Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Crossroads of Choice (3)
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"LC, huh."
Oh Min-tae, who had come over to Kang Han-do's house to hang out, murmured in a small voice.
"So, have you gotten in touch with them?"
"We're set to have a meeting next week."
"Hmm, I see."
Kang Han-do had already clearly conveyed to Oh Min-tae both the fact that he'd received a scouting offer from LC Entertainment and that he planned to accept it.
When Kang Han-do first told him about getting scouted by LC Entertainment of all places, Oh Min-tae had been utterly dumbfounded and could only listen in stunned silence.
It was LC, after all.
"You're just going to keep growing like this and end up a mega-star for real, aren't you?"
"Mega-star? Come on. I've still got a long way to go. I need to keep practicing to climb higher."
"Like switching to hosting, like O Shin-hoon sunbae?"
"No, not right now. I've got Pobokjeoldo and HSL, so for the time being, I plan to keep going as a comedian."
"Yeah, that's the way to do it. Absolutely. If you bail to variety hosting, I'll get bored without you."
"You guy."
Kang Han-do let out a smirk toward Oh Min-tae.
At that moment, a knock suddenly echoed from inside the house.
Knock knock knock.
"Yes, who is it?"
He got up and opened the front door.
The instant he did.
"......?!"
Kang Han-do's expression froze solid.
In contrast, the person standing at the door wore the complete opposite look on her face and said this.
"Hello, Han-do-nim! I'm here to report this month's results!"
Nemid—Sheridel's agent and Kang Han-do's aide in the Happiness Index Rising Project—had suddenly raided his house.
* * *
An unexpected guest had shown up at Kang Han-do's house.
Well, to begin with, Nemid was the type of woman who made these unannounced visits all the time.
But this moment was a bit different from usual.
Normally, she timed her visits for when Kang Han-do was alone, so he didn't mind letting her in.
But right now, Oh Min-tae was there.
"Who is it, Han-do-ya?"
Oh Min-tae's voice came from inside.
At the same time, Kang Han-do's mind started to get complicated.
Should he let Nemid in?
Or chase her away.
Unlike Kang Han-do, who was caught in inner turmoil, the source of his dilemma—Nemid—spoke in a carefree tone.
"Oh my, do you have a friend inside?"
"Yeah, something like that......"
"Bad timing, huh? Since I'm already here, should I at least say hi to your friend?"
"What's the point."
Nemid's boundless positive energy was something even Kang Han-do sometimes envied.
But in this situation, her abnormally upbeat attitude wasn't helping at all.
With Oh Min-tae there, it meant Nemid couldn't do her regular Happiness Index report in front of Han-do.
And that wasn't even the half of it.
If things went wrong, Oh Min-tae might catch on to the details of the Happiness Index Rising Project that Kang Han-do and Nemid were pushing forward.
This was one of the projects being carried out in strict secrecy even within the human realm. If Oh Min-tae got unnecessarily tangled up in it, that could lead to a real headache.
Plus, the burdensome bet involving the fate of humanity was more than enough for Kang Han-do to shoulder alone. He doubted Oh Min-tae—who knew nothing about it—could handle that kind of pressure like Han-do could.
"Just come back later......"
"What's up? Why's it taking so long?"
As he tried to send Nemid away, Oh Min-tae's voice, which had been coming from afar, suddenly sounded right behind his back.
Oh Min-tae, unable to wait any longer, had come all the way to the front door.
'Damn it!'
This was awkward.
He'd tried to hide Nemid's presence somehow, but......
"Huh? Who's that girl?"
"Ah."
Busted, no two ways about it.
But Kang Han-do wasn't your average person.
Through years of broadcasting experience, he possessed exceptional quick wits and senses.
'No, she hasn't been fully exposed yet. If I play it off like she's a telemarketer or something......!'
That talent of his was on the verge of shining right then.
But only for a moment.
"Hello! I'm Nemid, Han-do-ssi’s business partner!"
"Business partner??"
"......"
In an instant, Kang Han-do's face twisted.
With Nemid's clueless behavior hitting a grand slam out of the park on his last chance, a heavy sigh escaped his lips involuntarily.
This was Nemid through and through.
In the nicest terms, pure; in the worst, clueless.
She probably had no idea why Kang Han-do was agonizing like this.
Meanwhile, having heard the term "business partner" from Nemid, Oh Min-tae tilted his head.
"Hey, Han-do-ya. What's going on here?"
"Well, you see."
Kang Han-do started pressing his temples.
He desperately racked his brain for an excuse.
And the result.
