Chapter 16

# Episode 016

Waking up at 5 AM.

The most depressing time for modern people had arrived.

But Seong Pil was different.

Even when he was sleeping, he longed for the next day to come quickly.

It was thanks to Baek Seolha's recruitment.

'Is this a dream?'

It was a classic method, but when he pinched his cheek, it hurt. It was real.

Just the fact that he had brought in the person he wanted as a trainee made Seong Pil feel like he was at the peak of his life.

'If more trainees come in one by one like this, forming a group won't be far off.'

He washed up energetically and went outside.

On the way to the company, he didn't feel the least bit sorry for his used car today.

He didn't feel envious even when he saw the foreign cars parked around him.

Because Seong Pil had something more precious.

"Good morning, everyone!"

He opened the company door and greeted everyone energetically.

Han Goo-in was always on the first floor in the morning, but he wasn't there today.

Seong Pil headed to the office feeling a bit awkward.

'Always so spacious.'

Thinking about it, the other offices that were still empty gave him a chill.

It was a tremendous waste of space compared to the company's size.

'Well, if Garo Entertainment succeeds, it will fill up on its own.'

Han Goo-in wasn't in the office either. Only his bag indicated that he had come.

Seong Pil made coffee in the break room and sat down. He then checked the places he needed to visit to find trainees today.

It only took a few minutes.

'I really feel like I'm stealing a salary.'

When he was in charge of an idol group, he would miss these times.

Since there was nothing to do, he cleaned the office.

He still had a lot of energy.

Seong Pil decided to go to the practice room.

It was always used by Rika, and he wondered if it was being cleaned properly.

'I'll clean it too.'

When he opened the practice room door, Rika was there.

She was standing in front of the mirror, striking a provocative pose.

With her hips tilted to one side and her fingers touching her lips, it was a pose that didn't match Rika's image at all.

Their eyes met through the mirror.

"..."

"..."

"Sorry."

"Just go away!"

Rika ran over and elbowed Seong Pil's side.

It was playful and didn't hurt.

"Don't be embarrassed. I do it in the shower sometimes too."

"Please don't compare my self-absorption with my pose practice. What I just did was work! I should get extra pay for it!"

"Don't be embarrassed, I said."

Rika's ears turned red, though she said she wasn't embarrassed.

"Do you understand? I'm an idol. I need to check which pose looks the best. I need to be in a pose that fans will like, no matter what. In fancy terms, it's called self-objectification!"

"I get it. Can I watch?"

"Ah, that, well, no."

"Why? You said it was work. And isn't it better to get feedback from someone else than to do it alone?"

"..."

Rika was caught in her own trap.

Of course, everything she said was true.

Studying poses in front of a mirror is important work. It's just embarrassing to do it in front of someone else.

"Alright. Just don't fall for me!"

"I won't, so hurry up."

"Why?! You said you fell for me, loved me, and would make me happy forever!"

"I didn't say that much!"

As Rika brought up embarrassing memories, Seong Pil pretended not to know and sat in a corner.

"Starting, starting."

She clenched her teeth and stood in front of the mirror again.

This time, there were no poses emphasizing sexiness.

It seemed she had studied expressions and poses even in her daily life, as her movements were natural.

'Hmm...'

Seong Pil decided to bring Rika on board purely because of his future knowledge.

The memory of meeting her at an audition in the past also played a role. But as he spent more time with Rika, he became more confident.

'She was born to be an idol.'

Especially her smile is charming.

Anyone who sees Rika's smile can't help but have their heart race.

'Except for Manager Han, of course.'

Rika's pose parade ended. She puffed out her chest, asking for his opinion.

"Your smile is beautiful."

"Is that all you can say? Isn't there more?"

"Why, do you want to hear something specific?"

"Say something like what you said to me."

"No."

"Say it!"

Seong Pil stood up and tried to leave the practice room. Rika followed and grabbed his shirt.

"Say it!"

"No, I don't want to."

"Aah, you're so cheap!"

"What? Did you just swear at me?"

