Chapter 35: Deal
"Ah, I'm going crazy."
Office worker Han Yooyoung, who once shouted, ‘If I ever watch a rigged survival show again, I’ll burn my hands on a stove!’, was now in danger of actually burning her hands.
She didn’t mean for it to come to this...
But she got sucked in so deep she could no longer function in real life.
Zoom—
As soon as work ended, Han Yooyoung rushed to sit in front of her monitor.
She had checked on her way home earlier, and the concept videos had been uploaded.
"Oh, I have to watch it. I need to watch it right now!"
Each trainee had filmed a short video, just over a minute, showing off the concept they thought was their strength, and after watching all of them, viewers had to vote on which of the candidate songs listed on the website suited Seohan best.
The deadline was tomorrow at 6 PM—such a tight window.
Of course, even before opening the video, Han Yooyoung had already listened to the three candidate songs released earlier in the day.
There was one with a bouncy, cute melody, so she planned to vote for that one without a second thought.
Was the title ‘Touch It’?
Whatever it was, Han Yooyoung hoped Seohan would stand on stage at least once with a cute concept.
"He’s probably going with the cute concept, as expected..."
Seohan definitely knew what he was good at. He was an artist who understood himself better than anyone.
Han Yooyoung nodded and hit play on the video.
Immediately, Seohan appeared, neatly dressed in a white shirt, and bowed his head.
It seemed he’d gotten used to the camera, as a natural smile accompanied the motion.
But then—
"Hello, I’m Do Seohan. Thank you for clicking on my concept video. Today’s concept is... sexy."
"Huh?"
Clink—
In her panic, she slammed her coffee cup down, and the coffee nearly spilled.
A concept he’d never shown before.
And it was paired with Dan-O-Mu—the difficult but flawlessly executed piece from the Level Test.
Han Yooyoung clutched her trembling heart and focused her gaze on the screen.
"Oh my... When did you grow up enough to be sexy?"
—She said aloud,
But inside, she was thinking, ‘Ah, what if our genius Hamji pulls this off too?’
That kind of expectation was only natural for a fan.
Cute is good, but if he wants to do sexy—!
"Sexy is actually nice."
And as if answering fans’ expectations, the dance genius hamster quite literally flew in front of the camera.
Did he only fly?
He splashed water too.
"Wait, hold on. Why’s he splashing water?"
Splash—
With a dramatic performance that emptied an entire water bottle, the hamster ended up looking like a drenched rat.
Maybe even he was a little flustered—the camera captured his blinking eyes perfectly.
"……"
Han Yooyoung stared blankly at the screen as if she had been splashed with water.
What just happened?
She’d been holding herself back to avoid spoilers, but now her eyes were automatically drawn to the community she hadn’t even glanced at before. No wonder everyone was in a frenzy.
—He confidently said the concept was sexy... So where’s the sexy?
└He tried everything to look sexy—even splashing water—but just ended up looking like a drenched person.
└He’s just... a soaked Hamjji.
—Like a wet rat.
└Ah ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ That’s perfect.
└Did our ancestors foresee this?
└The literal human hamster.
└The literal human cicada.
└?? There’s something weird mixed in here.
—Hey, everyone needs to cut Mam-Seohan some slack. Maybe our baby chose “frail sexy” as his concept.
└Anyway, it’s the frailty.
└Frail >>> Sexy
└You’re killing the boy twice.
—What are y’all on about; anyone who watched the video could see it was frail sexy. It was definitely sexy!
└If that’s sexy, then sir, your eyesight might be frail too.
└Did you watch it on 2x speed?
└Look at everyone being so firm about it ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
—Thinking about our boy playing with a water bottle alone and wondering how to look sexy... seriously, I wanna bite him in one gulp.
└What the heck ㅋㅋㅋ Why is your wording so aggressive ㅋㅋㅋ
└Why are you trying to bite the kid ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Save Hamjji.
—Seohan, it’s okay if you’re just cute.
└Yeah, cute is enough.
└Everyone, go watch the behind-the-scenes video. The kids are insanely adorable. No one should miss this ㅠㅠㅠ
“Behind-the-scenes?”
