NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12
Episode 12
“Are we talking about the price? Yes, there’s one thing I want.”
I had a well-prepared answer about the price. Something that sounds decent but not too self-serving.
“I want to witness Gyeoul’s growth up close.”
It’s what you’d call a guardian sensibility. Who would think ill of someone wanting to watch over a child they’ve raised?
Upon hearing my words, Cheon Jong-hoon began to ponder deeply. I thought he might respond quickly after a moment of thought, but his contemplation stretched over three minutes.
Seriously, is getting introduced to a road manager position something to mull over so much?
“…I assume you don’t want anything like video footage, so you must mean raising that child directly. Are you hoping SS just becomes a simple investor?”
Investor?
I shook my head. What I wanted wasn’t that grand.
“No, raising Gyeoul will be Team Leader Cheon Jong-hoon’s responsibility as the final overseer of the project. I don’t desire such excessive authority. I just want to work alongside you and watch that child grow.”
I said this with a misty-eyed expression.
“I think that the road manager position would be great.”
“Not a producer, but a road manager?”
I questioned Cheon Jong-hoon’s absurd inquiry.
What’s with the producer talk? I’ve never produced anything in my life.
“Yes, I want the road manager position.”
“…You wouldn’t have any trouble passing the public recruitment, so you must want something more from me.”
No, I flunked the paperwork miserably.
The reality was different, but correcting him felt awkward, so I just smiled as if I was all that.
“Since SS has a lot of management departments, you’d prefer not to fall anywhere else and want to handle that child, huh? …Then you’ll have to work under me. Are you confident?”
Working under a perfectionist like Cheon Jong-hoon wouldn’t be easy.
But honestly, it would probably be easier than being a road manager at Flower Entertainment.
Just putting everything aside, they don’t let you sleep at all.
I once had only two hours of sleep for a whole week.
That’s not something a normal person should endure.
Recalling the previous episode where I heard about the SS manager, I remembered that SS treats its road managers decently, which was why I was so eager to get into SS.
It wasn’t a merit worth giving up just because I had to work under a tight-fisted boss.
“If I could work under Team Leader Cheon, it would be an honor. As I mentioned before, I’m a fan of Team Leader Cheon.”
“…Alright, but it wouldn’t look good for me to directly place you. So, let’s introduce you to the hiring responsible person. Is this sufficient for you to consider as compensation?”
It was enough.
As long as I pass the paperwork, buttering up one hiring officer wouldn’t be a big deal.
“If I could get that opportunity, it’s more than enough. If the situation allows it, I’ll prove that I’m worthy of working under Team Leader Cheon.”
Nodding, Cheon Jong-hoon then spoke to the man standing next to him.
“Let’s start with short-term training. We’ll need at least minimal verification. If that minimal sincerity is guaranteed, let’s get right to the contract and background check. I’ll give you all the authority, so be ready, Sanghoon.”
“You’re going to need it, you know. If there’s at least a minimum assurance of sincerity, let’s start the contract and investigation right away. I’ll give you all the authority, so get prepared, Sanghoon.”
The man called Sanghoon nodded and said, “I won’t let you down.”
It seemed that Gyeoul’s acceptance was all but certain now.
“This will be the best choice. Then I’ll break this joyous news to Gyeoul.”
As I packed my things and headed out to convey the news to Gyeoul, Cheon Jong-hoon questioned me from behind.
“…Just one thing.”
“Yes, please feel free to ask.”
“What is your relationship with that girl? Family? Lover?”
“No, what are you talking about? A crazy manager dating their idol? You don’t see that in today’s world!”
“Then, is she family?”
“Not that either.”
“In that case, what’s the reason you’re going this far?”
This far?
Cheon Jong-hoon’s question was difficult to grasp in context.
“I don’t quite understand your question.”
“I’m asking why you’re so devoted to that girl?”
It dawned on me that there was a gap in our thoughts.
There was no reason for devotion to even come up.
All I did was let her sleep over for a week and help her with some singing and dancing.
In return, I got a chance to work at SS, so I ended up winning this deal.
I only took on the guardian role as a convenient excuse.
However, it appeared Cheon Jong-hoon didn’t see it that way.
I tried to set a concept to avoid looking too eager to join SS, but it seems that plan backfired.
I decided not to betray his expectations.
If he sees me as an idealist, I might as well play along.
After all, it’s easier for an idealist to exploit others than a selfish person.
“Gyeoul is a budding flower.”
So I started to speak.
“She’s a fragile flower bud, just blossoming and barely touching the world. Those salty winds and the morning frost must have been too harsh on such a tender bud. She’s already preparing to wither away.”
I continued the metaphor without specifying anything concrete.
“It was such a shame. I could see how brilliantly that flower bud’s bloom would shine.”
Though, it turned out losing my wallet was just a minor crisis; but hey, it’s all a matter of perspective.
“By shielding that flower from the rain and wind just a bit, we made it this far. Yet, I feel there’s still a role for me to play.”
Both Sanghoon and the woman beside Cheon Jong-hoon, whose name I didn’t even know, were watching me.
“I think it’s a stretch to call this devotion. So, from my perspective, let me define it…”
I said to Cheon Jong-hoon, who maintained a blank expression as he observed me.
“I’ve become a fan of Gyeoul.”
Most people who step into the world of management share a similar motivation.
They become captivated by the dazzling shining star.
To the point of risking their lives for it.
Both Cheon Jong-hoon and I, along with everyone else in this business, started out that way.
“…I see. I’ll pass your contact information to the hiring manager, so you won’t need to contact me in the future. So let’s refrain from using that number from now on.”
