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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: 26
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“You… is that really something you say to a fellow trainee? And is that how you speak to me? You are merely a trainee, and I am an executive of this company.”
Hmm.
That’s a classic response when a senior executive is stumped.
“If you don’t want that video aired, couldn’t you just edit it out?”
“That won’t do, Yun Cheong.”
At that moment, PD O Baek-gyeong stepped forward.
“I am a very fair person, you see.”
“…”
“If there was a scene where Lee Ju-seon was the victim, shouldn’t there also be a scene where Team A trainees were the victims, for fairness?”
I didn’t answer.
It was the reaction I had expected from the start.
Fairness, my foot.
He just doesn’t want to let go of an interesting story.
“I see.”
I couldn’t agree with the idea that Lee Ju-seon was a victim in the first place, but I pretended to concede.
“Then, why did you call me here? As you said, I’m just a mere trainee.”
Director Kim Mo-gyeong now looked utterly bewildered.
She probably would.
The Yun Cheong they knew and the current Yun Cheong must be quite different.
After all, it’s not often that trainees talk back to an executive like this.
“You probably called me here for this reason: to quietly sweep this incident under the rug.”
But do you know this?
Someone who’s been the breadwinner for a small company has nothing to lose, you see.
“Well, you’re right, we called you to check things out.”
PD O Baek-gyeong subtly opened the conversation.
Check things out, huh.
It’s obvious.
“Ah, perhaps you thought I might have recorded it?”
“Exactly.”
PD O Baek-gyeong wore an amused expression.
Writer Kang was quietly observing the situation between Director Kim and PD O Baek-gyeong.
“Of course, I recorded it.”
“!”
Director Kim’s face crumpled.
“And the recording captured everything, including Ju-seon being scared of Ryeo-yu. Was that what you wanted to confirm?”
“You, you’re truly a funny one.”
Director Kim let out a hollow laugh.
“You shouldn’t talk to adults like this, you. You haven’t even debuted yet—”
“Precisely because I haven’t debuted, there’s nothing much to be afraid of. Frankly, if I were to leave this company, take the college entrance exam, and pursue a different path, exposing an agency wouldn’t be particularly scary.”
Yun Cheong is 20 years old.
That meant it was by no means too late for her to find a new path now.
And how many people in the entertainment industry act even crazier than this? Please.
“However, I agree.”
“!”
“To cover everything up and move on, I strongly agree.”
But I was also in a position where I couldn’t back down.
Because I had made a promise with that strange Cotton Lump.
“So, it would be best for us to cleanly cover it up, for both our sakes.”
***
The agreement, which was unpleasant for both sides, concluded.
Everything would be edited out, ensuring no one lost face.
Director Kim called me a crazy woman a few times, but.
I didn’t bother to respond.
Crazy woman it is, then…
As soon as the agreement was finalized, I bowed and left the office.
I had to get back to practice starting tomorrow.
Where would I find the energy to waste here?
“Hey, Yun Cheong.”
But as I was about to leave quietly, PD O Baek-gyeong stopped me.
“I’ve gotta hand it to you, huh?”
Ugh.
“These young ones nowadays, they’re so scary, aren’t they?”
“Ah, yes.”
As if. He’s living just fine.
PD O Baek-gyeong pointed a finger at me as he spoke.
Ugh, truly disgusting.
“You know I covered for you this time, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
Only a soulless reply came out.
After all, it was true that PD O Baek-gyeong had helped me.
Of course… it was for his own benefit.
PD O Baek-gyeong wanted to put Director Kim in her place, as they constantly clashed, and I just happened to be the means to do it.
“No, when you asked to install cameras in that practice room, I just thought you were overly ambitious for airtime. But you had all this going on?”
“I wasn’t specifically aiming for anything.”
“Yeah, right.”
It’s true, though.
I didn’t expect her to spill everything so easily either.
“Anyway, thank you.”
“No, no. Uh, I’ll be watching you closely from now on. Give it your best shot.”
PD O Baek-gyeong seemed to already think I was on his side.
Not at all.
This time, we just used each other out of necessity.
I sighed and bowed to PD O Baek-gyeong.
“Goodbye, PD-nim.”
You wouldn’t know.
That you should be thanking me.
“Alright, see ya!”
Actually, I just decided not to blackmail you with your weakness.
***
“…”
*Tremble, tremble.*
I heard the sound of trembling legs.
Whose legs, you ask?
Certainly not mine.
They were Lee Ju-seon’s legs.
“Did you see it all?”
“How… how could you…?”
“PD O Baek-gyeong gave it to me.”
I quietly omitted the part about me asking PD O Baek-gyeong.
All of this needed to be PD O Baek-gyeong’s doing, not mine.
“They said this would be aired.”
“Surely, Unnie didn’t install cameras in that practice room…!”
“Ju-seon.”
I gazed directly at the trembling Lee Ju-seon.
“Do you still not understand the situation?”
“!”
Lee Ju-seon’s eyes finally began to fill with fear.
Fear of me.
Looks like it’s starting to sink in.
“I could have just asked for it to be aired.”
“…”
“But I asked them to cover it up.”
“!”
Now, her eyes were slowly filling with surprise.
“Why… why?”
“Because you’re also our team member. Team members should cover each other’s flaws, right?”
At the word “team member,” Lee Ju-seon’s face stiffened coldly.
Yes, this would be even more unsettling.
“You think so too, Ju-seon?”
“…Yes.”
Good.
I think so too.
We should cover up ‘some’ flaws for each other.
‘Some’ cooperation is a bonus.
