NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 97
“Ugh, please vote a lot for our team…, meow.”
“KYAAAAAAAHHHHH-!!!!”
“Wowaaaaaahhhh-!!!”
After finishing my unexpected aegyo, I returned backstage, leaving behind a monstrous roar.
My face was as red as if I had downed a whole bottle of soju in one shot.
‘I-I’m so embarrassed…!’
My teammates greeted me with bright smiles.
“KYAA-! Unni!! You were super cute!!”
“You were so cute I almost kidnapped you, seriously!”
“…Shut up. I’m not talking to you. You all cheated at rock-paper-scissors…”
Here’s how it all went down.
After finishing the stage, we were coming down backstage when Park Yoo-jung suddenly suggested one person from the team should go out and greet the audience.
“You have to add ‘meow’ at the end as if it’s a punishment. How about it?”
“Uh…, do we really have to do that? I don’t think I can because I’m too embarrassed…”
“Okay! So, we all agreed, right? Loser does rock-paper-scissors~”
“…Uh, uh-oh.”
So, when we suddenly started rock-paper-scissors, everyone except me was throwing a sign.
…I was the only one who chose fist.
Thus, reluctantly, I had no choice but to jiggle and show my aegyo to the audience, just like being pushed off a cliff.
Shiver shiver.
It was my first time doing something like this, and my legs were still trembling, my face hot.
I glanced over at Park Yoo-jung, clearly the mastermind behind this whole ordeal.
“Yoo-jung, you… it was definitely your plan, right?”
Turning my red face toward her, Park Yoo-jung answered with a playful smile.
“Huh? Oh come on, that’s unfair! It was my idea, but everyone else agreed too!”
“What? So it was all your scheme after all…!”
“True, I did come up with it, but Yoo-jin was the first one to say she liked it, Yoo-jin!”
At Park Yoo-jung’s accusation, I looked at Seo Yoo-jin, my eyes full of betrayal.
And Seo Yoo-jin just…
“…Yoo-jin, how could you? What have I ever done for you…”
“I’m sorry… but heh, you were really cute just now!”
She had this mushy expression, as if she genuinely thought I was cute in front of the audience, showing off.
I was about to say something else to her when…
“This is re… …!”
…I paused, seeing something.
I’d habitually turned on and off Seo Yoo-jin’s status window to check for abnormalities.
Even as I was chatting with my teammates now…, I was unknowingly flicking her status window on and off.
And that’s when I noticed…
[Status abnormality: Mild Anxiety Disorder, Separation Anxiety.]
…This was different from usual. I noticed that Seo Yoo-jin’s depression was gone.
“……”
“…Unni?”
As I stared blankly at Seo Yoo-jin, she tilted her head and met my gaze.
Her face looked healthy, both physically and mentally.
It was a far cry from the gloomy look she had when she came to the Na Ah Ah set earlier that week, flooded with public criticism.
‘Is it because of… me…?’
In that moment, I recalled the actions I’d taken towards Seo Yoo-jin this week and the time we spent together.
Thinking about how those efforts piled up to create this change made me feel…
‘Proud…’
…a sense of pride swelled within me.
I gave a gentle smile, stroked Seo Yoo-jin’s head, and said, “You worked hard this week.”
“…Unni.”
Though it was a short phrase, it seemed Seo Yoo-jin understood the meaning behind my words, her eyes twinkling.
And then…
Sniffle.
As if recalling the events of the week like I did, her wide eyes began to fill with tears.
“Wait a second—!!”
Just as it seemed Seo Yoo-jin was about to cry, Park Yoo-jung, sensing the gloomy atmosphere, jumped in to lighten the mood.
“Unni! Why just pet Yoo-jin! I worked hard too!”
“…Alright.”
As Park Yoo-jung piped in, I immediately patted her head with the other hand.
Honestly, I hadn’t been able to pay much attention to the team this week because I was too busy caring for Seo Yoo-jin.
If it weren’t for Park Yoo-jung balancing things out between me and the rest of the team, we wouldn’t have been able to deliver such a good performance.
“Our Yoo-jung worked really hard, didn’t she?”
“Hehe.”
As I petted both Seo Yoo-jin and Park Yoo-jung simultaneously with both hands, the other teammates approached us.
“Please pet us too!”
“We worked hard too…!”
Right, the other team members had to struggle to keep up during practice as well.
So, I opened my arms wide and welcomed the other team members into my embrace.
“Sure, everyone come here.”
“Hehe.”
Thus, the Na Ah Ah 3rd Team Competition, which had a rough start, wrapped up with all the team members hugging each other like a giant ball.
“Thank you all for your hard work.”
“We all worked hard.”
“But we did well on stage, right? We should be in the top 3…”
“Are you kidding? We’re definitely getting 1st place.”
“I hope so.”
“Eek, Ye-rin unni’s skin is super soft.”
“…Yoo-jung, where are you touching… huh?!”
It was the most memorable conclusion I could ask for among the previous three competitions.
—
After Ha Ye-rin’s team finished their performance and her teammates reveled in the aftermath of their successful stage…
“Hmmm…”
One person stood at the corner of the set with a calculating expression.
It was none other than Shin PD.
In fact, Shin PD had been the one experiencing the biggest waves during this Na Ah Ah.
He was deeply pondering his broadcast angles and calculating screen time like never before.
Originally, Shin PD had intended to fill this episode of Na Ah Ah with melodrama, but due to unexpected actions by Yoo Seol, he couldn’t do that.
