Chapter 66

# Chapter 066

Rika naturally sat next to Seong Pil and raised her hand.

"Boss, give me a bowl of gukbap!"

"What kind would you like?"

"Um... um... What's 'mixed'?"

"Boss, you can't give her that."

"Eh, I have money!"

"I won't give it to you. I was just teasing you, miss."

"Eh?!"

The boss of Hanmaum Gukbap also knows Hong Gyuheon.

The Supress members had come to Hanmaum Gukbap before, breaking their diet, but the boss refused to sell them gukbap no matter what.

"Is this your first time here, Rika?"

"Yes."

Good job, Rika.

You've always resisted the closest temptations.

"Jaeum, this is Ishikawa Rika. She's a Garo Entertainment trainee."

Seong Pil was surprised when Rika first came in.

The gukbap shop is on the way to Jaeum's house, and he came here because he had something to deliver to the dorm.

However, he never imagined that a member would come out of the dorm so late at night, around 1 a.m.

Jaeum is still an outsider.

The members' dorm location must not be revealed.

'I was too hasty.'

But if he acted awkwardly, it might look even stranger.

"Hello! I'm Ishikawa Rika! My dream is to be an idol!"

"Wow, wow, wow. You're the prettiest person I've ever seen in my life."

Rika closed her mouth for a moment, then burst into intermittent laughter.

"Hehe, hehe. Did you hear that, Mr. Lee? I'm the prettiest in the world!"

"You said she's the prettiest person you've ever seen in your life."

"Either way! I'm the prettiest person in your life! In your universe, I'm the most beautiful woman in the world! According to Berkeley's solipsism, that's how it is!"

"Berkeley? What?"

"Ah, you don't know Berkeley? I'm smarter than Mr. Park!"

What is Han Goo-in teaching, anyway?

"Haha."

Jaeum's smile never faded.

Yes, Rika is cute, pretty, and energetic.

Feel free to look.

Seong Pil gives his permission.

He even hopes you look more.

"Here you go, miss."

The boss brought a bowl of beef soup, about the size of a rice bowl, with the fat removed.

Rika looked at Seong Pil, surprised.

When Seong Pil nodded, she finally expressed her gratitude with enthusiasm.

"There's no fat at all. It's amazing!"

While Rika was distracted by the soup, Seong Pil continued his conversation with Jaeum.

"Get out of there quickly."

Jaeum, who had been distracted by Rika, suddenly returned to reality.

"I'm not a ghost writer or anything."

"Even if you stay there for years, you won't get your name on anything."

"...How do you know that?"

"Are you getting paid properly for your work?"

"..."

"Are you at least being well-fed?"

"..."

"Has anyone ever introduced you to connections?"

"..."

"Why do you keep staying there?"

Jaeum's hands trembled as she clutched the bowl of gukbap.

It was to suppress her anger.

Not at Seong Pil, but at Kwon Soon-young.

"There's no other way out."

The young man is naive.

Though considered an adult in society, he is still young and inexperienced.

There are many people in this world who try to take advantage of such naivety.

Jaeum fell into the hands of such people, trapped in a net from which there was no escape, only able to remain trapped, looking at the distant sky for comfort.

"What's the point of staying here?"

Especially in the entertainment industry and related fields, the closed nature is much stronger.

There is little information available to the public.

Even if you try to find out, the information you can get is superficial, and you can't understand how things work unless you experience them firsthand.

Jaeum was brainwashed into thinking that being exploited by Kwon Soon-young was part of the experience.

Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to continue as a ghost writer, a position akin to slavery.

"There's nothing to gain by staying here."

Seong Pil's words cut deep into Jaeum's bones.

Jaeum knows this much.

But she remains trapped in the net because she doesn't know what's outside.

"Wow, you're amazing. You can see my situation with just a glance. But it's irresponsible to say something if you're not going to help. I know. I know, but I'm still here. Of course, Mr. Lee was kind to me, but it's a kind of irresponsible kindness."

"So you're going to keep staying there?"

"It's my job."

You'll probably leave for your hometown in a while. What a pitiful life.

I know you'll succeed later.

But the current hardships must be painful.

Even a future Jaeum, who will succeed without envy, cries when she thinks about the past.

She must carry a lot of scars.

"What do you do, big brother?"

Rika, who had finished her soup, asked.

Jaeum couldn't answer.

