Episode: 30
Is this really it?
[Rabbit Cocktail]
A cocktail bar with a rabbit-shaped LED sign flickering at the entrance.
"Hah, is this really it?"
I felt the tension rising from my toes to my brain.
"Hee-ju, did you bring your ID?"
"Ah, here it is."
"Min-seo, did you bring yours too?"
"Yes!"
I’ve had drinks with Da-young before, so that’s not an issue. But Eun Hee-ju and Gil Min-seo? These two girls... can I really handle them?
"I’m going to get drunk."
"Oppa! If I happen to get drunk, please take care of me too!"
Seeing how excited they were, I couldn’t bring myself to suggest turning back after coming this far.
[Hee-ju, is she excited?]
‘Yeah, she seems pretty excited.’
[From what I can see, she seems just the same as usual.]
No, if you look closely at the slight curve of her lips, you can tell she's quite excited, though I can't pinpoint the exact reason.
[Oh my, now that you mention it, it does seem that way.]
[You're amazing, master.]
It's just basic management.
Do you think I cast them just for fun, like some sort of joke?
"Well, what could happen? Let's go in, everyone."
"Okay."
I led the three chirping chicks inside.
The bar, recommended by a well-paid doctor, was quite sophisticated.
Good lighting, good interior, and they even had performances by someone called Madonna.
Honestly, there wasn’t a better place to have a drink.
Moreover, there were small partitions, so we didn’t have to worry too much about others' gazes.
The only thing I was concerned about was my wallet... Ahem.
"I'll have the number 3 set, please."
"Yes, understood."
The server took my order, then glanced at the girls sitting next to me, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Oh."
Seeing that, I realized something I hadn’t in a while.
Having worked in this industry for so long, my standards had been set to ‘celebrity.’
No, even without that, Eun Hee-ju, who was becoming more beautiful, Lee Da-young, who had always shone, and Gil Min-seo, who was just as radiant.
These three weren’t the kind of beauties you'd come across every day.
"You must really be pretty."
"Yes, manager."
"Do you think I’d be happy hearing something like that? Unbelievable."
"Kya! I’m so happy, oppa!"
Each of them had their own unique charm.
Eun Hee-ju, the airheaded beauty.
Lee Da-young, who was prickly but passionate and meticulous.
And Gil Min-seo, the energetic toy poodle.
‘If we could just add a mature, older sister-type to anchor the group, it would be perfect.’
Then, we could start group training, prepare the music, choreograph the dances, and practice, practice, practice until we debut. There would be no way these girls wouldn’t make it big.
Of course, there would be mountains of work for me in that process.
But if you don’t put in that kind of effort, aiming for the top in this industry is just arrogance, even if Nobel himself were to help.
After all, being at the top of the entertainment industry means being recognized worldwide.
‘Ugh, let's not stress about things that haven’t even happened yet.’
My head hurts.
We haven’t even gathered all the members yet, and here I am thinking about music, group names, and all that. I’m getting ahead of myself and it’s just making things complicated.
"The drinks are here."
"Yay!"
The server had changed.
Every time they brought out food or drinks, the server would change. And each time, they'd sneak a glance at the girls, setting the food down as slowly as possible before stepping back.
"If you need anything else, please call me anytime."
"Oh! Thank you."
Still, the staff seemed well-trained. No one behaved rudely by asking for their numbers or anything like that.
If they just stared from afar, I could let it slide.
"Hee-ju, what did I tell you?"
"Not to give my number to anyone. That’s why I didn’t give it to Da-young unnie or Min-seo unnie either."
"Uh, it’s okay to give it to them though."
An unexpected response came back.
"No... I'm okay."
Then, Da-young and Min-seo quickly chimed in.
"I don't need her number either, okay?"
"Hehe, right. If anything happens, we can just contact you, Oppa. Right?"
"Hmm, that's true."
I nodded and looked at the snacks and cocktails in front of me.
They were pretty cocktails, the kind girls would love.
With their beautiful, vibrant colors, they almost looked like soft drinks at first glance.
"Don't drink them too fast because they taste good. Cocktails like these go down smoothly, so they can get you drunk faster."
"Okay!"
Chirp, chirp.
They respond well.
‘Yeah, what could go wrong? How many people in the world actually get so drunk that they cause trouble?’
It took less than an hour for this thought to change.
*
I thought I was being careful, only sipping a drink while keeping an eye on the girls.
But either the cocktails here were stronger than I thought, or the girls were just lightweight drinkers.
"Manager, I'm going to succeed."
"Yeah, yeah."
Thud, thud, thud—
Eun Hee-ju, who only had two cocktails, kept banging her small head against my shoulder like she was trying to break it.
"Haa~ Master, I was so foul-mouthed again today. Hurry, punish me."
"Please! I'm sorry! What's wrong with her?"
Lee Da-young.
This girl had drunk with me before. She wasn't like this back then, so why now?
Please! I'm sorry!
"Hehehe, let's kiss. Kiss, chu! Hehehehe!"
Even Gil Min-seo had turned into a skinship monster.
If it weren't for the partitions...
Or if the music playing in the cocktail bar wasn't so loud, this wild scene might have been seen by others.
"From now on, you girls are banned from drinking."
"Okay, we will."
Thud, thud, thud—
Even as she answered, Eun Hee-ju didn’t forget to keep banging her head against me. Why does she love banging into me like this?
I should be the one doing the banging, not her.
[Maybe she wants to do the banging instead.]
What kind of weird joke is that?
"Haaang~ Master, punishing me here is too embarrassing. Hic."
