“Alright, you all did a great job this week! See you next week! Haha!”
“……?”
After all the filming was done and Shin PD shouted “cut,” a smile bloomed on his face.
“…What’s going on? Is he crazy…?”
This week certainly hadn’t been a good one for Shin PD, so was he suffering from bipolar disorder or something…?
Just as I tilted my head in confusion and passed by him, he grinned mischievously.
“……?”
I made eye contact with Shin PD for a moment, and he smiled at me.
creepy chuckle
Feeling unsettled by that creepy expression, I turned my head and headed out of the set.
I had no idea why he was acting like that towards me, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.
As I stepped outside, it was night, as usual.
The difference this time was….
“It’s getting warm now…”
Unlike the last few shoots, it was warm enough to wear short sleeves.
It seemed that summer was arriving faster each year, but wasn’t this a bit too quick?
I had started wearing a coat when Na Ah Ah was first introduced, and now it was hot.
Only two competitions left.
Just two more competitions and it would all be over for Na Ah Ah.
Time really flew as I made my way forward.
That’s when…
“Unnie-!!”
Hearing someone call me, I turned my head and saw…
flop
Seo Yoo-jin, ready to go home, leaped into my arms.
“Yoo-jin.”
“Hehe, thanks for all your hard work this week. Thanks to you, our team came in first place!”
That’s right.
Our team had won first place in the audience voting in the third team competition and gained immunity for all team members.
“It wasn’t just me. We all worked hard together.”
“……”
In response to my words, Yoo-jin buried her face in my chest and spoke seriously.
“I’m really grateful… really.”
“……”
Looking down at her, I fell into a moment of thought.
What would Yoo-jin be like in a world without me?
In a world without me, Yoo-jin would have faced witch hunting at first, and then the public opinion would have turned around again due to Lee Yeo-reum’s exposure.
But…
For some reason, I felt that Yoo-jin in that place wouldn’t have been able to get back up, no matter how much public sentiment changed.
Back then, she must have been mentally broken and couldn’t stand on her own.
In the end, she didn’t debut, so I don’t even remember her face.
My existence… changed Yoo-jin’s life.
I felt a strange emotion and patted Yoo-jin’s head.
Yoo-jin savored my affection like a cat and then whispered to me.
“…Unnie, where do you live?”
“I live in Seoul, why…?”
“If you live in Seoul…, would you like to go together? My parents can give you a ride.”
“Ah, sorry… the company president came to pick me up.”
I kindly rejected her offer with a smile, grateful for her kindness, but I knew Kang Hyung-man would come for me today as well.
After my refusal, Yoo-jin pouted for a moment, then hugged me tightly again and said.
“Geez… then unnie… can I come to meet you next week?”
“Me? You’re saying you want to meet me?”
“Let’s hang out together… Can’t we?”
“Hmmm…”
Yoo-jin seemed to have figured out how to persuade me, her big, sparkling eyes gazing at me earnestly.
My heart wavered for a moment, but…
“I think it’s better not to.”
I rejected her once more.
“…Huh? Why? Do you not like me…?”
“That’s not it. Now Na Ah Ah is halfway through, and there are many people who recognize us, so if we meet, it’ll attract too much attention.”
“Ah…”
“It’s a pity, but let’s meet at the next Na Ah Ah shoot, okay?”
“Yes…”
Yoo-jin, now much more docile, nodded as if to follow my words when suddenly…
“Yoo-jin!”
Turning to the voice calling her, I saw Yoo-jin’s parents approaching.
Seeing them, Yoo-jin looked back at me and said as if to say goodbye…
“Unnie, I think I need to go now. I’ll contact you often, so please reply.”
“Contact? Ah… sure.”
“And we’ll be on the same team again next week.”
“Yeah, it’ll be nice to be on a team with you.”
“Then unnie… see you next week…!”
She rubbed her face against mine and dashed towards her parents.
I waved my hand at her and opened her status window one last time.
[Status Abnormality: Mild Anxiety Disorder, Severe Separation Anxiety]
[Trait: Arrogant/Conceited – Currently Locked.]
[Trait: Left Guardian Law – You have received grace from that Person and have become their loyal person. You have decided to offer all of yourself to that Person: Your abilities, your body, your emotions… all of it. When the day the Demon’s sky is achieved, you will share all glory at their feet!]
[Trait Effect: My Sky, My Master: Your stats slightly increase when you are with a Sky Demon trait holder! You gain additional effects when the Sky Demon uses skills! Your obsession towards the Sky Demon greatly increases!]
The status abnormality was still fine, and the “Left Guardian Law” trait stood out.
‘Left Guardian Law… I’m sure I’ve seen that somewhere in a martial arts novel.’
As I recalled, the Guardian Law was the closest escort to the Sky Demon.
‘Not only Left Guardian Law, but I think there were Right Guardian Law and Great Guardian Law as well…’
Does that mean there could be two more Guardians besides Yoo-jin?
‘That sounds a bit overwhelming…’
While having a sure ally sounds good, the part that stuck out to me was the unique effect of the Guardian Law.
If my obsession towards me was increasing… Just thinking about Yoo-jin being all clingy with me was already a lot to handle.
