115 - Upki Girl

< Leader of Upki Girl > I recall the video footage captured by the pen spy camera. Jin Sang-yun, a CP, was one of the people at the karaoke during the Yona sponsor scandal. He wasn’t Yona’s partner, but he was close like a brother to Kim Seok-won, with an ethical sense so low that he accepted underage sponsorship without hesitation. Back then, people called him PD, but within a few months, he’s been promoted to CP. Sitting on the toilet in the restroom, I replayed the spoiler video from the information window. The interrupted conversation resumed. —If you knew who their real manager is, not Ms. Kim Sang-in, you'd be shocked. Remember the karaoke in Sinsa-dong? Our trainees were there with Yona... —Yeah, I remember. One of them left early, and it pissed off Park Jong-woo. —Yes, the one who took Yona that time is now the company manager. —Wasn’t he her real brother? —That's what I was told, but it turns out it wasn’t true. They were using that as a cover. Her real brother? Did I ever say that? —Seems odd they brought a lawyer. From the beginning, they were working from a different company, huh? —Exactly. —And you just let it slide? At least get the cancellation fee? —We just let it go, chalking it up to bad luck. —See, sometimes Kim is too soft. If you let this go, others will think it's okay to do the same. Young ones these days are so cunning. —*Tsk*, even though I raised them, I couldn’t be cruel. What nonsense. Listening in, I get a rough idea of what kind of man Kim Seok-won is and how he maneuvers around. Attorney Woo Yoon-tak was right. Kim Seok-won kept the existence of the hidden camera from those present at the reception that day. He defended himself by saying Yona’s brother came to take her away. But since Yona came to our company, on the surface it seems he's become the victim, conveniently leaving out Yona’s circumstances or psychological state from that time to paint himself in a good light. —So, is their team appearing on our program? Office Girl? —Upki Girl. —Are they popular? The name sounds unfamiliar. —They just debuted, but the case with Lee Jung-han made them fade away. —Upki Girl... Let me see... Sounds like he’s searching our girls' profiles on his phone. —Oh, it’s Yona. She’s gotten prettier. —Her face was always pretty. —No, I mean, she was a kid when I first saw her, now she looks all grown up. Delightful. Did Park Jong-woo sleep with her? —No, he tried that night but didn’t succeed. —Oh, so that’s why he was so cranky? He couldn’t lay his hands on someone he wanted. *Tsk tsk*... These bastards, talking like they're picking words from the street. It’s because of scum like you that people like me get lumped in as “Han-nam.” Still, it’s a relief. The fact that Yona said there was no sponsorship or physical activity involved was proven true through this talk. The spoiler video continued for about a minute with disgusting deals before cutting off. —This time, I’ll push Eye Contact for sure, so try to win. The kids have talent, right? —Thank you, brother. —Thanks isn’t necessary... But those girls, whoever they are, need a lesson. Eliminated in the first round? Or cut their screen time drastically? —Oh, no. Even though they were once my kids, I want them to do well. —Turned on their boss who raised them and went to another company, and now what are they? Just hearing it makes me sick, but Kim, you sure are kind. Tell me when you make a decision. —Honestly, I want them to do well, but since they left us, our kids aren’t too fond of them. That’s why the incident in the waiting room happened. —Of course. That’s natural. Kim, you’re just too good-hearted. —Oh, right. One of their members is said to be the CEO of the Oscar Hotel? —What? Oscar? CEO? —Yes. —The daughter of the owner? —No, the actual CEO. —What are you talking about? Why would a hotel CEO be an idol... Oh, this is about that incident with PD Moon concerning the ad? —Yeah, ask PD Moon for the details. I checked with the hotel, and the CEO is someone else. There’s nothing linking her name to anything. It looks like they’re managing externally while handling stocks and capital. —Hmm... But if this gets out, wouldn’t it actually be good publicity? The press doesn’t know yet, right? —No, just keep it in mind. —Sigh, these people act like they own the world. Well, if you have backing, nothing’s scary anymore. They need to taste bitter reality. —Just leave them be. —No, they need to learn about the power of broadcasting. Replay Girl... Should this be aired, or not? For now, Lee Yona, to the room of truth. *** Me [Yon-na, asleep?] Me [You?] No.3 [?????] Me [Typo! Typo! Yona, are you asleep?] No.3 [I was startled LOL] Me [You’re awake. What about the