The Manager's Interrogation
"So, to sum things up briefly…"
Yuna's manager sat with her legs crossed and arms folded, watching us from her chair. Her sharp gaze swept back and forth between Yuna and me as we sat side by side on the sofa.
"Dohun-ssi is Yuna's college classmate, and the two of you are close enough that she deliberately moved into the apartment right next door. Is that correct?"
Her eyes bored into me like she was conducting an interrogation. I swallowed hard and managed a nod.
"Yes… that's right."
While answering, I studied the woman sitting across from us. Song Daeun. Thirty years old this year—four years older than me. A black bob that just brushed her shoulders. Deep brown eyes. Even with minimal makeup, her features were striking, and her long, sharp eye shape gave her a cool impression, though there was also a relaxed warmth that felt distinctly human.
She wore a white U-neck T-shirt with a deep neckline and a beige H-line skirt that hugged her figure. Practical and comfortable rather than flashy. But what stood out more than her clothes was the aura she gave off. As the manager of a top idol group, her eyes missed nothing. She looked like the type who wouldn't overlook even the smallest mistake.
Yet Yuna had told me beforehand that her actual personality was the complete opposite—easygoing and cheerful. Now that I was facing her directly, that description seemed accurate. Except for one thing.
She's beautiful.
She couldn't compare to Yuna sitting beside me, of course, but she was stunning enough to be a celebrity herself. It was surprising that a manager with looks like hers had never become a topic of gossip while constantly following Stella around.
While I was lost in thought, Yuna, who had been fidgeting nervously, quickly added, "It's true, unnie! Dohun and I have been nothing but pure friends since college. He's the one guy I trust and rely on the most!"
"What do you mean, 'the one guy'? Watch your mouth, Kim Yuna."
When the manager frowned and scolded her, Yuna pouted.
"Anyway! That's why I moved next door to Dohun—so I could rest easy. You were the one who kept worrying about me being alone, remember?"
I swallowed a deep sigh at her words. I'd been flustered when she said the manager was coming, but thinking about it now, there really shouldn't be a problem. All I had to do was stay hidden in my apartment. Still, we'd gone through the trouble of hiding our real relationship and pretending to be just close friends for one reason: the manager had strongly opposed leaving Yuna by herself.
From her perspective, Yuna's mental state seemed too unstable to be left alone. Well, that's only natural. I agreed completely with the manager's concern. When I'd seen Yuna again after so long, she'd looked like she was hanging by a thread. How could her manager possibly leave someone like that unsupervised?
"Haa—"
After staring at me for a long time with those sharp eyes, the manager finally let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Yuna."
She turned her gaze to Yuna and spoke in a firm voice.
"No matter how close you are, this won't work. You're currently the most popular female idol in Korea. If someone sees you coming and going alone with a guy in this remote officetel, it won't end with just a scandal. It'll be the end—"
"I don't care. And even if it's you, unnie, if you try to stop me from being with Dohun… I'll quit the industry."
Yuna spoke without the slightest hesitation, cutting the manager off before she could finish.
"…What?"
The manager's eyes widened like saucers. Even I, sitting beside her, gaped in shock. It was a bombshell declaration. Though she was on hiatus, Stella's Yusia was currently the highest-earning female celebrity in the entire Korean entertainment industry. There were even rumors that the notoriously picky Billboard market had taken notice of her. With that level of popularity and influence, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Stella revolved around Yusia.
If Yuna refused to participate in group activities? Stella would disintegrate that very day and head straight toward disbandment.
"Yuna! Do you even realize what you're saying right now?"
The manager uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, growling. But Yuna met her eyes without backing down.
"I know that if I quit, it'll leave an indelible scar on the members and the fans who believed in me and waited. That… would really haunt me for the rest of my life."
Yuna's voice began to tremble slightly. Transparent tears welled up in her eyes.
"But you know better than anyone, unnie…! Even if I go back now, I'm not in any condition to stand on stage…! It feels like I'm suffocating to death! Maybe I'll never be able to face the camera lights again…!!"
Yuna bit her lower lip hard and sniffled. I watched her in silence. The manager flinched at Yuna's tears, then bit her own lip and looked away, seemingly lost in deep thought.
Taking advantage of the moment, Yuna pressed closer to me and drove the point home. "But unnie, I've only been here a few days, and Dohun's been taking such good care of me that I feel so much more at ease."
"…You do look better."
"Right? Plus, Dohun's really smart. He's been helping me come up with ways and plans to overcome my stage fright."
