Chapter 47 The Older Girl Being Followed

"Oppa, are you buying a car? Do you have enough money on hand, or should I sponsor you a little bit?"

Sejeong widened her eyes, though upon second thought, it made sense. He was about to start working at the Veterans Association as a professional officer; he couldn't possibly ride a motorcycle back and forth every day. Besides, the weather was far too freezing now, and wrapping himself up like a food delivery courier completely ruined oppa's style.

"I still have some savings of my own, and I'll be starting my new job in a few days. Buying a car to get around is well within my means. I won't be touching your precious little savings books."

The good sister's nine passbooks each served a distinct purpose, and he wasn't desperate enough to milk her funds just yet. The earnings of a top-tier nightclub promoter were quite respectable; sometimes even moderately popular idols couldn't make as much as he did. Moreover, he wasn't paying for the car entirely in cash—it was just a simple commuter vehicle, completely affordable to him.

In fact, his group at the Blue House hadn't just received commendations; every single one of them had also been awarded a state compensation payout amounting to tens of millions of won. It was said that this sum was jointly funded by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. With this money, he could even afford a slightly nicer car.

However, Sejeong fiercely opposed him wasting money, arguing that he shouldn't spend too much time around wealthy people like Bae Suzy, lest he catch the bad habit of extravagance. She insisted he maintain his plain and frugal nature, just like her.

"Oppa, you can be like me and open multiple passbooks, stashing away any money that isn't strictly necessary. That way, you'll quickly get a sense of achievement from saving. Don't fall into the trap of consumerism!"

Sejeong was well aware that Suzy was a famously wealthy woman in the entertainment industry—young, affluent, living in a massive mansion, and driving a sports car. The insurmountable gap filled her with a deep sense of insecurity, making her feel that time was the only thing capable of eventually defeating this formidable senior. She was certain she would be the ultimate winner in the end; after all, not everyone shared the kind of childhood-friend bond they had.

Following Sejeong's advice, Cha Lunhou ultimately chose a domestic SsangYong vehicle. This brand, which had lost some of its standing in recent years, specialized in affordability and durability. Originally producing jeeps for the U.S. military and shifting to specialty vehicles in the 1970s, it had changed hands multiple times upon entering the new century, passing briefly through the hands of Chinese and Indian automakers.

"Oppa's new car! I used to imagine what kind of car oppa and I would buy in the future. Just thinking about it now gets me a little excited."

Sejeong still hadn't gotten her driver's license, but after he bought the car, she felt an itch of anticipation herself. Sitting in the passenger seat, she endlessly adjusted the seat position. This dependable girl appeared remarkably reliable to outsiders, only ever showing her true, unfiltered self in front of him.

Perhaps due to the insecurity born from depending on others since childhood, she paid intense attention to the emotions and evaluations of those around her, frequently praised for being sensible when, in reality, it was often just a lack of conditions that allowed her to be anything else.

Yet the success accompanying her journey wasn't just praise; the overwhelming tide of skepticism was also deeply distressing. Because she always maintained a pleasant smile, some people criticized her as having a hidden knife behind her smile, calling her hypocritical for always saying what people wanted to hear.

Accusations of playing the victim accompanied her entire debut process. Only she knew how difficult it was to maintain such a mindset after enduring an impoverished childhood.

Not long ago, he had even seen rumors online claiming Sejeong was being ostracized by her group members. Some member repeatedly blocked Sejeong from the camera view with an unmistakable cold expression, and he had no idea whether these leaks were true or false, real occurrences or mere groundless shadows.

This so-called Gugudan relied almost entirely on Sejeong and Kang Mina—both alumni of *Produce 101*—to stay afloat. If the rumors were true, it just showed that when jealousy took hold of certain women, they threw all caution to the wind. However, Sejeong stubbornly denied anything of the sort whenever she was in front of him, and he hadn't had the heart to probe further.

"It's all groundless speculation, oppa, so you shouldn't ask too much about it. This group probably doesn't have much time left anyway; I'll just try to get through it safely and peacefully. Didn't you always say everything should have a proper beginning and end? We've already reached a declining state, and if I really stirred up trouble, it would end up being my fault."

