Han Bi-ja said.
A dragon is a type of beast that can be tamed and ridden.
But if you touch the scales arranged in reverse under the dragon’s neck, even the docile dragon will turn.
That is the reverse scales (逆鱗).
Everyone has a wound that must not be touched.
For me, that wound is…
The reverse scale…
Is my parents.
But…
“Then, Ha Ye-rin, what do you think about Ye-rin’s parents being charged with fraud, forgery, and child abuse by the police?”
The reporter in front of me had touched the reverse scale.
Whether he wanted to write a sensational article or held malice towards me, he had touched something that should not be touched.
So what should I do now?
I felt my insides bubbling.
I had the urge to throw some curses at the reporter who asked such a question… and I actually opened my mouth.
But…
“Uh…”
As soon as I spoke, I noticed the members of Rookies looking at me with concern and…
“…”
I saw fans with big, round eyes staring at me.
In that moment, instead of the angry response I was going to give…
“… They are no longer my parents.”
A rather concise and self-deprecating answer came out.
I thought I had answered nonchalantly so as not to look sad, but it seems that wasn’t the case for the fans.
“Aaaah…”
“Ye-rin Aaaah…”
A deep sigh emerged from the fans, followed by…
“Is that reporter out of his mind?”
“What’s with his manners since earlier?”
“Which reporter is this? Gosh, it’s so annoying!”
Clear anger erupted towards the reporter.
In the end, that reporter was escorted out by the staff after that question.
But…
smirk.
Even while being dragged out by the staff, he was smiling as if he had done his job.
After that, the showcase proceeded as if there were no problems, but… the atmosphere didn’t quite return to its initial brightness.
And so, in less than an hour, our Rookies’ debut showcase came to an end.
Overall, it was successful, but… perhaps because of the bitter taste at the end, I felt somewhat uneasy.
“Thank you for your hard work~”
“Thank you!”
After the showcase ended, the members bowed to the staff who prepared the event with bright smiles.
Although all the members appeared satisfied with the showcase…
‘… They’re all looking at me.’
In reality, they were trying to raise their spirits for my sake, keeping an eye on me.
Since the MS Planning incident, talking about my parents had become a taboo among us Rookies.
Our members were desperate to comfort me if I showed any sadness because of my parents.
And I didn’t want to make my members worry again because of my parents.
Now, I had grown somewhat numb to the topic, so much so that I felt surprisingly little turmoil upon hearing about them…
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“…!”
I also bowed to the staff casually.
Only then did the members confirm that I was okay, and they smiled genuinely.
Thanks to that, the atmosphere, which had briefly dampened at the end of the showcase, came back to life, and then Director Jeong appeared in the waiting room, saying to us,
“Oh, you all are here. Great job on the showcase everyone. Thanks to you, it wrapped up successfully.”
“Wow-!”
Hearing the usually rational Director Jeong say that gave me the conviction that the showcase had indeed ended successfully.
Applause erupted from all over.
Of course, the loudest cheers among the Rookies burst out from what Director Jeong said next.
“Now, with just two days left until the music release, we might give the Rookies members a short break to acknowledge their hard work over these past three weeks.”
“…A break?!”
“Waaahhhh-!!”
A break.
How much we had wished and waited for this moment.
Upon hearing the word “break,” the members of Rookies erupted in an even bigger cheer than when Na Ah Ah made it into the debut team of six.
We were genuinely happy, and seeing that made the staff and Director Jeong smile as well.
Thus, the gloomy atmosphere from that one troublesome reporter lifted again.
At that moment.
swish.
As I gazed fondly at the other members, Director Jeong stealthily approached me and whispered.
“…I’m sorry about earlier, Ye-rin. I thought I had the reporters under control, but it seems that wasn’t perfect.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Then I’m glad…. Forget what the reporter said and take a good rest this time.”
It seemed that Director Jeong was worried I might be hurt.
Around me, there were so many people worried about me.
How thankful I was for that.
So, I smiled smirk at Director Jeong and bowed my head.
“Thank you for your concern, Director Jeong.”
“No, it’s my job.”
After confirming I was okay, Director Jeong spoke to the Rookies members.
“Alright then, let’s get our makeup, hair, and outfits all sorted out, and start moving. The car is ready.”
“Yep!”
Now, all that was left was to head to the dormitory and rest.
Whether it was eight hours or ten, the thought of sleeping filled the members with smiles as we got in the car.
In the midst of that, I smiled and moved along until…
“Oh, I need to use the restroom for a bit!”
“Quickly, then! I’ll be waiting ahead!”
I made a quick stop at the restroom.
And…
“……”
As soon as I entered the restroom, I wiped the smile off my face…
plop.
“Sigh……”
And I sank onto the floor right away.
