Chapter 38
Once the music stopped, Gaeul’s dance came to an end.
Wearing a yellow Adidas jersey, Gaeul seemed to want to hide her breathlessness, breathing as quietly as possible while glancing at us.
The judges, aka me, Cheon Aram, Seo Soo-yeon, and basic skills trainer Lee Hyerin, maintained solemn expressions as we mulled over what we had just seen. Then, Cheon Aram spoke up to gather our opinions as the director.
“I think we need to unify our opinions for a moment. Gaeul, could you step outside for a bit?”
“Oh, yes! I’ll be outside. Thank you for watching!”
Gaeul bowed at a 90-degree angle and carefully closed the door without a sound.
Seeing that, Cheon Aram said,
“…She’s actually much better than I expected?”
Seo Soo-yeon cautiously agreed.
“Even to an outsider like me, she looked pretty good.”
Cheon Aram turned her head to our guest trainer, Lee Hyerin, and asked,
“What do you think, Trainer Hyerin, having taught Gaeul for a short time?”
Hyerin nodded before speaking.
“To be honest, she’s not exactly a prodigy. If you’re expecting performances on the level of Gyeoul, who’s learning alongside her, you’ll be disappointed.”
None of us expected Gaeul to dance or sing at Gyeoul’s level, showcasing top-tier talent.
“But she’s not hopeless. If we teach her the set choreography, she’ll learn it step by step and catch up with the team.”
I recalled Gaeul’s dance ability being rated a C+ and added,
“I heard she actively participated in a broadcast dance club during middle school. It seems she built a solid foundation there.”
Seo Soo-yeon and Lee Hyerin nodded in agreement. They didn’t seem to view Gaeul as a complete beginner either.
However, Cheon Aram tilted her head as if she had a question.
“I’m glad she’s a more competent talent than I thought, but one question arises.”
I asked Cheon Aram,
“What question do you have?”
“Why hasn’t she been scouted by other agencies yet? Has the scouting crew lost their vision? Why is Gaeul just being left alone?”
Seo Soo-yeon looked at Cheon Aram and said,
“It seems like her family circumstances and that one hundred million won are obstacles.”
“Well… even if it’s a shady contract, didn’t anyone at least promise her a hundred million verbally? I mean, look at her!”
I had the same question myself. To clarify this doubt, I relayed the story I’d heard from Gaeul.
“She never mentioned one hundred million won to begin with. There were approaches from scouts, but she declined, citing personal circumstances without explaining further.”
“Then why did she only mention one hundred million to Team Leader Seon?”
“…I wouldn’t know either, would I?”
I had just blurted it out without any real plan at that moment. I had no special means.
Seo Soo-yeon looked back and forth between Cheon Aram and me and said, “Perhaps it’s because Team Leader Seon is good with words that she felt persuaded?”
“…Are there really so few articulate people among the scouts?”
Cheon Aram, seemingly unconvinced, eventually nodded. It seemed that was the only answer she could think of as well.
At that moment, vocal trainer Lee Hyerin quietly raised her hand, looking for a chance to speak. Cheon Aram permitted her to go ahead.
“Do you have any guesses? Feel free to speak.”
Lee Hyerin cautiously looked at my face and said, “…Could it be because of your face?”
“…”
….What kind of nonsense is that?
Cheon Aram, seemingly incredulous at the statement, rubbed her forehead and said, “So trainer Hyerin is saying that Gaeul was so taken by Team Leader Seon’s face that she went into detail about her personal matters?”
“…Perhaps?”
“…”
We all pretended as if we hadn’t heard Lee Hyerin’s words to the best of our ability.
“It’s quite fortunate that Gaeul’s dancing skills are up to that level, President,” I said.
“As Team Leader Seon said, it’s a relief that Gaeul, who possesses top-notch singing abilities, doesn’t seem to have major flaws in her dancing,” Cheon Aram added.
“…Uh, yeah, right. It feels satisfying to think that negotiating with investors and getting our name on the welfare foundation was a worthy endeavor.”
Lee Hyerin looked dejected as if she had been dismissed, but that was her problem, not mine.
Cheon Aram seemed to think that the evaluation had concluded enough and was about to call Gaeul. I wanted to throw a bit of cold water on the atmosphere; there was something I needed to say in Gaeul’s absence.
“By the way, I have something to say regarding Gaeul’s father.”
“Huh? Didn’t Team Leader Seon wrap up the contract normally?”
“That’s right in a sense, but there was something concerning.”
I said this amidst the gathered gazes.
“According to Gaeul’s younger brother Gahyeon, it seems Gaeul’s father has gotten into gambling.”
Seo Soo-yeon nodded as if she understood.
“…So that’s why, despite having a guardian, he was looking for money like that.”
“What about her mother?”
“I suspect she might have divorced him. It seems they’ve completely severed ties now.”