This meant that the 7th episode of Na Ah Ah would have been quite lacking in terms of buzz…
“Ugh, please vote a lot for our team…, meow.”
Thanks to Ha Ye-rin’s incredible highlight, Shin PD could breathe a little easier.
Of course, Ha Ye-rin had always played the role of a devoted daughter since the early days of Na Ah Ah.
‘How did such a gem come to be here… I’m just lucky. Yoo Seol’s foolish actions helped fill the gaps.’
Thus, Shin PD, feeling relieved that he had secured the screen time, turned his focus onto the last team’s upcoming performance.
At that moment…
“Oh dear~ Shin PD?”
Turning around at the sudden voice…
“…An Representative?”
“It’s been a while since we last met.”
…A significant figure was smiling at him.
Ahn Min-soo, the representative of MS Planning, one of the top entertainment companies in South Korea, though not quite at the level of the top three.
Even though they were friendly, it was still surprising for the representative of such a large agency to drop by the set without notice, leaving Shin PD feeling flustered.
“No…, how come you arrived without contacting me…? What brings you here?”
“Haha, I heard there are many promising participants in this Na Ah Ah, so I came to see.”
“Ah…”
There are many talented trainees participating in idol audition programs like Na Ah Ah.
However, only a few get selected to debut, while those with talent but not chosen must restart their trainee lives.
At this time, groups from other agencies start approaching trainees.
They offer better conditions than their current companies and secretly entice talented trainees to join their firms.
This is what’s called hijacking. It’s also known as pickpocketing, a trick employed by larger agencies against smaller ones once shows like Na Ah Ah end.
Of course, ethically, that’s not the right thing to do…
“Haha! If that’s the case, why didn’t you tell me in advance? I could have provided you with a list!”
Shin PD wasn’t one to care about ethics.
Since he maintained a close relationship with An Representative who had his back, Shin PD would often supply MS Planning with suitable trainees whenever his program wrapped up.
Especially now, in the wake of the SAV Seo Yoo-jin incident, having a backer was crucial for Shin PD, so he stopped monitoring the stage and started buttering up An Representative.
“There are quite a few A-tier candidates this time. There’s Lee Hye-jeong…, she’ll definitely get dropped, but she has real skill, so if you apply pressure, it will be easy… ”
“Oh, forget about that girl… I have my eyes on someone else, which is why I personally came here.”
“Someone you have your eyes on? Who…?”
“The one who just performed, Ha Ye-rin… that girl.”
“…!”
As An Representative casually mentioned Ha Ye-rin with a pleasant smile, Shin PD paused for a moment before responding.
“Ha Ye-rin… it might be a bit hard for her, don’t you think? She’s practically guaranteed to be on the debut team, so if you eye her too much, the head office will…”
“Oh! Of course, it makes sense that she’s someone you discovered, so you should have priority. But I’m talking about her after she debuts with the group we’re creating in a year.”
“…Ah, after a year.”
“In the end, she will debut again with a new group… I heard that her agency is Brotherhood Planning? Their company seems so small it’s almost embarrassing to call it a small business.”
Nod.
Shin PD also nodded at that remark.
He had confirmed through his inquiries that Brotherhood Planning had no active idols, and Ha Ye-rin was their only trainee.
“Wouldn’t it be better for her to join a bigger company like MS Planning than that hole-in-the-wall store?”
“……”
“And, by the way, our team looked into it, and her family’s economic situation seems pretty bleak…”
An Representative continued, grinning slyly.
“Perhaps…, would she not need a sponsor… or something?”
“…Huh?!”
Upon hearing that, even Shin PD could only be left dumbfounded.
He unwittingly reacted loudly and quickly shut his mouth, glancing around before whispering to An Representative.
“What do you mean by that? Sponsors in this day and age? If we get caught, we’re really done for. And she’s already gaining popularity with the public… what would she need a sponsor for…”
“Haha! What I just said was obviously a ‘joke.’”
“……”
It was labeled a joke, but Shin PD caught a glimpse of the insatiable desire hidden behind An Representative’s eyes.
‘This lecherous old man… has he lost it with age…?’
Shin PD was good at reading the atmosphere given his strong abilities.
His instincts screamed that he shouldn’t get entangled with An Representative any further.
Thus, as Shin PD subtly tried to distance himself from him…
“Wow, An Representative, your jokes are just too classy. But what do I do? I need to do some monitoring, so I’ll be stepping away for a bit…”
“I heard you slipped on your promotion to deputy director.”
“……!”
An Representative struck at Shin PD’s weak point.
“You know, I have strong ties with the networks over there, right?”
“……”
“I really want Ha Ye-rin to come to our company. Please help me, Shin PD, hehehe.”
Swish.
Shin PD slowly looked at An Representative’s hand reaching out toward him.
This was the highest risk, high reward choice he’d made in his career.
An Representative was indeed entwined with the executives of Nnet; if he put his weight behind it, Shin PD’s promotion could be resolved.
But if things went wrong…
‘I am toast.’
Shin PD’s current precarious position would surely lead to his downfall.
Thus, as Shin PD imagined himself sinking into the sea with cement…
‘…Meh, would that even happen in 21st century Korea? This isn’t a movie.’
…he eventually shook his head and bowed to An Representative again.
“Then, I’ll be counting on you, Representative. You will surely achieve what you desire. I’ll make sure to arrange a meeting soon.”
“Haha, thank you.”
And so, the secret deal between the two was struck.