NOVEL NEXT Chapter 21
Episode 21
Cheon Aram guzzled down the seolleongtang with diced radish and gasped in delight.
“Wow! This is amazing!”
Even her designer suit and snake-like glare faded into the vibe of a hardworking laborer.
There was only one person there, and it wasn’t the CEO of the agency, but a tired worker after a long day.
Seo Soo-yeon, who had been supporting Cheon Aram since they were kids, felt dizzy watching her and asked,
“I made a reservation at a nice restaurant, but are you really okay eating at a place like this?”
“The one known for escargot? This place is a hidden gem compared to that.”
The more Seo Soo-yeon heard, the dizzier she got, and she didn’t want to continue the conversation.
So she changed the subject.
“By the way, what did that Seon Taeyang guy smell like?”
At first glance, her question might seem rude, as if evaluating someone’s scent, but for Soo-yeon and Aram, it had a different meaning.
For them, scent carried a different significance.
They shared the fact that Cheon Aram could smell the intentions of selfish people.
“Actually, it’s not the first time I’ve smelled him.”
“Then when did you smell him beforehand?”
“I wanted to check his scent before trying to recruit him, so I went to where Seon Taeyang was working and sniffed around.”
Seo Soo-yeon couldn’t help but wonder how an outsider like her managed to get in there.
“Did you have a connection with the manager of that logistics center?”
“Nope, I applied for a part-time job and got in as an employee! I went over during break while unloading and took a whiff.”
Seo Soo-yeon felt dizzy again.
The fact that Cheon Aram, who had never done such labor, pretended to work loading and unloading created a cognitive dissonance for her.
She decided to pretend she didn’t hear that.
“So what did he smell like?”
“Well, he did have a scent. But honestly, I’m looking for someone who smells like you, someone with no scent at all.”
Her ability was absolute.
If she smelled something from Taeyang, it indicated his heart wasn’t pure.
“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
Seo Soo-yeon asked if it was fine to recruit someone with that kind of scent.
But Cheon Aram seemed to misunderstand and thought she was asking if unloading was okay.
“My back and joints are killing me, but it was bearable! Maybe I was lucky, the scents of the people I worked with were manageable… and the stuffy, sticky bond of manly friendship? It was kind of amusing.”
Seo Soo-yeon was a world she absolutely did not want to know about.
“Look! I learned this over there!”
Cheon Aram added some kimchi sauce to Seo Soo-yeon’s untouched creamy soup.
“This will make it taste better!”
Seeing the pink broth, Seo Soo-yeon’s appetite took a nosedive.
But she couldn’t ignore her boss’s effort, so she took a spoonful of the soup.
It was delicious.
And that made her angry.
Seo Soo-yeon looked at Cheon Aram, who was slurping the pink soup like it was the last bowl on Earth.
“What I was going to ask was whether it’s okay to recruit Seon Taeyang, you know, the one with that particular smell.”
Cheon Aram murmured as if she just realized, “Oh, so that’s what you meant.”
Then she said with a meaningful look,
“…Well, it does smell, but it’s kind of unique.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“How should I put it… it’s definitely a stench, but in a strangely addictive way?”
Cheon Aram tilted her head as if it was difficult to define.
“It’s not as extreme as fermented soybean paste… maybe it smells a bit like a man’s sweat? It falls in the stink category, but it doesn’t smell bad when you encounter it?”
Seo Soo-yeon shared her honest thoughts.
“…Generally, people don’t like the smell of sweat.”
She was close to a yes-man, but she really didn’t want to agree with Cheon Aram’s statement.
*
“This is the meeting room!”
I exclaimed, admiring the neatness of the meeting room.
“President, feel free to speak comfortably.”
“Should I? Then I’ll speak casually from now on.”
That was actually more comfortable.
“This is the shower room!”
“Oh.”
“Wow,”
“And this is the training room!”
Like a kid proudly showing off their good test scores, Cheon Aram introduced the facilities of TwoBear Entertainment to me and Gyeoul one by one.
“You’ve invested a lot here.”
“Looks like it, right?”
I thought she had reason to be proud of that introduction.
“Although the scale and size are on the smaller side, the overall structure and equipment are top-notch.”
“In that regard, I didn’t cut corners. I believe quality improves with investment.”
“I agree. You can’t get good quality by skimping on equipment.”
I nodded in agreement.
“To be honest, I imagined a small and scrappy company where meals and practice classes were done in a room that wasn’t even wallpapered, since I had never heard of this agency.”
