50 – My Cousin
After coming to school two days later, Park Si-yoon was dragged somewhere all day. No, rather than saying that he was dragged around, it might be more accurate to say that people gathered around Park Si-yoon.
I had no choice but to sit alone in the classroom because of Park Si-yoon, who was chasing the classmates like her piper man. By my side, only Subin was protecting me.
“Siyoon is popular, right?”
“Hmm, even then, she would be nothing but what? You’re going to treat it like nothing happened even if it’s next week?”
I pouted her lips and replied bluntly to Subin’s words in her coy tone.
I didn’t specifically disparage Park Si-yoon’s achievements, but literally meant that the public’s attention was so easily inflated and then easily extinguished. It is also something that top star seniors who belong to the company often say.
Right now, right after seeing Park Si-yoon’s performance through videos posted on the Internet, they will be paying that much attention, but even after this weekend, there will be plenty of kids who will go back to their usual in-your-face relationship.
In the first place, Park Si-yoon is not the type to be good at hanging out with a lot of people. Just having me around him is enough.
“Well, I have a different idea.”
“What do you mean by that?”
As her new childhood friend reminded herself of her position and raised her nose with a little excitement, Subin opened her mouth in a somewhat puzzled tone. She sounded like I was being caught off guard.
“Siyoon, sooner or later the festival will go out too. If she sings while playing the guitar, her popularity will rise like pouring oil on a fire.”
“That, I don’t know. That idiot isn’t even handsome, and he’ll suddenly become popular just because he plays the guitar and sings a little?”
“… Huh?”
When I immediately denied her absurd words, Subin looked at me and blinked her eyes blankly.
The image of Subin staring at me with an expression of ‘What kind of bullsh*t is this?’ Is definitely the first side we show after we get to know each other.
“… Hey there, Yuna. Are you serious?”
“What?”
“No, it means that Siyoon is not handsome. Did she mean that?”
“Yeah, isn’t it?”
Is Park Si-yoon good-looking? I’m not sure.
I watched Park Si-yoon’s growth process in real time and saw all the cases she grew up with, so I’m not particularly impressed that she’s good-looking because she’s a face I’ve been used to since childhood.
Of course, when I went down to her country the other day, I wondered if she was good-looking because of what the convenience store lady said, but you have to think of it as lip service.
“Hmm, this is an unexpected twist. Only then can you really not sense a sense of crisis….”
“What are you talking about alone? Let me know too.”
As I kneaded Subin’s arm, who was muttering something to herself, out of nowhere, her hands came up on both of my shoulders. Then, she grabs me as if facing me, and Subin turns her body around.
“Yuna, just answer the questions I ask. What do you think of idol Cha Woo-jin?”
“Cha Woo-jin?”
Isn’t Cha Woo-jin a male idol who is famous for being the prettiest and most handsome these days? Why is that person’s name suddenly appearing?
“Is that good enough?”
“Uh…. Maybe he’s handsome? I’m not sure.”
Everyone in the world is saying that he is handsome, so I wonder if he is handsome enough. But I really don’t know how to see it. I guess it’s just plain normal.
“Then how does it compare to Siyoon? Are they similar?”
“With Park Si-yoon? Hmm, maybe it’s a bit similar….”
Of course, Park Si-yoon is closer to a more masculine feeling rather than a delicate and pretty feeling like him, but if I were to rate her by her appearance, I think it would be about the same. Her height is also about the same.
“… Then, finally, did she ever think that Yuna was good-looking in her life?”
“I don’t think there is anything special. A lot of people thought I was ugly.”
“… ….”
At her firm answer, Subin looked at me blankly, and then she shook her head as if she had eaten, and was immersed in her contemplation.
“Yeah, maybe it’s better because it’s proof that you didn’t fall in love just by looking at your face….”
She spat out incomprehensible words until the end, and Subin didn’t answer my question in the end.
No, so what are you trying to say? Why is the story of Park Si-yoon and her face appearing all of a sudden?
Such a silent clamor only echoed in my heart.
***
My doubts were not resolved until she arrived at the practice room after school. On the way, she looked at Park Si-yoon’s face and thought about it, but she still doesn’t know. Is she good enough for that?
“Now, let’s finish class a little early today! Yuna was found by the boss, so she stopped by until 9 o’clock, she got it, right?”
“Yes!”
She was surprised that the boss was still at the company, but she didn’t express it, and she replied loudly. The reason she is looking for me must be because of a stalker incident that happened a while ago.
“Tomorrow morning, the three of you, tell Yuna what we’ve been guessing for two days, because she won’t come until 3 o’clock. Okay?”
“Yes!”
“Good job everyone. Go back carefully.”
Teacher Haram clapped his hands and left the practice room.
“Everyone, come here for a second.”
Watching their back, I quickly brought the phone I had put away and called the trainees from the same debut group together. I just remembered that I had something to ask.
“What is it, what is it?”
“Yes, nothing else….”
As I expected, Yerin, who approached her faster than anyone else, showed her interest with her eyes shining. I showed Yerin a picture of her from her phone gallery.
“Huh!? Han Yuna, who is this? Maybe the cousin you mentioned before?”
“Ugh, yes. Right what.”
For now, since it’s supposed to be that kind of status, he nodded her head while evasive enough, and the other two, who were drawn to Yerin’s old castle, also expressed interest one after another.
