In a car racing towards the Na Ah Ah Set in Gyeonggi-do.
“…….”
“…….”
For some reason, the familiar black sedan of Kang Hyung-man was filled with tension.
Me, the Kang Hyung-man in the passenger seat, and Sang-gu, the older brother driving, all kept our mouths shut, staring out the window.
It was silence itself.
But there were beings to break this silence….
“Yawn~ I’m so tired after waking up at dawn….”
“Honey, if we don’t go now, when else will we get to see this?”
“That’s true, hehehe.”
…Those were my parents, who settled next to me.
“…Why the heck did you guys come along?”
Noticing my parents were bothering us, Kang Hyung-man turned with a twitchy gaze.
“Hoho, Mr. Kang, that’s quite an insensitive thing to say. It’s our daughter’s first broadcast, so of course, we have to come~ right, honey?”
“Of course. As parents, it’s our duty to see our daughter off.”
“Duty, my ass… Haa….”
Kang Hyung-man seemed to want to shoot back at my parents but turned to face front, restraining himself.
“…Just be quiet. Don’t make noise and tire the girl out for no reason.”
“Yes~.”
My parents cheerfully replied to Kang Hyung-man’s plea and started whispering and giggling among themselves.
“Seriously, this isn’t a high school trip or anything….”
My parents were truly childish, no matter how many times I saw them.
“Hah…”
But thankfully, Kang Hyung-man’s warning brought back the calm to the car.
I rubbed my tired eyes and leaned back.
I got back home at 11:30 PM after practice yesterday, and it was midnight by the time I got into Kang Hyung-man’s car.
Now it was 5:30 AM, so if I had gone straight to bed after getting home yesterday, I could have slept for about five hours, but….
At 2 AM yesterday…
“Ye-rin! Ye-rin-!! Wake up-!!”
“Uh… Mom? Is it morning already?”
“That’s not the issue-! This is a crisis-! Wake up-!”
“Ah, in the bedroom…! In the bedroom…!!”
“What, what’s going on…?!”
Mom and Dad woke me up in a panic and when I rushed into the bedroom….
“A hand-sized cockroach-!! Kyaaaah-!!”
“C-Catch it quickly-! Ye-rin-!!!”
“…….”
…Mom and Dad were freaking out, pointing at the cockroach.
…Shit.
Back then, I almost lost it and threw that cockroach at their faces.
“Utterly useless people.”
The distance to the set was about an hour from here.
I closed my eyes to catch up on some sleep.
But….
“Ye-rin, aren’t you tired? Should I give you a massage?”
“Mom brought some Cheong Shim Hwan, want to eat it?”
“Ugh, come on….”
…Mom and Dad were so frugal, even with that time.
It was truly another day overflowing with love for my parents.
“We can only go this far.”
That was what Kang Hyung-man said to me right in front of the set. He pointed to a staff member who had come out to greet us.
“You just have to follow this person from now on.”
“…You can’t even go with me to the waiting room?”
“Regulations say so; it can’t be helped.”
From here on, I had to go alone… worries and anxiety brewed within me.
Of course….
“Eh?! We can’t see the set?!”
“That would totally make coming here useless…!”
…It was nice to be able to part with these clingy leeches (my parents).
Seeing their disappointed faces for not being able to explore the set felt like all my fondness for them was evaporating.
Kang Hyung-man glanced coldly at my parents before straightening up and placing his hand on my head.
Thud.
It was a touch that was casual but felt warm.
“But don’t be too nervous. You’ll surely do well.”
“…Mr. Kang.”
“I’ll come pick you up when filming is done. …Good luck.”
“Yep…!”
His words were as gentle as his touch, and they eased my worries a bit.
My burden seemed to lighten, and some confidence blossomed.
But then.
“Um, Mr. Kang? We have something we want to say to Ye-rin one last time?”
“…Then just say it. Why do you need my permission?”
“Hehe, it’s a family-only conversation, could you step aside for a bit?”
“…….”
What else could they want to say that they needed to step aside? My mom and dad insisted Kang Hyung-man and Sang-gu step aside to say their final goodbyes.
Swish-.
Upon hearing that, Kang Hyung-man turned his gaze toward me.
I nodded, and he sighed, telling my parents.
“…Then I’ll be in the car, so you two hurry up. If you say anything harsh to her, I won’t let it slide.”
“Eh~ What could we possibly say?”
“…….”
Kang Hyung-man seemed to doubt their words but still stepped aside.
Then Kang Hyung-man returned to the car and closed the door…
“Ye-rin.”
Mom and Dad immediately revealed their true colors and clung to me.
“I found out that if you win, the prize money is 100 million won.”
“And if you’re chosen as one of six here, you can debut right away.”
