Breaking News: Seon Taeyang Gets a Girlfriend
“…Hah, hah.”
In the dead of night, while every trainee at the Girl 100 dorm was fast asleep, Gyeoul lay drenched in cold sweat, her breathing ragged. She had dreamed. Or perhaps she had seen a memory that wasn’t a dream at all. It might even have been some kind of time slip. The one thing she knew for certain was that she had seen Taeyang there.
Even in the midst of his frantic schedule, he had stayed by her side through every moment of the funeral. He had spoken of a hundred years, promising their relationship would last forever. And then she had witnessed his death.
Possibility Memory usage complete!
And as if to prove that none of it had been mere illusion, a single message floated before Gyeoul’s eyes. Even if someone had insisted it was all a fantasy, Gyeoul would have denied it. That raw, sunlit sense of reality, the chain of emotions that clawed up her spine like tentacles—none of it could have been fake.
“…Taeyang-nim.”
Gyeoul forced her violently trembling hands to steady themselves, threw off the blanket, and rose from the bed. “Ughhh, whaaat?” Kim Yujin, who had been sleeping beside her, stirred at the noise, but Gyeoul couldn’t spare her a glance. She punched her own limp legs with her fists until some strength returned, then hurried out of the dorm in the white T-shirt and dolphin shorts they had been issued as sleepwear.
Any trainee participating in Girl 100 who left the dorm without permission was in breach of contract. Gyeoul’s actions would clearly lead to serious consequences. Yet none of that rational calculation reached her mind. The only thought filling her head was one.
“…Taeyang-nim. …Taeyang-nim.”
Gyeoul had to see Seon Taeyang’s face. Right now.
She half-slid down the stairs, burst through the emergency exit, and left the dorm behind. Pulling the emergency cash she had tucked into her socks—fifty thousand won—she flagged down a taxi. Slippers, dolphin shorts, a trembling body, cold sweat beading on her forehead, and a face that still looked unmistakably underage. Nothing about her suggested an ordinary sight at this hour.
The taxi driver asked with concern, “Are you all right, miss? Should I take you to a hospital?”
“…No, I’m fine. Somewhere else, please.”
Gyeoul gave the address of the house that had become far too comfortable in the month since she had come to Seoul. Seon Taeyang’s house.
***
The discussion with Kim Seonye had dragged on longer than expected. While both sides had agreed on the basic terms of the deal, their opinions clashed sharply over how far to push the editing of Gyeoul’s image.
“Ah, seriously, what kind of rotten personality does that woman have?”
Among Kim Seonye’s suggestions were several so extreme that I suspected she wanted to turn Gyeoul into “the nation’s most hated bitch.” When I pushed back, she shamelessly replied, “Why? It’s just one word, isn’t it?” as if it were nothing. But I knew the moment that word aired, it would be clipped, archived, and used to publicly flog Gyeoul in every community forever. I refused outright.
What I had asked for was someone who divided fan opinions, not a target for people to throw stones at. Honestly, Kim Seonye probably understood exactly what that meant and how it would help the show’s ratings. She had simply said it hoping to make me uncomfortable. The pure malice behind the suggestion made it especially vicious. Looking back, she really was a nasty piece of work. That was probably why she had orchestrated the vote-rigging in the first place.
“Just you wait, Seonye. I’ll make this broadcast explode with attention.”
Though the backlash would probably explode on the back of her head instead.
Grumbling, I carefully parked the car in the cramped lot. I sometimes worried whether it was all right to drive the company car like this, but our kind-hearted President Cheon had told me not to worry because she was buying another one anyway, so it should be fine.
“No matter how many times I think about it, I really lucked out meeting the president.”
She paid well, handed a team-leader position to someone with zero experience, and gave out bonuses the moment results came in. What could be better? The work-life balance was admittedly in shambles, but that was mostly my fault for creating problems that didn’t exist, so I had no right to complain.
I muttered my usual half-hearted grumbles and climbed the stairs toward our old, worn-down apartment. Walking down the hallway, I punched in the code on the door lock that had started making strange noises and stepped inside.
“I’m home.”
“Oh, Taeyang-hyung! You’re late.”
My sister must have gone to bed early; only Gahyeon greeted me.
“What are you doing up at this hour? Were you waiting for me?”
“Nah, I just woke up because I suddenly wanted ramen as a midnight snack.”
“…Right. Enjoy your food.”
