Chapter 25 - If Your Intuition is That Good
“Uh… w-what did you just say? I couldn't hear you properly.”
Han Se-ri smiled and tilted her head quizzically.
It was a look that had an idol-like cuteness.
However, Baek Hyeon-woo didn't miss it.
It was for a very brief moment, but the smile disappeared from Han Se-ri's face.
It was something that happened the moment Baek Hyeon-woo mentioned cigarettes.
‘If a girl in her late teens has a high blood carbon monoxide level, it has to be smoking. Because you inhale carbon monoxide when you smoke cigarettes.’
Originally, carbon monoxide is a substance that shouldn't be in the body.
For a person who normally has no reason to inhale carbon monoxide, their blood carbon monoxide level should be 0%.
There are cases where one unintentionally inhales carbon monoxide due to secondhand smoke and the like, but even then, it comes out to less than 2%.
‘The blood carbon monoxide level doesn't rise much from just secondhand smoke. The problem is that she herself is smoking directly.’
A regular smoker who smokes cigarettes usually has a blood carbon monoxide level that exceeds 5%.
A heavy smoker who smokes more than three packs a day can sometimes exceed 10%.
If the carbon monoxide level is this high, oxygen isn't delivered properly, so all sorts of bodily functions, including aerobic exercise capacity, are lowered.
‘The status window doesn't show specific numbers, but... it must be at a level that would negatively affect her idol activities.’
Not all health problems are displayed on the status window.
It seemed only the parts that could have a negative influence on her entertainment industry activities were displayed.
The fact that Han Se-ri's status window shows a high level of carbon monoxide means that her blood carbon monoxide level is high enough to cause a hindrance when she's active as an idol.
Since you can't absorb that much carbon monoxide from secondhand smoke alone, it means Han Se-ri herself is smoking cigarettes.
“Han Se-ri-ssi, how much do you normally smoke?”
“Oh my, I've never even touched a cigarette. Don't say such strange things.”
Even when Baek Hyeon-woo asked again, Han Se-ri still played innocent with a smiling face.
However, Baek Hyeon-woo could tell that Han Se-ri was lying.
This was because the Mental Condition on Han Se-ri's status window was fluctuating rapidly.
When she greeted them earlier, Han Se-ri's Mental Condition was 80%, but now it had plummeted to around 60%.
“I'm the kind of person who feels suffocated just by smelling cigarette smoke, you know? Why would you say something like that...”
“Stop.”
Right at that moment.
Choi Tae-hyung, who had been watching with a frown, opened his mouth.
“It seems you've heard a story from somewhere.”
It seemed he thought he had received a tip from someone who knew Han Se-ri.
“It's a common thing for young kids to try alcohol or cigarettes out of curiosity. If you verify every single youthful deviation, there won't be any kids left to debut. There are also many anti-fans who deliberately spread false rumors, so unless a picture of her actually smoking is leaked, it doesn't become a real problem.”
Park Yeong-ho inadvertently nodded at Choi Tae-hyung's words.
Because considering his experience in the entertainment industry so far, he wasn't wrong.
“Han Se-ri, do you still smoke?”
“N-No, I don't!”
As Choi Tae-hyung confirmed, Han Se-ri answered urgently.
Unlike when Baek Hyeon-woo had asked just a moment ago, her expression was very tense.
It seemed she was thinking, if I'm suspected by Choi Tae-hyung, it's over.
“I-I really don't smoke! And I'll never smoke in the future either!”
“Then that's fine.”
Choi Tae-hyung nodded and looked at Baek Hyeon-woo.
“Do you have physical evidence, like a photo? If not...”
“Director Choi.”
Baek Hyeon-woo cut off Choi Tae-hyung's words mid-sentence.
“You must not believe Han Se-ri-ssi's words.”
“What did you say?”
“It seems she smoked today as well.”
If you don't smoke, the carbon monoxide level drops quickly.
Just by sleeping overnight, almost all the carbon monoxide from cigarettes smoked yesterday is expelled.
However, Han Se-ri is currently in a state where her carbon monoxide level is being maintained at a high level.
This means she smoked today as well.
“Moreover, it seems it's not even an e-cigarette, but a regular cigarette. It seems it will be difficult for her to quit.”
“……!”
E-cigarettes produce almost no carbon monoxide.
If you measure the blood carbon monoxide level of a person who smokes e-cigarettes, the number comes out almost the same as a non-smoker's.
