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Chapter 26
“You… Did you really just say that to a fellow trainee? And to me? You’re just a trainee, and I’m a director at this company.”
Hmm.
That’s a textbook response when a boomer has nothing left to say.
“If you don’t want that footage to be aired, then just edit it out. Isn’t that the solution?”
“That won’t do, Trainee Yoon Cheong.”
At that moment, PD Oh stepped in.
“I’m a very fair person, you see.”
“If there’s footage of Trainee Lee Juseon being a victim, then there should also be fair footage of Team A trainees being victimized too, right?”
I didn’t reply.
Because I’d already predicted this reaction.
Fairness, my ass.
They just didn’t want to give up juicy content.
“I see.”
Honestly, I didn’t agree with the idea that Juseon was a victim. But I pretended to accept it.
“Then may I ask why you called me here? As you said, I’m just a lowly trainee.”
Director Kim now looked stunned.
Of course she was.
The Yoon Cheong they thought they knew, and the one standing here now, were two very different people.
Trainees rarely talk back to a company director like this.
“I’m guessing you called me here for one reason. To quietly sweep everything under the rug.”
But do you know something?
If you’ve ever been the breadwinner of a small household at a young age, there’s not much left in the world to fear.
“Well, partly to confirm a few things.”
PD Oh gave a vague response.
Confirm what, exactly?
As if it weren’t obvious.
“Oh, you wanted to see if I recorded it?”
“Exactly.”
PD Oh looked amused.
Writer Kang quietly observed from between Director Kim and PD Oh.
“Of course I recorded it.”
“!”
Director Kim’s face contorted.
“And that recording includes Juseon being scared of Ryeoyu. Did you want to confirm that too?”
“You really are a piece of work.”
Director Kim let out a humorless laugh.
“You don’t talk to your elders like this, you know. Especially when you haven’t even debuted—”
“Well, since I haven’t debuted, there’s nothing to lose. Worst case, I leave the company, take the college entrance exam, and pursue a different path. Exposing one agency on my way out isn’t exactly terrifying.”
Yoon Cheong is twenty years old.
It means there’s still plenty of time to change paths.
Besides, there are way more unhinged people in the entertainment world.
“But I agree, actually.”
“!”
“I agree we should just bury the whole thing.”
Still, I couldn’t push too far either.
Because of that weird puffball thing I made a promise to.
“So yes, I think it’s best for both sides to drop this completely.”
The unpleasant negotiation ended.
Everything would be edited out in a way that no one would have to lose face.
Director Kim muttered “crazy bitch” a few times while looking at me, but—
I didn’t bother responding.
Sure. I’m a crazy bitch. So what.
As soon as the deal was finalized, I bowed and left the office.
I had to go back to training starting tomorrow.
No time to waste on nonsense here.
“Hey, Trainee Yoon Cheong.”
Just as I was trying to leave quietly, PD Oh stopped me.
“I see you in a new light now, huh?”
Ugh.
“These kids these days, huh? Scary little things.”
“Yes, sir.”
You’re living just fine, aren’t you?
PD Oh pointed a finger at me.
Gross.
“You know I covered for you this time, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
My answer was hollow.
Technically, PD Oh did help me.
Though, it was obviously for his own benefit.
He wanted to stick it to Director Kim, and I just happened to be a convenient tool.
“When you asked to have cameras installed in that practice room, I thought it was just because you wanted more screen time. But wow, turns out you had all this scheming in mind, huh?”
“That wasn’t really my intention.”
“Yeah, right.”
I’m serious though.
I didn’t expect her to talk so easily.
“Anyway, thank you.”
“No, no. I’ll be watching you closely from now on. Go on and give it your best.”
PD Oh clearly thought I was on his side now.
Not even close.
This was just mutually beneficial—nothing more.
I sighed and bowed again.
“Goodbye, PD-nim.”
You’ll never know.
That I almost used your weakness to blackmail you—but decided not to.
Rattle rattle
That trembling noise? Not from my legs.
It was from Juseon’s.
“Did you watch it?”
“H-How did…”
“PD Oh gave it to me.”
I kept quiet about the fact that I’d asked him for it myself.
Better to let PD Oh take the fall for this.
“He said it’s going to be aired.”
“You didn’t… install a camera in the practice room…?”
“Juseon.”
I stared straight at the shaking girl.
“You still don’t get what’s going on, do you?”
“…!”
Now, finally, fear started to show in her eyes.
Fear of me.
Looks like it’s sinking in.
“I could’ve asked them to air that footage, you know.”
“….”
“But I asked them not to.”
“!”
And now those eyes were filled with disbelief.
“W-Why?”
“Because you’re part of our team. And teammates should cover for each other’s flaws, right?”
At the word “teammate,” her face went cold.
Yeah, that one hit different, huh?
“You agree too, right, Juseon?”
“…Yes.”
Good.
That’s how I feel too.
