Episode 53
In the parking lot behind the orphanage, Seok Hyun-woo bowed his head at a 90-degree angle and apologized.
“Team Leader Seon, I am truly sorry! I can’t believe I failed to understand Ms. Jin Yeoreum’s intentions and let things come to this. I’m ashamed.”
I smiled as gently as possible, trying to appear as kind-hearted as I could.
“It’s okay. In fact, I was already considering a scenario in which she would agree to be scouted.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“I’m seriously considering Ms. Jin Yeoreum as a member of our current project at TwoBear Entertainment.”
I casually lied without batting an eye.
Suddenly, I realized I had a talent for acting.
That was understandable since Seok Hyun-woo was gazing at me with admiration, as if he were truly moved by my performance.
“Then that’s a huge relief for me! She’ll be able to do what she wants!”
“Of course. I’ve even gotten our president’s permission for this matter.”
“Thank you so, so much.”
Seok Hyun-woo looked like he was about to kneel to express his gratitude and pulled out a small piece of paper the size of a business card from his pocket.
“Please accept this.”
“What’s this?”
“It’s a business card with my second phone number written on it. It’s a number only Ms. Jin Yeoreum knows. If you need anything, just call that number, and I’ll come running to help, even if it’s midnight. I’ll definitely be of assistance.”
“….”
It was true that Seok Hyun-woo had made a mistake, but this was over the top.
His attitude towards Jin Yeoreum seemed to transcend the mere respect a subordinate should show to a supervisor.
This was a conclusion I had come to while investigating Jinkang and Seok Hyun-woo.
The act of pretending to scout Jin Yeoreum wasn’t initiated under Jinkang’s name either.
The funds deposited into my account came from Seok Hyun-woo’s personal finances.
The opportunity for the client was something he personally spearheaded.
He was taking on all of this burden just to bring peace of mind to Jin Yeoreum.
“What does Ms. Jin Yeoreum mean to you, Manager Seok?”
I asked the question with curiosity.
Upon hearing my question, Seok Hyun-woo scratched his head awkwardly and replied.
“I lost my wife and child together in a car accident.”
“….”
He nonchalantly pulled out his inner wounds.
“At the funeral, a little girl told me, ‘If the absence hurts too much, think of me as your daughter.’ That was Ms. Jin Yeoreum speaking when she was eight years old.”
The little kid said, “If that empty space hurts unbearably, think of me as your daughter.” … It was a statement made by the 8-year-old Jin Yeoreum back then.
“Impressive.”
“Haha, impressive? It’s just that I was uneducated.”
“….”
…Wasn’t this supposed to turn into a touching development?
“I was furious upon hearing that. I thought this kid was trying to insult me. To me, the child’s empty space could never be filled with anything else. Because of that, I looked at her with a disgruntled gaze, thinking she was a rude little brat.”
Despite saying that, a smile crept onto Seok Hyun-woo’s face.
“My feelings didn’t change due to any special circumstances. Since my job was to assist Jin Yeoreum, I was always just working by her side. Instead, I participated in her sports day and attended parent observation classes in place of the always-busy Jin Baek-ho. Ever since she started rhythmic gymnastics, I cheered for her at every competition.”
Even without any special incidents, time had a way of making one cherish another.
“As time passed, I truly came to see her as a daughter. It’s just a trivial story. …Oh, you have to keep this a secret from Jin Yeoreum.”
He said it shyly.
“So I am truly thankful to Team Leader Seon. It all stemmed from my mistake, but it allowed Jin Yeoreum to move forward again. In fact, I didn’t think positively about her wish to volunteer for decades.”
What Seok Hyun-woo desired was a future that wouldn’t come true. Because I had no intention of achieving it at all.
Yet, I could do nothing but leave behind an empty promise.
“I’ll do my best to meet Manager Seok’s expectations.”
It left a bitter taste in my mouth.
*
Two days later, I visited the orphanage again. Since Gyeoul was sick, my companion this time was again Gaeul.
“Brother Taeyang, is it true that Yeoreum is going to join our TwoBear?”
“It’s provisional for now, but you can consider it that way.”
I didn’t want to tell Gaeul about the dirty side of using Jin Yeoreum for noise marketing. So, I lied again.
“Well, Yeoreum was quite pretty… a lot, actually.”
“Right. There’s a sort of elegant beauty about her, wouldn’t you say? She’d probably do well as an actress.”
“…So guys really do like that type, huh?”
“Not just guys; I think girls would like it too.”
