I Became An Idol To Pay Off My Debt

Last night.

“…Seol-ah, could you tell me how long you can wait for the payment? The medical expenses are overdue, and without a valid reason, we can’t keep waiting….”

“…Can you wait just two more months? I’ll win the show I’m participating in and ask the production team if they can deposit the prize immediately… please, just two months…”

“Okay… Seol-ah. I understand for now.”

When kindness continues, both the giver and the receiver become exhausted.

At first, the nurses and administrative staff looked at Yoo Seol with pity, but their tone began to seep annoyance.

But the most heartbreaking thing was….

Those eyes of the nurse that seemed to ask, ‘But can you really win?’

Even if they were busy and short on time to eat, the nurses and hospital staff weren’t blind or deaf.

Just a few moments of internet surfing was enough for most people to realize that the one closest to winning now wasn’t Yoo Seol, but Ha Ye-rin.

This was a significant blow to Yoo Seol’s pride, but honestly, it had become less important a while ago.

Yoo Seol, like a debtor who couldn’t pay back borrowed money, lowered her head before the nurses and returned to her ward.

Coincidentally, it was Friday night.

The hospital TV was showing Na Ah Ah, and Yoo Seol’s mom was awake for a change.

“Seol-ah… what did you talk about with the nurses… uh…”

“Mom, why are you up? You should be lying down.”

Of course, her strength was far from perfect due to repeated chemotherapy treatments.

“…I have to stay awake. Last time I missed seeing our daughter on the show because I was asleep. This time I have to watch.”

“……”

Yoo Seol could infer why her mom wanted to watch the show so badly.

It was the family month support video.

Her mom must have been curious about her daughter’s reaction after watching the support video.

This made Yoo Seol even more nervous.

‘…The production team would have edited it well, right? Please….’

At that moment, seeing her mom’s painful face filling the monitor, Yoo Seol couldn’t help but feel unbearable anger towards the production team and acted impulsively.

If that got broadcasted, it would not only damage her external image but also clearly upset her mom.

Thus, Yoo Seol anxiously watched Na Ah Ah episode 7…

“…What a pity, Mom’s support video didn’t air.”

Fortunately or unfortunately, the scenes she had worried about did not appear.

Yoo Seol let out a secret sigh of relief and showcased her uniquely excellent acting.

“Maybe I had a lot of screen time this episode, so the production team intentionally cut it. If they give me too much screen time, it would stir up favoritism controversy.”

“Ah, I see. So that’s why ‘that kid’s’ parents’ support video didn’t air either.”

“……”

Without saying a word, Yoo Seol knew who that ‘kid’ her mom was referring to.

Ha Ye-rin.

As Yoo Seol subtly became aware of Ha Ye-rin, her mom in the hospital also began to recognize her presence and actions.

[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): Um, please vote for our team a lot……, meow….]

“Oh my~ she’s so cute.”

Yoo Seol’s mom, usually cold and blunt, smiled for the first time in a while, clapping her hands as Ha Ye-rin acted cute.

With a look that seemed lost in memories, she spoke to her daughter.

“…Our daughter was just as cute when she first became a trainee.”

“……”

Swish.

Before she knew it, her mom’s hand had covered Yoo Seol’s hand.

“Of course, it doesn’t mean my daughter isn’t cute now. But right now, my daughter looks… too exhausted.”

“……”

“Seol-ah… I’m… I’m sorry.”

Yoo Seol’s mom used to be playful and full of laughter.

But since dad left her, and after she collapsed from pancreatic cancer, she kept holding onto Yoo Seol and apologizing like this.

Yoo Seol hated seeing her mom like that.

So, she clenched her teeth and replied to her mom.

“Mom, why are you sorry? There’s no need to be. I’m going to debut soon anyway, and I’ll win Na Ah Ah and move you to a better hospital than this one.”

“……”

“It’s not because of you that I haven’t debuted so far. …It was just my lack of skill, so just wait a little longer. This time, I’ll make sure to win no matter what.”

Hooo.

At Yoo Seol’s words, her mom tightened her grip on Yoo Seol’s hand.

And….

“No… our daughter… has never been lacking in skill. I believe you can definitely win. But Seol-ah…”

“…If you aren’t going in first, step aside.”

“…Ah, yes. Unnie.”

Hearing Yoo Seol’s somewhat locked voice, I hurriedly stepped aside to let her go in first.

As Yoo Seol entered the dorm…

“…Did you hurt your ankle?”

She asked me about my ankle.

Normally, Yoo Seol wouldn’t pry into personal matters, so I hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Yeah, I tripped on the stairs.”

“…It looks pretty swollen. Is it serious?”

“No, it’s not serious.”

“Okay, I hope you get better.”

With those words, Yoo Seol turned her head, but then….

“……!”

She flinched upon seeing Seo Yoo-jin next to me and went straight into the dorm.

“……”

I stared blankly at Yoo Seol’s back.

