
“It’s astragalus tea. They say it’s good for you when you’re hurt, so I brought some.”
Her words touched me, and I put on a suitably moved expression as I took the thermos from Ye-eun.
“I’ll drink it well. Actually, let me try it right now.”
Saying that, I immediately poured some of the astragalus tea from the thermos into a paper cup. The herbal aroma wafted out strongly, as if it had just been brewed. And the warmth seeping through the cup into my hands somehow made me feel healthier just holding it.
Getting hurt means I end up doing all this body-boosting stuff.
I let out a soft chuckle and downed the tea in one go. The warm liquid slid smoothly down my throat, warming my whole body.
“Does it taste okay?”
After I took a sip, Ye-eun asked cautiously. I broke into a satisfied smile and replied.
“It’s great. Drinking this makes me feel healthier already.”
It wasn’t just words—my body really did feel like it was recovering faster. Seeing my reaction, Ye-eun visibly relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief as she patted her chest.
“Shiburin, gimme some too!”
At that moment, Jihyun lunged at Ye-eun from the side.
Ye-eun made a distinctly displeased face and shot back.
“Who the hell is Shiburin?”
“You don’t know? Our idol, Shibuya Rin?”
Jihyun wiggled her body dramatically as she said it. The sight made not just me, but Eunha too, cringe in secondhand embarrassment. That girl’s fandom antics caused trouble wherever we went. Sure, they were helpful once in a blue moon, but mostly they were a public nuisance.
“……Look, see? She looks just like you, right?”
While Eunha and I shook our heads, Jihyun suddenly pulled out her smartphone and shoved a photo at us.
“N-not really……”
Ye-eun glanced at it and recoiled openly, shaking her head.
Jihyun bristled and thrust the phone toward me and Eunha.
“No way! It’s a dead ringer! Check it out, oppa! You too, Eunha!”
The photo Jihyun showed us was of an anime character—a girl with a somewhat cool, aloof vibe that did resemble Ye-eun. Honestly, a lot. Comparing the picture side-by-side with Ye-eun, the likeness was uncanny.
“It, it kinda does look similar……”
Eunha murmured softly, almost to herself.
“Right? Eunha’s got the eye for it!”
With Eunha agreeing, Jihyun lit up and burst into laughter. Meanwhile, Ye-eun’s face soured even more. She clearly wasn’t the type to think highly of anime.
“Alright, enough of that…… Ye-eun was nice enough to bring tea, so let’s all have a cup.”
I stepped in to calm things down and poured the astragalus tea into paper cups for the three of them. For a brief moment—at least while they were drinking—it got quiet.
At this rate, getting Ye-eun into the Idol Project is gonna be impossible.
Jihyun had already rubbed her the wrong way when she should’ve been trying to impress. I clicked my tongue and pushed thoughts of the Idol Project aside.
But Jihyun wasn’t one to give up. The moment she finished her tea, she piped up.
“Tasty! Did you brew it yourself?”
“Yes……”
“Nice skills! So, wanna join our Idol Project team?”
Jihyun stubbornly steered the conversation back to the Idol Project. But Ye-eun looked utterly fed up, her expression icy as she replied.
“Sorry, I can’t. I’ve got work right now.”
“Why? What kinda work?”
Of course, Jihyun wasn’t the type to back off easily. Her persistence was legendary among the people I knew.
“I’m helping out at my parents’ restaurant.”
“Then that’s perfect! Join our Idol Project team and win enough to send your parents on an overseas trip! Yeah?”
Ye-eun’s shoulders twitched at the mention of an overseas trip for her parents.
“Wh-what do you mean?”
Seeing her interest piqued, Jihyun grinned slyly.
“Know how much the prize is for this Idol Project? A whopping 300 million won! If we three win, that’s 100 million each!”
“……”
Ye-eun’s expression wavered for a second. Jihyun pounced on it.
“I know I’m kinda dragging you into this, so if we win, I’ll give you and Eunha 20 million each from my share. I’ll take 60 million, and you two get 120 million apiece! Sound good?”
Jihyun’s offer made not just Ye-eun, but even Eunha’s face flicker with rare temptation. Hell, even I was tempted hearing it.
I knew she was a big spender, but…… she wants the Idol Project that bad?
Jang Jihyun suddenly felt a little scary.
“B-but…… there’s no guarantee we’ll win.”
“We’ll make sure we do! If we’re in, we aim for first! Right?”
“……”
“And even if we don’t win, just making it to the round of 16 gets us some prize money—enough for your parents’ trip, easy.”
Ye-eun fell deep into thought at Jihyun’s words. Jihyun drained the last of her tea and added.
“……Plus, worst case, we lose nothing, right?”
It was a compelling pitch. Nothing to lose. How sweet those words were. Ye-eun really had zero downside to joining the Idol Project. Sure, her face might flash on TV for a second, but as long as she didn’t do anything stupid, no one would notice.
“So it’d just be the three of us?”
Ye-eun suddenly asked. Jihyun beamed and yanked Eunha—who was sitting next to me—into a tight hug.
“Of course! The three of us!”
“W-wait a sec!”
Eunha, suddenly roped in, looked flustered and protested.
“Why me?”
“I, I never said I’d do it……”
“Three’s perfect, isn’t it? Need more? Should we add oppa?”
I recoiled at the suggestion.
“I’m too old for that.”
Jihyun cracked up.
“Ahaha, yeah, oppa as an idol wouldn’t work! Hmm…… How about this?”
“What?”
“You be our manager?”
“Manager?”
I echoed her. Jihyun teased Eunha’s body playfully as she explained.
“Yeah, watch us practice. Bring us drinks when we’re thirsty and stuff.”
“That’s just being a gofer, isn’t it?”
“I’ll pay you a million won.”
“Deal.”
I agreed instantly. With me on board too, Jihyun grabbed Eunha again.
“Eunha, oppa’s in. Still hate it?”
She pinched and released Eunha’s cheeks repeatedly. Unable to resist, Eunha made a pouty face and raised the white flag.
“F-fine, I’ll do it……”
“Yes!”
Having secured Ye-eun and now Eunha, Jihyun whooped triumphantly, thrusting both hands in the air.
It happened just like that.
I breathed a sigh of relief. With Ye-eun focused on the Idol Project, she’d definitely slack off on hunting for the perp.
“Alright, let’s go practice! Skill check!”
Jihyun jumped up and yelled.
“Go now?”
I asked. She gave me a what-kind-of-question-is-that look.
“You’re coming too, oppa! You’re our manager! P-kun! Let’s go!”
“……”
I’d gotten a weird nickname. But it wasn’t so bad, so I chuckled softly and said, ‘I’ll get permission from the head nurse for a short outing.’ Then I got out of bed.
I quickly got the nurse’s okay, sent the girls down to the first floor first, changed, and followed them down.
Hehe, Idol Project! Don’t worry if you’re concerned we’ll dive too deep into idols—nope, we won’t go that far. It’ll wrap up around the same level as the volleyball stuff.