Most people would have scolded him, but having experienced how weak digestion becomes after thirty, making late-night ramen a luxury I could no longer afford, I didn’t have the heart to stop him. He should enjoy it while he was still young. Once you passed thirty, the next day’s regret made it miserable.
“Hyung, want me to boil some for you too? Don’t worry, I’ve got this. Anyone can make one serving, but two servings is where real skill comes in. And I happen to be ridiculously good at it.”
Oh. I had thought Gahyeon only had talent for art and cat-like aegyo, but apparently he was gifted at boiling ramen too? I felt another surge of pride in looking after him.
“Then maybe I’ll have a little.”
“Egg in the broth or no egg?”
“Don’t mix the egg in. Just leave it as is.”
“Al dente or soft?”
“Al dente.”
“See? I knew Taeyang-hyung had taste. Just wait a sec.”
Gahyeon began tearing open the ramen packet while humming Gaeul’s favorite song, “Memories of Fallen Leaves and the Sea.” Meanwhile, I decided to change out of my suit and opened my bedroom door.
Maybe Gahyeon’s humming was contagious, because “Memories of Fallen Leaves and the Sea” was now stuck in my head too. Thinking back on the street performance, I shrugged off my clothes—only to freeze at the sight of Gyeoul curled up asleep in the narrow gap between the bed and the wardrobe.
…Huh?
I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was hallucinating, then looked again. It was still Gyeoul.
Why are you here?
“…This is bad, isn’t it?”
The dreamlike situation was rapidly turning into reality. Remembering that Girl 100 strictly forbade trainees from leaving the dorm without permission, Gyeoul absolutely could not be here. Especially not while I was still in the middle of tense negotiations with PD Kim Seonye. Ramen could wait. I had to deal with this situation somehow.
“…Gyeoul?”
I approached carefully and shook her awake. “Gyeoul, wake up. You can’t be here.”
When I shook her gently, Gyeoul slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes. Still drowsy from sleep, she looked at me with unfocused eyes and spoke in a fragile, breaking voice.
“…Taeyang-nim?”
“Yeah, it’s Team Leader Seon. Let’s get up first, Gyeoul.”
Please save me, Gyeoul. I’m so flustered I’m breaking out in a cold sweat.
Gyeoul’s gaze gradually sharpened, life returning to her eyes. At the same time, tears welled up as if they might spill over at any moment. She called my name desperately.
“Taeyang-nim!”
Then she threw herself into my arms.
“Taeyang-nim, Taeyang-nim!”
The way she cried out my name felt unbearably fragile. She wasn’t in a normal emotional state. If she had been, the Gyeoul who hated causing trouble more than anything would never have ignored Girl 100’s rules and come all the way here.
“What’s wrong, Gyeoul? Did something happen?”
“…Taeyang-nim, …hic, …waaaah.”
Gyeoul couldn’t answer. She simply burst into tears like a child. I didn’t know what she had gone through, but she looked utterly devastated. Hoping she would calm down even a little, I held her tightly and patted her back in slow, steady strokes.
“It’s okay. Gyeoul. Everything’s okay.”
Back when I had run into Lee Hyerin at the company and heard she was a strict instructor, I had worried and told her that Gyeoul was sensitive, so even if she made mistakes, I hoped Hyerin would be gentle with her. Otherwise, she might start crying. Hyerin had looked at me like I was speaking nonsense.
“Gyeoul cries? That’s impossible.”
When I expressed doubt, she explained that even when she pushed hard and spoke harshly during lessons, Gyeoul had completed every assignment without faltering. She had even said that among Two Bear’s three trainees, Gyeoul had the strongest mental fortitude.
When I insisted that couldn’t be true and explained how easily Gyeoul cried, Hyerin had smiled and said, “Maybe that’s a side she only shows to you, Team Leader Seon.”
Those words had stayed with me.
“Even if something difficult happens, even if you reach a point where you feel like you can’t hold on anymore, I’ll take care of it. So just try to feel a little more at ease.”
If the fragile side she showed me existed because she trusted me, then I wanted to live up to that trust. So I held her close and quietly comforted her.
Just then, the door flew open.
Bang!
“Hyung! It’s amazing! The ramen turned out insanely good! Hurry up and eat it before it gets cold, it’s seriously fire!”
It was Gahyeon, holding a steaming bowl of ramen. He took one look at me hugging Gyeoul and said, “…Ah, sorry for interrupting.”
Then he pulled out his smartphone, dialed a number, and exclaimed in an exaggerated voice, “Breaking news—Taeyang-hyung got a girlfriend!”
That’s not what’s happening, you idiot!