“Six out of a hundred? Pffft~ That’s too easy for our Ye-rin.”
Mom tousled my bangs as she continued.
“Honey, remember when Ye-rin was seven, and a director came personally saying she should be an actress?”
“Haha, was that one or two times? One time, a man brought a box full of gifts saying Ye-rin should be an idol.”
My parents’ faces were genuinely full of smiles as they reminisced about my childhood.
But soon their gaze turned serious as they looked at me….
“Ye-rin, you know this is all because Mommy and Daddy brought you up beautifully, right?”
“Hehe, honey, let’s not go too far. Ye-rin must know that already.”
…It was so chillingly realistic, it gave me goosebumps.
“Ye-rin, you will be dutiful to us, right?”
“You’re the only daughter. Supporting Mommy and Daddy will cost a lot of money. So you have to earn a lot, okay?”
“So….”
Mom and Dad simultaneously placed their hands on my shoulders and whispered in my ear.
Their hands felt cold and heavy.
“You must do well this time. For Mommy and Daddy.”
“Think of it as if your life depends on it, okay? Mommy and Daddy believe in you.”
“…….”
How could trusting me sound so uncomfortable?
More than anything….
‘…Haha, you’re really something else.’
Their words pierced my heart like a knife.
I thought I had experienced enough pain from my past life… but no matter when I hear it, my parents’ words stabbed deep inside me.
The fact that they saw me as their tool for success…. That was too…
‘……Huh?’
Tears… I thought they had dried up, but as anger surged, my eyes started to redden.
“Yes… I’ll do my best.”
Feeling like I would burst at any moment, I quickly turned my head away.
“…I’ll do my best, so don’t worry, just go. I’ll head inside now….”
“…Oh? Okay, understood.”
“Ye-rin, fighting! You must do it!”
I finished saying goodbye to my parents and moved my steps inside the set with the crew.
I didn’t burst into tears, but my heart, already a wreck, felt even more torn apart.
“Here’s Ye-rin’s waiting room.”
“…Oh? This is it?”
I followed the crew to the waiting room, still dazed from my parents, and I couldn’t help but be surprised.
And rightly so….
“…There’s no one else here? Am I the first to arrive?”
It was because I was the only one in the clean and appropriately-sized waiting room.
“No, this is Ye-rin’s personal waiting room.”
“Excuse me? Why do I have a personal waiting room…?”
“It’s common for agencies to have more than two participants, so we prepared waiting rooms by agency.”
“Ah….”
So since I was the only one from Brotherhood Planning, they gave me a personal waiting room.
“First, we’ll take some time to gather everyone for greetings before the first evaluation. To explain the filming concept~.”
The staff began explaining the filming concept, but I didn’t really listen.
Instead, my parents’ earlier words kept echoing in my mind.
“Ye-rin, you will be dutiful to us, right?”
“You’re the only daughter. Supporting Mommy and Daddy will cost a lot of money. So you have to earn a lot, okay?”
Their words echoed even when the makeup artist came in to do my makeup.
“…Wow, I’ve never seen someone this good at makeup before. You were pretty already, but with a little shading…”
Even after the makeup was done, the waiting time stretched on, but the words from my parents just wouldn’t leave my head.
“Ye-rin, you know this is all because Mommy and Daddy brought you up beautifully, right?”
“Hehe, honey, let’s not go too far. Ye-rin must know that already.”
“Think of it as if your life depends on it, okay?”
I initially had no intention of putting in so much effort for Na Ah Ah.
I thought I would just be the kind of participant who is just good enough to pay off my debts as an idol.
But after hearing Mr. Kang’s words….
“Don’t be too nervous. You’ll surely do well.”
And the words of Soo-hyun and Ji-woo, who taught me while I bled sweat for a month….
“If you keep this up, you’ll become an amazing idol.”
“Ye-rin, I’ll always support you while you’re on Na Ah Ah. Hehe.”
I began to adjust my mindset a bit.
I felt the desire to become someone who could meet their expectations.
And finally, my mom and dad.
They gave me a strong motivation in a different way.
“I must do well this time, for Mommy and Daddy.”
Following my parents’ words, I will work hard on Na Ah Ah this time for my parents.
To repay the gift of being born and raised as their child.
No, to settle the debt of being born as their child, I will definitely succeed to give those damn creditors a piece of my mind.
After that, I will completely cut them off.
“Ye-rin, it’s time for you to enter the stage~.”
Dressed in the stylish school uniform provided by Na Ah Ah and having received full makeup for the first time like a pro.
“Once you exit the waiting room, there are cameras in the hallway, good luck~.”
Holding onto the fierce resolve to definitely disappoint my parents.
I took my first steps towards “My Idol Academia,” which would become the beginning of my idol life.
