Chapter 17

# Chapter 017

The morning of Han Goo-in, the general manager of Garo Entertainment, is swift.

At 6 a.m., the curtains automatically rolled up, and classical music began to play from the speakers.

It was Summer from Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

Han Goo-in lay still, drowsy, and when the first movement of Summer had played for about three minutes, he kicked off the blanket.

This was because the violin sounds, reminiscent of buzzing flies, irritated him.

"Hmm."

He turned off the alarm and immediately took a shower.

After a refreshing shower, he ate breakfast and then returned to his room to read a book.

Three hours passed this way.

After lunch, he returned to his room and opened a book again.

Five hours passed this way.

'I should go out.'

Han Goo-in's true day began at 5:30 p.m.

He left the house with a paper bag containing a gift he had bought a week ago.

He usually drives, but today was different.

During rush hour, as he boarded a crowded bus, he felt people's gazes.

He had known since long ago that his appearance drew attention, so it didn't particularly bother him.

He didn't feel a sense of superiority or satisfaction.

Instead, a small sense of unease crept up, and he had to force his thoughts in another direction.

'Rika must be at the office today.'

It's really impressive how hard she works, even on weekends.

Han Goo-in, on the other hand, had only read books at home today.

He hoped the company would flourish and have more work to do, thinking this as he got off the bus.

The street, devoid of vitality, came into view.

The places exposed along the road were all shops, but there were few customers.

The convenience store was the place with the most people, but there was something else that truly caught the eye.

'They've already demolished all the buildings.'

Even as the time for the end of work approached, the construction site, surrounded by a wide area, still echoed with the sounds of workers.

This place was the indirect reason Han Goo-in had come to this neighborhood today.

"Ah, no! That's a foul!"

"Why is that a foul?"

Han Goo-in's destination was a nursery school located quite far back in the commercial district.

Beyond the low fence, a few children were running around, seemingly playing tag.

"Hey, bro!"

"Big bro is here! Big bro!"

Several children, who looked to be around elementary school age, rushed over when they saw Han Goo-in.

Han Goo-in opened his arms to embrace them.

"Are you all doing well?"

"Yeah. I studied hard like you said."

"Liar! He didn't study at all!"

"Don't lie!"

The children exchanged loud remarks over trivial matters. Han Goo-in straightened his bent knees, which he had bent to hug them.

The children's gazes were fixed on the paper bag Han Goo-in was holding.

Instinctively, they knew it contained a gift.

Of course, Han Goo-in did not make the mistake of immediately distributing the gifts.

Everything had to go through the director's hands before reaching the children.

"Oh, Goo-in is here? Isn't today not your day to come?"

The director, who was moving a pot of soup, recognized Han Goo-in and approached him. Another staff member took the pot, and the director led Han Goo-in to an inner room.

"There's a new kid, right?"

"Ah, yes. His name is Kim Min-hyung."

Kim Min-hyung, Kim Min-hyung.

Han Goo-in repeated the name several times.

A name was one of the few things children could truly call their own, so he didn't want to call it wrong, even by mistake.

"These are snacks and school supplies. I only chose snacks that won't rot your teeth."

"All snacks rot your teeth. Thanks every time."

When the director first met Han Goo-in, he was a college student.

Han Goo-in's family was wealthy, yet he balanced his studies with part-time jobs.

He saved money little by little, and whenever he had 1 million won, he donated it to the nursery school. This donation continued to the present day.

His connection with this nursery school had lasted almost 10 years.

"By the way, Director, there's construction nearby, right?"

"Oh, that."

The director showed a difficult expression.

This old neighborhood had recently seen a surge in activity due to the construction.

A seven-story cultural center was planned to be built, but the purpose of the building was not yet widely known.

However, the reason Han Goo-in knew about it was that the construction of the cultural center was being carried out by Hong Goo-hyeon's father.

"Didn't they ask to sell the land... from the surrounding area?"

A seven-story cultural center was being built. Naturally, the land prices in the surrounding area would rise.

Many people had been buying land and buildings before the construction began, and the land prices were rising even more as the purpose became clear.

"That's right. Lately, it's been a mess except for the buildings."

In this situation, the nursery school's position was delicate.

To put it bluntly, a nursery school is a hated facility.

It's natural for people to oppose the establishment of a nursery school in their neighborhood.

