Chapter 19

# Chapter 019

"How did you find out?"

The two continued their conversation as they walked from the restaurant to the cafe.

"I went to a certain orphanage for work. The students from the academy were there for a volunteer performance. I saw her there."

"Is that so."

It's not uncommon for the academy's performance team to perform at local events or institutions.

If they gain some recognition, they might even go to places like the new recruit training center or training camps.

"Since you know her name, did you try to talk to her?"

Seong Pil secretly hoped for a positive answer.

In fact, Hanguin seemed to be losing enthusiasm gradually.

Hong Gyuheon had also pointed out that Hanguin had developed a 200-question evaluation form to objectively assess the appeal of idol trainees.

He had gone around Seoul with it, but the results were not promising.

So, it was quite a relief that he had found someone he liked.

'Besides, Joara is a real dancer. I don't know how skilled she is now, but she did work as a professional dancer when she grew up.'

This proved Hanguin's eye for talent.

Seong Pil met Joara when she was in her late 20s and had established herself.

He only heard about her earlier days in passing.

But making a living by dancing is no easy feat.

She must have had a tough life.

"I did try to talk to her."

"Why, did she say no?"

"Well, she probably didn't like it."

"You gave an ambiguous answer. Usually, when someone hears about becoming an idol, they react like that. They go home, search the company's name, and look for reviews."

That was already a sign of a mistake.

Garo Entertainment is not well-known.

If you search it on the internet, the name of a disbanded boy group will come up.

There's no way anyone would trust such a place.

If I were Seong Pil, I would have tried to persuade her with a grand vision of the future, but from Hanguin's expression, it seemed he wasn't that thick-skinned.

"Still, an ambiguous answer could also mean she's considering it."

"She told me to leave because she's not interested."

"......That's a straightforward rejection, isn't it? There was no need to use the word 'probably.'"

"That's right."

Hanguin slumped his shoulders.

He looked even more pitiful than when he was teased by Rika.

"Did you ask her why?"

"No. I was too flustered. So, I just left. Now, I think I made a mistake."

"You have to leave if she tells you to. What can you do?"

Seong Pil could empathize with Hanguin.

He had also tried to find trainees in his previous life.

When he approached someone he liked, some would immediately and coldly say 'no.'

In such cases, there was nothing else to do but back off.

If you keep approaching and following them, you might end up being reported and become a criminal.

"What will you do from now on?"

Hanguin recalled what Seong Pil had done so far. He had shown continuous interest in Rika and Baek Seolha.

When the opportunity to persuade them came, he expressed his feelings and brought them in.

Hanguin wanted to emulate that passion.

"I'll keep trying to contact her. I really want to bring her in."

"I hope it works out. If you need any help, let me know."

"Would you come with me?"

"Mr. Han, you can do it. With sincerity and passion!"

"Sincerity, passion...... That's right. I can't give up after just one try."

Seong Pil knows the principal of the academy Joara attends. If he can get information about her through him, it might make persuasion easier.

'I want to see how Mr. Han does it.'

Hanguin is quite articulate.

With his experience at a famous company, he must be skilled at presenting to people.

To fulfill his sense of achievement, it would be better to let Hanguin act independently for a while.

'And I didn't have a particularly good relationship with Joara. If I get involved, it might have the opposite effect. Ah, if only Yu Ha-eum wasn't there, it would have been fine, but......'

* * *

For a few days, Hanguin followed Joara.

It wasn't stalking, though.

He visited the academy, a legitimate place to meet her, every day.

Of course, he had the permission of the academy staff.

"Ha ha, Ara?"

Baek Minjeong laughed awkwardly when she heard Hanguin's request. Joara was a good dancer and had a great appearance, so she had received casting offers before.

Knowing this, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Hanguin.

"Yes, that's right. She only has breaks during lunch and dinner. You won't have much time to talk to her otherwise."

"Thank you for allowing me."

Baek Minjeong thought he would visit once or twice during lunch or dinner and then stop if he was rejected.

But she was wrong.

