Chapter 2: The Technique of an Idol Who Never Fails

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

Bu Jeong-tae, who was singing drunk over there, would die of a heart attack at the age of forty-one, exactly ten years from now, in my long dream.

The shock and sadness I felt upon hearing the news of Bu Jeong-tae's death were so vivid that for a moment, I was surprised to see why a dead person was here.

In that dream, Bu Jeong-tae tried so hard to give one last push to the idol members I had raised.

"Jeong-tae hyung..."

I wasn't sure if it was just a dream, but after having such a vivid dream, I couldn't help but cry at the sight of Bu Jeong-tae's face.

Another staff member who was at the drinking party had a sad look on his face, with a glass in front of him.

When Bu Jeong-tae realized I had woken up, he winked and sang again.

"If you can't do a one-shot, you can't get married, ah! You're such a mean person!"

Normally, I should have chimed in with "Ah! You're such a mean person!" at this part.

But I didn't have the presence of mind to do so.

I suddenly stood up, went over the staff member sitting on the sofa, and hugged Bu Jeong-tae with both arms. The soft, plump flesh that had cost so much to maintain was definitely Jeong-tae hyung. Bu Jeong-tae laughed.

"Hey, don't cling to me so much. You're so pretty, it feels weird."

"Hyung, stop drinking. You'll die early..."

"What the hell?"

Bu Jeong-tae wasn't the type to get angry over such things.

He had already seen everything there was to see in the past two months due to heavy drinking, so he would forget any mistakes made during a drinking session. In fact, Bu Jeong-tae would laugh even more if he made a mistake during a drinking session.

When Bu Jeong-tae tried to pick up his glass again, I hit his hand with mine. The glass fell to the floor and broke, but I thought it was more important for Bu Jeong-tae to live longer. Even if it was just a dream, it didn't feel good.

Moreover, the dream was so vivid that it felt like I had lived a real life, and I even became more socially adept in a short time.

"Hyung, you really need to live a long life. I'm barely managing to be a decent person thanks to you."

"Ah, this kid has a habit of complaining when drunk."

"I just had a dream where you died."

"So that's why you're acting like this?"

Bu Jeong-tae grumbled verbally but was already teary-eyed from the alcohol.

"How long have you known me to like me so much? If you miss someone so much, you should have come out of your room long ago."

Originally, Bu Jeong-tae would cry when drunk, and everyone would lose their appetite for drinking, ending the party.

He called a taxi to send Bu Jeong-tae home first and also sent the stylist, Som, who was causing a scene, home in a taxi.

After that, I unconsciously headed towards the basement practice room, which was my home in the dream.

Our practice room, which I named Love House due to my lack of creativity. The team name Queen Bee was initially Square because there were four members, but it became five after adding one more member. The members teased me about what to do now but didn't criticize me.

When I arrived at the practice room and entered the password, it was wrong. I tried two more times, but it was still wrong, and the lock was set for 30 minutes.

"Ah, right. It was all a dream."

I muttered and sat down in front of the door. I blinked and looked up at the door again.

Wait a minute.

If it was just a dream, why is the practice room really here?

* * *

"Student! You'll die like this!"

"Student? I'm an adult now..."

"Open your eyes!"

When I opened my eyes, it was ten o'clock, and there were two aunts and an uncle standing in front of me. I forced my eyes open, and one of the aunts patted my shoulder.

"Phew, you're crazy! You're trying to freeze to death in this cold weather!"

"How can you be so drunk at this age? Where are your parents?"

I was too hungover to listen to their scolding and ran up the visible stairs. I grabbed the wall and vomited, and then I met the eyes of the children inside the basement practice room window, who were laughing at me. The room looked strange.

"...It looks exactly like the dream."

Not only that, but when I got up, the alley was familiar. If the dream was a reflection of reality, I should have been here before, but I had no memory of it.

Confused, I took out my phone, which had been ringing in my pocket. It was my mother.

-Hae-won, where are you? Jeong-tae said he can't reach you!

"Um, I... I fell asleep on the street after drinking."

I should have lied, but I was half-asleep and half-awake, so I told the truth.

-Oh, I can't live like this. How much did you drink to fall asleep on the street!

"Mom, but..."

-I never told you to earn money or go to college. I was less frustrated when you were stuck in your room, you brat.

"Did I ever live in this neighborhood? Changcheon-dong. Why am I here..."

-You'll get alcohol-related dementia at a young age. I heard it on TV...

It was nice to hear my mother's scolding again. The fact that she could scold me meant she had some peace of mind, which made me feel better.

After participating in the idol selection program, "National Choice Idol," and not leaving my room, neither my mother nor my father scolded me. They probably just quietly suffered and cried a lot.

