Chapter 29

# Chapter 029

Seong Pil approached her directly.

"Did you wait long? I don't know how to apologize. I'm really sorry."

She only nodded without a word.

If he were to smile nicely in such a situation, he would be nothing but a pushover.

Seong Pil looked at the coffee cup in front of her.

The bottom was already visible.

"Here's my business card."

She took the card and placed it at the corner of the table.

And she remained silent.

"I'll go order a drink. Is there anything you'd like...?"

"It's fine."

"Okay."

Seong Pil headed to the counter, his mind racing.

'What was her name?'

If he had called her last night, he must have heard her name.

How could he forget a name he had heard?

Especially when he had even set up a meeting?

It was a disgrace for a manager.

He had hoped that by offering his business card, she would also say her name, but it didn't work.

'What was it? What was it? What was it? What was it? Ah, damn, why did I call her last night?'

Memories were slowly surfacing.

"Customer, your order...?"

"What takes the longest?"

"Excuse me?"

"What takes the longest?"

"The today's coffee tall size takes the longest."

"I'll have that."

Seong Pil lingered near the counter.

He had to remember her name before the coffee arrived.

As he strained his brain, a different memory surfaced.

"Strike while the iron is hot, and since we're on the topic, call her now!"

The faint voice of Seong Yun-soo.

Seong Yun-soo had insisted that he contact her immediately.

Seong Pil had called her while drunk, trying hard not to show it.

As a result, they had set up a meeting for 12 PM today.

Of all times, 12 PM, lunchtime...

'It was because of that guy!'

Seong Yun-soo's laughter echoed in his head.

He wanted to call and complain, but ultimately, it was Seong Pil who had decided to contact her.

It was his own fault.

If he had checked his call history, this wouldn't have happened.

'Now I just need to remember her name.'

"Here's your today's coffee tall size."

Damn.

Seong Pil took the coffee and walked slowly back to the table.

Her name still didn't come to him by the time he sat down across from her.

"Once again, I apologize. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay."

He was worried she might ask why he was late, but her next words put his mind at ease.

"Don't feel too bad. I understand."

"Huh? What...?"

"You called me after drinking last night, right? You forgot, didn't you?"

"..."

Trying to hide his drunken state... what a joke...

He must have sounded pretty drunk over the phone. The noise from the bar must have carried through.

'This is the worst.'

Seong Pil had just given the worst first impression.

If he really wanted to bring her in as a trainee, he would have been sweating bullets.

No, he might have even knelt down and begged.

"My name is Jang Hae-yang, and I'm twenty years old."

Jang Hae-yang gave him all the information he wanted.

Her name, her age.

This made him feel even more guilty.

Seong Pil nodded awkwardly, and Jang Hae-yang smiled for the first time.

"I'm unemployed anyway, so I don't have anything to do."

Seong Pil was sensitive to people's emotions.

He could tell if someone was being sincere or not.

From Jang Hae-yang, he could sense that she really didn't mind his tardiness.

'She's an angel.'

Seong Pil felt both sorry and grateful, and he just smiled foolishly.

Jang Hae-yang seemed to take pity on him and took the lead in the conversation.

She was mature beyond her twenty years and had a broad heart.

"By the way, you said you work for a management company, right? Yesterday?"

"Yes, I work at Garo Entertainment."

"I was surprised. I gave my number to Mr. Seong a few years ago, so it was surprising that you remembered me."

"I was surprised to hear that too. It's not easy to remember someone I met a few years ago."

"Really?"

"By the way, do you work at Deveenus?"

Jang Hae-yang nodded, slightly surprised.

"You remembered."

"So, you remembered me too?"

"Yes, from the moment I heard your voice on the phone. You were shouting 'I'm sorry!' really loudly at the cafe, remember?"

That was when he had apologized for Rica's outburst.

"Thank you for bringing me a tissue then."

"You're welcome."

"I'm not someone people remember, but it's really surprising that you remembered me and we met again."

"Me too. But why did you want to see me today?"

"Didn't I tell you?"

"Yes, you just called and set up a meeting. You said you worked for a management company."

Seong Pil felt his face heat up.

He had done a lot of bad things to a stranger he had just met.

Jang Hae-yang laughed, seemingly finding something amusing.

She seemed to be a person who laughed a lot.

"I wanted to see you because... oh, I should have said this first..."

He wanted to see how she would be as an idol trainee.

But now that he saw Jang Hae-yang, it was hard to bring up the topic.

'She's a natural beauty.'

Whether it was an actor or an idol, she was beautiful, but what kind of beauty?

That was a term used by people who hadn't actually seen her.

Young actresses who often play leading roles have a certain aura.

