Chapter 73 - Did You Schedule a Date?

“M-Manager-nim! Spit it out!”

Seo Na-eun's urgent voice echoed.

“There was something strange in it, wasn't there? Hurry and spit it out! If you don't have a place to spit, into my hands...!”

Seo Na-eun, who was hurriedly holding out both her hands.

However, Baek Hyeon-woo continued to chew it thoroughly and savor the taste.

And after swallowing it with a gulp, he opened his mouth.

“No, it wasn't strange.”

“Huh?”

“Rather…”

Ruminating on the taste left in his mouth, Baek Hyeon-woo was in awe.

“It's incredibly delicious?”

“What?”

“It's a considerably high-class taste. Did she use really good ingredients, like butter? It feels like the taste and aroma are filling my whole mouth.”

Saying that, Baek Hyeon-woo held out the cookie bag.

“You guys try some too. I can't eat it all by myself anyway.”

“Ah, is that okay?”

Kanade reached out her hand with a gaze full of curiosity.

The moment she took the cookie and put it in her mouth, Kanade's eyes flashed open.

“Gasp, it's really delicious!”

“Really? Then me too...”

Following her, Kim So-yeong, Laura, and Yoo Jeong-ah also each took a cookie and put it in their mouths.

And they all made satisfied expressions.

“Na-eun-ah, you try one too.”

“……”

Seo Na-eun still had a wary expression, but since Baek Hyeon-woo kept offering, she picked up a cookie and ate it.

“There certainly doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the taste...”

“Right? You shouldn't be so suspicious.”

However, at that moment, Laura said, licking the cookie crumbs off her hands.

“Still, considering Joo Ga-hee's personality, it is a bit awkward for her to prepare handmade cookies so obediently. I feel like there must be something else to it.”

“Even so, she probably wouldn't have played a strange prank with something to eat.”

“Then are you saying that Joo Ga-hee, with a pure heart of gratitude for Hyeon-woo oppa, kneaded and baked these cookies one by one? Doesn't that not suit her at all?”

“You think so...?”

Just as Baek Hyeon-woo was tilting his head, Kanade, who was rummaging through the paper bag wondering if there were any other flavors, dropped the letter.

“Come to think of it, I haven't seen the letter.” Baek Hyeon-woo unfolded the letter.

The other people also craned their necks and examined the contents of the letter.

In the letter, the following was written in Joo Ga-hee's handwriting.

—I thought you would hate something like a cookie I made myself, so I repackaged a ready-made product sold at the department store.

“I knew it!”

Laura raised her voice, and the other people also made dumbfounded expressions.

Everyone had praised them for being incredibly delicious, but to think she had separately wrapped and disguised cookies sold at a department store.

“Yeah… it really didn't suit Joo Ga-hee.”

“It seems she prepared it because she had no choice, since the company made her.”

Kim So-yeong and Yoo Jeong-ah each said a word, looking bitter.

Meanwhile, Seo Na-eun made a relieved expression.

“Still, it's better than something she made herself. If it's a ready-made product, she probably didn't put anything strange in it.”

“Hmm… strange.”

Baek Hyeon-woo put another one of the remaining cookies into his mouth.

“This is a ready-made product?”

Tilting his head, he checked the contents of the letter again.

Only two sentences were written insincerely in the letter, and the last sentence was this.

—Thank you for what happened last time.

……

“Ga-hee-ya, when did you make the cookies?”

Inside the van, moving to the next schedule, Seong Hae-won spoke to Joo Ga-hee.

“I had no idea you would prepare that kind of thank-you gift for Hyeon-woo-ssi.”

Even Seong Hae-won knew that Joo Ga-hee had bad feelings toward Baek Hyeon-woo.

Just because she received emergency treatment from Baek Hyeon-woo doesn't mean those feelings would disappear.

To make and gift handmade cookies to a man you hate, it must have been a real ordeal.

“I just bought it at the department store and wrapped it.”

“What? Then isn't that deceiving them?”

“I've already finished talking about it with the Director. Mind your own business.”

The handmade cookie gift was Director Seong Soo-ho's idea.

Simply conveying thanks wasn't enough, so a gift had to be given.

If so, giving something handmade would be a sign of sincerity and would also give a good image to the fans.

Director Seong Soo-ho had instructed her to do it that way, saying it was fine to buy a ready-made product and repackage it instead of making real handmade cookies.

“I also wrote in the letter that I didn't make them, but bought them at the department store.”

