Chapter 101

Chapter 101

I couldn’t hide my confusion and asked.

“Um, pardon me, but how did you hear about Ban Seong-cheol, the manager?”

Park Miso seemed flustered too, wiping the sweat that had formed on her forehead and said.

“Well, Seon Taeyang, the team leader, said there’s a decent person, and suggested meeting him.”

“Is that it?”

“He also showed me a picture.”

“….”

Why on earth would you show a picture while scouting? Ban Seong-cheol, you little rascal.

I seriously began to doubt if he was trying to mess with both me and Park Miso at the same time.

“It seems there was a bit of misunderstanding between us. I wanted to highly evaluate Park Miso’s ability and requested this meeting with Manager Ban Seong-cheol.”

“Ah, I see.”

Park Miso’s cheeks turned bright red, clearly embarrassed.

“Honestly, I couldn’t understand why I would get a blind date from someone like myself. I suspected it was some bad joke, but I gathered my courage and came out, and sure enough…”

Well, is it really necessary to put yourself down like that?

“You don’t need to undervalue yourself. I certainly set up this meeting because I respect your abilities, but Miso, you are also quite charming in a rational sense. The slightly curled hairstyle, the elegant dress – they suit you perfectly.”

I remembered how she lamented her life as a perpetual single, downing soju, thinking she was doomed to never marry in this life.

If that girl just took off those horn-rimmed glasses, she could’ve been in a relationship ages ago.

Miso, why didn’t you dress up like that earlier in the last episode?

“I’m not just talking about looks, but also the way you conduct conversations and the natural kindness that comes through as well. It was a short chat, but I could really feel your charm.”

Park Miso was genuinely a nice person.

Among all the employees at Flower, she was the only one who stepped up to help and give without me having to do anything.

When I got the regression candy in the last episode, if she hadn’t left Flower feeling fed up with it, I probably wouldn’t have hesitated to expose Flower’s corruption until the very end.

In some way, I didn’t want to hurt her.

She was someone I could call a friend, going beyond just a colleague.

Especially in that betrayal-stained last episode.
“From what I’ve heard…”

So, evaluations of this personality were pure sincerity.

Park Miso would definitely pass Cheon Aram’s scent assessment with flying colors.

“…Are you serious?”

“Yeah, seriously.”

Park Miso couldn’t form a response to my assertion, hesitating and then seemingly steeling herself to say something while stealing glances at me.

“Well then…”

At that moment, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

Hearing the ringtone, I realized it was the number I had only shared with people I deemed important. Ignoring it felt impossible, so I asked Park Miso for a moment.

“Sorry, I’ll be right back.”

“Oh… sure, take your time…”

Checking my phone revealed it was Cheon Aram.

Most of our communication happened via messaging apps. We only called in truly urgent situations, especially since she avoided even messaging me around her off-work hours. Given that, having her call me at this time was quite unusual.

Feeling a wave of anxiety wash over me, I hurriedly answered the call.

“Yes, President Cheon. What’s the matter?”

“Team Leader Seon, have you heard the news?”

“What news are you talking about?”

Cheon Aram sighed heavily, seemingly unable to hide her discomfort.

“Oh Yoori has single-handedly brought up the Girl 100 voting manipulation controversy. It’s spreading all over the community.”

“…”

I stood up from my seat.

*

“Hey, Oh Chun-ja, are you really okay with this?”

To that, Oh Yoori responded with annoyance.

“Oppa, didn’t I tell you not to call me that? How long has it been since I changed my name?”

“Why? Oh Chun-ja. Spring Chun (春) and Love Ja (慈) – it’s a poetic name, right?”

Oh Yoori silently stared at her biological brother, Oh Chun-sik.

Seeing her, Chun-sik chuckled lightly and, with a resigned tone, said, “Alright, Oh Yoori.”

At that, Oh Yoori finally tore her gaze away from Chun-sik and started gathering her stuff again.

Sighing at her nonchalant attitude, Chun-sik wiped any playfulness from his face and asked her, laden with concern, “So, are you sure it’s okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“What do you think? It’s about you directly bringing up voting manipulation on a broadcast while showing your face. I didn’t realize it would get this much reaction when I edited and spread it, but now it’s a frenzy. You might end up on the 9 o’clock news soon.”
“I never thought I’d get this kind of reaction. It’s a total mess right now. You might even see me on the 9 o’clock news soon.”