‘What if it goes up to three people? Would they just argue over me all the time?’
I chuckled at the funny thought while shutting off Yoo-jin’s status window.
Then, just when I picked up my phone to contact Kang Hyung-man…
poke poke
Someone poked my back with a finger and called out.
“Unnie.”
“Ah, Na Han-na.”
It was Na Han-na.
As soon as I saw her, I smiled and said.
“I saw your performance. You did great.”
“I thought I did well too, but… I couldn’t beat the Born-to-Be Monsters. It was a bit disappointing.”
Na Han-na and Lee Hye-jeong’s team came in third after me and Yoo-seol’s team.
So, does that mean the Born-to-Be Monsters refer to me and Yoo-seol…?
Feeling uncomfortable with that title, I quickly changed the subject.
“…You just need to do well next time. Are you heading back now?”
“Yes. My parents said they’ve almost arrived, so I was waiting for them.”
“Got it.”
rumble
As soon as I finished speaking, Na Han-na’s phone rang.
Glancing over, it said ‘Mom’ on the screen.
“Speak of the devil… they must have arrived. I’ll go now, unnie. Let’s be on the same team next time.”
“Sure, I got it.”
With both Yoo-jin and Na Han-na asking me to be on their teams, I felt like a popular girl.
I chuckled and waved my hand.
Na Han-na waved back at me before turning around.
But then…
“Ah, unnie.”
Na Han-na suddenly stopped walking and turned back to me, looking serious.
“What’s up?”
“It’s about Hye-jeong unnie…”
“Hye-jeong unnie? Why?”
Na Han-na seemed to have gotten quite friendly with Lee Hye-jeong since they were on a team together.
But why was she bringing her up now? Was there a problem?
“Uhm…”
“Why? Feel free to tell me no matter what it is.”
“……”
Na Han-na hesitated, clearly battling between saying something or not…
“…No, it’s nothing.”
In the end, she shook her head.
“Just forget what I just said. I’ll be going now. See you later!”
With that, Na Han-na abruptly left the set without finishing what she wanted to say.
Nothing is more frustrating in the world than someone stopping mid-sentence…
I felt a tightening in my chest as I tried to guess what she might have wanted to say.
‘What in the world was she trying to say?’
It was definitely related to Hye-jeong.
Looking around to see if Hye-jeong was nearby to ask her directly, I was disappointed to find she wasn’t around.
Instead…
“Ah…”
“……!”
As I turned to search for Hye-jeong, I locked eyes with Yoo-seol, dragging her suitcase out of the set.
Even though she had just come in second place in the last competition, her face looked paler than anybody else’s. She gasped in surprise and then…
“……”
She immediately looked down, pretending not to see me as she walked past.
I considered calling out to Yoo-seol but ultimately decided to let her be.
The fact that she was determined to drag Yoo-jin down was still shocking, but seeing her face, which looked more distressed than anyone, made me unable to confront her.
Besides, her status abnormality…
[Status Abnormality: Depression, Anxiety Disorder, Severe Self-Loathing.]
If my existence changed Yoo-jin’s life positively this time around, then my presence was nothing short of a disaster for Yoo-seol.
Originally, she should have been dripping with popularity, but with my existence, her popularity was lower than in the past life.
She was supposed to have received a recruitment offer from Han Si-woo, but… I had snatched that opportunity away as well.
I felt like I had taken away what Yoo-seol was supposed to enjoy in her previous life and couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable around her.
With a mix of guilt and resentment… I watched Yoo-seol’s figure as she walked away.
And just then…
ring ring
My phone buzzed. It was Kang Hyung-man.
[Ye-rin, where are you? Are you still not done?]
As soon as I heard his voice after answering the call, I shook off the lingering uneasy feeling while watching Yoo-seol and confidently shouted.
“No, I’m done!”
[Okay, then come to the back of the parking lot.]
“Okay!”
Following his instruction, I headed to the parking lot where, as usual, a black sedan was parked in the same spot.
Feeling a sense of comfort upon seeing it, I immediately got in the car.
“President, Older Brother Sang-gu.”
“Good work.”
“…Hello.”
As I got into the car, Kang Hyung-man and Sang-gu greeted me.
It was as always—casual yet warm.
“…You look happy. Was the chocolate I gave you effective?”
“It was delicious!”
“Good to hear.”
Kang Hyung-man smirked at my words about how delicious the chocolate was.
His smile made me smile back.
With the normally stoic expressions of both Kang Hyung-man and I breaking into sly smiles, the atmosphere quickly warmed up.
But…
“Are you tired? I’ll take you to the hotel.”
“……”
That warm atmosphere shattered with my next words.
When he mentioned going to the hotel, Kang Hyung-man shot me a puzzled look since I hadn’t replied.
“…Is there somewhere you need to stop by? Or somewhere else you want to go?”
“……”
I had thought long and hard during this week.
And… I had come to the conclusion to stop avoiding the subject.
“Take me home…”
“……What?”
“Please take me home, President.”
“……!”
Upon hearing my answer, the eyes of both Kang Hyung-man and Sang-gu widened in shock.
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