“Ahaha, I'm curious what kind of expression Hyeon-woo-ssi made after seeing the letter. He probably accepted them thinking they were really handmade cookies that Ga-hee made herself, I wonder if he was very disappointed?”

“He was probably relieved. Because he probably would have wanted to throw away something like cookies I made, since they'd make him feel bad.”

Answering that, Joo Ga-hee shut her mouth.

However, Seong Hae-won called for Joo Ga-hee again.

“Joo Ga-hee.”

Unlike before, it was a voice filled with a cool-headed calmness.

“Were they really cookies bought at the department store?”

“……”

Joo Ga-hee didn't answer and turned her gaze outside the window.

Suddenly, the last conversation she had with Baek Hyeon-woo earlier came to mind.

At that time, Baek Hyeon-woo had said, 'Try to forget it all now and rest.'

However, Joo Ga-hee is not the type of person who can forget everything like that.

Her ill-fated relationship with Newstarz and Haram Entertainment.

The ill feelings she had for Baek Hyeon-woo.

The touch and voice of Baek Hyeon-woo, who had helped her when she collapsed at the studio.

Everything would remain continuously tangled up in a jumble within Joo Ga-hee's heart.

“Who knows.”

Answering that, Joo Ga-hee closed her eyes.

Without telling anyone about the feelings tangled in her heart, solitarily by herself.

……

“What is this!”

Director Kim Do-gyun of UBX raised his voice, holding his phone.

Right now on the screen, the video uploaded to Choux-pop's official channel was playing.

It was a video with the content of Joo Ga-hee giving her thanks to Baek Hyeon-woo while all of Choux-pop cheered for Newstarz.

“Director, is it okay to just leave this be?”

N.A.N's leader, Wi-hyeon, revealed her dissatisfaction.

“This is instigating the Choux-pop fandom to support Newstarz.”

“That's right. If this happens, the Choux-pop fans will probably cast all their votes for Newstarz in the final vote.”

Ryu-hwa, who was in charge of the girl crush concept, also got angry with a scowl.

“If it's like this, isn't it unfair? I think we should tell PD Seo Dong-cheol.”

“It's useless.”

Kim Do-gyun said in an annoyed voice.

“Because even when Heart Drum, who was eliminated last time, uploaded a video cheering for N.A.N on their own channel, they just let it slide.”

“Huh? They uploaded that kind of video?”

“When they were eliminated, they came to you and told you to be sure to win. I guess you don't even remember.”

If this had been a video that came out on the main broadcast of 'The Idol', there would have been an unfairness controversy.

Because it would mean the production staff had put in a scene that was advantageous to one side.

However, if it's something they uploaded on their own YouTube channel, you can't say anything.

Furthermore, Choux-pop is in a situation where they even have the justification that they received help from the Newstarz manager.

“The Choux-pop fandom has been in a conflict with the Newstarz fandom. However, if Choux-pop shows an attitude of reconciling with and cheering for Newstarz like this... an atmosphere of uniting together and fighting against N.A.N will be formed.”

“Then…”

“With the underdog effect, there's a high possibility that even the fans of other groups will side with Newstarz.”

Originally, the fandom size was in the order of N.A.N, Choux-pop, and Newstarz.

It's a situation where the 3rd place Newstarz is challenging the 1st place N.A.N while receiving the support of the 2nd place Choux-pop.

When it becomes like this, people's sentiment moves toward cheering for Newstarz.

“Director, I think this is a bit dangerous.”

Wi-hyeon expressed her concern with a serious expression.

“If the final win is snatched away by Newstarz...”

“Yeah, we'd be hugely disgraced. And on top of that, the company will also suffer a great loss.”

The reason N.A.N bothered to participate in this kind of survival program was because they were confident they could overwhelm the other groups using their status.

The plan was to comfortably take the win and carry out marketing based on that, but it becomes a headache if they get pushed out by Newstarz and end up in second place.

“First, we have to do some public opinion management.”

We have to deploy 'comment part-timers' so that internet public opinion doesn't lean toward Newstarz.

Of course, in reality, it won't be part-timers but a mobilization of company employees.

“And… I'll meet with some reporters and see if there's any material for controversy with Newstarz.”

“Director, didn't you do that last time too?”

When Ryu-hwa failed the drama audition, UBX had tried to break a scandal about Newstarz to get revenge on Haram Entertainment.

However, Newstarz was surprisingly clean. There was nothing they could break, so in the end, they gave up.

“You never know. Something more might come out.”

