NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 180
Seo Yoo-jin hurriedly revealed to Director Jeong and the NAS staff that the owner of the cigarette was Shin Si-woo from YW Black Night.
And the reaction of the staff upon hearing that was….
“…….”
“…….”
Immediate discomfort.
Na Ah Ah had recorded decent viewership ratings, so the company was providing quite a bit of support…
But Rookiez was just a mediocre girl group barely surviving in the Top 10 of music streaming sites.
In contrast, over there was the flagship boy group of YW, one of Korea’s top three entertainment agencies.
The weight difference was too great to raise a problem just based on Yoo-jin’s word.
Furthermore….
“…Are you sure?”
“…Yes?”
“Are you sure Yoo-jin saw it correctly?”
Some staff members outright didn’t believe Yoo-jin.
Faced with their cold reactions, Yoo-jin could only feel flustered.
She thought the NAS staff would back her up, but being grilled instead doubled her shock.
“……What do you mean?”
As Yoo-jin stared blankly, Director Jeong sensed something was off and calmed the staff to mediate the situation.
“Okay, everyone, calm down. Yoo-jin must be startled, so let’s not pressure her too much.”
Then, he took on a tone as if resigned and persuaded Yoo-jin.
“Yoo-jin, I believe you, but… it’s hard for us to escalate things based just on circumstantial evidence.”
“Then… how should we resolve this situation?”
“Well…”
Director Jeong was in a difficult situation as well.
He furrowed his brow for a moment, then came up with a solution.
The method he chose was… a drug test.
Shortly after, NAS Entertainment announced that the photos circulating in the community alongside Yoo-jin’s voice results were concocted maliciously.
As a result, people stopped making a fuss over Yoo-jin’s drug-related issue…
But the deep wounds in Yoo-jin’s heart remained unhealed.
A few days later, Yoo-jin met Shin Si-woo.
She didn’t want to meet him again, but it was to confirm that he was behind this incident.
And Shin Si-woo said….
“Yeah, I did it.”
…In contrast to Yoo-jin’s expectations, he readily admitted his crime.
From that moment, Yoo-jin began to see Shin Si-woo in a different light.
His previously innocent face suddenly appeared so frightening.
“…Why?”
“Because you rejected me.”
The one who should be angry was Yoo-jin, but Shin Si-woo was the one getting furious.
His face twisted like a demon as he glared at Yoo-jin.
“You seduced me first. I listened to you every day like you wanted. But now you’re rejecting me?”
“…Sunbae, that’s….”
“Yoo-jin, you need to be punished.”
Shin Si-woo gripped Yoo-jin’s shoulder tightly and said.
“You wanted to keep being an idol, right? I’ll make sure you can’t step into this industry again.”
“…….”
“You said you didn’t want to burden your Rookiez members, right? I’ll show you how one person can ruin a team.”
Shin Si-woo spoke to Yoo-jin with a voice drenched in hatred like he was casting a curse….
And then, smirk.
He smiled again and gently said to Yoo-jin.
“Of course, if you acknowledge your wrongdoings and repent, I’ll forgive you.”
“…….”
“But I’m not a fan of idol couples. I’m too busy to even meet, you know? So, how about you quit being an idol?”
“…….”
“You’ll do as I say, right? Right? Huh?”
Yoo-jin realized upon seeing Shin Si-woo’s relentless gaze.
This person would never let her go.
He would definitely keep tormenting her, aiming to drag her down into the mire.
Thus, that night, she declared in front of the Rookiez members and Director Jeong.
“I’m quitting Rookiez.”
That was the best choice Yoo-jin could make.
It was clear that Shin Si-woo wouldn’t give up on her.
She couldn’t burden Rookiez, who needed to work hard in the time left.
Despite the other members and Director Jeong trying to persuade Yoo-jin until the end, they couldn’t change her determined mind.
And so, Yoo-jin withdrew from Rookiez.
On the day she left the Rookiez dormitory, Yoo-jin closed her eyes and pondered.
Where did it all go wrong?
Was it wrong to think she was the center of the world in her immature past?
Was it wrong to unjustly take a spot in Rookiez despite being criticized by the public?
‘Ah…’
In that moment, Yoo-jin realized where it all began to go wrong.
Not knowing her place and dreaming of being an idol was the first mistake.
And with that, Yoo-jin broke the contract with NAS and returned to her original agency, SAV.
But even at SAV, she ultimately didn’t renew her contract…
And she gave up on the dream of being an idol.
“…….”
“Sister, are you okay?”
After the skills ended and I regained my senses, Yoo-jin was looking at me with a worried expression.
“…Yoo-jin.”
I feel like I just saw what kind of life the previous Yoo-jin lived.
In an instant, I couldn’t distinguish between fantasy and reality and lightly touched Yoo-jin’s cheek.
And….
“Yes, sister. It’s me. What’s wrong? …Are you sick or something?”
Yoo-jin rubbed my hand on her cheek.
Only after feeling her warmth did I realize that this was reality.
…No, maybe I misphrased that.
What I just saw from the past… was definitely reality.
And the one who made that previous Yoo-jin so unhappy…
“Um… Ye-rin, are you alright?”
…was right in front of me.
“…….”
Was it because I just came back from seeing the past?
Was it because I saw Yoo-jin’s hollow expression, as if she had given up on everything in her previous life?
I felt a greater sense of rage toward Shin Si-woo than any fear of a stalker.
“You bastard.”
“……!”
As I suddenly looked at Shin Si-woo and spat out curses, Yoo-jin exclaimed in surprise.
“Unnie…! What do you mean…!”
“……”
Although Shin Si-woo was still smiling, he was now emanating an even colder aura as he glared at me.
Of course, I didn’t avoid his gaze.
‘…Should I smash him now.’
