≫ Thank you guys, I don’t think I need to go see Nakhwa Nori anymore

The world’s really changed, filming a traditional festival in such close-up like this.

└ Miheon-nim made a splendid return

└ Ha, really, I genuinely intended to just take a quick peek and leave, but these kids, really, this is the modern interpretation of traditional culture, haha seriously

Forgetting the wrestle with Naos, Parte’s fandom, Baek Haewon let herself sink into a moment of happiness. Fresh, real-time buzz was so much more satisfying than yesterday’s tteokbokki, it didn’t even compare.

She did find it strange that Spark had taken second place. Glancing at the rough rankings, she guessed there’d been some unspoken jockeying behind the scenes.

Getting stoned at the beginning of the program was enough with Season 1, and she’d learned that, in the end, those who mattered would know. Honestly, Baek Haewon thought the current turn of events wasn’t so bad.

“Let’s not just be exploited, guys.”

I love you guys who do your best in everything, but I hope you don’t just get sucked dry!

Whether Baek Haewon’s wish would reach them or not, it was a relief that at least the kids on the screen looked happy.

After reading comments that were half-heartwarming and half-awkward until my eyes popped out, it was already 3 AM. Thinking that this comment window would turn into chaos in 3 weeks, on the broadcast day of the 1st competition, I couldn’t help but check it now. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

As I was about to charge my warm phone, I heard the door lock opening outside. The only person who hadn’t returned to the dorm yet was Jeong Seongbin.

“You’re back?”

“Yes, hyung. You weren’t sleeping?”

“Was just about to.”

Jeong Seongbin, with a look that clearly said he didn’t believe it, gathered his clothes and headed to the bathroom. A moment later, the guy returned to the room steaming as warm as my phone.

“Do you have a moment?”

Jeong Seongbin asked after glancing at me carefully.

“It’s pretty late, right? If you’re free tomorrow...”

“It’s fine. Totally fine. I’m open 24 hours.”

“I wish you’d close for at least 8 hours though!”

Even as he joked, Jeong Seongbin sat neatly on his bed.

“It’s not a big deal, I just wondered if I could get some advice regarding social conduct.”

“You asking me?”

“Yes.”

“You’re doing impeccably well. I wonder what’s bothering you.”

“If you keep praising us, we’ll get spoiled.”

“Getting spoiled isn’t something anyone just can do either.”

Jeong Seongbin laughed, thinking it was a joke. I wasn’t joking, though. No matter how recklessly someone tries to live, some people can cross lines and others just can’t.

“Tell me. I’ll try to listen objectively.”

The story that followed could be simply summarized in three lines.

First, Han Gawoon from Parte takes really good care of him.

Second, he doesn’t feel good about Parte as a group, but he’s grateful for Han Gawoon as a person.

Third, he wonders if thinking like that is arrogant, or if he’s betraying the fans.

“Did I push him too hard to keep his distance from Parte?”

I made the kid think too much. I learned during the daycare experience that adults’ anxiety was transmitted directly to children, so I should be careful!

“It’s something to be grateful for that a senior takes good care of you. You don’t need to deliberately ignore that feeling just because of what I said or the atmosphere.”

“Is that so......”

Jeong Seongbin smiled bitterly. With fans fighting emotionally, it probably wasn’t easy to take my words at face value.

“I told you to keep some distance because I worried you guys debuted so young and might get stuck in awkward situations with people. But now, I believe you’ll talk things out if you need help, so I’m not that worried anymore.”

Back then, there were lots of kids who’d run away or bottle things up, but Spark’s mental health seemed pretty solid now.

Even if something happened where I couldn’t see it, they’d speak up. I didn’t need to watch them as closely as when they were trainees. Look, even Jeong Seongbin was opening up to me on his own.

One thing weighing on my mind was Han Gawoon’s ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) position.

Listening to Jeong Seongbin, it seemed he lived like an isolated island in the team, and because he knew MYTH’s concept copying better than anyone, he couldn’t lift his head to Jeong Seongbin.

When the people at the top do something stupid, it’s always the conscientious ones below who suffer.

Even if Han Gawoon had opposed it, once it was actually carried out, how could he escape the guilt of doing something wrong? The industry really was rotten.

“Caring about someone isn’t being nosy. It just means you’re kind, Seongbin. Don’t think it’s overstepping. All you need to do for the fans is show them you’re doing your job well.”

I spent a full thirty minutes soothing and reassuring him. There were so many different kinds of people in the world. I didn’t want him to get stressed needlessly over a single decent person.

Fortunately, Jeong Seongbin lay down on the bed ending with thanks for listening to his worries. Even just looking at his face, I could tell his worries had eased.

To not disturb him, I also pulled up the blanket and lay down.

However, sleep didn’t come. Han Gawoon’s face floated before my eyes. The image of a person whose situation seemed pitiful but whom I couldn’t get close to.

“If it was someone from Verion, I could have empathized with Jeong Seongbin much more.”

It wasn’t about personal ties. It wasn’t even about not liking Parte.

I felt uncomfortable around Han Gawoon.

A kind-hearted person who, despite good intentions, still ended up negatively influencing others and was self-aware enough to feel sorry about it.

Han Gawoon resembled Mr. Seong Silhan whom he played in “Act on”......

[Unnie, the cup holder turned out so well in real life!

