The Pillar I Choose to Be
“Are you alright?” Seo Suyeon asked, wiping the sweat from Cheon A-ram’s face after the CEO had spent thirty minutes locked in the bathroom vomiting.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just a little cold sweat, chills, a headache, and some nausea.”
“…Most people wouldn’t call that ‘fine.’”
“By my standards, this is actually pretty good.”
Cheon A-ram shrugged lightly, her face pale and drawn. Seo Suyeon let out a long sigh.
“You should have come ten minutes before the stage ended, just like Team Leader Seon said. Spending two hours in a crowd like that was bound to end this way.”
Her tone was almost scolding, yet her words carried deep concern. Cheon A-ram appreciated that side of her.
“I won’t deny it was a reckless choice. Still, it was worth it.”
“…I’m not about to say it wasn’t.”
Seo Suyeon’s cheeks flushed, the lingering emotion still visible.
“Yoo Gaeul’s performance was truly incredible.”
Cheon A-ram smiled faintly at her expression.
“…Hmm. I’ll admit Gaeul was amazing, but something else caught my eye.”
“What do you mean?”
“Seon Taeyang.”
“Team Leader Seon?”
Seo Suyeon looked puzzled for a moment, then nodded.
“…He did seem quite capable as a marketer.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
Cheon A-ram recalled their first song, Memories of the Sea and Fallen Leaves.
“Do you remember the first stage?”
“If you’re referring to Memories of the Sea and Fallen Leaves, then yes. It was my favorite.”
“Why do you think that stage stood out the most, among all the performances Yoo Gaeul gave?”
Seo Suyeon’s lips moved, but no answer came.
“I’m sorry. I lack the insight to understand. …It just felt deeper somehow.”
Cheon A-ram chuckled softly and explained kindly.
“Yoo Gaeul was clearly the star of that stage. But if you asked who made it perfect, I’d point to Team Leader Seon.”
His near-professional piano skills deserved high praise, yet that wasn’t all. Cheon A-ram already knew the song Memories of the Sea and Fallen Leaves. That was why she could clearly sense how the second piano solo had completely diverged from the original. The funky, sexy, addictive shift in flow could be summed up in one word.
Sophisticated.
For an industry executive like her, who had to ride and steer the current without losing it, that single word was the highest compliment she could give.
“Brother Jonghun didn’t call him someone who could surpass him for nothing.”
At those words, a crack appeared in Seo Suyeon’s usually expressionless face.
“Did Cheon Jonghun really say that?”
Her expression was filled with shock. Seeing that rare change, Cheon A-ram burst into laughter.
“He did. Even coming from my own mouth, it’s hard to believe.”
After laughing to her heart’s content in front of the dazed Seo Suyeon, Cheon A-ram straightened her clothes, tied up her hair, and spoke.
“Alright… I’ve caught my breath. Let’s head out right away.”
Seo Suyeon’s face hardened back into its usual blank mask, as if the earlier emotion had been an illusion, and she answered like a top-tier secretary.
“Yes. I’ll take you home.”
Cheon A-ram looked bewildered, as if she’d heard something absurd.
“What are you talking about? It’s not even quitting time yet. We have work to do.”
Seo Suyeon shook her head.
“Given your current condition, you should rest.”
“There’s no time for that. Like Team Leader Seon mentioned, handling things with the Seed Foundation requires moving quickly.”
“If that’s all, then I can—”
“I’ll also need to meet the old investors from the family.”
Seo Suyeon’s eyes widened.
“You’re meeting them?”
“Yeah. Now that we’re seriously entering the industry, it’s something that has to be done.”
Worry and concern filled the secretary’s face—deeper than when Cheon A-ram had been vomiting and sweating earlier.
“You’ve always hated meeting them, haven’t you? You said the stench was so bad you couldn’t stand ten minutes.”
“…That’s true.”
“There’s no need to go that far. After all, you founded Two Bear Entertainment just to have an excuse to drop out of the successor race, right?”
She was right. Cheon A-ram had never intended to actually form a girl group with Two Bear Entertainment. Taking the position of president had been nothing more than a political declaration that she wouldn’t compete with Cheon Jonghun for succession. She hadn’t even planned to use the company’s state-of-the-art facilities directly. It had merely been an investment, meant to be sold off later as the agency’s headquarters.
But that mindset had changed.
“I’ve started wanting to do something with real sincerity.”