While she was busy reading the live comments, YouTube naturally rolled into the next video thanks to the algorithm.
It was the behind-the-scenes footage from this concept shoot.
“Oh?”
Without realizing it, Han Yooyoung straightened her posture. The first scene of the behind-the-scenes video featured Seohan’s shoot.
Perfect timing: Seohan splashing water, and a close-up of Seo Haim’s surprised face.
Cha Seongbin was going around with a mic, conducting interviews with the trainees.
The first interviewee was Seo Haim.
[Ah, there was a rather shocking shoot just now. Seo Haim-ssi, what did you think of Seohan’s shoot just now?]
[It was just cute.]
[It was cute? Seohan seemed to go with a sexy concept.]
[That kid is just cute no matter what he does.]
Seo Haim’s voice as he said that was sincerely earnest.
“A cute kid calling another cute kid cute.”
Han Yooyoung muffled her mouth again, recalling the past team combination. If only villain Lee Junhyeok had been excluded, that group could’ve debuted just as they were—it was an Avengers lineup.
But before she could reminisce too long, the screen cut back to a completely drenched Seohan.
This time, Cha Seongbin directed the mic toward Seohan.
[Oh, perfect timing. Do Seohan-ssi.]
[Sniff. Yes?]
Maybe some water got in his nose—he shook his head for a moment, then, spotting the camera, lightly smiled and waved.
Cha Seongbin slung an arm around Seohan’s shoulder and held out the mic.
[That performance you just showed. The very bold water bottle performance—what made you decide to do it?]
Yeah, let’s hear it.
I felt like I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I found out why he poured water on himself.
[To be honest, there’s no special reason... I was practicing in the practice room, drinking water, and the bottle just caught my eye.]
[Don’t tell me you thought, “If I pour this on my head, it’ll be sexy,” and chose your concept like that?]
[Sort of?]
[Are you satisfied with the result?]
[Also sort of...?]
What’s with that shy face?
And what’s with the subtle confidence that he thought he’d be sexy?
“Ah. It’s ridiculously cute.”
Han Yooyoung muttered as she pressed her temples.
From the concept video to the behind-the-scenes—how could this creature’s concept be so consistent?
“Sigh.”
Only after watching the entire behind-the-scenes video did Han Yooyoung finally make up her mind.
“Noona really thought hard about this...”
She didn’t think for even a second.
“Let’s go with the cute one, Seohan.”
Meanwhile, at the same time.
Seohan was sitting side by side with Kang Siwoo in an empty office.
Beside them was an uninvited guest who didn’t suit the timing—Lee Dokyung.
“…….”
Naturally, the atmosphere was awkward.
It was an uncomfortable situation just thinking about it, but Kang Siwoo couldn’t reject Seohan’s proposal.
Reporter Lee Doyeon of YCN.
Someone who likely knew his secret was asking to make a deal.
And not just any deal—one that would be unconditionally advantageous to him.
‘How could I turn that down?’
Kang Siwoo still didn’t trust Seohan 100%.
However, there was one thing he was sure of.
Do Seohan was not an ordinary seventeen-year-old kid.
Suddenly, Kang Siwoo’s gaze landed on Seohan.
Seohan was stroking his chin with a very serious face, clearly thinking about how to bring this uncomfortable deal to a conclusion and in what direction.
Kang Siwoo had also witnessed the concept shoot in person. He had seen with his own eyes Seohan’s boldness as he poured water over his own head in pursuit of a sexy concept.
That figure was definitely a cute seventeen-year-old.
‘But now he looks like a completely different person.’
At moments of decision, he became more serious than anyone. That occasionally sharp gaze felt so different from the image he knew that it was almost jarring.
And right now was one of those moments.
Just as Do Seohan fiddled with his hands with a determined expression, the door swung open.
Click-clack.
Entering with the sound of heels was none other than Lee Doyeon, Lee Dokyung’s older sister and YCN’s infamous tabloid reporter.
A beautiful woman with long, flowing hair smiled sweetly and opened her mouth.
