Chapter 52

Episode 52

Jin Yeoreum accepted the scouting offer.

I felt like I had just stepped into the worst-case scenario.

I couldn’t let go of the thread of hope and asked.

“…Are you serious?”

“Of course, I’m serious. Do I look like the kind of person who would make such comments lightly?”

Well, you don’t exactly look like that kind of person.

“…I’m sorry if I offended you. It just feels like you accepted way too easily.”

Yeoreum casually stated what seemed obvious, as if asking why I thought otherwise.

“Isn’t it common for someone born in Korea, who grew up watching music shows, to want to become an idol?”

…Normally, people who have become public enemy number one due to doping scandals don’t want that kind of spotlight.

It’s obvious they’d get dragged through the mud in the communities.

How do you even plan to handle the aftermath?

I scrambled to change the subject.

“Well, that’s true, but I didn’t expect you to say yes without even discussing the conditions first.”

“What are the conditions?”

Did I think she would have thought that through? I just assumed she’d turn me down.

“It might be a bit awkward for me to say this as the person scouting you, but to join TwoBear Entertainment, you need to pass our President’s aesthetic standards.”

Thinking about it, if Cheon Aram says it stinks, that’s game over, isn’t it? No need to worry at all.

But Jin Yeoreum’s reaction was strange. She nodded as if she already knew.

“Isn’t the President of Team Leader Seon’s company Cheon Aram unnie?”

“…How do you know that?”

“I occasionally meet her because of my parents’ work, so Aram unnie and I are quite close. I also have a rough idea about her purity obsession,”

A chill ran down my spine. I began to think that the mine I just stepped on was more lethal than I initially considered.

“Can I confirm something for a moment?”

“Feel free.”

I pulled out my smartphone and hurriedly dialed.

Cheon Aram picked up the phone very quickly.

“Yeah. Team Leader Seon. How’s the volunteering going? …Well, judging by your call, it’s hard to say it’s a good situation. Did some kind of crisis come up?”

As expected of a planning agency president, her analysis was spot on. This was a crisis in its very essence.

“Do you happen to know Jin Yeoreum?”

“Jin Yeoreum? Are you talking about the Yeoreum from Jinkang Group that I know?”

“Exactly.”

I flinched a bit at how easily she recognized Jin Yeoreum, but steadied my nerves.

It wasn’t surprising that Cheon Aram knew Jin Yeoreum; anyone who followed the news back then couldn’t not know her.

What mattered was whether she passed Aram’s smell test or failed it.

I continued holding onto hope that Jin Yeoreum would smell as foul as a sewer.

“I know Yeoreum. She’s the only third-generation chaebol among those with a decent scent. We used to hang out a lot back in the day.”

From Aram’s scent assessment, it turned out Jin Yeoreum had passed.

I felt the lifeblood drain from me, like I was crashing down into despair.

No, this isn’t the time to give up. The main point hasn’t even come up yet.
If President Cheon were in her right mind, she wouldn’t allow the recruitment of Jin Yeoreum, right?

“…What do you think about us bringing someone like Ms. Jin Yeoreum into the group we’re planning?”

“Sure, give it a try.”

Give it a try? Is that something you can just say so easily?

Am I the only one who’s weird? Why are they both just jumping into this huge risk without a second thought?

“Uh… President Cheon, I feel a bit embarrassed proposing this, but are you really okay with allowing the recruitment of Ms. Jin Yeoreum so easily?”

Cheon Aram chuckled softly.

Even though the phone was on, I could picture that signature snake-like smile on her face.

“It’s not like I just allowed it easily.”

“…Then?”

“I approved it because Team Leader Seon said so.”

Cheon Aram spoke with a warm and gentle tone.

“I believe Team Leader Seon saw the talent in Yeoreum that can overcome any controversy.”

Damn it, they have put too much faith in each other.

This is all my karma.

“Plus, I have a good idea of Yeoreum’s talent too. She had a brief training stint at SS before she started rhythmic gymnastics. Back then, everyone was going crazy about this legendary genius coming in.”

Of course, she must have been called a genius. Jin Yeoreum’s dance potential is bound to shine like a sore thumb wherever she goes.

But the fact that even Cheon Aram noticed that overwhelming talent is turning out to be a dilemma for me.

“…I mean, it’s just a simple proposal that isn’t solidified yet…”

“But if we bring in Yeoreum, wouldn’t that mean we are gathering Winter, Autumn, and Summer? If we think about the four seasons, I guess Spring would be next. I’m counting on you, Team Leader Seon!”

Beeep—Beeep—

The call ended.

“….”

I couldn’t put the phone down and sat there blankly, prompting Jin Yeoreum to ask.

“What did Aram unni say?”

“…She said it’s a go.”

Yeoreum seemed relieved.

“I thought so. Ever since I was little, Aram unni always got taken to the ER when she was with people, but she’s always gotten along well with me.”

“Wow, our president is quite picky about people, but it’s impressive that she gets along with you.”

“I should be thankful for that. Even in our chaebol third-generation community, anyone would want to be friends with Aram unni.”

“Was it that big of a deal?”

Jin Yeoreum seemed to reminisce for a moment, brushing her lips lightly as she thought and then said.

“Aram unni always had some kind of charisma since we were young. It’s like people want to follow her? Or like, she crushes everyone beneath her? I’m not quite sure how to define it.”

She tilted her head, as if it was difficult for her to explain.

“From my personal impression, I thought if the world were still classist, someone like her would become a king.”

