Chapter 23

# Chapter 023

The two of them seemed to have put on masks of smiles, as their faces remained smiling throughout their conversation.

Babbling on, saying this and that.

"Right?"

Joa's mind was elsewhere, so she couldn't understand what Baeg Seolha was asking.

"What?"

However, regardless of the content, Joa's tone was sharp.

Baeg Seolha was slightly taken aback by this response.

Realizing her explanation was insufficient, she felt a bit guilty and explained again.

"You can do it, Ara. Right?"

"..."

"Where's your mind at?"

"..."

"No, I was just... thinking about what we had for lunch today."

"You'll have two more schedules added from today."

"Really?"

Even that she couldn't let go.

She was already struggling to keep up with her current schedule, and now more were being added?

"Mr. Han will teach you English. The purpose of Garo Enter is to produce global stars. You need to know a couple of foreign languages."

"I've never heard that before."

"That's how it is now. Rika can already speak two languages. Once she becomes fluent in English, that will be three."

If "I Can Speak English" means being fluent.

"Ara, you need to learn a foreign language to keep up with the global trend. By the way, what's your English level?"

"..."

Joa glanced at Baeg Seolha. She blinked her large eyes, not understanding the meaning behind her gaze.

Sung Pil, sensing the atmosphere, took Joa aside for a moment.

Joa cautiously confessed.

"Level 8."

She felt ashamed.

This was the first time she felt so embarrassed about not being good at studying.

She had become so used to telling her parents, "I'm not going to college!" that it felt strange to admit her low grades to someone else, especially to Sung Pil.

"Hmm."

Indeed, Sung Pil looked a bit troubled.

The more he did, the more Joa wished she could disappear into a mouse hole.

No, in such a situation, she should be more confident.

Just as she was about to show a rebellious attitude with "What?" Sung Pil asked first.

"Do you know the alphabet?"

"Who do you think I am?"

"How about pronunciation symbols?"

"Like 'A' is 'ah' and so on?"

"Right. Can you read them?"

"Yes, but I'm not very familiar with them."

"Then it's fine!"

Sung Pil patted Joa's shoulder encouragingly.

"Rika became conversational in Korean in less than a year. You'll learn quickly like Rika. Don't worry. Rika is just starting to learn English, so the two of you can help each other and improve faster."

"But you said Rika would soon be fluent in English."

"Did I?"

"Don't lie. I know I'm not good at studying."

"You haven't tried, that's all. There's no need to be ashamed."

100% lies.

He was just saying anything to boost her confidence. She knew that, but...

Joa felt a slight boost from his encouragement.

She might have gained a bit of courage to learn English.

"Should I learn English too?"

"Yes, of course. Seolha needs to learn it too."

"Ugh."

"Even tests."

"Ugh..."

Baeg Seolha slumped.

Seeing this, Joa suddenly felt a tremendous enthusiasm for English.

'I'll do better than that person.'

Why?

Because Joa's goal was to humble Sung Pil.

She didn't know what made Sung Pil so confident, but in the end, she would win.

'I'll outshine all the trainees in this company by the end of the short-term training.'

The short-term training ends in 24 days.

She would definitely complete all her schedules.

"And next, you'll receive vocal training from Seolha."

"Thank you."

Joa was surprised, having imagined Sung Pil kneeling and begging.

"Seolha, I mean, Baeg Seolha...?"

"Yes. She used to be a vocal trainer at a famous academy. She'll teach you well."

"I'm only a temporary trainer."

"It's the same. She teaches well and sings well."

The two of them were having a friendly conversation.

Hearing that Baeg Seolha was a trainer, Joa felt a sense of defeat.

* * *

Han Goo-in's English class.

Originally, Rika was the only student.

But with the addition of Baeg Seolha and Joa, there were now three.

Han Goo-in felt more passionate than burdened.

He was determined to make these three proficient in English.

"From today, we will only use English in this classroom."

This plan lasted only one day.

No one spoke during class.

"Alright. No one starts off being able to converse. Confidence comes from vocabulary and grammar. Let's start with translation."

He began with middle school level material.

Han Goo-in decided to assess Baeg Seolha and Joa's prior knowledge with simple questions.

"Can you translate this?"

