Chapter 84

# Chapter 084

Success Entertainment also has a dormitory.

The dormitory left behind when a five-year-old girl group retired became a haven for a few female trainees.

Only those who showed outstanding skills, enough to be confirmed as debut members, could enter this place.

To the trainees, the dormitory was a golden hall.

Shin A-reum was coming out of there. In her hand was only a small pink suitcase.

“……”

Shin A-reum fell silent and turned back.

She had only ever seen other trainees off as they left this place, never imagining she would be the one to leave.

Those who left sometimes returned, or sometimes never did.

So Shin A-reum, from a certain point on, stopped seeing off the trainees who left, or holding hands and shedding tears with them.

To those who left, she would say, “Why bother seeing them off when they’ll come back anyway?”—a seemingly cold and indifferent encouragement.

‘Can I come back?’

Probably not.

When she saw others crying as they left the dormitory, she thought, ‘Why are they like that?’

Just get out quickly and practice at the company.

Then, work on the skills to come back.

To Shin A-reum, the sadness of her peers was a waste of time. But now, she understands their feelings.

She can’t take a step forward.

‘Let’s go.’

Shin A-reum decided to return home after a long time.

A few minutes later, the world twisted.

Sounds, movements, light, and sensations—all were amplified, assaulting her senses.

All her senses, not just touch, felt like ants crawling over her body.

‘I haven’t been this bad for months……’

Unable to bear the pain, Shin A-reum squatted on the street.

She took a glass bottle from her suitcase and opened the cap.

She picked up a pill and placed it on her tongue.

‘Not much left.’

There’s not much left now.

It’s expensive medicine.

‘If I swallow this……’

This pain will end.

But after that……

“Are you going to take that? Don’t. It will only make you more depressed.”

Shin A-reum 2 appeared in front of Shin A-reum.

“Let’s just chat and go home. What’s the big deal about going home? Tell your mom the truth, hug and cry, get comforted, and that’s it.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Shin A-reum 3 put a hand on Shin A-reum 2’s shoulder.

“Don’t be too sad. Life is like a red skirt…… or something like that. Anyway, stay strong, and oh, the guy who just passed by looked at you. He’s handsome. Ask him out.”

Shin A-reum swallowed the pill.

Without water, it stuck in her throat.

Soon, Shin A-reum 2 and 3 disappeared.

The amplified stimuli that drove her mad also vanished.

Everything returned to normal, as a regular person would see it.

Shin A-reum stood up, holding her suitcase and walking forward confidently.

And.

“Ah.”

In a world free from disturbing delusions and hallucinations, Shin A-reum had nothing to focus on, so depression crept in.

A deep, deep depression.

Shin A-reum has a disease.

* * *

[Team Leader, hi!]

“Yeah.”

I was waiting for this.

After Shin A-reum called, Seong Pil was so curious about how the story progressed that he couldn’t sleep.

“Did Poyu come out?”

[Well, I don’t know. I talked to the company, but they only said to stay.]

“Then you should stay.”

[Before, you said this isn’t something to talk about over the phone. Are we meeting today?]

“Ah…… today?”

One of the choreographers assigned to Si-an asked him to come and see Si-an.

It’s fine to receive it via video, but he wanted to see it in person.

It’s his first Si-an, and he was looking forward to seeing it in person.

“Hold on.”

Seong Pil covered the microphone of his phone and spoke to Son Hae-bin.

“Sis, can you check out this Si-an today?”

“What? I was planning to have a day off today. Can’t you just receive it as a file?”

“No. You need to go in person to respect the choreographer. If you really can’t, ask Han Isam.”

“Sigh, I’ll go. But who is it that you’re skipping even a Si-an for?”

“A friend.”

Seong Pil told Shin A-reum.

“Yeah, let’s meet today.”

[Okay.]

“But you know you should be grateful to me, right? Who else cares about trainees from other companies?”

[You left me and ran away. This is aftercare service.]

“You said you wouldn’t come. You’re not grateful at all.”

[Bye.]

“Sigh.”

[Bye.]

“Me too, you jerk.”

[Hehe.]

