NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 149
Flash!
“……”
As soon as I opened my eyes, the gray world welcomed me back.
It seemed like I would be like this until the ‘Extreme Demon’ trait wore off.
The place I woke up in this morning was, after all, the Rookie Dormitory.
NAS Entertainment had kindly allowed me to use the empty Rookie Dormitory all night since I had no other place to go.
Thud.
I wasn’t particularly hungry.
Instead of eating, I went to the bathroom….
Swish.
I splashed my face and applied some basic makeup.
“……”
When I looked in the mirror after applying cream, a pretty but slightly haggard girl greeted me.
The reason I hadn’t put on much makeup was simple.
Because at today’s press conference… there was no need to show off a heavily made-up look.
Thud.
After finishing my face wash and makeup, I returned to my room to change my clothes.
The clothes were… of course, prepared in advance by NAS Entertainment.
An oversized sweatshirt and sweatpants with plenty of room.
And….
A black baseball cap from the New York Yankees.
Swish, swoosh.
The oversized sweatshirt was so long in the sleeves that I had to pull it slightly up as I adjusted it.
By the way, these clothes were personally prepared by the new stylist team leader for the Rookies.
At first, it looked baggy, but as she said when handing me the clothes, it created a simple yet refined city boy vibe.
Then, wearing the sweatpants….
Hug!
When I pressed the baseball cap on my small head, the girl in the mirror looked pretty again.
But, how should I say it….
The fashion was stylish, and everything looked beautiful, yet there was a naturalness that made it seem like I hadn’t put any thought into my outfit, almost as if I had hurriedly picked up a few pieces.
Thud.
After finishing all my preparations, I went to the couch in the living room and sat down.
Then I practiced by mumbling the script I had almost memorized in my head.
By the way, NAS Entertainment also prepared the script I would use at the press conference.
“I will hold a press conference. Please bring as many reporters as possible tomorrow.”
“……Yes, we will handle everything on our end. Miss Ye-rin, please take a moment to rest while you wait… You look quite tired.”
To be precise, it was Director Jeong who had arranged everything.
The script he had written personally in just an hour was excellent.
While thinking of Director Jeong’s exceptional abilities, I memorized the script over and over again.
And when I had practiced the script about five times….
Ding-dong.
“…….”
The doorbell rang.
It was the people who would take me to the press conference.
I immediately headed to the entrance to open the door.
Ding-ling.
And the people who had come to escort me were none other than….
“…Ye-rin.”
“…Miss Ye-rin.”
…the older brother Sang-gu from Brotherhood Planning and Lawyer Lee Kim-jang.
Originally, someone from NAS Entertainment was supposed to take me, but Director Jeong changed it to have Brotherhood Planning take me.
…He figured being with familiar faces would help me feel less nervous.
“Sang-gu oppa…, lawyer.”
Even though it hadn’t been that long since we last met, it felt like a long time.
As I smiled a little, Sang-gu oppa frowned and came closer to me.
Then….
Swish.
“…I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you yesterday. It must have been tough alone.”
He gently placed his hand on my shoulder and bowed his head.
He had a worried expression as if he felt sorry for me, even though he really didn’t need to.
“You must have been very busy… It’s okay.”
“……”
“…Is the President doing well?”
The lawyer Lee Kim-jang answered this question instead of Sang-gu.
“There’s no evidence on that side, so he will probably be released within 48 hours due to insufficient evidence.”
“…That’s a relief. Thank you, lawyer.”
“…I didn’t do much to deserve your thanks.”
Lawyer Lee Kim-jang lowered his head, looking embarrassed.
I sent small smiles to Sang-gu oppa and Lawyer Lee Kim-jang once and said, “Shall we go now?”
“…Yeah.”
As we were off to do work for Brotherhood Planning, their expressions didn’t seem entirely happy.
We immediately took the elevator to the parking lot where Sang-gu oppa had parked the car.
For reference, the parking lot here at ZZ Castle goes down to the seventh underground floor, and Sang-gu oppa had parked on the guest parking beginning from the fifth.
As we got off on the fifth floor and approached the familiar black sedan of Brotherhood Planning right in front of the elevator….
“…Miss Ye-rin-!!!!!!!”
“……?”
Just as I took a step closer to the car, someone called out to me in a desperate voice.
The tone sounded somewhat angry and was very familiar.
I turned my head toward the source of the voice….
“Ha Ye-rin-!!! Miss Ye-rin-!! Let’s talk for a moment!! Hey!! Stop-!!”
“……”
A familiar face matching that voice came rushing toward me, reaching out a hand.