“Tiny, there won’t be any reason for you to contact me anymore. So please refrain from using that number.”
I nodded to Cheon Jong-hoon, who drew a line and averted his gaze from me, and stepped outside.
As I pulled the door, Gyeoul, who had been stuck at the door, toppled over.
I caught her just in time as she fell over.
I asked Gyeoul, who was cradled in my arms.
“Why were you clinging there dangerously?”
I had a suspicion that she might have been eavesdropping by putting her ear to the door.
Gyeoul flushed bright red and fidgeted as she responded.
“…Well, you see… Ah! The atmosphere felt scary, and I thought I messed up, so I was banging my head against the door in reflection.”
Of course, this coward wouldn’t have the courage to do anything else.
In the end, she wasn’t eavesdropping; she was just punishing herself.
What a truly pathetic thought.
“You don’t need to do that. You were stuck there, after all.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, who else would I pick if not you? You worked hard for six days.”
At this, Gyeoul burst into tears as if it were obvious.
Having gotten used to her pitiful tears, I pulled out a tissue just for her and wiped her face.
In the end, Gyeoul became a trainee, and I got a chance to work at SS.
It was the best ending.
*
After finishing work, Cheon Jong-hoon sat at the reserved table in the restaurant right at 7 PM.
To carve out this dinner time, he’d had to manage his schedule since 4 AM, but he felt no real burden about it.
He considered all that effort to be part of his own choice.
He wasn’t the type who wanted to brag about his hard work to others.
However, the fact that among the five attendees, only one had arrived made him quite unhappy.
Especially because he valued promises like gold.
“Where are the others?”
Cheon Jong-hoon asked his sister, Cheon Aram, who was wearing a red shirt and gray-striped slacks, while deftly extracting the insides of a snail with her third fork and tongs.
“Dad is busy as always, and Mom is eating at the department store because they have new arrivals. The second brother said he has an urgent meeting, so he can’t make it.”
Cheon Jong-hoon felt quite frustrated by his family’s nonchalant attitude towards their appointment.
But he quickly regained his composure.
After all, the reason he wanted to see them today was Cheon Aram, so it didn’t matter much.
“Well, that’s fine. I actually had something I wanted to tell you.”
“You want to tell me, oppa? …That’s quite an interesting thing to say.”
Cheon Aram paused her snail-slicing and looked at him with curiosity.
Cheon Jong-hoon didn’t like her piercing gaze that seemed to see right through him, so he wasn’t eager to chat with her.
But he decided not to worry about it this time.
After all, he’d just seen a much more annoying look earlier.
“Six days ago, a call came from an unregistered number on my private line…”
Cheon Jong-hoon began to recount the story of a man who had suddenly proposed to introduce him to a trainee.
He told a story.
The story ended with him deciding to start short-term training for the trainee he introduced.
“Hmm…, that’s quite an interesting story. I didn’t know you had the talent of a storyteller, oppa.”
Cheon Aram admired the tale with intrigue. But it didn’t stop there.
“But why are you telling me this? We’re not close enough to share such private experiences, are we?”
“Because you’re in charge of recruitment at SS. And I promised to introduce that guy to the recruiter.”
Cheon Aram replied with a cool smile, as if she understood.
“Aha, so you have no intention of keeping your promise?”
“I haven’t broken my promise. I’m sincerely fulfilling it by talking to you, the recruiter, right now.”
Cheon Jong-hoon’s demeanor as he said this appeared brazen.
“The promise I made was just to introduce him to the recruiter, so it’s done as he wished. Whether you hire him or not is not something I should worry about.”
“Then you should have told another recruiter, not me, the one who left two months ago.”
Cheon Jong-hoon didn’t respond. His silence was an answer in itself.
He was deliberately obstructing Seon Taeyang’s entry into SS. It was a childish scheme that looked endlessly silly from another’s perspective.
This was unlike Cheon Jong-hoon, who had a very high pride and would try to keep his promises as much as possible, even if it resulted in his own loss.
Cheon Aram felt a strong sense of interest and curiosity about this new side of Cheon Jong-hoon.
“Why would he do that? Why would Cheon Jong-hoon, a man who is greedy for talent, push away such a valuable asset? Normally, he would have advertised it as his own before anyone else could.”
Cheon Aram’s eyes sparkled. They were enchanting, yet their excess made them somewhat unsettling.
Cheon Jong-hoon thought her gaze was akin to that of a venomous snake.
“It’s because that approach is unpleasant. There is no other reason.”
“No, that’s not it. Cheon Jong-hoon values formality, but even more than that, he values ability. If there’s rudeness, if there are results, he will treat it seriously. There would be no need to go through this hassle of breaking a promise just because the approach was unpleasant.”
Cheon Aram murmured to herself like a witch chanting a spell.
“Pride? Not enough. Aversion? That’s part of it. Hostility? That’s closer to the result.”
In the deep, dark pupils of Cheon Aram, Cheon Jong-hoon was reflected.
“Okay, I think we’ve talked enough about this….”
At that moment, a snake-like smile bloomed on Cheon Aram’s face.
“…Ah! …Haha, hahaha! That was it! That’s it!”
Cheon Aram’s shrill laughter filled the quiet restaurant. Normally, Cheon Jong-hoon would have pointed out her rudeness, but he couldn’t do that. He was overwhelmed by her strong emotions.
As the laughter subsided, her red lips parted. And like a serpent offering the forbidden fruit, Cheon Aram named the hidden emotion within Cheon Jong-hoon.
“You’re jealous of that guy right now.”