Laying the Groundwork

"But we're going to stand out way too much to eat at a regular restaurant."

That was Bomi, I think — the girl with brown hair draped over one shoulder. I nodded. She had a point.

All four of them had hair colors that popped on sight, and throwing on hoodies or hats to hide them would only make things weirder. Besides, they were just getting a free meal. It wasn't like they were spies or criminals. I didn't want them eating in discomfort, not when I was the one treating them.

So what now?

That was when my phone buzzed.

Do-hyang.

The moment I saw her name, I had a feeling this problem might just solve itself. I asked the girls to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠give me a second and picked up.

Of course. She always knew.

The question Do-hyang had just asked me — all the clothes are pretty, pick one — was her way of asking what these girls were for.

Number one: a woman I was making a move on, or in the middle of making one.

Number two: a woman I'd already finished with.

Number three: a woman who had nothing to do with any of that.

Obviously, the answer I needed to give…

Not a bad offer.

Do-hyang was a woman. Pulling them into another woman's house would make it easy for them to let their guard down, which would make the whole process a lot simpler. And the fact that she was offering at all meant she'd step in and help if the situation called for it.

No reason to refuse. It was a damn good plan.

When I floated the idea to the girls, they all agreed it sounded great.

"So what's your relationship with her?"

Da-hye asked, a little too casually. Maybe the familiarity in that phone call had gotten under her skin. The way she glanced at me, checking my face…

Her heart was slowly sliding from my master over to me.

"Ah… she's a noona I'm close with."

"Oh, an unnie? Like, your actual sister?"

"Not quite… but she's pretty much like a real older sister. Every time we meet she nags me about this and that while piling me with stuff."

"Heeeh…"

I made sure the implication landed — we weren't dating, nothing like that. Da-hye's face lit right up. And the other members, listening along, nodded along with her.

And why are you lot reacting like that…

I couldn't put my finger on it, but these girls seemed thirsty for something new. The kind of reaction you'd get from schoolgirls who'd spent the entire day doing nothing but studying.

Well. If that's the case, meeting Do-hyang is going to blow their minds.

Do-hyang was the kind of woman who stunned men and women alike — magnetic, unconventional, a little shocking. And it wasn't just her looks. It was her personality, the way she carried herself, the way she dressed. All of it.

And sure enough… the moment we stepped into her place, all four girls' eyes went perfectly round.

Plants had nested themselves into every corner of the apartment. They climbed left and right and up toward the ceiling, filling the walls completely, and yet somehow it didn't feel cluttered. There was a strange, natural beauty to it — wild without being messy.

And Do-hyang stood at the center of it all.

She'd dressed up for company, a black dress, like she'd prepared in advance. The four little ones stared, transfixed, then huddled together and started whispering. I listened in.

"Do you think she might be a famous actress?"

"I don't recognize her. Bomi, you?"

"Me neither. But wow, she's incredible."

"Hmm. Unnies, should I go ask for us?"

In other words, they were guessing she might be a senior in their industry. I glanced over at Do-hyang.

She didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, she was radiating a quiet satisfaction that only I would catch.

Women really are suckers for a compliment. Especially the ones who've gotten their share of attention from men — they secretly prefer praise from other women even more. Guess it gives them a little rush of superiority.

In a great mood, Do-hyang threw her arms wide and welcomed us in.

"Come in, come in! Seo-hoo already told me about you. I ordered from a really good place and sent it over by courier, so just hang tight for a bit~"

"Thank you so much!"

Do-hyang herded the four girls around with practiced ease, giving them a tour of her home. It was an apartment, but at nearly two thousand square feet it didn't feel like one at all. And since she lived alone, there was barely any furniture. Every empty space had been claimed by plants, plants, and more plants… whew. She really hadn't changed one bit.

Nothing but plants. Humidifiers stationed here and there made the whole place feel like you'd walked into a botanical garden.

Women really do love this kind of thing.

You'd think Da-hye might have been a little wary, given the circumstances… but there wasn't a hint of it. I could understand why, though.

Do-hyang wasn't the conventionally pretty, feminine type. Her style leaned boyish, almost androgynous, and she always did her eye makeup strong — the kind of woman who radiated girl-crush energy. On top of that, her hobbies were unusual and her personality was bursting with character. She made friends with just about any woman she met.

Well. Except for one person it had never worked with.

Ring-ring.

Which is why every time they ran into each other, Do-hyang would grind her teeth behind a smiling face. Ring-ring, for her part, would meet her with that ice-cold stare. The two of them were like cats and dogs, plain and simple.

I didn't know the specifics of how it started. All I knew was that Ring-ring had given her a reason. Given that she'd been my master's Obsessive Girl, it was only natural she'd have her claws out for Do-hyang, who'd been his woman at the time. And back then, Ring-ring had been very young — more impulsive than cold. So the two of them had been at each other's throats from the moment they met.

That was over ten years ago now.

And she still held onto that grudge…

Women really are terrifying creatures. Someone once said that a woman remembers every last thing her husband did wrong in his youth, right up until the day she dies.

