Chapter 72

# Chapter 072

"Going to talk to Seol-ha directly..."

If I do that, it will be known that Jang-hyang told Seol-ha's worries to Seong-pil.

Seol-ha definitely wouldn't want her worries to be known. She must have thought Jang-hyang would keep her secret.

"...I can't do that."

Seong-pil reflected on his words and actions.

He often said things like "I believe in you" and "I support you" to boost the members' morale.

But he never thought these words could have a negative effect.

'They say it's the Rosenthal effect. If a teacher believes in a student's ability, the student's grades improve.'

Seong-pil believed this theory and fully trusted the members.

But it turned out to be a burden...

Suddenly, Seong-pil's thoughts turned to the other members.

"Are you also feeling burdened, Hyang?"

"No, I like it when the manager believes in me."

"Thank you."

"You can even stay at my place. I will definitely succeed."

Isn't this response too heavy?

"Rika and Ahra?"

"They are similar to me."

"Seol-ha might be different because she has already experienced the disbanding of an idol group. She seems to have more worries than the others."

What should I do?

Should I take time to gradually reduce the burden, or should I confront the issue and talk until the anxiety disappears?

"Manager, I have an idea."

"What is it?"

"I think it's similar to a relationship."

"Relationship?"

"There's a couple. The woman feels that the man doesn't love her as much as before and that his love has cooled. She feels anxious and suffers alone, but suddenly the man asks, 'Do you still love me?'"

"Is he preparing to break up?"

"No, the man is also having the same worries. They have become too familiar and have stopped expressing their feelings. Anyway, the important thing is to think about how the woman feels when she hears this."

"Oh."

The woman would feel relieved to know that the man is also having the same worries.

She might even try to reassure the man.

Their love would become even stronger.

"Maybe we should bring up the topic naturally in this context."

In other words, Seong-pil should tell Seol-ha that he has similar worries.

He is worried that if they fail, the members will dislike him or their relationship will become distant.

"I can bring it up naturally. Are you a genius, Hyang?"

"Ahaha, it's the first time I've heard that I'm smart."

This might solve Seol-ha's worries without making it seem forced.

It's a creative approach, but the example of a relationship is a bit unusual.

'Does she have a lot of dating experience to think of this?'

Jang-hyang has so many men to choose from, so she must have dated a lot.

"Thanks. I'll try it in a few days."

"Yes, please do."

"Thank you for telling me. If Seol-ha has any worries in the future, I'd like you to tell me."

Originally, managing the members was Seol-ha's role. She was almost certain to become the leader.

But this issue was with Seol-ha herself, and she wouldn't express such worries.

If it weren't for Jang-hyang, Seol-ha's worries would have remained buried in her heart.

"Manager, and this is just my opinion."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Rika."

Could something have happened to Rika?

"Manager, you seem too close to her."

"Is being close bad?"

"I mean, you seem closer than the normal level. She clings to you, doesn't she?"

Clings?

Yes, she does cling.

"Is that normal?"

It's not normal.

"But... well, Rika is just a kid."

"Huh?"

Jang-hyang looked as if she had seen a strange natural phenomenon and was momentarily stunned.

"Rika is a kid?"

"Hey, you're making me more confused. She's 19, but her actions and appearance make her seem like a kid."

"Huh?"

"Are you worried that I might have feelings for her?"

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

"To me, she feels like a niece. She came to Korea from her hometown alone, and I want to be a support for her. When she first joined our company, I could see that she was lonely."

Jang-hyang seemed to be getting more confused.

"No, I'm not saying you shouldn't be close to Rika... but... Rika... clings to you, right? Is that okay?"

"You have a point. I'll tell her not to do it anymore."

"No, no, no, no. Manager, did you really not feel anything at all?"

Seong-pil couldn't follow Jang-hyang's emotions.

Why is she reacting so shockingly?

"Manager, are you not gay...?"

"That's ridiculous."

Jang-hyang pulled out her phone and showed a picture of Rika.

"Here's Rika."

"Rika."

"Look at Rika."

"Rika."

"When a girl like this clings to you, you don't feel anything? She's just an adult woman, not a kid."

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Rika?"

"Yes."

This time, Seong-pil was confused.

"No, Rika has always been like this. What? She's just a kid."

Seong-pil scrolled through his phone gallery.

His eyes landed on a picture of Rika from a year ago.

"A year ago."

"What?"

She looked completely different.

Not completely different, but the feeling was vastly different.

The Rika who used to look like a cute hamster now exuded a mature charm.

As Seong-pil compared the pictures from a year ago and now, he fell into cognitive dissonance.

"What is this...?"

Exaggerating a bit, Seong-pil had seen Rika every day for over a year.

So he didn't notice her growth.

If he had met her after a long time, the change would have been noticeable, but seeing her every day, he didn't feel the difference.

The impression from a year ago remained in his mind, so Seong-pil still saw Rika as a kid.

So he accepted her clinging as a kind of affection from a niece.

What did others think?

Well, probably Han Goo-in and Hong Gyu-hun were similar to Seong-pil.

Those who found it strange were probably Son Hye-bin, Jung Ji-eum, and Jang-hyang. But since Seong-pil and Rika, and Hong Gyu-hun and Han Goo-in, seemed so natural, they didn't say anything.

'Now that I think about it, Hye-bin and the author of Project Poyu also said Rika was the prettiest.'

Seong-pil, who had a fixed image of Rika from a year ago, couldn't empathize with this.

But now he understands.

The current Rika is gradually approaching the level where, in his previous life, her face alone could sweep across Japan.

In other words, she is continuously growing from a girl to a lady.

"Hyang, you're right."