“By any chance, do you still not like the concept?”
“…No.”
“That’s a relief. Can you manage the choreography? We lost a day and a half. Is it still a bit much for you?”
“I… I can do it.”
“We’ll help you too. Let’s do everything together. We’re teammates, after all.”
“Yes…”
Finally, a reaction I like.
“Thank you, Ju-seon. Then I’ll go call our team members. It’ll take some time to catch up to the other teams, so we should start quickly.”
“…Yes.”
Lee Ju-seon, as if possessed, could only say “Yes, yes” and nothing else.
“Oh, and you should talk to Ryeo-yu yourself.”
“M-me?”
Oh, she can stiffen up even more than this.
Kim Ryeo-yu must truly scare her.
“Then who will, Ju-seon? Me?”
“No…”
“Right. We agreed to cooperate, didn’t we? You spoke so well in the practice room earlier. Wouldn’t using that eloquence on Ryeo-yu solve everything?”
“…”
Hmm.
Now I feel a little satisfied.
Actually, I knew.
Kim Ryeo-yu must have already heard everything. From none other than Director Kim.
Considering that person’s temper, it’s obvious.
But I wanted Lee Ju-seon to tell Kim Ryeo-yu herself.
That way, she would also feel something.
“Oh, and Ju-seon.”
“Yes?”
“PD O Baek-gyeong said not to mention that the video exists.”
“Yes…?”
“So, don’t mention the video, just say that you had a change of heart.”
“B-but then Ryeo-yu Unnie will never listen!”
“Oh, really? That must be tough.”
I tried my best to empathize with Lee Ju-seon.
She wanted empathy so badly, I had to give it to her somehow.
“But what can I do? PD O Baek-gyeong said not to mention it. What power do I have?”
“Unnie…!”
“PD O Baek-gyeong said he might feel left out if you mention the existence of the video. It wouldn’t be right if only you and Ryeo-yu were close, would it?”
“!”
“So, let’s both be a little careful.”
I squeezed Lee Ju-seon’s hand.
You can do it.
***
“Ju-seon Unnie… came back?!”
Yeon Ju-hong’s already large, round eyes widened even further.
Why are your eyes so wide?
“Yeah.”
“And she said she’d make everything that happened disappear?!”
“No. The part where Ju-seon was harsh to you in the clothing market will still air.”
While some things would be covered, others needed to be revealed.
What Lee Ju-seon said to me could be covered at my discretion, but I had no intention of covering up what she did to Yeon Ju-hong.
I believe she’s old enough to take responsibility for actions of that magnitude.
“And she’s going to apologize to us?!”
“Yes. That will also air.”
Yeon Ju-hong bounced around excitedly.
Kim Geum still looked a bit bewildered but secretly seemed pleased.
“Unnie, are you a magician?”
“Or maybe a kindergarten teacher?”
“?”
“How did you educate Ju-seon…! *Muffled sounds*!”
Yes. I also had a hard time teaching that kid manners.
“Anyway, Ju-seon has never left our team. Got it?”
“Yes!”
“So, let’s work well together as if nothing happened.”
“Yes!”
Like chirping birds, they are.
Somehow, I feel like a mother bird raising baby birds.
“But… will Ju-seon Unnie cooperate well?”
“She’ll cooperate very well. You can trust me on that.”
If she doesn’t cooperate, I’ll just have to tell her there won’t be a next time.
“…No, seriously, what’s your secret? Lee Ju-seon is incredibly stubborn. How did you break her?”
Kim Geum was now almost at the point of suspicion.
“If you know too much… my mystique will be broken.”
“No! What, have you debuted already?”
Well, yes.
I did, once.
Anyway, I had no intention of telling them the method.
Because the moment I said anything… I was sure they would be scared of me.
We might be living under the same roof, so there’s no need to start with fear.
“Anyway, we lost a day and a half. Let’s quickly catch up on our progress.”
I winked at Kim Geum.
Kim Geum then pulled out her laptop.
It’s practically a golden egg-laying laptop.
“Geum, how far along are you with the composition?”
“I’m almost done.”
“Really?”
To have finished the work even while going through that mental breakdown.
It was truly admirable.
“I’ll let you hear it. Please both give me your opinions.”
“Okay.”
“Alright.”
Yeon Ju-hong and I focused on the melody Kim Geum played for us.
The lyrics weren’t finished yet, so Kim Geum just hummed the melody.
But even so—
“Amazing.”
“…That’s incredible?”
The song was very good.
Much better than the song I composed.
“It just needs a little tweaking. By the way, I should start adding lyrics soon…”
Kim Geum looked at me expectantly.
“Unnie, the lyrics…”
“I already have something in mind, so don’t worry.”
“!”
Kim Geum now looked almost moved.
No, it’s not that big of a deal.
I just need to tweak the lyrics I wrote in my previous life.
I had already written a good portion of them while Kim Geum was preoccupied with composing.
“Unnie, you must have been so busy dealing with everything, and you even drafted lyrics? Do you have 48 hours in a day or something?”
Yeon Ju-hong also clicked her tongue in amazement.
Hmm, not quite.
“No matter how I think about it…”
“Hmm?”
“We absolutely have to debut together.”
“No, what about me? Kim Geum. What about me?”
“You, try a little harder. Maybe I’ll let you tag along.”
“No…! No…!”
“You’re about 80 points. Improve.”
“No!”
“This instructor is not yet satisfied.”
They really do seem like baby birds.
I watched the two bicker for a bit, then casually slipped away.
Time to revise the lyrics.
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