I Already Want to Quit

I asked, “So what exactly do you want me to do here?”

It wasn’t because I had no idea what my role would be. It was because there looked to be far too much for one person to handle. If I wasn’t careful, I might end up shouldering so much work that even two hours of sleep a night would feel insufficient. A company without a properly established system could only run by grinding through its people.

“For now, I expect you to take overall charge of planning and adjusting the management schedule, Team Leader Sun. That’s why I gave you the title in the first place.”

Cheon A-ram added that she planned to hire more specialists, so I shouldn’t worry too much about lacking practical knowledge. It was a considerate thing to say. Still, I didn’t think my practical knowledge was any weaker than those so-called specialists. I simply couldn’t prove it. The career I had built before my regression was nothing to scoff at.

I silently vowed to make her forget the very idea of hiring additional experts and answered, “I won’t disappoint you.”

Cheon A-ram gave a small nod and continued. “But that’s work for after we’ve built a proper team.”

“So for the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠time being, I should interpret that as you wanting me to focus on scouting?”

“As expected from Team Leader Sun. Another perfect answer.”

Cheon A-ram smiled brightly before speaking again. “I heard from my eldest brother. While you were working as Sung-hwan’s manager, you somehow managed to assemble all four members of the debut team just by doing a brief Tube shoot at SS Entertainment, right?”

“So that story even reached the CEO’s ears.”

“I was the one in charge of hiring, after all.”

Now I understood a little better why Cheon A-ram held me in such high regard.

“Anyway, one of the things I’m expecting from hiring you is exactly that—your eye for talent. I want you to use it for Two Bear Entertainment.”

In truth, it had only been the knowledge from my previous life. True genius-level discernment and I were miles apart. But it wasn’t something impossible to replicate. I still carried knowledge of the stars from before the regression. I even knew which schools some of them were currently studying at. On top of that, the fraudulent ability known as the Management System let me examine other people’s talents directly.

If I couldn’t display a talent called “discernment” with all of that at my disposal, I deserved to drop dead.

I spoke with conviction. “I’ll deliver more than what you’re hoping for, CEO Cheon.”

“I like the sound of that. Just ask for whatever budget you need and I’ll support you aggressively. Show me that talent to your heart’s content.”

I rather liked that single sentence.

“Then I’ll get moving right away.”

“Ah, wait. There’s one thing you should know before you go.”

I stopped in my tracks.

“Winter, could you step out for a moment? This is a rather sensitive topic.”

Han Gyeowool tilted her head as she looked between me and Cheon A-ram, then quietly slipped out the door.

“What is it that Winter shouldn’t hear?”

“It’s not that she can’t hear it, but personally I’d prefer as few people as possible to know.”

It was a meaningful remark.

“Our company doesn’t exactly have a normal staffing structure, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠does it?”

“…No, it doesn’t. Honestly, it’s almost embarrassing to even call it a company.”

At my candid reply, Cheon A-ram let out a small chuckle and said, “There’s a reason for that.”

She glanced around near the door, checking whether anyone might be eavesdropping. I wondered what kind of tremendous secret required such tight security. Thanks to her, I started to feel a bit tense myself.

“Team Leader Sun, do you believe in supernatural abilities?”

“Supernatural abilities? You mean things like superpowers?”

“Something like that. Seeing ghosts, reading people’s minds—that sort of thing.”

The question felt somewhat out of left field, but answering it didn’t require any hesitation. My response to that question had been set in stone inside me for a very long time.

“I believe in them.”

After all, I myself was currently benefiting from the supernatural power known as the Management System. It didn’t seem likely that I would be the only one experiencing such a miracle.

“That’s unexpected. I thought someone like you wouldn’t believe in things like this.”

“I’m more open-minded than I look.”

“Good. That’ll make this easier to explain. To put it bluntly, I have one of those abilities too.”

Cheon A-ram touched her lips with an enigmatic expression as she continued. “Though whether it’s an ability or a curse is rather ambiguous.”

I had only known her a short time, but I didn’t think Cheon A-ram was the type to joke while giving an explanation like this. So I took her at her word that she was a superhuman and asked, “What kind of ability?”

“I can smell people with impure intentions. From them comes a stench so unbearable it’s hard to endure. In severe cases, it’s strong enough to make me faint.”

Now I understood why she had used both the words “ability” and “curse.” If the risks were exactly as she described, the pain couldn’t have been minor.

“What do you mean by impure intentions?”

