Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: TrueDetective
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: 13. A Brief Commercial Break (1)
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The rooftop of Kichi's headquarters.
Namgung Ryeo stood with her hands tucked into the pockets of her suit, gazing down below.
Soon, two familiar-looking vans slid to a stop in front of the building.
Six members disembarked from the vans.
Amid them, Namgung Ryeo's eyes darted busily, searching for her son.
"You've convinced Laman's leader nicely."
Before Namgung Ryeo could even spot her son's face.
Kichi's CEO, Saibi, approached from behind.
The CEO stood beside her with a bright smile.
"But is there something down there?"
"......"
By the time Namgung Ryeo looked down again, the members had all entered the building.
The CEO glanced at the two remaining vans and asked Namgung Ryeo,
"How did Woochi react? My proposal probably wasn't all that pleasant."
Namgung Ryeo withdrew her gaze from below and turned to the CEO as she replied,
"He's an honest kid. I think I know why you dropped him from the auditions."
"Hmm?"
The CEO tilted her head slightly, as if the response was unexpected.
"That friend couldn't debut with Gupailbang mostly because of his name. Does the family head see some other reason?"
"He hates it. Honest person."
At Namgung Ryeo's words, the CEO smiled softly.
"You see it that way? Among fans, they say my favorite face is a 'non-human' look."
"...Non-human?"
"Outside human. Like Ilgeom-kun's face."
"Ah......"
"Idols are ultimately a job that fulfills fantasies. I think revealing yourself as you are isn't very professional. Maybe that's why it looked like he hated it."
"But."
Namgung Ryeo turned her body toward the CEO as she spoke.
"Woochi seems far too human by CEO Sa's standards or mine... What do you plan to use that kid for?"
"That's an odd question."
The CEO raised one eyebrow, looking as if she couldn't understand Namgung Ryeo's inquiry.
"I'm Kichi's CEO, and Woochi-kun is an idol, right? Naturally, he should become an idol under Kichi."
"Didn't Gupailbang end with the Heavenly Demon?"
"I have no intention of ending wuxia idols with just one group."
At those words, Namgung Ryeo's brow furrowed.
She seemed to gauge the CEO's intentions for a moment before slowly parting her lips.
"You're planning to make another group with the same concept?"
"Follow-up groups will debut one after another."
"Then Woochi......"
"He'll be active in one of those groups."
"But I know Woochi's real name is Kim Deokman."
"So what if he has a stage name?"
"...Hearing you say that, CEO Sa, just feels weird."
Remembering how she had scoured the nation searching for names like Ilgeom or Baek Nah an, Namgung Ryeo spoke awkwardly.
"I don't get you anymore, CEO Sa. I thought I did before... but now I have no idea what you're after."
As if Namgung Ryeo's words were unexpected, the CEO laughed.
"You thought you knew me before?"
"You had a pretty straightforward image. Obsessed with wuxia, I'd say......"
"You saw right. It's not much different now."
"Not different? So mass-producing wuxia idols was your dream?"
"No."
The CEO chuckled softly and turned her back to Namgung Ryeo.
"In this modern era, idols are the closest thing to murim folk."
"...Pardon?"
"So... if you love wuxia and want to become a murim person, I suppose I should become an idol too."
"What does that even mean?"
A gust of wind swept across the rooftop.
Namgung Ryeo brushed back her tousled hair as she spoke.
"The kids have learned inner cultivation methods. But you, having seen the Imperial Sword Formation, know that's not enough to call them murim folk, right?"
"I know. That's why I said the 'closest' thing."
"So you're going to... become an idol? You yourself, CEO Sa? Planning a middle-aged idol group or something?"
The CEO merely smiled without affirming or denying Namgung Ryeo's question.
Namgung Ryeo looked at her with a confused expression, sighed, and turned away.
"I don't know what you're thinking. But keep the promises you've made to the Namgung family."
"Of course."
