Chapter 25
Kim Ryeo-yu apologized with a face that didn’t look sorry at all.
After that, Team B was seen laughing with faces full of mockery.
Juseon looked a bit awkward in between.
Seeing her pretending to be the victim, my blood boiled.
But I couldn’t lose my temper.
“Juseon.”
“!”
When I called her, Juseon flinched.
“Talk to me, not Juseon.”
Kim Ryeo-yu blocked between Juseon and me.
“I have something to say to Juseon. Can you step aside for a moment so we can talk?”
“No.”
Kim Ryeo-yu said with a twisted smile.
“Why not?”
“Obviously, you guys are going to say something that will hurt Juseon again.”
“Did we say something that would hurt Juseon?”
I looked straight at Kim Ryeo-yu and said.
“We want to apologize sincerely after hearing both before and after. If we hurt her, it’s right to apologize.”
“….”
Kim Ryeo-yu couldn’t answer for a moment, as she didn’t expect us to come out like this.
Of course.
What did we say?
She ran away on her own.
“It’s not just what you said that hurt, it’s the situation now. You guys created a situation where Juseon would get hurt.”
“I see. So we didn’t say anything that would hurt?”
“No, why-”
“We really want to apologize and make up. Ryeo-yu, do you want us not to make up with Juseon? Do you want us to stay like this forever, unable to talk? Is that what you want, Ryeo-yu?”
“….”
Kim Ryeo-yu couldn’t say anything in the end.
“Ryeo-yu unnie.”
Then, Juseon grabbed Kim Ryeo-yu’s clothes.
“I just… want to talk for a moment.”
“Juseon, are you really okay?”
“Yes. I just… want to talk.”
At Juseon’s words, Kim Ryeo-yu and Team B left the practice room as if they had no choice.
“What do you… want to talk about?”
“Juseon.”
I sat Juseon down and gave her something to drink.
“We want to make up with you. You’re a good person, Juseon, and we want to be on good terms with you for a long time.”
“….”
“Don’t you want to make up with us, Juseon?”
Juseon rolled her eyes in surprise.
If she said she would make up here, it would feel like she was forgiving too easily.
She made a big deal, but if she made up so easily, she would feel like a strange person.
And if she said she wouldn’t make up here, it would be a problem.
She extended her hand first, but she slapped it away.
She would lose her justification.
“I… don’t know.”
As expected.
She tried to escape with an ambiguous answer.
But I didn’t intend to let Juseon do as she pleased.
“It’s a difficult position, Juseon.”
“Yes?”
“You didn’t want things to get this big, did you?”
“…Yes.”
It seemed that Juseon really didn’t know things would get this big.
Yes, if things had gone as Juseon had expected, they would have gone that way.
If I hadn’t intervened.
But I couldn’t just stand by and let it happen, because I wasn’t in a position to do so.
But I didn’t want to be too harsh on her.
She’s still a young girl.
She’s easy to be swept away by her surroundings. So it was right to give her a chance.
“Tell me everything that upset you. How it happened too. I’ll listen to everything.”
Juseon blinked her eyes nervously.
“I’ve been feeling left out all along. I wanted to do the concept I wanted, but they kept saying to do something else. I’m not confident in that concept. But they don’t even listen to me….”
“I see. I can understand why you would feel that way. And?”
“And, Juhong went shopping with me, but she didn’t care about my stuff and only tried to buy other people’s stuff. I didn’t feel like she was treating me as a team member.”
Once Juseon opened her mouth, she kept talking without stopping.
…She really believes she’s the victim.
I sighed inwardly.
But let’s give her a chance.
Just once.
“I understand that you’re upset. I should have cared more and understood you better.”
“…No.”
“We’ll try harder, so how about coming back? Juseon, wouldn’t it be better to be with the original team than going to another team like this?”
Juseon seemed to hesitate a bit.
Seeing her hesitate, it seemed that she really didn’t intend to go to that team.
Maybe she should consider it at this point.
“Originally, Juseon didn’t intend to go to that team, did she?”
“!”
“I think it’s not too late now. A team mission is like that. It’s very common for people to bump into each other a little bit when they’re together.”
I tried to think from Juseon’s perspective as much as possible.
“The important thing is to resolve it well when you bump into each other.”
“….”
Juseon seemed very shaken.
She was fiddling with her hands, hesitating.
“I heard about your situation. Ryeo-yu told you to come. You didn’t originally intend to go either.”
“…! How did you…?”
“Juseon. If Ryeo-yu really wanted to help you maturely, she wouldn’t have advised you to suddenly move teams.”
She’s using you.
You know that too.
I tried my best to beat around the bush.
