Chapter 31….
[Title: Nova Girls Seonari Final Consonant Compilation]
- “Nope, I’m totally fine, really.”
- “Nope!”
- “See…? Right? Ah, no? I’m not scared at all~.”
In the middle of the Nova Girls’ dorm, the phrase “I’m not scared at all~” echoed.
Why did it echo? Because several people replayed it. In the middle of that, Hayoung pressed the play button once more—dragging the bar right to the funniest part.
- “I’m not scared at all~.”
“Ha Hayoung, didn’t I tell you to stop?”
“Did I~?”
“Hey.”
Hayoung curled up in the corner of the sofa, giggling.
“What? I’m boosting the views. This Shorts has already hit two million.”
“…Two million? Seriously?”
“Yeah, two million on YouTube, but on Bigtok it’s already ten million. You’re gonna gain Chinese fans too.”
“Ten million… the ‘at all~’ clip got ten million….”
Nari mumbled, dazed.
“What’s wrong? Everyone loves you for it. Isn’t that a good thing~?”
“Ha Hayoung!”
Mina joined in.
“Come on, what’s the big deal~? Unni, you look sooo cute in it~.”
“Mina, when did I ever talk like that?”
“Huh? Isn’t it the same~?”
Except for Davin, everyone seemed determined to tease Nari.
It almost felt like I’d wandered into a high school classroom. Well, their ages made sense—20, 21, 22. They hadn’t graduated all that long ago.
‘This is how it should be.’
That thought crossed my mind. When I first met them, they didn’t feel like kids at all—their faces stiff, their whole aura weighed down with pressure, barely talking. But seeing them like this now meant they’d found a little breathing room.
Then Davin spoke up.
“With Hyunjae-oppa sitting right here, why are you messing around? We should be checking the New York schedule and writing the list of things we need.”
“Yeah! How do we have time to watch Shorts!”
Nari quickly grabbed the schedule, as if she’d been waiting for a chance. I glanced at it and thought to myself:
‘We do have time though….’
There were about three hours free ahead. I’d come by to check on them, and also to celebrate their first variety show going well.
Looking at the schedule, Davin said:
“But when we land in New York, it’ll be night. Nari, will you be okay?”
“What about it?”
“When it’s dark, our Nari gets sooo scared~.”
“Davin unni!”
Even Davin, usually so stoic, had laughter tugging at her face.
So even you couldn’t resist teasing her, huh?
I watched for a while, then asked Nari:
“You don’t like that the Shorts blew up?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Nari scratched the back of her head, sneaking a glance at my face.
“It’s… honestly, it feels really good, exciting even. People are talking about me specifically, and it’s all positive things… so yeah, I like it. But…”
“But?”
A faint blush spread across Nari’s cheeks.
“I just… I thought if I ever got famous, it’d be for being cool. Like a charismatic girl-crush type, you know? I really thought that’s how it’d go. But now that this blew up… it’s embarrassing.”
“Really? A girl-crush, huh….”
I was about to say something encouraging, but before I could, the other three burst out laughing.
“Girl-crush? Girl~crush? Seonari, you seriously thought that? If you weren’t hiding from the press and only singing, your teddy bear side would’ve been exposed immediately. I can’t believe you really thought that.”
“Unni, even that honesty is adorable. If I were a fan, I’d fall for you right now.”
“Hm… Nari, once we started promoting, don’t you think your stuffed-animal collection would’ve been revealed eventually? You can’t really hide that side of yourself.”
With each jab from Hayoung, Mina, and Davin, Nari’s face turned crimson.
“U-uh… I-I’ll just go to the bathroom real quick.”
And off she went.
“Don’t you think you teased her too much? She seemed kinda sensitive about it.”
I asked, but Hayoung waved it off.
“No way. I saw her grinning to herself last night while watching that clip’s view count. She only acts embarrassed ‘cause you’re here. If it’s just us, she doesn’t care at all.”
“Huh? Why would it matter that I’m here?”
“Because it’s embarrassing to look too childish in front of you, oppa.”
That didn’t make much sense to me. Why only in front of me?
Soon Nari returned from the bathroom, her face perfectly composed again. If anything, she seemed faintly cheerful.
“But oppa, did you see that one comment?”
“What comment?”
“The one that said you looked like my dad.”
“Oh, that… Manager Kim mentioned it.”
Yeah, that comment had made me stare in the mirror for a while. I’m 27, Nari’s 21. Six years apart—and dad? Did too much overtime during my AMD days age me that badly? I’ve been doing PT lately just to keep from getting a belly.
“Still… at that moment, I think I felt it too. Like this strange comfort and reassurance. Made me think of my dad.”
As she said that, I glanced at Hayoung. Didn’t you just say it’s embarrassing to look childish in front of me? But Hayoung just looked back like, What? That’s different.
“Yeah, same here. I was so nervous before going on stage, but the second I saw Hyunjae-oppa, the nerves just disappeared.”
“Me too.”
“Me too….”
Could that also be the onion’s power? Normally, I’m the only one who perceives its effects—the smell, the sprouts, the floating text.
But that thug who tried to kidnap Lim Yuju had shouted about “the smell” in pain. Proof the onion could affect others. Maybe it was doing something here, calming the girls down.
“Well, of course. You gave us a chance and made everything happen. If oppa says it’s possible, then it really feels possible. That’s why we feel safe.”
