Chapter 78

Chapter 9 – The Real Idol

“Oppa, are you sleeping?”

“Ah, sorry.”

I stretched with a tired expression at the sound of Ji-eun’s voice beside me. I had been sitting there, leaning back, waiting for Ji-eun and Si-ho’s training to finish, but it seemed I had dozed off for a moment.

“Manager, if you’re sleepy, sleep more. I’ll wake you up later.”

“That’s right. Don’t push yourself if you’re tired. Go inside and sleep.”

At the voices of Si-ho and Ji-eun, I smiled lazily and rubbed my eyes.

“No, I should get up. Is the training over?”

“It’s break time now. We have one more session to go.”

“Okay, here’s some water and a towel.”

It had already been two weeks since I found out that Seolhyang was the real Seolhyang. The events at the Hunter Academy had become a thing of the past, and life had returned to normal. Thanks to that, I was back at work.

‘Did I push myself too hard yesterday?’

Lately, I had been intensifying my training with Baeksan. After the Eun-namu incident, Baeksan had judged that the situations revolving around me were becoming increasingly dangerous. I shared the same sentiment, which was why I had been pouring my energy into training.

As a result, I had been a bit sleep-deprived lately, often dozing off like this.

‘0.5%, huh?’

Even though only two weeks had passed, I was adapting to Aura faster than expected. According to Baeksan, I was gradually getting used to controlling my Aura.

Well, it’s not like I was breaking through walls one by one like other Returners. I was just adapting to the path Baeksan had already cleared for me.

Once I got the hang of it, I could quickly master Aura.

‘I think I’m starting to get the hang of it.’

Still, I probably wouldn’t be able to shake off the “glass cannon” label anytime soon. But at least the training was paying off, and my body had improved surprisingly well.

Thanks to repeated training, my body was changing to better suit Aura.

I was in the process of awakening as the beastly Kang Ha-chan.

“Then we’ll finish our training and come back.”

Ji-eun flashed a bright smile, winked at me, and gave me a thumbs-up. As I waved back with a wry smile, Si-ho, who was following Ji-eun, glanced back at me.

She then smiled brightly and waved, so I waved back again.

‘What to do.’

Seeing them reminded me of my relationship with the two of them.

First, my relationship with Ji-eun and Si-ho was currently in a lull. Since it was already September, there were only a few months left until the two of them became adults.

As such, the company was actively supporting them for their debut, and the two were busy training every day.

Perhaps because of that, they had less time to pay attention to me.

‘Ji-eun is one thing, but…’

Lately, Si-ho had also been unusually focused on training.

“Who do you think it’s because of?”

At Baeksan’s words, I could only scratch my head. It was probably because of me.

“The guy she likes keeps getting beaten up and passing out all over the place. Even I get frustrated watching from the sidelines.”

I had nothing to say. After all, it was me who had ignited Si-ho’s determination.

Every time I came back injured, she would worry endlessly, and eventually, she decided to protect me by participating diligently in training. As a result, Si-ho’s spatial skills had improved significantly lately.

‘And Si-ho’s mother too…’

Yesterday, Si-ho talked to me. She had confessed everything she had done to her mother, along with Seo-ho. Si-ho had decided to let her mother go.

Her mother had hugged them and said it was okay, but Si-ho cried all day. Her choked voice made me feel so sorry for her.

‘September 14th.’

It was the anniversary of her father’s death. Although her mother’s original funeral had already been held, she had chosen that day because she wanted her mother and father to be together.

She had made one request to me: to be with her that day.

Of course, I agreed. To Si-ho, I was now one of her guardians and the person most involved in her life.

At the very least, I had to be there for her.

“Stop thinking unnecessary thoughts and just sleep more. I’ll keep an eye on you.”

As I spaced out, Baeksan’s voice reached me. What a good guy.

Creak-

At that moment, the training room door opened slightly. A strand of silver hair peeked through.

Seolhyang was standing there, and she met my eyes with a slight tilt of her head. She then raised her pale hand and waved.

“Ha-chan, come here.”

At her call, I glanced at the training area and then got up. Si-ho and Ji-eun would be in good hands with the training director, and I couldn’t exactly ignore the chairman’s summons.

“What’s up?”

As I followed Seolhyang outside, she suddenly placed something in my hand. When I looked, it was deer antler extract.

And it looked quite expensive.

“You’ve been working hard with training lately, so I brought you some. Take this at least.”

“…You keep feeding me this stuff every time you see me, don’t you?”

“Well, if I don’t bring it, you won’t eat it.”

I couldn’t deny that. For some reason, I just don’t reach for this kind of stuff.

“Drink it all. It’s good for you.”

“Ugh, you’re not my childhood friend, you’re my mom.”

“That’s right. I’m your mom. Should I hug you and pat your head?”

Hearing that, my eyes unconsciously drifted down to Seolhyang’s upper body. Two soft, weighty mounds of flesh were still defying gravity, proudly displaying their grandeur.

As my gaze lingered, I suddenly snapped my head up, only to find Seolhyang already looking at me. She blushed slightly and placed a hand on her chest.