She should have said "composer," but she couldn't face the word.

Is she really a composer?

Because of this thought, Jaeum couldn't respond to Rika's question.

Seong Pil asked with a hint of anger.

"Your self-esteem is so low that you can't even say your job, and yet you keep living like this?"

"Why? What does he do?"

"He's a composer."

Jaeum tried to correct Seong Pil's statement, flustered.

"Um, I'm... I'm..."

"You're a composer! Are you famous?"

"Ah..."

"Wait a moment!"

Rika got paper and a pen from the boss.

She wrote "contract" in wobbly letters and added absurd content.

"Give me a song when you become famous!"

"When I become famous?"

"Yes! Of course, I'll pay you! Write the contract!"

"...?"

Jaeum couldn't understand what was happening.

"It'll be hard to get a song from you when you become famous. I want to make a promise now!"

"Rika, you sound really selfish."

"I'll pay you with my beauty! Go ahead, look!"

Rika moved her head from side to side.

It seemed she was trying to show her beauty from different angles.

Jaeum, who had been staring at Rika blankly, turned her eyes to the contract in front of her.

When her gaze reached the bottom, her eyes shook violently as if she had lost her mind.

[Composer ( )]

Jaeum asked herself.

Can she write her name here now?

No.

She's not a composer now.

Still, her hand picked up the pen.

The pen moved.

[Composer (Jaeum Jeong)]

"Eh, it's in Chinese characters! Shirito? Chinon? Tomone? They're all women's names!"

"Don't change your name."

"What's changing your name?"

"Never mind. Anyway, Jaeum, think about it. You're right, but if you decide to leave, I'll sincerely..."

Tears appeared on the contract.

The sound of a tear spread.

Seong Pil closed his mouth.

Jaeum smiled and said,

"I'm a composer. I was a composer."

* * *

After Jaeum left, Seong Pil praised Rika and patted her shoulder.

"You're kind, Rika."

"Yes, I'm kind! But what makes me kind?"

"Just kind."

"Hehe."

Rika immediately noticed that Jaeum was intimidated.

She had also tried to become an actress before becoming a trainee, working hard every day.

But the endless wait for success had worn her out.

Because of this experience, Rika could see Jaeum's state at a glance.

She wanted to encourage him somehow.

So she acted brighter and more eccentric than usual.

Even offering a ridiculous contract.

Rika wanted him to have confidence in his dreams.

"Compliment me more!"

"But why did you come out at night? It's dangerous at this hour."

"I was going to the convenience store."

"To buy food? Did the seniors ask you to?"

"No, no! Goodbye, Mr. Lee!"

"Why are you trying to send me away? What's going on? It's suspicious."

"It's nothing! I'm going to the convenience store! Don't follow me!"

"What? If you need to buy something, I'll buy it for you."

"I'm fine! Go home!"

Rika bought sanitary pads.

As she left the convenience store, Seong Pil apologized.

"Sorry."

"Baka (fool)..."

They didn't speak until they reached the dorm.

Rika greeted him much more politely than usual.

"Goodbye."

"Uh, yeah. Here, the boss asked me to give you this. It's dried persimmon. Eat one a day."

"Thank you."

After Rika went upstairs, Seong Pil felt awkward and quickly left.

'I should ask the boss to provide sanitary pads too.'

* * *

A few days later, Seong Pil received a call that Jaeum had left Kwon Soon-young's studio.

Fortunately, Kwon Soon-young didn't seem to connect Seong Pil and Jaeum.

"What are you going to do now?"

[I need to earn money. I need to get out of the boarding house to do any work. I'll do any job, part-time or manual labor. I only have a healthy body.]

"I hope it goes well."

[Yes, thank you. After I left, I realized why I was trapped. Seoul is so wide. I'll try a little at a time, even if it's slow.]

After the call, Seong Pil found Hong Gyuheon.

"Hehe, boss."

"What is it? Are you holding a contest to make me shiver? What's the prize?"

"Hehe."

"What is it?"

"Should our members learn composition?"

"Finally, a screw has come loose. With debut just around the corner, composition? Small studio? Focus on dance and singing. Starting unnecessary work won't help."

"Rika, Rika. What if she learns a little every week?"

"Does Rika want to learn?"

"Rika can play the piano, you know?"

"The keyboard in the practice room?"