“So are you saying that Ryeo-yu unnie is using me?”
Of course.
“No. Ryeo-yu’s goodwill doesn’t necessarily bring you the best results.”
It felt like thorns were sprouting in my mouth as I tried to forcibly package it as goodwill.
Juseon listened to my words and seemed to ponder for a long time with a dumbfounded face.
“…I understand what you’re saying. And I’m grateful.”
Then she opened her mouth.
“But I don’t want to go against Ryeo-yu unnie.”
…It’s suffocating.
“And… honestly, even if I come back, I feel like I’m just going to be stepped on here.”
“That’s not true.”
“It will be. At least Ryeo-yu unnie promised me the center position. Can you promise me the center position? And match the concept to me?”
Greed was visible in Juseon’s eyes as she said that.
She thought there was no camera, so she was blatantly proposing a deal.
“The center position and the concept will be discussed fairly. Of course, Juseon, you have the same opportunity too.”
“See? You’re not giving it to me.”
“…Then, Juseon.”
I barely lifted my head, which had cooled down.
“How about making this incident as if it never happened? I talked to PD. He said we should start recording from the beginning and pick the teams again. Send one person from Team B here.”
“…You’re going to erase everything that’s happened so far?”
“Yes. Nothing will go on the broadcast. For both you and us.”
Juseon hesitated for a moment.
“But… Ryeo-yu unnie won’t want that.”
“This is about your opinion. Ryeo-yu has nothing to do with this.”
“….”
Juseon thought for a moment and then shook her head.
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I can do that.”
“Why? Because of Ryeo-yu?”
“….”
Juseon’s mouth twitched.
She wasn’t sure if she could say this.
“Broadcast… The amount of footage is important, isn’t it?”
“!”
At Juseon’s words, Kim Geum and Yeon Juhong’s expressions hardened.
“I, in the musical, have the least amount of footage… I’m a buried one. But Ryeo-yu unnie said that. If I make a fuss like this… My footage will increase, and I can get sympathy votes.”
“Knowing that Juhong and us will be unfairly accused?”
“….”
Juseon didn’t say anything and stood up.
“I’m sorry.”
That’s how our conversation ended.
***
“You called?”
And that dawn.
In one of the offices of the Colors agency.
When I cautiously opened the door and entered, there were Kim, PD Oh, and Writer Kang.
I received a sudden call from Writer Kang in the middle of the night and came.
She was so urgent that she called me fourteen times to wake me up.
Of course, I deliberately didn’t answer.
“Okay. Sit there.”
I glanced at the large table.
And I sat across from Director Kim.
“What’s the matter?”
“What is this video?”
On the laptop screen that Director Kim showed me roughly, there were images of me and Juseon.
And on the laptop, the conversation was clearly flowing.
Through Juseon’s mouth.
…My footage will increase, and I can get sympathy votes.
“The fact that this video was filmed in the place where you asked for the camera to be installed, it can only be seen as intentional.”
Director Kim’s forehead was deeply wrinkled, as if he was very angry.
“….”
That’s right.
As soon as I got a hint from the production team, I asked PD Oh for a favor.
Please add one more camera to the practice room.
Of course, other people wouldn’t know about this.
I lied that I was trying to do a hidden camera on Yeon Juhong.
Doing a hidden camera among trainees in a survival show?
It was a very common thing.
No one would doubt it enough.
So the camera was installed, and it was being kept secret.
“As the person in charge of this company, I can’t overlook your behavior.”
Director Kim glared at me with a grim face.
“What were you thinking when you did this?”
“….”
I glanced at Director Kim, PD Oh, and Writer Kang.
I was curious about their reactions.
As expected, both of them looked displeased.
However, the target of their displeasure was not me.
“What did I do wrong?”
“You installed-”
“If you’ve seen that video, you’ll know that I didn’t do anything wrong to the other trainees. Initially, I asked for an additional camera in that practice room because I wanted to do a hidden camera event for Juhong, and that was something I reported to PD Oh in advance.”
“But you should have warned us if you knew a camera was installed in that room.”
I looked at Director Kim.
He knew. He knew that he was making an unreasonable argument.
Even knowing that, he was just throwing a tantrum.
Because he knew his position was higher than mine.
“I didn’t have a chance to say anything, you were the one who said that. I clearly told you to think about it one more time. I said it would be nice if we could come back and do it together. PD and the writer also saw it, didn’t they?”
“….”
“….Hmm.”
Neither of them explicitly affirmed or denied it.
But that was a clear sign of affirmation.
“I clearly gave her a chance, isn’t it Juseon who rejected it?”
Then I had to make a move too.