Episode 57
“It’ll feel like there’s a giant wall in front of you.”
“It can be overwhelming and suffocating, making you fearful.”
The choreography for ‘A World for You’ is designed with 9 members in mind. With such a limited number of performers like just Winter and Summer, it’s bound to fall flat.
“Even so, don’t give up. Move forward.”
But there was no sense of emptiness in their stage performance at all.
“Move forward. Don’t hesitate, just move forward.”
“Move forward. Don’t be intimidated, just move forward.”
This was partly due to Winter’s solid foundation built through continuous training with Lee Hyerin. However, the main driving force was Jin Yeoreum.
Jin Yeoreum cleverly turned the limited number of dancers into a strength. She matched the choreography as if they were a duet dance, transforming the moves symmetrically to maximize the impact of only two people on stage.
There was no way they had practiced such coordination. They’d never had time for that on such a sudden stage. And Gyeoul was simply following the basic choreography without deviation.
The conclusion drawn from these two premises is that Jin Yeoreum was adapting the choreography on the spot, elevating the charm of having just two dancers. She envisioned how the stage would look, picturing Gyeoul’s contrasting presence in her mind, as if she were a trainee.
Moreover, after years away, Jin Yeoreum was in a state where executing her choreography perfectly was a struggle.
“That’s why geniuses are… ”
Pure admiration slipped out.
“I’ll create a world for you at that destination.”
“A world where you can laugh and dream.”
“A world for you.”
The stage ended.
While Gyeoul maintained her composure with just a bit of sweat, Summer couldn’t control her excitement and was struggling to catch her breath.
Considering that Jin Yeoreum was nearing the national rhythmic gymnastics team, it definitely wasn’t due to a lack of innate fitness. Perhaps it was just the nerves from her long-awaited comeback.
Still, that lack of composure compared to Winter was unavoidable.
Aside from the inadequacies of that conclusion, Summer had made many small mistakes during that performance. From a professional’s perspective, her brilliant ideas and changes in choreography were overshadowed, making it embarrassing to present her on stage.
“Kyaaaah, Older Sister Yeoreum!”
But to the audience… the kids from the orphanage, none of that mattered at all as they erupted with enthusiasm, rushing towards Summer.
The six kids erupted with enthusiasm and rushed towards Yeoreum.
“Let’s do a piggyback ride! A piggyback ride!”
I could feel their excitement.
Jin Yeoreum was charming.
All those flaws faded away.
“…Hold on, everyone. I appreciate the sentiment, but…”
As Yeoreum floundered, Gyeoul jumped in.
“Wow! Piggyback ride! I want to do it too!”
“…You really shouldn’t, Gyeoul.”
The kids were a flurry, trying to lift Jin Yeoreum, but they looked quite unstable, maybe lacking strength.
“Hey, you need to grab from the side! How can you both grab here at the same time?”
“I grabbed here first! It was you who jumped in!”
“I don’t care, I’ll stay here, you go or stay, whatever!”
“…But why does Eunyoung always jump in like that when she sees Gyutae?”
“Ugh. You clueless fool. Can’t you see? Just hold up Yeoreum’s legs.”
“Guys, can you not discuss me like I’m not here? Older Sister is getting angry!”
I decided to jump in to restore order.
“Wow, it’s Team Leader Seon!”
Gyeoul, still holding onto Yeoreum’s neck, waved cheerfully.
Caught between Gyeoul and the kids, Yeoreum looked at me with a sense of relief and said,
“Just in time. If you could get them to let go of me…”
“Only three times, kids.”
“…Huh?”
I adjusted the kids’ positions and braced Yeoreum to prevent her from getting hurt before initiating the piggyback.
“One, two, three!”
“Waaaah!”
“Hold on, Team Leader Seon… Aaaah!”
The kids laughed happily.
After feeling flustered, Yeoreum started smiling as if she was enjoying it too.
It was a silly moment.
Yet, I wish this moment wouldn’t change.
Even though I knew I had to bring it to an end one day.
*
The photo session continued.
“Kids, you have to eat the mung bean pancakes! The Director and the volunteers worked hard to prepare them since morning!”
“Older Sister Yeoreum, why not give us rice instead! Those pancakes are like the food police, no, the top food cop!”
“Gyutae, that’s way too exaggerated. The volunteers might misunderstand. Still, I’ll try them first. …Kids, the stewed chicken is delicious. Eat lots of it.”
Click!
“Yeoreum, have you ever tried using a cleaner? I think it’s way more convenient.”
“Potato peels are economical. If I save money here, then the kids can enjoy something tastier.”
