Chapter 9
Chapter 9
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Want to Make a Bet with Me?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Want to make a bet with me?"
"Nice to meet you, Han Sarang. I've heard a lot about you from Manager Park."
A beautiful voice slipped from the lips of the woman sitting across from me.
This woman, who had come to BlueNMI Entertainment under the pretext of congratulating me on my acceptance, introduced herself as Park Yeon-ah.
She was the director of management or something like that. I wasn't sure about her exact title, but she seemed to be around the same level as Park Sung-chul ajusshi I'd met before.
"By the way, you sure eat well, Han Sarang."
Her gaze turned to the table.
It was piled high with cakes and desserts of every variety, all gorgeously packaged—enough to make anyone feel full just looking at them.
"...I'm taking them home."
The desserts I'd stashed at home were running low anyway. For me, this was nothing short of a blessing.
"It reminds me of my school days. Back then, I'd buy snacks for my friends like this all the time."
"...Were you a bread shuttle back in school?"
"No. I had plenty of money. The classic rich kid."
Heh heh.
Her hand-covered laugh was oddly grating. As if everyone else wasn't scraping by worse than dirt-poor.
"Anyway, congratulations once again on your acceptance, Han Sarang."
"Thank you. So... what's the reason for your visit?"
"Didn't you promise to accept something? I've brought it as the company representative."
"Ah, what about Park Sung-chul ajusshi?"
"Manager Park handles casting, so he's not involved in this side. He's probably out visiting middle schools in other regions right now."
Park Yeon-ah pulled a paper envelope from her luxurious briefcase and placed it on the table.
"This is your acceptance bonus."
Park Sung-chul ajusshi had said the bonus started at a hundred grand at minimum. Meaning there was at least that much cash in this envelope.
I'd been wondering how to bring it up, but here she was handing it over without hesitation.
"Thank you. I'll put this money to good use."
But just as I reached for the envelope, she snatched it away first. My hand ended up awkwardly grasping at air.
"Ah, there's a procedure first."
She then took out a document envelope from her bag and handed it over.
"It's the trainee contract. Take a look."
"...I don't remember hearing about this before."
"Is there a problem?"
She narrowed her eyes at me.
"You wouldn't take just the bonus and walk away, would you, Han Sarang?"
This woman had sharper instincts than the average person, it seemed.
"It's a standard trainee contract—mostly light terms. Give it a read."
Park Yeon-ah opened the lid of the strawberry cake on the table and neatly sliced it with a knife.
Ah. I'd been saving that for later.
No helping it. I quickly grabbed a fork, shoved a piece into my mouth, and chewed it down.
I'd half-expected this.
An entertainment agency wasn't a charity. Why would they invest in a kid with no interest in showbiz? Especially a hundred grand.
Hmm, what to do.
If I really wanted to, I could probably snag the money without signing anything. But that would mean pulling some seriously dirty tricks.
'Let's drop it.'
This dessert delivery too—they'd been nothing but kind to me. I didn't want to screw them over like that. Even with my rotten brain, a person had to have some basic decency. Right?
"Like I told Park Sung-chul ajusshi before... I don't have the passion to be an idol. And I don't have much money either."
"Yes, I heard. That's why I came in person."
"To convince me?"
"You may not be interested in being an idol, but we can give you what you need."
"And what's that?"
"Money."
Money. Pretty direct for talking to an innocent middle schooler.
"I'm confident. With your charm, Han Sarang, you can definitely make a lot of money."
"I could probably make good money streaming too..."
Her eyes lit up like she'd been waiting for me to say it.
"Do you know the difference between an idol and a streamer, Han Sarang?"
"...What is it?"
"The age demographic. Successful idols peak in their early to mid-twenties on average. Streamers, though? Their numbers spike from late twenties into thirties."
She'd done her homework on streamers and entertainers. More thorough than I'd thought.
"Finish your idol activities, then do all the streaming you want. It won't be too late at all."
"I guess. But being an idol sounds tough."
I slipped another piece of strawberry cake into my mouth, the sweetness slowly spreading across my tongue.
"For someone like you, Han Sarang, two hours of practice a day would be plenty. Think of it as exercise."
"Two hours... yeah, that'd work."
"You get money from our company, and we get a future star from you. Win-win, right?"
...Wasn't it usually the other way around?
I wasn't exactly normal myself, but she was no pushover either.
"I stake my career on it. You'll definitely succeed."
