Chapter 98
Oh Yoori had always worn a mask called acting. She acted out the Oh Yoori that people wanted while hiding her true feelings. She had the experiential knowledge that this helped her succeed and the ability to do so. There were no gaps in maintaining this facade.
She was already a skilled actress.
Yet, today, she couldn’t hide her twisted expression and sighed as she asked.
“…Why?”
“This is something I’m doing because I want to.”
Seo Eunbyeol’s nonchalant and firm tone burst the dam of Yoori’s suppressed emotions.
“There can’t be anyone who wants something like that!”
She looked at Oh Yoori with pity and said.
“No, surprisingly, there are a lot. If the rewards are sufficient.”
“….?”
“And I’ve already promised and started receiving sufficient rewards.”
“…What is that?”
“Well, it’s nothing special, just money and opportunities.”
Oh Yoori thought Seo Eunbyeol wasn’t that sort of person. They hadn’t known each other long, but she had observed Seo Eunbyeol for a considerable time. Based on that time and observation, Seo Eunbyeol was not someone who would sell herself so cheaply. Yet, deep down, she felt a wary unease about her own judgment.
‘Did I just impose my own expectations onto Eunbyeol and act according to those expectations? Maybe I was hoping that she would give me something unnecessary like those I thought were the worst, expecting a reward for it?’
The investigation materials on Ban Seong-cheol and the safety-first plans were things she had never explicitly wished for. Still, she assumed that Seo Eunbyeol would want them, prepared them, and felt disappointed when they were rejected.
Oh Yoori concluded in her thoughts.
‘…I’ve become just like those who forced their goodwill on others.’
In her despair and self-mockery, she avoided Seo Eunbyeol’s gaze, and Seo Eunbyeol punctuated her words.
“Got it? This means that there was no coercion in my actions. It’s all my choice.”
“…”
Oh Yoori couldn’t bring herself to respond. And Seo Eunbyeol, drawing a line firmer than ever, stated.
“This isn’t something you should be involved in. If you care about me, just pretend you don’t know. That’s what I want.”
In response to her words, Oh Yoori could only nod weakly.
*
“Yuri Yuri! Good morning again!”
“…”
Life returned to normal.
Oh Yoori began her monotonous training as usual, and Seo Eunbyeol casually greeted her and followed her grueling training schedule.
They gathered in the early hours, practiced silently, then followed the official training schedule prepared by Flower. After completing the schedule, they would regroup at night, train again, share a brief greeting around midnight, and then part ways, only to live the same life again tomorrow.
Following the training schedule, after practice finishes at night, they’ll gather again for a brief chat around midnight before parting ways, living the same mundane life again the next day.
At least until Oh Yoori enters the Girl 100 accommodation and begins her stay.
As if everything that had just happened and the emotions she clashed with were nothing but a figment of imagination.
It was a private matter between the two of them.
Maybe it was the start of a huge event that could shake Flower Entertainment to its core, but for now, it remained just a matter between the two.
So if the two keep silent, it’ll end as if nothing ever happened.
Oh Yoori joined in that silence, sparing herself from unnecessary conflicts and energy drain.
She could invest all her time solely in her own development.
After all, her efforts to investigate Ban Seong-cheol were behavior uncharacteristic of her.
Returning to her usual self.
A selfish person who invests only in herself, without considering others.
That was always her goal, and she had become that version of Oh Yoori.
That’s what everyone hoped for.
“Eunbyeol unnie?”
“Yeah? Yoori Yoori, what’s up?”
She knew that better than anyone else.
That’s why she ultimately accepted it.
“…Let’s dim the lights and head out. Before the security guy shows up.”
*
“Is Eunbyeol here?”
While training, manager Ban Seong-cheol called for Seo Eunbyeol. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence.
It happened from time to time.
“…Eunbyeol unnie is in the changing room right now.”
“Really? Then I’ll just head there.”
It was also something Oh Yoori had been ignoring on purpose.
Today was no different.
She would erase this from her mind as if it were nothing and finish her training just like always. It was for the greater good, beyond just herself.
But she was unconsciously trailing behind Ban Seong-cheol.
Careful to muffle her footsteps.
Why was she doing this? What was she seeking to confirm by reengaging in this bothersome matter that had already concluded?
Without an answer, Oh Yoori cautiously followed his steps, eventually witnessing Ban Seong-cheol and Seo Eunbyeol facing each other in front of the changing room.
“If you knew I was coming at this hour, you should have been waiting. What’s with all this hassle?”
“I’m sorry. I needed a little time to prepare.”
“…Preparation? Hah, well, I guess you would need that. I like that attitude.”
“Yes, it’s important.”
“Okay, let’s get going then. We’re short on time.”
Their conversation continued as if everything were just fine.
Though there was some awkwardness in his tone, Ban Seong-cheol didn’t treat her harshly, and Seo Eunbyeol didn’t show any signs of rebellion.
Just as expected.
Yet, there was one thing that diverged from Oh Yoori’s expectations.