Whew. I should be extra good to Do-hyang going forward. Not that our relationship isn't already closer and more intimate than anyone else's… but I should treat her even better.

And let me say this up front — this is absolutely not because I'm scared of her. She's simply the person closest to me, so I pay a little more attention. Ahem.

Meanwhile the doorbell rang. The food had arrived. We sat down and started eating happily.

Mid-meal, Do-hyang asked the four idols,

"By the way, where are you girls sleeping tonight?"

"We already booked a place. Why?"

"Hmm~ I was going to say you could stay here tonight, if you wanted."

The unexpected offer sent the four girls into a huddle. It wasn't hard to guess what they were wrestling with.

That lodging they'd booked in advance was probably just some ordinary accommodation. But Do-hyang's place was something else. Even I — a man, and a man who'd been in and out of more houses and hotels than I could count — could tell this place was special. Any woman would rather sleep here than there. That much was obvious.

And Do-hyang herself, the magnetic hostess, already had the girls eating out of her hand. She was a master at handling kids, and these twenty-year-olds who barely qualified as working adults were child's play in front of her. Less than a single meal's worth of difficulty.

"I'm in!"

"Me too!"

Lin and Da-hye were on board. Lin seemed completely smitten with the house, and Da-hye… well, she'd made that choice because of me.

That left two.

"Mmm… but shouldn't we rest somewhere we can actually relax?"

"I dunno. I'll just go with whatever the unnies decide!"

Bomi seemed like the type who worried a lot about what other people thought. Eunji, the youngest, was the type to just follow her unnies' lead.

So I just needed to convince Bomi.

Under the table, Do-hyang gave my cock a slow, knowing stroke, as if to say she'd handle it herself. Then she smiled sweetly and stepped in.

"Don't worry! Like you saw earlier, every room here has its own bed. They're all doubles, so you can pair up two to a room, and Seo-hoo and I will take the leftover empty one."

Bomi still hesitated. But she'd picked the wrong opponent.

Do-hyang was a snake of a woman. She'd read Bomi's personality at a glance, and she pushed — half-forcing her into it. In the end, caught on Do-hyang's silver tongue, Bomi flailed and then folded.

And just like that, the stage was set.

Now it was just a matter of how to play it…

Knowing exactly what I wanted, Do-hyang moved on her own. First, she checked the time.

"Come to think of it, you said you came here to film, right? Do you have to leave early tomorrow?"

"No. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠We're not needed until around two, so we can sleep in! Why?"

"It's been a while, so unnie wants to show off her skills and make you a delicious breakfast! I finally get to meet the cutest, hottest idols around these days… so? Want to eat before you go?"

"Waaah…! Really?"

Proposals and lines that would've raised every suspicion coming from me sailed through effortlessly when they came from Do-hyang. This is why having a woman in your corner when you're working a target is so convenient. You don't have to sit there grinding your gears, chipping little holes in their defenses one by one.

During the meal I stepped away to the bathroom, and my phone buzzed like it had been waiting. Do-hyang.

When I came back out, Do-hyang suddenly headed for the kitchen and started moving with purpose. From the sound of a blender… she was making some kind of drink?

My guess was dead on. She came back carrying five glasses and set one down in front of each of us.

"It's Do-hyang's special detox juice! Give it a taste. It's sweet, so it should go down easy."

Faced with that utterly confident expression, we brought the glasses to our lips one by one. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠A reddish liquid, a pleasant scent rising to the nose. And the moment it hit my tongue—

Mmm…! Nice. Her skills haven't slipped at all.

It was a little less sweet than she'd advertised, but she'd built it from vegetables and fruit with herbs folded in, and the overall balance wasn't bad. The four girls seemed to like it plenty, too.

"Wow…! This is so good, unnie!!"

"Oh my god…!"

That kind of reaction, across the board. But what was she playing at? Judging by those texts, she'd made this to set something in motion.

I didn't have to wait long for the answer. Bomi and Eunji suddenly started nodding off, their heads dipping toward the table.

Don't tell me…

Right on cue, my phone buzzed. I looked at Do-hyang. She smiled at me, sweet as anything, and gave a little nod. So she was the one who'd just texted. Curious what she'd cooked up, I checked immediately.

Obviously. Working one girl was nothing.

Do-hyang smiled and rose from her seat. Then she started getting the two drowsy girls up, her voice warm and easy.

"Looks like someone's tired. It's gotten late anyway. Come on, time for bed, girls."

Lin and Da-hye looked at their two members and nodded along. I went over to Bomi and Eunji and carried them one at a time. I made a point of putting both girls in the same room. Things would go a lot more smoothly that way.

I laid the two of them down gently on one bed, said good night to Lin and Da-hye, and sent a text immediately — to the girl who'd be waiting with her heart pounding in her chest.

Now it begins.

Purple hair pulled into a ponytail that fell all the way to her waist. Pretty eyelashes, delicate eye makeup, a slender little frame. Lin.

I was already wondering what she'd taste like.

Alright, hurry up, Da-hye. This old man's drooling ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠over here — I can barely hold back. Heh.