Oh Chun-sik helped her exactly in that part.

He greatly assisted Oh Yoori in the online broadcast and filming, which was quite awkward for her, when she was shooting and publicizing the Girl 100 expose video.

At just one request from Yoori for help, he dropped everything he was doing.

However, he didn’t hear the detailed circumstances of her request. He had promised himself that if she asked for help, he would step in, no matter the reason.

Yet, he couldn’t help but worry about her future.

“This is a must-do. Unless what I have is clear evidence rather than just some circumstantial evidence, I have to be the one from Girl 100 to raise the questions directly.”

“No, it’s not about whether to do it or not. It’s about whether you can handle the consequences.”

Oh Chun-sik looked at her with concern.

“I may not know much about the entertainment industry, but logically, a participant in a popular survival program becoming a whistleblower and causing controversy isn’t going to help your career, is it? If you don’t end up on the blacklist for being a pain in their neck, consider yourself lucky.”

“….”

“Are you still not going to tell me why you started thinking that way?”

“Nope, not happening. This is my business.”

With those cold words, Oh Yoori hoisted her packed backpack over her shoulder and pulled her hood down deep, trying to hide her pink hair as best as she could.

She looked ready to head out the door at any moment.

“… But I won’t forget the help you gave me this time. I will repay it.”

“It’s not about repaying… Hah.”

Oh Chun-sik sighed, avoiding her gaze as he looked at her pityingly. Yoori opened the door and stepped outside. Before the door fully closed, she casually said something not too significant.

“… Thanks.”

Then she slammed the door shut and left.

Staring blankly at the closed door, Oh Chun-sik bitterly smiled and said, “… Please, don’t try to carry it all alone, Yuri.”

*

“I must be really crazy, even I think so.”

Oh Yoori didn’t want to take things to such extremes at the cost of her career in the entertainment industry.

She knew that to take down Girl 100, cooperating with Seon Taeyang and Ye Han-na was the best move. It was also the most effective way to reduce the risk. So if she really wanted to topple Girl 100, she would have fully cooperated with those two as well.
She knew that collaborating with Seon Taeyang and Ye Han-na was the best way to bring down Girl 100. It was also the most effective plan to reduce the risks involved. So, if she truly wanted to take down Girl 100, she would have thoroughly cooperated with those two as well.

But Oh Yoori couldn’t do that. For her, dismantling Girl 100 was a means, not an end.

Her goal was singular from the start: to save Seo Eunbyeol.

And to achieve that goal, time was running out. The duo’s plan to ignite the controversy around Girl 100 was too slow, looking five weeks ahead.

After all, tonight was the night Seo Eunbyeol was set to entertain guests.

“Who am I trying to impress by doing this…?”

Perhaps even if Seo Eunbyeol had to suffer that ordeal, it could be justified as a necessary sacrifice for a momentary delay or to ensure stability.

In fact, she was planning to act at the moment the final episode of Girl 100 aired, as Seon Taeyang and Ye Han-na wished.

However, one piece of late information scrapped all her plans.

Tonight’s entertainment for Seo Eunbyeol included a drug addition to prevent her resistance against being dragged into what they called a “second round.”

That would leave her with wounds far deeper than the light-hearted atmosphere she’d previously experienced during entertainments.

Oh Yoori couldn’t just stand by and let that happen. Even if Seo Eunbyeol had overlooked her urgent warning, sent under the guise of banned contact, the situation was intolerable.

“…Still, I have to do it.”

So to stop it, Oh Yoori bet everything she had.

Probably no one wanted to see her foolish act. Not her brother Oh Chun-sik, who helped her with the exposure, nor the collaborators Seon Taeyang and Ye Han-na, who had the same interests, nor Seo Eunbyeol, who desperately wished to stay out of this mess.

But there was one person who wanted this—Oh Yoori herself.

And that was the reason why Oh Yoori was risking all her efforts to become an idol and her future.

“If it’s not me, then no one will.”

Just like a man she could never forget.

---

Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.