“It seems like the connection is completely cut off right now.”
“Hmm… that’s not good news.”
I explained the reason I brought up this topic.
“Have you already paid the deposit?”
Cheon Aram nodded and said,
“Yeah, I already sent it. But now that I think about what Team Leader Seon said, I’m feeling really uneasy. Should we have contracted to deposit money into Gaeul’s account in advance?”
“Honestly, it seemed like they wouldn’t finalize the contract if we didn’t put money into that account. It felt like they wouldn’t even agree to help set up the account.”
Cheon Aram sighed lightly and spoke.
“Team Leader Seon mentioned this because you wanted to point out that the deposit could end up being used for gambling money, right?”
“Yes, if that happens, it could have a terrible negative impact on Gaeul’s mental state. For her, the most important thing is to protect her younger sibling.”
“Sigh… this is a headache. Gaeul is a minor and her father is the only guardian that can contact her, which makes things tricky for us. In the end, it’s a family matter, so there’s a line drawn for us outsiders.”
Seo Soo-yeon and Lee Hyerin also seemed to struggle to find a special answer, deep in thought.
I, too, couldn’t think of a clear solution, so I kept silent.
Amidst the silence, Cheon Aram suddenly chirped up as if she found an answer.
“Team Leader Seon.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll give you some hush money, how about you go over and smack that guy around a bit? Maybe a hit will straighten him out.”
“…”
With her usual vibe, Cheon Aram’s suggestion didn’t feel like a joke.
Lee Hyerin seemed startled by Cheon Aram’s remarks, looking around nervously.
But her suggestion was quite appealing.
Hearing that, I could tackle what felt like an insurmountable quest all in one go.
Yeah, what the heck, let’s give it a shot. I can’t resist the ‘sword master sensation.’
I steeled my resolve and responded in a solemn voice.
“Should we go do it right now?”
“Hey, I was just joking! Team Leader Seon, why so serious?”
Cheon Aram waved her hands with a playful smile.
I felt deeply disappointed.
“Okay, I get that we need to be cautious. But it’s also a fact that right now we can’t really set up a solid prevention measure. So, let’s prepare as much as we can for future developments in that direction.”
Seo Soo-yeon looked at Cheon Aram and said.
“I’ll look into gambling treatment centers and related regulations.”
“Sounds good. I’ll trust you, Soo-yeon. I mean, it’s only been a day since we sent the deposit; there’s no way they’ll blow it all on gambling, right? Let’s not rush and instead properly prepare for what we can do.”
With those words, Cheon Aram called for Gaeul, who had been waiting in the hallway.
I called out to Gaeul, who had been waiting.
When Gaeul entered, we praised her just enough to keep her from getting arrogant, wrapping up the evaluation in a warm atmosphere.
*
After finishing the special evaluation at TwoBear Entertainment, Trainer Lee Hyerin was caught by someone as she was about to head home.
“Teacher Hyerin?”
It was Yoo Gaeul, wearing a yellow Adidas jersey.
“Yeah, Gaeul, what’s up? Did you have more questions?”
Hyerin responded cheerfully. She was glad to be talking to Gaeul, who usually led conversations with a golden retriever-like charm.
Despite being an extroverted trainer, Hyerin had an introverted personality and enjoyed Gaeul’s company.
“…Yes, I have something to ask.”
However, Gaeul seemed entirely different from her usual self.
It felt ominous somehow. It was a bit scary.
“Do you like Brother Taeyang?”
Hyerin was taken aback by the unexpected question and stammered a response.
“No, no, definitely not.”
Gaeul tilted her head in confusion.
“Then why did you mention Brother Taeyang’s face?”
“…Oh, his face?”
Hyerin felt embarrassed knowing that Gaeul had heard her earlier embarrassing comment during the evaluation.
She wanted to hide in a mouse hole.
But those feelings were swept away by Gaeul’s next words.
“Yes, you were flirting!”
Hyerin, still stunned by Gaeul’s unusual demeanor, managed to say what was necessary.
“Wait a minute, Gaeul. That sounds a bit out of line, don’t you think? Even if I had feelings for Team Leader Seon, you shouldn’t be hearing that, right? What does it have to do with you and Team Leader Seon?”
“I have a reason.”
A chilling wind blew, lifting Gaeul’s bangs.
Her revealed eyes glimmered sinisterly.
“If Brother Taeyang goes through something awkward, I think I might get a little weird.”
Hyerin, overwhelmed by that bizarre pressure, trembled as she asked, “…How weird?”
Gaeul, gazing into Hyerin’s eyes, replied as if it were troublesome.
“I don’t even know that myself.”
Emotions boiled over from the girl in front of her.
Deep and dark.
With her life experience, Hyerin realized immediately.
That was a bomb you shouldn’t touch.
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