Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 110

< 110. Scout >

Rembrary was taken aback by the sudden mention of a scout.

“A scout, you say?”

Jongwoo, worried by Rembrary’s strange expression, had followed him out and was equally surprised by the unexpected scouting offer.

“Scouting?”

Rembrary frowned and waved Jongwoo away. However, Jongwoo found his behavior even more suspicious.

When Jongwoo didn’t leave, Rembrary moved to the emergency stairs to get away, asking again,

“What scout are you talking about?”

– I heard it from Dooshin.

“Who’s Dooshin?”

– The kid who got stabbed by a horn and taken away after waving at you.

“Ah.”

So, the guy with the spear’s name is Dooshin.

The woman spoke again.

– I heard you have ‘eyes’.

The man with the spear had also said Rembrary had ‘eyes’ before.

Rembrary figured that the ‘eyes’ they were talking about weren’t his actual eyes, but the ability to see monsters.

Meanwhile, Jongwoo couldn’t shake the word ‘scout’ that Rembrary had left behind.

It didn’t help that Shin Joun had been subtly hinting at wanting to scout Rembrary lately, shamelessly trying to tempt him with food!

With Rembrary talking about scouting and then suspiciously moving away, Jongwoo became even more suspicious.

Rembrary, of all people, never cared about what others thought.

In the end, Jongwoo decided to find out what was going on and stealthily followed Rembrary.

Walking along, he saw Rembrary standing by the window at the end of the hallway, talking on the phone.

Instead of getting closer, Jongwoo kept a reasonable distance and listened. Fortunately, he could hear Rembrary’s voice.

“Is being able to see cow heads what you call ‘having eyes’?”

‘Cow heads?’

– That’s right.

“But it’s strange to get a scout offer just for being able to see cow heads.”

So, he really did get a scout offer! He caught him red-handed. The conditions were a bit strange, but Jongwoo listened to hear more.

– Not just anyone can see them.

“Is that so?”

– Yes. People with natural abilities might not understand, but…

“…Tell me more.”

– Are you interested?

“I’m not interested, but I am curious.”

– Regular people value their eyes when it comes to health, right? It’s the same in this world. No matter how strong you are, ‘seeing’ is like a cheat code [an advantage or hidden method to easily overcome challenges].

“What’s a cheat code?”

– If you help us with our work, it would make things a lot easier.

“What is your work? You have to tell me that first.”

– Catching things like that cow head you saw.

Rembrary pondered the woman’s words with a serious expression. Was she telling the truth, or just a half-truth? Was the person speaking for Nakru [a mysterious organization], or just a group that hunted monsters?

If she was speaking as Nakru, she would be telling a half-truth, but if she was from a different group that hunted monsters, she would be telling the truth…

Rembrary thought for a moment and cleverly asked,

“Why?”

Nakru was a group with its own values and a deep history. So, if he asked why they hunted monsters, they would give a different reason than others. If he directly asked, ‘Are you Nakru?’ or ‘Do you hunt Saints [powerful supernatural beings]?’ they would become suspicious.

– Why else? To make money, of course.

However, the woman’s answer didn’t show any Nakru-like motives.

‘Are they not Nakru?’

“You can make money doing that?”

– Of course. It’s rare, so it’s profitable.

‘Are they really not Nakru?’

He was getting confused. Rembrary frowned, caught in his own question.

Then why did Woo Sungwoo break into the place with Daeju wearing a sheep mask? Was the person wearing the sheep mask not Woo Sungwoo? Was it just someone with a similar build and necklace? Was it just a coincidence that he felt like Woo Sungwoo?

He was confused.

And Jongwoo, who was secretly listening, was just as confused. What kind of scout offer was he getting?

At first, he thought it was an offer to join another agency, but listening in, it seemed strange.

He was scouted for being able to see cow heads, and now he’s asking if he can make money doing it.

Jongwoo couldn’t understand what ‘it’ was that Rembrary was talking about with the other person.

Meanwhile, Rembrary spoke with a firm voice.

“I’m an idol. I’ll be getting paid soon. Why would I take such an unstable job now?”

– It’s a basic salary plus per-case, so you could make more here if you do well?

“Still.”

– You can do both. Like a part-time job.

“Part-time?”

– Yeah. You don’t have to be in danger, just come and lend us your eyes.

“You say come, but things could change.”

Jongwoo thought Rembrary was doing a good job of refusing, but then he flinched again. Body? Part-time?

“Besides, what if people see me doing that? I’m a well-known face.”

Doing what? Jongwoo’s face quickly hardened. The more he heard, the less it sounded like a scout offer from another agency. He would still be recognized even if he went to another agency.

– Hmm. I didn’t want to say this.

“What is it?”

– Should I send you your phone call history?

“…”

– Just kidding. Your brother would go crazy. Anyway, just come and take a look. And if you think it’s okay, help us out, or… or we can talk again later.

“…Okay.”

– I’ll text you the details.

Jongwoo saw Rembrary sigh after hanging up and quickly ran over and snatched Rembrary’s phone.

Rembrary was thinking, ‘So Woo Sungwoo is definitely part of some group,’ when he was startled and looked at Jongwoo. Jongwoo’s face was pale.

“What are you doing?”

Instead of answering Rembrary’s question, Jongwoo anxiously asked,

“Are you going to go?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you get offered some strange part-time job?”

“How did you know? Jongwoo, did you eavesdrop on the call?”

“Don’t do it. Don’t do things like that.”

“Do you even know what I’m going to do?”

“I don’t know what you’re going to do, but I don’t think you should do it.”

