Namsan Tower and Half a Million Won

In the end, Hayoung polished off two full bowls of naengmyeon — one the spicy mixed kind, the other swimming in icy broth. I hadn't wanted to be stingy over food, so I'd ordered her both. On my dime.

At least she had a conscience. She meant every bit of her thanks, folding herself into a sharp ninety-degree bow.

"Oppa, thank you for the meal! I'll pay this kindness back someday, I swear!"

"Sure."

"A hundred times over!"

I hadn't bought her lunch expecting anything in return. And when she thanked me this earnestly, I could hardly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠make a production of it. I didn't even feel like the money had gone to waste — she'd drained every last drop of the broth. Honestly, watching her eat that happily left me a little warm.

"Buuuurp! Ahh, I'm stuffed."

"......"

"Ah — sorry..."

If she could just not do things like that.

The way I saw it, if Hayoung wanted to make it as a celebrity, she needed to talk less. Better yet, someone needed to clap a hand over her mouth and hit mute. Keep her quiet and she had this cute-little-sister vibe that wasn't half bad. The second she opened her mouth, the illusion shattered.

Well, we'd eaten our fill. Next up on the afternoon schedule was... nothing. The day's work was already over. Still, we'd gotten through the script reading in one piece, so I was in a decent mood.

Home, or the company? I was still turning it over when her voice cut in.

"Oppa, what are you doing now?"

"...Thinking."

"Oppa, if you don't have anything going on, wanna come sightsee Seoul with me?"

My face went dead serious.

"Don't have anything going on? Do you have any idea how busy I am?"

"Ah, sorry. You've got stuff this afternoon too?"

"......"

I wished I did. I genuinely had nothing.

"Hmm..."

"If you're free... wanna hit Namsan Tower with me?"

"I told you I'm not free."

"Ah... then..."

"...What would we even do at Namsan Tower?"

"Nothing, really... I've just never been, so I wanted to look around."

"Then go look around."

"But I... don't really know my way around Seoul..."

Fine. I had time to kill anyway. Might as well be generous. Once things got busy, I wouldn't have afternoons like this left.

"Alright. I'll go with you."

"Wait, for real!? Oppa, thank you so much!"

Well. At least the kid had manners.

And so we arrived at Namsan Seoul Tower. Unlike me — who felt precisely nothing — Hayoung bounced from spot to spot, sightseeing with everything she had.

"Whoa! That's insane! Oppa! Look at that! Holy shit!"

"......"

It was just a cable car coming down. She was overdoing it.

We rode ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the cable car up ourselves and reached the observation deck.

"No way, oppa! Look over there! Can we go check that out!?"

"Yeah. Go ahead. I'll wait here."

"Yes sir! I'll be right back!"

And she was gone in a flash. She darted around like a little kid, twisting this way and that to take everything in. I didn't move a single step. I just stood there and watched.

"The Love Locks!? Oppa, what are those!?"

"Don't know. Never seen them..."

"Can we go look!?"

"Yeah. Go ahead. I'll wait."

"Yes sir!"

And off she bolted again. After tearing around long enough to wear herself out, she came crawling back toward me, panting.

"Whoa... that was amazing..."

"Seen enough? Shall we go?"

"But I... I haven't checked out that side yet..."

"It's all the same anyway."

"Ah, then... Oppa. Can we take just one picture together before we head down?"

"Fine. Make it quick..."

Hayoung plastered herself against my side, beaming. She rose up on her tiptoes, about to rest her head on my shoulder — and I immediately activated iron-wall mode.

"Head. Stop."

"Aahh..."

Click. Click.

"Whoa, oppa, your face is so small... People tell me I have a small face too, but..."

"You done?"

"Just a sec~..."

Click. Click.

"We good?"

"Ah... I came out ugly..."

She'd said one photo. I'd let her take four. From where I stood, that was already generous.

"Let's go."

"Yes sir."

We rode the cable car back down.

"Hayoung, enjoy your Seoul sightseeing?"

"Yep. Thank you so much. Oppa, you're like, actually way too nice..."

Hearing that made me feel a little guilty.

"This was nothing..."

"When you debut in a drama, I'll spam the comments for you."

"Hate comments?"

"Excuse me...? What kind of person do you take me for..."

"I'm kidding. We're done. I'm tired. Let's go home."

"Um... Oppa. I have one more favor..."

"What."

"I really want to check out Hongdae..."

The moment I heard that, my face went stiff.

"Tsk..."

"Ah, I'm sorry... You're already so busy and I keep bothering you..."

I stared blankly into space, thinking it over. Truth was, I still had nothing to do... I just didn't feel like wandering all over the city.

"It's a hassle... Why Hongdae, specifically?"

"Ah, well..."

Hayoung thrust her phone in front of my face.

"Because of this..."

"Hm?"

"YouTube...?"

"Yep..."

"......"

"I want to enter this..."

"Then enter..."

"I don't really know my way around Seoul..."

