Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer the Entertainment Industry

Chapter 273

After reaching an unspoken agreement or compromise with Ban Yo-han, I belatedly distributed the cookies I had bought to the office.

Of course, I kept a separate portion for the members who would be at the dormitory.

“I’ve been too down lately, haven’t I? I shouldn’t be like this while promoting. I’m sorry.”

Hearing this, Team Leader Choi Bo-ra, who was carefully choosing a cookie, was startled and shook her head vigorously.

“No, why should you be sorry! If you’re giving these out because you’re sorry, I can’t eat them!”

“Why not!”

“Jeez. Sorry, not sorry!”

“In that case, I’m not sorry at all!”

“Good! I’ll eat well!”

“Yes! Enjoy!”

Ban Yo-han, feeling guilty for blocking the company entrance, ordered coffee and handed it out to the staff.

“Have it with the cookies.”

“Yo-han, how does it feel to fight with a brother three years younger?”

One of the employees playfully asked while receiving the warm coffee.

However, Ban Yo-han, as if he didn’t understand, widened his eyes and asked back.

“What? We didn’t fight.”

His innocent response made the employees give me sympathetic looks, understanding my frustration.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

“How can those who supposedly fought act like that? When you fight, you’re supposed to punch, cry, or shout. Only then can you fully vent your emotions.”

“Hyung, if I hit him, he’d fly away.”

“Why don’t you try hitting and see if he flies or not?”

“Why are you trying to make peaceful reconciliations into fights? I didn’t see you as a violent person.”

“No, I just…”

The employee, who had spoken first, shrank back, admitting fault at Team Leader Choi Bo-ra’s words.

“If you were five years younger, I would have made you hold hands all day to get along.”

“I think that would have had the opposite effect rather than improving our relationship.”

My reluctant words seemed to be taken as a joke, making the staff burst into laughter.

But I was serious.

* * *

After experiencing serious incidents such as a stalker’s intrusion into the dormitory and installation of illegal cameras, the recording of our self-produced content was postponed out of consideration for the members, leaving our schedule empty for about two days.

When Ban Yo-han and I, in a car driven by Gwak Sang-hyun, arrived at the temporary dormitory, the members, who had been resting, rushed out, drawn by the smell of cookies.

“Long time no see, maknae!”

“Yeah, but we just saw each other yesterday.”

Kang Ji-woo, entering the dormitory, joked that a day without me felt like a year.

“I heard you met Muk Hye-sung sunbae-nim.”

“Yeah. The forty-million-won bed is no joke.”

As I replied sincerely to Seo Moon-gyeol, who commented that I’d mentioned it before, Gyun Seong-ha spoke up.

“I heard you two fought at the company.”

News traveled fast.

How did he know when he was at the dormitory?

Kang Ji-woo clicked his tongue.

“I bet it was Ban Yo-han’s fault.”

“Yeah. It was my fault.”

At his prompt and clean acknowledgment, Gyun Seong-ha, who was rummaging through the cookie bag, looked at Ban Yo-han with his mouth wide open.

The other two had similar expressions.

…My expression was probably similar to theirs.

After a moment, Gyun Seong-ha, regaining his composure, said.

“Wow, whatever it was, it must have been a big mistake.”

“Yeah.”

“Hyung, if you say it like that, what does that make me?”

“It makes you someone who didn’t do anything wrong.”

I wondered if this was some high-level strategy to annoy me.

But why would he need to do that right now?

If not, then why does everything he does seem so irritating?

“….”

When our eyes met, Ban Yo-han smiled brightly as if wondering what was wrong, so I smiled back.

I didn’t know. I decided to just smile.

“But does our company have the capacity to provide such a nice dormitory? I didn’t expect much, but this place is really good.”

Barely overcoming the first crisis after our agreement with a smile, I changed the topic.

This dormitory, where we had started staying since yesterday, was clearly much better than our original one.

‘Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer Chapter 273’

**’Wide, clean, well-lit, and with a great location.’**

Considering the scale and condition of this place, it seemed it would have been quite challenging for the company, which had been struggling with financial issues, to secure it overnight.

“Ah, actually…”

As Ban Yo-han began to say something, the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it. Stay here.”

Like someone who knew who was coming, Seo Moon-gyeol went to the door without giving anyone a chance to respond.

“Were we expecting someone?”

“Well, I got a call earlier saying Moon-gyeol’s mother would be visiting today, so she must be here now.”

“?”

Why would his mother suddenly come here?

Seeing my face openly showing my thoughts, Kang Ji-woo awkwardly smiled and explained.

“This is Moon-gyeol’s house.”

What?

* * *

It turned out the temporary dormitory was an apartment owned by Seo Moon-gyeol’s father.