“That’s right.”
Such expectations were betrayed in a good way.
“Well, most of those inexperienced agencies that can’t even get proper investments look like that anyway.”
TwoBear Entertainment’s facilities were far from such a rookie appearance. When it comes to equipment alone, they could even hold their own against SS.
This wasn’t something that would just happen with a few pennies of investment.
“President Cheon seems genuinely invested in this, so I’m feeling motivated too.”
Cheon Aram smiled contently at my reaction and turned to Gyeoul.
“How about you, Gyeoul?”
“…Me? I like it a lot!”
“Really? I’m glad to hear you say that; it makes all the effort worthwhile.”
“…But I wish it was just a little darker. I find bright spaces a bit scary.”
…Gyeoul, I understand, but let’s not be a total loser outside.
“You adapt.”
“…Yes,”
I started to mumble things like, “Did I choose lights that are too strong?” to a deep-in-thought Cheon Aram.
“It seems like we’ve finished checking out the facilities. I really like it. So, can you introduce me to the other trainees now?”
“Other trainees?”
Cheon Aram seemed puzzled as if she had never been asked such a question before.
Why is she acting like that over such a simple query?
“Yes, other trainees.”
“Our trainee is one, though?”
“…You’re not referring to Gyeoul, are you?”
“Of course, Team Leader Seon, you got it right!”
Cheon Aram cheerfully gave a thumbs up.
Is she out of her mind?
“No, that doesn’t make any sense… Where are the other staff members? I think I need to talk to them.”
If the president handles things this way, it’s the staff who are guilty for not saying a word.
I had to see their faces.
“If you mean staff, there’s Soo-yeon. But she’s at the main house instead of here, so it’s hard to see her. Should I call her?”
“What about other staff besides this Soo-yeon?”
“Other staff?”
‘Other staff?’ What kind of nonsense is that? Is this just a simple prank?
Is it a honey fun like a hidden camera?
Ah, so now the staff will all come flooding out from behind!
“Our staff consists of two people.”
Reality was cruel.
“Are you referring to me and the Soo-yeon you just mentioned?”
“Exactly, Team Leader Seon. Correct again!”
I quickly assessed the situation.
“I’ll consider employment off the table. It’s been fun working together. President Cheon.”
“I will do it. It has been a pleasure working together, President Cheon.”
“Since the contract hasn’t been written yet, it shouldn’t be a big deal.”
I was trying to take Gyeoul with me and escape from this enchanted realm.
“Hold on.”
“…?”
“If Team Leader Seon says so, I can’t really argue. But I think there’s something Team Leader Seon doesn’t know, and I should let you in on that.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know how Team Leader Seon’s job hunting hasn’t been going well lately, right? You don’t think that’s just a coincidence, do you?”
Of course, it wasn’t. I just had no idea why.
“Does President Cheon know the reason?”
“Yeah, I certainly do. It’s a matter concerning my family, after all.”
Family? …No way.
“That’s because my older brother, Team Leader Cheon Jong-hoon, has given notice to all the agencies.”
“…What kind of notice?”
“‘Any agency that takes on Seon Taeyang and Han Gyeoul should prepare for total hostility from SS.’”
That was insane.
“Wow, even powerful states wouldn’t drop diplomatic notes like that on their vassals. My family is impressive, but come on.”
“Has Cheon Jong-hoon gone senile or something?”
He wasn’t that old yet.
“I still think he’s in decent shape.”
I rubbed my throbbing head and said.
“I know Cheon Jong-hoon quite well; he’s not that kind of person, right?”
“True, he’s not.”
“Exactly. Why would someone who’s pride personified and boasts a flawless career do something like that? Is he out of his mind?”
“Maybe he felt a crisis that made him act that way?”
A crisis he brought upon himself? What kind of crisis is that?
“Maybe it’s due to the emergence of a powerful competitor.”
“…You’re not talking about me and Gyeoul, are you?”
I thought I might be overreacting. What big company heir feels threatened by a single job seeker and a bullied trainee?
Cheon Aram shrugged, not ready to answer. It was as if she was unsure whether I was right or not.
“Anyway, given the situation, it won’t be easy to get a job. Do you have any plans for the future?”
I turned back and approached Cheon Aram.
“I want to make Two Bear Entertainment the best in the country, President!”
“Just as I thought, Team Leader Seon. That’s the right answer!”