Chapter 45

Chapter 45

“I thought I couldn’t afford to fall. I believed that the moment I stumble, everything would fall apart.”

Gaeul continued her confession to Gyeoul.

“There was no one else. My shoulders carried nothing but burdens.”

Her burdens.

“So, I tried to let go as much as possible and become indifferent. It made the pain feel a little less.”

Her weaknesses.

“But there was someone who told me it was okay not to give up, that it was okay to fall.”

And that one person who changed her.

“I naturally didn’t believe it. I thought I was an adult. I considered such dreamy talk to be deception. But I realized that my doubts were merely narrow-mindedness.”

“Is that Teacher Taeyang?”

Gaeul said shyly.

“Yep, that’s Brother Taeyang.”

Her words flowed like a melody, poetic in nature.

“Brother Taeyang has always been a reliable adult. And he treats me like a child. Just thinking of him makes me smile without even realizing it. It’s so sweet and warm… but I can’t help but feel that it’s still not enough.”

That was a pure sincerity she hadn’t revealed to anyone yet.

“I wish he wouldn’t see me as a child.”

The child who had to act like an adult wanted to become an adult again.

For entirely different reasons than before.

“I hope we run into each other more often, even if by chance or force. I want to know everything about what he thinks, what he likes. And I hope Brother Taeyang thinks of me this way too.”

Gyeoul thought as she looked at Gaeul.

“Sister Gaeul is such a lovely person.”

Her innocent, youthful, and warm appearance was overwhelmingly charming.

But what made her lovely wasn’t just her appearance.

It was her selflessness, thinking of others instead of herself. Even through difficult and painful moments, she smiled and spread that joy like a contagious energy. Always considerate of others.

That was the real reason Gaeul was so lovely.

“Teacher Taeyang is also really cool and super reliable.”

Gyeoul imagined the two of them as a couple. The image that came to mind was too perfect.

Much more so than herself.

Gyeoul’s heart began to throb painfully again. Her nose felt tingly, and her eyes seemed to get a bit moist.

She carefully suppressed those feelings and opened her mouth.

“…I’ll help Sister Gaeul with her feelings.”

As calm and indifferent as possible, as if it were something that naturally needed to be done.

Gaeul was taken aback by Gyeoul’s words.

“No, Gyeoul! The reason I shared this was not to ask for that…”

“It’ll be helpful. The difference between having one member and not having one is huge. …And I also wanted to try being a cupid just once!”
“I always wanted to be like this!”

Gaeul’s eyes met Gyeoul’s eyes.

Unlike her usual self, Gyeoul didn’t look away this time.

She looked straight, firm and resolute.

“What if it’s okay? Winter, you…” Gaeul said with trembling eyes.

Gyeoul hurriedly interrupted Gaeul’s next words.

“Yes, of course it’s okay! That’s what I want!”

Gyeoul hoped for the happiness of the two people she liked.

And she wished to be called a friend or a colleague by their side.

In any case, Gyeoul wanted to stay next to Taeyang.

*

There was a girl group called Bubble Shower.

This group, which was valued as a rising star of Dreams Entertainment that produced moderately successful singers and idols, achieved poor results despite the agency’s active push.

The agency didn’t just blame the members for this failure. They concluded internally that the failure was due to a selection mishap with the concept and planning, and gave Bubble Shower another chance. They poured in more money for aggressive promotion than before.

But even that, they messed up.

After two failures and members aging, Dreams Entertainment eventually concluded they were a failure.

As a result, the agency’s passive investment led them to only take on money-making schedules, hoping to at least recover their investment.

It was the usual tale of a failed girl group.

It seemed clear they would sink slowly, just like many of their senior girl groups that failed to rise and disappeared.

That is, until the continuous volunteer work of one of the members, Yoon Haneul, sparked positive buzz in the community.

The incident ignited when a controversy surrounding favoritism related to the third-generation chaebol broke out.

As the allegations of military evasion against the second grandson of the Jinkang Group became a fact, the flames spread throughout the entire chaebol family. This included the third granddaughter who had also faced public scrutiny due to past doping allegations during her childhood.

Reporters scrambled to find the third granddaughter, once infamous for her privileged background, and soon discovered she was volunteering at an orphanage.

Along with photos that looked disingenuous, the third granddaughter’s activities sparked cold criticism from the public. The claims that she was living a life of volunteering to atone were seen as mere political theatrics and superficial gestures.

After the reporters dug deeper, the news about the third granddaughter resurfaced—not as serious gossip but as something to chew over.

However, this news took a strange turn.

Among the photos taken of the granddaughter volunteering, the stunning beauty of Yoon Haneul who was volunteering in the corner caught the community’s attention.

Dubbed the ‘Volunteer Girl,’ Yoon Haneul was revealed to have been volunteering at various orphanages for years, contrasting her with the chaebol granddaughter, who was criticized for her superficial volunteerism.
It was revealed that the charitable activities were ongoing, and she was compared unfavorably to a luxury conglomerate’s granddaughter, who was accused of being performative in her volunteer work.