“Yuri, how do you relax when you’re so scared and tense?”
“Tension comes from a lack of confidence in oneself. I make sure to thoroughly sharpen my skills so that I don’t feel that way.”
“Ah, stop being so stiff! I acknowledge your skills, but you must have awkward and surprising situations pop up unexpectedly, right? That can be scary or intimidating. How do you relax in those moments? …I’m just a bit on edge because of this surprise evaluation coming up. Share one solid tip as the top trainee of Flower Entertainment!”
“…Then try this.”
“How?”
“Inhale deeply once through your nose, and then once again, but short. Then breathe out slowly, feeling like you’re emptying all the air in your lungs. Repeat this about three times.”
“…Isn’t that just deep breathing?”
“Well, better than nothing. That’s what helped me.”
“Hmmm… Okay, I’ll take it. I’ll try it when I’m really in a tough spot later.”
“…So, it means you’re not really that tense right now.”
Hehe. “There are tougher things in the world than surprise evaluations!”
And now, following Ban Seong-cheol, Seo Eunbyeol was practicing the deep breathing she had been taught.
“…”
Maybe Oh Yoori was just repeating the same mistake.
She might be jumping to conclusions and harboring unnecessary doubts.
Even with her cautious thoughts, her mind stayed unchanged.
Oh Yoori felt that quiet, deep breathing was a signal from Seo Eunbyeol.
A silent scream for help.
*
No one wanted Oh Yoori to make this choice. In fact, everyone was avoiding it.
Even the staff of Flower, fellow trainees, and even Seo Eunbyeol herself.
There was nothing to gain from taking on such risks. What she would lose was much more.
She would lose the proof she built up at Flower and the support that came with it.
Whether the craft that was supposed to lead her to debut at Flower would even remain was questionable.
On the other hand, if she just pretended it never happened and turned a blind eye, she could gain everything.
Oh Yoori would succeed. Wealth, fame, popularity, and all the dazzling spotlight were right in front of her.
The way to gain it all was to keep working hard like she was now, not digging into what Ban Seong-cheol was up to.
In the end, the only reason left was her irritating meddling.
“…I’m really not making any progress.”
Yet she chooses to meddle once more.
Despite swearing she wouldn’t do it again, foolishly.
That’s who Oh Yoori was.
“…I wonder if Taeyang felt like this back then.”
Suddenly, Oh Yoori thought of Seon Taeyang. And she remembered that two years ago, he was facing a similar situation.
Then, even though she was the one receiving help, Seon Taeyang’s meddling frustrated and embarrassed her so much that she asked why he was going so far. He had responded nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal.
She had answered quite unthinkingly.
‘Because I want to.’
It was such a wildly egotistical and even ignorant statement.
Yet, it was also an undeservedly kind remark.
At that moment, Oh Yoori thought for the first time in her life that she wanted to resemble someone.
Of course, amid the waves of the world, Yoori realized she couldn’t be that kind of person.
But that longing didn’t disappear.
“…Yeah, I want to. That’s enough reason to move.”
That must be why Oh Yoori could step up.
Having organized her thoughts, she began to jot down arguments and counterarguments on a massive whiteboard, consulting and refuting herself.
“Ban Seong-cheol’s goal is to get me into the top 11 of Girl 100 and establish a connection with the higher-ups of Flower. Unbyeol unni is just a means to that end. I have to stop that.”
– Solution: Report to the police.
“No. If I report like that, I can’t guarantee unni’s safety. Considering the situation, she’ll be seen as a leaker. Those who commit illegal activities could harm her just based on suspicion. A simple report would only exacerbate the situation.”
– Solution: Conduct a direct investigation to gather evidence and ensure that the group and Ban Seong-cheol face legal judgment.
“Impossible. No matter how hard I try, there are limits. Plus, I don’t even know the scale of the organization or how deep the connections run. Charging in without knowing anything is sheer folly. And that would take too much time. Even if I succeed, I’d definitely miss the golden time to protect unnie. Also, there’s a high chance that unnie would be punished as an accomplice.”
The key points she had gathered about Ban Seong-cheol’s movements, the connection between Flower and Ban Seong-cheol, Ban Seong-cheol’s goals, and the means Oh Yoori could utilize were all written on the whiteboard.
As she looked at the messy diagrams of sentences and words, Yoori muttered as if setting a marker.
“Remember, Oh Yoori. You’re not trying to become a social whistleblower or a hero revealing corruption. The goal is to keep unnie safe. Erase all other thoughts but that.”
From relatively moderate methods like negotiation and enticing to extreme solutions such as kidnapping and terrorism, her brain was erasing one by one the ideas she had come up with.
“Ban Seong-cheol’s intention in pulling unnie into sponsorship is to place me in Girl 100’s debut team. I don’t know what Ban Seong-cheol will do afterward, but that fact remains unchanged. If that’s the case…”
And the best answer she could choose remained on the whiteboard.
She read that answer.
“…I need to bring down Girl 100.”
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