Hands Off
Yoon Haneul confessed to me just three minutes after we met this round. No, I must have misheard. That couldn't possibly make sense. …Yeah, I must have misunderstood again. I politely apologized to Yoon Haneul.
“I'm sorry. I've been having trouble hearing people correctly lately and jumping to conclusions. Could you say that one more time?”
“I said, let's date.”
What the hell.
“Jokes like that make me uncomfortable. I'm a pretty dull and stiff person, so I won't be able to give you the reaction you're hoping for.”
Even with over a decade of social experience under my belt, I couldn't play along with this. This girl…
“It's not a joke, though?”
…Just say it's a joke, please.
“We literally just met, didn't we?”
“That's right.”
I let out a low sigh and spoke. Since I needed to recruit her, I wanted to make the best impression possible on Yoon Haneul, but it seemed I'd have to accept that my favorability might drop a little.
“I don't believe in love at first sight. I think emotions bloom like dandelions over a long period of time spent together before they take flight.”
“Oh, that's a nice way to put it.”
“…That's exactly why your proposal right now feels extremely unwelcome. Are you hoping I'll mistake you for the kind of person who confesses to complete strangers?”
Yoon Haneul lightly ran her fingers through her sky-blue hair, looking troubled.
“Hmm… You're misunderstanding me, just like you said. I'm not that kind of frivolous person.”
Then she flashed her signature refreshing smile.
“If I may brag a little, I've received plenty of confessions. But this is the first time I've ever confessed to someone myself since the day I was born.”
“Why would you confess to me? You don't even know my name.”
“Ah-cha-cha, look at me forgetting introductions. I'm Yoon Haneul, a first-year high school student and Yeoreum's friend. Nice to meet you.”
I shook her outstretched hand and greeted her lightly.
“Nice to meet you too, Miss Yoon Haneul.”
…So we confess first and exchange names after?
“So, Team Leader Seon. What's your answer? About dating me!”
“…Who said anything about dating?”
Yoo Gaeul's perfectly timed intervention. She must have seen me in trouble and come to help. But Gaeul, why are you holding your guitar like a blunt weapon?
“…You're not talking to Taeyang oppa, are you?”
…Ah, so she's trying to scare Haneul off? That's my Gaeul! I knew I could count on her.
Whether Yoon Haneul picked up on Gaeul's intent or not, she trembled as she asked me,
“What's with that unnie? Is she always that scary?”
“Come on, what's scary about Gaeul? You just don't know her well, Haneul. Gaeul is literally a golden retriever in human form. She's just messing around. …Though if you make that Gaeul angry, you might get a little hurt.”
Crack.
…Maybe more than a little?
“Eek!”
Yoon Haneul yelped and clung to my arm. Gaeul's eyebrows twitched at the sight. Then, still gripping the guitar in one hand, she began walking toward us one step at a time. It looked like a scene straight out of a thriller movie.
Wow, Gaeul's acting is really good.
I glanced around, wondering where the kids she'd been with had gone, and spotted them huddled in the corner, trembling as they watched Gaeul. They all seemed to have fallen for her act.
“You shouldn't make things difficult for Taeyang oppa. So…”
Gaeul's bangs swayed, revealing her eyes that glowed with a yellowish light. They almost seemed to shimmer like a yo-yo.
“Let. Go.”
After that warning, Gaeul began walking toward us slowly, one step at a time. The distance between us shrank rapidly.
“…T-Team Leader Seon, please stop that unnie! I'm really scared.”
“Like Gaeul said, wouldn't it be fine if you just let go of my arm first?”
“Then I'd lose my hostage! I was told never to negotiate with terrorists!”
…Decide whether you're the terrorist or the police, will you?
Yoon Haneul clung to my arm like it was a lifeline. Gaeul's expression hardened at the sight.
“…Let go.”
“Aaaah! Don't come any closer!”
Just then, Jin Yeoreum appeared and grabbed Gaeul.
“Wait a second, Gaeul unnie.”
Yeoreum leaned in and whispered something into Gaeul's ear.
“Team Leader Seon would definitely dislike seeing you like that.”
“…”
“Right now he seems to be taking it as some kind of joke, but if you take it any further, even Team Leader Seon will notice. Are you sure that's okay?”
“…”
Whatever the two of them discussed, Gaeul's expression turned strangely complicated. Then, as if the chilling aura she'd shown moments ago had been an illusion, her face shifted back to its usual soft and warm demeanor.
She probably didn't intend to keep the act going any longer.
“…Ahaha, it was just a joke, Taeyang oppa.”
“Don't worry. I already knew. Though Miss Yoon Haneul over there seems pretty startled… That was some impressive acting, by the way. Want to take acting lessons seriously later?”
It really was an impressive display of control. Gaeul's acting potential was only D+, after all. A pleasant miscalculation. It reminded me that the status window wasn't everything.
“Ah, if I get the chance, I'll work hard at it!”
Still, I couldn't help but worry about her. If kind-hearted Gaeul ended up being misunderstood, I'd feel upset beyond just business relations.
