Chapter 133
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: Assembling the Legends
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The sixth floor of the YSP building had been vacant, but they'd transformed it into an idol practice space.
The floor was divided into a large dance studio, vocal practice room, composition and lyric-writing room, lounge, meeting room, consultation room, and more.
"Go ahead and introduce yourselves."
Yoo Jin-seong and the four girls were seated in the large conference room on the sixth floor.
"Hi! I'm Yoo Seol. I'm in eighth grade. My hobby is singing, and my special skill is scarfing down snacks super fast. My boyfriend is... that guy over there, CEO Yoo."
Yoo Seol flashed a bunny-like smile, pointing at Jin-seong to proudly claim him as hers.
"What? Boyfriend?"
Seo Ye-jin shot to her feet. Her wide doe eyes darted between Jin-seong and Yoo Seol in equal parts shock and dismay.
Inner Thoughts: That uncle guy has a girlfriend... No way... He's mine...
Inner Thoughts: Old fogey... He's a trash pedo dating a minor...?
Inner Thoughts: I thought he was a good guy... Turns out he's a creep dating a student?
Jin-seong shook his head vigorously.
"No, no. Seol's my little sister. She's the baby of the family. The maknae."
"Ah...?! Oh...! You scared me. Aha... So you're my sister-in-law."
Seo Ye-jin's doe eyes softened toward Yoo Seol, becoming as gentle and warm as a serene lake.
"I'm Seo Ye-jin. I'm sixteen. My specialties are singing, dancing, and studying. What I like... Un... No, pizza toast."
"Kim Ji-a here. Sixteen years old. Specialties are singing and dancing."
"Hi! I'm Jeong Su-ah. Same age as you guys. I think my specialties are rapping and lyric-writing."
They finished their quick introductions.
Jin-seong scanned the four girls.
'Legends.'
It felt like he'd gathered genius girls in one place.
Their talents were incredible in their own right. A feast of SS-rank and S-rank talents.
'Wow, real legends.'
Honestly, it was a lineup so strong, failing would be hard even if they tried.
The girls' faces alone brought a warm smile to his lips unbidden.
'They're all so cute.'
Seol had that adorable bunny vibe.
Ye-jin had a mystical deer vibe.
Ji-a had a sexy leopard vibe.
Su-ah had a delicate squirrel vibe.
'All so pretty.'
Seol's buck teeth were charming.
Ye-jin's clear eyes were captivating.
Ji-a's broken aura was alluring.
Su-ah's pure vibe was endearing.
"Today, you'll all get to know each other. Starting tomorrow, you'll begin lessons."
He'd hired vocal, dance, composition, and ethics teachers for the girls. They'd have packed schedules ahead.
"Uncle, what's the ethics teacher for?"
"It's part of risk management. The ethics teacher will teach you basic morals, general knowledge, risk management, and how to build and maintain your image."
The entertainment industry was tough to succeed in but easy to crash from. Most falls came from 'immature behavior.' He'd hired the ethics teacher hoping the girls would have long careers.
'Gotta teach them about finance too. Once they make big money, they need to know how to manage and spend it wisely. And how not to get scammed.'
There was so much to teach.
The girls were precious family to him, and he wanted them to live wealthy and happy if possible.
"What do you want to eat?"
He asked, planning to treat them to dinner.
"Jajangmyeon! Tangsuyuk!"
"Pizza toast!"
"Bulgogi."
"Ramen?"
Each had her own personality and tastes.
"...Let's just hit the company cafeteria."
Deciding on a menu was impossible.
He led the girls to the B1 cafeteria.
[Grilled Chicken Thigh Set]
[Jjampong and Tangsuyuk Set]
[Low-Calorie Bulgogi Salad]
The girls were stunned.
This was ten—no, a hundred times better than middle school cafeteria food.
"Oppa, this grilled chicken thigh is so good."
"Uncle, the jjampong is amazing."
"Love the bulgogi. It's the best."
"CEO, does it always taste this good?"
"Yeah. Menu changes daily, but quality stays consistent."
"Whoa...! CEO, I love it here...! Su-ah is so happy!"
Throughout the meal, the girls' exclamations and praise didn't stop.
'Nice.'
Investing in the cafeteria had been a great call.
"I'll show you the dorms. Let's go."
He took the girls to their lodging.
"Whoa?! It's right next to my house?"
"Wow... The place is amazing...!"
"Spacious... Nice."
"OMG... It's so so awesome!"
The girls' dorm.
It was the unit next to his parents' luxury apartment.
Luckily, it had come on the market, so he'd snapped it up for a hefty sum.
'They're still kids. Better to have adults nearby for safety.'
They were minors. Protecting them as much as possible was right.
He'd asked the housekeeper who managed his parents' place to oversee the dorm in exchange for a raise.
Graciously, she'd accepted with delight at the big pay bump.
In the CEO's office.
Jin-seong checked the idol budget.
'About 30 million won...'
Training one girl group and one boy group cost around 30 million won a month.
Personnel, training, beauty, medical, transport, and lodging added up to that.
30 million per month.
360 million per year.