Seong Pil finished his remaining work and prepared to go out.

‘Hmm? Come to think of it, we didn’t decide on a meeting place.’

He called Shin A-reum as he left the company.

“Ah! Manager Park, are you already leaving work! We’re sweating hard in practice, it’s unfair!”

Rika, who had been watching the moon from a terrace table, approached Seong Pil with a hop.

“Please suffer with us!”

“You’re really mean. I’m also working hard……”

[Hello?]

“Hey, A-reum.”

“Is it A-reum? A-reum, it’s Rika!”

Rika jumped as if she had received a call from a long-lost hometown friend.

Seong Pil, finding Rika cute, smiled and handed the phone to her.

“Are you doing well?”

[Yeah. How about you?]

“I’m doing well! I watched the Poyu rerun yesterday!”

[Thanks. But Rika.]

“Yeah!”

[Give the phone back to the team leader.]

“Eh.”

Rika hesitantly handed the phone back to Seong Pil.

“Are you done already?”

“Y-Yes. I’ll go now……”

Rika left the company with a somewhat lonely back.

[Team Leader, why did you call?]

“We didn’t decide on a meeting place. Where should we meet? I’ll come to pick you up…… No, I can’t go to Success Entertainment’s side.”

[I’m at a room cafe. I’ll send you the address, come here.]

“……What?”

A room cafe?

A chill ran down Seong Pil’s spine.

“Hey, you’re not……”

[Yes, that’s right.]

“You were fine. What happened…… No, I’ll come quickly.”

Seong Pil quickly got into his car.

‘Did her condition worsen again? Why?’

Shin A-reum has a habit when she reaches her limit.

She sits in a closed room with the lights off, shutting down all her senses and sinking endlessly into her inner self.

It’s not a way to change her mood or relieve stress.

‘This is serious.’

To maintain her sanity amidst the overwhelming external stimuli, she blocks them all out.

‘Come on, open up quickly!’

Shin A-reum has a disease.

A disease that wasn’t cured even in her previous life.

* * *

“Where did Shin A-reum go?!”

“She’s not answering her calls!”

“Did you check her house?”

“It seems she’s not there. I sent a manager to the apartment management office, and they said she’s not there even after multiple calls.”

“Contact all her close friends.”

Shin A-reum has disappeared.

Her solo comeback is tomorrow.

Success Entertainment mobilized all its resources to find Shin A-reum.

If the comeback is tomorrow, the staff needs to start moving by 2 AM at the latest.

But without the most important person, Shin A-reum, everyone is anxious.

“Should we contact Vice President Park Seong Pil?”

“Are you crazy?! We need to handle this internally! What if it gets to his ears? Can you handle it?”

“I’m sorry.”

“We’ll be blamed for not managing the artist. We need to solve this internally……”

Seong Pil was in Thailand.

He was directing the Southeast Asian tour of the main boy group.

Even that was enough to make his head spin, and now the news of Shin A-reum’s disappearance would not end well.

But somehow, the news reached Seong Pil.

“Ah, it’s over……”

The team leader of Management 1 received a call from Seong Pil. His hand was shaking as if it had frozen.

The team leader, prepared for any scolding, heard:

[You’re working hard. It’s tough, but keep looking.]

He was more scared than if he had been scolded.

“Yes, yes! I’ll do my best!”

A boss who scolds when you make a mistake and a boss who silently encourages you.

Those who have experienced it know.

Silent encouragement is more terrifying.

It’s like the calm before the storm.

“Sigh……”

When the call ended, the team leader felt a sense of despair, thinking his career was at a standstill.

“At least it’s a relief she’s not here……”

“Relief?! This guy is crossing the line! Did Shin A-reum come back?! What’s so relieving?!”

“I’m sorry……”

“Instead of being sorry, run one more step! Make one more call! Ah, Shin A-reum, you crazy fool!”

It was a relief that Seong Pil wasn’t here, but that was wrong.

Seong Pil, upon hearing the news, immediately flew back to Korea.

He headed straight to Shin A-reum’s house from the airport.

At the entrance of the high-end apartment, the security guard blocked Seong Pil.

