135 - Upki Girl

< The Life of a Manager > Appetite, the need for sleep, and sexual desire. I'm not sure who coined these as the three major human desires, but they are commonly referred to as such. However, I'm not entirely convinced about the inclusion of sexual desire. It's like squeezing Einstein between Jesus and Buddha, you know? Unlike the other two, which, if ignored, could seriously threaten one’s well-being, sexual desire feels a bit out of place. Perhaps it's because I’ve never let myself be overwhelmingly driven by it, compared to other men. That was the kind of person I was, until now. Sexual desire, that rascal, turned out to be far more significant than I had realized. It wasn't until I reached thirty-six that I understood why it's considered one of the three major desires. To describe my current emotions requires no elaborate metaphor. ‘I’m on the brink of not being able to meet Jaehee, with whom I planned to spend the night.’ This alone encapsulates everything. In a situation where this desire couldn’t be satisfied, I was immensely restless and anxious. I stifled my bubbling impatience and as sweetly as possible, called Riya's name. "Riya?" "Yeah, Manager Moon?" "Why don't you and I go out for some fresh air for a moment?" "Fresh air? You're planning to scold me, aren't you?" This damn kid. She reads me like a book. Aliyah has two personas. One is the emotional and spontaneous youngest member of UpKick, and the other is the rational and calculating owner of the Oscar Hotel. Normally, she sticks to the former, but when angered or when planning is needed, the latter takes over. For instance, it was the youngest Aliyah during the incident with the fish assassination, but hotel owner Aliyah when she messed with the trend-setting producer. Dealing with the youngest Aliyah is easy as dealing with Eunbit, but when owner Aliyah shows up, things get tricky. Yet now, at a time when she should be in her youngest mode, why has the rational Aliyah surfaced? "I'm not here to scold, but to negotiate." "Hmm? I don’t really have anything to negotiate with you. The one who needs something should be the one to offer a deal. But isn’t it rather a plea than a negotiation? A desperate plea. So go ahead and plead desperately. Beg." This brat... Riya sat up straight and crossed her arms, as if telling me to quickly grovel. Humiliation. Overwhelming humiliation! Was there ever a time when my age felt as wasted as it does now? My friends, oblivious to what’s really going on, giggled supportively at Aliyah. Even Yona, who usually might step in to calm Riya, took it as just one of our playful skits. No, Yona. The manager is being serious right now. “Where’s the begging man gone? What are you doing? I told you to grovel. Hurry up now.” Sigh, fine. When hardcore zealot sex with Jaehee is at stake, what’s one more bow of the head? I stood up from my chair and bowed at a ninety-degree angle. “Noble Riya, please spare me a moment of your time. There's something I need to discuss. Grovel, grovel.” “Manager Moon, you do have a surprisingly cute side.” She seemed pleased. Like a benevolent superior, she shrugged her shoulders and followed me out of the restaurant. No matter how I looked at it, she seemed to have a high probability of knowing that Seowon and Jaehee were together and was using it to keep pressuring me. The problem was, she hadn’t outright said it. Had she said, ‘Seowon unni is with Jaehee,’ I could have demanded how she knew, but she was craftily alluding to it instead. How did she know? Did she really look through my chat history? You might wonder why I suspect my phone records. Even if we assume Seowon tipped her off about meeting Jaehee, knowing that I voted for Haneul during ‘Girl Group Bakery’ isn’t something anyone could know without accessing my phone records. And somehow it feels like Aliyah could manage such illegal endeavors. If it turns out to be true, laughter will be far from my reaction. “You do know who Seowon is with right now, don’t you?” “Hmm? Who knows?” “How did you know I voted for Haneul in ‘Girl Group Bakery’?” “Just a feeling, a woman’s intuition is quite amazing.” As she kept slipping away like a slippery eel, my annoyance started to creep up. “…Did you put someone on me?” “Of course not.” “Then did you check my phone call records?” "Puh-leaze, you've been watching too many movies. That’s illegal, you know." "Then how do you know. Are you doing this to stop me from going to Seowon? Is that why you’ve come all this way?" Still, Riya clung to her story, citing "a woman's intuition" and playing ignorant. I just wanted to flick her forehead. “Are you trying to pick a fight? Are you going to tell me what’s really going on?” “Are you raising your voice at me, Aliyah? You said you weren’t going to scold me.” “If you’ve been snooping through my phone history or digging into my private matters, you’d better reconsider. It’s something I won’t tolerate, not even from my parents.” Boundaries must be respected, even between family and lovers. Never once have I opened my phone to a girlfriend, nor have I pried into their personal