Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 179

“Ah… Elder, that’s……”

Elder? I’m not old enough to be called that yet. They say position changes the way people address you, but there are so many downsides.

“Haha, I’m just curious. The size of the staff, and who you’re planning to cast.”

“Uh……”

“Surely, you wouldn’t misuse the money I invested, would you?”

After returning to Korea after a long time, Hwa-yang was a bit out of it, contacting her people, settling debts with some, and creating new ones with others.

In the midst of all that, recognizing Ji Dong-hwa’s nature of cherishing his family, she commissioned Diony Entertainment for a project.

‘That place is a mess. My grandson is there, and they’re giving him songs like that… Either they lack information, or what.’

For now, it was a choice that could earn money, fulfill Ji Dong-hwa’s wish, and take care of Ji Mok-hwa and her grandson’s careers, so she used one of her past debts, but the annoyance didn’t stop.

When she returned to Korea and found out they were in the same group, she was initially surprised and mystified by how their fates were intertwined, but looking at the reality, her annoyance only doubled.

Because Diony Entertainment’s treatment of her friend’s son and her grandson was disgusting.

“…Elder, did you invest?”

“If my people did it, it’s the same as me doing it.”

She is currently in the process of creating a large debt for this man who embezzled the investment money, and using him to weave her web.

The wider the web, the less anyone can easily criticize her, and she can continuously extract appropriate profits to gain significant advantages.

“Ah, now that I think about it, I heard your wife is working with you again this time.”

*I already know you included your spouse in the embezzlement.*

“I hope she does well and stays out of trouble.”

*You better behave so the secret stays safe, you disgusting thing.*

Hwa-yang doesn’t like corruption. It’s not about some petty sense of justice. If she were a righteous person, she wouldn’t be exploiting others’ weaknesses. However, she finds it disgusting when people take advantage of righteous individuals.

“Well, take care.”

After saying goodbye and leaving, Hwa-yang’s phone displayed just two letters: “Grandson.”

“What’s wrong, Jin-han?”

―Ah, Grandma. Just calling to say hello.

“How bland.”

The conversations she has with her grandson are quite enjoyable. In essence, he’s not really her grandson but her younger sibling’s son, whom she took in and raised when he was three years old after his family passed away. She couldn’t bring herself to have him call her ‘Mother,’ so he calls her ‘Grandma’ instead.

“Yes, you haven’t even shown your face since I returned to Korea after so long.”

―The staff already told you I’m busy since debuting.

Sorry, but I completely lost track while I was in Japan, grandson. Anyway, once the rumor spreads that you’re my grandson, there will be plenty of people who will treat you well.

“Yes. Ah, I heard there’s a kid named Mok-hwa in your group.”

―Yeah, there is.

“Treat him well.”

―…What’s this? You’ve never been so kind to me.

Originally, her own children are raised tough.

“There’s a reason.”

―Hmm, that’s surprising. To hear those words from Grandma. Is it dangerous? He seems dangerous to me, though.

“You’ve always had a problem with making strange inferences with your good brain.”

―Still, I’m usually right, aren’t I? I even guessed the identity of the person who gave us the song recently, you know?

“…What are you talking about?”

After hearing the detailed explanation, she was amazed by her grandson’s stupidity. What kind of Zen riddle is that? He was just playing with you, you moronic grandson!

It was also natural to once again admire Ji Dong-hwa, who resembled his mother so much, even to the point of having a nasty temper when he felt like getting close to someone.

She could only let out a secret sigh.

“Treat that person well too.”

―Oh, I can be sure of this. He’s a dangerous person, right? I knew it the moment I saw him. I had a gut feeling that I needed to lower myself and get close to him.

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

―Grandma, I’m serious. That person might not even be human.

*Then what is my friend who gave birth to him, you crazy bastard.*

She hung up the phone without saying much. It was just a check-in call anyway. And then her phone rang again immediately. She answered the call.

“What, you stupid grandson?”

―…Um, when did you adopt someone?

She was uncharacteristically flustered by Ji Dong-hwa’s voice ringing in her ear. *You’re no help at all, grandson.*

* * *

It seems I called right after cutting off the call with my grandson. The timing is truly amazing.

―It was a slip of the tongue.

“Yes.”

―Yes, what’s the matter? Should I take care of someone for you?

*Why does it always end up like that?*

“No, I was just wondering if you might know anything about the entertainment industry.”

―Ah, is that so? Ask away.

I explained the general situation. Since she’s been in this industry longer than I have, maybe getting her advice would be helpful.

―So, the main point is whether I happen to know any inside information about who will be in the drama that Gazelle is being offered, right?

“Yes, that’s right.”

*But listening to it, it seems like an unreasonable request. Just because you’ve made a name for yourself in the music industry doesn’t mean you’ll have information in the drama industry…….*

―What, you should have asked me sooner. Just wait there.

*She does? Amazing, the entertainment industry.*

I politely thanked her and hung up the phone. At that moment, I felt a pair of sparkling eyes pouring down on me from the side. I turned my head and saw Ryu Iden looking at me with a flower-receiving pose. *What am I going to do with that?* It was a look that was desperately asking who it was.