It was none other than Shin PD.
Last night.
“An Representative, you crazy bastard-!!!!”
At his home, Shin PD flipped over furniture and expressed his rage.
And rightly so….
“Are you going to make this such a huge production?!!!”
Because without a word of warning, MS Planning’s An Representative had blown up the Ha Ye-rin matter into a blockbuster level.
“I thought I had to wait a year! This bastard…! If you blow it up like this, what am I supposed to do?!!!”
Shin PD naturally thought that An Representative would approach Ha Ye-rin around a year after Rookie activities ended.
Little did he know that they would cause such a ruckus before Rookie’s debut….
“Haah…, damn, I’m really screwed…”
If it turned out that Shin PD was somehow involved in this tampering incident, the headquarters wouldn’t just sit still.
Bang.
He would surely be out on his neck.
“Ha Ye-rin… she didn’t say anything… right? Please tell me she didn’t say anything… But damn, there’s no way she didn’t!”
No matter how much Shin PD warned her, in this situation, it was impossible for Ha Ye-rin not to mention how he introduced MS Planning to NAS.
As Shin PD slammed the desk again, growing anxious about the situation, his phone suddenly rang.
Drrrr.
“……!”
Surprised, he hurriedly picked up the phone to check who it was….
“…Damn.”
[Director Jeong from the headquarters.]
…It was Director Jeong, who was now responsible for the Rookies.
It was unlikely that he would call out of the blue to check in, given their not-so-close relationship.
Shin PD prepared mentally and accepted the call.
“…Y-Yes, hello.”
[PD Shin Ji-cheon. This is Director Jeong.]
“Oh, yes, yes! Director Jeong…! Wh-what’s this about…?”
[Time is short, so I will get straight to the point.]
His words, as cold as the harsh winter, sounded like a grim reaper delivering a death sentence.
[This matter… the headquarters won’t just let it slide.]
“W-Wait a minute-! Director Jeong! Everything Ha Ye-rin said is a lie! I can explain!”
[You haven’t even stated what the matter is, so what exactly are you going to explain?]
“……!”
Oh no.
I got too hurried and was thrown off by Director Jeong’s rhythm.
As Shin PD regretted and slapped his mouth in frustration, Director Jeong continued in an icy tone.
[Do you think we didn’t know you’ve been selling the program participants to MS on the side?]
“……”
[Until last time, we let it slip, but this time it has gone too far.]
“Director Jeong… I’m sorry! So….”
[Considering the dignity of Nnet Broadcasting Station, we won’t pursue this to a full-fledged investigation… So, please wrap this up before things get ugly.]
Wrap it up before things get ugly.
That was a signal to take responsibility before shifting all the blame onto him.
‘Oh, no…!’
Upon hearing that, Shin PD felt everything collapsing around him.
No, it literally was collapsing.
From graduating university to joining a major broadcasting company and now transitioning to Nnet, everything he had built up…
He, who was racing towards the finish line faster than anyone else, was now being declared out of the race before anyone else among his peers.
Unable to accept this, Shin PD began his last-ditch effort.
“This can’t be happening! How many successful shows have I created at Nnet, and how many ratings have I broken?! Everything I’ve done has been for the broadcasting station!! How can you treat me like this?! I absolutely refuse to accept it-!!”
[…So, you’re saying you want to take this to the end?]
“Yes! Let’s see this through! How much have I done for the company so far! Do you think I lack any connections or support? The higher-ups will understand me! Let’s take it to the very end!]
With those words, Shin PD hung up the phone abruptly.
And as he pondered whom to call first among his network closely tied to Nnet and NAS Entertainment…
“…Okay, first let’s get a proper grasp of the situation.”
He called the person closest to him among the administrative staff responsible for the Rookies. And….
“What? A press conference…?”
He received intel that Ha Ye-rin would hold a press conference the next day.
‘Haah…, damn…!’
Upon hearing that, Shin PD was once again left in agony.
If Ha Ye-rin mentioned Shin PD in front of the whole nation, there would be no escape for him.
To survive, the first priority for Shin PD was to shut Ha Ye-rin’s mouth.
After receiving the phone call from the Rookie administrative staff, he subtly buttered them up.
“Where is Ha Ye-rin staying today? …Oh, she’s at the Rookie Dormitory? You know the address, right? I’ll need an access card too… Don’t pull away just help me out just this once. My life is on the line…”
Somehow, he finally got the address and access card for the Rookie Dormitory. Shin PD finished the call and slammed the desk.
“Damn, what kind of situation is this because of that filthy girl!”