business. So if Riya, who’s neither family nor lover, dug into my private info? I'd genuinely be angry. Riya seemed a bit miffed by my stance. Her once prickly and sensitive expression turned into a sulky pout. But it wasn’t as intimidating as it used to be. No matter how angry she seemed with those pigtails, she just came off as endearing. The moment I realized that double ponytails are truly the ultimate women's hairstyle. "Moon Moon, you're actually mad at me, right?" "I'm not mad yet. But if what I'm thinking is true, then know I won’t just let it go. Not even for you." "And what will you do if you don’t let it go?" "You’ll get a scolding. I'm going to call the carrier or Kakao Talk tomorrow to find out." When I mentioned contacting the service provider, this kid was visibly shocked. Her face flushed as she shook her head vehemently. "Don’t. Don’t call them." "If you confess now, I'll let it slide a bit. How did you know I voted for Haneul and who Seowon is with right now?" "If I’m honest, you’ll really let it go?" "Yeah. It’s like when you turn yourself in to the police; they go easier on you." "But you'll still be mad, won’t you?" "I’ll listen first and then decide." "Aaliyah gets scared when guys get angry." This little rascal. That basically means she admits it, right? "Okay. I won't get mad, so just tell me the truth. Did you really go through my chat history?" Only then did her once fiery eyes lower, and she meekly bowed her head. "Yeah..." "Sigh... Seriously… But can you even do that so easily?" "There are professional services that handle it…" “You’re not talking about using errand centers or something, are you?” “No, friends I met in China…” "Anyway, call them and cancel it immediately. Right here, right now, in front of me." Riya quickly made a call somewhere and spoke in English. She mentioned stopping the service now that they got caught but still paying as promised. "I told them to stop..." "Are you sure?" "Yeah." What do I do now? Riya had touched upon the thing I hate most, advancing far beyond acceptable boundaries and into deeply personal territory. My scalp felt hot and I couldn’t control the muscles in my face as I wished. "Moon Moon, you said you wouldn’t get mad. But your expression is scary." "I'm trying my best to hold back. Also, from now on, use formal language. I'm not your buddy." "Yes..." "Let’s start with the reason. Why did you do it?" "I was worried about Moon Moon." "Worried about what?" "Like… whether you were kowtowing to TV people or getting ignored because of us. But Moon Moon is too soft-hearted to tell us these things, so I had no choice but to sneak a peek." This is unbelievable. Should I even believe this? "Why are you concerned about those things?" "Because I decided to protect Moon Moon. You work hard without having much of a life because of Aliyah and the sisters, so I should at least worry about that much." "Hey, why should you protect me? If anyone should be protecting, it should be me protecting you." "I'm a bit touched by that…” "This isn't the time for that kind of sentiment." "...Sumimasen." What's with the Japanese now? "You realize I don’t have a life, and you still do this? Knowing I had plans with Jaehee today, shouldn’t you have let me go? I need personal time too, okay?" "About that, I’m sorry. I felt uneasy seeing you seemingly so swayed by Jaehee." "I'm not being swayed. I'm not the type to lose sight when it comes to women." "And there's also that…" "What's that supposed to mean?" "The sisters get really upset when you date someone. It messes with our teamwork, you know." "You're worrying about all sorts of things, seriously." At that moment, a familiar Rolls-Royce pulled up along the roadside in front of the building. "Oh, seems like Eunbit is here." Eunbit was stepping out from the passenger seat, thanking Mr. Hong, their driver. "Thank you!" Seeing a chance, Riya quickly walked toward her as if to escape. "Eunbit!" "Riya, why are you out here in the cold? Oppa’s here too?" "I missed you!" "Me too, me too! That's why I rushed up here!" Despite having been apart for only a few hours, they embraced and kissed each other’s cheeks like it had been ages. Meanwhile, I checked my phone, which had been buzzing for a while now. It was a message from Jaehee, saying that Seowon had cried herself to sleep. Even Jaehee seemed flustered, asking what she should do. What was I supposed to do now? Suddenly, I felt all energy drain from me, a harsh reality setting in. Should I just let everything go? Would giving up, as Riya suggested, make things easier? Sensing that something was off about me, Eunbit glanced over, trying to gauge the mood. “Oppa, did you get smacked by Sing Sing Girl? Your expression doesn’t look good.” “I’m a bit pissed because of Aliyah.” “What did you do this time?” "I got caught snooping through Moon Moon's phone." “Great job, seriously. You deserve a spanking.” “I already got scolded. Aliyah is reflecting.” “What about Yona unni?” “She’s with Moon Moon’s friends.” “It’s cold. Let’s head inside. Oppa, we’ll go in first, okay?” I glanced at the Rolls-Royce and Mr. Hong, waiting for