We cover up each other’s ‘little’ flaws.
And cooperate ‘a little’ too.
“By the way, you still don’t like the team concept?”
“…No.”
“That’s a relief. Can you still choreograph? We lost a day and a half. Is it still too much?”
“I can do it.”
“We’ll help too. Let’s do everything together. We’re teammates, after all.”
“Yes…”
Now that’s the reaction I wanted.
“Thanks, Juseon. I’ll go get the others. We’re already behind the other teams. Gotta hustle.”
“Okay.”
She could barely say anything else, like she was in a trance.
“Oh, and talk to Ryeoyu yourself.”
“M-Me?”
Wow. She just froze again.
Ryeoyu must scare her that much, huh?
“Who else will? Me?”
“N-No…”
“Right. We agreed to cooperate, remember? You were pretty eloquent in the practice room earlier. I’m sure you can use that silver tongue with Ryeoyu too.”
“….”
Yeah.
That’s more like it.
Truth is, I know.
Kim Ryeoyu probably already heard everything—from Director Kim, no less.
That guy’s temper makes it obvious.
But I want Juseon to tell her personally.
She needs to feel it firsthand.
“Oh, and Juseon.”
“Yes?”
“PD Oh told me not to mention the footage.”
“Huh?”
“So don’t bring up the video. Just say you had a change of heart.”
“B-But if I do that, Ryeoyu unnie will never believe me.”
“Oh, really? That sucks.”
I showed as much sympathy as I could.
Give her the empathy she wants, right?
“But what can I do? PD Oh said not to say anything. I’m powerless.”
“Unnie…!”
“If PD Oh finds out you told her about the footage, he might feel left out. It’s not good if it looks like you and Ryeoyu are getting too close, right?”
“…!”
“So let’s be careful, okay?”
I held Juseon’s hand tightly.
Good luck, teammate.
“Wait… Juseon unnie came back?!”
Yeon Juhong’s already huge round eyes somehow got even rounder.
Why do you keep doing that?
“Yep.”
“She even said she’d forget the whole thing?!”
“No. The footage of her treating you horribly at the clothing market will still be aired.”
Some things deserve to be buried—but others need to be exposed.
What she said to me? I can choose to bury that.
But what she did to Juhong? That’s her own responsibility.
“She’s even going to apologize?!”
“Yep. That’ll be in the broadcast too.”
Yeon Juhong was practically bouncing with excitement.
Kim Geum still looked dazed, but she seemed pleased too.
“Unnie, are you a magician?”
“Or maybe a kindergarten teacher?”
“…?”
“How did you train Juseon like that? Mmmph—!”
Yeah. It was tough giving her a crash course in basic manners.
“Anyway, Juseon never really left the team. Got it?”
“Yes!”
“So let’s all act like nothing happened and work together smoothly.”
“Yes!”
These girls are like chirping birds.
Feels like I’ve become their mother bird or something.
“But… will she really cooperate?”
“She definitely will. Trust me.”
If not, she’ll lose her last chance.
“No seriously, how did you do it? That girl’s stubbornness is no joke.”
Kim Geum was practically suspicious now.
“If you know too much… the mystery breaks.”
“What, are you already debuting with a secret persona or something?”
Mmm. Well, I did debut once already.
But I wasn’t going to explain.
The moment I did, they’d start fearing me—and we still had to live and work together.
No need to start with fear.
“Anyway, we lost a day and a half. Let’s catch up first.”
I glanced at Kim Geum.
She took out her laptop.
That thing’s basically a golden egg machine.
“Geum, how’s the composition going?”
“Almost done.”
“Really?”
She finished it even while her mental state was in shambles?
I was genuinely impressed.
“I’ll let you listen. Please share your opinions.”
“Yep.”
“Okay.”
Yeon Juhong and I focused on the melody Kim Geum played.
There were no lyrics yet, so she hummed the tune.
And even so—
“Wow.”
“…That’s amazing.”
The song was really good.
Way better than the one I’d written.
“Just needs some polishing. We’ll need lyrics now…”
She looked at me nervously.
“Unnie, the lyrics…”
“I’ve already got something in mind. Don’t worry.”
“!”
Kim Geum looked moved.
It really wasn’t a big deal.
I just needed to tweak lyrics I’d written in my previous life.
And I’d already drafted some while she was busy composing.
“Unnie, even with all that chaos, you still managed lyrics? Do you have like… 48 hours in a day or something?”
Juhong clicked her tongue in disbelief.
Eh. Not quite.
“Anyway…”
“Yeah?”
“We have to debut together.”
“Wait, what about me?! Kim Geum! What about me?!”
“Try harder. Maybe I’ll let you in.”
“No…! No…!”
“You’re at about 80 points. Improve.”
“Nooo!”
“This drill sergeant isn’t satisfied yet.”
Definitely baby birds.
I watched the two of them bicker for a while—then made my escape.
Time to go fix the lyrics.
