Episode 102
Oh Yoori had devised a plan to crush Girl 100. She concluded that if she attempted to handle everything alone, the chances of failure would skyrocket.
“Is it okay if I threaten them for a bit?”
The reason she approached Seon Taeyang, a man who posed significant risks, was due to the low likelihood of success without the accompaniment of intimidation.
If she could recruit just one accomplice, he would definitely be the best choice. After all, she believed that he would take the threat from a middle school student seriously.
This was based not only on Seon Taeyang’s impressive abilities but also on his demeanor, attitude, and interests, which were all seen as ideal for seeking cooperation.
As she had judged, despite the suspicious motives and somewhat forced acting by Oh Yoori, he still agreed to cooperate. If it had been anyone else, she probably wouldn’t have gotten such a gentle outcome.
Moreover, considering the scale of the incident, it was highly likely that Ban Seong-cheol’s influence had reached the president of Flower Entertainment. Thus, for Oh Yoori, who had no clear understanding of how deeply Flower was involved, Seon Taeyang, who had little to no ties with her at that point in time, was a wonderfully safe accomplice in another sense.
Above all, the reasoning for this judgment was the fact that Seon Taeyang and Oh Yoori were somewhat familiar with each other.
And it was with quite an impressive experience, nonetheless.
…Even though he seemed to have no memory of it at all.
“…But I’m glad we could talk after such a long time.”
She didn’t regret the risky acting she had done to strike a deal and gain his cooperation. It was still deemed the optimal decision she could make back then.
He would surely have been a great help in toppling Girl 100.
In fact, just the experience of having a conversation with him after a long time felt worth it.
However, with the situation escalating, it seemed difficult to remain as allies with him.
Seon Taeyang and Ye Han-na hoped that Girl 100 would collapse in five episodes, which was five weeks from now. But for her, it needed to collapse not in five weeks but right now. This was a matter far removed from the interests of those two.
Of course, there was also the option of persuading them to push the public discourse on the voting manipulation forward to the present. However, Oh Yoori thought the chances of success were extremely low.
She lacked the resources to offer them something that would surpass their interests through negotiation. She also had no authority, power, or evidence to attempt any sort of threat.
The deal can’t be established like that.
The reason for giving up on the deal wasn’t that they disregarded the power and evidence held by Seon Taeyang and Ye Han-na. Rather, it was because they understood their influence and considered that simply making a passive response would be enough.
If the board is set like this, even if those two seem to be pushed onto the stage, they will grow the game themselves.
As long as the two have the goal of the downfall of Girl 100, even if they harbor resentment against Oh Yoori’s unilateral actions, they would ride the wave. Ultimately, it means drawing their cooperation without persuasion.
And it seemed that this plan was hitting the mark. Ye Han-na’s records of contacts between the Girl 100 production team and the agency had been partially distributed.
Perhaps they planned to release information while keeping an eye on the situation to prevent interest levels from dropping instantly.
However, even that seemed sufficient to make the public perceive this situation as something more than mere suspicion.
It was disappointing that Seon Taeyang, who had the most solid evidence—a recording transcript—did not step forward, but this result was satisfactory enough.
Faced with such controversy, it seemed impossible for Girl 100 to proceed with normal broadcasts.
…No, in fact, the project group would also be dismantled.
“…There’s no reason to entertain anymore.”
Ban Seong-cheol’s target for entertaining Seo Eunbyeol today was a gang member involved in creating school violence scandals against Lee Bom, who was slated for the Girl 100 debut team. A very dangerous individual, dealing with drugs.
Since Ban Seong-cheol’s purpose of entertaining was likely to request something, now that Girl 100 was beginning to crumble, there would be no reason to proceed with entertaining.
Rather than entertaining, he should focus on assessing the situation.
Oh Yoori turned on the tablet and checked the location tracking application.
The bear paw-shaped keychain she had given Seo Eunbyeol under the pretext of wanting to apologize was actually a location tracker, and since Seo Eunbyeol never let it out of her sight, it had made it possible to confirm her location.
‘Thank you, Yoori. I’ll cherish it dearly.’
She was close to deceiving her and using goodwill. However, she didn’t care if this process made Seo Eunbyeol dislike her.
