Chapter 191

Chapter 191

As soon as Cheon Aram called me in a hurry, her face was filled with urgency as she asked me.

“Team Leader Seon, what’s the schedule for today?”

Having been suddenly summoned by Cheon Aram while trying to grasp the situation, I struggled to remain calm and opened my mouth.

“Originally, I was supposed to organize the materials for the advertisement model appointment with PS Corporation and have a meeting with their staff, but given the situation, I was thinking about taking the kids to the hospital….”

“I’ll handle that stuff. For now, just take the kids out on a date or something.”

“…A date?”

Did my ears just malfunction?

The company president is telling the manager to take the idol group out on a date while saying they’ll handle the work themselves?

Yeah… I must have misheard that.

But then Cheon Aram shattered my reasonable judgment.

“Yeah, a date. Go eat something delicious, take some pictures of pretty scenery, do some skinship, maybe flirt a little.”

What kind of insane statement is this?

“I mean, putting aside whether a manager can even do that, are you seriously suggesting I take kids who are dealing with mood swings and anorexia on a date? Shouldn’t we be going to the hospital first?”

“Think the hospital’s going to work magic? They’ll probably just give some psychological counseling and prescribe antidepressants. We need to tackle the fundamental cause right now.”

“…What is the cause?”

“What else could it be but you, Team Leader Seon!”

Not me.

How hard have I been working not to leave negative feelings with those kids? Is this even logical?

“As I reported last time, I did change my attitude towards the kids, but I really didn’t do anything remarkable! I’ve never responded negatively to them; I’ve acted with calmness, consideration, and care! I just toned down my overly personal approach!”

After my earnest excuse, Cheon Aram nodded and spoke.

“Sure, Team Leader Seon probably didn’t do anything remarkable. After all, you merely refrained from personal conversations and avoided meetings outside of work. I overlooked that, thinking it would be fine. But we have to consider the attitude you’ve shown the kids up until now. If someone who usually treats them with 100% kindness suddenly drops to 20%, does that still feel calm? No, that feels cold.”
“I understand that being perceived as relatively cold can be an issue. But to think that my reaction alone has put the kids in such a dire state doesn’t make sense. The overwhelming schedule, the diminishing personal space, and the pressure of always being in the spotlight as an idol—you could say it’s a complex issue. So, we need to go to the hospital first.”

Hearing my reaction, Cheon Aram let out a deep sigh and said, “Team Leader Seon, you know about my sense of smell, right?”

“Yes, I do.”

“What kind of smell do you think I’m going to catch from Gyeoul, Gaeul, and Yeoreum lately?”

“….”

Um, I don’t think it’s going to be anything pleasant.

Seeing me unable to respond, Cheon Aram shook her head.

“You don’t get it, do you? I think this is ridiculous, too. Can a person really turn into this just because they’ve spent a bit less time talking and hanging out? And the fact that it’s happening to all three of them at once makes it even less believable.”

“Indeed, our kids are like that….”

“But surprisingly, that’s the reality.”

“….”

Cheon Aram looked like she didn’t want to do this either, grabbing her head and slumping over as she said, “If you understand, go on a date. No, even if you don’t understand, just go on a date.”

I, too, grabbed my throbbing head and protested, “The President must understand the situation, but no matter how I think about it, that’s not right….”

“Just do it! I know it’s not right, but just grab each of the kids and give them some affection, a kiss or two, or whatever!”

“What if we get caught doing that!”

“If you don’t get caught, then it’s fine!”

“….”

Shouting words that should never come from the agency’s president, Cheon Aram suddenly stood up and opened the door. I asked in confusion, “Umm, where are you going?”

With a determined expression, Cheon Aram replied, “I told you, I need to go work in place of Team Leader Seon.”

“….”

“Just relax and go on that date. No, I’m asking as a favor, just do it. Right now, that’s the best course of action. I’ll handle all of Team Leader Seon’s work.”

…Is this really the right thing to do?

*

I earnestly followed Cheon Aram’s orders, meeting Gaeul, Yeoreum, and Gyeoul one by one, and along the way, I actively complied with each of their previously rejected requests, giving encouragement, compliments, counseling, sharing jokes, and chatting about trivial matters. Basically, just hanging out together.
I actively carried out my duties.

