“Ah, my apologies, young lady. I seem to have been overly eager. If you’re not interested, there’s no need to accept it.”
At my command to ‘get lost,’ the man was momentarily flustered, but he quickly composed himself and spoke gently.
Yet, I could discern the true intentions lurking beneath his polite facade.
[“My initial aim was to cast the white-haired girl… but this one clearly lacks the right personality. Still, I might as well try to entice this one, despite their shortcomings. Her figure is quite to my liking, which is ideal.”]
“Get lost, I said. You’re disgusting.”
His gaze, which briefly swept over Seon-ah’s body as if scanning it, was so repulsive it made me want to vomit.
“Ha-yeon… what’s wrong…?”
‘Seon-ah probably has no idea what that scumbag is thinking of her.’
“Haha… so your friend’s name is Ha-yeon. Well, if you’re truly so averse, then I, this uncle, shall take my leave.”
I stared intently as the man awkwardly turned to leave, only exhaling a sigh of relief once he had completely vanished from sight.
“Ha-yeon, your face is terribly scrunched up. Do you happen to know that person?”
At her words, I glanced at my reflection on my phone screen, and indeed, my expression was far from pleasant.
‘But then again, how could my expression be pleasant after seeing such a vile man?’
‘He’s committed sexual harassment, with no fewer than five victims. Yet, he only received a two-year suspended sentence.’
‘I don’t know what deranged judge handed down that ruling, but I’d certainly like to see their face.’
“No, I don’t know him.”
“But why did you say such harsh things? You shouldn’t talk to strangers like that, Ha-yeon.”
‘Well, since I’m the only one who knows what kind of man he truly is, my actions must seem quite questionable from Seon-ah and Ha-rin’s perspective.’
“Unnie (TL Note: A Korean term used by a younger female to address an older female friend or sister.), do you believe in physiognomy?”
“Huh…? What’s this sudden talk about physiognomy?”
“That man’s face (TL Note: ‘Gwansang,’ referring to physiognomy or face reading.) screams sexual harasser. That’s why I told him to get lost.”
At my words, Seon-ah looked dumbfounded and confused, while Ha-rin, who had been listening nearby, suddenly burst into laughter.
“Pfft. Ha-yeon, you have such an eccentric side to you, don’t you?”
‘Eccentric? No, I was perfectly serious.’
‘I can literally see that bastard is a sexual harasser, can’t I?’
However, seeing my serious expression, Ha-rin snorted again, then continued to cackle with laughter.
‘Seriously, that’s too much. I was protecting them, you know.’
“I believe Ha-yeon.”
Perhaps sensing my sincerity, Seon-ah spoke words of support.
“Of course, I believe Ha-yeon too.”
‘I wasn’t sure if they were teasing me or genuinely believed me.’
“Let’s just go home now. I’m tired.”
‘My mood had been soured by encountering that strange man at the end of what had otherwise been a fun outing.’
‘If the day ever comes when I have to preside over a trial involving such a repulsive sexual harasser, I’ll ensure he receives a punishment that tears him limb from limb.’
‘Just let one of them fall into my hands.’
****
In the heart of Gangnam, as the evening sun began to dip below the horizon.
One day, Jeong Min-ah, a typical second-year high school student, stopped when a man called out to her as she was heading home after her English academy class.
“Student, are you perhaps interested in becoming an idol? You’re tall, and your image is just perfect.”
“Excuse me…?”
“With looks like yours, you’d definitely debut if you joined our company.”
Though Jeong Min-ah harbored suspicions that he might be a con artist, the mention of ‘idol’ made her heart begin to pound with a slow, building excitement.
The business card the man handed her was more elaborate than she expected; seeing the gold-embossed logo and the name ‘Lee Si-hyeok, CEO of Ave Entertainment’ made her eyes widen in surprise.
“Oh? Isn’t this the company debuting that new girl group…?”
For Jeong Min-ah, who had always been deeply interested in idols, it was impossible not to recognize a relatively well-known entertainment company.
“Oh, you know us well. That makes things quicker. We’re actually preparing a new girl group right now, and your image is absolutely perfect. You know how hard it is to seize an opportunity these days, right?”
“Uh… yes, I suppose so…?”
‘Every girl, at some point, must have wondered what it would be like if they were an idol.’
Jeong Min-ah’s heartbeat showed no signs of slowing. For her, who had always yearned for the idol stage, the current situation felt utterly dreamlike.
And so, Min-ah accepted the business card with trembling hands.
A few days later, Jeong Min-ah secretly visited the company’s office without her parents’ knowledge. It was a company that occupied an entire floor of a respectable building in the heart of Gangnam.
Popular idol posters adorned the walls, and the sight of busy employees bustling about was enough to completely erase her lingering doubts.