Therefore, Han Se-ri must have smoked regular combustible cigarettes.
“These days, kids who smoke in secret mostly smoke e-cigarettes. But the fact that she deliberately smoked regular cigarettes...”
Baek Hyeon-woo trailed off like that.
However, Choi Tae-hyung probably understood what Baek Hyeon-woo was trying to say.
Han Se-ri is a chain smoker who will never be able to quit.
A person like that must not be debuted as an idol of Haram Entertainment.
“Han Se-ri…”
“D-Director, i-it's really not true, you know?”
As Choi Tae-hyung stared at her, Han Se-ri cowered.
“Why would I smoke? Especially at such an important time, there's no way...”
Right at that moment.
Choi Tae-hyung tried to snatch Han Se-ri's wrist.
Just like how school teachers try to check for the smell of cigarettes on a delinquent student's hands.
“……!”
At that, Han Se-ri urgently pulled her hand back.
It was a completely reflexive action.
Normally, Han Se-ri must have been paying special attention to not leave the smell of cigarettes.
She must have washed her hands thoroughly, and even if Choi Tae-hyung had smelled her hands, it's highly likely that he would have only smelled soap or lotion.
However, Han Se-ri had inadvertently pulled her hand back reflexively.
That reaction itself was the conclusive evidence that Han Se-ri smoked.
“Ah, Director, that's, I mean...”
Realizing she had made a mistake, Han Se-ri urgently tried to make an excuse.
However, Choi Tae-hyung was glaring at Han Se-ri with a fearsome expression.
“Han Se-ri, what is the meaning of this?”
“Director, it's really not true. I really...”
“You, what's the real reason you couldn't make it into the debut lineup at UBX? Wasn't it by any chance because you got caught smoking?”
“N-No! It's really not true!”
While Choi Tae-hyung was interrogating Han Se-ri, Baek Hyeon-woo examined Han Se-ri's status window.
Her Mental Condition had, before he knew it, plummeted to below 40%.
‘It's over.’
Han Se-ri's talent is a waste, but the risk is too great.
If they debut her and a smoking scandal breaks out, Haram Entertainment will suffer great damage.
Then it's bound to affect Newstarz as well, so it's right to prevent it in advance.
“Assistant Manager Baek, how on earth did you find out?”
Park Yeong-ho asked, lowering his voice.
“Don't tell me you figured this out just by looking too?”
“Yes, I had a feeling.”
He couldn't say that he had deduced it by looking at the status window, so he gave a vague answer like that.
“Wow… that's really amazing. It's like some kind of superpower.”
“Well, it's not to that extent...”
“Everything Assistant Manager Baek has said so far has been proven right. From now on, I feel like I should just trust only Assistant Manager Baek, don't you think?”
Park Yeong-ho said with a laugh.
“If we had recruited her without knowing she was a chain smoker, things would have definitely been turned upside down later. Depending on the timing of the scandal, the company could have suffered great damage, but Assistant Manager Baek blocked such a thing from happening at the source.”
Saying that, Park Yeong-ho patted Baek Hyeon-woo's shoulder.
“This, I'll have to tell the CEO too. That everyone was saved thanks to Assistant Manager Baek.”
“There's really no need to go that far...”
Bang!
Suddenly, a loud noise was heard.
Han Se-ri, who had been getting interrogated by Choi Tae-hyung, had suddenly kicked an office partition.
“Ah, this is so fucking unlucky...!”
Even Choi Tae-hyung, who had been fearsomely hounding Han Se-ri, made an expression as if he'd been caught off guard.
It was that vicious a voice.
“You talked so confidently about taking responsibility and fostering me, so I trusted you and followed, but what the hell is this! How can this be happening!”
“Han Se-ri, you...”
“Yeah, I smoked a bit. But is that such a big problem?!”
Han Se-ri spat out in a rough voice.
“There were lots of trainees at UBX who smoked in secret, you know? Even N.A.N has a smoke break together every time they go to a site! The managers all know!”
N.A.N is a girl group that represents UBX.
To think that they were smokers, it was a rather shocking story.
“What is this that you're making such a big fuss about? Do you think I'm going to stay quiet after being humiliated like this?!”
I wonder if she was a school bully in the past.
Everyone was at a loss for words at Han Se-ri's vicious appearance.
Even Choi Tae-hyung was just staring at Han Se-ri with his mouth agape.