Shin A-reum wasn’t answering her calls, so he couldn’t explain the situation. The security guard called Shin A-reum directly from the apartment.

“She’s not at home. I’ve called multiple times……”

[Let him in.]

The security guard’s eyes widened.

He had broken the rules and called three times at the insistence of a Success Entertainment manager.

Naturally, the manager standing next to him was almost fainting from shock.

Seong Pil patted the manager’s shoulder.

“Tell the company that A-reum will come back.”

Seong Pil headed to Shin A-reum’s front door.

After a short knock, he waited.

There was no response.

He grabbed the doorknob and turned it; it was already open.

All the lights in the house were off. Seong Pil walked through the long corridor into the living room.

In the darkness, Shin A-reum was sitting on the floor, her face pressed against the window, looking down.

“Were you watching for my car?”

“Yes.”

Shin A-reum smiled brightly.

Seong Pil took a deep breath.

“Are you crazy?! It’s your comeback tomorrow, and you’re hiding! Are you trying to ruin the company?!”

“Hehe.”

“Hehe? Hehe?! You crazy…… Hey, come with me now. Take your medicine.”

“I don’t want to take it.”

“Then what are you going to do?!”

“Team Leader.”

Shin A-reum always called Seong Pil ‘Team Leader,’ even now that he’s a vice president.

“If you ask me to talk about the hard times since joining Success Entertainment, I could list a thousand. But if you ask me to recall the good times, my mind goes blank.”

She never felt happy, that’s what she wanted to say.

Seong Pil, suppressing the rising guilt, maintained a furious expression.

“I don’t think you’re cut out to be an entertainer.”

“You live in a place like this because you’re an entertainer.”

“I don’t know.”

“So, you’re going to tarnish the company’s reputation?”

“Can’t I?”

Seong Pil knelt down.

“I’m asking you, A-reum…… just this once. Can you at least promote for six weeks? No, I’ll do my best to get the PD to ease up, so three weeks! Just three weeks!”

When she was a rookie, Seong Pil was the one in charge.

But now, Shin A-reum is the one in charge.

This is the nature of the entertainment industry.

At first, the manager is in charge, and the artist is subordinate.

But when the artist becomes famous, the roles reverse.

Power comes from fame.

“Hmm……”

Seong Pil patiently waited for Shin A-reum’s answer.

For about five seconds.

“What are you thinking about?! Do you want to lose this house and everything else to a breach of contract?! Do you want to spend 2-3 years in court?!”

“Hehe.”

“My neck hurts……”

“I’m fine now.”

Shin A-reum stood up and stretched.

“I’ll get ready. Wait here.”

“At this age, I’m still doing road work……. I feel a sense of despair……”

Seong Pil stopped Shin A-reum as she headed to the dressing room.

“Hey. You seem to be getting worse. You’re right. Being an entertainer isn’t for you. Let’s finish this promotion and then quit. I’ll terminate your contract.”

“Ah, what’s this? Team Leader, you don’t look good. I saw you kneel just now.”

“If you do this again, the company will really fall apart.”

“So, you’re going to kick me out? Is this risk management?”

“Do your job properly if you don’t want to leave!”

Shin A-reum said, “Whatever,” and entered the dressing room.

Seong Pil turned on all the lights in the room.

His phone was full of messages, but no calls. No one dared to call him.

‘Should I give the team leader the password to her house? If this happens again, it will be a big problem.’

At that moment, his phone rang.

It was Shin A-reum.

“What do you want?”

[Team Leader, bye.]

“Me too, you jerk.”

[Hey, your tone is harsh. Are you not coming?]

“Me too.”

The call ended.

“Sigh.”

Shin A-reum’s whims weren’t new. And Seong Pil was the only one who could calm her down.

He knew why.

Shin A-reum relied on Seong Pil.

In fact, anyone who appeared quickly in front of her would have been fine.

To her, Seong Pil was just a substitute for her deceased father.

To Shin A-reum, ‘Team Leader’ and ‘Dad’ were the same word.

Seong Pil thought so.

* * *

Shin A-reum turned off all the lights in the room and sat on the