“Yeah. Even when I tripped, you somehow explained it to the president in a good way…. Oppa, can’t you just be our dad?”
Davin and Mina chimed in.
“Your real dads might not like that.”
I replied, but Hayoung shook her head.
“None of us have good relationships with our parents. We spent a year getting bashed as failed idols, and now that we’re doing well, our parents don’t really know how to react. It’s just… awkward.”
“Ah…”
True, I had picked up on that vibe in their conversations.
“Hyunjae-oppa, please be our dad in spirit.”
“From now on we’ll call you Yuboji (Hyun-dad)!”
“Yuboji, I like it.”
One by one they chimed in. Even Davin, who I didn’t expect, calmly asked: “So in New York, where will Yuboji be sleeping?” Right, Lim Davin—only her face was cool. Don’t be fooled.
“Doesn’t that sound kinda weird though?”
But the girls only chorused back, “Not at all~” and “Totally fine!”
…Am I the weird one here?
Just then, my phone rang.
Caller: CEO Lee Jongmook.
What now?
“Excuse me a moment.”
I stepped outside to take it.
“Yes, sir.”
[Hyunjae, do you have a moment?]
“Yes.”
[I had something to ask.]
Why does he always call me directly instead of having someone else do it?
Thanks to the onion, my reputation may be inflated, but at heart I’m a coward. Talking directly with the CEO made me nervous.
But then his question blindsided me.
[Do you drink, Hyunjae?]
“Sorry? Ah, no, not really.”
[Then do you have any hobbies? What do you do in your free time?]
The CEO of a major company, asking me dating-app questions out of nowhere. Still, the intent was obvious. He wanted to know if I was working hard, not wasting time on booze or games. Otherwise, why would he ask?
“I exercise. Lately I’ve been studying the entertainment industry—reading books to develop an eye for good stories and good songs.”
[That’s it? No online games, hiking, ping pong, golf, sports, movies, model kits?]
“No, none of that….”
I never had the money for hobbies. Even now, I didn’t feel the urge to start.
[Hm… already tricky. As expected, nothing about you goes as predicted.]
“Sir?”
[This might be awkward, but honestly—I want to become close friends with you, Hyunjae. The thing is, I’ve lived my whole life meeting people only for business. I don’t know how to make friends. The only thing I do know is, in situations like this, you should strongly express the desire to be close.]
All I could do was stammer out, “Ah… um… yes….” Close friends? With me? Why?
[You’re coming back from New York on the 22nd, right?]
“Yes.”
[I’ve reserved two rooms in the Lily Suite at Yuwonjeong in Chungju. Take the Nova Girls and relax. Consider it a personal gift.]
“A… personal gift, sir?”
[Yes. To show this isn’t just a stiff business relationship, but a friendship where we exchange gifts. That’s what friends do, right?]
Technically true, but… the scale seemed off.
Yuwonjeong—the country’s most luxurious hot spring inn. Gorgeous landscaped gardens, elaborate baths, but only twelve rooms total.
I looked it up. One night in the Lily Suite: ₩2,120,000. Two rooms… ₩4,240,000. For a single night. Insane. Even with money, I’d never dare spend like that.
[Also, there should be another gift waiting at your home. Check when you can.]
“Didn’t you just say the Yuwonjeong stay was the gift? Another one?”
[When an older brother knows his younger friend is meeting someone important, he buys them a little perfume as encouragement, right? Just something simple.]
“Uh… thank you very much.”
I had no idea what else to say, so I just thanked him.
[Good. I hope our friendship only grows brighter from here.]
And with that, he hung up.
“Do big-company CEOs normally build friendships like this…?”
Later I checked. That “simple” perfume gift? A limited-edition Émulette Rouge bottle—worth over ₩3 million.
Slap!
A man in a black suit smacked Younghoon across the face.
Once, twice, three times…. Younghoon grinned even as he was struck. After the promised fifteen blows, he looked up at the suited man with a servile smile and spoke—because he needed the money.
“Could you… maybe hit me just a bit more?”
Director Hwang Bongwoo let out a low groan inside, then shouted:
“Cut! Take five!”
Jang Hyungun, the actor playing Younghoon, wiped his sweat. The director swallowed hard.
“He’s changed.”
Hwang knew exactly what kind of actor Hyungun was—handsome, charismatic. And that charisma had always been the problem. Ever since The Murderer’s Health Manual succeeded, he had this habit: even in scenes where he wasn’t supposed to look cool, he couldn’t help but act cool.
Not a huge issue for the actor himself. He could just keep taking cool roles. But for Hwang Bongwoo, it was a problem. The investors at MediPlus had insisted Hyungun be the lead.
For a niche genre like this, a well-known actor was essential. And Hyungun was hot right now thanks to the overturned military exemption news.
Not an unreasonable argument, so Hwang had accepted. He’d planned to compromise as best he could, but….
“There’s no trace of him trying to look cool anymore.”
“Hyungun-ssi, that was amazing. Way better than I expected. What happened?”
“Thank you. But was it really good? Or are you just saying that to avoid nitpicking?”
“Not at all! The desperation… the sheer desperation was incredible. You were Lee Younghoon!”
The odd thing was, even after the camera stopped, Hyungun still looked desperate. Despite having a filmography full enough already, he looked like a starving rookie chasing his first hit….
