Episode 61
I dragged Jin Yeoreum along, almost as if I were kidnapping her, straight to TwoBear Entertainment.
I had some kind of plan and considered the aftermath, but even I thought it was a reckless move.
Honestly, as I pulled her to TwoBear, I expected a strong backlash from the staff. How could I unilaterally do something this important without discussing it? I couldn’t help but feel it wasn’t something a proper office worker should do.
But contrary to my expectations, their reactions were quite mild.
“Did you eat yet?”
Cheon Aram’s first words to Jin Yeoreum and me.
“…No, I was going to have the in-flight meal.”
“Then let’s go eat first. I know a great place.”
She took us to the gukbap (soup with rice) restaurant where Yoo Gaeul used to work part-time. It was a bonus that she brought Gyeoul and Gaeul, who were preparing to head to their accommodation.
“Yeoreum, put some of this kkakdugi soup in. It makes it way tastier.”
“….”
Cheon Aram said this and, before Yeoreum could respond, dumped the kkakdugi (radish kimchi) soup into the milky gukbap.
“Yeoreum, put in some gochujang (spicy red pepper paste) too. Without it, it’s basically not even gukbap!”
“….”
This time Yoo Gaeul extolled the virtues of gochujang and added it to Yeoreum’s dish, again without asking for permission.
Yeoreum had to helplessly watch as her once-innocent gukbap became a mess.
“I just like eating it plain…”
“C’mon, just try it. You’ll see it’s different.”
“I tried it once before and didn’t really like it.”
“That’s because you didn’t go to a good place. This is the legit spot where Gaeul used to work part-time! It’s the real deal!”
“Right! Just like the President said, I’ve worked here, and aside from the boiled pork, everything else is really good!”
“….”
I turned my head discreetly and enjoyed my pure gukbap without anything added.
Those taste-deaf people! You should enjoy the essence of the broth!
While I busied myself with my soup, Jin Yeoreum gracefully took a bite of her now-wrecked gukbap.
She frowned slightly and said, “…Why does this taste good?”
And just like that, another one fell into depravity.
*
While Gaeul, Yeoreum, and Gyeoul chatted at a table with drinks, Cheon Aram, Seo Soo-yeon, and I sat at a corner table behind a partition, taking a shot of soju.
“Ah, the taste of aspartame. It just wipes away the greasiness.”
“President, don’t just drink soju; you should have some snacks. It’s not good for your stomach.”
“Soo-yeon, you’re right, but the boiled pork is so bland I can’t touch it. Trust me, don’t get fooled by the chef; believe Gaeul instead.”
They were avoiding the topic of Yeoreum and having a casual conversation.
It was considerate of them.
I decided I wouldn’t just keep running away from their kindness.
“I don’t think it’s something we can let slide this easily.”
That’s why I brought up the topic.
“What do you mean? You already gave permission over the phone for Yeoreum’s recruitment, right?”
It wasn’t something I could accept just like that. Wasn’t there a huge fuss when I tried to recruit Gaeul?
Jin Yeoreum had to stir up an even bigger mess.
“I’ll be frank. No matter how exceptional Ms. Jin Yeoreum’s personal abilities are, they will never compensate for the negative image she brings with her.”
Even if her vocal, dance, and looks were all rated S, that wouldn’t change.
“I’m worried you might be taking this situation too lightly. Are you unaware of the risks Yeoreum brings?”
Cheon Aram said with a sly grin.
“Hey, Team Leader Seon, I’ve studied imperial studies enough. I know full well the risk a single human being can pose; I mean, look at me, I’m from a wealthy family! My grandfather, Hyun Woong Cheon Taecheon, was the chairman of Cheonhwa Group. Plus, I earned my doctorate in a related field to make my mark at SS from birth. So thinking like that is a bit presumptuous.”
“I apologize for the rude question. But I must risk being rude again: why are you allowing all of this?”
“Are you saying Team Leader Seon has no confidence in succeeding while asking for recruitment?”
That’s not true. I will definitely succeed.
