Chapter Sixty: Encountering a Benefactor

Cha Lun-hoo naturally had no inkling of the passionate feelings burning within a young girl's heart, nor did he consider whether the girls knew how to cook. After all, people ate quite simply these days, and making a basic sandwich or some simple meal should be second nature. Besides, very few of those who endured the grueling life of a trainee were helpless babies.

Even a woman like Suzy could manage to whip up something to fill her stomach, let alone a girl like Yeji, whose background was not particularly affluent. Her family circumstances were modest, and she likely belonged to that exceptionally self-reliant breed of children, much like himself and Sejeong.

"Soon they'll be working like beasts of burden. Right after debut, maximum exposure is essential. They'll have to rush through every schedule and push hard on every music broadcast. I wonder when they'll manage to win first place—though I think their debut song today is exceptionally good."

Suzy offered her critiques of her junior group while analyzing the company's current predicament for Cha Lun-hoo. ITZY was originally scheduled to debut late last year, but Somi's departure seemed to have delayed those plans. To maintain profitability for the fiscal year, the company had no choice but to recall TWICE and squeeze them relentlessly, keeping the girls of TWICE in a state of high-intensity operation continuously.

The company was the most ruthless of machines, caring little for the wear and tear of its tools in the pursuit of profit. On the contrary, as long as they remained functional and had not completely collapsed, they were expected to keep contributing to the company's bottom line. Suzy had walked that exact path back in the day. Her endurance was remarkably high—which proved that without a robust constitution, it was simply impossible to become a successful idol.

"I used to watch your stage performance videos back then. You had somewhat thick legs and a round, cute face. I was probably just starting high school! I never imagined I'd share a day like this with you. Sometimes, when I think about it, the world feels almost too surreal, giving me a sense of unreality."

Driving the car, Cha Lun-hoo kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, a flicker of complex emotions shining in his dark pupils. Come to think of it, as a poor guy kicked out of the military, he had somehow managed to reverse his destiny once again within a mere few months. Such dramatic ups and downs were truly sigh-inducing.

Suzy thought this fellow was utterly incorrigible; he was clearly trying to PUA her. In truth, the period when her physique was round and soft was only during her first two years after debut. Back then, she was sixteen or seventeen years old—around the same age as Shin Yuna now—and right in the middle of puberty, so how could it be so easy to control one's body shape? Didn't she rapidly shed that image and transform completely two years later? Yet back then, fans joked that they could tell if miss A was planning a comeback just by looking at her legs; whenever they thinned down, it meant a comeback was already in the works.

"So that makes me your benefactor! Because the company needed to hire security for me, you got the chance to come by my side. If it weren't for my boundless benevolence, the company would never have let a young, handsome fellow like you work as a bodyguard!"

Suzy's statement was entirely correct. Only someone like her, who was determined to leave and essentially answer to no one at the time, could have given the company enough face to allow it. And her flash of compassion back then—not bearing to watch a hero suffer through trials—had given her the opportunity to witness a young man rise to greatness once again. Although he hadn't achieved anything grand yet, stepping forward under those circumstances already demonstrated a remarkably noble character.

Though she didn't say it out loud, Suzy still harbored a slight sense of admiration for this fellow. Even though certain malicious fans slandered her for cozying up to whoever was popular, beneath her realistic exterior still beat a warm, passionate heart—one that could still throw caution to the wind for this man.

"Eh? It seems what you're saying isn't wrong at all! That really does seem to be how it happened."

The turning point of his life's trajectory truly seemed to have begun with her. The scandal with her had ignited explosive attention and led him to cross paths with a talented master whose gifts had been buried, otherwise, he truly didn't know how long he would have wasted his life. Perhaps he would have spent his days wallowing in the drunken stupor and paper-thin luxuries of nightlife establishments, or lost his moral bottom line by exploiting the wealth of some rich older sister or younger sister, living a life that looked glamorous on the surface but was rotting underneath.

Looked at that way, Somi—who had introduced him to the interview—also deserved a modicum of credit. Once she debuted, he should buy her a small gift as well. Sejeong's younger sister could also be considered his sister-in-law, and even leaving that relationship aside, she was still a wonderful friend.

Suzy grinned happily, asking about the progress of the autobiography. In her mind, as the angel round investor, she naturally had to keep track of the project's milestones. Hearing that the completion of the entire work was nearing its end, she couldn't help but marvel at how many hands make light work.

With the connection between Cha Lun-hoo and Reporter Chen, the media outlets over at *Seoul Sports* had practically molded her into a righteous, upright woman, unlike other tabloids that only obsessed over the affairs happening inside this man's trousers. Their primary focus was on her kindness, cleverly tying this narrative to her Gwangju origins to forge a progressive-yet-anti-conservative persona for her.

This happened to align perfectly with her developmental trajectory. The media in Gwangju was practically hailing her as the pride of Gwangju. To some extent, she was reaping certain dividends from this, though these dividends were mainly beneficial for her reputation and could not yet be directly converted into substantial resources.

"I used to hear some traditional Chinese vernacular stories about poor scholars who received financial support from the daughters of wealthy families to travel to the capital for the imperial examinations. After placing high on the exams, some of them would be forced into marriage by powerful aristocrats and turn into ungrateful, heartless wretches. You aren't that kind of person, are you?"

Suzy's joking remark made Cha Lun-hoo wonder if she had been watching too many TV dramas. South Korea didn't have a tradition of adopting sons-in-law to inherit families like the island nation did, and besides, where on earth did all these melodramatic romance plots come from? She really knew how to spin a yarn.

"Back when I worked in the nightlife industry, there was a wealthy older sister who told me their family's cosmetics company had a market value of tens of trillions of won, and she offered to let me live the high life if I followed her. I didn't go. Do you really think I'm the kind of person who chases after power and wealth?"

Cha Lun-hoo joked back. He wondered how that boastful older sister was doing with her medical treatment in China. Although he had blocked her contact information so as not to interfere with her treatment—delusions belonging to the realm of psychiatric illness—he sincerely hoped she would get better no matter what.

"What are you bragging about? Tens of trillions? Do you think you're Amorepacific? I might as well be Lee Boo-jin, then!"

As she spoke, she suddenly fell somewhat silent, remembering that the Eldest Princess had indeed married a bodyguard—a profession that, to some extent, shared certain similarities with this fellow.

"Lately, I've been dealing with a lot of charitable organizations. Some of them have an exceptionally favorable impression of Suzy! I never expected you to have donated so much money over the years."

Just the recurring project providing an annual fixed donation of one hundred million won for pediatric leukemia and pediatric cancer patients alone—not to mention other support initiatives—surpassed the total annual income of a mid-level manager like himself. In the future, he could certainly help translate her goodwill into even greater reputational returns.

No one was a saint, and as the sages themselves pointed out, those who save others ought to receive compensation. The principle that "accepting gold does not harm one's virtue, yet refusing gold means no one will ever redeem a captive again" had been proven true for thousands of years. For a female celebrity, such compensation took the form of fame; this was by no means trading favors for leverage.

"Lun-hoo's influence is growing larger by the day. Still, we shouldn't force these things too deliberately; my heart truly aches for those children."

"Oh, and come with me to a gathering in a few days. Many of my friends want to see what a national hero actually looks like. They put me on the spot with a few words, but I haven't agreed outright yet."

Several of her close friends had grown quite curious about Cha Lun-hoo, who had frequently appeared in the media recently. IU had bluntly suggested that Suzy bring him along the next time they dined together, and she certainly didn't want to lose face in front of the girls.