others?] No.3 [Eun-bit is on her phone, and the others seem asleep. Why?] Me [Beer?] No.3 [Can't sleep?] Me [Got things to discuss] No.3 [Heading out now?] Me [Take your time. I'll get things set up.] No.3 [Sure, sure] “Looks like it's adult time.” Eun-bit tagged along as well. “Why are you here?” “I want a midnight beer too.” Yona sharply hissed, producing a threatening sound. “Trying to get scolded.” “Oh, come on. I’m basically twenty, and only a few days off by ID age. What’s going to change by having a drink a few days early?” “Then you can wait those few days.” “Yonna, you're so old-fashioned. These days, even high school students drink beer. They have drinks before their college entrance exams. I didn’t drink back then, so I'm having some today." I also had my first drink at a friend's house with the 100-day drink tradition. But Yona wasn't having it. Like a mother teaching a kindergarten daughter, she calmly inquired. “No. Rules are rules. What did I say about being a public figure?” “A celebrity.” “Right, you're not quite a public figure yet, but you should think of yourself as one. What happened when those pictures of Joo Dami and Dan Hye with alcohol bottles were posted?” “Oh, but they're only sophomores. And they had cigarette packs too.” “Sophomore or senior, being underage is the same. No drinking.” “When did you first drink then?” “Me...? Well, I mean…” Caught off guard, Yona glanced at me with a guilty look. “See, see, you drank as a minor too! Yonna, that's unfair!” Yona mumbled a feeble excuse under the sharp accusation from Eunbit. “...That was before I debuted. Anyway, you can’t...” If Yona does it, it's romantic; if others do, it’s a scandal. The hypocrisy was unreal. “Eunbit, go ahead and have a can for once." I handed a can of beer to Eunbit, earning a sideways glance from Yona. “For once? When has Eunbit ever had alcohol?” “Oh. When she stayed at our house, she shared a soju glass with my dad.” “Mr. Kim said it’s okay because she was learning from an adult. I don’t have any bad habits with alcohol, so don’t worry!” ―Pssht! Eunbit opened the can and took a sip before Yona could intervene. “Ah, this is why I work!” she exclaimed. “Hey, Yu Eunbit.” “Oh, I’ve already had some. Don’t be mad, cheers! Come on, cheers!” “Well, really…” Amused by Eunbit's antics, Yona eventually chuckled and shook her head. “Eunbit. Just finish that and head back; I need to talk to the leader.” “Yessir. (guzzle, guzzle) Ah!” If it were Seowon or Riya, they would have asked a million questions, but Eunbit, who rarely questions my words, polished off a can and returned to bed quickly. Even with the temperature at minus 7 degrees Celsius, the terrace was nice and warm with a parasol-shaped heater. Yona came out in a cozy fleece hoodie and pajama leggings, sitting on a chair with her knees up and wiggling her toes, painted a pretty violet. Her eyes darted sideways, expectantly waiting for me to initiate the conversation, sensing that this wasn’t going to be light talk. Since it had been a while since we had a private beer time on the terrace, I started by asking her if she had any concerns or requests as a leader. Yona, as if she had been waiting for this, pulled out her phone. It seemed she had notes prepared for such an occasion. “Oh, is there a lot?” “I organized them by member.” “What if I never asked?” “It’s nothing crucial, just notes taken during conversations.” “Well, if it were important, you would have said something sooner.” “Seowon wants to try an OST again. Her dream is to become the OST queen like Soo-hyun from PlanL.” “Hm, Soo-hyun… a fitting role model for her. Their personalities are similar too.” “Eunbit wants to act.” “Pass. She doesn’t have a knack for it.” “Hongi seems to be struggling a bit after shifting to a girl crush concept. She doesn’t say it, but she looks tired.” “Feed her.” “Pardon?” “Tell Hongi to stop worrying about losing weight. Just maintain her current figure. Doesn’t she look good now?” “She’s fine solo, but it might disrupt team balance?” “It’s slightly an issue, but she seems a bit on edge from the girl crush concept. Let her eat what she wants during this period. Plus, guys love a body like Hongi’s.” “Fuller figure?” Hearing that from Yona felt oddly suggestive. “Exactly.” “So, should I tell her to eat whatever she wants?” “Sure. But even if you tell her to eat, she’ll probably self-regulate because she’s worried. Does Riya have any wishes?” “Riya’s basically always happy-happy.” “How about you guys? Are you okay with...?” “What?” “Riya being...” “We knew before she came out.” “But isn’t it a bit awkward? If I had a friend I knew was gay, it might feel strange. Riya has a lot of skinship, doesn’t she?” “Actually, it