Read the Room!
"Hey, come on. Why don't you just date me? This isn't the kind of opportunity that comes around often, you know."
I spoke firmly, cutting her off before she could say anything else.
"I'll have to decline."
"Why not? I'm actually really pretty, you know. When I dress up, it's no joke!"
I knew that without her having to tell me.
"People always say I have a great personality, too. ...Is that a little hard to prove?"
I already knew that as well.
"I'm aware. Even while pouring all your free time into practice, you still make regular visits to this orphanage to volunteer. So calling your personality 'just good' doesn't even begin to cover it. Miss Haneul, you're attractive in every possible way."
"...You're really coming in strong out of nowhere. That's true. I don't think I'm the type of person who loses out to anyone. So why are you rejecting me?"
Did I really need to spell it out?
"Where in the world would you find a manager dating an idol? Besides, you're a minor, Miss Yoon Haneul!"
"Aren't you curious about the thrill of crossing that forbidden line?"
"Not in the slightest."
If I crossed it, I'd just end up like Ban Seongcheol.
"Ah, just date me already. Seriously. Date me! Date me! Date me!"
Yoon Haneul flopped onto the floor and threw a full-blown tantrum like a spoiled child. The kids around her seemed to find it hilarious and joined in, lying down beside her and chanting the same words in chaotic unison.
"Date me! Date me! Date me!"
Right on cue, Jin Yeoreum appeared again. She grabbed the collar of Haneul's shirt and began dragging her away.
"If I think about it, you're responsible for about sixty percent of the incidents around here."
"...Ack, ugh. Wait, Yeoreum! My neck!"
Just like that, Yoon Haneul was hauled off like a bag of trash and tossed into the room where the middle school girls were staying.
"Kyaa! It's Sister Haneul! Explain what that confession was about right now!"
"Explain!"
"Explain!"
"Girls? Could you let go first? Noona's a little scared..."
Bang.
After throwing Yoon Haneul into that pink-tinted hellscape and slamming the door with crisp satisfaction, Jin Yeoreum walked back over to me. I offered my thanks to her for managing to remain elegant even after disposing of one person so efficiently.
"Thank you for your help, Miss Yeoreum."
"Not at all. If anything, I'm sorry for putting you in such an awkward position. Once Haneul gets fixated on something, she charges straight ahead without caring about the consequences..."
"I actually found that part of her quite admirable. The fact that she's someone who can throw herself into things so completely makes me think she'll succeed as an idol."
"...Have you two already gotten that far in your conversation?"
"I'm surprised myself. Miss Yoon Haneul's social skills are truly remarkable."
I shrugged. Just as she'd said, we'd covered an absurd range of topics in less than twenty minutes of knowing each other.
"As you heard, Haneul dreams of becoming an idol. That's why she practices more diligently and thoroughly than anyone else."
Jin Yeoreum looked at me as she spoke.
"Team Leader Seon."
"Yes, Miss Yeoreum."
"Is it truly enough for me to simply continue volunteering here?"
"..."
Even though I had publicly declared that I would scout Jin Yeoreum for Two Bear, I hadn't done a single thing for her. I hadn't taken her to the company building to sign a contract. I hadn't let her join the training that Autumn and Winter were receiving. I hadn't even conducted an entrance test to evaluate her skills.
That's right. I was neglecting her.
Yet I answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Yes. For now, this is enough. Do you remember what I told you before?"
"...Yes. You said the volunteer work was necessary to shift my image."
I had told Jin Yeoreum that for the time being, instead of beginning training, she needed to be filmed doing volunteer work at the orphanage. The reasoning was that improving her image had to come before honing her abilities.
"It's a rather crude approach, but your decision to focus on volunteer work was a good one. It's not without reason that it's the first choice people make when trying to repair their image."
Jin Yeoreum gave a small nod.
"Yes, I think so too. Even if it's hypocritical, no one can deny that volunteer work is inherently good."
"That's why I believe the process of changing your image should be built on the foundation of these volunteer activities."
I could guess why she was asking again. She must have been anxious. After finally resolving to become an idol, there had been no change whatsoever in her daily life.
What I needed to do now was reassure her and minimize any variables.
"It might feel unsettling, like nothing is changing. So let me make you one promise, Miss Yeoreum, in hopes that it will put your mind at ease. The photos taken during this time will definitely have a meaningful impact on your image. Perhaps enough that I could even call it decisive."
"..."