Hanguin approached Joara as she was leaving for lunch.

Joara had left school early, dropped off her bag at the academy, and was heading out for lunch with her friends.

"Hello."

Her friends were stunned by Hanguin's appearance.

A handsome man like him, who usually only appears on TV, had just approached them.

They stopped and fixed their hair, while Joara looked at him indifferently.

"I'm Han Goo-in, the manager of Garo Entertainment."

Hanguin formally handed her a business card.

He held it with both hands, bowed slightly, and exuded a "please take it" vibe.

Joara's friends exclaimed and patted her shoulder proudly.

"I'm not interested."

Joara walked away, leaving Hanguin standing there.

"I'll pass the message for you!"

"Ah, thank you."

Fortunately, one of her friends took the card and passed it to Joara.

Joara, who had run over, turned around and looked at Hanguin.

Their eyes met, and she smiled while casually folding the card with one hand.

At least she didn't throw it on the ground and put it in her pocket......

"......"

That was unlikely.

A business card is a professional's soul.

There are established ways to handle receiving a business card, and it means more than just a greeting.

Hanguin had every right to be angry......

'She has a really charming smile.'

......It was a situation where he could be angry, but Hanguin was delighted to see Joara's smile.

And again, in the evening.

Hanguin approached Joara as she was leaving for dinner and handed her another business card.

"Sir, can I call you sir?"

"Yes, yes, that's fine."

Hanguin was happy just because Joara talked to him and looked at him directly for the first time.

His smile was almost servile.

"Do you have a bad memory? I told you I'm not interested."

"But, just in case......"

"There's no 'just in case.' Don't come here again."

The cold response made his heart freeze.

Hanguin hesitated and then shouted after her.

"I'll come back!"

Joara stopped, turned around, and stood in front of him again.

He knew it wouldn't be a good response.

Hanguin braced himself.

"I don't dislike being an idol. I dislike management companies."

"......Management companies?"

"And you are a management company employee, right? I have plenty of reasons to dislike you."

Hanguin was shocked.

He never thought Joara's dislike was not just for idols but for management companies themselves.

And that she disliked him personally!

How could he remove the prejudice against his profession?

"Why do you dislike them?"

"Well, it's like someone who was bitten by a dog when they were young disliking dogs."

"Fear can be overcome through direct exposure and repeated practice."

"......I'm not afraid. I know not all dogs are bad."

Joara emphasized the word 'dogs' and glanced at Hanguin.

"But the feeling of not liking dogs. Can you understand that?"

"I understand."

"Then you won't come back, right? I have no intention of getting involved with a management company."

Joara disappeared without looking back.

Indeed, Hanguin's mental state couldn't remain intact after this.

It was a perfect rejection.

Now, there was no choice but to give up.

Of course, after trying the last method.

"Mr. Park!"

Hanguin went to Seong Pil and told him everything that happened with Joara.

He had tried to hide his feelings in front of Joara, so he didn't realize how he felt about her rejection.

"Yes, it must have been tough."

"......But when I think about it, 'dogs' usually have a cute image, right? Is there a possibility that she has some goodwill towards me?"

"Yes, well, it's possible."

"But even if she has some goodwill towards me, it's useless. Even if she likes me, joining Garo Entertainment is a different matter."

"......"

Seong Pil thought Hanguin didn't seem to be very aware of his own appearance.

Now, it seemed he wasn't aware at all.

Hanguin seemed to develop a crush only on people he was interested in.

"What should I do in this situation?"

After an hour of chatting, they finally got to the main topic.

Seong Pil, who was exhausted, answered slowly.

"If Joara herself has no will, there's nothing you can do. The only method might be to persuade her parents. If you want to put in more effort, you could gather information from people around her, like why she dislikes management companies."

"Is it okay to do that?"

"Later, when Joara finds out, she might feel some disgust."

Hanguin gave Seong Pil a pleading look.

He wanted help.

"......Yes, I'll take the disgust. If there's anything you need, let me know."

Seong Pil was also curious about Joara.