After being informed by the company about what had happened to us, Seo Moon-gyeol’s parents, perhaps mindful of the previous Seo Joo-won incident, instead of questioning how the dormitory security was handled, offered us a place close to the company, suggesting we stay comfortably.

Kang Ji-woo, conscious of Seo Moon-gyeol who was by the door, whispered.

“Yesterday, the place was pretty empty with only a few pieces of furniture, making it look like a brand-new house. But this morning, everything from TVs to sofas was brought in fresh.”

“Wow.”

I wondered how long we would stay here for them to go to such lengths, but given their family’s situation, it wasn’t an unreasonable gesture.

After all, I had also overlooked their son’s mistake once, so they probably wanted to maintain their pride despite having nothing to feel superior about.

At that moment, I heard two quiet footsteps approaching from the entrance.

Though Seo Moon-gyeol had told us to stay put, we couldn’t just sit around when we knew someone was coming, so the remaining members and I moved toward the door.

Soon, we saw the figure of a mother and son, clearly having walked silently down the long hallway.

We bowed to the gentle-looking Seo Moon-gyeol’s mother, who was looking around.

“Hello!”

Her slightly startled expression turned into a smile as she greeted us.

“Hello, I’m Moon-gyeol’s mother. Did you sleep well last night?”

“Yes! The house is wonderful.”

“Stay comfortably, even if it’s just for a short while.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

After the formal pleasantries quickly passed, an awkward silence fell, during which Seo Moon-gyeol’s mother’s wandering gaze landed on my face.

“Have you been well?”

It was undoubtedly directed at me.

“Yes. I’ve been well. I’m also getting along well with Moon-gyeol hyung, so don’t worry.”

“I see…”

Fiddling with the handle of the shopping bag she was carrying, she spoke softly.

“I feel like I didn’t properly apologize last time. If seeing my face makes you uncomfortable, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. And from what I’ve noticed, Moon-gyeol hyung resembles you a lot.”

“Really?”

I blurted out the comment, trying to ease the tension, and thankfully, it seemed to slightly improve the atmosphere for both Seo Moon-gyeol and his mother.

Perhaps their relationship wasn’t that bad.

“Yes, you two look very alike. And you can speak comfortably with me.”

Seo Moon-gyeol’s mother, blinking slowly once, nodded slightly with a faintly brighter expression.

After handing the luxurious shopping bag as a gift to Kang Ji-woo, Seo Moon-gyeol’s mother looked back at me and cautiously spoke again.

“If it’s okay with you, could we talk privately?”

“Uh, yes, of course.”

Both of us had just arrived at the house, so we followed Seo Moon-gyeol’s guidance to a suitable place to sit and talk.

After confirming that the members had dispersed somewhere in the spacious house, I started the conversation.

“How is Moon-gyeol hyung’s younger sibling doing these days?”

Despite Seo Joo-won’s terrible attitude towards Seo Moon-gyeol and their mother, I still felt somewhat responsible for pushing him into committing a sort of crime, so I couldn’t help but be concerned.

Ah, I had resolved to stop being a pushover, but here I was, feeling sympathetic again.

Living with the pushover king Seo Moon-gyeol every day made it hard to ignore.

At my question, Seo Moon-gyeol’s mother, her eyes wide with guilt and remorse, spoke.

“He’s been scolded a lot by his father and brother and is now reflecting on his actions. If you’re willing, he wants to apologize to you directly… but it’s okay if you refuse.”

“…”

“As you know, our behavior back then was disgraceful. I’m very sorry for that once again.”

As Seo Moon-gyeol’s mother bowed her head in apology, her long hair cascaded down gracefully.

Apart from the thought that I could instantly understand why Seo Joo-won’s father fell head over heels for this woman and has remained devoted to her all these years, I was taken aback and quickly stopped her.

“Please don’t do this. Moon-gyeol hyung will scold me.”

Of course, Seo Moon-gyeol would never scold me for something like this.

Seo Moon-gyeol’s mother, seemingly aware of this, lifted her head again and smiled faintly.

“That boy isn’t the type to easily scold or be strict with anyone.”

“That’s right. Moon-gyeol hyung is really kind.”

“So, when Moon-gyeol came home and scolded Joo-won directly, I was quite surprised. Although, it was something that warranted such a reaction…”

Seo Moon-gyeol’s mother, who had been quietly mumbling with her gaze slightly lowered, looked back at me and asked.

“Raon, you’re a year or two younger but were in the same class as Moon-gyeol in high school, right?”

With that remark, I had a sense of what Seo Moon-gyeol’s mother wanted to discuss with me in this meeting.