“….”
Gaeul stopped tuning her guitar, glanced at me, and said.
“…Brother Taeyang.”
I thought she might want to discuss something serious, so I paused fiddling with the camera system and looked at her.
“Yeah, what’s up, Gaeul?”
“Should I dye my hair black too? …Like Yeoreum.”
What’s got into her wanting to dye her hair now? She’ll get tired of it as soon as she debuts anyway.
“Aw, that’s such a waste.”
“A waste?”
Time, money, everything felt like a waste. Dyeing isn’t free!
But honestly, I could tell saying the company was being stingy would hurt Gaeul’s feelings, so I decided to be a bit indirect.
“Your brown hair is so warm and pretty. You might have to dye it once the debut concept is decided, but I’d like to see it just a bit longer.”
“…Oh, I see. You want to see it because it’s warm and pretty.”
“Yeah, I once said you remind me of everyone’s first love. That fresh and youthful beauty really seems to stem from your brown hair.”
Gaeul lowered her head as if ready to bury it in the ground and nervously said,
“…Um, …Brother Taeyang, would you take this?”
She plucked a strand of her hair and held it out to me.
…What’s the intention behind this?
“Why are you giving this to me…?”
“…You said it was pretty, so I thought it would be nice if you had it.”
“…”
I pondered how to react and awkwardly thanked her.
“…Uh, thanks.”
“Hehe.”
I stared at the long, thin strand of Gaeul’s brown hair in my hand, wondering what to do with it. How should I handle this? Keeping it or tossing it both felt problematic.
Manager throwing a gift from the idol in the trash vs. manager cherishing the idol’s hair…
Both felt incredibly trashy.
For now, I tucked Gaeul’s hair into the front pocket of my dress shirt. I figured I should keep it in front of Gaeul and think about how to deal with it later.
“Brother Taeyang. Can we…”
“Gaeul noona! Sing ‘Bluebeard Whale’ for us!”
“Why does everyone want to hear that old song only when they see Gaeul?”
“…It’s not old. It’s legendary!”
“I don’t care! Gaeul noona has to sing ‘Missing You’!”
“Guys, wait a second, I’m with Brother Taeyang…”
Gaeul got swept away by a group of squabbling kids.
She looked at me with a gaze that seemed to ask for help, but I just waved my hand and cheered for Gaeul’s struggle.
“Sorry. I’ll take pretty pictures, Gaeul.”
I actively filmed the scene of Gaeul and Yeoreum doing volunteer work to achieve quest completion. I explained that creating materials for image improvement had to come first, and Jin Yeoreum agreed, so it was something I could do.
Even if that image improvement was meant for Jin Yeoreum, not Gyeoul and Gaeul…
Once I started lying, I had to keep lying.
And it really didn’t feel good.
“Uh? What are you taking pictures of?”
While in the middle of filming, a woman spoke to me.
I turned around to check, and pastel-colored sky-blue hair waved gently. Her emerald eyes sparkled as if she were wearing colored lenses, and she wore a casual bustier dress over a T-shirt that matched her hair color.
Her clearly shining gaze was definitely beautiful, but rather than just being vague beauty, she gave off a refreshing impression.
It was Yoon Haneul, the star of “Bubble Shower.”
“I saw you taking pictures of Yeoreum-unni and that pretty unni playing the guitar just now. Are you a photographer?”
“No, I’m not a photographer. I’m this kind of person.”
I lowered the camera and politely handed her my business card. Since she was someone I had originally considered recruiting, I wanted to appear courteous.
She looked at my business card and said,
“…TwoBear Entertainment Team Leader Seon Taeyang?”
“Yes, I’m currently working to form a girl group team.”
Yoon Haneul seemed to be mildly impressed as she said,
“Oh, so you’re the Seon Taeyang that Yeoreum talked about. I heard the story; it was really fun… like, super fun. Hehe.”
Saying that, Yoon Haneul burst out laughing, seemingly finding it hilarious.
I couldn’t tell whether to interpret this as a positive or negative reaction.
“Hmm… so this is what the protagonist of that story looks like!”
She stopped laughing and stared at my face as if scrutinizing it.
“Seems a bit overly decadent, but… maybe that’s sexy? …Yes, definitely like it.”
“Haneul-ssi?”
Yoon Haneul casually suggested, “How about we grab coffee together?”
“Team Leader Seon, would you like to date me?”
“….”
I just received a confession from a trainee I wanted to recruit.
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