Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 351

“The office reflects its owner too well.”

The cat roamed through the seemingly endless archive with its usual graceful gait.

Bathed in light, it was Ji Dong-hwa’s office, a place where the unpermitted couldn’t set foot.

“One got addicted to monitors, and it seems those guys can’t live sane without being addicted to something.”

“I’m sometimes scared? It feels like ghosts will appear here.”

“Sounds like something humans would say. And isn’t the atmosphere here warm?”

“But considering there are ghost-related papers among the books Teacher read, you never know!”

Just as the rabbit said, this place was a library created based on the teachers’ memories. Because they skimmed through even useless writings and somehow stored them in their heads, there was a considerable number of bizarre books.

Of course, many books had blurred letters in some parts.

One is a digital omnipotent, the other is a vicious retrogressor; does the office change so drastically every time the owner changes?

The library’s second archive, Ji Dong-hwa’s memory vault. More precisely, it was a place where everything that happened in the spacetime where Ji Dong-hwa lived was transferred into books.

In other words, it’s damn wide.

“Hyun.”

At the quiet call, a book with a fox pattern fell in front of the cat with a thud.

With a rustle, the pages turned naturally, and a fox peeked out from inside.

“What.”

“Where’s Teacher?”

“Follow me.”

Ji Dong-hwa’s large-scale office reorganization.

After checking the animals’ beastly ages, he elegantly spat out harsh words, wondering how that dimwit thought of raising them in such a dark environment.

The first thing he fixed was the ceiling.

I don’t even wonder how he did it, but he made clouds, the sun, and the moon visible beyond the window in the sky.

Although artificial, day and night were created for the first time.

Next, a forest, stream, and park were created in the middle of the library.

Ji Dong-hwa must love raising children close to nature, the cat thought.

If asked which is better, honestly, it didn’t matter. The cat would explain that it wasn’t a change of school, but a change of grade that other animals didn’t know.

The fox floated around, peeking out from the book. The rabbit, walking behind it, asked carefully.

“Isn’t it uncomfortable?”

“Just regaining consciousness is a miracle.”

The experiment of separating the fox from the book was one of Ji Dong-hwa’s core goals.

However, after realizing that the light emitted by the book stopped without the fox, it had no choice but to wander around in this form.

The cat chuckled, remembering how awkward the fox was when it first peeked out and saw that a human, whom it hated so much, had saved it.

Even when everyone called Ji Dong-hwa Teacher, it still awkwardly didn’t call him by any title.

“Stubborn.”

“Shut up.”

“…I can’t say I don’t understand.”

The fox flinched. Knowing all his affection for the baseborn [a rough, unrefined person], no one said anything, but everyone understood the sentiment.

“…Teacher wouldn’t understand.”

The cat just walked on without answering. The rabbit didn’t continue, even though it knew what answer he would give. Therefore, when the fox muttered to itself, there shouldn’t have been a reply. Originally.

“When you come back, you’ll understand.”

But at the sound coming from behind as if it were natural, all three stopped. The sound of paper flipping was heard quietly.

“And change my title. It’s confusing.”

Clack, then the sound of paper rubbing against wood, he must have taken out another book.

This place is Ji Dong-hwa’s memory storage. In other words, he is constantly reading books that he doesn’t even need to read.

The cat turned its head and walked to his feet.

Really, the atmosphere is different. The cat recalled the baseborn’s desolate atmosphere and then looked at Ji Dong-hwa again.

Elegant.

Dressed comfortably in a suit, as he usually wore before coming here, and turning the pages with glasses on, it was really.

He finished reading the thick book in no time, closed the last page, and neatly placed the book [꽂았다 is Korean for placed]. The gesture was clean without any unnecessary movements.

It was different from the baseborn, who leaned on a chair, looked at the monitor, and fiddled with mechanical devices. If the baseborn was like a crazy scientist, then this one is…….

How can people be so different? Even though they are the same human. Yet, sometimes they say or do similar things, so, really.

Ji Dong-hwa took off his glasses and placed them in the air, and the case floating next to him took the glasses on its own.

A bizarre harmony of analog and digital.

And with the gaze that fell following the glasses, he finally realized that the dog was there too. And the dinosaur sleeping on top of it.

What are these guys doing, really.

“He was reading them a book.”

“……Crazy bastards.”

Hiding without even noticing on the way he came.

That’s a technique that the baseborn used when hiding weapons to threaten other managers.

A troublesome and cumbersome task, but he’s doing it for just.

“The archive should be quiet.”

Ji Dong-hwa had a look on his face as if he was saying something obvious.

“What book was it?”

He lightly stroked the head of the fox peeking out and handed over the book.

“I was choosing, is there anything you want to hear?”

“…Well. I’ve actually read all the books here.”

“Even if you know everything, there are stories you want to read again.”

He smiled as if telling them to think slowly.

And when he pressed a button hidden in the bookshelf, the scenery changed as if they had entered another dimension in an instant.

A fluffy sofa, warm tea, and a neat snack set up. He’s definitely more skilled than the baseborn. Well, it’s natural since he started on the achievements of the baseborn.

“Any book is fine.”

The rabbit dragged the cat and lay down on the fluffy sofa. As always, warm sunlight poured in through the window installed in the ceiling.

It’s a space where you can understand why the dinosaur fell asleep.

“…Then, that, the child who was learning the piano.”

Then a book appeared in Ji Dong-hwa’s hand.

The cat yawned widely and rested its head on the rabbit’s tail next to it. The rabbit, feeling good, put its hand on its head, but the cat roughly pushed it away.

