part 32

"I can't say. No, I don't know at all."

With those words, manager Cha left the house.

Once again, I felt distanced.

Normally, manager Cha was excessively kind to me. 

Almost too kind. 

It made me wonder if he really needed to be that polite. 

But whenever I asked about Seung-rok's private life, it was a different story. 

He exuded a cold energy and abruptly ended the meeting.

Watching him, I naturally recalled the first day I saw manager Cha.

He had efficiently dealt with troublesome customers.

The reason he had been kind to me was because I was Seung-rok's guest.

Whenever I crossed the line, he would stop me right away.

I suddenly realized that despite getting closer to the family recently, I was still an outsider. 

After all, I was just someone employed by Seung-rok. 

If Seung-rok fired me, our relationship would end right there. 

No matter how close I had become with Hayeon and others, it was the same.

Unlike me, manager Cha was acutely aware of his limitations. 

He never asked about things that weren't necessary for his work. 

In fact, he wasn't even curious. 

And I, too, if I wanted to work for a long time, would have to act like manager Cha. 

Don't ask. 

Don't be curious. 

That was the message manager Cha's eyes conveyed to me today.

***

After a while, Seung-rok called me. 

I headed to the main house to meet him. 

Unlike usual, the house was quiet. 

There was no one in the living room, although it was a Sunday afternoon. 

As soon as I saw Seung-rok's face, I felt something was wrong. 

His expression was noticeably stiff. 

He might have looked cold, but he never seemed angry. 

But today, he was clearly furious about something.

Could it be because of me? 

Did manager Cha report to him? 

Normally, Cha was a very tight-lipped person. 

But that might have been because of his professional ethics as Seung-rok's employee. 

And because of those ethics, manager Cha might have told Seung-rok that I had asked questions. 

No, he had to.

What if he reported it? 

Until now, I had kept quiet about suspecting that Seung-rok was Hayeon's father.

It would have made things uncomfortable. 

What if Seung-rok heard that I was looking for the child's mother? 

He might fire me. 

As soon as I thought of the word 'fire,' the blood drained from my face. 

I needed to work for a year to pay off all my debts. 

It has been less than four months since I started working. 

If the lessons ended like this, I would be trapped again in the cycle of debt I thought I had escaped. 

I didn't know if I could find such a good position again. 

No, I couldn't even be sure I could find a teaching position in this current economic downturn.

Thinking that far, I bit my lower lip lightly. 

I shouldn't have cared.

 Why did I meddle in someone else's family affairs? 

Even though manager Cha had warned me once, why did I have to bring it up again and stir up trouble? 

I regretted risking my job for such curiosity. If I wasn't fired this time, I swore never to dig into a celebrity's family matters again. 

As I made that resolution, Seung-rok's voice echoed in my ears.

"Sit down."

Hearing his words, I hurriedly took a seat at the table. 

Seeing Seung-rok's face, which was more rigid than usual, I instinctively knew. 

This was the prelude to getting fired. 

My head bowed involuntarily. 

I squeezed my eyes shut. 

I sensed the reality but wanted to avoid it. 

Please… God!

"I'll cancel next week's lesson."

Of course, he would. 

Because I was going to be fired. 

But then, if he intended to fire me, wouldn't he have said there would be no more lessons forever? 

That thought crossed my mind. 

At that moment, I quickly raised my head. 

Seung-rok, maintaining his usual blank expression, continued speaking.

"A family interview has been scheduled. They said they'd give us two suites. This doesn't happen often, so I'm planning to take the family. We won't be able to stay together for long, though."

"Ah. Ah. Ah…!"

Seeing me at a loss for words, Seung-rok frowned slightly again.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, yes, yes! It took me a while to understand. I'm sorry."

Seung-rok let out a sigh that was almost a laugh.

And then, he explained the situation in detail.

Only now did his words start to sink into my head.

The production team of the world-renowned talk show, the Amy Pratt Show, had invited

Seung-rok as KROCK. 

The production team had requested that his family also appear on the show.

Perhaps it was because KROCK had been in the spotlight for his family matters since the early days of his career.

"Did you accept the offer?" 

I asked, pale with worry.

Unlike her father, Hayeon was a child who could never be brought on a live interview.

Thanks to Seung-rok's education, Hayeon didn't reveal secrets unless asked directly. 

That was a relief, but only to a point. 

If there was an interviewer who pried too much, things would change. 

Hayeon might spill not only her identity but also that a woman was living in her father's house.

Moreover, since it was a foreign interview, it would be conducted in English. 

Hayeon had been attending English kindergartens and was as comfortable with English as she was with Korean.