"Right?"

"But if I tell her not to cling, it feels like I'm advertising that I see Rika as a woman."

"I'll tell her."

"Can you? Please do it well."

"Yes, it was a habit she needed to change anyway."

"Right."

Seong-pil and Jang-hyang each took on a task and left the reception room.

* * *

Today is the last day of the music history class.

At first, the main goal was to give the members a break rather than to teach them seriously.

But as the classes continued, seeing the members' growing musical appreciation, Seong-pil felt that teaching music history was a good decision.

Seong-pil entered the classroom with his laptop and printouts.

Looking at the members sitting with a mix of satisfaction and nostalgia,

'Where's Rika?'

His body moved before he could think.

Seong-pil turned around and stretched out his hand. His palm blocked Rika's forehead as she charged towards him.

"Ah! How did you know!"

Rika flailed her arms, as if asking for a hug.

"Go back to your seat."

"But it's the last class! A farewell hug!"

"The class hasn't even started yet."

Seong-pil remembered what Jang-hyang had said. Rika's clinging was excessive, and the more he thought about it, the more he agreed.

Seong-pil carefully observed the members' reactions.

Jo Ahra was playing with her phone, pretending not to care, and Baek Seol-ha was waiting for their playfulness to end.

'These two don't seem to mind.'

To them, Rika still seemed like a kid.

Seong-pil made Rika sit down and started the class.

The history of British rock.

The history of Anglo-American popular music.

The trends of J-POP and idol culture.

The emergence and current state of EDM.

Seong-pil's music history class had covered all of this and reached today.

"Alright, the last song we'll listen to is this one."

A song about 3 minutes and 30 seconds long ended.

"How was it?"

"It's good!"

Rika's response represented the feelings of all the members.

This song is just good.

"It's 'Clock' by pop star Reisha. When was it released? Ahra, want to guess?"

"I don't know."

Jo Ahra would avoid giving a serious answer to a question, but she would play along with a joke.

She was probably afraid of being embarrassed if she got it wrong.

Seong-pil persistently asked her.

He wanted her to not be ashamed of expressing her thoughts, so he had been intentionally calling on her often.

Jo Ahra, defeated by Seong-pil's persistence, cautiously gave her opinion.

"About 2 or 3 years ago?"

"This song was released 12 years ago."

The members were surprised by the 12-year span.

Jo Ahra's expression turned sour when she realized she was wrong.

"Ara, it's not that you're wrong. In my opinion, 'Clock' is a classic of pop. It doesn't feel outdated at all when you listen to it now. The person who created it and the artist who performed it are both worthy of the title of master."

Occasionally, such outstanding songs are born in the history of popular music.

"It also holds the record for the longest time at number one on the Billboard charts. I..."

Seong-pil stopped himself.

He was going to say, "I hope you all aim to be artists like Reisha."

But seeing Baek Seol-ha, he held back.

He didn't want her to feel burdened again.

"I hope you all discover something from this song. Why people love it so much. What makes this song a legend. I think it's better for you to think about it yourselves rather than just hearing my thoughts. So..."

Seong-pil closed his laptop.

"The music history class ends here."

It felt as if time had stopped.

"Is it over? So soon?"

"Yes, it's over. It's the end today. Thank you all for following along."

Each member had different feelings and meanings attached to the music history class, but the feeling of its end was the same.

Nostalgia.

Like students at the end of the second semester, they felt a void in their hearts.

"Good job."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"Since it ended early, take a break."

The members couldn't simply be happy that the class ended early.

They showed slightly sour expressions as they left the classroom.

And when Baek Seol-ha was about to leave last, Seong-pil intentionally dropped the printouts he had prepared.

"Ah."

Seeing this, Baek Seol-ha immediately came to help.

"Thank you."

"No, it's nothing. Should I help you carry them to the office?"

"Yes, please."

Seong-pil had brought a lot of unnecessary books and equipment for today's class.

If Baek Seol-ha hadn't offered to help, Seong-pil would have asked her to. He wanted to create a natural opportunity for them to be alone.

They entered the office.

As expected, Han Goo-in and Son Hye-bin were not there.

"Phew."

Seong-pil sighed softly while looking at his phone. It was rare for him to sigh in front of the members.

Baek Seol-ha immediately reacted.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, just..."

Seeing Seong-pil's troubled expression, Baek Seol-ha couldn't leave.

'Should I tell her to share her worries? Should I listen? Is it okay for me to do that? Or should I just leave...?'

After an awkward silence, Seong-pil spoke first.

"It's about the people from my old company."

"Oh, the people from your old company. Why?"

"Just the people I used to manage or work with."

"Yes."

"It's natural to drift apart when you don't see each other, but it feels like they're becoming complete strangers. Even when I occasionally contact them, I don't get a response, and it's frustrating."

Baek Seol-ha's heart sank.

Seong-pil's story was connected to her own worries.

"Is it... sad?"

"Something like that. It feels like the relationship and memories are disappearing..."

Seong-pil looked at Baek Seol-ha with a bitter expression.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, then looked away, and then gathered his courage to look at her again.

Baek Seol-ha had never seen such a cautious Seong-pil.

He was so different from the usual Seong-pil who spoke confidently about what was right and wrong.

"Sometimes I think Garo Entertainment might end up the same way. I really cherish this time, but in the future, it might feel like it never happened... If we fail, we might become strangers. Seeing people I used to work with makes me think this way."

"..."

There was no response.

It was a heavy topic to respond to immediately.

Seong-pil tried to make the conversation seem like it never happened, adopting a cheerful tone.

"I'm thinking too negatively. We shouldn't talk about failure before even trying. It's like