Oh Yoori had already prepared herself to become her enemy. After all, her reckless actions would thwart the achievements Seo Eunbyeol had aimed for in exchange for entertaining.
The ordeal was over. Thanks to this reckless behavior, it was clear that Seo Eunbyeol’s desired achievement through hospitality was now out of reach.
Oh Yoori, despite being aware of the backlash, checked the tracking app’s information.
From what she could see, Seo Eunbyeol appeared to be training at the Flower Entertainment headquarters as usual.
“Ban Seong-cheol always called Eunbyeol unni at 6 PM. If her location information remains at Flower Entertainment past that time, it means today’s planned hospitality has been avoided.”
That 6 PM mark was crucial.
Only at that time would it be decided whether her plan had succeeded or not.
Oh Yoori continued to monitor Seo Eunbyeol’s location information. And then 6 PM arrived.
“…”
Seo Eunbyeol’s location information hadn’t changed.
Worried that the information might be delayed, she repeatedly refreshed the app, checking the location again. Just to be safe, she stared blankly at the screen for another 10 minutes. Still, her location information remained unchanged.
“Success.”
It was pure admiration.
Although she hadn’t grasped all the information, it was still a gamble made from limited knowledge, and it seemed like her bet had paid off.
“…Haha, …ha. Now I have to think about the aftermath. …My life isn’t really ruined, is it?”
At that moment, she found herself in the spotlight as a trainee confronting the broadcasting station head-on. She had escaped from the restrictions of accommodations in Girl 100 without seeking permission from Flower, which meant every group she was involved with must have been in chaos.
Had the device she was holding been her smartphone confiscated by Flower instead of her tablet, it would have been going off like crazy, running out of battery in no time.
The situation had become an unbelievably tangled mess, leaving her unsure of where to start cleaning it up.
Yet, Oh Yoori felt surprisingly good.
At least until the moment when she couldn’t take her eyes off the screen, waiting for Seo Eunbyeol’s location information to move.
“…”
Oh Yoori popped her eyes open, confirming the movement.
This was a very unsettling situation. Seo Eunbyeol had never left the Flower headquarters before midnight, except when called by Ban Seong-cheol.
Still, she couldn’t completely dismiss a glimmer of hope and began analyzing her movements. Since the time was closer to 6:30 PM rather than 6, there was a possibility it was for something other than connecting with Ban Seong-cheol. Given that Flower was likely in turmoil due to Oh Yoori’s revelations, they might have taken some action regarding her as well.
And I analyzed her movements and routes. Since it was closer to 6:30 instead of the usual 6, there was a possibility that it wasn’t related to Ban Seong-cheol but something else entirely. Given the massive commotion caused by Oh Yoori’s revelation, special measures might have been taken against her as a trainee.
However, that hope gradually shattered.
“…It’s that karaoke spot.”
The route taken by Seo Eunbyeol, presumed to have gotten into a car, was familiar. It was the path she always took to the far-off karaoke place in Seoul whenever she was entertaining.
“Hope is for idiots, not for someone who’s come this far.”
She admitted it. Oh Yoori’s gamble had ended in failure, and to stop this situation, she needed a more foolish, direct intervention that she had tried to avoid.
And in the end, she would have to lose even more.
Still, without hesitation, Oh Yoori checked her gear mechanically and stood up. She then muttered to herself as if making a vow.
“Let’s do this.”
At this point, fleeing was not an option for Oh Yoori.
*
[Genius Dog Boksil (Available)]
“Use.”
No sooner had I finished speaking than a Pomeranian wearing a black graduation cap and round glasses popped out of thin air.
“Woof!”
I gently patted Boksil, who was sitting and maintaining a brave posture, looking at me fiercely.
His fluffy brown tail wagged excitedly.
The genius dog Boksil could track the location of any subject I had ever seen just by recalling their memories—no fancy conditions necessary. For pinpointing specific people or items, he was unmatched.
I looked at Boksil and pictured Oh Yoori in my mind.
“Can you find her?”
Boksil, sniffing the air towards me, joyfully barked as if to say yes.
“Woof!”
“Then lead the way?”
“Woof!”
I ran after Boksil, who was diligently moving those short legs.
Toward the infuriating little guy who acted selfishly but had an incredible sense of responsibility, who was scared and hesitant to rely on others yet would always repay when someone did.
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