“Ah, how about we spread a dating scandal about Joo Ga-hee and that manager?”

Ryu-hwa raised her voice as if it were a good idea.

“Honestly, the atmosphere was quite plausible. By exaggerating it like secret feelings sprouted between the two of them after the hyperventilation incident...”

“Hey, is Joo Ga-hee a Newstarz member? Don't talk nonsense.”

However, Kim Do-gyun rejected Ryu-hwa's idea.

“It would be a different story if a Newstarz manager was dating a Newstarz member, but there's no meaning in breaking that kind of crap.”

“Still, wouldn't it be able to prevent the Choux-pop fandom from voting for Newstarz?”

“Forget it. If we do it wrong, it will just backfire.”

Above all, if they were to break such a scandal, DP Entertainment wouldn't stay still either.

Kim Do-gyun frowned, recalling the gangster-like impression of Director Seong Soo-ho.

“Honestly, think about it from your perspective. Does a manager look like a man to you?”

“Not at all.”

“Yeah, unless there's decisive evidence, a dating scandal with a manager doesn't really resonate with people. We have to look for something else.”

“Director, then…”

The sight of the UBX people plotting such a conspiracy... the main vocalist, Ha-ryeong, was watching silently with her mouth shut.

……

“Since that kind of talk is going around, it would be good to be careful.”

“Thank you for the information, Ha-ryeong-ssi.”

After receiving a call from N.A.N's Ha-ryeong, Baek Hyeon-woo expressed his sincere thanks.

If the UBX side was in the middle of looking for controversial material on Newstarz, it seemed he would have to be careful of his conduct for a while.

“Hyeon-woo-ssi, I'm asking just in case... there aren't any kids you're dating among Newstarz, are there?”

“Pardon?”

“Actually, the gaze Seo Na-eun gave me last time was unusual. As if she were wary of a woman approaching her boyfriend.”

“……”

Baek Hyeon-woo was at a loss for words for a moment.

“I think there was some kind of misunderstanding, but it's by no means that kind of relationship. I just have a working relationship with the Newstarz members.”

“Then what about besides the Newstarz members?”

“What do you mean?”

“For example, Choux-pop's Joo Ga-hee.”

“That's truly an impossible thing.”

“Really?”

“In the first place, I'm not seeing anyone right now. There's nothing that can break as a scandal, so you don't have to worry.”

Laughter was heard from the phone.

“Hyeon-woo-ssi, you were single? I thought you'd have at least one girlfriend.”

“Somehow, I've just remained single.”

“Then there wouldn't be any problem if you had a drink with me, right?”

“Pardon?”

“Why? Would there be a problem?”

Baek Hyeon-woo answered cautiously.

“Ha-ryeong-ssi, I'm a person who believes in separating public and private matters, so...”

“Hehe, you're reacting too seriously. It's not like I specifically asked you out on a date.”

“……”

“Anyway, let's meet sometime after 'The Idol' is over. There are a lot of things I want to discuss, like the direction of future activities.”

Ha-ryeong is scheduled to transfer to Haram Entertainment when her contract with UBX expires.

Because Baek Hyeon-woo had promised to be in charge of Ha-ryeong, they did need to have a slow talk once.

“Understood. When 'The Idol' is over, I'll make time. Whether it's drinks or anything else, I'll buy.”

“It's a promise.”

After letting out a small laugh, Ha-ryeong added again in a serious voice.

“Hyeon-woo-ssi, I am scheduled to leave N.A.N soon, but... I plan on doing my best until the very end.”

“……”

“My goal is to win on 'The Idol' and finish with a flourish. So it would be good for you to brace yourselves.”

After ending the call with Ha-ryeong, Baek Hyeon-woo let out a short sigh.

As a vocalist, Ha-ryeong's skill is more outstanding than Yoo Jeong-ah's.

Her Vocal ability on the status window is the same S-rank, but if you judge comprehensively, it feels like Ha-ryeong's side is ahead.

‘I'll have to prepare properly.’

Thinking that, just as Baek Hyeon-woo was putting his phone away.

Suddenly, a voice was heard from behind him.

“Manager-nim.”

“……!”

Had she been watching from behind the whole time.

Seo Na-eun stared intently at Baek Hyeon-woo and asked.

“Did you schedule a date with Ha-ryeong sunbae-nim?”

“……!”

Did she say it was like the gaze of a woman wary of another woman approaching her boyfriend?

The words he had heard from Ha-ryeong earlier flashed through Baek Hyeon-woo's mind.