“This is none of your business.”

Rembrary frowned and reached out to take back his phone.

However, Jongwoo quickly dodged and went into the call history, calling the most recent number.

Rembrary was furious, but the woman who had been talking to Rembrary answered the phone right away.

– Have you already made a decision?

“Our Yeonwoo doesn’t need a sponsor!”

Jongwoo shouted at the person on the other end of the phone and hung up.

Rembrary stared at Jongwoo in disbelief.

“What are you doing now?”

***

But no matter how dumbfounded Rembrary was, he couldn’t be as dumbfounded as the woman who had just hung up the phone.

“What’s wrong?”

Woo Sungwoo asked, and the woman shook her head.

“I don’t know. Someone called from your brother’s phone and said your brother doesn’t need a sponsor?”

At that, Un Dooshin, who was lying blankly on the hospital bed, grabbed his stomach and burst out laughing.

“Sponsor. Ah. The stitches hurt. Ouch… ouch, my stomach.”

The woman glared at him, but Un Dooshin didn’t see the terrifying expression because he was laughing.

“Team Leader as a sponsor. Ah. Haha. It suits you. Haha. Ah. My stomach. The stitches… Nurse. Nurse.”

The woman sighed and handed the phone back to Woo Sungwoo.

Woo Sungwoo looked at Un Dooshin pitifully and asked as he took the phone,

“But are you really going to bring Yeonwoo here?”

“Why? You don’t like that I’m scouting your brother?”

“…I don’t like it.”

“Those who only provide their eyes don’t do dangerous things.”

“What about Dooshin?”

“He doesn’t have to, but he’s trying to take it all on himself.”

Woo Sungwoo still looked uneasy.

The woman smiled and patted Woo Sungwoo’s shoulder.

“Why the long face? Aren’t you happy that both brothers can participate in the great cause? This is a great thing, right? Your brothers are protecting the world.”

“…”

“Besides, this is an opportunity. Your brother is a celebrity and has ‘eyes,’ so maybe he can find the Saint who is deeply involved in the entertainment industry.”

***

“No.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely not. Absolutely.”

“Really, right?”

“I said no.”

Rembrary and Jongwoo were standing in front of the elevator, continuing their tedious argument.

Jongwoo asked the same question several times, and Rembrary finally got annoyed and frowned more fiercely than usual.

Jongwoo, who misunderstood that Rembrary was trying to get a sponsor, reluctantly stopped asking and returned the phone.

“I’ll trust you.”

“Sigh.”

Rembrary frowned and took the phone.

Sagamjae was a problem because he didn’t pay enough attention to this, but Jongwoo was a problem because he paid too much attention to this.

Anyway, the two of them forcibly compromised, checked the time, and hurried back to the room where the staff had gathered.

It was already meeting time. They had both forgotten because they were arguing.

“Oh, there you are.”

As the two hurried down the hallway after getting off the elevator, one of the staff members who had come out to look around said impatiently, telling them to hurry up.

Following the staff member to the conference room, all the relevant staff members except for the two of them had already gathered.

Jongwoo turned pale and apologized profusely before quickly taking a seat.

“Why are you so late?”

The A&R [Artists and Repertoire] department team leader still reprimanded Jongwoo, creating a scolding atmosphere.

“I’m sorry.”

Jongwoo repeatedly apologized and gave Rembrary a look.

“I’m sorry.”

Rembrary also reluctantly apologized, and the A&R team leader reluctantly relaxed his stiff expression.

Rembrary was the main contributor who had single-handedly struggled and raised the submarine group to the top while he had amnesia.

Moreover, with and airing these days, he was a talent with an even more promising future.

On the other hand, the contract period was getting shorter and shorter. There was no point in fighting with a promising talent.

“Okay, okay.”

Still, the atmosphere was awkward, so CEO Im stepped in, clapped his hands to change the atmosphere, and changed the subject.

“Team Leader Yoo, tell Jongwoo and Yeonwoo about that.”

Jongwoo didn’t even know what that was, but he pretended to be very interested, clasped his hands together, and looked at the A&R team leader with shining eyes.

The A&R team leader obediently answered “Yes” to CEO Im and opened his mouth.

“I’m talking about Wild Animal. Before releasing a new album, I was thinking of releasing a summer special album as a break, what do you think, Jongwoo?”

“A summer album?”

Jongwoo asked, bewildered.

“Now?”

“Yeah. Why? Is it not good?”

“The special album itself is fine, but… the timing and season are a bit off. If we start preparing now, it’ll be autumn by the time the album comes out…”

“Yeah. But this time, we got a really cool solo song for our team. The song is so well-made that it’s like pouring waves and cider into your ears. It’s the best song to listen to right now. There’s a scary behind-the-scenes story, but that’s all superstition.”

“Ah. Then should we arrange that and do it as a group…?”

“No. I’m going to give it to one of the members. It feels best when one person sings it.”

“Yes?”

“So, I was wondering if one person could sing that song, and the remaining four could each do a solo song. So, let’s release a summer special album with five solo songs and see what the reaction is.”

The team leader pointed at Yeonwoo with his chin.

“This time, Yeonwoo’s solo song got a better response than the title track, unexpectedly.”

Jongwoo nodded.

“Ah… I see. That would be good.”

He was a bit uneasy because it was a song with a scary behind-the-scenes story and ‘that’s all superstition,’ but he thought it must be pretty good if the team leader was saying that.

Of course, he would have to listen to the song himself,

But soon Jongwoo became embarrassed and asked.

“But who are you going to give that song to?”

<110. Scout > End