Sejeong's worries weren't unfounded. She noted that while the group brought her few benefits, if she couldn't carve out a bloody path in other fields, leaving the group would only make things worse. Her current situation wasn't all bad, as her busy schedule kept her fulfilled.

Though the girl spoke of it so lightly to him, he could still discern her exhaustion across her various variety shows and commercial shoots. By summer, she even looked a bit sun-tanned.

Furthermore, what the girl hadn't explicitly told him was that the agency's poor planning was gradually eroding her popularity. With an unclear developmental direction, the name Kim Sejeong was slowly fading into obscurity. If she couldn't turn the situation around as soon as possible, the time left for her would grow shorter and shorter.

Suddenly, on an impulse, he reached out and touched the corner of the girl's eye. Today, she hadn't worn a completely heavy layer of makeup, and the dark circles caused by a lack of quality sleep were hard to mask, genuinely tugging at his heartstrings.

"You... what are you doing? Is there something on my face?"

The man's sudden display of intimacy startled Sejeong, prompting her to quickly turn her head away, pick up a small mirror, and inspect her face from left to right—though mostly just to mask her guilty conscience.

Although she had known this guy for many years and they had shared even more intimate gestures as children, times had changed. His relationship with Bae Suzy hadn't been completely sorted out yet. No matter what, she had to wait until he got dumped, let him taste the pain of heartbreak, and only then would she step in to claim him. Yes, she could play the role of the patient, good girl.

Her own acting and entertainment career had just begun. If she tied him down to herself right now, a crisis might arise due to their frequent separations, squandering a hard-fought affection cultivated over more than a decade. Rather than doing that, it was better to bide her time, stay low, develop quietly, and secure the ultimate, decisive victory.

If Cha Lunhou knew that all sorts of calculations about when he would get dumped were swirling around in this girl's mind, there was no telling what kind of reaction he would have. Still, he had heard that his good sister was soon going to star in a drama herself. Though it was a low-budget production titled something like *Let Me Hear Your Song*, it seemed T-ara's youngest member, Park Jiyeon, was cast as her supporting actress—either way, it looked like the kind of project unlikely to achieve breakout success.

"You must make sure to rest well! Otherwise, fans are going to nitpick everything again, and excessive fatigue will ruin your beauty."

Looking at Sejeong, who insisted on walking the remaining two blocks to her dormitory by herself, Cha Lunhou wanted to offer a few more words of deep concern, but the words changed flavor the moment they reached his lips. Still, the girl waved her fist in an encouraging gesture, an action that genuinely radiated cheerful energy.

Rolling down the car window, Cha Lunhou lit a cigarette. His suggestion to rent a place for her had also been rejected. He had only heard that, in order not to disturb her roommates' sleep when she returned late at night, she would sleep on the living room floor. Her situation was definitely not as breezy as she made it out to be. As the old saying went, a hundred sorrows afflict a couple in poverty; a rickety, storm-tossed girl group was even more prone to internal friction. If worst came to worst, he would just have to force her to move out.

...

"Soojung! If you, this girl, keep going like this, you're going to ruin yourself! Just look at how chubby you've gotten now! Go work out properly right now! Why are you sleeping in so late in the morning?"

Using the excuse that her lonely, single older sister needed company, the eldest sister looked with mounting helplessness at her younger sister, who had been staying at her house for days. Her sister, who used to be so athletically gifted, had somehow turned into a little round ball, a reality that was truly difficult for her to accept.

Soojung, lying in bed, opened her eyes to glance at her sister, who was dressed up in elaborate, flashy attire. She quickly wrapped herself tighter in the blanket and mumbled for her to stop annoying her, causing the eldest sister to roll her eyes in exasperation. With a sharp smack against Soojung's surprisingly springy backside, the older sister grabbed her little handbag and strode out the door without looking back.

Hearing the front door click shut, the woman lying in bed suddenly snapped her eyes open. In a flash, she slipped into her sweatpants, threw on a down jacket, grabbed a cap and mask, and bolted out the door in a mad rush.