"Yes. Mr. Han taught her 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.' She played it well."

"You can play it too if you learn."

"..."

"Does Rika want to learn?"

"Should I ask her?"

"Ha. What...?"

Hong Gyuheon knows Seong Pil's plan.

The members will learn instruments and composition later, but not now.

"You... don't you have a plan? Isn't it still phase 1? Didn't you say you'd put a song you wrote in phase 2 and an original song in phase 3?"

"If she learns a little..."

"Rika?"

"Yes. Rika. Didn't you think about teaching Rika more? Composition would be perfect."

Seong Pil wants Jaeum to learn composition, but he also wants to bring her in because he wants to get close to her.

She will become a person who creates countless hit songs in the future.

She will even be called a genius arranger, traveling the industry.

Rika and Jaeum were the first people Seong Pil thought of when he returned.

'I want Jaeum to be involved in composition somehow. If there's a good song, she can bring it in.'

Most importantly, he needed to create a connection with her.

Her reputation is almost non-existent now.

If he starts building a close relationship from the beginning of her career, it will inevitably become a strong bond.

Thinking about the future, he needs to create opportunities to meet, whether it's composition lessons or something else.

"Composition is really over the top."

"..."

"Don't make a rain-soaked cat face to make me feel sorry for you."

"..."

"Not even a rain-soaked dog."

"I understand. There's nothing I can do. I understand you, boss."

"Don't use extreme honorifics either."

"Then what?"

"Anything else?"

"I found an amazing composer. Can I bring them to listen to the songs together?"

"An amazing composer?"

Jaeum is said to have composed quite a few songs while being overworked by Kwon Soon-young.

Even if his songs aren't adopted, Seong Pil plans to give him a proper fee and boost his confidence.

This opportunity itself will be an experience for Jaeum.

"Do you just need to listen to the songs, or do you need to bring them?"

"I want to see them as human beings."

"What's their name?"

"Jaeum Jeong."

Hong Gyuheon agreed to see her the next day. Seong Pil contacted Jaeum and told her the news.

[Really? My songs to the boss?]

She, who had once called Garo Entertainment a small company and subtly looked down on it, now looked as if she had been summoned by the president.

[Ah, yes. Of course, I have time. Can I come tomorrow?]

Thus, the plan to get close to Jaeum progressed step by step.

* * *

"Mr. Park."

"Yes."

"Is it natural for girls to become interested in sex during puberty?"

"Of course, if they're human."

"I see."

"Right."

Han Goo-in, troubled, sipped his coffee.

"Is it because of Ara?"

"Did you also do something bizarre to Mr. Park?"

"It was bizarre. I did it to Mr. Han too."

"Yes... he said you developed sexual desire..."

"So what did you say?"

"He said it was for academic purposes, so I taught him what he was curious about."

"...?"

Han Goo-in is very interested in the intellectual capabilities of the members.

He encourages their intellectual curiosity appropriately without forcing them.

Naturally, he teaches them various knowledge...

"What did you teach them?"

"The difference between art and obscenity."

Sigh.

"Maybe she was really curious, or maybe Ara is looking at us with a sexual gaze."

"I might not, but Mr. Han is a suitable target."

"Really?"

"Who said he was handsome?"

"Mr. Park also..."

"I don't want to bow and receive it."

"..."

Why is it getting quiet.

Seong Pil secretly hoped for a response like 'Not a lie.'

Han Goo-in, this honest person... I hate him...

"I'm worried. Should I get plastic surgery?"

"Is my face that much of a problem?! You must not look in the mirror much. My face is handsome too?!"

"No, no. I mean..."

This is the first time I've heard such a luxurious concern.

Thinking about getting plastic surgery because a woman might look at you sexually.

Especially since she seemed to be thinking about it seriously, it made Seong Pil even more annoyed.

"Stop worrying about such trivial things and get up."

"Haha."

Han Goo-in playfully tapped Seong Pil's arm.

Seong Pil, surprised, stared at him blankly. Han Goo-in was flustered.

"Sorry. I thought our relationship had become closer because you use informal language..."

"..."

"If it made you uncomfortable, I apologize."

Seong Pil smiled and lightly tapped Han Goo-in's arm.

Han Goo-in also smiled.

"Let's go."

They hurriedly went downstairs, seeing a man walking towards them through the window.

"Jaeum, please come in."

The genius has arrived.