Although Ha Ye-rin wasn’t at fault for putting him in peril, she was the easiest target to direct his hatred toward.
So, he gritted his teeth, promising that he would ensure Ha Ye-rin would be appropriately silenced the next day.
The next day.
Early in the morning, Shin PD, who had been waiting at the Rookie Dormitory, confirmed that Brother Planning staff had parked on the fifth underground floor.
And as soon as Ha Ye-rin came out….
“…Miss Ye-rin-!!!!!!!”
He raised his voice as he approached her.
“Ha Ye-rin-!!! Miss Ye-rin-!! Let’s talk for a moment!! Hey!! Stop-!!”
The moment he saw Ha Ye-rin’s face, his anger boiled over again.
‘Because of that filthy girl….’
Shin PD thought of finding a way to silence her to escape this situation.
And once the public sentiment calmed down…
‘When that happens, I will use my authority and power to send her crashing down.’
He thought of using all kinds of schemes to make Ha Ye-rin’s entertainment career unbearable.
“……”
“Okay! Just stay right there!”
Seeing Shin PD made Ha Ye-rin freeze in place like a statue.
Shin PD approached her confidently, stretching out his hand.
“Are you heading for a press conference? If you’re thinking of saying anything about me there….”
Just before his hand reached Ha Ye-rin’s body,
Thwoom!
His mind froze as if time itself had stopped.
‘…Huh?’
Shin PD couldn’t comprehend the current situation.
And when he snapped back to reality….
Gag! Cough, cough… Ugh! Ewwww…!
He was rolling on the ground, throwing up.
“Ack… Hah… cough, sputter, ew…!”
‘C-Cold, I… can’t breathe…!’
Shin PD curled up, writhing in pain, recalling what had just happened.
Just before his hand touched Ha Ye-rin’s body….
‘Those damned bastards…!’
One of the Brotherhood Planning staff, standing beside Ha Ye-rin, had struck a heavy punch to his solar plexus.
Shin PD was quite a powerful figure in the industry.
He never imagined he would face something like this even for a moment, so he was left bewildered.
However, the one who hit him remained calm as he turned to Ha Ye-rin.
“Since you were trying to put your hands on her, I stopped you… But now I see you’re PD Na Ah Ah. Did I put you in a difficult situation?”
“It’s okay, Sang-gu oppa. This guy deserves to be hit anyway. He’s the one who first brought up MS Planning to me.”
“…So, that’s how it is.”
Thud.
The moment MS Planning was mentioned, Sang-gu stepped forward with a calm but furious expression.
Seeing that, a terrified Shin PD shouted in desperation.
“C-Cough! W-Wait-!! Are you out of your mind? I’m a broadcasting PD! If I just move my tongue a bit, I can destroy that girl’s career! Should I do that? Huh?”
“……”
Saying that could lead to harm to Ha Ye-rin made Sang-gu halt his steps.
And beside him, Ha Ye-rin also spoke up….
“…Sang-gu oppa, please stay still for a moment. I need to have a word with this person.”
She paused Sang-gu and moved closer to Shin PD.
Seeing Ha Ye-rin approach instead of Sang-gu, Shin PD finally thought she was getting the picture.
“…Right. What are you doing messing with a star PD before you’ve even debuted? Get down on your knees! Maybe I could let it slide… if you beg for mercy!”
And then….
Slap.
‘…Huh?’
Before he could finish his words, his head turned sideways.
Once again, Shin PD was left unable to comprehend the situation.
‘That was… just now.’
Ha Ye-rin had slapped his cheek.
The very trainee he had considered below him… had just slapped his face.
This time, he shouted again, filled with rage….
“You filthy year! How dare you even…!”
Slap!
“AAAAH!”
This time, even before he finished, his head turned aside again.
‘Ah, it hurts…! It hurts so much…! More than when I got hit in the solar plexus…!’
Shin PD held his throbbing cheek, leaning back, while Ha Ye-rin took another step closer, whispering to him.
“…I was thinking about how to deal with you.”
“W-Wait… let’s not escalate this with violence…”
“…You came right to me, didn’t you?”
Slap.
“AAAAH!”
And she slapped his cheek again.
‘M-MY CHEEK…!’
His cheek felt like it was on fire.
But his pain was only just beginning.
Slap.
Shin PD understood better than anyone else that, despite Ha Ye-rin’s sharp appearance, she had a gentle inner side.
In other words, she was a seemingly easy target but preferred suffering herself over hurting others—a soft-hearted type.
However, today she was….
Slap.
More relentless than ever.
Slap.
More fierce than ever.
Slap.
More merciless than ever.