Chick SS6
by Cristae6
“Should I—should I help you?”
“…?”
Question marks popped up above all three of their heads.
Chuen cautiously guided Groo to sit across the table from them.
“You’re having trouble because of Gong Jinman, the CEO of JnL Entertainment, aren’t you?”
“Oh…”
“Ooh…”
They all listened to Chuen’s words with the same expression—’As expected of such a remarkable informant!’
Gong Jinman switched his phone to his other hand.
“Come on, Seunghyun. You’re her classmate; you should know. We’re talking about Shin Nayeon. She doesn’t care about minor things like this, seriously.”
On the other end, Ye Seunghyun replied in a subdued voice, making Gong Jinman sigh impatiently.
“Hey, rookie Ye Seunghyun with nothing under his belt. You need to stick close to Shin Nayeon. Otherwise, you’ll miss your big chance and end up playing bit parts in morning dramas, understand?!”
When he barked like that, the phone line fell silent. Good, he’s finally getting the message.
“I’ll check Nayeon’s schedule, so keep showing your face around her. Got it?”
Gong Jinman hung up after this threat.
“The kid’s too clueless to see I’m trying to do him a favor. Tsk.”
Muttering about how kids these days had no ambition, he fiddled with his shirt collar and stepped out of the executive office.
“Hey, get Manager Kim for—huh?”
Gong Jinman froze mid-gesture to the secretary.
“Hello.”
“Hello, sir.”
“Helloo.”
Romi, Nayeon, and Groo were sitting side-by-side on the sofa at the front desk, greeting him.
Each wore sunglasses and had their legs crossed.
Gong Jinman briefly looked a bit uneasy, then flashed his business grin.
“Wow~ Look who it is. Nayeon and Romi! Been ages. So, what brings you here, huh?”
“Sir.”
Romi lowered her sunglasses and looked up at him.
“We came because we have something to say to you.”
“Yeah? What business would we have? Oh, are you two coming back to the agency?”
The man lounged across from them, resting his arms on his knees in a lazy smile.
“No, it’s about Nayeon.”
“About me.”
“About Nayeon unni.”
Romi folded her arms. Nayeon, who had been glancing at her, did the same, and Groo followed suit.
“Would you like to talk here, or should we go inside?”
“We don’t mind talking here.”
“Wuh don’ mind…”
Groo mumbled like a cat, but the sentence was much too long for a parrot-like echo.
Gong Jinman smiled like a Hahoetal mask.
“The youngest is adorable.”
“Isn’t she?” Nayeon, glowing, hugged Groo, and Romi shot her a sharp glare.
Seeing Nayeon unchanged, Gong Jinman relaxed again.
So this was it—he’d wondered if they were here to pick a fight, but she was still as clueless as ever, just tagging along after Romi.
But Romi too had her weak points, and as for Gong Jinman, he’d been through it all—nothing about manipulating young women fazed him.
“Alright, let’s talk here, then. What could my young ladies possibly have to say?”
Romi curved one corner of her lips up.
“You’ll regret this, you know? Groo?”
“Yees.”
At her cue, Groo took a thick envelope from her bag, set it on the table, and slid it forward.
“What’s this?”
Puzzled, Gong Jinman peered inside—and froze.
It was a photo of himself in nothing but his underwear.
Zoomed in from inside a hotel, the picture showed Gong Jinman in his underwear, together with his mistress.
He stared intently at the photo.
Feeling triumphant, Romi jumped right to the point.
“Sir, we know it was you who tried to pair up Ye Seunghyun and Nayeon and plant articles about them, so just stop. And from now on, please don’t try to see her again.”
But when Gong Jinman looked up, it was Romi’s turn to freeze.
He tossed the photo onto the table and gave them a Hahoetal-mask grin.
“So this is what you’re after. But I didn’t leak the scandal, you know? And even if I did, so what?”
He flicked the photo dismissively.
“You think a little something like this will make me quake in my boots? Girls, do you really think this kind of thing will scare me?”
“…!”
“You think my wife doesn’t know I fool around? People turn a blind eye to these things and move on.”
Romi and Nayeon’s jaws dropped.
“Aren’t you even sorry to your wife?”
“How would she live without me? How would she raise the kids? You’ll understand when you’re married too.”
“…!”
Their faces fell.
They hadn’t expected Gong Jinman to be this much of a scumbag.
Neither of them were used to dealing with someone this awful, and now an unease crept in.
Gong Jinman leaned back on the sofa, smiling confidently.
“So, is that all you have to say?”
“…”
Groo raised her eyebrows sharply.
How dare this Underwear Man shut her sisters down? Wasn’t he the ultimate scumbag after all?
‘Is it time to step up?’
Chuen had quietly slipped her something, just in case.
Groo folded her arms and pressed her right index finger to her forehead.
“Groo didn’t want to go this far…”
But to take on a big-shot scumbag, there was no other way.
A goldfish popped out from Groo’s arms and darted toward Gong Jinman.
“Still, the youngest is really cute. Kid, want to try a camera test? Be on television?”
Groo blinked.
“Mister.”
“Yeah?”
The child’s pointed gaze slid past Gong Jinman’s face. Groo then leaned in and whispered,
“Mister, who’s the lady standing on your shoulder?”
“…Huh?”
Gong Jinman’s face drained of color.
He suddenly felt a chill and his shoulder ache.
Having suffered from a string of nightmares about ghosts, Gong Jinman reflexively grasped his prayer beads.
He’d gone to every renowned shaman and temple, receiving protection talismans wherever he could.
They had driven away his past nightmares.
But—
Groo’s coral-colored eyes drifted upward.
“Oh, she’s jumping.”
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Jingle—
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Jingle—
With each jingle, it felt as if something was jumping wildly on his shoulder.
Horripilation—
Goosebumps rose from Gong Jinman’s scalp down his neck as he frantically tried to brush off whatever was clinging to him.
“W-what the hell! What is this? Get it off! Hurry!”
“Is something wrong, sir?”
“Sir! Are you alright?”
Secretaries at the front desk rushed over.
Startled by Gong Jinman’s sudden breakdown, Romi and Nayeon clumsily got to their feet.
Groo shook her head at Romi and Nayeon.
“Aaaagh! Somebody get this off me!”
Romi glanced once at Groo, then at Nayeon.
Sensing a flicker of magic, Nayeon realized what Groo had done and signaled to Romi.
With a deliberate cough, Romi said,
“Sir, you shouldn’t live like this. That’s why you attract bad things. If you change your ways, feel free to contact us. Let’s go, girls.”
Romi and Nayeon each took one of Groo’s hands and turned away.
Sandwiched between them, Groo glanced back.
She gazed with sympathy at the suffering Gong Jinman and spoke,
“Mister, live kindly.”
At that very moment, giggling laughter echoed from above.
It was Romi and Nayeon, laughing.
Seeing her sisters so cheered up, Groo felt her spirit lift too.
The three walked out in high spirits, laughing together.
Mom
You helped your sisters when they were in trouble?
How is my honeybee always so sweet?
Let’s keep growing into a kind, considerate adult.
Mom is leaving the sand a little more every day. So don’t worry.
I love you too, honeybear.