NOVEL NEXT Chapter 76
“Cut! This concludes the Second Team Competition! Great job, all participants! See you next week!”
Cheering!
“All your hard work is appreciated!”
With Shin PD’s cut signal indicating all filming was done, I stepped outside the set with the other participants.
“Ah… It’s already night.”
We started filming in the morning, but now it was late at night.
It had been quite warm lately, but perhaps because it was so late, it felt a little chilly.
To warm up, I crossed my arms and checked my phone when someone called me from the side.
“Ye-rin!”
“Ah… Unnie.”
It was Lee Hye-jeong.
She approached me with a slightly bright expression, different from her usual self.
“You did great this week, Ye-rin.”
“Yes, you too, unnie. Your performance was amazing! You totally rocked it!”
“Oh, come on…”
What I said to Hye-jeong was by no means a compliment thrown around lightly.
Her team, the Fifth Team, put on a phenomenal performance that could easily be ranked among the top three in today’s Second Team Competition.
And at the center of it all was Lee Hye-jeong, the main vocal and leader.
Her cool high notes and improvisation were so impressive that they still lingered in my mind even now.
I was sure that not just me, but the other participants, the production team, and the audience also remembered her incredible performance today.
Perhaps sensing that a little, Hye-jeong wore a relaxed smile.
“Ye-rin, you turned the stage upside down today too. How come you manage to break your own records every week?”
“Well, I guess I’m just… that good.”
“What? Pfft.”
“Cough.”
Hye-jeong and I were now comfortable enough to exchange jokes like this.
We laughed together, sharing the lingering feelings from the tough Second Team Competition.
And then…
“But… Ye-rin, what about Yoo-jin…?”
“……”
Hye-jeong’s expression darkened as she brought up Seo Yoo-jin.
“Do you think she’s okay? Today’s incident… it must have been a huge blow.”
“……”
Hye-jeong was usually very caring towards others. Having done the First Team Competition with Seo Yoo-jin, it seemed she was even more worried now.
I felt the same way as well, but…
“There’s nothing we can do. We can only hope the production team edits it well.”
“……”
I really didn’t have much to say. There wasn’t much we could do either.
“It’ll be fine, unnie. So, try not to worry too much.”
“…Do you think so? Ha… Okay, I’ll go ahead, Ye-rin.”
Hye-jeong forced a smile and waved at me.
“See you next week.”
“Yes, see you next week. And let’s team up then.”
“Oho, if the first-place participant wants to team up with me, I’d be honored~”
“Ah, unnie.”
“Hehe, yes, let’s team up next time. Bye!”
With that, Hye-jeong got into a car that looked like it belonged to her parents and left the set.
Just then, I received a text from Kang Hyung-man, saying he had parked in the inner parking lot.
‘You showed up again today.’
I smiled at Kang Hyung-man’s warm message and headed towards the sparsely populated inner parking lot.
And then…
“Yoo-jin! Are you still in la-la land?”
“……!”
At that sharp voice scolding someone, I turned my gaze there and quickly hid.
Peeking out with my excellent eyesight, I saw four people over there.
First, there was Seo Yoo-jin, and beside her were a middle-aged couple.
‘Those older-looking folks must be Yoo-jin’s parents. Then, in front of them…’
In front of Seo Yoo-jin’s family was a very tall woman in her early forties dressed in casual work attire, her face flushed with frustration as she scolded Seo Yoo-jin.
“Are you out of your mind? There are people here! What on earth are you saying!”
As the woman kept scolding, Yoo-jin looked up with a wronged expression and shouted back.
“Manager! I explained everything! Why are you only scolding me? I wasn’t the one who messed up, it was that unnie!”
It seemed the woman was an SAV employee. Being referred to as a manager suggested she held a fairly high position.
Anyway, noticing Yoo-jin still seemed out of it, the manager continued her tirade.
“Really, you are hopeless!”
“Ugh…”
At this, Seo Yoo-jin flinched in surprise, and her parents instantly wrapped their arms around her.
“Manager, our daughter is still young and naive.”
“Whatever happened, could you please explain it to her gently?”
“Ma’am, Sir! Ha…”
Yoo-jin’s parents defended her, and the manager, feeling exasperated, patted her chest twice before slowly speaking.
“…This isn’t going to be an easy matter. This incident could potentially end Yoo-jin’s idol career altogether.”
“…Is it really that serious?”
“…For now, I’ll talk to the production team to make sure it doesn’t escalate. But just in case… keep Yoo-jin off the internet for a week. It’d be better if you confiscated her phone.”
“Wha—Confiscate her phone? No way…”
“Seo Yoo-jin!”
Before heading back inside the set, the manager warned Yoo-jin once more.
“Do you think you can become an idol just by singing well and dancing well? To be an idol, you have to watch the public’s reaction for your whole life. But you…”
“……”
“Ha… No, this is our fault for not spotting this sooner. For now, go home and rest. I’ll see you at the company tomorrow.”