“I don't want to lecture you, but I'm worried about you, Gaeul, so let me say this. You should be a bit more careful in crowded places like this. I know you, but other people might misunderstand.”
Gaeul smiled sheepishly and apologized.
“I'm really sorry. I only meant to startle her a little, but I ended up making things difficult for you, Taeyang oppa.”
“It's fine. As long as you think about that next time.”
Gaeul turned to Yoon Haneul.
“Making things difficult for Taeyang oppa is wrong. It's a serious sin. …So you shouldn't play any ‘jokes’ that make things difficult for Taeyang oppa either, Haneul.”
“…Y-Yes, I absolutely won't!”
Leaving the trembling Yoon Haneul behind, Gaeul headed back toward the kids.
“Sorry for suddenly standing up, everyone. Unnie will play ‘Blue Whiskered Whale’ for you instead.”
“Finally, my time has come!”
“Unnie, play ‘Missing You’ for us!”
Watching Gaeul's retreating figure, I spoke to Yoon Haneul.
“She's a charming kid, isn't she?”
“…If she gets charming twice, someone might actually die.”
“Come on, it was all just a joke.”
As I said that, I looked at Yoon Haneul. She looked back at me. The moment our eyes met, a status window appeared.
“…”
Yoon Haneul's stats were below expectations. Aside from Appearance, none of her main stats reached A. Of course, that was still enough to be called a prodigy, but after seeing Han Gyeowool, Yoo Gaeul, and Jin Yeoreum, my standards had risen so high that her stats felt lacking.
Before my regression, I'd watched countless videos of Yoon Haneul while researching data. Seeing her dance and sing at concerts, local events, and on variety shows, I'd assumed she'd be A-rank material. She'd shown that level of quality on every stage.
That's why Yoon Haneul's low potential slightly surprised me. But I liked it.
“…Team Leader Seon? Why are you suddenly staring at me without saying anything? …It's a little embarrassing.”
“Haneul, would you like to become an idol with us?”
Enough that I'd genuinely decided to recruit her.
“Huh? Me?”
Yoon Haneul blinked in surprise.
“I have a pretty good eye for people. Thanks to that eye, I was scouted straight into a team leader position at the company.”
“Ah… I see.”
“And I'm telling you right now—Haneul, you're not particularly talented.”
“…What?”
Yoon Haneul tilted her head.
“Wasn't this supposed to be a compliment? …You haven't even seen anything from me, yet you're suddenly evaluating me like this. Honestly, I'm a bit offended. I do have talent.”
“Of course you're not completely without talent. You're more than capable of trying to become an idol. In a word, you'd be considered a prodigy. You probably won't have trouble understanding instructions, and you won't forget what you've learned. That's talent good enough to be called decent.”
It would be fine to call it excellent, but unfortunately, that alone wasn't enough.
“But you're definitely not a genius. I'm talking about people with the highest level of talent—those who don't just remember what they've learned, but figure out things they haven't been taught on their own, grasping the whole picture from a single glance.”
Yoon Haneul spoke in a sulky voice.
“Then why are you trying to scout me? Talent aside, you said I don't look particularly gifted to you.”
“Because even with that level of talent, you'll still reach the top as an idol.”
“…How do you know that, Team Leader Seon?”
I didn't elaborate.
“Could you lend me your hand for a moment?”
“My hand?”
Though she looked reluctant, Yoon Haneul obediently held out her hand. I took it and gently pushed up the sleeve of her loose T-shirt. She tried to stop me in a panic, but her arm was already exposed.
Her arm was a mess. Purple bruises clustered in every corner. Several pain relief patches were stuck to her muscles. A large hospital-grade bandage was attached to her elbow.
And that was exactly why Yoon Haneul could stand at the top.
“You practice every single day, even during times when others rest, cutting into your sleep too, right?”
“…”
Could someone with B-rank talent never replicate an A-rank's movements? There were some moves they couldn't do. But most of them, they could.
“Sometimes, when those so-called geniuses pull off moves like it's nothing, you repeat them a hundred, a thousand times until they're yours, don't you?”
“…”
That's right. It was possible. If you added the effort of carving into your bones and shattering your life. And Yoon Haneul was someone who put in that effort.
That was no different from being a genius.
“That's why someone like you will definitely reach the top. And I want to create the best girl group with you.”
“…Haa.”
Yoon Haneul let out a small sigh and muttered quietly.
“…This person is way more dangerous than Yeoreum described.”
“What?”
Why do kids these days never speak up? Let me hear it too. React a little.
“I can't become an idol under Team Leader Seon's company, Two Bear. There's a company I have to go to. Instead…”
…Instead?
Yoon Haneul smiled brightly with her signature refreshing smile.
“Being your girlfriend is possible though. How about it?”
“I'll have to decline.”
Yoon Haneul looked genuinely shocked.
“…What?”
Why are you so surprised? Did you think I'd actually date an idol? I must be crazy.