To put it bluntly, she might be too heavy for an idol.

She wouldn't stand out on screen but would blend in well... It was a feeling Seong Pil found hard to express.

'But her voice is a bit of a flaw.'

He had thought this when he heard her voice on the phone. Jang Hae-yang's voice was deeper than the average woman's.

It was heavy and resonant, not light and sharp.

If she were to become an actress, it would be hard to match her image. It would be better to strategize to make her appearance fit her voice.

'She probably wouldn't be great at singing idol songs either. Her voice isn't the type that sticks in your ear. She might be better as a rapper.'

He was unsure if she would be suitable as an idol.

To gain confidence, Seong Pil stared at her face.

'Passed.'

If he brought her to the company and had her take a test, the feeling would be even clearer.

"Our company, Garo Entertainment, is preparing a girl group. We're looking for trainees. If you have some free time, would you be willing to take a simple test?"

Jang Hae-yang's eyes widened.

Then she burst out laughing, even shedding a tear.

"Did I say something funny...?"

She finally managed to stop laughing.

"An idol? I can't do that."

Why did she think that?

Wasn't being an idol something that anyone with a pretty face in Korea dreamed of at least once?

"Idols are all about competition and elimination. Standing above others. I can't do that."

She must have been thinking of idol trainee survival programs.

The tears of children who fell behind in the rankings were enough to move viewers.

Why? Because they were pitiful.

Jang Hae-yang didn't want to be in that position.

It was a reasonable concern.

"If, really if, I don't have any talent, but ahaha! Just a hypothetical! If I debut, I'll cause others to be eliminated. How can I be in such a position?"

Seong Pil's assumption was wrong.

Whether it was pretense or not, Jang Hae-yang was more worried about causing others to be eliminated than being eliminated herself.

The immediate response suggested that this was genuine, not something she had prepared.

"I don't like competition..."

Suddenly, Jang Hae-yang's face, which had been full of laughter, hardened.

She brought the empty coffee cup to her lips.

"I don't like competition."

"Garo Entertainment doesn't have trainee competitions. We only select one person for each debut group."

"Can I go to such a place?"

"Hmm."

Giving a definite answer was risky.

From her tone, it seemed she was asking, "Am I suitable for being an idol?"

In such a situation, there was nothing better than a compliment.

It wasn't hard to come up with a compliment. She had plenty of qualities to praise.

"Hae-yang, you could be selected as a trainee just for your looks. You've heard that a lot, right?"

"Ah, countless times."

Jang Hae-yang playfully ran her hand through her hair.

Her provocatively raised eyes made Seong Pil's heart skip a beat.

"Of course, it might be a bit difficult with major agencies. They usually debut trainees who have been training since they were young."

"Am I too old?"

"No!"

Seong Pil felt a sense of déjà vu.

He had a similar conversation with Baek Seol-ha.

"Rather, if it's a place that's about to debut a group and is struggling with member selection, you could be immediately chosen as the main member."

"Ah, so a last-minute member? That would suit me?"

"No!"

Jang Hae-yang laughed at Seong Pil's flustered reaction.

Was she enjoying teasing him?

Honestly, even if he continued to be teased, Seong Pil had nothing to say.

He had wasted her precious time for almost an hour and a half.

"So, does Garo Entertainment need me? Ah, that's a strange question. We just met today, right?"

"As I mentioned earlier, if you come to our company, you'll take a test in front of the CEO."

"Heck. I'll be so nervous. I don't think I'll do well."

"I don't know much about you, but I think you'd do well as an idol."

"Thank you for saying that, but I can't give a good answer."

Suddenly, she refused?

"In fact, I'm an aspiring actress. Ah, it's embarrassing. I'm aiming to be an actress."

He had expected that.

Since Seong Yun-soo had gotten her number, it was natural that she would be an actress.

"So, you're not interested in being an idol at all?"

"Um, I've never thought about it. If you ask me whether I would do it or not, I can only say no. My goal is to be an actress. It's scary to suddenly change."

It wasn't a problem that Jang Hae-yang wasn't interested in being an idol.

The problem was that she had another dream.

No matter how much he liked Jang Hae-yang, there was nothing he could do.

Seong Pil wasn't the kind of person to push someone with another dream.

"That's a shame. If you have other goals, there's nothing I can do. I'll support you in achieving your dreams."

"Thank you. If I ever appear on TV, please support me?"

Jang Hae-yang winked.

Seong Pil's heart skipped a beat with her eyelid.

'She'd be great at training fans if she became an idol.'

At least, Seong Pil felt he would become her fan.

After a short conversation, they left the cafe.

"I'll go now."