Around the time I was finishing my college entrance exams at the age of nineteen, Gu Yun-yong, the current all-rounder manager of Park Jong-ryeol Entertainment, who felt a great sense of guilt as one of the people involved in "National Choice Idol," contacted me. He asked if I wanted to get a driver's license quickly and try road management. He even said he would create a position for me after my military service.

Even though such an opportunity arose, my parents couldn't be harsh on me for not leaving the room, but my sister, who is ten years older than me, was different. As soon as she heard the news, she flew from the UK to Korea, broke the door handle, and dragged me out to teach me how to drive.

Indeed, parents and siblings play different roles.

After listening to the scolding and hanging up the phone, I thought I needed to sober up. A girl in a martial arts uniform suddenly appeared from the basement stairs.

"You can't sleep here!"

Habitually, I shrank back, as if responding to the five daughters' complaints in the dream.

"Okay, I won't do it again. Sorry, sorry."

The long dream made me feel suddenly older. The kids seemed like my own.

I shook my head, confused, and all the kids from the basement came out.

I was already in pain, and the group of kids running towards me made me feel like the world was shaking. I asked, feeling miserable.

"Sorry, do you have any water?"

"No! Ah, yes."

Then one of the kids ran to the stamp and came back with a disposable paper cup in both hands. There was just enough water for one sip, but I was moved by the effort and drank it.

"Thanks. But why are you all out here? Go back inside."

"It's break time!"

"The master said to take a break!"

Hearing the word "master" was strange. I remembered seeing it in the dream.

There was a master who would come to the front of the practice room every year after closing the taekwondo school and cry, scaring our kids.

It seemed he had been caught cheating on several parents... But since it was just a dream, it probably wasn't true.

I must have passed through this alley at some point, which left a lasting impression. Dreams are reflections of reality.

I found it funny how I looked, and I resisted the children's desire to play and immediately walked away. Bu Jeong-tae's schedule today was only a food broadcast starting at two. Since Carnival was at the company, I had to go there first.

Thanks to the unintended overnight stay, I woke up early and had some time to spare. I found a cigarette in my pocket and was about to light it when my phone rang. It was Gu Yun-yong, the manager who had recommended me.

-Hae-won, where are you?

"Um, hello... Manager."

I thought I was sober, but apparently not. I almost called him "hyung" due to the intimacy I felt in the dream. He would have filled his stomach with curses if a two-month employee called him "hyung" out of sympathy.

"I'm on my way."

-Is that so? Bu Jeong-tae said you died.

"Ah, I did, but I woke up early because it was cold."

Gu Manager laughed.

-What, I was worried you wouldn't come out of your room, but you're good at talking. Jeong-tae also seems to like you more than I thought.

Even if Gu Manager was a powerful figure in the company, Bu Jeong-tae's willingness to take me on made my employment possible. In reality, the kind Bu Jeong-tae treated me very well.

I was always drunk for two months, so there was no time to feel uncomfortable...

Anyway, when "National Choice Idol" was airing, it felt like all the adults were pushing me to the brink, but when I came out of my room, it wasn't as bad as I thought.

Gu Manager said,

-Anyway, you and Jeong-tae... No, Team 1 is in a hurry, right now.

"Team 1?"

The entertainment industry is mostly good. Regardless of the scale of the company. Except for a few truly solid ones... Or, are there even solid entertainment companies? Are they just mythical beings?

Gu Manager was about to tell me to continue working with Bu Jeong-tae but suddenly changed my assignment. It seemed he had suggested I join Team 1 in the dream as well. At that time, I pleaded not to go because I would die.

"Yes."

-Yes?

Team 1 of Park Jong-ryeol Entertainment was a dedicated team for trot singer Park Hee-young. Gu Manager asked, surprised.

-Are you crazy? If you work with Jeong-tae, you'll keep living a sweet life. If you work with Hee-young, I bet you'll leave the company in three months.

"Ah, Manager said to go."

-Go? Oh, you're really an adult now.

Anyway, Gu Manager was right. Working with Bu Jeong-tae meant about ten to twelve schedules a month. It was moderately busy, and there were many food-related schedules, so I would play phone games while Bu Jeong-tae ate, and after the broadcast, we would go to a bar, get drunk, and start the next day.

However, Park Hee-young's schedule was different.

There were about forty schedules a month, and she had to travel all over the country. While Bu Jeong-tae had only me as a manager, Park Hee-young had three managers who would take turns, but they would often quit. Despite knowing this, I decided to become Park Hee-young's manager.

After having a nightmare, I felt a sudden clarity. The girl group, Square, that I had ruined in the dream kept coming to mind.

If I keep avoiding things, I might not only ruin my life but also others' lives.