“Here, this is the trainee contract. Basically, there are training fees involved. Around 2 million won (TL Note: Approximately 1,500 USD.) per month. If you add vocal, dance, and dormitory fees, 5 million won (TL Note: Approximately 3,750 USD.) a month should be enough.”
Min-ah’s mind went blank as she took the contract Lee Si-hyeok handed her in the CEO’s office. 5 million won? It was obvious her parents would never allow it.
“Oh my… even so, isn’t this too expensive…? What should I tell my parents…?”
In response to Jeong Min-ah’s reaction, Lee Si-hyeok offered a gentle smile and said.
“Once you debut, you’ll easily earn tens of times this amount~ Don’t you want to give your parents a life of luxury?”
That night, Jeong Min-ah broached the topic of the idol contract with her parents.
Her father and mother initially opposed it fiercely, but Jeong Min-ah’s unwavering resolve eventually won their permission.
The first few months felt like a dream. Living in the dormitory, learning vocals and dance every day as a trainee, it truly felt as though her idol debut was just around the corner.
However, as time went on, a strange feeling began to creep in. It was the company’s incessant demands for exorbitant amounts of money.
“There’s a choreographer replacement fee. There’s a dance teacher who’s a better fit for you, you see.”
“They say the PR team needs funds too. You need to show your face to broadcasting officials, you know.”
“This time, we need an upfront investment for album production. If you contribute just a little more, you can debut quickly. This will truly be the last time, Min-ah.”
Several months passed in this manner, and then, one day, not long after Min-ah had just become an adult.
Min-ah was summoned separately to the CEO’s office under the pretext of an ‘individual meeting’.
As soon as the door closed, Lee Si-hyeok sat on the sofa, staring intently at her.
“Min-ah, isn’t it about time you started preparing for your debut?”
At those dreamlike words, Min-ah couldn’t hide her beautiful smile, beaming radiantly.
“Really…? Am I finally debuting now…?”
“Of course~ Look how hard our Min-ah has worked all this time. If you don’t debut here, what a waste of all the money and time invested.”
Having said that, Lee Si-hyeok patted the spot next to him.
Jeong Min-ah felt a slight sense of unease, but the mention of ‘debut’ rendered her incapable of making a rational judgment.
Once Jeong Min-ah was seated beside him, Lee Si-hyeok lowered his voice even further than before, setting a grave tone.
“But you know how this industry works, don’t you? Opportunities only come to those favored by the CEO.”
Min-ah was momentarily flustered by his words, but she dismissed it, believing the CEO had merely chosen his words poorly, making them prone to misinterpretation.
“Of, of course…!! You cherish me so much, CEO. You even cast me yourself.”
“Ah, that’s right. It must be fate for us, then.”
He smiled faintly, then rose from his seat and placed a hand on Min-ah’s shoulder.
“Um, CEO…?”
“This is all just because I want you to succeed, you know.”
Min-ah instinctively recoiled, but in the small room, there was nowhere left to go. Lee Si-hyeok whispered in an oily voice, then naturally began to touch Min-ah’s neckline and arm.
“CEO, I… I don’t like this. This doesn’t feel right…”
Seeing Min-ah’s reaction, his eyes turned cold.
“Min-ah. You need to think about your parents, who’ve supported you all this time. How much money has been invested in you? Do you want to throw all of that away?”
Min-ah’s mind went utterly blank. As she recalled all the money and time poured into her dream, the thought that it could all turn to naught filled her with overwhelming dread.
Interpreting Min-ah’s silence as assent, Lee Si-hyeok’s eyes glinted slyly, and he forcibly pulled her closer with his arm.
“Kyaak!! I can’t do this… This is really not right!!”
Jeong Min-ah pushed Lee Si-hyeok away with all her might and broke free.
Lee Si-hyeok seemed momentarily startled by Min-ah’s fierce resistance, but he quickly regained his composure and began to feign innocence.
“Oh~ it was all just a joke, Min-ah. I just wanted to see how you’d fend off people who approach you like this in our industry.”
‘In any normal situation, it would have been an excuse that anyone could see through as utter nonsense.’
However, at that moment, Jeong Min-ah was not in a state to properly assess the situation.
“R-really…?”
“Of course~ How much I cherish our Min-ah! Here, drink some water and calm down.”
Min-ah felt a flicker of relief at Lee Si-hyeok’s gentle words.
“Come on, drink the water.”
Urged by Lee Si-hyeok, she ultimately had no choice but to drink the water placed on the table.
After that, she could recall nothing.
When Min-ah opened her eyes, she saw her own body on a bed, stripped of clothes and covered in strange fluids.
From that day forward, Min-ah could not bring herself to go to the practice room.
The company unilaterally terminated her contract, citing a lack of talent as the reason.
Thus, Min-ah was left with tens of millions of won (TL Note: Tens of thousands of USD.) in debt and horrific memories etched onto her body.