"I'm sorry for being late."

"It's fine, I told you."

Seong Pil looked at her smiling face, pondering.

He fidgeted with his hands and finally spoke.

"If you ever become interested, please contact me."

This was the maximum approach he could make at the moment.

It felt a bit clingy, but fortunately, Jang Hae-yang accepted it with a laugh.

"Sure, I will."

Jang Hae-yang answered cheerfully and turned away.

* * *

"Where did you suddenly go?"

"I met a potential trainee. I forgot about the appointment."

"Oh. Did you make her angry?"

"She... I think she didn't get angry."

"She seems like a kind person."

Competition doesn't suit her.

Jang Hae-yang's bitter expression when she said that lingered in his mind.

"What was she like?"

Baek Seol-ha, who had come to the break room for water, joined the conversation.

Seong Pil stared at her face.

As the gaze continued, Baek Seol-ha became flustered and looked away.

"Seol-ha, if you avoid people's gazes like that, how will you perform on stage?"

"I, I'll do well on stage... So, what was she like?"

He had wanted to say, "She had the look of an actress," but Baek Seol-ha came to mind, so he had looked at her.

When Seong Pil first met Baek Seol-ha, he thought she looked like an anchor.

She looked like she could sit at a desk in a white shirt and read the news.

That's how neat and tidy she appeared...

'But Jang Hae-yang is more like... what?'

Got it!

"She was like a CEO."

"Like a CEO?"

"The atmosphere. You know, those characters in dramas who are young but are executives or vice presidents."

"Ah, a chaebol."

"She had the aura of someone who would sit in a private office in a black suit."

Baek Seol-ha couldn't help but laugh.

"You use really interesting metaphors."

"That's true. I've never heard Mr. Park use such metaphors before. When it came to Seol-ha, he used an eye metaphor."

"That, that's enough. Don't mention that... back then."

Seong Pil should have been the one to feel embarrassed, but Baek Seol-ha's face turned red.

Was that memory a trauma for her?

'If someone spouted such things in broad daylight on the street, I'd be so embarrassed I'd run away.'

Baek Seol-ha had managed to endure it.

It was a truly grateful connection.

"Was my description unusual?"

"Yes. For Rica, you said, 'She's a child I want to take care of.' For Seol-ha, you said, 'She's the one I fell for.'"

"Ah! Ah! That's enough! Stop it!"

"And for Ara, you said, 'She's a hot-tempered kid.'"

"That's better."

"Mr. Park never compared the three of them to other people."

Seong Pil faintly understood the reason.

In his past life, Seong Pil had played several actors.

Though he hadn't directly assisted them, as a general manager, he had been involved in various aspects.

Naturally, he had influence in selecting new actors, and he would often say things like:

'That person has the feel of ◯◯. Right?'

Seong Pil always compared actors to other actors or people.

To him, Jang Hae-yang felt closer to an actor.

So, he naturally compared her to someone else when describing her.

"Then, what happened with the person you met? Will she come for the test?"

Seong Pil shook his head.

"She said her dream is to be an actress. It wouldn't be right to keep pushing her."

"Didn't you keep pushing even when they said no before?"

"It's because I didn't want to lose Seol-ha."

Baek Seol-ha gasped at Seong Pil's indifferent answer.

"But she wasn't as special as Seol-ha."

"..."

"Ah, of course, it's just my personal intuition. She didn't dream of being an idol from the start, so it wouldn't be right to keep pushing."

"..."

"Is it okay if you don't go up? It's been 10 minutes."

"Oh, right. I'll go up."

"Good luck with your practice."

Baek Seol-ha hurried up the stairs.

* * *

[...Is it okay?]

"No."

[Hey! I introduced you to someone I know at your request!]

"Someone I know? You can call a person you met a few years ago and haven't seen since 'someone I know'?"

[So, she wasn't good? No way!]

"..."

Jang Hae-yang was definitely a charming talent.

But she didn't exactly capture Seong Pil's heart, and she had also refused the offer.

Seong Yun-soo already knew this from Seong Pil.

"No, that's not it..."

[Then you owe me. Go once.]

"My company doesn't even have actors!"

[Is that important? The fact that you're in a management company is important. You even have the title of manager. Wow! Our Seong Pil has grown up!]

Seong Pil gritted his teeth.

He tried to find a counterargument several times but soon gave up.

No matter how much he argued, Seong Yun-soo wouldn't stop.

"Really, you're taking advantage of me just because I haven't contacted you in a long time. I get it."

[I love you, Park Seong-pil! Manager Park! Manager Park Seong-pil!]

I'm so embarrassed.

He should ask to change his title.

"Tell me