There was no language barrier to protect.

What if fans found out that she was living with a K-pop idol? 

I already knew KROCK's fans well, thanks to the research I did while preparing for the interview.

The fans of THE ZERO, collectively known as THE One, couldn't stand even a fellow female singer looking at KROCK with meaningful eyes. 

What if someone would live with him?

Haha.

Most fans weren't that extreme, but there were always a few exceptions. 

There was a reason Seung-rok didn't even inform his company of his home address. 

Every detail could be exposed. 

It meant his private life could be literally shattered.

A chill ran down my spine.

Having barely escaped the threat of being fired, I now faced the possibility of turning the fans of THE ZERO, spread all over the world, into enemies. 

I could publicly die.

Seung-rok narrowed his eyes as he watched me trembling.

"…What are you doing?"

I hurriedly raised my voice.

"Don't do that. I do not want to die!"

Seung-rok shook his head as if I had said something absurd.

"I declined the interview. That kid cannot be in front of the camera."

Well, of course.

Seung-rok was extremely prudent.

He explained to me the counterproposal he had made to the production team.

He knew better than anyone the risks of a live interview.

So he set conditions.

Live broadcast was out of the question, but he agreed to a 'written' interview.

He would go alone for the live talk show later.

The production team would get their content, and Seung-rok could protect his family.

It was a brilliant solution, one that deserved applause.

Indeed.

I had overreacted in my panic,

But come to think of it, that was the only possibility.

KROCK was always cautious.

A man who guarded his privacy meticulously, he would never expose his family, no matter how global the talk show was.

He was a man who protected his family thoroughly.

"That's great. So when are you going to Seoul? I should take the opportunity to rest at home too."

"No time for rest."

"What?"

I asked again, thinking I had misheard.

Why were there so many bewildering situations today?

It was a completely incomprehensible statement.

But it wasn't a mistake.

"Let's go together."

…Go together?

To Seoul?

***

"Of course you should go. Why wouldn't you, silly?"

Jisun Sunbae shook her head firmly at my words.

"Should I…?"

I trailed off.

I was at my usual café, meeting Sunbae and recounting Seung-rok's proposal from the previous night.

As expected, Jisun Sunbae thought I should accept Seung-rok's proposal.

"What's the problem? Just think of it as a vacation. What's the big deal? They're covering the accommodation, transportation, and food expenses. Why would you refuse? It's not like it's the U.S., it's just Seoul."

Sunbae blinked as she spoke.

I hunched my shoulders.

Sunbae narrowed her eyes and glanced at me.

"…Why? Do you feel like you're using him?"

She hit the mark.

"Yes."

"So what? KROCK is incredibly wealthy. He makes money all over the world. Heck, he even owns a golf course, for crying out loud! The richest people in the world own golf courses. For someone like him, the cost of a plane ticket is nothing. You don't need to worry about it."

Well, she got the point.

Money is a relative matter.

For me, staying at a luxury hotel was an unimaginable expense.

But for Seung-rok?

To him, it might be no less than the cost of a snack.

"But still. I'm just an employee, not family. I feel uncomfortable intruding on a family trip."

Last night, talking with manager Cha, I was reminded of my place.

I was just an employee.

Seung-rok was my employer.

Trying to act like family would only make things awkward.

Maybe Seung-rok felt guilty about enjoying Seoul without me and made the offer out of obligation.

But Jisun Sunbae didn't seem to agree with my thoughts at all.

"What are you talking about? That's why you should go even more."

"What?"

"Yes, you're an employee, not family. But why would he ask you to come along? Because his family needs you. So you should go. Think of it as providing extra service without additional pay. You haven't been to Seoul recently, have you?"

I nodded.

Sunbae was right.

Recently, I had been buried in debt because of my mother.

Facing bankruptcy, I couldn't even think about flying back to the mainland.

It had been half a year since I last went to the mainland.

"…But I don't want to seem like I'm just taking advantage of him."

"You're worrying too much. Think of it this way: he's not even paying you a salary and is using you as a babysitter. So what's wrong with staying in a luxury hotel for a bit? You could even see it as him taking advantage of you. Just think of it as tolerating your employer's whims."

Hearing her put it that way, I started to see her point.

Maybe I was overthinking things.

If the offer was good, I should just accept it.

So I decided to accept Seung-rok's proposal.

***

Seung-rok left for Seoul alone that day.

The next day, I headed to Seoul with the grandfather to conduct the pre-recorded interview with the production team.

When we arrived at the airport, an unexpected person was waiting for us.

"Mina!"

"Huh?"

A smile naturally spread across my face at the unexpected greeting.