I had intended to live without paying any mind to it, but there were parts I couldn’t ignore.
‘What do you think about Ye-rin’s parents being charged with fraud, forgery, and child abuse by the police?’
My dad and mom are getting charged…
Which means…
“They might go to jail…”
My mom and dad… in jail.
Naturally, I had no way of knowing this fact since no one had told me.
‘The president probably knows more about this.’
I thought of calling Kang Hyung-man to ask for details as I pulled out my phone…
swish.
But then I shook my head and put my phone back in my pocket.
“No… as I said earlier, they are no longer my parents.”
How could I have broken free from my dad and mom…
I couldn’t show that I was being swayed by them again.
Didn’t I see how my members and Director Jeong were worried about me potentially being sad?
For the sake of those who care about me… I must not show weakness.
“Right… let’s not dull this good day even for a moment.”
With that, I made an effort to put a smile back on my face as I grabbed the doorknob to step outside.
At that moment.
“Unnie.”
“Oh, Yoo-jin.”
Just as I was about to step outside, one person was entering.
It was Seo Yoo-jin.
“I came to get you since you weren’t coming…”
She must have been worried that I was taking too long.
“Oh, sorry. I’m all done, so let’s go back now.”
I smiled at Seo Yoo-jin and was about to exit when…
thud.
“… Yoo-jin?”
“……”
Seo Yoo-jin had grabbed my wrist.
Then she stood me in front of her and…
swish.
“Ah…”
She wiped away a tear I didn’t even know had fallen with her finger.
“… Unnie.”
“…….”
“… I’m fine.”
“…… sobs.”
snug.
Then, Seo Yoo-jin pressed my face against her shoulder and hugged me.
Only then did I let those restrained tears fall one by one.
“… I’m sorry. I’m just ruining the atmosphere because of me…”
“…….”
“… I feel like my existence is a burden to Rookies. I’m sorry.”
“No one thinks that way.”
“But… because of the answer I gave earlier, there’ll probably be weird articles coming out and such… It’s all my fault… sobs…”
“What if a few articles come out? Our Rookies aren’t going to be swayed by a bunch of trashy articles.”
“Yoo-jin… Yoo-jin…”
Like that, Seo Yoo-jin embraced me for a long while, stroking my head.
At that moment, I suddenly recalled the times when I was with Seo Yoo-jin back during the Na Ah Ah days.
“Unnie… Unnie…”
Back then, Seo Yoo-jin was being witch hunted because of Shin PD’s antics, crying in my arms, calling for me desperately…
Now the roles had reversed.
“sniff… sigh…”
“It’s okay, everything is okay.”
But I didn’t feel dissatisfied with this new relationship.
Instead, I was proud of seeing Seo Yoo-jin as a grown individual… and I found her to be a source of strength.
I sobbed in her embrace for a while.
Meanwhile, the reporter who had been kicked out for his inappropriate question…
“chuckles… That photo turned out well.”
In truth, there were complex reasons why he had deliberately mentioned Ha Ye-rin’s parents to provoke her.
First.
“Any disrespectful questions directed at Rookies will be seen as an attack on NAS Entertainment. That newspaper will face consequences in future reporting on NAS Entertainment.”
“Geez, how ridiculous. Who does he think he is?”
A backlash against Director Jeong of NAS Entertainment, who had dared to try to control the media.
Second.
“A reporter has an obligation to deliver the news that people want to hear, you know.”
A warped sense of mission.
And the final reason was the biggest one…
“snickers… This article is going to rack up the views nicely.”
It was simply an attraction of people’s attention.
Ever since the MS Planning tampering debacle, many reporters had been hesitant to cover Ha Ye-rin’s parents due to the strong sympathy for her and threats from NAS Entertainment.
Thanks to that, unlike Shin PD and the An Representative, articles about Ha Ye-rin’s parents had become as scarce as rain in a drought.
If he could write an article based on Ha Ye-rin’s statements during the showcase…
“People will probably flock to my article. Haha.”
Even though NAS Entertainment’s retaliation was intimidating, it was easy to lay low for a few months and then subtly interview as another reporter.
Having eaten a few black marks from other big companies, he roughly understood how to tackle this.
To him, this article about Ha Ye-rin was far more beneficial than harmful.
“What should I title this article? [Ha Ye-rin: A Cold Attitude from a Rookie Idol?] or [Debate Over Rookie Girl Group ‘Rookies’ Leader’s Statement: I Don’t Care What Happens to My Parents.]? Which one’s more sensational?”
The life of an online article depends on speed.
Having been kicked out early, he thought of finishing the article in the car and uploading it right away.
As he happily pondered which title would be more provocative, he headed for the car.
And then…
swish.
Behind him, men in black suits stealthily followed him.
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