“…Yes.”
Seeing Yoo-jin nodding with a defeated expression, this time the manager bowed her head at Yoo-jin’s parents.
“Ma’am, Sir, please take good care of Yoo-jin… I’ll go meet the Na Ah Ah production team now.”
“…Yes, manager. We’re sorry for causing you trouble because of our Yoo-jin…”
“It’s fine. With that, I’ll take my leave.”
The manager finished her greeting and hurried inside the Na Ah Ah set.
She seemed to be heading to meet Shin PD.
As Yoo-jin’s parents watched her back disappear…
“Yoo-jin, you’ve worked hard this week, haven’t you?”
They embraced Yoo-jin instinctively. She snuggled up to her mother like it was second nature.
“Mommy…”
“The manager will handle everything well. Don’t worry too much, okay? Let’s head home now. Dear, let’s go.”
“Yeah, let’s hurry home. Yoo-jin, is there anything you want to eat? Dad will buy you anything on the way home.”
The cheerful family drove off in their luxury vehicle from the Na Ah Ah set.
‘Yoo-jin’s family seems wealthy too…’
Not to mention their vibrant family atmosphere. Seeing such a contrasting family to my own, I couldn’t help but feel discomfort as I glanced back at the direction the SAV manager had gone.
It seemed the SAV side was already sensing the situation was not normal.
They were likely trying to lobby the production team to smooth things over… but, I wondered, would they succeed?
‘Whatever happens, I hope it turns out well.’
I let out a sigh of concern for Seo Yoo-jin and gathered my belongings.
I had delayed my departure by eavesdropping on the conversation.
Worried that Kang Hyung-man might be waiting, I hurried towards the inner parking lot.
And then…
“Ye-rin.”
“…President.”
Now I spotted Kang Hyung-man, who was waiting for me, and felt a wave of relief as I ran over to him.
But…
“…Huh?”
Next to the black sedan he came in was someone trying to load a suitcase onto a parked car. I changed direction towards that person.
“Ye-rin? Where are you going…?”
“Sorry, President. I’ll have a quick chat and be right back.”
I had too many questions to ask him, but we hadn’t had the chance to talk for a while. And if I missed this opportunity, I would have to wait another week.
So I leaped forward and grabbed the wrist of the person trying to get into the car.
“…Yoo Seol.”
“…What’s up?”
Yoo Seol, caught off guard by my grip, looked at me with a tired expression.
I spoke to her in a low voice.
“Can we talk for a moment?”
“……”
Without the cameras around, Yoo Seol had an unreadable glint in her eyes, as always.
Fortunately, Yoo Seol agreed to my request, and we moved to a corner of the parking lot.
“Whatever it is, hurry up and say it. I’m tired.”
“……”
I was equally weary from the grueling filming.
I wasn’t close enough with Yoo Seol to engage in casual chit-chat, so I got straight to the point.
“…This incident. How much of it was planned?”
“……What?”
Most people would probably think today’s disaster was simply due to Seo Yoo-jin’s nature.
But I, who could see the status window, was convinced.
Yoo Seol, who possessed the ‘Darkening’ trait, was behind today’s events.
Pretending to be sick to avoid participating and lower the stage quality.
Being prepared to intervene at critical moments when her teammates made mistakes.
Even subtly provoking Seo Yoo-jin to make a blunder.
That was what I could gather from the circumstances.
There was no doubt that Yoo Seol had meticulously plotted today’s incident over the past week.
Noticing the implication in my gaze, Yoo Seol smiled in disbelief.
“…Ha, do you really think I planned for her to mess up like that?”
“……”
“Why would I do something like that?”
There were many reasons.
“Because it would boost your own vote count.”
“……”
The easiest way to solidify internal bonds is to create an external enemy.
If today’s incident aired, the buzz around Yoo Seol and Seo Yoo-jin would rise, resulting in the two facing contrasting public reactions.
The more hate Yoo-jin received, the more beneficial it would be for Yoo Seol.
“…I understand how desperate you are, but…”
“……”
“…Is it worth sacrificing that kid for it? Yoo-jin is a trainee with the same dream as you.”
While I spoke, Yoo Seol watched me with an expressionless face.
I sighed and delivered my final point.
“From now on… let’s avoid such events.”
Then…
“…What happened today, in the long run, might be beneficial for you too.”
“Ha, really… Ha.”
Yoo Seol interrupted me and huffed in annoyance, shaking her head, making repeated sighs.
When she finally looked up, her expression was colder than any biting wind.
“Ye-rin, do you want to play the righteous hero? Want to cosplay as a good girl?”
“……That’s not it.”
“But you should have looked into this more before you spoke up.”
“…What?”
As soon as she finished her sentence, Yoo Seol pulled something from her eco bag and tossed it at my chest.
Thud.
“…What is this?”
Recognizing what it was, I couldn’t help but flinch.