"Yeah, Nemid here—she's a, manager from LC Entertainment."
"Oh, a manager!"
Oh Min-tae let out an exclamation like it all made sense now.
At that moment, Nemid—who was about as perceptive as zero—shook her head side to side.
"Manager? No way! I work under Sheridel-nim... Mmph!!"
Her words couldn't continue any further.
Because Kang Han-do had clamped his right hand over her small mouth.
Nemid worked under Sheridel, but she was no different from a human woman, so she had no way to fend off Kang Han-do's firm grip.
In the meantime, Oh Min-tae voiced his confusion again.
"Sheridel?"
"Hahaha! That’s, uh, what was it. It's the tentative name for a girl group we're putting together with some trainee candidates. Sheridel for now."
"Sheridel, huh. Not bad. Sounds like a girl group that's gonna make it big just from the name."
"Not that... Mmph!"
Kang Han-do kept blocking Nemid's mouth and finally started dragging her outside by force.
As he did, he told Oh Min-tae not to worry.
"I've got some business talk to handle, so I'll step out for a bit."
"Sure, go ahead."
Oh Min-tae could understand that much.
Oh Min-tae wasn't from the same agency as Kang Han-do.
Kang Han-do was still in the middle of negotiations with LC about signing. If Oh Min-tae butted in, they might not get to the important stuff.
So Oh Min-tae decided to let it slide to that extent.
Unlike Nemid, he had that much sense.
Meanwhile, Kang Han-do, who had dragged her into a nearby alley in the residential area, explained the situation.
Nemid summed it up.
"You want me to pretend to be from LC's side as a manager?"
"Yeah."
"But I don't know anything about being a manager?"
"You're buddies with Sheridel. Figure it out on your own since you hang with a higher being. Or study up on managers before coming next time."
"That won't be a problem."
Nemid nodded.
Because she was so pure, Han-do couldn't bring himself to scold her outright.
Ignorance wasn't a crime, after all.
But sometimes, lack of tact could be.
Like right now.
"But that Min-tae guy thinks I'm a manager now. What do we do about that?"
"Ask Sheridel. Not the time to sweat the small stuff. Anyway, you're an LC Entertainment staffer working as a manager. Stick to that story for now."
"Yes, got it!"
Seeing her salute sharply, he started to worry if she really understood.
* * *
Kang Han-do had successfully hidden Nemid's identity from Oh Min-tae by lying that she was an exclusive manager at LC Entertainment, but that false setup brought a massive backlash the very next morning.
"Han-do-nim!"
Nemid, who had come looking for Kang Han-do again, bellowed from beyond the front door.
"What now. And how many times have I told you not to just show up at someone else's house unannounced?"
"I have a report to give!"
If it was a report, she must have gotten it after Oh Min-tae left yesterday.
But what was it this time?
She hadn't come two days in a row before, so feeling suspicious, he opened the door.
Then came the shocking words to his ears.
"I got a job at LC Entertainment."
"What?!"
In that instant, Kang Han-do unconsciously pinched his own cheek.
He wanted to check if this was a dream.
* * *
Having brought Nemid inside, Kang Han-do could only look at her with suspicious eyes.
Her becoming a manager at LC Entertainment?
What kind of nonsense was this?
"What did Sheridel say? She didn't try to stop you from being a manager?"
"Actually, Sheridel-nim told me to become one."
"Why."
"Because as a manager, I can stay even closer to you and help out more than now."
'No help at all, so what's the point of having someone useless around......'
The words nearly burst out, but he summoned superhuman patience and held them back.
If asked whether Nemid was actually helpful or not, Kang Han-do would confidently say this.
No.
Beyond the Happiness Index reports, he didn't particularly need her help or have tasks for her.
Things were going well already.
"Can't you just go home quietly?"
"To where?"
"Where you came from."
"But I've already gotten orders from Sheridel-nim."
"......"
The phrase "between a rock and a hard place" popped into his head.
"I can handle it fine on my own anyway. So give it more time and watch leisurely."
"I'd love to, but... I can't anymore."
Nemid wore a serious expression.
Suddenly, an uneasy thought crept into Kang Han-do's mind.
Up until now, Sheridel had left the Happiness Index Rising Project entirely to him and just observed.
Nemid had been the same.
Both had only handled reporting Happiness Index changes.
Placing Nemid on the front lines now meant.
"Did something happen on Sheridel's end?"
"It's not exactly a problem, but the higher-ups are starting to move in earnest on the humanity extermination project. Sheridel-nim is buying as much time as possible, but the crisis seems ongoing."
"This is bad."
It was a tricky situation.