“You all came early? I must’ve kept you waiting. Are you okay?”
“Yes, we’re fine.”
You must not be swayed by that gentle voice and smile.
Seohan bowed his head and handed over the drink he was holding.
At the same time, the corners of Lee Doyeon’s eyes lifted slightly. Her high-tension voice struck the ears.
“Aww, if you’re Dokyung’s friend, just come comfortably. You didn’t have to bring something like this.”
“No, you’re taking time out of your busy schedule, so I had to bring at least this much.”
“Haha, you’ve got sense. Your name is... Do Seohan?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Next to him, Kang Siwoo quietly sat with his head bowed as Seohan greeted her.
“Hello….”
“This one looks familiar too, huh?”
Everyone was smiling, but their eyes were cold—an eerie sight.
Once Seohan sat down, a suffocating silence followed.
“…….”
At that moment.
The one who mustered up the courage to break that silence was none other than Kang Siwoo.
It was a seat that had been painfully arranged.
He didn’t know what deal Do Seohan had made, but it was clear that he had a strong grip on Lee Dokyung’s weakness.
In that case, Kang Siwoo had no choice but to reveal his own card.
He clenched his hands tightly on his lap.
“I heard you have some information about me.”
“Hmm. Ah.”
Lee Doyeon’s eyebrows lifted. Surprisingly, an honest answer came out.
“That’s right. I’m still debating whether to break it or not.”
“…….”
“A hidden illegitimate child of Taewoon Group trying to become a celebrity? There’s no bigger scoop for an entertainment reporter.”
Lee Doyeon shrugged and continued.
“Timing-wise, I was thinking of breaking it after you debut. If you didn’t make the top ranks, well, I’d break it when you drop out.”
“Noona!”
Lee Dokyung swallowed dryly and tried to stop her.
Judging by how he had been stomping his feet since earlier, Seohan must have had a serious hold on him.
Kang Siwoo took a breath and stared straight at Lee Doyeon.
He didn’t know how much Do Seohan could help, but Lee Doyeon was no easy opponent.
She wasn’t likely to give up such a scoop easily.
Unless, maybe, Taewoon Group offered a hefty payoff.
While Kang Siwoo was mentally calculating that slim possibility, Lee Doyeon gave a cold smile and continued.
“Ah, don’t worry. For now, I’m the only one who knows. Exclusives are all about the scoop.”
“That’s not exactly reassuring.”
“Right? Whether one person breaks it or several do, the result is the same.”
At that moment, Seohan cut in.
“It’ll be different. Silencing one mouth and silencing several are quite different things.”
“…?”
Lee Doyeon turned to look at Seohan in disbelief. She’d seen her fair share of people threatening to ruin her career or blacklist her from the industry, but she hadn’t expected such words from a young boy who still seemed wet behind the ears.
She let out a hollow laugh and opened her mouth.
“Oh… are you threatening me right now? But with what?”
“Your brother’s caused a bit of a stir...”
“What?”
Lee Doyeon’s expression immediately turned icy.
“…Did you commit a crime?”
‘That escalated quickly.’
“What are you saying! I’ve lived a good life!”
“If you’ve lived a good life, why are you being blackmailed? You’ve got something to hide, don’t you?”
“No, I mean…”
Lee Dokyung bit down on his lower lip, looking like he was about to cry.
One side was grilling him over what kind of crime he committed, the other was flailing and saying he was innocent.
It was absolute chaos.
And amidst that mess, Seohan continued to speak with the calmest expression.
His tone was as composed as if he were reciting a textbook passage.
“Well, apparently your brother has five—no, three girlfriends. If that gets out, it could be a bit of a hiccup in his debut.”
At Seohan’s words, Lee Doyeon blinked her eyes.
It was definitely Korean, but somehow a bit hard to process all at once.
So.
The kid sitting in front of her was saying her younger brother had a girlfriend.
That was fine and all.
“But... not one, not two... three?”
Lee Doyeon counted off the number of girlfriends on her fingers before spitting out a curse.
“What kind of crazy bastard is this?”
Looks like the deal’s going to close quickly.