"What? Really?"
The manager's expression brightened as she turned to look at me. I stared at Yuna in confusion as well.
"Isn't that right~?"
Yuna smiled at me. Realizing what her smile meant, I awkwardly lifted the corners of my mouth.
"Uh… haha…! It's not like I have some grand plan or anything. I'm just… helping Yuna with her mental care so she can return to her normal life."
At my clumsy answer, the manager narrowed her eyes and glanced between Yuna and me. She still looked suspicious. But after seeing the renewed vitality in Yuna's face, she let out another long sigh.
"Haa… Fine. I understand for now."
The manager scratched her head irritably.
"You look a hundred times better than when you seemed possessed. I'll hold off on reporting Dohun-ssi to the higher-ups."
"Really?! Yes! Daeun unnie, you're the best!"
When Yuna cheered and tried to hug her, the manager raised her palm and pushed her away mercilessly.
"But."
Then she fixed her gaze on me. A strangely artificial smile played on her lips.
"Dohun-ssi, how old are you?"
"Twenty-six."
"Oh my, really? I'm thirty. So that makes me your noona, doesn't it?"
"Uh… yes. I guess so?"
When I nodded awkwardly, the manager leaned forward with a bright smile.
"Then let's drop the formalities. I'll just call you Dohun instead of Dohun-ssi. You can call me Daeun noona."
"Excuse me?"
I blinked in surprise at the sudden shift in address. It seemed her sharp work mode had switched off, revealing the easygoing personality Yuna had mentioned.
"Yeah, sure… got it."
"What do you mean, 'got it'? Say 'noona.' Noona~."
The manager—no, Daeun noona—lightly smacked my forearm as if urging me on. I licked my lips awkwardly.
"Daeun… noona?"
"Puhahaha!! What's with that? You sound so stiff!"
When I finally managed to answer while scratching my head, noona burst out laughing and slapped my shoulder repeatedly. In an instant, the tense atmosphere dissolved into something warm and friendly.
But I couldn't let my guard down. I realized the moment Yuna had warned me about beforehand had arrived. Yuna, sitting beside me, had also gone stiff.
"Aww, you're fun, kid."
Still wiping away tears of laughter, noona suddenly stood up.
"Dohun-ah! Want to go grab a drink, just the two of us?"
"Huh? Right now?"
When I widened my eyes, noona placed a hand on her hip and smirked.
"Why, don't want to?"
She leaned closer to my face.
"Don't feel like drinking alone with a thirty-year-old auntie whose seat just got upgraded?"
Her mouth was smiling, but her whispering voice carried a hidden chill.
"N-no! Let's go, noona!"
I scrambled to my feet and grabbed my jacket. "Good. Let's go. I'll buy you something tasty."
Noona patted my shoulder and led the way to the front door. Half-dragged along behind her, I glanced back at Yuna, who had been left alone on the sofa. She had her palms pressed together, rubbing them anxiously as she gave me a desperate look. Please, soften her up for me.
I let out a deep sigh internally and followed noona out of the officetel like a lamb to the slaughter.
* *
The place noona took me to was a shabby but spacious hof a short distance from the officetel. On the table were several dried snacks alongside an intimidating number of soju and beer bottles. As soon as she sat down, noona skillfully mixed golden-ratio somaek and slid it toward me.
"Here. First round's bottoms up, got it?"
"Yeah…"
When I tried to turn my head to drink, she waved her hand to stop me.
"Hey, what are you doing? Don't look away—just drink it straight."
"Ah, right."
Left with no choice, I faced forward and gulped down the somaek. While doing so, I cautiously glanced at noona and found her watching me like a hawk. When our eyes met in midair, I hurriedly emptied the glass.
"Kyah—!!"
"Kuh…"
Noona let out a satisfied exclamation and set her empty glass on the table. I did the same, wiping my mouth. She popped a piece of squid into her mouth, chewed noisily, and asked, "Can you hold your liquor?"
"No. I'm terrible at it. I get drunk fast."
At my answer, the corner of her lips curled up at an angle.
"Is that so~?"
Her laugh was sticky and suggestive, laced with a nasal tone. A chill ran down my spine at that ominous smile. Noona rested her chin on her hand and stared straight at me. Her mouth was still smiling, but her eyes pierced through me.
"I'll ask you one thing, straight up, Dohun dongsaeng."
She leaned toward me and whispered in a low voice.
"You… are Yuna's boyfriend, aren't you?"
In that moment, the flush from the alcohol that had been rising to my face froze over completely.