"John is a lovely little young boy who lives next door."

Baeg Seolha spoke intermittently.

"John is..."

"Good."

"lovely, small, young boy."

"Good job."

"who lives next door...?"

"Ah, yes, yes."

Level: Middle school or below.

She hadn't touched English since elementary school.

Han Goo-in turned to Joa, who was secretly smiling.

He gave her a warm smile to ensure she didn't feel pressured, but Joa froze like ice under his gaze.

"John is..."

"Good."

"lovely, small, young...?"

"Ah, yes."

"Who lives next door...?"

"..."

Han Goo-in discarded all his prepared materials.

Instead, he prepared a completely new lesson.

"Let's learn through songs. After all, one of your primary reasons for learning English is to read English lyrics better when singing."

This was quite effective.

Rika and Baeg Seolha, being familiar with singing, followed along without hesitation and learned quickly.

The problem was Joa.

"Ara."

Han Goo-in called her in a warm and compassionate tone, careful not to hurt her feelings.

"Can you sing a bit louder?"

"Choco-chip, smoothie, ice and cold..."

Joa was embarrassed to sing in front of others.

It would get better with practice.

Han Goo-in waited patiently.

On the fourth day of Joa and Baeg Seolha joining the English class,

"Can I observe?"

Sung Pil requested to observe the class. Han Goo-in had no reason to refuse.

He readily agreed and continued the lesson.

"Today, we'll memorize and sing the Beatles' 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand.'"

The usual class atmosphere.

Rika carefully examined the faces of the Beatles members on the cover of the handout.

Baeg Seolha glanced over the lyrics.

Joa glanced at Sung Pil, who was sitting in the back.

'Why is he observing...?'

Joa's plan was to show a perfect performance at the end of the short-term training, the final test.

Objectively, she was the worst in this English class.

She didn't want to show this to Sung Pil.

"Seolha, your pronunciation is always good."

"No, compared to Mr. Han, who worked at an American company..."

"You're modest."

Baeg Seolha had sung many pop songs and put a lot of effort into pronouncing English lyrics in Korean songs.

Naturally, her pronunciation was good.

Moreover, she learned quickly and could sing a song without looking at the lyrics after a few tries.

Even without grammar, this made subsequent lessons much easier.

"I wanna hold your hand."

Rika's pronunciation was an issue.

She had received corrections at her previous agency but hadn't completely fixed her accent.

As a native Japanese speaker, she found it difficult to pronounce final consonants.

Still, she sang well without hesitation.

"Rika, you're improving. You're the fastest at memorizing lyrics."

"Hehe."

Rika smiled innocently at Han Goo-in's praise.

Next was Joa.

Joa swallowed and stood up. She covered the lyrics and started singing to the melody.

"I wanna hold your hand..."

What should I do?

Compared to Baeg Seolha, my pronunciation is terrible.

What was the next line?

Ah, I forgot the lyrics...

"Would you like more time?"

Han Goo-in, stopping the accompaniment, asked gently.

Joa bit her lip and looked back.

Sung Pil was quietly watching her.

'I want to bite my tongue...'

* * *

Joa attended another dance academy in addition to the U No Dance Academy.

It specialized in idol performances.

"One! Two! Three! Four! Above your head! Hammer! Down! One! Two! Three! Four! Sit!"

The trainer called out strange names for each move as they danced.

The trainees were a beat behind the trainer.

"Ara! Expression!"

Joa quickly forced a smile.

She had been so focused on the dance that she hadn't paid attention to her face.

This was her problem.

Always smiling, isn't that strange?

"No! Strongly! Intensely! A seductive smile!"

Even the smiles weren't the same.

Joa had been criticized several times.

"Rika is great!"

In contrast, Rika received only praise.

Even to Joa, Rika was impressive.

Her body movements and facial expressions were perfectly synchronized.

Anyone who saw her dance, even for a moment, would be captivated by her charm.

Joa thought she wouldn't be outdone in dance, but she was wrong.

Idol performances were clearly different from her world.

"Break!"

As soon as the trainer announced a break, the trainees sprawled on the floor.

Joa lay down, then went to her bag in the corner and took out the handout.

"I wanna hold your hand..."