“I am confident in my success. I can get Yeoreum and TwoBear to the top. I just lacked the confidence to persuade.”
“Persuade, huh… Shall I tell you why I was convinced?”
Cheon Aram looked at me and smiled warmly.
“I’ve been able to smell other people’s scents since I was very young.”
She began to share her hidden story.
“I don’t know why, but my family was fine, so my childhood had no issues. The trouble started when I began attending kindergarten. That’s when I started sensing a foul odor from other kids, teachers, and parents. Throwing up, fainting, struggling to breathe, being taken away by an ambulance… it was tough for a child who hadn’t even lost all their baby teeth yet.”
I knew bits and pieces, but she hadn’t elaborated on it before.
“After that, I avoided meeting people, but being part of the Cheon family required some external activities, so there were moments I had to meet people. Each time, I would throw up and faint. My childhood was a constant cycle of that.”
I had a vague idea of the life she lived, but it was more exhausting than I expected.
“As I grew up, my thoughts started to twist. It reached a point where I had this rather extreme middle school syndrome thought: what if getting rid of those smelly beings is actually beneficial to the world?”
“…”
I didn’t find it hard to understand that.
According to Cheon Aram, the pain caused by that smell seemed truly cruel.
But it was an extremely dangerous thought.
“Team Leader Seon, you know I used to be an HR manager at SS, right? So, what do you think I did before that?”
“I’m not sure. What did you do?”
Cheon Aram spoke in a serious tone without a hint of drunkenness.
“I killed people.”
Cheon Aram couldn’t hide her amusement as she watched my frozen expression and smiled wryly.
“Well, it wasn’t like I stabbed or shot them. But that’s a clear fact.”
Seo Soo-yeon attempted to defend Cheon Aram with a somewhat stiff expression.
“President Cheon, that’s…”
“Um…”
“Soo-yeon, let me finish what I was saying first.”
Cheon Aram shook her head as she held Seo Soo-yeon’s hand and continued.
“My mother wanted to make me the heir of Cheonhwa, seeing that I had the same ability as my grandfather, Cheon Tae-cheon. I don’t know if she was unaware that the legacy and succession had already been completed with my father inheriting SS, or if she was just overly optimistic.”
After pouring herself a glass of soju and downing it, Cheon Aram continued.
“Anyway, caught up in that expectation, I had to deal with a serious increase in the difficulty of life. They threw out all this high-level knowledge about imperial studies, public administration, business management, accounting, statistics, and languages at me—stuff one would need to run a country—when I was just a kid who should have been learning addition and subtraction. If I didn’t keep up with the prescribed pace, I’d be punished by being placed next to the most foul-smelling people, nearly ending up in the emergency room. It was quite a stupid thing to do.”
That was clear abuse.
It was even more malicious in that there would be no medical evidence left.
“But you know what’s amazing?”
“…What is it?”
“They really summoned me from Cheonhwa. Even though the succession structure was already completed. Isn’t that funny?”
Cheon Aram burst out laughing as if it was genuinely amusing, but I couldn’t laugh.
I sensed the next part wasn’t going to be nearly as cheerful.
“I don’t know if that ignorant method of education really worked, or if my sense of smell had something to do with it. But they asked me to prove that ability once at the family home.”
Seo Soo-yeon looked at her with pity, and she continued.
“So I ended up doing an audit at one of Cheonhwa’s subsidiaries. There, I discovered the worst smelling individual of all time—this guy with a delusional mindset, as I mentioned earlier.”
Seo Soo-yeon carefully poured more liquor into her empty glass.
“He was the president there, and he had committed all sorts of fantastic crimes—bribery, assault, instigating murder. The more I delved, the more I uncovered his unbelievable antics. At that time, I even felt a strange sense of purpose, thinking this was why I had developed my sense of smell.”
Then Cheon Aram took another drink.
“Since I couldn’t uncover everything through legal means, I used every possible method at my disposal to reveal that person’s crimes. I believed it was the right thing to do… and then he committed suicide.”