During that process, surprisingly, Gyeoul, who was said to be crying like she had bipolar disorder, just kept laughing, and Yeoreum, who was supposedly suffering from anorexia, enjoyed various foods, albeit not a lot. Meanwhile, Gaeul, who couldn’t speak, immediately talked as soon as she saw me and even insisted we stop by a karaoke room.

“….”

What the heck?

In this bewildering situation, I seriously began to suspect whether there was a hidden camera aimed at me.

After confirming that there were indeed no cameras around, I concluded that it didn’t change the fact that I still couldn’t understand the current situation.

After deep contemplation, I decided that the kids were experiencing mental pain due to their long idol career, and their current symptoms were like a burden of that, merely holding up during this time spent with me.

Indeed. The kids were being considerate of me.

Having wrapped up such thoughts, on that morning when I finally decided I needed to send the kids to the hospital properly, I was greeted by road managers rushing towards me with smiles and joy plastered on their faces, a stark contrast to before.

They spoke non-stop like parents desperate to boast about their children.

“Wow, Team Leader Seon! What kind of magic did you work? That precarious Gyeoul has transformed into an entertainment bomb! It’s historic! Just saying a word makes people burst out laughing! Especially this time, Gyeoul’s appearance on the gaming broadcast has spread like wildfire on AllTube, solidifying itself as a meme. It’s phenomenal!”

“I’ll report now. This time, Jin Yeoreum received the biggest spotlight at Millés fashion show and was evaluated as having the most astounding visuals, sparking a huge buzz on social media. When she was suffering from anorexia, she looked haggard in any outfit, but now it raises the question if there’s any outfit that Jin Yeoreum wouldn’t suit.”

“Team Leader Seon! Gaeul,… Gaeul can speak! Naturally, she can sing too! I’m so relieved. I was worried that Gaeul would never be able to sing again, but it turns out that fear was just a small misunderstanding, as she is now being praised for singing with deeper and richer emotions. The song Gaeul performed on the broadcast is even climbing the charts again!”

“…”

So it was indeed my fault.

*

“…Hah.”

At some point, Oh Yoori and I, who were now familiar with gatherings in my office, sighed simultaneously.
A deep sigh escaped my lips.

“There’s nothing easy in this world.”

“…If anything, I feel like this is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever faced.”

Yeah, I can’t think of anything tougher than this in my life.

Oh Yoori, sitting across from me, was sipping on a non-alcoholic beer, seemingly warmed up to the vibe.

“No, from the sidelines, I thought you were handling it well… but this is way worse than I expected. Is this salvageable? …I don’t think it is.”

“Let’s look on the bright side. Maybe if I had been more decisive, it could have blown up into something even bigger, right? We should think of it that way.”

“…How could things get worse than our members collectively losing their minds right now?”

“I have no idea. …That’s even scarier.”

“…”

For some reason, Oh Yoori shuddered with a pale face, as if she’d just recalled something.

I was curious about what thought had crossed her mind, but knowing wouldn’t be pleasant, so I pretended not to notice.

“What are we going to do now?”

“First, we need to ban any negative approaches. No, beyond that, we have to do our best to feel positively about everything.”

“So, how do you plan on breaking the promise of dating after our contract ends? I can’t imagine anything worse than breaking that promise for my sisters. Honestly, if you just blurted out ‘Let’s cancel our dating promise’ right now, it’d probably trigger a relapse for them!”

In the middle of speaking, Oh Yoori suddenly looked at me, as if an idea struck her.

“Did you change your goal to maintaining the status quo?”

“No, doing nothing would be irresponsible to my comrades, to you, and to those kids.”

She made a face that suggested she understood yet didn’t understand, saying, “…Just don’t push yourself too hard.”

I chuckled softly and gave her pink hair a gentle pat.

Oh Yoori averted her eyes from my gaze and asked, “So, how will you handle this?”

“I have a plan.”

“A plan?”

“Yes, a plan.”

I recounted the best method that had come to mind after careful consideration.

“A perfect plan that accommodates all conditions while ensuring the kids remain unharmed.”

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