Riya’s instructions. “Riya, does Mr. Hong have to wait here?” “Oh, right. Mister…” *** Cheongdamdong BAR Amazoness. A Rolls-Royce pulled into the underground parking lot. Manager Kang In-young, observing on the CCTV monitor, tilted her head in curiosity. While luxury import cars were common at the establishment, a Rolls-Royce was unusual; who could it be? She soon recognized the man who walked into the store. He was a client who had come with Jaehee before. But until the man spoke first, she didn't show any recognition. “Welcome.” “Hi, is Jaehee here?” “You came once before, right? Was it in September?” “You remembered.” "I'm not great at remembering people, but I never forget a handsome customer. Please, this way, I'll show you to her," she said, her tone clearly a business line. Even knowing it was just a line, Yunho couldn't help but feel good. He followed her, trying to ignore the alluring figure in the manager's dress. They arrived at the VIP room shortly after. ―Knock, knock "Jaehee, you have a guest." "Yes, come in." The door opened, and Yunho's gaze immediately landed on Seowon, who was asleep on the sofa. Once manager Kang Inyoung closed the door and exited, Yunho asked Jaehee, "Sigh... how much did she drink?" "Not much here, but she had quite a bit of soju and beer cocktails at the first place." It was predictable. Seowon, who usually can’t hold her liquor, must've ended up trying to keep up with Jaehee and kept drinking. Her outfit and hair were more styled than usual. Unless a stylist helped her, she’d never dress up on her own. It was obvious she tried to make a good impression on Jaehee. Yunho sat by Seowon and gently shook her shoulder. "Seowon, wake up. Let's get you home." Barely had he finished speaking when Seowon’s eyes shot open, and she suddenly sat up straight. "Ah, you scared me." "Manager...?" "Yeah." "Where are we?" "See for yourself." Seems like the little nap helped sober her up a bit. Seowon looked at Jaehee and Yunho in turn before recognizing her surroundings. Yunho poured some mineral water into a cup with ice and handed it to Seowon. "You’re really in for it. What did you tell your mother before you left?" "I told her I was meeting Jaehee..." "So you were honest with your mom? But you didn’t tell me or the members. You’re definitely in trouble." How does the manager know I’m here? Did Jaehee contact him? Or did I drunk dial him? Seowon was drinking her water, sneaking glances at Jaehee, eyes pleading for help, but there was nothing Jaehee could do in this situation. With a curious smile, she simply twirled her finger around the rim of her cup. "Come on, let's get up. I'll take you home. Mr. Hong is waiting outside." "Oh really? Then I don’t want to go home. Just take me to the dorm." "Whatever you want." "Manager, you’re coming too, right?" "No, I’ll drop you off and head to my place. Don’t I deserve a day with my parents as well?" "Ugh... then I'll just go home. There's nobody at the dorms anyway." "Suit yourself. Get your coat on." "Ah, hold on, I need the bathroom." "Go ahead." After Seowon left, an awkward silence filled the room between Yunho and Jaehee. Yunho spoke up first. "...This is a disaster." Jaehee burst into laughter. "What do you mean?" "Everything's just a mess from start to finish..." "What about the others?" "They’re hanging out with my friends in our neighborhood. Eunbit’s there too..." Jaehee already had a sense that their plans were canceled. So she asked preemptively. "Oh, then you'll drop Seowon off and head back to your friends?" "I'm thinking of taking Seowon back to where the others are." He only said that because he was a bit annoyed with Seowon. "On my way here, I called Seowon's mom, who said if she's really drunk, just take her to the dorm because she doesn't wanna deal with the smell..." "That's pretty cool of her." "Yeah, Seowon's mom is cool like that." Yunho sensed Jaehee had caught on that today’s plans fell through. Yet, he was too ashamed to even voice his apology. Jaehee spoke first, laughing at the situation. "Oppa, this must be tough. But what can you do, that's the life of a manager." "Ha, I'm sorry..." "Why are you apologizing? It wasn’t intentional." "But if I drop Seowon off and come back... it might be too late...?" "No need. Just spend time with the others today. We can meet another time." No matter how laid-back Jaehee is, she still has her pride. She knew Yunho's words were just a formality. While Yunho might come if she asked, she didn’t want to push it. "Oppa, you should head out first. I need to chat with that manager." "Ah... Okay. I’ll give you a call." "Hey, stand up straight. Why do you look like a guilty person?" "I'm just feeling bad..." "Oppa, you know I'm a bit disappointed today, right?" This is it. This must be the end with Jaehee. "Yeah, I know..." "Honestly, before you came, I thought I wouldn’t see you again. But then I realized if you chose to stay with me instead of caring for Seowon, I’d be more disappointed. So let's just let today go with good feelings, and let's have a better time next chance we get, okay?" < The Life of a Manager > The End