toned down after she came out. Seems like she’s more conscious now.” “Really? I hadn’t noticed.” “She’s definitely more cautious now than before. She knows Seowon doesn’t like it, so she avoids touching her.” “As long as you’re alright with it, there’s no problem. Just in case, check in with the others when Riya’s not around.” “Will do.” With that, Yona turned off the notes function on her phone, signaling the end of the conversation. “And you? No struggles?” “No, I’m good.” “Isn’t it tough leading Hongi and Seowon? Since they're older than you.” “No, it’s not. They treat me well, as you’ve seen.” “I know. Just wondered if there’s something I might have missed.” “There really isn’t.” When Yona first took on the leader role, everyone in the company was concerned. Could she handle Seowon? They wondered. But Yona had the upper hand in terms of dynamics. No matter how emotionally Seowon acted, Yona maintained an impassive demeanor that rendered Seowon’s tantrums ineffective. Hongi, being rather passive, seemed to lean on Yona for support, while Yona’s true challenge was in handling the easy-going and eccentric younger members like Eunbit and Riya. Just a moment ago, Eunbit had skillfully turned the tables, ultimately earning a beer from Yona. Once the conversation about the members ended, silence fell over us again. After taking a sip of my beer, I carefully broached the main topic. "Yona, do you know a Jin Sang-yun PD from SBS's variety department?" "Jin Sang-yun PD? Who is that?" Yona asked, her gaze unfocused as she tried to recall. After a moment of reflection, she nodded slightly in recognition. "Yes, I know." "He was at the karaoke that time, right?" "Yes..." Yona's expression darkened. Even if he wasn't her sponsor partner, recalling that incident was bound to be painful for her. Yet, I couldn’t avoid the conversation. I rubbed the back of my neck, maintaining a calm demeanor as I continued with my rehearsed line. "That person's the CP for 'Replay Girl'." "Ah..." "I noticed he's close with Kim Seok-won, too." "Yeah... I heard they've known each other since their KU days." "Jin Sang-yun seems intent on pushing Eye Contact via 'Replay Girl'." "Yes..." "And naturally, we'd be an annoyance. He seems to bear quite a grudge against us, against me especially. In a CP position, he could mess with our screen time or rig competition missions against us." "That seems likely..." "Which is why..." "Yes?" "I think we shouldn’t appear on 'Replay Girl'." "Sorry?" "I think it’s best if we don’t go. What do you think? Not as Leader Yona, but just Lee Yona. Facing off against Kim Seok-won and Eye Contact is already unpleasant, and with Jin Sang-yun involved, it’s not worth it. Let’s just not go." Yona took a deep breath before releasing it through her nose. I had put a lot of thought into bringing this up. While avoiding the show seemed obvious when considering Yona’s well-being, I’d also witnessed just how much the team was looking forward to it. Aiming for victory, they were practicing for every mission, from a cappella to choreography to individual performances. The company was also planning heavily around 'Replay Girl'. But most importantly, this was about Yona. Promising her peace while performing meant I couldn’t force her into sacrifice for the team. That would mean nothing had changed since Eye Contact. "You don’t have to decide right now. Just think about it. I believe not going is the right move. I could have decided on my own, but I wanted to discuss it with you. Choose whatever makes you happiest—" "I want to do it." Yona interrupted before I could finish. Cheeky brat. Her calm gaze met mine as she continued. "I used to believe that trying hard was enough, but in showbiz, it takes more. No singer works without effort, right?" "True... You need talent, timing…" "Yes. What was bittersweet during Eye Contact was realizing how crucial luck is in this industry. We had a chance then. Remember when we discussed with Attorney Woo in his office? If we had followed up 'Love is Pain' with a similar concept, we might have soared." Instead, we ended up with the disastrous hybrid of 'Dingga Dingga'. "For Upki Girl, I truly believe this is our time. Hongi’s gaining fame with the girl crush concept, and after winning 'Replay Girl', we’re set to release a mini-album." "Are you sure you'll handle seeing Kim Seok-won and Jin Sang-yun while filming?" "What is there to be scared of? I have you and my teammates by my side. If we cancel 'Replay Girl', you may not see me again. Sink or swim, we’re going out there." Ha, that's precisely befitting a leader of Upki Girl. Since it’s come to this, onward to SBS! < And that's how a leader of Upki Girl should be > End.