Episode 32
Honestly, it was hard to look at Gaeul’s parents positively.
When you think about Gaeul’s current situation, where she dropped out of high school and juggles four part-time jobs a day, it’s hard to believe her parents allow it instead of stopping her or submitting some legal guardianship consent form.
No matter how you look at it, that’s not what proper parents should do.
Gaeul’s feelings about her father being odd must stem from this context.
I felt a premonition that it would become more difficult to form a contract with her.
But even if it’s tough, I couldn’t give up.
It would be ridiculous to come this far and be stranded because of lack of parental consent.
I steeled myself. No matter what kind of crazy parents might show up, I was determined to persuade them to allow Yoo Gaeul to become a trainee.
“…From here on, cars can’t go through.”
“Then we’ll have to walk. I’ll park the car. Just wait a sec.”
The place we got out of the car was what you’d call a shantytown.
Gaeul and I walked up what was more like a hiking trail through the back alleys of the outskirts.
Then Gaeul stopped in front of an old house with a faded red spray-painted X on the wall.
“…This is it.”
Looking at the state of the house, Gaeul’s face turned bright red. She seemed embarrassed, as if she perceived it as her flaw.
I stepped a little closer to her with an expressionless face and said,
“Shall we go in?”
Gaeul glanced at my face and seemed to gather her resolve before stepping ahead and opening the door.
The old iron door creaked and pushed open.
“Is that you, Gaeul?”
A skinny middle-aged man sitting in the modest kitchen-living room welcomed us.
Judging by the atmosphere and his handsome face, he seemed to be Gaeul’s father.
Seeing Gaeul, Gaeul’s father offered a weak smile and then noticed me following her in.
“…And who is this?”
“This is Team Leader Seon I mentioned over the phone. They came to visit about the contract.”
“I’m Seon Taeyang, the team leader of Two Bear Entertainment. It’s an honor to meet Gaeul’s parents.”
“Oh… So you’re Team Leader Seon! Really nice to meet you. It’s a humble place, but please come in and have a seat.”
Gaeul’s father, looking a bit bewildered, greeted me warmly.
It was a relief he seemed favorable towards the contract.
“…This isn’t right. I should’ve brought a car! Would you prefer coffee or green tea?”
While the warm welcome was nice, there was something slightly burdensome about his demeanor.
I decided not to show that burden and said gently with a smile.
He smiled gently without hesitation and said,
“Then, I’d like to request coffee.”
“I’m quite skilled at making coffee, you know. Please wait just a moment.”
Gaeul’s father took out instant coffee, poured hot water into a paper cup, added coffee powder, folded the remaining coffee stick in half, and stirred the mixture with it.
“Here you go!”
His hands were shaking as if he had a tremor while handing over the coffee, making me worry that it might spill. So, I stood up to accept it.
Gaeul, watching this, was so embarrassed she seemed to be burying her face in the floor.
Well, he does seem like a nice guy, so why is she acting like that?
I took a sip of the coffee and told Gaeul’s father, who was looking at me expectantly,
“Wow, your water-to-coffee ratio is just perfect. It’s really delicious!”
“Oh, thank you so much for saying that even when I’m giving you such humble hospitality!”
Gaeul’s father cleared his throat a bit and said,
“Now, can I take a look at the contract?”
“Of course.”
I handed him the contract written by Seo Soo-yeon.
“We’ll be making a lump sum payment of 46 million won as a deposit. Additionally, around 60 million won will be allotted for art-related education, groceries, and daily necessities.”
Gaeul’s father slowly read the contract.
After about 30 minutes, he asked,
“So, if I sign this contract now, does that mean that money becomes mine right away?”
I couldn’t hide my emotions, and my eyebrows twitched.
After all, his question, “Does that money become mine?” really rubbed me the wrong way.
How is that your money? It’s Gaeul’s money!
But I kept my calm and explained further.
“The deposit will be considered an investment to be deducted from the settlement costs once Yoo Gaeul successfully debuts as an idol. It’s not entirely a gifted amount as you might think.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Gaeul’s father glared at me, maintaining his previous submissive posture but with a hint of anger.
“…That sounds a bit different, doesn’t it? Isn’t that a scam?”
“Dad, that’s not….”
I shot a subtle glance at Gaeul, who was trying to interject.