Most importantly, he wanted to help Hanguin.

If he failed to recruit Joara, Hanguin might lose interest in this job forever.

'Joara...... If her personality remains the same in the future, it might be a bit easier.'

"I need to meet Minjeong first."

"Do you mean the trainer at Joara's academy? Do you know her personally?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?! It would have been easier!"

Hanguin wanted to see how he approached trainees.

He couldn't say that, so he came up with a reasonable excuse.

* * *

"Six months since we last talked, and you want to go drinking...... Are you looking for a replacement after breaking up with your girlfriend?"

"I don't have a girlfriend."

"You did?"

"I never did."

Baek Minjeong laughed loudly.

She didn't understand why being single was so funny.

If you're busy, you might not have time for a relationship......

Adapting to the manager job and finding great satisfaction in it, she didn't feel the need to focus on anything else.

But considering how lonely the latter part of her previous life was, she resolved not to get too absorbed in work this time.

"Have you ever confessed to a girl?"

"Ah, let's stop talking about girls."

"You're embarrassed, so you're changing the subject. Really, you've never had a girlfriend? Wow, a loner? Is that true?"

"Lonely......? What does that mean?"

"Guess."

Seong Pil didn't know the meaning of 'loner' until they arrived at the restaurant.

Baek Minjeong took him to a meat restaurant frequented by office workers.

He asked if the smell would bother her, and she said she wore clothes she could throw away for the purpose of eating meat.

"I'm dying today. I'm not going home. Order soju."

"If you get drunk again, I'll really kill you......"

Seeing Baek Minjeong drink soju, Seong Pil was speechless.

He brought out the ride-hailing app, which he hadn't used since leaving Success Entertainment, to the main screen.

"Hey, it's good to see you after a long time. How have you been?"

"I've been fine. But what about your academy? Isn't there a Joara?"

Baek Minjeong's gaze turned sour at the direct question.

"Hey, we haven't even finished catching up, and you're already getting to the point?"

"What's the point of catching up? You worked as a trainer and choreographer, and I continued as a manager......"

No, that's not it.

Seong Pil had gone through a huge change by leaving Success Entertainment.

Baek Minjeong, who got drunk quickly and lost her composure when drunk, wanted to hear the main topic first.

Seong Pil had no choice but to share his own situation. Baek Minjeong, who was drinking, seemed to have doubled her empathy and even teared up.

"They're really scum. I'm glad I left. Let's have another drink."

"Thanks. But what about your academy and Joara......"

"Didn't I have a really embarrassing experience the other day?"

"......"

Is this intentional?

Seong Pil was a bit annoyed but thought there must be a reason for changing the subject.

By 10 PM, they were both swaying.

Baek Minjeong sighed.

"I can smell alcohol on your breath."

"I can't smell it. Only you are clean."

"......Do you have any problems?"

Seong Pil asked casually, and Baek Minjeong made a clicking sound and massaged her neck.

It was a habit she had when she had something difficult to say.

"No, it's not hard."

"What is it? Tell me. You're changing the subject to talk about this, right?"

"No, not necessarily."

"What do you want to say, then!"

"......Well, you know the person who was next to you at the broadcasting station?"

"Yu Ha-eum?"

"Yes, Director Yu Ha-eum."

Hearing an unexpected name, the alcohol seemed to wear off a bit.

"No, no, no, I'm not saying I'm weak in front of other people. It's not like I'm kneeling or anything. It's just, you know, I don't want to talk about money, right? But......"

Baek Minjeong was so drunk that her logic didn't make sense.

"Ara's dislike of management companies, that person might be partly to blame. Well, that's it."

"......Why?"

"No, it's not a direct reason."

"Ha. Should I get you some hangover medicine? You're almost not in your right mind."

"I am in my right mind. ...Well, big brother."

Even while drunk, Baek Minjeong showed a hint of embarrassment.

Seong Pil sensed that this was a story she would never tell when sober.

"Can you get some money for me?"

"......"

This is going to be a very sticky situation.