It must have begun the moment she learned of Seon Taeyang’s existence from Cheon Jonghun’s mouth. Cheon A-ram smiled, clearly pleased by the change.
“Han Gyeowool, Yoo Gaeul, and Seon Taeyang. I can’t believe people who fit my tastes so perfectly gathered together.”
Seeping in, being drawn in, little by little. Cheon A-ram had become their fan even before they debuted.
“Aren’t you curious what kind of group they’ll create?”
“…”
“Honestly, I’m the type who judges people and calculates a lot. I’ve only ever learned how to live that way in the Cheon family since childhood, and my major was related to it, so it can’t be helped. But in front of these kids, I don’t want to be like that anymore.”
“What do you mean…?”
“I don’t want to keep getting hung up on profit margins, capital, or investment justifications. I can handle all that myself. …I’m going to become their pillar.”
She smiled awkwardly, as if embarrassed to say such a thing.
“Doesn’t that sound a little cool?”
Seo Suyeon had never seen Cheon A-ram like this before. To her, people had always been something to avoid. The idea that merely recalling someone’s name could make her smile was unimaginable. Seo Suyeon hoped that smile would last a long time.
“In that case, I’ll devote my full abilities to Two Bear as well.”
She spoke with firm resolve.
“Good. I’m counting on you from now on, Suyeon!”
Cheon A-ram smiled brightly at her.
***
“So, I’ll leave the contract to you.”
Cheon A-ram held out the contract reflecting their agreed terms.
“Is it really okay for me to handle this?”
It was a contract involving a significant amount of money. I was grateful she trusted me with the task, but remembering that I hadn’t even been with the company for a month made it feel a bit burdensome.
“After causing all that trouble yesterday, what are you saying now?”
I had nothing to say to that. Even I thought the busking incident and the rushed contract had crossed a line. Honestly, I’d done it with the mindset that if it failed, Gyeowool would have to run away with me.
“I’m sorry. I won’t do anything that undermines the president’s authority again.”
When I bowed my head in apology, Cheon A-ram waved her hand dismissively.
“It’s fine. I actually viewed that side of you in a positive light. In the end, you stirred things up to help the company, right?”
No, I did it just to help myself.
“Honestly, I was suspicious because Team Leader Seon gave off a strange scent. Wanting to believe someone and blindly trusting them are two different things. But after what happened yesterday, I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to trust you. …I’m not saying this lightly, you know?”
I had no words.
“Don’t betray that trust.”
Cheon A-ram’s eyes gleamed with an intimidating, serpentine light. A shiver ran down my spine. I still couldn’t get used to that gaze.
“I’ll live up to your trust.”
“Good! Then off you go.”
I asked reluctantly.
“Still, wouldn’t it be better for Seo Suyeon, who seems more knowledgeable in accounting, to handle this?”
“Suyeon’s at the Seed Foundation cleaning up after the mess you made yesterday. I have to step out for an investment matter too.”
“…I apologize once again. I’m sorry.”
In the end, it seemed my handling the contract was the predetermined outcome. I bowed to Cheon A-ram and left the president’s office.
When I reached the lobby, I found Yoo Gaeul kneeling on a chair, looking tense even though no one was watching.
“Gaeul, why are you sitting in such an uncomfortable position?”
“…Y-yes?”
Gaeul stared at the small “Two Bear” sign written in the lobby and spoke.
“Ah… Being at the company like this makes it feel real that I’ve entered the adult world.”
High school sophomores really were sensitive. I spoke lightly to ease her tension.
“The part-time jobs you usually do are also adult work. There’s not much difference.”
“…Right. That’s adult work too.”
She sounded somewhat self-deprecating. Realizing I’d made a slight verbal misstep, I changed the subject.
“Anyway, for an official contract, we need guardian consent. Especially since a large sum of money is involved.”
Even the new topic wasn’t particularly cheerful, but it was something that had to be said.
“So I’d like to meet your guardian now and discuss the contract. Do you have time?”
“…Yes, I suppose we have to. We’ll need guardian consent.”
We headed to the parking lot and got into the company car. Gaeul glanced at me nervously before carefully giving the address, then fell silent. It was unlike her usual chatty self. I waited patiently. I could more or less guess what was on her mind.
Only after twenty minutes in the car did Gaeul finally speak.
“…Um, my father might seem a little strange.”
“A little strange?”
Gaeul fidgeted with her hands, her anxiety showing, before continuing.
“…Actually, a lot.”
…Somehow, this didn’t seem like it would be an easy task either.