She stopped speaking.
I nodded at her and said,
“I understand that you feel disappointed, but it’s a basic requirement to explain the flow of funds to those investing.”
This was something I had to do.
“The company isn’t scamming Gaeul. In fact, they’re treating her quite favorably.”
I elaborated on this unusual treatment.
“Even if the settlement takes five years, we won’t charge any interest during that time. Moreover, if Gaeul fails and can’t generate any profits, she won’t need to repay that money. The amount being given as a down payment is treated purely as an investment.”
While it couldn’t exactly be considered a pure gift, it could definitely be seen as such.
“…So, does that mean I have to repay 100 million won to settle?”
“Not necessarily. About 60 million won won’t even be counted as investment, which means that amount won’t be deducted during settlement.”
Because of this, using some cash for support and training wasn’t entirely a loss for Gaeul. Considering how Seo Soo-yeon hustled to expand the scope and quality of the support, it could even be more beneficial.
“It’s extremely rare… no, it’s practically unheard of to make such promises to a trainee in a contract.”
This was an overly luxurious contract for just a trainee.
I questioned whether Gaeul’s father was aware of this.
“Then why…”
“Because Gaeul has the talent to succeed. She’s someone who deserves this kind of treatment.”
Gaeul’s father looked puzzled. I wanted to reassure him.
“I promise you. I’ll make her that 50 or 60 million will feel like pocket change. I hope you’ll allow Gaeul to join us at TwoBear.”
I bowed my head.
As I looked up, Gaeul’s father was trembling a bit, darting his eyes around, waiting for the right moment to speak.
“…Um, could we lower the amount and later deduct it from the settlement, something like cash instead of welfare support?”
That was an unexpected request.
“Even 40 or 20 million would be fine. Isn’t that possible?”
With the company policy already set, it wouldn’t be easy. But I didn’t want to lose Gaeul over two million.
I steeled myself.
“If that’s the case, I can…”
“Don’t you dare agree to that!”
Suddenly, a middle school boy appeared out of nowhere and shouted.
He suddenly appeared and shouted.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one caught off guard by this unexpected entrance; Gaeul and her father were also staring with surprised expressions.
“Gahyeon! Didn’t I tell you to stay outside? This isn’t a conversation you should be joining.”
Gaeul’s father exclaimed, bursting with frustration. Going by that reaction, it must have been Gaeul’s younger sibling who was studying art.
“I have a reason to participate in this conversation. I’m part of my sister’s family too.”
Gahyeon asked, staring straight at his father.
“If you accept that money, what are you going to use it for?”
Gaeul’s father spoke while glancing between Gaeul and me.
“…Of course, it should be spent for Gaeul and you.”
“Liar.”
Gahyeon said with a bitter smile that was uncharacteristic for a middle school student.
“Well, if you just accept it as supplies, then that’s all we need, right?”
“You’re too young to understand. With those outside organizations involved, the money can’t help but be spent inefficiently!”
At this point, I interjected.
“I have one thing to ask. The funding usage details will be disclosed very transparently. Moreover, since it’s a large-scale operation by an organization, more efficient transactions are possible. There won’t be any inefficiency in spending like you’re worried about.”
Gaeul’s father waved his hand dismissively.
“Ah, I wasn’t referring to you, Team Leader Seon. I just thought the kid seemed really ignorant about the world, so I used a bit of an extreme example!”
His demeanor came off as so low that it almost looked pathetic.
Gahyeon looked at me and said, “Mister, if you just give that money directly to our father, he’ll definitely use it for gambling. You can’t just give it to him.”
“You little brat!”
Gaeul’s father stood up, clenching his fists.
It was hard to tell if his trembling hands were due to a tremor or rage.
Seeing that, it felt like things were about to get out of hand.
I stood up to try to calm Gaeul’s father.
At that moment, a quest window popped up suddenly.
[Strong Weak Weak Strong: Engrave the fear of violence into Yoo Dae-cheol, Gaeul’s father, who is suffering from anger management issues!]
What the hell is this crazy quest?
Damn it, is this a joke?
As I was flabbergasted by this nonsensical content, the information for the reward slowly appeared in my mind.
[Reward – Sword Saint’s Sensation]
Staring blankly at those words, I thought… Hmm, the hostage is pretty strong, huh?
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