After Director Jeong briefly explained the Rookies’ activity schedule, our meeting came to an end.
Though it was a short gathering lasting about an hour, it was a good time as we confirmed that our Rookies were receiving a lot of attention and support from the company.
“Then, that will wrap up today’s meeting. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Thank you~”
“The legal team’s meeting must still be ongoing, so please hang out here in the meeting room for a bit. We have a lot to do, so we’ll be heading out first.”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
As Director Jeong concluded his words, he stopped in his tracks as if he suddenly remembered something and spoke to us.
“Oh, Rookies members. I almost forgot to tell you, you need to keep your schedule clear for tomorrow as well.”
“…What?”
As we tilted our heads in confusion, Director Jeong checked something on his phone and spoke to us.
“The lodging for Rookies has been decided. I will send the lodging address to each of you, so please come here at the designated time tomorrow.”
Ding ding!
As soon as Director Jeong finished speaking, a new message arrived on my phone.
And what was written in the message was…
[ZZ Castle, XX-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.]
It was the name of an expensive apartment that people often dubbed as a rich neighborhood, one that everyone has at least heard of once.
“……”
“……”
Seeing this, our members froze for a moment before…
“Wait, just a second, Director Jeong!”
Park Yoo-jung, the first among us to snap back to reality, grabbed Director Jeong, who was about to leave, and asked.
“Are you saying that our lodging is at ZZ Castle?!”
At Park Yoo-jung’s urgent question, Director Jeong tilted his head as if to ask what the problem was and then replied.
“Yes, what’s the problem?”
“Uh… the lodging seems a bit too… nice for us. I was wondering if this is really our lodging…”
Park Yoo-jung still looked like she couldn’t believe it.
In response, Director Jeong smiled broadly and replied.
“Yes, you will definitely be staying there starting next week as Rookies. Is there a reason you wouldn’t want that…?”
“Oh, no! Of course not! I’m just a little overwhelmed by how nice it is….”
“I am confident that Rookies will grow into an idol group deserving of this level of treatment.”
“……”
As we turned into a bunch of dumbfounded faces again due to Director Jeong’s words, he waved goodbye as if it was really the last thing.
“Then, I’ll be off. We’ll see each other next time. If any problems arise, just contact us. Alright then.”
He hurriedly left the meeting room with the other staff.
“……”
“……”
Our Rookies members stared blankly at the departing backs of the staff and at the address of the apartment worth tens of billions.
“You all seem really shocked.”
I asked Han Si-woo, who remained in his seat and hadn’t left with the NAS Entertainment staff.
“Uh… Producer Han Si-woo.”
“Yes, Ye-rin.”
“…Is it common for a girl group about to debut to receive this level of treatment?”
“Um, if you ask me if it’s common…”
Han Si-woo rested his chin on his hand and seemed to think for a moment before finally opening his mouth.
“The place designated as the Rookies’ lodging is ZZ Castle, right?”
“…Yes, that ZZ Castle in Gangnam.”
“I lived there during my fifth year of group activities.”
As a reference, Han Si-woo’s fifth year of group activities was during his absolute prime.
He was raking in money, reigning as a top idol in South Korea.
“Is it common for a rookie girl group to get this kind of treatment? Heh, absolutely not. This has already smashed through the highest ceilings in the industry.”
“……”
“Yes, it seems that NAS has huge expectations of you Rookies.”
Han Si-woo smiled happily, but we couldn’t just smile back.
Living in a luxurious apartment in Gangnam that we thought we would never see was a good thing, but… it also brought a lot of pressure on us.
After saying goodbye to the members and while I was on my way home in the car…
Blank.
I gazed out the window with a blank expression.
Seeing me like that, Kang Hyung-man asked.
“Why the long face, Ye-rin? Did something happen during the meeting?”
“…No, there was no problem at all. It’s just that NAS Entertainment treated us so well that I can’t believe it. The president said our Rookies’ lodging is at Gangnam ZZ Castle.”
“Oh, I heard that too. It seems NAS is paying a lot of attention to you guys.”
“Of course, we are receiving a lot of public interest right now, but… why is NAS treating us so well?”
“Who knows?”
Just then, as Kang Hyung-man and I were both tilting our heads at NAS Entertainment’s excessive treatment.
“Oh, I think I might know the reason a bit.”
“Really…?”
Suddenly, Lee Kim-jang, who was seated in the passenger seat, chimed in with a bright smile.
“My friend works in the YW legal team and told me that… there’s a rookie girl group debuting under YW this time, right? Their lodging is also at ZZ Castle.”
“…What?”
With the sudden mention of the YW rookie girl group, I could only feel flustered.
Then, Lee Kim-jang continued, seeming amused.
“Perhaps it’s a matter of pride? From the atmosphere earlier, it seemed like NAS is really conscious of YW.”
“Ah, I felt that too.”
For Kang Hyung-man to say something like that…
‘Director Jeong even directly mentioned YW’s rookie girl group during the meeting, and it was also a bit strange to have a YW alumnus like Han Si-woo as a producer….’
I could see that NAS Entertainment was definitely trying to keep YW in check.
That led me to question further.
“But why…? NAS Entertainment and YW don’t have a bad relationship or anything, do they? Why go this far…?”
“Ahem. Ah, well…”
It seemed Lee Kim-jang had the tendency to be an explainer.
Clearing his throat to gather his voice, he began to explain.
“Before we get into that, Ye-rin. I actually have a pretty wide network in the entertainment industry. I became a lawyer to indulge in idol passions.”