She thought of Baeg Seolha.

How did she pronounce it?

Should I roll my tongue more?

When she tried, it just sounded sensual.

Joa felt a bit of despair and bowed her head. But soon, she focused on memorizing the lyrics and pronunciation.

"Say you something..."

Rika, seeing Joa's efforts, swallowed a small loneliness.

'I wanted to go to the bathroom and chat during breaks when the trainees came in...'

Rika was still lonely.

Unaware of this, Joa focused on memorizing pop song lyrics.

To avoid embarrassing herself in front of Sung Pil next time.

"Hello."

Then, Sung Pil entered the academy's practice room.

The trainer recognized him and approached.

They had a conversation, then Sung Pil went to a corner and sat down.

"Let's start again!"

The trainer clapped.

As the trainees groaned and stood up, Joa's eyes were fixed on Sung Pil in the mirror.

"Okay, let's continue from where we left off!"

The music started.

Joa realized then.

'He's watching me.'

Her breath caught in her throat.

This can't be.

The trainer will definitely...

"Ara! Ara! Smile! Smile!"

As expected...

That day, Joa received a lot of criticism.

Compared to Rika, it was惨不忍睹.

* * *

"Aaaah!"

Joa screamed as she entered the company's practice room.

"Why! Why do you keep coming to watch me!"

Why does he come to watch when I'm being criticized by the trainer? When I'm in the English class where I lack confidence.

Why is Sung Pil doing this?

Can't he just leave me alone and see me at the end-of-month evaluation?

"Huff, huff."

No matter how angry she was, nothing changed.

Joa stood in front of the mirror and looked at her expression. She looked angry even without trying.

She changed her expression to a smile.

Yesterday, she was criticized the most for her expression during the performance.

Since Sung Pil might come to watch again, she would make sure not to be criticized by then.

'Just wait and see. My skills are not that bad. I can sing pop songs better. I can speak English better. I can dance better. I can sing better. I can do everything better. I can do better...'

Joa repeatedly practiced smiling in front of the mirror. Then, she received a message on KakaoTalk.

It was from Sung Pil.

'It's already past 10?'

Joa trudged out of the company. Sung Pil was waiting by the car.

She sat in the back seat without a word.

When Sung Pil sat in the driver's seat, a faint smell of cigarettes filled the car.

An awkward silence lingered even after the car started.

Joa's heart tightened, fearing he would speak.

'He saw everything today.'

At the academy, she was criticized multiple times by the trainer.

Han Goo-in's English class was better than the academy.

On the surface, Han Goo-in gently encouraged Joa.

But that made her feel even more hurt.

It made her feel like a child who needed special consideration.

'What is he thinking?'

While Joa was feeling anxious,

"Ara."

"Wh-What?"

"When you're in a car with an adult, you should sit in the front passenger seat."

"Huh?"

"The front passenger seat is number 1. The seat behind the driver is number 2. The seat behind the front passenger is number 3. The highest-ranking person sits in number 3."

Joa was currently in seat number 3.

She was relieved that Sung Pil didn't bring up the training.

At the same time, his comment made her feel rebellious.

"What's that? Some kind of old-fashioned rule? Should I move to the front now?"

"It doesn't matter when you're with me. But if you're with someone else, you should sit that way."

"Okay, okay, I got it."

"Ara."

"What?"

"Nobody is good at everything from the start."

Joa's heart raced.

Sung Pil's casual encouragement pierced her heart.

"Take it slow. Do what you can. Don't rush."

He didn't say anything more.

Joa, expecting to be scolded, was both surprised and relieved, feeling a mix of emotions.

In the end, she only muttered softly.

"What..."

Joa didn't speak until she got out of the car. Neither did Sung Pil.

She thanked him and went up to her apartment. Today, she used the stairs instead of the elevator.

Thump, thump, her regular steps quickly sped up. She ran with all her might.

Panting, she entered her home and fell onto the bed, rolling around.

"Haa, haa."

She felt strange.

Joa took a shower and lay back in bed. Even with the lights off and her eyes closed, she couldn't sleep.

She turned the lights back on, opened her bag, and took out the handout from Han Goo-in.

'Just a little more, then I'll go to sleep.'