Meanwhile, Na Ah Ah in the audience.
Yerin’s parents, sitting in the front row witnessing their daughter’s joyous victory, wore troubled expressions despite the celebration.
The first to speak was Yerin’s mom, looking grim.
“Honey….”
“……”
“Shouldn’t we tell Yerin? She’s so happy to have won….”
“……”
“If she finds out later, she’ll surely be disappointed….”
With a heavy sigh, Yerin’s dad shook his head.
“True, but we agreed to keep it a secret, so let’s stick to that.”
“Ah….”
Until now, the couple had been profiting off their daughter without any guilt.
Even they were starting to realize that their choice had crossed a line.
Just then, with a ring ring, Yerin’s mom picked up her ringing phone.
“Hello.”
[Hey, sister!]
It was her younger brother, Yerin’s uncle.
[I just wrapped up the settlement. Thanks a lot!]
“…Okay.”
[I owe you and brother-in-law a meal. Where are you?]
“Ah, we came to see Yerin’s performance.”
[Oh right, today is the last episode, huh? Should I come to see Yerin’s face?]
“No way. You know Yerin can’t stand you.”
[Hehe, that’s true.]
Indeed, Yerin had a strong dislike for her uncle.
This was because he was the scum of all scums.
Born with good looks that could impress anyone, he had nothing to offer.
Since high school, he took advantage of girls who liked him to extort money from them.
Just a little charm, and wealthy ladies showered him with cash, leading him to a life of debauchery and pride from a young age.
He wore only luxury brands, and didn’t hesitate to resort to violence when confronted.
But such a lifestyle has its limits.
Recently, Yerin’s uncle crashed his car while recklessly driving, holding a woman in his arms.
No casualties, fortunately, but the unfortunate truth was that it involved a very expensive foreign car.
The other party demanded an outrageous settlement and repair fees, way beyond what Yerin’s vain uncle could afford.
So, he reached out to his sister for a handout.
And….
Yerin’s parents found funds from somewhere to cover the settlement.
[If Yerin doesn’t make it as an idol, send her to my shop! A girl like her can make hundreds of millions a month! Or even sooner!]
“Hey! Is this something you say to your only niece? A MINOR?”
[Ah… heh, just kidding, just kidding. Anyway, thanks for this, sis! You’ve saved me from going to jail. Say thanks to brother-in-law too!]
“Yeah… got it.”
[Alright, see you later. Bye~]
Click.
As soon as the call ended, Yerin’s dad turned to Yerin’s mom.
“That was your brother? Did he settle well?”
“Yes, he said it went well. Ugh… I feel sorry for Yerin because of that guy.”
As Yerin’s mom frowned, Yerin’s dad comforted her by patting her shoulder.
“Yerin is kind, so she’ll understand. Besides, it’s a family matter, right?”
“Ah… yes. Yerin is kind, so she’ll probably forgive us?”
“Of course. Nowadays, she seems to have mellowed out… If we just plead a little, I’m sure she’ll forgive us.”
The two had been through so much over the past 19 years, and Yerin had never held a grudge against them.
So, this time too, they firmly believed Yerin would forgive them, no matter what they did.
After filming ended, I was receiving congratulations from the participants on stage when….
“Yoo-jin, congrats on your debut!”
“Hye-jeong unnie too! I’m so happy for you!”
“Yoo-jung, I knew you would debut!”
Taking advantage of the moment when their attention shifted to other Rookies, I hurried backstage.
While I felt elated and grateful for everyone’s congratulations, my body was exhausted from the intense stage performance.
Eager to change clothes and rest, I dashed towards the waiting room faster than anyone.
Or so I thought…
“Hmm? Seol unnie?”
“…….”
Someone had exited the stage before me.
It was Yoo Seol.
She was blankly staring into space in the backstage midway between the stage and the waiting room.
As I approached her with a puzzled look….
“…Yerin ah.”
“……?”
Yoo Seol turned to me, looking like she was in a daze.
I quickly understood why she was in that state through her words.
“Did you really pay for my mom’s surgery…? Was it really you, Yerin?”
“…….”
I recalled the message Kang Hyung-man sent me last night.
[I’ll take care of Yoo Seol’s mom’s surgery tomorrow and will personally relay the news to her.]
Did he already tell her?
With the competition over, and nothing to hide anymore, I nodded.
“…Yes, that was me.”
“…How can you afford that? Is your family rich?”
“Not exactly….”
The money I used for Yoo Seol’s mom’s hospital bill was actually….
“It was my advance payment from the company. The president gave it to me before Na Ah Ah’s performance, and I saved it for this.”
It was the advance payment I received from Brotherhood Planning when I joined them.
Initially, Kang Hyung-man had given me 50 million won.
However, knowing Bitcoin would hit a peak again this year, I decided to invest and managed to grow it to 70 million won.
“If I held on a bit longer, I might have even reached 100 million but….”
Without hesitation, I paid for Yoo Seol’s mom’s hospital bill.