Later, producing music, shooting MVs, buying tour vans...
Hundreds of millions more would vanish.
'Money pit.'
But he wasn't worried. Money was plentiful, and surplus funds abundant.
With 5 billion in capital, only 800 million spent left 4.2 billion surplus.
YouTuber revenues were surging, slowing capital burn drastically.
'Day's already gone.'
He visited the sixth-floor practice rooms at YSP.
'Working hard.'
He peeked in from outside.
The girls were dance practicing.
The dance teacher was teaching diligently.
Inner Thoughts: Ye-jin and Ji-a are monsters. Never seen kids like them in all my dance teaching.
Inner Thoughts: Seol's a fighter. Making up for talent with sheer grit. She's gonna make it big.
Inner Thoughts: Su-ah has a long way to go. Gotta teach her extra hard to keep up.
Dance teacher Kim Sun-hye had arrived early morning and was still going late into the night.
Work hours were long past; she was exhausted from the intensity but passionate.
He scanned the girls.
Their ponytails were soaked. Practice clothes drenched through.
They looked exhausted, yet all smiles.
'All amazing.'
Jin-seong smiled warmly.
The sight of their hard work was rewarding.
'Fighting, everyone!'
Couldn't resist.
Time for late-night snacks.
He stopped by Halmae Tteok.
"Son-!"
"Son? Our boy's here?"
His parents greeted him joyfully.
"When do you close?"
"In an hour."
"Business good?"
"Don't ask."
"Too good. We're dying from it."
Work was tiring, but their faces glowed.
Base pay was high.
Incentives shockingly generous.
Above all, zero interpersonal stress.
Body sore, but big bucks stress-free. Bliss.
"Pack some food for the kids."
"Kids? Still at practice?"
"Yeah, still going."
"Don't push 'em too hard."
"They'll collapse. Make 'em pace themselves."
He packed various tteokbokki and snacks.
"Waaah! CEO's the best!"
Teacher Kim Sun-hye lit up like a kid.
"Yay! Tteokbokki!! Looks delicious!!!"
"Uncle, thanks. Digging in!"
"Ol... CEO, thanks for the food."
"Late-night snacks! Yay!"
The cute kids' excitement was heartwarming.
Kim Ji-a was blissfully happy lately. More friends. She'd bonded with Ye-jin, Seol, and Su-ah.
'Ye-jin's so kind...'
Seol was the mood-maker.
'Su-ah's scatterbrained but has the purest heart...'
All friends were kind-hearted.
Innate goodness.
'Team lead, manager, teachers—all great. They treat me well, praise me too much even.'
Kim Sun-hye topped the list.
Her positivity and passion were infectious.
'Dorm's great... Snacks good... Food delicious... Old fogey buys tons of late-night eats... Middle school pals cool...'
Paradise.
She showered and burrowed into bed.
"That house... that dad... Never going back... Never seeing him again... Worst ever. Hate him so much."
She muttered softly.
"Haa... Exhausted... So tired... Pushed too hard today..."
She was beat. No energy for friend chats or mobile games.
Eyes closed. But sleep wouldn't come—a call from an unknown number.
"Hello?"
- Ji-a. It's Dad.
"...?"
Irritation bubbled up instantly. She nearly hit end call.
- I'm sorry.
"...?"
She paused mid-tap.
- I'm really sorry.
"..."
- Should've talked. Why didn't you say anything?
"...I did."
- Sorry. Dad's so sorry. No face to show you.
"Tired. Going to sleep."
She hung up. Dad called back, but irritation won—she ignored it.
A single apology couldn't heal years of deep wounds.
[Ji-a, I've split with your stepmom. Thought she was good, but I was wrong.]
[After splitting with your mom, loneliness led to booze, but it wasn't drinking—it was drowning. Truly sorry.]
[Ji-a...]
Ji-a's eyes trembled reading the long texts.
She stared at her phone forever, then sighed.
Drank ice water.
Needing air for her tangled heart, she headed to the apartment bench.
Sat zoning out, rereading the messages.
"Ji-a."
A voice from behind.
"Ol... CEO...?"
"Ji-a, what's wrong? Bad face."
"Well..."
Ji-a trailed off.
"Here... this..."
She showed Jin-seong the messages.
"Don't know what to do?"
"Yeah..."
"Want to reconcile with Dad?"
"Dunno."
"Don't want to?"
"Dunno."
"Hmm... Talked to your dad before. He didn't even know what he'd done wrong."
"..."
"No clue what hurt you, how much pain. Totally oblivious."
"..."
"Suggested he record himself daily to grasp his actions first."
"..."
"At least he seems to get how wrong he was now."
Jin-seong hoped she'd forgive her dad but wouldn't say 'forgive him.'
His role was laying out reality for her wise choice. Hers to decide.
"...Want ice cream."
Bought some at the convenience store.
"...That woman? Can't even look at her... If he really divorces... really quits drinking... Maybe I'll think about it."
Ji-a's expression softened.
Dark mood lightened a bit.
"Good thinking."
He patted her head.
"...Thanks."
Favorability: MAX
Trust: 1