"It's not a swear word!"

"If you keep saying I can't understand Japanese..."

"It means 'cheap.'"

Han Goo-in appeared from around the corner.

"Ah, Manager Han. Good morning."

"Good morning, Manager Park. You're here early. Strangely, everyone is here early today."

"Everyone?"

"Is the CEO here too?"

"He went out for a walk. And Rika came here early this morning too."

"Really? Rika came early?"

Rika, who didn't want to tell Seong Pil what he wanted to hear, pouted.

"Yes, yes, I came early!"

"What time?"

"Around 6 AM."

Seong Pil's eyes widened.

"Why did you come so early?"

"Why? To practice, of course. Isn't that obvious?"

Her words were short, but Seong Pil didn't mind much.

Instead, he was moved by her passion, and his tone became much softer.

"Aren't you tired? Do you want me to make you some coffee?"

"No, I'm fine. I just need Manager Han's health juice!"

"Rika, you finally like my recipe."

Han Goo-in was also moved. Rika realized she had made a slip of the tongue.

"Would you like another glass?"

"Actually, coffee might be good. Can you make it for me? Then I'll go."

Rika waved her hand coolly and disappeared into the practice room.

Seong Pil asked the slightly disappointed Han Goo-in.

"Manager Han, did you come even earlier than Rika?"

"Yes, that's how it turned out."

"Do you come here every morning?"

"No, I came extra early today."

"Why?"

Han Goo-in smiled bitterly but didn't give a reason.

Seong Pil heard the whole story from Hong Gyu-hun.

"Manager Han's grandfather is sick. He said he would be away at the family home for a few days."

"That makes sense. What can I do? It must be tough for him."

"Indeed. It's a long distance, so it must be even harder."

"Where is the family home?"

"Germany."

"..."

Germany?

If the family home is in Germany, is Han Goo-in German?

His real name is Hans Jäger, right...

"Anyway, that's how it is. For a few days, you'll have to pick up Rika."

It was fine since there wasn't much work to do anyway.

Seong Pil did what he could, but he was anxious because there were no concrete results.

If he went to another agency, he could work as a manager and at least feel like he was working hard.

After a long time away from management work, he felt restless.

"Understood."

"Alright. If you have nothing else to say, you can go."

Hong Gyu-hun said this and took out a cigarette with a worried look.

He seemed sad, but it was all just Seong Pil's guess, and even if he was sad, Seong Pil didn't have the ability to comfort him.

'For a few days, I'll be the only employee.'

Thinking about Han Goo-in being away for a few days made him feel lonely.

He understood why Hong Gyu-hun looked depressed.

Seong Pil shook off the heavy atmosphere and moved energetically. He went through the schedule to find trainees and picked up Rika on time.

"Rika, let's do our best today."

"Hmph."

Rika was cold every time he took her to the academy, but to Seong Pil, she looked cute.

The closer it got to evening, the more energetic Seong Pil became.

Because Rika's last schedule was at the vocal academy, where Baek Seolha was.

"Manager, would you like to have dinner together tonight?"

By evening, Rika seemed to be in a better mood and treated him more closely, trying to take advantage of the nonexistent guilt Seong Pil felt.

"Sure, but I won't eat with you. Enjoy your salad."

"I hate you the most in the world!"

Rika pretended to cry and ran down the hallway.

'Sorry, Rika. If I keep giving in, there will be no end. To navigate the difficult path of an idol, you need to control your diet perfectly.'

Thinking about it, Rika had eaten hundreds of calories worth of snacks without permission a while ago.

The moment he remembered that, his guilt disappeared.

Since it was the last academy schedule, Seong Pil decided to wait in the guest lounge until Rika's lesson was over.

When he heard Rika's voice in the hallway after the lesson, he rushed outside.

Rika was coming with Baek Seolha.

"Oh, it's Manager. Teacher, you know, just ignore him."

"Uh? Ah..."

Rika tried to pass by Seong Pil with a huff, but Baek Seolha stood in front of him.

Rika came back and said in a hurt tone.