Her eyes sparkled with determination. She was hell-bent on persuading me.
I opened the document envelope in front of me and skimmed the contract inside.
Period of activity as a BlueNMI trainee. My obligations. The support and benefits from BlueNMI in return. Pages packed with conditions and clauses.
But none of it registered. I quickly scanned the key points and dropped my gaze to the bottom.
There were three signature lines. One already had BlueNMI's seal and the CEO's signature.
The next was for me. And the last one read "Guardian's Name."
Pfft.
No need to read more. I slid the papers back into the envelope.
"Unnie, how about this?"
I had no reason to convince her otherwise. No matter how much she polished me, the outcome was set.
"Truth is, my mom won't want me to become an idol."
"Then... could I talk to your mom myself?"
She showed no surprise, like she'd handled this a hundred times. If anything, her resolve strengthened.
Makes sense. Parents opposing their kids' entertainment dreams was common. She'd dealt with plenty.
"Sure. But first, make a bet with me."
"A bet?"
Park Yeon-ah tilted her head curiously.
"If you can convince my mom, I'll become a trainee right away. I'll work hard too. And I won't even need this bonus."
"For real?"
"Yeah. But if you can't... can I just take the bonus?"
I added that bit about our family having no money on purpose. It worked—her eyes softened.
"Han Sarang, can you promise that?"
She perked up confidently at my proposal.
"You promise too, unnie."
I smiled faintly and held out my pinky. She hooked hers around it without hesitation.
She was really sure of herself.
But it wouldn't last long.
The pit that was my family would swallow that confidence whole.
BlueNMI Entertainment CEO's office. Oh Seo-hee frowned in the space still faintly scented with cigarette smoke.
"You gave her the money but didn't get the contract signed?"
Managing Director Park Yeon-ah.
A brazen, stubborn woman, but backed by results no one in the company dared cross.
That's why Oh Seo-hee had entrusted the Han Sarang contract to her. Yet Park Yeon-ah had returned having spectacularly failed.
"CEO, I think we should give up on Han Sarang."
"What?"
"Her... mom is no ordinary person. I nearly got water thrown in my face."
Park Yeon-ah explained everything step by step.
They'd made a bet on convincing Han Sarang's parents, and she'd gone to the house as promised. But all she'd gotten was harsh curses and cold treatment.
"...Yeon-ah, if it broke even your stubbornness, the opposition must've been intense."
"Intense doesn't cover it."
Recalling the atmosphere of that house, Park Yeon-ah shuddered.
Dusty windowsills tangled with spiderwebs on the floor. Walls and floors soaked in indelible booze stench.
The poor home environment was obvious without digging.
"Did you look into what her parents do?"
"Heard they divorced in the past, and the mom raises her alone. No real job—just helps out in a friend's kitchen occasionally."
She couldn't meddle in family affairs, but their situation was clearly dire.
In circumstances like that, parents would naturally push back against their kid becoming an idol.
"The family... seems to have some debts too. She's got a lot of baggage all around."
Oh Seo-hee bristled at the words and lifted her head with a cold glare.
"Baggage? Talking like the kid's at fault."
Park Yeon-ah waved her hands under the sharp gaze.
"Th-that's not what I meant. You know how reporters twist these things."
It wasn't wrong.
Fair journalists existed, sure, but this era rewarded those climbing over others' misery.
One weak point, and they'd gnaw endlessly. An idol from a rough background was prime prey.
Even a bright gem, if mired in filth, would attract flies. The maggots they'd spawn would burrow deep, devouring it from within.
How many lives lost their shine that way? She didn't want to think about it.
"It's a shame, but let's drop it, CEO. There are plenty of other talents."
Oh Seo-hee closed her eyes.
"Yeon-ah, have you seen Han Sarang sing?"
"Huh? No, I wasn't there."
"...That's why you can say to give up so easily."
Han Sarang's talent wasn't the kind you stumbled across on the street.
It might be BlueNMI Entertainment's first—and last—chance.
A shot at creating a top star.
And Oh Seo-hee had no intention of letting it slip.
She'd done it once before. No reason she couldn't again.
"I'll go meet the parents myself."
"What? You personally?"
"Yeah. I've got some fire in me too, don't I?"
The brilliant career lost in a moment of misguided greed.
Oh Seo-hee was ready to do anything to reclaim it.
Even if...
It meant pushing one girl's life off a cliff's edge.