“This is the cousin who said he would pick up Yuna. Wow, how handsome are you?”
“What is this, is he also a trainee? But then she won’t be in a position to come pick me up.”
As soon as I saw the photo, I felt my mood sink in an instant at the appearance of the two people bursting with admiration. I see Park Si-yoon and say that he is handsome, but I don’t know why I feel this way. It just happened for no reason.
“I am just an ordinary person. It seems normal to me, but everyone around me says I’m handsome, so I was curious about how people here see it….”
I think I already got the answer I wanted, but I brought it up just in case, but the answers that followed were quite harsh.
“Is this normal? Wow, Hanyuna, you really have no conscience. You can’t set the standard for your visuals!”
“Yes, no matter how much Yuna is our visual center, this is a bit like that. If this is normal, all the men in the world are squid crabs?”
“But don’t you think you’re handsome even if you’re Yuna? Is it because he doesn’t think much of it because he’s a cousin?”
All of a sudden, the three of them were having a discussion and examining each of Park Si-yoon’s features, trying to find out what caused me to come to this conclusion.
When you see three people who must have seen top stars and many handsome men in the company talking this far, it seems like they are really handsome. It looks really normal to me.
“Anyway, this is enough to get a lot of dashes. Does he have a girlfriend? Was Yuna the same age as you?”
“Uh huh, Yerin. I can’t use it if an idol trainee drools over seeing a good-looking guy.”
“Ah, unnie is also true. Who’s chasing you? That’s just what I said.”
Meanwhile, as she listened to the story between Yerin and Seungyeon, whether it was a joke or not, she felt a tight squeeze in her chest.
What is this? To be honest, whether my childhood friend is handsome or not is probably irrelevant to me. No, rather, I should be happy when my childhood friend hears a compliment, but instead of being happy, a strange feeling of displeasure wells up.
Poof.
“Uh, huh? Hey Han Yuna! Why take it away I was still watching!”
“I have to go see the boss.”
“Chit, until 9:00 you still have time….”
I heard Yerin grumbling, but she ignored it and put her phone in her pocket.
She must have heard the correct answer I wanted, but strangely, only the thought that she showed it for no reason settled in her head. I have to go see the boss soon and go home.
“Go in carefully, Yuna.”
“Unnies and Yerin too.”
Seungyeon left her practice room, waving her hand at her older sister.
It was almost 8:30 already, so it was dark everywhere in the company, but there were a few places where the lights were not yet turned off. One of them was the president’s office.
Our boss doesn’t have a personal assistant despite his position, so there’s nothing to do except knock before entering the boss’s office. So today I just knocked on the door with a nervous heart.
Smart.
– Come in.
“Excuse me….”
Perhaps the boss expected me to come, and gave permission in a very comfortable tone. I cautiously greeted him and went inside.
Despite being older than my dad, the boss’s office always has a strong sense of sophistication. I’d say it’s a new generation. I’m in the position of raising idols, so I’m not sure if I’m trying to live young, or if that’s what I was originally.
“I’m sorry for calling you all of a sudden when I was late, Yuna. I was thinking of calling it tomorrow, but I couldn’t help it because I have a schedule tomorrow.”
“Ah, no sir. What did you call me for?”
He is the owner of a somewhat crude appearance on the outside, but he always approaches us like a father when dealing with our trainees. Maybe that’s why the way he spoke was always friendly.
Normally, I don’t get this nervous when I come to the president’s office, but maybe because of something that happened recently, my body naturally stiffened. For some reason, I guessed why the boss called me.
“Oh, other than that, you have a friend who saved you during an incident not too long ago, right? I heard that he is your cousin who often picks you up, so I wondered if it was true.”
“Yes? Oh, that, that kid? Yes, Sa, Cousin…. That’s right cousin.”
It took a lot of effort to put those short words into my mouth, to the point where I wondered if I had ever talked so much in my life.
I don’t think the president would know that even if Park Si-yoon existed, he would not only pretend that he was my cousin, but also know that he was involved in an incident a while ago.
No, it was a fairly big incident, so it was natural in a way.
“… Okay? It’s because it’s a cousin.”
“Yes, yes.”
But fortunately, the atmosphere seems to be trusting me, so I breathe a sigh of relief and try to relax.
“Then, can you bring that friend to work?”
“… Yes?”
At the unexpected request, only foolish voices came out, neither positive nor negative.
Bring me, who? Park Si-yoon? Is that also in front of the boss?
“Still, he is the person who protected our company’s precious artists, and I wanted to see his face at least once and repay him. Since I have free time on Sunday, I wonder what it will be like then.”
“… ….”
No, I assure you, this isn’t a call to reciprocate. It is clear that he has doubts about the relationship between me and Park Si-yoon and is trying to dig it out.
“Yes…. Well, then I’ll bring it to you that day.”
“Thank you. I will deliver the time tomorrow through teacher Haram.”
But I had no veto. If I refused the president’s request here, there was a high possibility that my relationship with Park Si-yoon would become more suspicious.
No matter how generous our company’s artists are, even our boss, who is famous for being like family, would never tolerate dating rumors. Maybe on Sunday, the moment the truth about my relationship with Park Si-yoon is revealed, I might be told to refrain from contact.
Worst, really.
I hate to imagine a daily life without that idiot.