“I haven’t been able to define it clearly myself. It’s not as if I can pull out someone’s thoughts and compare them to the scent.”

It seemed there was no convenient System that kindly explained her ability to her.

“Still, you must have some idea, right?”

“Yes, I do. For now, I think of it as greed.”

I pondered the word greed for a moment before asking, “I’m not doubting your words, CEO Cheon. But that feels a little vague to me.”

Greed could be interpreted in an extremely broad range of ways.

“Everyone has desires. That’s not because people are immoral—it’s simply because we are living creatures with appetites, sexual urges, and the need for sleep.”

Without those desires, humanity would never have developed this far. If we lacked them, we wouldn’t bother with the troublesome labor of survival.

“I agree with you on that point. If I interpreted desire itself as a stench, I wouldn’t be able to share the same space with anyone.”

I nodded.

“So I believe it’s more precisely ‘greed that seeks to obtain something even by sacrificing others.’”

Thanks to Cheon A-ram’s clarification, the meaning became more concrete than before. Yet I still couldn’t fully understand.

“It’s more specific now, but that too remains a universal human emotion. As long as people have a sense of self, they can’t help but be self-centered.”

“True. Even if they don’t say it out loud, people who pursue profit even at the cost of sacrificing others are everywhere.”

“Exactly. It’s better than smelling the desire itself, but the fact that I’d still have to avoid most people doesn’t change. Living a normal daily life would be impossible.”

“As expected of Team Leader Sun—you’ve hit the right answer again?”

“…”

From that casual acknowledgment, I could picture what kind of life Cheon A-ram must have lived. She had mentioned fainting in severe cases. Building normal human relationships would have been impossible. She probably couldn’t go to school, let alone anywhere crowded with people.

“…You’ve been through a lot.”

“Well, even if there’s a stench, it doesn’t make it impossible to be around others. Fainting only happens after several hours.”

Cheon A-ram waved her hand as if it weren’t such a great hardship and continued. “I can go to crowded places just fine. As long as I endure the minor issue of breaking out in hives all over my body, getting headaches, and feeling nauseous after just ten minutes.”

That’s not a minor issue, lady.

“That’s why Two Bear Entertainment has an abnormally small number of employees. Whenever I interview someone, a strong stench comes rolling off them.”

Even I wouldn’t want to hire someone like that. Even if the side effects of the stench didn’t exist, it would be difficult to trust and employ someone who harbored greed that assumed the sacrifice of others.

Looking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at it that way, Cheon A-ram’s ability really was a talent. At least she would never hire someone who would stab her in the back.

“Since we’ll have to eat from the same pot in the same space for quite a long time, I couldn’t just tolerate people passing by like strangers. So I was extremely picky when choosing people.”

Cheon A-ram looked at me and smiled like a snake.

“The ones who slipped through that narrow gate were you, Team Leader Sun, and Han Gyeowool. I officially recognize both of you as humanists. You may consider it an honor.”

I couldn’t tell whether I should be pleased or uncomfortable with the evaluation of being publicly certified by Cheon A-ram as someone without greed. Especially since, after my regression, I had deliberately chosen to become a selfish person. For now, I decided not to think about it too deeply.

“The reason you’re telling me this secret—is it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so that I can consider this ‘scent’ when scouting?”

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Cheon A-ram clapped as if impressed and said, “Our Team Leader Sun really does catch on quickly. That’s right. It’s the highest priority consideration in Two Bear Entertainment’s recruitment policy. Find people who don’t have that smell—what we call humanists.”

It was a difficult request. How was I supposed to know other people’s greed and choose accordingly? I had always thought that to endure the grueling life of a trainee and make it to debut, one needed intense greed just to survive. That made the demand feel even more impossible.

Still, what could I do? The employer wanted it, so I had to follow.

“Understood. I’ll look for people who seem least likely to be like that.”

“Good. I’ll be rooting for you.”

I bowed to Cheon A-ram and left the training room. If I had to consider personality as well while making contact with future top-tier idols who weren’t trainees yet, it looked like I would have to do a lot of legwork.

I brought in a girl with unrivaled rap skills who could become the epitome of girl crush.

“Ugh, the smell. Fail!”

I brought in a girl who perfectly embodied Eastern feminine beauty and could become a celebrity in the modeling world.

“It’s musty and nasty. I don’t want to see her often. Fail!”

I brought in a girl with a pure, cute image who would shoot tons of commercials.

“…How awful. I couldn’t stay in the same room with this kid for even three minutes. Fail.”

“…”

I already wanted to quit.