“Isn’t your labor worth more than those savings?”
“…”
Click!
“Older Sister, dance again!”
“Right! This time, do the ‘Trouble Chaser’!”
“Well, that’s a dance for two, right? I can’t do it alone.”
“Eek! Please do it!”
“You can just dance with Brother Taeyang over there!”
“That’s right. I saw him dance last time, and he seemed to know how!”
“…Would you like to try it, Team Leader Seon?”
Click!
“Sometimes I do feel uneasy.”
“Are you afraid of what lies ahead?”
“…It feels a bit different. It’s not so much about fearing what will happen to me, but more about fearing the impact I’ll have on others. I’m a national dislike, you know?”
“Well, to the friends at the orphanage, you might be a national like!”
“…What about to Team Leader Seon?”
“I’m participating earnestly too; at this point, shouldn’t I be accepted as a friend of the orphanage?”
“…Haha, that’s true. I’ll acknowledge you as a friend of the orphanage.”
Yeoreum lightly covered her mouth with her hand and smiled elegantly.
Click!
“Are you really going to take a picture of this too?”
“It’s a face that’s too good to miss.”
Yeoreum then broke into an even wider smile.
Click!
Of course, I snapped that smile too.
[Quest completed! As a reward, you’ve received a message that can be received anywhere.]
And with that, the quest was completed. I suppose they judged that I had taken sufficiently provocative pictures.
“…”
Now there was no need for performances anymore.
It’s the end of the show.
I have to talk to Jin Yeoreum. I need to draw a line and say something like, “I think I need to reconsider working with an idol.”
But now that the quest is complete, I kept quiet.
“Team Leader Seon, do you have something to say?”
“No, not right now.”
I just didn’t want to see that smile fade away now.
I knew that the longer I dragged this out, the harder it would be to speak up.
*
Two days later, I returned to the orphanage with Gyeoul.
Since it was a long-term plan, I used the excuse that it was important to see Gyeoul or Gaeul at least once more.
But Jin Yeoreum wasn’t there.
I asked Yoon Haneul, who was volunteering.
“Is today a day when Ms. Yeoreum doesn’t come?”
Well, she probably needs a day off too. It would have been weird if she came every single day like before.
“Hey kids, just a moment, I’m going to have a quick chat with Team Leader Seon.”
Yoon Haneul then stood up, took me to the hallway corner, and handed me a letter.
“This is a letter left by Yeoreum. Would you read it for me?”
The letter was plain, just a simple sheet with no patterns, thin enough to be mistaken for a postcard.
It was a plain, single sheet of paper with no patterns, thin enough to pass for a postcard.
I read the single letter.
– Hello, Team Leader Seon. This is Jin Yeoreum. I thought it would be rude to leave without saying anything, so I’m writing this letter to say goodbye. –
– I’ve found a better opportunity. My father suggested that I consider studying management. So, I’m planning to go abroad to study. –
– I realized that rather than focusing on the foolish task of changing my image, it would be more efficient to invest my efforts in Jinkang and my family. Given how things are now, being an idol, which was merely a means for image improvement, has become a bad option for me. –
– As you already know, I always choose the best option. So, you probably can guess what choice I made this time, right? –
– It was nice while it lasted. Let’s pretend we never talked about girl groups. –
– Jin Yeoreum –
The content of the letter was simple, but not light.
It contained the shocking news that she chose studying abroad instead of being an idol.
It was such a sudden revelation.
Just two days ago, hadn’t we been chatting normally without a hint of anything unusual?
Perhaps that study abroad wouldn’t take as long as I thought.
She couldn’t have decided everything so quickly; maybe she was still in the inquiry stage.
I asked the question hanging in the air to Yoon Haneul, who seemed to know something.
“How long does studying abroad take?”
Yoon Haneul shook her head.
“Yeoreum won’t be coming back here.”
It didn’t seem like a temporary goodbye.
Jin Yeoreum appeared to have no intention of seeing Gaeul, Gyeoul, or me again.
Why? This surely didn’t happen in the last episode, did it?
Things were getting tangled.
To pull in a group that could debut stable at the chaebol third generation gate in three years, Jin Yeoreum needed to keep serving.
I hadn’t considered the scenario where she suddenly ran off overseas.
I had to understand the situation and come up with a plan.
“…Haneul, you know exactly why Yeoreum disappeared. Can you tell me?”
Yoon Haneul smiled wryly and said,
“Team Leader Seon, Yeoreum knew you weren’t really thinking of scouting her for TwoBear.”
“…”
Well, this is really messed up.
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