It seemed I had built up quite a connection with Yoo-jin over the time.
Right now, she was more than just a close younger sister to me.
Thinking of what Shin Si-woo did to Yoo-jin in her past life, I couldn’t control my emotions.
‘Should I deal with him like I did with Shin PD and Representative An.’
I had punished Shin PD and Representative An using Sky Demon Martial Arts skills.
Just like I did to them… I planned to punish Shin Si-woo too.
But….
“……”
No matter how long I waited, the status window didn’t respond.
In order to use the skills that punished Shin PD and Representative An, I needed to be in the Extreme Demon state, which I hadn’t reached yet.
‘Damn….’
So I shifted my gaze to where he hid the cigarettes.
In my previous life, the cigarette he smoked was definitely not a regular one but marijuana.
If I could use that to threaten Shin Si-woo just like he threatened the past Yoo-jin, making his life miserable…!
Then it happened.
“Unnie…!”
“……!”
When Yoo-jin screamed as if she was genuinely worried about me, I snapped back to reality.
“What’s wrong… Unnie… I’m scared…”
“….”
Yoo-jin looked at me with vibrant skin and shining eyes instead of the pitiful look I had seen from the past.
…Right.
The Yoo-jin of now is different from the past.
The Shin Si-woo in front of me might be a despicable bastard, but he hadn’t done anything to the current Yoo-jin yet.
If I cause chaos here, it might harm Yoo-jin and Rookiez.
“Haah….”
With that, I sighed deeply…
“I’m sorry, Yoo-jin. Let’s go back.”
I lightly embraced Yoo-jin’s shoulders.
“Just a moment, Ye-rin. Why are you ignoring me….”
Of course, it seemed Shin Si-woo wouldn’t let us go easily, reaching out his hand…
Thwack.
I coldly swatted it away.
“…Don’t talk to us again. And don’t pretend to know us.”
“……Huh? What do you mean all of a sudden….”
Leaving behind the flustered expression on Shin Si-woo’s face, I took Yoo-jin into my arms and left that place.
“Unnie, why did you act like that earlier? Did he do something to you?”
“……”
As we headed back to the waiting room, Yoo-jin asked, and instead of answering, I stared at her face intently.
‘I’m quitting Rookiez.’
The image of her declaring her intent to leave Rookiez, her face not happy with Rookiez activities, and her regret over choosing the idol path overlap with the current her.
So I asked her.
“Yoo-jin.”
“Yes.”
“Are you happy with Rookiez activities right now?”
At my sudden question, Yoo-jin tilted her head, responding as if to say, “Why would you ask that.”
“Of course.”
“Then about choosing the path of being an idol? Don’t you regret that?”
“Eh?!”
Yoo-jin seemed shocked again but soon answered with genuine sincerity.
“Thanks to being an idol, I got to meet you, meet the other members, and meet the fans.”
“…….”
“Regret? Not at all.”
As she said that with a smile….
“……”
I stared blankly for a moment before nodding my head.
“…I’m glad to hear that.”
Perhaps Oh Ah-ra had been right; Yoo-jin was probably the reason Rookiez fell apart in the previous life.
If a member suddenly dropped out due to unexpected controversy, the impact on the group would have been enormous.
But with my intervention, Rookiez wouldn’t face the same crisis as in the past…
And Yoo-jin would lead a different life from her previous life.
‘That’s all that matters…. That’s all….’
With that thought, I felt prouder than ever of being reborn as Na Ah Ah and debuting with Rookiez, gently patting Yoo-jin’s head.
“…Let’s hurry. The other members must be waiting.”
“Yes!”
Oh Ah-ra had clearly mentioned that some ‘bombs’ were among the Rookiez members.
That meant there were still issues to face in the future.
I promised to protect the precious Rookiez as I returned with Yoo-jin to the members.
“Ugh…, crazy girl.”
Startled by Ha Ye-rin’s sudden outburst, Shin Si-woo clicked his tongue as he watched the two of them walk away.
It was almost the first time he had received such cursing from someone who usually pretended to be kind, and so he was even more flustered.
Was that why?
Even when he returned to the dorm after finishing his schedule that day and lay down to sleep, Ha Ye-rin’s appearance seemed to linger in front of his eyes.
‘Damn it… she was really pretty….’
But regardless of her looks, Ha Ye-rin’s personality didn’t sit well with him.
He liked obedient women who followed his every word.
He wasn’t into women who appeared to have strong wills like Ha Ye-rin.
Yet he couldn’t easily forget her beauty?
Shin Si-woo couldn’t fall asleep and instead searched for her videos on his phone.
From her stage cam videos… to Na Ah Ah’s stage performances.
The videos eventually led to the clip of Ha Ye-rin’s press conference, which was hitting hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.
He had never been interested in entertainment news before, so seeing the press conference video getting so many views was surprising enough for him to click on it.
And….
[Sniff…]
[My parents… exploited and abused me for 19 years.]
“……!”
Thump.
Not long after starting the video, the quiet pounding of his heart began.
Seeing Ha Ye-rin, who looked like she wouldn’t bleed even if pricked by a needle, shedding tears was… beautifully artistic.
It felt like awakening his sadistic tendencies.
At the same time, he was sure of something after watching all the videos and Ha Ye-rin’s tears.
She was definitely not someone with a strong will.
Rather…, it was a woman who, with just a little leverage, he could toy with as he pleased…
She was the closest match to his ideal type.
Thump, thump.
Feeling his heart racing uncontrollably, Shin Si-woo watched Ha Ye-rin’s videos all night.
And when morning came, he had to admit it.
“Haah… how should I captivate her?”
That his unrequited love had begun.
Ha Ye-rin thought the first crisis of Rookiez had passed, but that was not the case.
It was just that the target had changed.