With various overdue medical bills, emergency surgery fees, and some to pay in the future, the 70 million quickly vanished.
“…….”
Yoo Seol’s eyes widened further at the mention of my company’s payment for her hospital bills.
With her eyes round as full moons, she shivered while asking me.
“Why would you go that far for me? More importantly….”
“Yes, what is it?”
“I’m not blaming you, but… why did you wait until after the competition to tell me? Why didn’t you let me know before the competition…?”
“…….”
Why didn’t I mention the hospital bill before the competition….
There was a concrete reason I couldn’t.
“I thought it might soften your resolve.”
“…….”
“I wanted to compete fiercely with you until the end. But, if you knew I covered your mom’s bills, you would likely have let me win.”
But because I said nothing, Yoo Seol went all out on stage.
“I wanted to see you give your all. I feel so sorry for not saying it earlier because of my selfishness… Agh!”
Tap, thud.
Before I could finish my words, Yoo Seol dashed forward and hugged me tightly.
Crunch.
She pressed so close I could feel her heartbeat.
Shorter than me, Yoo Seol buried her face in my chest, trembling.
I felt her warmth soaking through my clothes.
“I…I hated you so much… You shined so brightly, unlike me…”
As if confessing her sins, Yoo Seol continued to sob.
“I hated that it felt like you had all of the world’s love… If I could, I planned to hate you until the end…”
The grown-up Yoo Seol was now throwing a tantrum, crying.
I gently patted her head like a child and asked.
“Do you still hate me?”
“Of course not…!”
“Then how do you feel about me now? Tell me directly.”
With tears streaming down, Yoo Seol playfully punched my chest.
“You bad…! Even though you already know, you still want to hear me say it? I like you…! I like you so much…!!”
Her face behind the masks she often wore looked so naive and foolish.
Holding me tightly, she whispered.
“Thank you… I’ll never forget this favor… forever…no matter what happens….”
Just then.
Ding!
Like a puppy meeting its owner, Yoo Seol nuzzled my chest, and a popup appeared above her head.
[Conditions met!]
[You have a chance to make Yoo Seol (the protagonist) your companion!]
[Would you like to try? (Y/n)]
I had received a similar notification after the fourth competition.
I had failed then, but now, I felt like it wouldn’t be the same.
With a smile, I readily responded with a…
‘Yes.’
I shouted ‘yes’ in my mind.
[You have chosen Yes!]
[You will now take Yoo Seol as your companion!]
[Capturing…]
Upon my declaration, a sandglass appeared in the status window, just like before, and began to turn.
Ding!
It soon chimed happily, enveloping Yoo Seol’s body in light.
Followed by a new status window appearing.
[Yoo Seol’s trait has been newly added!]
[Trait: Great Guardian Law (大護法) – You have received the grace of that being and have become part of them. You have decided to dedicate everything to that being: your abilities, your body, your emotions… all of it. On the day the Devil’s Sky is achieved, you will share all the glory at their feet!]
[Trait Effect: My Life, My…: All stats slightly increase when you are with a Sky Demon trait holder! You receive additional effects when the Sky Demon uses skills! Your obsession and loyalty toward the Sky Demon greatly increase!]
‘Is this really Great Guardian Law?’
Since the Left and Right Guardian Laws were revealed, I figured there would be a Great Guardian Law as well.
I hadn’t thought it would be Yoo Seol, though.
I compared the differences between the Left Guardian Law of Seo Yoo-jin, the Right Guardian Law of Lee Hye-jeong, and the Great Guardian Law of Yoo Seol.
First, I noticed the effect names were different.
Seo Yoo-jin’s Left Guardian Law effect name was ‘My Sky, My Master.’
Lee Hye-jeong’s Right Guardian Law effect name was ‘My Sun, My Lord’…
But Yoo Seol’s Great Guardian Law effect name was ‘My Life, My….’
‘What does the … mean?’
I was curious, but I had no way to figure it out at that moment, so I moved on.
The Left Guardian Law effect clearly raised obsession, and the Right Guardian Law increased loyalty.
But the Great Guardian Law…
‘Both obsession and loyalty…?’
Crunch!
I finally realized that Yoo Seol’s grip was stronger than before.
I was momentarily breathless, but….
‘Well, it should be fine….’
I thought of Seo Yoo-jin’s case and felt it would be okay as I stroked her hair.
“Thank you… I’ll never forget it… never.”
Yoo Seol kept burrowing into my chest, rubbing her face against me.
As we were perfectly close, it soaked my shirt and heated my belly… no, it felt hot.
And….
‘…weird.’
For some reason, my whole body tingled.
But it didn’t feel bad, so I allowed it to be as it was.
We hugged like that for quite a while.
I never expected to be in such a relationship with Yoo Seol when starting Na Ah Ah….
No matter what, deepening bonds with teammates is a good thing.
I won, and I gained close companions who resonate with me.
There were many challenges, but….
For me, my Idol Academia concluded with a perfect happy ending.
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