I could relate. That first impression still lingers in my mind, like I’m watching a mafia boss from a Hong Kong noir film.

I sometimes forget when Cheon Aram does her goofy things…
You might forget it over time, but…

Anyway, after getting through to Cheon Aram, I found myself cornered in a dead-end alley.

However, I still had one persuasive tactic left.

“I have one question remaining.”

“Um… Feel free to ask.”

“Manager Seok, I’m sorry, but in this emergency, I’ll have to leverage your name.”

“I heard you plan to volunteer long-term with Manager Seok Hyun-woo.”

“Manager Seok? So you’ve been discussing that…”

I bowed my head in apology for my rudeness and proceeded with my question.

“Does accepting my suggestion mean your plans have changed?”

Where did that determination to engage in volunteer work for 50 or 100 years go?

I was so impressed when I heard that.

“Volunteering was the best option I could choose, and I always pick the best.”

“The best option, you say?”

Is planning to volunteer for decades really the best option?

“My goal is to ensure that the name Jin Yeoreum doesn’t tarnish Jinkang and our family. To achieve that, I needed to improve the perception buried at the bottom. Volunteering was just a means to that end.”

“Is that why you committed to volunteering for 50 or 100 years?”

“Exactly. Although the method may seem overly ignorant and long-term.”

That was impressive in a different way.

“But if a new option like becoming an idol arises, that’s a different story. An established fanbase and a positive image could change the perception of the name Jin Yeoreum much faster and more effectively than volunteering.”

Jin Yeoreum’s words were all conditional on success. And there wouldn’t be an agency that could succeed with her in the mix.

Knowing how she would face public backlash during the Bubble Shower situation three years later, I was confident.

But if she thought it was worth the gamble, it wasn’t impossible. I was the only one aware of that harsh future.

I asked with curiosity.

“Then why haven’t you tried to debut with any agency?”

“Well, there wouldn’t be an agency willing to accept me.”

That was only true when considering Jin Yeoreum as an individual.

“If Jinkang sponsors you, it wouldn’t be impossible.”

“…My father wouldn’t allow it. He doesn’t want me to be swayed by public opinion anymore, just like he opposes my volunteering now.”

“Wouldn’t it change if I, and President Cheon from Two Bear, said so?”

“No, he’d still oppose it.”

…Then why did she agree?

Jin Yeoreum chuckled lightly.

Even that small laugh felt so elegant; her charm was truly remarkable.

It made me question if a first-year high school student could possess such an aura.

“While he may oppose it, he wouldn’t obstruct it. Just like now, when he allows me to leave school for volunteering. If I had the chance to become an idol, the situation would change drastically.”

Hearing Jin Yeoreum’s words made me feel it wasn’t an exaggeration to say it was the best judgment from her perspective.
Saying it was the best judgment didn’t feel like an exaggeration.

From her perspective, it was a perfectly reasonable attempt, given the assumption that she had the heart of a beast.

But for me, who made the attempt without knowing that, it was a massive fail.

“Anyway, is the condition met now?”

Jin Yeoreum said, extending her hand once again.

I looked around in confusion.

Gaeul seemed to have given up on hiding, leaning fully into view and staring with wide eyes.

Seok Hyun-woo was biting his nails, looking as lost as the rest of us.

It was a bit sad seeing a man over thirty acting like that.

Neither of them looked like they could offer help.

I resigned myself, accepting the outcome. Even if it meant incurring Jin Yeoreum’s wrath, I felt I had to say no.

It was downright infuriating that after scouting her, she could reject me; I couldn’t help but feel irritated about it.

I couldn’t make an idol with that public dislike, Jin Yeoreum, at the center.

Just then, a quest window popped up.

[Controversy needs evidence. Deceive Jin Yeoreum into joining as a member, making provocative volunteer photos with Gyeoul and Gaeul.]

[Reward – Message received anywhere]

“…”

The starting point for the bubble shower comeback is ultimately Jin Yeoreum’s malicious volunteer photos.

The quest was telling me to create that very beginning with my own hands.

For someone like me, who knows all about avoiding Jinkang’s revenge and how to stir up issues…

That choice would surely be a big help to TwoBear’s success.

The reward from the quest was also one of the most powerful ones.

But this was a quest that went beyond selfishness into cruelty.

Following that quest would leave Jin Yeoreum with a scar—that betrayal would shatter her future forever.

The excuse of ‘it’s the same outcome as Jin Yeoreum getting embroiled in the third-generation chaebol scandal’ wouldn’t hold.

The size of the wound would be immeasurably greater.

If I were back in my previous life, I would have rejected this quest without a second thought. I believed it was the right thing to do. I thought that was the behavior of a good person.

“Sis, I’m going to succeed. Even if I have to use people and make them fall, I’ll succeed and earn a lot of money to make you comfortable.”

“Your desire for success and that soft heart can’t stick together. If you don’t choose a direction firmly, you’ll get hurt one day.”

“But Team Leader Seon, if I live like that, one day I won’t be able to endure it and will fall apart… then I’ll be really disappointed.”

But I was different now.

“Teacher Taeyang, let’s make sure we see each other for a long time.”

“…Wait a minute, …please hug me for a second.”

No, I had to change.

If I walked the same path as the last time, I wouldn’t be the only one to fall apart.

I had something to carry.

With a smile, I shook Jin Yeoreum’s hand and said.

“Welcome to TwoBear, Ms. Yeoreum.”

I will succeed. And I will protect it.

Even if the process requires me to directly bring Jin Yeoreum down myself.

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