The CEO also turned back and asked toward Namgung Ryeo's retreating figure.
"And what about you, family head?"
Namgung Ryeo paused as she reached for the rooftop door handle.
"Has what you desire changed from then to now?"
With her hand on the doorknob, Namgung Ryeo answered the CEO's question.
"Then or now, what I want is the prosperity of the Namgung family. Nothing more, nothing less."
"You're right, family head."
"......?"
Namgung Ryeo turned back at the CEO's out-of-left-field response.
The CEO smiled radiantly as she said,
"Being dishonest is definitely more fun than being honest."
"Still got that rotten hobby of yours."
Leaving a cold retort, Namgung Ryeo shut the rooftop door behind her without lingering.
* * *
"Sabuuu!!!"
The moment they got out of the van, Jahwa, who had followed in the other van, lit up and came running.
"Sabu, it's been well with you!"
"Yeah."
Jahwa bowed deeply with a fist salute in front of the Heavenly Demon, then waved energetically at me.
"Hyung Soeui, it's been forever~!"
Jahwa had been off filming a jungle variety show, so I hadn't seen him in the past week.
It was nice to see him after so long.
"But even so, after eight years working together, you greet Heavenly Demon-nim first instead of me?"
"Sabu's face caught my eye first, what can I do."
The Heavenly Demon was dressed today in his flowing, billowing wuxia robes as usual.
Even next to the president, you'd spot the Heavenly Demon's face first.
"But... isn't 'this' Tang Sacheon?"
Jahwa pointed at Tang Sacheon standing behind me.
Judging by the slight tremble in Jahwa's voice, they knew each other.
"But Jahwa, did you just call a person 'this'?"
"Why is Tang Sacheon with you guys?"
Tang Sacheon gave an artificial smile and lightly returned a fist salute toward Jahwa.
"I am Tang Sacheon, head of the Tang Clan, hired as Hyung Soeui's bodyguard. It's an honor to meet Mount Hua Sect's sole disciple."
"...What? What did you say?"
Jahwa's mouth twitched as he asked.
"Hyung, what did this guy just say? He's your bodyguard?"
"Tang Sacheon, greet him properly with common sense."
"Got it. Hello, Senior Jahwa. I'm Tang Sacheon, newly assigned as assistant manager. My most respected person is Hyung Soeui. My dream is to become an idol."
Jahwa's mouth flapped open and closed before he finally managed to speak.
"As, assistant manager?! Who hired a guy like you as assistant manager?"
"Hyung Soeui did."
"Hyung Soeui?! Hyung, you don't know, but this Tang Sacheon is a total psycho!"
"I can tell just by looking."
Even someone seeing him for the first time today could tell Tang Sacheon wasn't right in the head.
Alliance Leader and Taiji, who rode with Jahwa, and even Nahani, who had run into Tang Sacheon at the dorm a few times, all looked at him with distant eyes.
Once everyone was out of the van, I led the members into the building.
"The CEO's waiting. Let's go in."
Today was Gupailbang's regular meeting day.
I had planned to formally introduce Tang Sacheon there.
Jahwa sidled up close to me and whispered,
"He's really the assistant manager?"
"Yeah."
"Hyung... don't fall for that half-decent face of his."
"The CEO approved it too."
"Even after he poisoned the CEO's black tea?!"
Wasn't it laxative, not poison?
No, more than that, the black tea incident must have become pretty well-known.
"Why him of all people?"
"Because he listens well."
"No way!"
"Assistant manager work isn't hard."
"What does an assistant manager even do?"
"Errands. Driving, shopping, making coffee, handing out labeled lunchboxes, that sort of thing."
"...You're having the guy who put laxative in the CEO's black tea do that?"
"He won't pull that crap again."
"Eek, shit, you scared me!"
Tang Sacheon suddenly poked his head in from behind, making Jahwa jump in place.
"You eavesdropping just now? Hyung, this guy's seriously messed up!"