"Stop it! No more dirty jokes!"
"Master? Oh my, I'm jealous. Kiss, chu!"
I thought I should just leave, but as I was getting up, a server cautiously approached and spoke to me.
"Ah, it might be a bit of a waste to leave now. There's Madonna performance starting soon. Most people come to this bar just to see that."
"It's not Madonna that's important right now."
If anyone saw these girls, who are supposed to debut, making a fool of themselves, it would be a disaster.
But...
-Madonna. Now presenting Seong Seri's performance.
[Seong Seri, SS]
Of all times. Here, of all places, I didn’t expect to find the missing piece of the puzzle.
"......"
She was both relaxed and overwhelming.
Even though the number of people in the cocktail bar wasn't small, it was as if being on stage didn’t faze her at all.
-♪♪♪
Her fingers danced freely across the piano keys.
I knew it wasn’t a particularly difficult piece of music, but...
Setting that aside, she was skilled.
Not only did she have the experience to command the stage, but she also had the talent to back it up.
"Hello, my name is Seong Seri. Mwah! Shall we all have a great time together today?"
She added dancing to her singing.
‘She's already a complete idol.’
Honestly, she already had all the qualities needed to debut right away as an idol.
She might need to lose a bit of weight, though.
But that's by celebrity standards.
By normal standards, she's already slim enough.
"Okay, let's move on to the next song."
Familiar songs from the latest music chart-topping girl groups, songs that anyone in the entertainment industry would recognize, played.
Seong Seri flawlessly performed the highlights of those choreographies, almost like a real idol.
Her performance was already at the level of a small personal concert.
Everyone was captivated by her charm.
Including me.
Thud—
"Ouch."
"It’s happening again."
"Huh?"
"Oh, it’s nothing."
Eun hee-Ju shook her head slightly and stopped bumping her head against my shoulder. Instead, she just stared at Seong Se-ri with a gaze filled with a lot of emotions.
Watching her, I gently patted her head and said, "She’s the last one."
"...!"
Eun hee-Ju, who had been quietly sitting, widened her eyes in surprise. I couldn’t help but chuckle.
But now, how do I create a connection with Seong Se-ri?
"I'm sorry, but even though I know it's an obvious request, I can't arrange a private meeting with Madonna no matter how much you ask."
"Yeah, I figured."
I tried asking the staff, but the response was as expected.
What should I do now? I scratched my head, pondering over it.
Still tipsy, the skinship monster Gil Min-seo giggled and asked, "Then, can we dance up there too?"
"Huh? Uh, wait a minute."
If anyone else had asked, the answer would have been a definite no. But because our girls were exceptionally beautiful, the staff hesitated and decided to ask the manager at the counter.
After a brief discussion, they got the okay sign.
"Do you think you can do it?"
"Yes!"
"Honestly, I think this is a great opportunity."
And I wasn’t lying.
It’s a bit of an impromptu development, but the girls have exceptional talent. However, they lack experience.
The pressure of performing in front of people you know versus complete strangers is entirely different.
"Part of me wants to tell you to relax and have fun since you haven’t debuted yet and haven’t been trainees for long. But on the other hand, I really want you to show what you’ve got."
Eun hee-ju was the first to stand up after I spoke.
"You want us to show it, so we’ll show you."
"Ugh, I need to succeed quickly so I can do the acting I want. So I have to do it."
"I’ll do my best, oppa."
As the three of them went up on stage, the customers immediately started clapping, first impressed by the girls' looks.
Clap, clap, clap.
I joined in the applause, cautiously.
The song that started playing was another hit girl group dance song that once topped the Strawberry Charts.
It was also a song they must have practiced at least a hundred times in the studio.
Despite the lack of a proper introduction, the girls weren’t flustered and showcased everything they had practiced.
Even though it was all lip-synced, they moved their lips with such passion that it didn't feel out of place.
Their eye contact with the audience, the force in their dance moves, and their teamwork were all on point.
‘They’re good.’
It was hard to believe these girls had just become trainees.
Especially Eun hee-Ju.
"......"
I was worried that she might remain expressionless on stage, but her expressions were incredibly diverse.
Every time she brushed her palm across her face, it was like she became a different person, showing a level of professionalism that was already at a pro level.
"Wow! Amazing!"
Clap, clap, clap.
When the performance ended, they were naturally showered with applause.
Seong Se-ri was no exception.
The girls, drenched in sweat, were blinking in disbelief as if they couldn’t quite grasp what had just happened.
And then...
"You there, the shortest one with the bob cut. You've got a pretty good knack for mimicry, don’t you?"
She directed her comment to Eun hee-Ju.
"And you, the one in the middle. You’re overthinking it. You hesitate at parts where you should just dive in, mixing a bit of fear with your moves. You keep hesitating, always a beat late. Your flexibility is lacking too. And finally, the one with the puppy face."
Lee Da-young looked as though Seong Se-ri had hit the nail on the head.
"Y-Yes, me?"
"Yeah, puppy. You’re bright, and that’s good, but you’re too bright. In a solo performance, it might be fine, but when you’re in a group, if you’re the only one that excited, it throws off the balance with the others. You end up dragging everyone else down too. So tone it down."
Seong Se-ri smirked as she pointed out the exact same things the trainer had mentioned earlier today.
"Where are you guys training?"
At that moment, when Lee Da-young and Gil Min-seo were rendered speechless by Seong Se-ri’s commanding presence, Eun hee-Ju casually responded.
"If you have a drink with us, we’ll tell you."
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