“Han Se-ri-ssi.”
Baek Hyeon-woo, unable to watch any longer, opened his mouth.
It seemed he couldn't let her continue making a scene like that.
“Just as you said, Han Se-ri-ssi, smoking might not be grounds for disqualification as an idol. However, you, Han Se-ri-ssi, do not have the qualifications to be an idol.”
“What...!”
“You, Han Se-ri-ssi, came here after smoking on the very day you were making your first greeting at a new company.”
Just a moment ago, Han Se-ri herself said that this was an important time.
Knowing that, she still came after smoking.
“On a day as important as this, it's right to endure and not smoke in preparation for any contingency. However, you couldn't endure it and came after smoking, Han Se-ri-ssi. This means there is a serious problem with your self-management ability.”
“……!”
“An idol is an existence that must become people's idol (偶像). They have to thoroughly manage themselves and show a charming side to people. For that reason, a person who doesn't even have the minimum self-management ability does not have the qualifications to be an idol.”
If she had come today without smoking, Baek Hyeon-woo also would not have noticed that Han Se-ri was a smoker.
Because the blood carbon monoxide level drops quickly if you don't smoke.
If the status window had been clean, Baek Hyeon-woo would have just thought, 'Director Choi brought a decent person,' and Han Se-ri would have been able to enter Haram Entertainment without any problems.
“……”
Han Se-ri couldn't say anything more.
She was just staring at Baek Hyeon-woo with a face mixed with all sorts of emotions.
“Please leave, Han Se-ri-ssi.”
Looking at her, Baek Hyeon-woo said in a calm voice.
“You are not ready to become an idol, Han Se-ri-ssi.”
“……”
Biting her lip hard, Han Se-ri bowed her head.
***
After Han Se-ri left.
Choi Tae-hyung called Baek Hyeon-woo into the meeting room.
“How did you know that Han Se-ri came here after smoking today?”
Choi Tae-hyung, who was sitting in a meeting room chair, asked in a stiff voice.
“I thought you received a tip from someone who knew Han Se-ri, but it's strange that you even got it right that she smoked today.”
“I can roughly tell just by looking.”
“Does that make sense?”
“I've been working at a hospital until now.”
“At a hospital?”
“I've met many people with health problems, so I can roughly tell just by looking at their faces.”
“……”
Choi Tae-hyung furrowed his eyebrows.
It was an expression of disbelief.
“If you have such an amazing ability, you could be making a fortune at a hospital, so why are you playing manager here?”
“I can only tell roughly. The detailed examinations they do at a hospital are more accurate.”
This was true.
Even just now, Baek Hyeon-woo had only figured out that Han Se-ri's blood carbon monoxide level was high.
He couldn't know what the actual number was.
“And it's not like I have a doctor's license either. If I act like I know things at a hospital, I just get scolded for overstepping my bounds.”
“……”
Choi Tae-hyung stared intently at Baek Hyeon-woo's face.
“Very suspicious.”
“……”
“Come to think of it, you were the one who made Yoo Jeong-ah sing at the audition too, weren't you, Baek Hyeon-woo-ssi? Did you see through Yoo Jeong-ah's vocal ability back then too?”
“It was only because it seemed like she was receiving discriminatory treatment compared to the other contestants.”
Despite Baek Hyeon-woo's explanation, Choi Tae-hyung was not convinced.
“No matter how I think about it, it's strange. Do you by any chance have a superpower?”
“If I had such an amazing ability, would I really be playing manager?”
“……”
As he retorted by borrowing the words he had heard earlier, Choi Tae-hyung frowned.
“Then what is it? Are you just saying your intuition is incredibly good?”
“You can think whatever is convenient for you.”
“Phew…”
Choi Tae-hyung shook his head.
And crossing his arms, he stared intently at Baek Hyeon-woo's face.
“Baek Hyeon-woo-ssi.”
“Yes, Director.”
“If your intuition is that good...”
What on earth was he going to say.
It was Baek Hyeon-woo who had expected another sarcastic remark, but Choi Tae-hyung brought up something unexpected.
“How about working under me?”
“Pardon?”
Choi Tae-hyung placed both hands on the meeting room table.
And interlocking his fingers, he said in a serious voice.
“Quit cleaning up Newstarz's messes, and let's make a new group together with me.”
Quit being in charge of Newstarz and participate in making a new group?