"I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. One of my duties is close protection of Hyung Soeui."
"You're the assistant manager? Why protect Hyung Soeui instead of me?"
"You didn't know. Hyung Soeui almost got ambushed recently."
"What!? By who!? Shin Tae-eul again?"
"Me."
"...Huh?"
I dragged the baffled Jahwa into the elevator.
With Jahwa gone quiet from the headache of Tang Sacheon's arrival, silence filled the elevator.
The Heavenly Demon seemed to mutter softly to Alliance Leader something like, 'Is this how they tie up peak experts and move them around?' but I ignored it.
The Heavenly Demon said he fell into this world during the fireworks festival.
Circumstantially, it matched the day Namgung Jun went missing.
If Namgung Jun vanished and the Heavenly Demon came to this world...
'Then what happened to Namgung Jun......'
I had thought maybe the Heavenly Demon possessed Namgung Jun's body.
But if so, the first thing the Heavenly Demon would have seen upon opening his eyes would have been the dorm.
The Heavenly Demon said he saw fireworks while falling from the sky.
'Did Namgung Jun's body just vanish?'
That would mean Namgung Jun died that day.
But oddly enough.
I had a feeling Namgung Jun hadn't died.
If Namgung Mu's words about the Namgung family being real were true, then the Imperial Sword Formation existed in this world.
The CEO's house had books related to the Heavenly Demon.
Maybe the Heavenly Demon didn't come from another world.
Maybe the era he lived in actually existed in the past.
Or perhaps there was some kind of... passage that let books from another world come through?
'Teacher Namgung Ryeo is suspicious too.'
Namgung Mu's name. And adopting twins.
The Heavenly Demon said twins were extremely valuable sacrifices in sorcery.
'Twins, adoption, Imperial Sword Formation... Gupailbang.'
Such thoughts crossed my mind.
Maybe summoning the Heavenly Demon had been planned long ago......
"It's good to gather like this after so long."
The Heavenly Demon suddenly spoke up.
Probably awed by Alliance Leader explaining the elevator's principles.
"I like it too, Sabu. Minus the weird uninvited guest."
When Jahwa pettily picked a fight, Tang Sacheon chuckled softly.
"Uninvited guest, huh. Not wrong. I'm the only one here who didn't debut."
I didn't debut either.
"I never imagined I'd return to Kichi, hired as a manager after storming out on my own two feet. My dream was to be an idol. But gotta eat to live, you know. Heh."
Tang Sacheon had his debut canceled after putting laxative in the CEO's black tea and blown his savings stalking the Heavenly Demon.
But Alliance Leader, Taiji, and even Nahani, unaware of this, looked at Jahwa as if scolding him.
"W-What. Why look at me like that. You guys don't know what a creep this guy is yet!"
The moment the elevator doors opened, Jahwa stormed out fuming.
I hadn't known he hated Tang Sacheon that much.
He was at least polite to staff... no, friendly even.
Then Taiji came up beside me and murmured quietly.
"There's a reason Jahwa hates Tang Sacheon."
"What is it?"
"You know how Tang Sacheon put laxative in the CEO's black tea on final test day."
"Yeah. And?"
Taiji continued calmly.
"That day. Jahwa secretly drank that black tea because the CEO was the only one having the expensive stuff. Well, thanks to that, they figured out it was laxative and the CEO was safe......"
"......"
So that's how the CEO avoided the poisoned tea.
The guy who spiked the CEO's black tea with laxative and the one who secretly drank it.
This all happened because the CEO judges by face and name without checking personality.
But not debuting Tang Sacheon shows she draws the line somewhere.
Then suddenly, the Heavenly Demon sent a transmission.
[You sure this is okay?]
I looked at him with a 'what?' face, and the Heavenly Demon sent rapid transmissions with a pitiful expression.
[You need to debut.]
[That Tang Sacheon guy.]
[With that Mount Hua guy.]
...I'd forgotten, but suddenly cold sweat broke out.