“If you’re saying you killed him, then there’s no need to feel guilty…”
“No, I did kill him.”
Her hands began to tremble slightly as she spoke to me.
“At that time, I thought he hadn’t escaped justice and that I’d delivered a flawless verdict. But not long after, I began to smell something coming from me—a really, really foul odor.”
“….”
After a long silence, Cheon Aram opened her mouth again.
“I’m half-crazy. I started something to get rid of that smell, but in the end, I became the one who reeked of it. It’s such a ridiculous irony. If it weren’t for you, Soo-yeon, I probably would have committed suicide. A hundred percent chance.”
Seo Soo-yeon looked at Cheon Aram, telling her how unfortunate that was, as she continued her story with seemingly no concern.
“I was deep in the mountains at a temple with Soo-yeon, trying to calm my mind and reflecting, ‘Ah, how nice it would be if there were more people like Soo-yeon in the world. Then I would truly be happy.’ But I thought it was just a ridiculous dream. So, I settled and learned to endure the smell as much as I could.”
While I was thinking, I said to myself, ‘Oh, how wonderful it would be if there were only people like Soo-yeon in the world! I would be so happy.’ But I thought that was a ridiculous dream. So, I compromised and learned to endure the smell as much as I could.”
Cheon Aram spoke as if gazing at a distant dream.
“But you know, that dream hasn’t disappeared. Someday, when I start my own company, I want to fill it completely with kids like Soo-yeon.”
And she looked straight at me.
“That’s when I met Team Leader Seon, and then I met Gyeoul and Gaeul. They are really my type, if I may say so. Even a bit of bad smell feels attractive about them… Team Leader Seon probably doesn’t know how miraculous this is.”
Her purple eyes swayed gently like a tender beast.
“But I forgot; I had only been choosing based on the perspectives of a president, focusing on profits and value judgments. I forgot that I was already living my dream. But Team Leader Seon reminded me of that.”
“…I haven’t done anything that great.”
“No, you’ve done something truly great, Team Leader.”
At her words, Seo Soo-yeon nodded.
“During the Gaeul incident, you know how frustrating it was? I wondered where such a losing character came from?… But you know, it looked so beautiful.”
Cheon Aram smiled as if all her previous anxiety was just a fleeting moment.
“So what I wanted to say is this: as much as Team Leader Seon gathers strength, I want to gather strength too. Not as a barrier I have to persuade, but as a reliable supporter… I wanted to become a little beautiful too.”
“….”
“Did that answer your question, Team Leader? This is why I support your idea of bringing Yeoreum on board. My dream is to become the roof for people like them.”
I felt an inexplicable emotion and asked Soo-yeon.
“…Do you think this kind of company is okay? What if it goes bankrupt, and we can’t even get our salaries?”
“That’s fine. I’ve also changed my way of thinking a bit while watching Team Leader Seon.”
She was smiling softly. It was the first time I had seen a change in her expression since we started working together.
“I can’t say I’ve gone through as dramatic a change as President Cheon. It’s just a small change.”
Seo Soo-yeon took a shot of soju and said.
“I’ve lived for Cheon, not for myself. I believe that my pure heart is why President Cheon thinks highly of me. But now, I want to broaden who I care for.”
“…How far?”
“To include Team Leader Seon and all of our TwoBear family.”
“….”
Seo Soo-yeon and Cheon Aram collided with their true feelings, as if there were no reason to hide them.
I slowly savored that sincerity.
Then it felt like something was blossoming inside me.
“…Our TwoBear.”
Right after the reset, I desperately wished for my success.
That feeling had changed a bit.
“…Team Leader Seon?”
“What, Team Leader Seon, are you crying?”
Drrrk!
“Teacher Taeyang is crying? No way… If Teacher Taeyang cries, I’ll start crying too. Boo-hoo.”
“Brother Taeyang is crying? No way, which girl…?”
“Gaeul, please calm down.”
I wanted to succeed not just for myself, but with these people.
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