The loyal dog, as if ready to listen to any story, and the dinosaur, who fell asleep without knowing the world.

And even the fox, who was still awkward because it hadn’t been long since it could only show its face from the book.

The peace that the baseborn wanted to protect so much might be like this.

Ji Dong-hwa smiled and opened the book.

* * *

If there is someone who knows how to repay grace, Kim Bong-ju would be satisfied even if he only lived by playing the performances that person told him to.

He was listening to his story with his mouth open, and then he was embarrassed.

From where did things turn out like this?

Attending a music college is a money-guzzling endeavor. Tuition is expensive at other universities as well, but the problem gets even bigger when going abroad. First of all, living expenses grab you by the ankle.

As he got older, Bong-ju measured the size of his vessel. He has no desire to become a great human.

Money is only needed so that he doesn’t starve to death. Anyway, all that matters is being able to play the piano. So he had never thought about going abroad.

So when he was contacted by an arts foundation, Bong-ju expressed his intention to decline. If he were to live off someone else’s salary, he would have to meet their expectations.

Even his father agreed after hearing Bong-ju’s intentions. If his child wants to do that, can’t he do that much?

However, there are bound to be differences of opinion.

The time was when Kim Bong-ju was about to enter his entrance exam year. It started when the lesson teacher handed a strange document to his father.

“This is a list of music colleges that Bong-ju should apply to. It would be difficult if you didn’t know anything when talking to Bong-ju, so I thought it would be good if you took a look.”

He was naturally a sociable person, so he thought nothing of it, but the problem was that it included many overseas music colleges.

It became a disaster that Bong-ju had also participated in famous overseas competitions, and the schools were added to the list one by one with the thought, ‘With this much experience! Here too! Here too!’

His father mentioned that he should apply, but Bong-ju shook his head. Money is a serious problem. Even now, he knew that his father’s bank account was precarious.

“I can do this much. It’s your college expenses.”

“Going abroad isn’t just about college expenses.”

“Um, Bong-ju. It’s good to accumulate these kinds of experiences if you can. It increases your options later. And, your father is doing well these days. Make some money.”

Even if it’s a natural truth, its weight changes depending on who says it.

If a clumsy father, who always considered his child’s wishes first, sincerely persuades him, he is overwhelmed by the heart rather than the content of the words.

That’s how the decision to study abroad was made.

Bong-ju, who boarded the plane as if it were scheduled, as the lesson teacher even said, ‘You’ll definitely get into at least one place, so be prepared,’ actually didn’t think much.

He didn’t even worry about whether he would adapt well to a foreign land. He was just admiring that his piano playing time had increased, saying, ‘Wow, I don’t have to do math anymore.’

As one professor said, he was accepted because he was a person with good experience but whose lack of desire was evident in the interview.

Back to the story, he was eating and opened his mouth.

“Bong-ju, there’s someone who’s asking if you’d like to work during the vacation.”

“Like a wedding hall?”

That’s a common way to earn pocket money.

“And they’re coming here now. I owe that person a bit.”

“You owe?”

“When I said I couldn’t eat properly after you left, I got some help.”

“…That was because I couldn’t eat while practicing, right?”

Bong-ju was eating and playing chords with his left hand when he suddenly remembered. From some point on, his allowance had become a bit, a lot more.

“……Wait, you owe?”

The person who hated being in debt so much in his life!

Bong-ju jumped up from his seat. When he put all the pieces together, he was shocked.

He even showed him the ledger, saying he was doing well, but it was all a lie. He only looked at that and submitted his application, but it was all fabricated!

Bong-ju got up from his seat, went to the front door, and opened it.

Because it’s an old-fashioned building without an intercom. If there’s a menacing loan shark, he should close the door first. If they try to touch his fingers, he’ll kill them somehow.

And what he saw when he opened the door.

“Long time no see, Bong-ju.”

After smiling briefly.

“You’ve grown taller again.”

The teacher waving his hand.

Bong-ju took a fresh look at Ji Dong-hwa’s face. How can his face be the same even though he’s in his thirties?

Seeing the teacher, who hadn’t changed anything from before, but only had a mature aura flowing, he couldn’t help but be surprised.

He had seen him once at the graduation ceremony and occasionally exchanged emails or phone calls, but it was different to see his face in a place other than a TV screen, so he couldn’t help but feel different.

“……Did you start a loan shark business?”

Bong-ju asked a foolish question.

Even if that’s the case, he’s still his teacher. But being tied to the relationship between a creditor and a debtor’s child is not very welcome.

“……Huh?”

As soon as the teacher heard the question, he closed his eyes and thought as if doubting the word he had heard, and then briefly questioned [반문했다 is Korean for questioned back].

After careful consideration, he asked if the pronunciation was accurate, he was really still like a teacher.

Then his father came from behind and laughed heartily.

“When you weren’t here, he often came to see if I was healthy and left. He also had meals with me sometimes.”

……Ah, debt doesn’t necessarily mean only monetary things.

“Because he’s at an age. He must be lonely too.”

“I don’t think I’m old enough to be called that yet.”

The two people were having a comfortable conversation as they entered the house.

“Then, the work is……?”

Turning around to look at Bong-ju, who had become a young man, Ji Dong-hwa muttered, ‘You’ve already told him,’ and then answered as if it were nothing.

“I was wondering if I could ask you to accompany my performance.”

So again, he was listening to his story with his mouth open, and then he was embarrassed.