That provocative comparison spread beyond the community to social media, becoming an internet meme under titles like “Voluntary vs Forced.”

The shocking twist came when it was belatedly revealed that she was an active member of a girl group. By this time, Yoon Haneul had already built a widely positive image, and her previous albums and music videos were discovered late.

People began to spread the previously buried activities of Bubble Shower online under the title “Identity of the Charity Girl.”

And then, stories of Bubble Shower doing their best even at small, shabby events and their excellent fan service started to emerge.

Bubble Shower managed to rise to being a national favorite.

This led to an unbelievable surge in Bubble Shower’s popularity.

… I was so damn envious.

But now, at the point of regression, I didn’t have to be envious anymore because I remembered exactly where that orphanage was.

With just a bit of diligence, I could snatch the chance for a resurgence that Bubble Shower was supposed to get.

Of course, to seize this opportunity, I had to make my presence known from now on.

The catalyst for the resurgence was, essentially, Yoon Haneul’s sincere volunteer work.

That’s why I had to prepare from now on.

I grabbed Gyeoul and Gaeul, who were returning to the accommodation after a tough training session.

“I have some unfortunate news.”

Gyeoul jolted and asked, “What is it?”

“You have to work late with me.”

“With Teacher Taeyang?”

“Yep, with me.”

Seeing Gyeoul hesitate, I gathered my courage and said,

“I’ll buy you delicious food. Just for today, I’ll allow some greasy food.”

Whatever the diet plan, let’s take a break just for today.

Hearing my words, Gyeoul murmured softly.

“… Sounds fun.”

But her voice was so tiny I couldn’t hear it.

Gaeul, wondering if she heard Gyeoul, looked over, and Gyeoul was beaming at me like a little countryside puppy greeting someone.

With a lively expression, Gaeul said, “Is it going to take long? It’d be great if I could see Brother Taeyang for a while.”

She seemed to be worried about the overtime. Still, Gaeul’s ability to speak kindly and cheerfully was one of her great traits.

“Don’t worry, Gaeul. I’ll make sure to give you your break time.”

“It’s okay. We don’t need both of us. One person is enough.”

Considering that Yoon Haneul was moving solo and spearheading the resurgence, having both of them there could create variables.

There was no need to take on the risk of dragging both Gyeoul and Gaeul along. It wouldn’t be right to make someone who suffered all day training do volunteer work.

“…”

Gaeul didn’t react to my words. Perhaps she was at a loss for words at my delicate consideration.

Gyeoul was anxiously glancing at the silent Gaeul.
There was.

Why is this happening again?

“…Um, Teacher Taeyang, how about Gaeul going instead of me?”

“Why? Are you busy?”

“…Yes, I think I am a little busy.”

Busy with what? I know you’re just playing games and watching anime at the accommodation.

Where are you trying to run off to?

“Yeah, I’m taking you with me.”

At that, a chill ran down my spine.

Even though we were in a closed space, it felt like a cold wind was blowing.

In the center of that chill stood Gaeul.

“…Gaeul?”

Gaeul spoke with a stiff face.

“I want to do it too… Night shift with Brother Taeyang.”

“…Huh?”

…Wait, did I hear that wrong? You want to do a night shift?

Has Gaeul lost it? How can a person say something like that?

Even Gyeoul seemed to tremble in fear at that shocking statement.

Seeing her like that made me oddly calm.

I judged logically.

A normal person wouldn’t say they want to do a night shift. Therefore, Gaeul is currently in an abnormal state. For a person to be abnormal means they are sick.

Gaeul must be unwell!

“Gaeul! Are you okay?”

Having completed my assessment of the situation, I immediately approached Gaeul, lightly grabbing her shoulder and touching her forehead with the back of my hand to check for a fever.

“…Eh?, …Yeah, yes!”

As I suspected, her forehead was warm. Her face was flushed to the degree that made me wonder if she was alright.

“Ah, you have a fever.”

No wonder it’s difficult to think normally like this.

“No, um… it’s just too close…”

Gaeul seemed dizzy and swayed unsteadily. I instinctively pulled her in and supported her before she could fall.

“Eek!”

She looked fine during training, but it seemed like she was barely able to hold herself up.

It’s great to work hard, but I didn’t want her to push herself to the point of exhaustion.

I hoped she would get plenty of rest.

“Gaeul, you look really unwell. Let’s just rest today.”

“B-But I still want to go…”

I looked directly into Gaeul’s golden eyes, which were nearly touching mine.

“Please, Gaeul. I don’t want to see you sick.”

“…Nyeh.”

Gaeul, responding like someone under the influence of medicine, had a dazed look on her face.

It seemed she had a pretty bad cold.

Even so, she nodded vigorously, as if she understood my worried heart.

I felt relieved and helped Gaeul toward the accommodation.

It felt great to be able to help her like this.

As I glanced to the side, Gyeoul was looking at me with cold eyes.

Those eyes, as if gazing at trash, reminded me of the delinquent mode Gyeoul from when I first met her.

…Did I do something wrong?

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