"I told you to ignore him?!"

"Hello, Seolha."

"Hello, Manager."

"You two are too much..."

Although he had clearly received a definite answer from Baek Seolha to join Garo Entertainment, there was still some awkwardness.

Seong Pil asked awkwardly.

"Are you going home now? I can take you."

"No, it's fine. I can go home by myself."

Even though they were supposed to be colleagues now...

Seong Pil felt his heart sink like a young man whose date request had been rejected.

"Have you finished with the academy yet?"

"No, I told the principal. It will take about a month."

Saying this, Baek Seolha seemed a bit uncomfortable.

Like a child worried about being caught lying to their parents.

Seong Pil sensitively read her mood.

"Is something wrong?"

"Uh? No, nothing. I'm fine, yes."

It didn't seem like nothing.

But since she denied it so strongly, it would be rude to ask more.

"If you're worried about the ride, don't be. You'll be joining us soon. When you do, Manager Han and I will take you home every day."

"Ah..."

"Teacher, just get in the car. Manager loves work. He wants to work all his life."

"......Then, should I?"

Even though she said it was fine when Seong Pil politely offered, she was persuaded by Rika's words.

For some reason, he felt betrayed.

"Do you need ten minutes to prepare?"

"Alright. I'll wait with Rika downstairs."

Seong Pil took Rika downstairs.

Baek Seolha exhaled a sigh of relief after confirming they had left. Looking at Seong Pil made her feel like she was committing a sin.

'Are you going to do that again? Are you crazy? After wasting 7 years, you still can't come to your senses?'

As Seong Pil disappeared from her sight, her mother's angry voice from the last time echoed in her head.

Baek Seolha closed her eyes tightly and tried to force the memory out of her mind.

'Don't think about it. Mom won't know. I'll be fine as long as I don't say anything.'

Baek Seolha was trying to deceive her mother.

She realized the day she decided to challenge being an idol again. Her mother would never let her become a trainee.

So there was only one way.

A way to make everyone happy by shouldering the guilt alone.

Lying.

"Seolha."

While packing her things, a colleague trainer spoke to her.

"Is that the person who came earlier? Manager Park Seong Pil?"

"Yes, that's right."

"I heard he offered to take you home. Did it go well when you met him?"

"Uh? No, it's not like that..."

"Then, did you refuse, and he's still pestering you? Oh, what should I do. Should I go with you and tell him I have plans?"

The other trainers nearby were also looking at her with curious eyes.

Baek Seolha opened her mouth to speak but closed it again.

She didn't have the courage to explain the situation. If she did...

'You're a trainee?'

They would look at her strangely.

Here, she couldn't even proudly talk about her dream.

She was afraid of being pointed at.

"It's... fine. Thank you for your hard work today."

"Ah, Teacher Baek!"

Baek Seolha didn't respond to the call and quickly walked down the stairs of the academy. She quickly got into the passenger seat of Seong Pil's car when she saw it.

Seong Pil smiled warmly from the driver's seat.

"You came quickly. I'll take you home first, Seolha."

"Yes, yes."

"Teacher, sit with me."

"Should I?"

Baek Seolha moved to the back seat at her student's request.

Rika linked arms with Baek Seolha and started chatting as usual.

"I can read short English sentences now. Teacher, do you know what a relative pronoun is?"

"Huh? I think I've heard of it..."

"A relative pronoun is..."

Baek Seolha didn't hear Rika's story. She only looked at Seong Pil's eyes in the rearview mirror.

Seong Pil smiled at her through the mirror.

She felt it.

'Comfortable.'

Of course, every time she saw Seong Pil, guilt appeared. The thought of deceiving her mother continued to torment her.

But that feeling was different from simple guilt.

It was like breaking tradition and discipline and embarking on an adventure.

Like a summer night's adventure with a stranger in a new land.

'Manager and Rika don't scold or point at my dream. And Manager...'

Not only did he not point at her, but he also told her that she was necessary.

Baek Seolha felt more comfortable and secure in this small car than at home or at the academy.