The children from the nursery school are assigned to nearby schools, which local parents don't like.

Moreover, as the land prices in this neighborhood continue to rise, the closure of the nursery school would accelerate this trend.

The owner of the cultural center would undoubtedly find the nursery school an eyesore.

"I was thinking about it too."

"Then what about the children?"

Han Goo-in's voice rose, uncharacteristically.

He was feeling a sense of betrayal towards the director.

"......I'll only tell you this, student. Actually, I got information about the construction before it started."

"Huh?"

"They said they would find a new place for the nursery school. But would I believe that right away? I went through so much to build this nursery school. I even needed the mayor's approval."

If someone said they would sell land or provide a building for a nursery school, who would do it?

"But, but... It turned out to be true. If I transfer this building and move there, it fits perfectly. The facilities are better, and they said they would provide a lot of support."

"Is that the owner of the land?"

"So you don't need to worry at all, student."

It's like a happy ending from a dream.

But Han Goo-in believed it.

Because it was being carried out by Hong Goo-hyeon's father.

'That's why I came here. According to the director, there was no need to worry at all.'

When he heard about the construction of the cultural center, he immediately worried about the nursery school.

He hadn't slept well for days, worrying about the children, but it turned out to be so easily resolved.

"Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for? I'm just doing my job."

"The children will cry if they hear this."

"I made a slip of the tongue. Don't tell the children."

Despite his words, the director is a good person.

"Is there a performance today? Do you want to watch it?"

"A performance?"

"They said a dance academy is putting on a performance. It's a volunteer activity."

Most of the volunteers who come to the nursery school are high school or college students who need volunteer hours.

Once, a university drama club came and performed a play, but a dance performance was something new.

"Will the children like it?"

"Some high school students said they won't watch it. But that's to be expected. The elementary and middle school students really enjoy it."

It seems the academy's performance team included idol songs in their performance.

The nursery school doesn't have many entertainment options.

The children can't each have a smartphone, so the TV is the only entertainment medium.

Among them, music shows are particularly popular.

One reason Han Goo-in is popular with the children is that he has connections in the entertainment industry.

When he tells them stories about meeting 'someone,' the children get very excited.

"Since I haven't been here in a while, I'll watch the performance and help with the evening cleanup."

"I'm sorry to ask on a weekend. If you're helping, could you also help set up the stage?"

Han Goo-in worked with the staff to clear out the largest room.

It was originally where desks and play equipment for younger children were located, but they moved everything to the corners to create as much space as possible.

The children entered the room and found their seats.

Some were interested, others not, but most seemed to be planning to watch the performance today.

"Hello!"

A short while later, the door opened, and the dance academy's performance team arrived.

They seemed to be students from the academy.

They all looked young.

They set up the speakers they brought and checked if the sound was working properly.

Meanwhile, Han Goo-in killed time by looking at the company group chat.

[Han Goo-in: Rika, do you still have any health juice left?]

[Rika: I still have a lot.]

[Park Sung-pil: Liar. You're out of health juice.]

[Rika: Devil.]

[Han Goo-in: I'll make some and leave it at the office tomorrow.]

[Rika: Working on the weekend, huh.]

[Hong Goo-hyeon: This is an announcement group, not a chat room.]

[Rika: (Embarrassed lion emoji)]

[Park Sung-pil: (Lion emoji with hearts)]

[Han Goo-in: Where did you get those emojis?]

[Hong Goo-hyeon: This is an announcement group.]

A familiar melody reached Han Goo-in's ears.

It was the title song of a girl group that was currently topping the charts. The children let out joyful screams.

On the other hand, Han Goo-in wasn't particularly interested.

He wasn't deeply knowledgeable about Korean popular music.

No, 'it doesn't suit me' would be a more accurate description.

Suddenly, a black sediment seemed to accumulate in his chest.

'Am I even qualified to do this?'

No matter how many hit K-pop songs he listened to, they didn't resonate with Han Goo-in's heart.

His appreciation only went as far as 'it's good.'

In contrast, how about Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto? The first melody alone made his nose tingle.

Or Beethoven's Symphony No. 9? The final movement naturally made his heart swell.

If he told this to Sung-pil or Hong Goo-hyeon, they might get angry, but to Han Goo-in, K-pop was just a musical trend that would last 10 to 20 years.

'I don't really understand what Director Park meant by the aura of idols.'