“Ms. Hwa-yang.”

“I heard about her before and looked her up, and my sister told me she’s a very scary person.”

“Is that so?”

She did mention taking care of someone. It’s hard to think of it as a joke, considering the rumors I’ve heard are filled with scary things.

“What does it matter?”

“I guess so. She’s trying to help us, right?”

If a knife-wielding person is on our side, it’s not a big problem. That’s what Ryu Iden and I were joking about for a while. It was about thirty minutes later.

Buzz.

…What is it?

I opened my phone and checked the message.

―I’ve sent it by email. Check it out.

What is it? How is this possible?

“Could it be… Did it already come?”

Ryu Iden cautiously asked, seeing my dumbfounded expression. There was a mix of shock in his voice.

“…Yeah.”

“Dong-hwa… Are we involved with a dangerous person?”

“I guess so.”

Ryu Iden soon returned to his sly expression and lay down on the sofa.

“But, it’s a little fun. I feel a bit of a thrilling sensation.”

*You crazy bastard.* He unexpectedly shows potential as a gambling addict, so I have to stop him from the side.

“…Okay.”

A strong determination to postpone asking Ms. Hwa-yang for help as much as possible was engraved in my heart.

* * *

Time passed quickly. Based on the information Ms. Hwa-yang gave me, I was able to find out which person would be doing something stupid and suffer the disgrace of dropping out midway, and which work would be the only one to survive and accurately target the blue ocean [an uncontested market space or new industry].

And, as time passed, the day finally arrived.

“This.”

“Yes.”

“This too.”

“…Yes.”

“This too.”

“…Hyung, did you just knit instead of working?”

Lee Hyun-jae was wrapped in things made of yarn. I knitted them myself over several months. There were many trials and errors in the middle, but I gathered as many warm things as possible.

The cold on the day of the college entrance exam freezes your hands and makes you feel several times more nervous, so it’s an expression of my heart hoping you’ll be warm.

“You saw it.”

“No, all I saw was you working.”

6:30 a.m. The members who woke up early were all feeding Lee Hyun-jae breakfast and seeing him off.

Seok-jun was rubbing his eyes, but anyway, Chae Ha-min was making even more of a fuss, and Ryu Iden was packing a lot of chocolate. He seemed excited at the thought of working out with Lee Hyun-jae after the college entrance exam.

“We’re going to get another idol first title like this.”

Ryu Iden’s playful words made me nod my head. That’s right. In fact, it’s no different from me scamming with Giji-saeng [historical Korean female entertainers], so Lee Hyun-jae might be the first.

I carefully wrapped Lee Hyun-jae’s scarf around him one more time.

“It’ll be warm.”

Saying ‘good luck’ is easy to be a burden. Expectations can be poison to someone who is nervous. So, I just wanted to simply convey the fact that I care.

“…Yes.”

Lee Hyun-jae smiled brightly. His breathing was a little shaky, so he was definitely nervous. Hmm, I’m worried.

“Our Hyun-jae, if you get nervous, think of my face!”

Chae Ha-min kept stroking Lee Hyun-jae’s beanie and hugged him tightly. Hmm, why would thinking of your face relieve the tension, Ha-min?

“Yes. I’ll be back, hyungs [older brothers or male figures].”

* * *

Lee Hyun-jae breathed out, feeling the warmth surrounding him.

“…It’s so warm.”

A warmth that felt a little overwhelming. It was a warmth he couldn’t expect from his family.

If someone asked if his family was dysfunctional, it wasn’t. But if someone asked if his family was warm, it wasn’t either. That’s why Lee Hyun-jae sometimes felt overwhelmed by this warmth.

*Cool hyungs.*

Among them, his tutor is a particularly amazing person. A memory that makes you wonder if he’s human, a mental strength that allows him to endure even after staying up for days, and a sense of responsibility to always do his best in what he’s in charge of. And above all, a great talent for composing.

He has both talent and effort, but he’s a human who’s not sure if he’s a great person, so it’s confusing whether it’s deception or humility.

Lee Hyun-jae recalled his first meeting with Ji Dong-hwa. It was the first time he wanted to be like someone. It was the first time he felt respect for someone as a person.

Objectively speaking, it was a bit cheesy, but it sounded cool, probably because he was envious of his self-assurance.

Ji Dong-hwa was always a person who moved only with self-assurance and self-doubt. He was a person who doubted himself, but had a self-assurance that would never be swayed by others.

When I first told Dong-hwa hyung that I was going to college, I said I was interested in academics, but that was probably an excuse.

It’s true that I enjoy literature, but the main reason I wanted to go to college was because of my personal desire to be even a little like Dong-hwa hyung.

‘…I think I really did try hard.’

I reduced my sleeping time to the limit. There were times when I felt like I was going to collapse, and I actually secretly shed nosebleeds. If the other members hadn’t caught me every time my vision went blurry, it might have become controversial.

Ha-min hyung always bought me expensive health food and cheered me on warmly. Iden hyung always helped me with my health and mental management. Jun hyung kept me from losing my laughter with his optimistic voice. Dong-hwa hyung… I wonder if I can ever repay Dong-hwa hyung’s grace.