It would indeed be decisive. Though it wouldn't be a positive outcome for Jin Yeoreum.
Through the photos I was taking, Jin Yeoreum would once again be bombarded by public opinion. And within that storm of controversy, the images of Autumn and Winter would be illuminated and take flight.
For that to happen, Jin Yeoreum needed to cooperate as quietly and obediently as possible. At least until the moment the quest determined that the filming was complete.
With a silver tongue, I planted poison in her heart.
"Please trust me, Jin Yeoreum. Everything I'm doing is for your sake and for the success of Two Bear."
"...I don't trust people who demand blind faith. I've been exploited too many times for that kind of thinking to become my conviction."
Jin Yeoreum looked directly at me as she spoke.
"Even so, I'll trust you, Team Leader Seon."
It was welcome news. This would make deceiving Jin Yeoreum much easier.
But I wanted to know the reason. I didn't think I'd shown her anything that would warrant that level of trust.
So I asked.
"This isn't something I should say from a position of being trusted, but why are you giving me such special treatment?"
Jin Yeoreum let her characteristic elegant smile flow out, carrying a trace of warmth.
"I just want to."
"..."
I had no intention of officially recruiting Jin Yeoreum. The moment the quest was completed, I would offer some pathetic excuse and pretend her recruitment had never been part of the plan. Since we hadn't even drawn up a contract yet, it wouldn't be difficult.
And by the time Jin Yeoreum looked back on the possibility of becoming an idol as nothing more than a summer day's dream, the third-generation chaebol scandal would explode.
That was when I would drive the sharpest dagger into her heart.
Because that was the path to success.
"...Just because."
"Yes. Just because."
The goal was clear. The means trusted me. The future looked bright.
Yet none of it felt good.
The filming continued without a hitch.
"Winter, for removing water stains from stainless steel, it's best to use potato peels. I saved some from the curry I made yesterday. Want to try it?"
"Whoa, it really comes off cleanly! That's amazing, Yeoreum!"
"Well, I won't be modest about this particular area. I always choose the best option. That doesn't change just because it's cleaning."
"But Yeoreum, couldn't you just use a stainless steel cleaner instead of potato peels? It seems a lot more convenient to store and use."
Winter pulled out a stainless steel cleaner from the cleaning supplies and began effortlessly cleaning the kitchen. Yeoreum stared at her blankly for a moment before her expression turned slightly sullen. Still, she continued cleaning with the potato peels.
"...Potato peels are more economical. I chose the best option."
Winter, read the room! Just use the potato peels like a normal person!
Regardless, the two of them sitting together cleaning the kitchen made for quite a good scene. With the mindset of trying to salvage at least one decent shot out of a hundred, I varied the angles as much as possible while photographing them.
At that moment, a woman poked her head in beside me.
"Yo! Team Leader Seon!"
It was Yoon Haneul.
"Have you changed your mind about dating me today?"
"I have not."
"...Your guard really is thick."
Yoon Haneul looked over at me, Winter, and Yeoreum as we were filming and asked.
"Is the shoot going well?"
"Yes, it's going well. However..."
Whether it was because the models were good or because I unexpectedly had a talent for photography, the results were quite decent. Yet there was no sign of the quest completing.
I was taking photos indiscriminately for now, but I couldn't quite figure out exactly what kind of shots or how many the quest wanted.
"I feel like something's missing. The fact that I can't pinpoint what it is makes me a bit frustrated."
Yoon Haneul closed her eyes, rested her chin on her hand, and pretended to think hard before speaking.
"Team Leader Seon, you're taking these photos to change Yeoreum's image, right?"
I lied again without batting an eye.
"Yes, that's correct."
"In that case, how about trying some more dramatic compositions?"
"What do you mean by dramatic?"
"Honestly, photos of cleaning and cooking for volunteer work are pretty cliché, aren't they? No matter how well they're taken, they're boring. Of course you need some shots that prove the volunteer work happened, but those alone feel a little insufficient."
Yoon Haneul laughed brightly.
"You need some aggro that makes people want to click."
Only after hearing those words did it come back to me.
Controversy needs evidence. Deceive them into thinking you're recruiting Jin Yeoreum as a member and take plenty of provocative, stimulating volunteer activity photos with her, Autumn, and Winter.
The very photos that would later become internet memes and serve as the catalyst for Bubble Shower's explosive rise—the intensely provocative shots the quest desired.
Those were what I needed to capture.