It seemed like a term made up to mock people.

Han Goo-in sighed and lifted his head.

It was rude to keep his head down in front of someone performing so earnestly.

Then his eyes met those of one of the dancers.

"......"

"......"

They clearly saw each other.

At that moment, Han Goo-in's heart beat wildly.

A feeling of his blood rushing down and then surging up.

Time paused for a moment, and then she started moving again.

Her body moved beautifully in rhythm with the intense melody of K-pop.

She was wearing a black crop top and short pants, making it look like pale silk fluttering in the wind.

The movement of her light purple hair and clothes felt like part of the dance, and the music seemed to exist for the audience to watch the dance.

Whoever said K-pop, K-pop dance, and idols were just passing musical trends?

'This is art.'

More precisely, her very existence is art.

* * *

Han Goo-in found out which academy the dance team belonged to by asking them.

He said he would visit later, revealing his identity, but on the bus, his mind changed.

He got off the bus and caught a taxi to the academy.

'This is the feeling.'

When Sung-pil suddenly turned around and chased Baek Seol-ha.

Han Goo-in thought he was crazy, but this must have been the feeling.

An uncontrollable fire of love spreading.

This must be the feeling Sung-pil emphasized, the feeling of falling in love with an idol.

"Huff, huff."

Han Goo-in ran non-stop to the fourth-floor dance academy.

By the time he reached the door, he was quite out of breath.

He opened the glass door and went inside.

Excited, he didn't even change into slippers at the shoe rack and went in.

He might be mistaken for a thief or intruder, but it was too late to consider that.

"Ah."

Then Han Goo-in saw her.

In the room marked "Practice Room 1," he could see her through the small glass window in the door.

She was sitting on the floor, sewing the costume she would wear for the performance, exuding an indescribable beauty.

A scholar once wrote hundreds of pages after seeing the sculpture Laocoön.

Han Goo-in felt a similar artistic passion.

He opened the door, and she saw him.

It was as if a manifestation of beauty appeared before his eyes.

"Um, hello. I'm this kind of person."

She didn't show any signs of alarm at the sudden appearance of Han Goo-in.

Instead, she quickly snatched the business card from his hand.

Her movements suggested annoyance.

"Have you ever thought about becoming an idol trainee?"

She slightly opened her lips.

Han Goo-in was hopeful.

He was more pleased to hear her voice, whether it was an acceptance or rejection.

She was the first person Han Goo-in had discovered and was passionate about recruiting.

"Ah— I don't need it. Get out."

And the first words he heard from her were a cold dismissal.

* * *

Sung-pil recalled the favor he had asked of Hong Goo-hyeon the day before. He had said, "Please, let me take one day off."

Actually, taking a day off wasn't something to be criticized.

It's legally mandated to accumulate one day off per month, and it should be used when needed.

However, there was a reason Hong Goo-hyeon was unhappy.

"Taking a day off to help another agency?"

"Yes. Their road manager ran away."

"No replacement?"

"Two of them ran away at the same time."

"What kind of agency is that?"

Not only the fact that he was taking a day off, but also the fact that he was helping another company.

Hong Goo-hyeon was unhappy.

But she still allowed it.

"Is this the new road manager?"

At 5 a.m., after picking up the seven members of the boy group from their dormitory, they looked at him curiously.

The youngest member, looking somewhat arrogant, said,

"How long will you last this time..."

"I'm not a road manager. I'm not even joining this company. I'm a temporary replacement from another agency. We'll only be together for one day, so let's try not to make things awkward."

"Ah, okay."

The youngest member responded awkwardly.

After that, it was something Sung-pil often did.

Going to the shop, checking the schedule at the broadcasting station, running around the stage and waiting room, slightly nervous during rehearsals, and worried about getting the order wrong.

"You worked hard."

A friend, Yoo Hae-eum, who had just finished another job, smiled awkwardly and handed him a drink.

"But it doesn't seem like you were that tired?"

Sung-pil's complexion was even better than usual.

"Maybe it's because I haven't done a proper job in a while. It actually gives me more energy. At my current company, I spend the whole day looking for trainees."

"Looking for trainees? What about auditions?"

"It's an agency where name recognition doesn't work. Sigh, I might have to go to the provinces to find them. I just can't see any..."

"Ah."

A voice full of frustration came from the