Chapter Seven: There's No Problem Taking on a Few Fans

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Waking up in the cramped yet impeccably tidy rented room that morning, the years spent at military academy had ingrained in me the habit of keeping things orderly. With a sense of ritual, I toasted two slices of bread and fried an egg, then picked up my phone to reply to the messages from last night.

My older sister asked why I wasn’t working at the nightclub. I knew she wasn’t worried about me wasting money but feared I might be targeted by Kwon Ning’s retaliation. My heart warmed at her concern, and I quickly reassured her I was safe. She then inquired about the job I had found, but I could only evade by saying I hadn’t settled on anything yet.

As expected, I passed the interview. What I didn’t know was that a female actress from Gwangju had played a significant role behind the scenes. The company had initially hesitated to hire a young man with good looks and build as a bodyguard. Even when assigned solely to Soojin, he was sometimes pulled away for other security tasks. The company had many young women, and any scandal would be disastrous.

But I also knew that although this girl’s importance within JYPE was waning and the company’s focus had shifted away from this once invaluable asset, she had stood tall in a time of crisis, supporting half the company’s weight. The gorilla-like founder still afforded her favors.

Soojin was supposed to leave the company last year, but with TWICE rising and Stray Kids still in the audition phase, the company renewed her contract for two more years to stabilize stock prices. The founder remembered this kindness and was happy to grant reasonable requests.

The job, truth be told, wasn’t leisurely. Sometimes I had to travel with the artists and handle fans and paparazzi. Since I decided to be a bodyguard for a while, I had to learn the ropes properly.

“Oh no! What if a crowd of fans rushes me? I haven’t even trained in crowd control!” I thought.

Cheol Nunhou felt the company should equip him with a baton and riot shield. With his skills, handling a handful of fans wouldn’t be difficult, but considering Soojin had been an actress for years, she didn’t have the kind of fanatical following idols do.

“Dad, I’ve recently found a good job as a bodyguard for a big star. It’s not hard work; it’s actually quite easy. Please don’t worry about me,” I told my parents.

Both of my parents were honest farmers, limited by their experiences and unable to assist me much, but they never criticized my choices. They always urged me to be upright and responsible, and so far, I had stuck to that path.

“Nunhou, son, you quietly did something big. Leaving the military is a pity, but sticking to what’s right is harder. We support you. If things don’t work out in Seoul, you can always come home,” my father said, his words making my nose sting. But if I gave up now, would I not be bitter? I had done nothing wrong—why should I end up running away with my tail between my legs?

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The decadent nightlife subtly changed me—not that I was addicted to luxury or corrupted by the glamorous scene, but after traveling such a long path to get here, giving it all up to return to the backward city of Gimje to be a farmer would be more painful than death.

At the same time, Seojung’s warm, sunny, and infectious smile floated before my eyes. Though I rarely admitted it, I was not without ambitions. If I stepped back now, there would be no more chances.

“I have hands and feet; I won’t starve. You don’t need to send me farm produce anymore. There’s so much garlic, it’s probably sprouting by now!” I said while washing a big bunch of grapes. Grapes like these weren’t cheap in Seoul. Hunan Province, in South Korea, was a poor and underdeveloped area, just like Gimje City, near Jeonju, the capital of North Jeolla Province. Both were dominated by primary industries, especially agriculture.

Situated in the central Hunan Plain, most people worked in farming, but the population was steadily declining, and aging was severe. Due to poor infrastructure, many young people waited early at the bus station to commute to Jeonju for school or work. It was truly a poor region.

I didn’t want to return to that bleak life with no future, but I was at a loss on how to change my situation. Although my older sister hoped I would be with her, I knew that if that day ever came, our relationship would change completely.

After the call, I shared the good news with Seojung. She was so excited she wanted to celebrate. Though she teased that a fine young man like me taking a bodyguard job was embarrassing, it had been a while since I saw her, and I missed her a little.

Her casual clothes looked simple, hardly like a well-known actress. Compared to the older sister and Bae Soojin I knew, or even her younger sister Somi, she was less trendy.

“I’ll buy you some clothes! You can’t keep dressing like you’re still at the nightclub!” she said.

Though she had never seen me dress for the nightclub, I noticed the bodyguards of the stars all wore shirts and slacks to make their employers look respectable.

I wasn’t sure if stingy JYPE provided uniforms, so I decided to buy a few shirts myself. I had to look sharp—I couldn’t tarnish Bae Superstar’s reputation.

“By the way, Oppa! How did you meet Somi? That girl still has time to hang out? Isn’t she about to debut soon?” she asked.

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IOI had disbanded a year and a half ago. I was dragging along, barely alive, while that girl returned to JYPE to continue as a trainee, preparing for a second debut. Last I heard, she was selected for the debut lineup of a new group. Surely a big company’s group would have high quality, nothing like the grassroots company I worked for.

“That girl’s a bit clumsy. She cost me a lot fixing my phone screen. I haven’t even gotten paid by JYPE yet, and already her artist caused damage,” I complained, though I didn’t dislike the little wild horse. She was straightforward but lacked the calmness of Seojung, more like someone carefree and a bit reckless.

“Speaking of her, it’s strange. Debuting should be a happy thing. She’s been at the company for years for this goal. But when I asked her about it, she dodged the question,” my friend’s unusual behavior caught Seojung’s attention, though she didn’t dwell on it. I just happened to mention it casually.

“Why ask so much? Who would give up an opportunity to debut that’s right in front of them? Especially after spending years of youth for it?” I said.

But in my mind, I thought of that golden-haired imp. Though she hadn’t done anything outrageous before, in her big, beautiful eyes, I sensed a madness beyond her years.

I didn’t understand how Seojung, so calm and steady, could get along so well with this younger sister who was five years her junior. What I didn’t know was that soon, I would witness this girl’s wildness and capriciousness firsthand.