Chapter 7 (2/2): The Problem Was Me

“…How many pages did you see?”

“Just one. Sorry—I really didn’t mean to peek.”

He seemed slightly relieved at my words, peeking through his fingers to look at me again.

“Really? Just one page…?”

“Yup, just the one.”

I definitely didn’t see the part where you told yourself, ‘Don’t be a burden to Haram-hyung!’ and made that whole decision alone. Nope, not at all.

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Please trust me, Woojin.

I’m totally lying.

“Then that’s fine….”

Woojin shot a sharp glare at the bag in my hand, then snatched it and turned around.

“I’m eating all the corn dogs myself.”

…Ah, this soft-hearted kid. After all that, his big move is declaring corn dog monopolization?

“What is it, what is it? Let me in on it too.”

“You don’t need to know!”

“Hmph.”

Lee Hyunjae, who had been sitting quietly for a while, finally opened his mouth—only to get smacked down immediately.

He’s kind of charismatic, honestly.

“I’ll explain while we eat.”

“Don’t explain anything!”

“I’ll hear it from Haram later, then.”

“Oh? If you’re that curious… it’s really not that big a deal though.”

“Ah, seriously!!”

“…Wh-what is going on right now?”

This time it was me muttering under my breath, a similar feeling to earlier.

“You’re really going at it, huh.”

Woojin flinched, mid-bite with the last piece of chicken in his mouth, and only moved his eyes to look at me.

No joke, I think he ate more than half on his own…

“It’s fine. You’ve got a good appetite—it’s nice to see.”

Next to him, Lee Hyunjae gave a warm smile.

“Thanks for the meal. I feel bad always getting treated like this, even though I’m the older one.”

Gulp.

Choi Woojin swallowed the last of the chicken and placed his hands over his belly.

“Thank you for the food, hyung!”

Then gave a deep, polite bow. Gosh, whose kid is this? Such perfect table manners.

“Ah, wait. Hyung, one sec!”

After bowing, Woojin quickly ran into his room and came back with something.

A pouch of konjac jelly.

“I bought this with the allowance the manager gave me today. You said last time you liked it, right?”

Choked up.

This kid… even fifteen thousand won is barely enough for a meal for two…

[You’ve awarded Choi Woojin 5 Praise Points with administrator privileges for remembering a passing comment!]

Out of nowhere, the usually silent system window popped up next to the jelly with a cheerful pop.

What are those points even for? And why is it so thrilled about this?

Still…

‘I’ll give him that one.’

“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”

As the three of us sat there sharing the jelly, my resolve grew even clearer.

They’d eaten well, we even wrapped it up with dessert—now it was time to get to the main topic.

“Hyung. Woojin.”

“Yeah?”

“Huh?”

No more room for hesitation.

“Let’s go to the agency together.”

Flinch.

The two, who had been happily chewing their jelly, froze mid-bite.

They slowly turned their heads to look at me.

The exact same expression I’d seen earlier today—when I’d asked Manager Woo to take me with him.

A moment of silence passed, then Lee Hyunjae spoke first.

“…And what would we do if we went?”

“Debut. Just us.”

Their pupils visibly dilated.

Oh, oh—Woojin, the jelly’s leaking. Swallow first, then speak.

“I really think both of you have what it takes… if you’re just given a chance.”

It’s not like I was just saying that on a whim.

My eyes scanned the floating system windows next to them.

[<Character – Detailed Stats & Info>
Name: Lee Hyunjae
Dance: B–
Vocal: B
Visual: B
Charisma: B
Luck: D

Among trainees, have you ever seen someone with stats this balanced? Unfortunately, fate isn’t on his side, and success doesn’t come easy. If you lack luck, the only answer is to keep trying until it clicks.

What this person needs is opportunity. Opportunity. Only opportunity!

Do good deeds regularly to try and compensate for low ‘Luck’!]

[<Character – Detailed Stats & Info>
Name: Choi Woojin
Dance: C
Vocal: C+
Visual: A
Charm: B+
Luck: B

Yes. Still lacking. And precisely because it’s lacking—perfectly so.

Place them in the center. In the middle. Without a doubt, they will shine even brighter there.

* In certain situations, the trait [I Belong at the Center] will apply a correctional bonus.

Both of them have more than enough potential.

All I can do is give them a chance.

Whatever happens, it’s still better than rotting under that awful CEO.

“I’ll make sure to get them that opportunity.”

“I…”

Just as Woojin was about to open his mouth, I got a call—from the very person I’d asked to look into that opportunity.

“Hold on a sec, Woojin.”

I gave him an apologetic glance and answered the phone.

“Yes, Manager Woo.”

“Wow, you picked up quick this time, huh?”

Geez, always so snarky.

“Of course, depending on who’s calling.”

“If only your mouth was as fast as your feet…”

I threw in a little banter, and Manager Woo let out an exaggerated sigh.

“So I checked what you asked for. The schedule’s tighter than expected. Luckily, they were the ones in need—otherwise we might not’ve even made it into the application round.”

“That’s a relief. The sooner the better.”

The sooner I could get the kids out from under CEO Jo’s clutches, the better.

“So when is it scheduled for?”

“Tomorrow at 4 p.m. In Sangam. Can you make that work?”

“Oh.”

Tomorrow? That’s… sooner than I expected. I glanced down at the battlefield of greasy leftovers on the table and felt a pang of regret.

Shouldn’t have let them eat today… sigh.

“Do either of you have anything scheduled tomorrow afternoon?”

“Uh, no?”

“I don’t either.”

Perfect. Thank god.

I’d need to hurry and contact the trainees who went home, too.

“Yeah, it should work. I’ll double-check everyone’s schedule and get back to you early tomorrow morning.”

“Efficient as always. Got it. And tell those kids to take care of themselves for at least one day.”

Well, they’ve already stuffed themselves full of soda and greasy meat, but… heh.

I hung up and looked ahead.

“What’s going on? Come on, let me in on it this time.”

Lee Hyunjae started pressing me for answers. He always got oddly sheepish when asking for stuff like this—what a peculiar personality trait.

“We’re going to an audition tomorrow afternoon.”

“An audition? Out of nowhere?”

“Where? What audition?”

“Well… who knows?”

“……??!”

Man, watching them get flustered like this is surprisingly entertaining.

As I grinned to myself, I suddenly had a nagging feeling—like I was forgetting something important.

Wait a sec… No, no way. I’m the protagonist.

Trying to shake off the anxiety, I quickly opened a new system window.

And then—

“Uh…”

Ah… This is bad. This isn’t how it’s supposed to go…

“Hey, um… would you two be okay going without me tomorrow?”

“……??!!?”

They both looked way more panicked than before.

But this time, it wasn’t funny at all.

Damn. This kind of sloppy development? Not what I signed up for.

I have to figure something out.

[<Character – Detailed Stats & Info>

Name: Kim Haram (Seo Jimin)
Dance: E
Vocal: F
Visual: A
Charm: A~D
Luck: B+

The Possessor’s Dilemma. All stats except appearance are based on the original Seo Jimin’s abilities. Oh? Seems like you had decent luck.

That’s a relief. May fortune follow you on your path :)]