She deployed it like a cheat code.

"Oppa, in exchange — if I win the million-won prize, I'll split it with you fifty-fifty!"

"......"

"I'll hand you five hundred thousand won right there on the spot. For real."

Five hundred thousand won. For a broke-bum trainee like me, that was serious money.

"...The prize is a million won?"

"Yep!"

Hayoung nodded so hard her head might have come off.

"...You confident?"

"Don't worry. I've been prepping like crazy for today."

Hayoung's eyes blazed. It was as if she hadn't come to Seoul to become a singer at all — she'd come solely to compete in Hongdae Street Coin Karaoke. The seriousness on her face was unmistakable.

"Hmm..."

If I'd known nothing about her, I would have laughed it off. But today, together with the CEO, I'd heard Hayoung sing with my own ears. On talent alone, she had a real shot.

"You really that sure?"

"Ah... Oppa, you don't believe me right now? I'm Yoon Hayoung. Yoonderella!"

I might not believe you, but your singing doesn't lie.

"...What's a Yoonderella?"

"That's my YouTube channel name."

"Don't tell me it's Cinderella mashed together with Yoon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Hayoung."

"Wait, how did you know!?"

"......"

Hayoung pressed in close beside me, linking her arm through mine with a sweet smile.

"Oppa, we take the million-won prize, split it clean down the middle at five hundred each, and part ways... Doesn't that sound like a super fulfilling day?"

I peeled her arm off and gave a slight nod.

"It's not a bad idea."

"Right!? Heheh."

"But... you'll actually split it?"

Hayoung's brow furrowed hard.

"Ah... Oppa. What do you take me for... Want me to write a contract? Want me to bite my tongue and write it in blood!?"

"You bite your finger for that, not your tongue."

"Ah, right... Want me to bite my finger and write a blood oath? Then will you believe me?"

"No, forget it. Of course I trust you. I was just kidding."

I nodded quietly and rested an arm across Hayoung's shoulders. In a companionable side-hug, I offered some serious advice as her senior idol trainee.

"Hayoung..."

"Yes?"

"The world is wide, and it's full of people better than you. You've got talent, no question. But you cannot let your guard down."

"I know that, obviously..."

"It's a singing competition, so you have to pick a song with high notes. No exceptions."

"Pfft, I know. I've already got a triple-stack high-note combo locked and loaded."

"You can go that high?"

"Pretty much besties with dolphins, if you ask me."

"......"

"Don't believe me? Want a quick demo?"

"Huh?"

Hayoung drew a deep breath — then screamed with everything she had.

"AAAAAAAH!!!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin. No warning, right next to my ear — I thought my heart had stopped.

"......"

"Hear that? That was a high E in the third octave. Once I warm up, a high G is totally doable."

"Hey... if that's all it takes, I can do that too."

It had been so loud my ears were still ringing.

"Then wanna go head-to-head on high notes?"

"Bring it..."

I had my pride as a five-year idol trainee. If it was just about bellowing out a pitch, I was confident enough.

"I'll go first, then. Ah!"

I opened my mouth wide and let it out.

"AH!!"

"Oooh, okay, now one step higher... Aaaah!"

That wasn't one step. She'd jumped several.

"......"

"Giving up?"

"N-no. I can do it..."

"Then do it."

A stubborn spark caught in my chest. I wanted to wipe that cocky, arrogant look right off her face. I sucked in a huge breath, braced my core, and roared as loud as I could.

"AAAAH!"

The startled look on her face told me I'd landed it. But I was pretty sure that was my ceiling.

"Oh, my turn then?"

"......"

"AAAH!! AAAAH!!! AAAAAAAH!!"

"...!?"

For a second I thought a laser had fired out of her mouth. My ears went numb. My skull rang like a struck bell.

"Heheh. Oppa, can you go higher?"

"......"

I let out a short laugh and rested a hand on Hayoung's shoulder.

"Hayoung..."

"Yes?"

"Oppa can obviously hit that, no problem..."

"Oooh, then let's hear it."

"I'd love to show you, obviously... but as you know, oppa's an actor."

"And...?"

"...I've got a drama shoot coming up. I have to take care of my voice."

It was a flimsy excuse by any standard, but Hayoung nodded with a perfectly innocent face.

"Ah... now that you mention it, you're right."

"...Let's just call it a draw for today."

"Yep. Works for me."

I'd barely salvaged my pride. I'd written her off as a one-trick tone pony, but her range was no joke. Of course, hitting a note and actually singing a song were two completely different things.

To turn a ten-thousand-won entry fee into a hundred times that, we headed for Hongdae.

"Hayoung. Just so we're ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clear... you know what happens if you take the five hundred thousand and run, right?"

"Oh my god... Oppa, why are you so suspicious? Have you just been getting scammed your whole life?"

"...Obviously I'm kidding."

"Your face says otherwise..."

If she ran with the money, I'd chase her to the ends of the earth and collect.