The whole world should know unnie has golden handsㅠㅠ]

.....And resembled Nam Jooah exactly.

“Assistant Manager Kim, come to my desk for a moment.”

I remember Manager Nam calling me less than a week after I joined the company.

On Manager Nam’s monitor, an unfamiliar celebrity’s face was displayed.

“My kid says she needs to remove the yellow tone from this photo, and it’s frustrating seeing her struggle for hours with something that doesn’t even look difficult.”

Manager Nam’s affection for his precious only daughter was famous in the company.

“They say she was weak when she was little, so he dotes on her like crazy. He’s always desperate to do everything for her.”

“He doesn’t even let her fold her own laundry. If she wants something, he makes sure she gets it.”

Helping with those personal tasks at first didn’t feel that uncomfortable.

Partly because I didn’t know better, and partly because I thought, So this is what a father’s love looks like. I even wished noona had a dad like that. Even though I knew adults pretending to be family-oriented outside didn’t always mean it was true.

The favor didn’t end as a favor. Manager Nam didn’t want to make his daughter do a single cumbersome task, and wanted his daughter, who would be left alone when he and his wife died later, to get a good job to earn enough money to feed herself without suffering much. To do that, Nam Jooah had to use her meager stamina solely for studying.

“You got her another tutor?”

“Our kid doesn’t have the stamina to go to academies. It’s expensive, but what can I do? As her dad, I’ve got to do at least this much.”

“Didn’t you say you would only make her prepare for the civil service exam?”

“Didn’t you see the article about civil servants suffering because of rude complainants? My Jooah would collapse doing something like that. The kid is weak-hearted.”

Manager Nam, who lacked the financial power to leave a large inheritance, did everything he could for Nam Jooah within his means.

However, similarly lacking financial power, that person squeezed where he couldn’t save. By exploiting people around him to his heart’s content. Because the money Manager Nam could spend on his daughter had limits after all.

Everyone in the office thought such affection was suffocating, but Nam Jooah was a filial daughter. She laughed off the prejudice that she would be selfish growing up pampered. She was lively and kind, got along well with others, and always volunteered to help where she could.

People always said she worked hard too, for her caring, hardworking father.

Maybe Nam Jooah thought she shouldn’t rebel against the massive affection.

Manager Nam’s love for a daughter who never rebelled, who seemed to skip adolescence altogether, only grew deeper with time.

“Assistant Manager Kim, you know how to edit videos, right?”

“Only basic level.”

“Watch a few idol videos or something and study it a bit. The company covers training costs, right? I’ll approve it, so sign up for an online editing course and watch it in your spare time after work.”

The affection created by delusion turned into orders for me, a subordinate, to do it instead because his daughter didn’t have the time to do “such things.”

“Wouldn’t your daughter think it’s strange?”

“Just say I entrusted it to someone I know. I did that last time too.”

Even though Assistant Manager Hwang stood up for me, it had no effect. Perhaps angry that someone dared to question him, Manager Nam showed displeasure, so I stepped up and stopped Assistant Manager Hwang.

I don’t know how much he said he paid and asked “someone he knew.” Judging by how his requests kept getting more complicated, he must have boasted a lot at home.

Requests became more specific as time went by. Manager Nam stopped relaying messages and changed the method to forwarding Nam Jooah’s emails to me altogether. Seeing “FW:” among unread emails made me swallow hard automatically.

“If she’s a middle school student, she’s not a kid, Assistant Manager. Fans are actually really polite when they support idols. It’s impossible she doesn’t know this is abuse of power.”

Supervisor Song, who had experience liking idols, said so. She said fans rather acknowledged each other’s hard work. They’d say thank you for making their idols look good, for spreading the word—not treat that dedication as unpaid labor.

Since I had no business contacting Nam Jooah from my side, and doing so would likely result in receiving overtime, I didn’t attempt anything new.

One day when I was drying up like that.

“Assistant Manager Kim, have some snacks.”

Special snacks arrived at the office. It was a high-end baked confectionery set, not the dried pollack or nut bars usually piled up in the pantry because no one touched them. One box contained madeleines, another contained financiers, at least ten each.

“What’s with the snacks?”

Since there was no occasion for wedding return gifts to come in, I looked around confused. Assistant Manager Hwang explained carefully.

“......The Manager’s daughter sent them. To eat with people her dad works with.”

The source of the snacks made it impossible to put them in my mouth. No wonder both Assistant Manager Hwang and Supervisor Song weren’t touching them.

I said it was fine and deliberately picked up a madeleine. I didn’t want others to walk on eggshells because of me.

“Assistant Manager Kim, throw this away.”

Conversely, Manager Nam, who didn’t want to see me getting comfortable, called me hurriedly. Shaking a large shopping bag that seemed to have contained the snack boxes.

Even though there were trash cans at every desk, dumping bulky trash or smelly food was always my job.

I put the madeleine down and went over to Manager Nam.

Inside the shopping bag was a small envelope. Tossing something like that without checking could invite a storm of abuse later, so I tucked the shopping bag under one arm and opened the envelope.

A handwritten letter I never expected popped out from inside.

Hello, unnie! I’m Nam Jooah!

I always send emails through Dad, but this is my first time writing you a letter!

A message from Nam Jooah to her fangirling buddy Kim Iwol, whom she accidentally got to know through the connection of her dad working in the same department.