“…Huh?”
I was perplexed by this comment as I turned to Kang Hyung-man, who just nodded.
“Right. Even though this lawyer is a bit of a weirdo, I can assure you he’s sane, so don’t worry too much.”
“Ah… okay.”
“In any case, I have plenty of connections with people at YW. Those folks say that the rookie girl group debuting at YW has some incredible talent.”
Excited, Lee Kim-jang continued.
“Whether it’s talent or looks, nothing about them is subpar. It seems the expectations within YW are sky-high.”
“Ah…”
For sure, the video that went up on YouTube showcased some impressive skills.
‘While I couldn’t see their faces clearly since they were wearing hats, they definitely seemed to have the looks too.’
As I nodded, Lee Kim-jang mirrored my gesture.
“It’s not just any company; YW is making quite the fuss, and hearing that news, the folks at NAS got nervous. With Na Ah Ah’s ratings skyrocketing, they want to dabble in the idol business properly with Rookies, so they can’t let Rookies fade away in the shadow of YW’s rookie girl group.”
“Ahh…”
So that meant the reason NAS Entertainment was giving us more support than we deserved was that they were conscious of YW’s rookie girl group?
What kind of real talent do they have…?
At that moment, my curiosity deepened as I thought…
‘Wait a sec…’
A question struck me.
Was there a YW rookie girl group around this time in my previous life…?
Of course, I hadn’t paid much attention to idols in my past life.
But…
Just like I remembered Yoo Seol from my previous life, if the rookie girl group under YW had left a significant mark in the entertainment industry, surely it would have lingered in my memory…
‘No recollection….’
No matter how much I tried to remember, the existence of the YW rookie girl group did not come to mind.
“To be honest, I’m really excited too. YW is known for their girl groups succeeding, and now they’re getting raving reviews from industry insiders even before debuting… just how excellent are they…”
“This lawyer is way too extreme. You should think about where you belong.”
“Ah…! O-of course, I’m rooting for Rookies.”
Kang Hyung-man silenced the noisy Lee Kim-jang from the passenger seat and gently patted my shoulder.
“Ye-rin, don’t worry too much. I’ve seen how hard you Rookies work on stage. If you focus on your own path without worrying about others, you’ll reach the summit in no time.”
At Kang Hyung-man’s words, I briefly closed my eyes and thought.
‘…Right, worrying about others and comparing ourselves is just exhausting.’
Considering what Director Jeong said in the meeting, it seemed that NAS wanted to expedite Rookies’ debut as much as possible.
We needed to focus on honing our skills and working together as Rookies without distraction.
No time for rivalry and competition; we just needed to concentrate on our own hard work.
With that thought concluded, I opened my eyes again and looked at Kang Hyung-man.
“Yes, President. We’ll focus more on working hard as Rookies instead of worrying about others.”
“You’re already working hard enough. Keep fighting!”
“Thank you.”
But….
‘Now that I think about it, it sounds even weirder….’
No matter how much I tried to concentrate on our own matters and forget about YW’s rookie girl group, my mind was still burdened with questions.
With that, I headed home, unable to shake off an uneasy feeling towards them.
Meanwhile, at that moment in the YW office building…
“Alright, everyone, good work. Let’s take a break!”
After hours of synchronizing their dance routines, the members of Python finally sat down at the producer Sua’s words.
“Haah… haah… oh boy…”
Kanna, the sole Japanese member of Python, instantly collapsed to the floor, drenched in sweat.
Taking advantage of the moment when Producer Sua stepped out of the practice room, she grumbled.
“Tsk…! Just how many years do we have to keep repeating this practice…! We’re already perfect…”
Kanna was not exaggerating when she claimed Python had the skills to easily surpass most current idols.
However, due to Producer Sua’s perfectionist tendencies, their already flawless skills were being pushed to even greater heights.
Frustrated, Kanna turned to the leader of Python to seek agreement.
“Leader-chan, don’t you think so? Why do we have to rot away in the practice room with skills like this…? Hmm? Leader, what are you watching?”
“……”
In that brief moment, the leader of Python was engrossed in watching videos on her smartphone.
It was none other than Na Ah Ah’s final competition video.
“Ah, so that’s what you were watching. They really are good, but they still wouldn’t stand a chance against us….”
“…Strange.”
“Um? What’s strange?”
The leader of Python held an expression that could hardly be described, filled with indescribable feelings as she continued.
“…Why did someone other than Yoo Seol win?”
“…Huh? Leader, are you a fan of Yoo Seol?”
“…It’s not like that, but Na Ah Ah was supposed to be the winner, you know.”
“……?”
Kanna tilted her head at the leader’s words.
The leader of Python was exceptionally skilled and attractive, but she sometimes had these odd moments.
Kanna thought the leader was just being quirky again and shifted her gaze to Ha Ye-rin in the video.
“I like Ye-rin more… She’s cute.”
“…Cute? She doesn’t have a cute face.”
“Her face looks like it could make you want to comfort her.”
“……”
While the leader had her odd moments, Kanna had a perverted streak.
“Hehe… just imagine if this haughty face were to crumble and shed tears… how pretty would that be! Just the thought of it… huff…”
“…I’m not interested in such perverse tastes.”
Even while saying that, the leader of Python couldn’t take her eyes off Ha Ye-rin in the video.
‘Who is this girl that suddenly popped up?’
The expression in her eyes focused on Ha Ye-rin grew deeper.
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