“No, ah, it was a mistake! It was just instinctive!”

As I stammered, Seolhyang looked at me and then lightly grabbed my collar.

“…If it’s Ha-chan, you can do whatever you want.”

Whatever I want.

Those words hit me like a ton of bricks, and I froze.

Whatever I want with that?

Then, as I met her sapphire-like eyes above her red lips, I felt my hair stand on end.

“Gulp!”

I quickly swallowed the deer antler extract. Seolhyang, who had been watching me intently, blushed deeply and looked down at her feet.

She was the one who said it, but now she was embarrassed, and my face was burning so much I couldn’t stand it.

Ever since Seolhyang confessed to me, she had been catching me off guard like this. As a result, I often felt like I was taking critical hits.

‘I can’t handle this.’

After watching me drink the deer antler extract, Seolhyang fidgeted with her feet for a moment before breaking into a wide smile.

“Just kidding. I’ll wait.”

Is this what waiting looks like? After saying that, Seolhyang put more deer antler extract in my pocket and left.

I watched her go, mesmerized, and started fiddling with my hair.

“What am I doing?”

That day, Seolhyang had confessed to me. At the time, I was too flustered by the revelation that she was the real Seolhyang to give her a proper answer, but now two weeks had passed.

It was time to give her an answer.

Whether to date her or reject her.

‘To be honest…’

I don’t dislike her. No, to be precise, I have feelings for her.

Seeing her brings back old memories, and above all, the affectionate way she acts around me always makes my heart race. But even so, I couldn’t bring myself to give her an answer.

What bothered me the most was my sister.

If my sister hadn’t shown herself, it might have been different, but she appeared during the Gwak Sa-yeon incident not long ago.

Part of the reason I was training so hard was to find her.

How could I date someone while trying to find my sister?

Honestly, I’m not a psychopath, and prioritizing my own feelings over my sister’s well-being didn’t sit right with me.

On top of that, there’s the issue of me dying when I turn thirty.

Having already faced death several times, it’s almost laughable to worry about it, but what if I couldn’t avoid that death?

The person I was dating would definitely be left alone.

‘And there’s Baeksan too…’

Baeksan, who went back in time to save me. Baeksan wanted to save me, but he also wanted to save the world that had been destroyed.

Dating someone while knowing that would weigh heavily on my conscience.

“Damn it, I want a girlfriend too. I really do.”

I banged my head against the wall and muttered to myself.

Dating is great. I love it!

But if I don’t solve the problems in front of me and carry this burden of responsibility and pressure, could I really make someone happy?

People say dating should be light and easy, but maybe because I’m an introverted loner, I just can’t do it that way.

Maybe it’s just that I don’t have the courage.

‘Have I been alone for too long?’

I’ve lived without family for a whopping 16 years. And during that time, I never had a single relationship.

Maybe that’s why I find it incredibly difficult to let someone into my life.

“Sigh, I’m such an idiot. A total idiot.”

There are so many people who like me, but instead of dating anyone, I’m just stuck worrying.

I don’t know how my life ended up like this.

‘I need to figure out what to do with Ji-eun and Si-ho too.’

Ji-eun might resolve things once she becomes an adult and the world opens up for her, but Si-ho is a constant worry.

If she sends her mother away, she might become even more attached to me, her remaining guardian.

After all, her feelings for me are partly rooted in trauma.

How did my life get so complicated?

As I was lost in these complicated emotions, I felt my phone vibrate. When I looked, it was Ggotbi.

“Yeah, Ggotbi.”

“Ah, oppa, are you busy right now?”

“I’m on a short break.”

As I leaned against the wall and answered, Ggotbi sounded relieved.

“So, what’s up?”

“Um, I was just wondering if you’ll be okay with the traffic later.”

I was planning to go to Blackstar’s concert today, where Ggotbi was performing.

The show starts at 6.

They’re holding a solo concert at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena.

Originally, we had talked about hanging out in early September, but during my time at the academy, Blackstar’s new song had climbed the Billboard charts, becoming a huge hit.

So, the concert, which was supposed to be later, got pushed forward, and they had to rush to fit in their overseas schedule.

Because of that, Ggotbi had been apologizing to me a lot.

Instead, she managed to snag two tickets for Ayu and me, even though the concert sold out in one second.

“Don’t worry. I took half a day off. Ayu’s good with that kind of stuff, so I’ll just follow her lead.”

Honestly, I felt a bit guilty for taking so much time off lately, but my team leader readily approved when I explained.

That’s because my team leader is a five-year veteran idol fan and said she completely understood.

In fact, she even expressed concern, saying I looked really tired lately.

“Ha-chan, I really believe in you. Ji-eun’s YouTube channel already has 80,000 subscribers, and it’s on its way to 100,000. And I know all about how Si-ho, Ha Seo-ho’s sister, is totally devoted to you! The higher-ups have heard about how well you’re doing, and our department’s funding has increased. So just take care of yourself! You’re our team’s treasure, our treasure! Hahaha!”

And I knew why my team leader was so fond of me.

‘Probably because of Seolhyang.’

She must have given her some kind of hint.

Definitely.