“What a strange thing.”

“…What do you mean?”

As I muttered to myself, Seo Yoo-jin asked me, initiating a natural conversation.

“Usually, she doesn’t say anything first when the camera is off. Why today…?”

I expressed my doubts, and Seo Yoo-jin clasped my arm tightly as she spoke.

“More than that, that girl saw your hurt ankle as she passed by… Something’s suspicious.”

“…What’s suspicious?”

“What if Seol unnie secretly hurts your ankle when the camera is off?”

I realized I was about to argue that Yoo Seol wasn’t that kind of person but stopped myself upon remembering who I was talking to—Seo Yoo-jin, who got played by Yoo Seol’s tricks in the previous competition.

“But Yoo-jin, didn’t you say you forgave what Seol unnie did last time?”

“That incident was that incident! If Seol unnie tries to bully you like she did to me, I won’t let it go this time!”

Seo Yoo-jin declared, firmly clenching her fist.

“This time, I will definitely protect you from her!”

Chuckle.

Seeing the 17-year-old Seo Yoo-jin act that way was rather cute.

With a small smile, I patted her head and said…

“Okay, I’ll rely on you.”

We headed inside together.

“Now, let’s start the ranking announcement from this moment!”

After unpacking everything, we gathered in the set, and as expected, the first segment was the ranking announcement.

At first, I was so nervous for ranking announcements, but it’s already the third one, so now it feels rather mundane.

The noteworthy fact was that Park Yoo-jung and Lee Hye-jeong’s rankings had slightly risen.

And….

“5th place goes to SAV’s Seo Yoo-jin!”

“……!”

This marked the end of the solid Big 4—Me, Yoo Seol, Na Han-na, and Seo Yoo-jin.

Seo Yoo-jin looked bewildered for a moment but soon tried hard not to show her disappointment as she went up on stage.

At that moment, I thought….

‘Among the public, there are many who hold onto their preconceived notions or first impressions until the end. Even if the production team apologized, there will still be quite a few people with a negative gaze towards her.’

‘So, that friend Seo Yoo-jin might still have some uncertainty? Well… looking at the current atmosphere, she seems likely to debut, but this controversy might stick to her like a tail even after debuting.’

I couldn’t help but recall what Lee Ji-woo said yesterday, feeling a bit anxious.

Park Yoo-jung and Lee Hye-jeong had slightly risen in rankings compared to last time, but it was still hard to say they were strong candidates for debut.

‘Please, I just want to team up with people who get along…’

With this slightly uncomfortable feeling, I continued watching the remaining ranking announcement.

“3rd place is… Congratulations! Na Han-na!”

Na Han-na was in 3rd place as expected, leaving just me and Yoo Seol.

This was already the third time for me and Yoo Seol competing for 1st and 2nd place.

I still remember the vote differences from previous ranking announcements.

In the first ranking announcement, I led by 50,000 votes against Yoo Seol, and in the second ranking announcement, Yoo Seol won by a 2,000 vote difference.

This time, I didn’t know how many votes separated the 1st and 2nd places, but I had a strong feeling I could predict who would be first this time.

“So now, we will announce the winner of the 3rd Ranking Announcement.”

In this tense moment, everyone’s gaze was fixed on Han Si-woo.

“Now… the 1st place is…!”

Soon, the announcement for 1st place was made.

And the 1st place was, indeed…

“Congratulations! Ha Ye-rin from Brotherhood Planning!”

…me.

Boom! Pop!

As I secured the 1st place at the ranking announcement, the confetti launched as the participants began clapping.

Of course, there was no one genuinely surprised that I was in 1st place.

After my team beat Yoo Seol’s last competition and following various good trends, everyone pretty much expected me to be there.

I myself had vaguely anticipated being 1st place this time, so I climbed onto the top of the pyramid with a bit more composure than before.

But….

“Now, I will tell you the vote count difference between 1st place Ha Ye-rin and 2nd place Yoo Seol.”

At Han Si-woo’s next comment, all participants, including myself, froze instantly.

“Ha Ye-rin’s vote count is 263,724 votes more than Yoo Seol’s.”

“…What?”

The difference in vote count between me and Yoo Seol was…

So huge I questioned whether it could be overturned during the remaining rounds.

Gossip, gossip.

The participants, who had momentarily frozen in disbelief, quickly collected themselves and began whispering among themselves.

“W-wait, how can the difference be over 260,000…?”

“My individual vote count is even less than that…?”

“With this, I guess the win is pretty much decided….”

Swish.

Soon the participants’ gaze shifted toward me.

In a way, envy and jealousy can only happen at a level that makes sense.

In their eyes, which looked at me… was awe, as if seeing something from another dimension.

And those gazes….

Swish.

“……”

…quickly moved to Yoo Seol, who was in 2nd place.

Unlike how they looked at me, the expressions in their eyes watching Yoo Seol were filled with pity and sympathy.

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