Episode 22: You Can Kill Me, That’s Fine
There’s a common belief that twins are closer than regular siblings.
I’ve met a few pairs of twins in my life. In elementary school, I was classmates with the male half of a fraternal twin pair, and in high school, I had identical twin brothers in my class.
The identical twins I knew were like soulmates, just as the stereotype suggests. The fraternal twins, while not as tight as same-sex siblings, still had a deeper understanding and empathy for each other compared to typical siblings.
Having a younger sister myself, I could feel the difference.
Of course, there are always exceptions, but in popular media—movies, dramas, comics, novels—twins are almost always depicted as cooperative and considerate.
I’ve never seen a story where twins compete or betray each other.
But reality often outdoes fiction.
“Since we were kids, she’s always had a strong rivalry with me,” Seon-yu said.
The rift between the Seo sisters wasn’t something that formed in a year or two—it was like geological layers, stacked since early childhood when their sense of self began to take shape.
Suppressing her lingering resentment, Seon-yu recounted their “sisterly rebellion.”
“Even as babies, I was considered a bit prettier than her. Jin-yu doesn’t have double eyelids, and her nose is lower, so people often said she looked boyish. Since we’re twins, we wore the same clothes and shoes, but people would mistake us for a brother and sister, and relatives compared her to me a lot.”
Seon-yu even showed us baby photos on her phone to prove it.
From infancy, her features were strikingly perfect—like a living doll—while Jin-yu had a cute, boyish charm.
If Jin-yu had been alone, she’d probably have been called adorable, but next to Seon-yu, she was inevitably overshadowed.
The real-life Jin-yu we saw earlier wasn’t lacking at all.
Being in Jeje’s debut lineup means her visuals are solid, so confidence in her appearance shouldn’t be an issue now.
But the inferiority complex built up since childhood clearly lingers.
In my opinion, the comparisons that started in their early years only worsened as they grew older.
Take my sister and me, for example. I’m not particularly unattractive, and my sister isn’t some stunning beauty, but friends and acquaintances who saw her photos would tease that all the good genes went to her.
This kind of lookism-based comparison isn’t unique to me—it’s common among siblings with noticeable differences in appearance.
For guys, it’s annoying, but for a woman living as the sister of someone as undeniably pretty as Seon-yu, it must’ve been tough to endure.
Plus, Seon-yu is tall and slender, while Jin-yu is shorter with an average build, making the visual gap even starker.
The stress Jin-yu faced during her sensitive teenage years must’ve been beyond what an outsider could casually comment on.
That much, I can understand.
But most people live with some level of insecurity or jealousy without letting it drive them to ostracize or sabotage family members in a social setting.
According to Seon-yu, Jin-yu’s near-psychotic distortion began when they attended the same elementary school, suggesting there’s more to it than just appearance comparisons.
“Her dream was to be an idol, so she started training in elementary school. She was naturally talented in singing and dancing, so our parents fully supported her in that direction.”
Seon-yu, on the other hand, had no interest in the entertainment industry.
She briefly tried child modeling at the suggestion of a family acquaintance but quit soon after due to the stress.
“If you weren’t interested in being a celebrity, how’d you end up at Jeje?”
“A Jeje manager saw my photo on Jin-yu’s Instagram and contacted my mom directly.”
“You said you two weren’t close, but she still posted your photo on Instagram?”
“That’s how cunning Jin-yu is. She never shows outwardly that we’re on bad terms. And she never badmouths me herself.”
Exactly the type I suspected.
There are always people who bury others without getting their hands dirty—demons with a knack for manipulation.
What’s infuriating about these types is that they’re smart and eloquent, easily fooling most people.
On top of that, they’re masters at managing their image, so they’re well-liked in social circles.
“From her perspective, it must’ve been infuriating. She spent nearly a decade hopping between agencies as a trainee before finally getting into Jeje, while I waltzed into the A-team just because of my face,” Seon-yu said.
It wasn’t just Jin-yu—other trainees probably resented her too.
Seung-ah, who’d endured years as a trainee herself, nodded in agreement.
“That’d definitely spark some relative deprivation. But, well, looks are a talent for idols, so it’s kind of inevitable…”
Most trainees are teenagers.
Even if they understand it logically, they’re too immature to hide their jealousy and insecurity.
Jin-yu exploited that, stirring up drama and sowing discord. The already shy and reserved Seon-yu couldn’t adjust to trainee life and ended up quitting on her own.
No matter how good her visuals were, Jeje—known for its strong trainee pool—had no reason to keep someone like Seon-yu who couldn’t fit in.
Teamwork is that critical for idol groups.
“You know what’s scary about Jin-yu? When I quit, she cried her eyes out in front of the other trainees and staff. At home, she clung to Mom, sobbing that it was her fault for not taking care of me.”
Is there no room for Satan in this world?
Even Satan would shake their head at Jin-yu’s duplicity. Ah-hyun was floored.
“Wow… isn’t that, like, sociopathic?”
“Yeah, I think she’s a sociopath,” Seon-yu agreed.
I asked, “But your parents must know, right? She can hide it outside, but parents would notice.”
“They know. But to Mom and Dad, we’re both their daughters—what can they do? She’s never caused trouble publicly. In fact, she has lots of friends and gets praised for her great personality, so they’re happy. She’s super affectionate with them too…”
Now it all made sense.
Jin-yu is only a monster to Seon-yu.
It’s enough to drive Seon-yu up the wall.
“I’m shy, quiet, and have a blank expression, so people often say I’m rude. But Jin-yu comes off as friendly and likable to everyone, so I’m just the bad guy.”
Being pretty isn’t everything.
This was the hidden cost of her blessed looks.
That full-throttle punch she threw at the redhead earlier was the explosion of all her pent-up emotions.
Tears, which had paused, began streaming down Seon-yu’s face again.
This time, it was resentment toward Jeje Entertainment.
“Who said I wanted to be an idol? They called me to join, and what did I do so wrong? Getting swayed by one trainee… and they call themselves a top-five agency? Ugh…”
“Sigh… that’s rough…”
Ah-hyun let out a regretful sigh, looking at Seon-yu with pity.
Having judged Seon-yu based on rumors, she likely felt the most guilt right now.
Finally understanding Seon-yu’s pain and injustice, she handed her a napkin.
“Here, wipe your tears.”
“Thanks…”
“Hearing your story, it’s no wonder your mental state’s a mess. Honestly, I heard rumors about you when I was at Jeje and told oppa about them…”
“It wasn’t just you—everyone thought that way.”
“Sorry for spreading rumors without knowing you…”
Seung-ah quickly chimed in.
“I’m sorry too. I thought you were a delinquent.”
Instead of saying it was okay, Seon-yu let her emotions out.
“Ugh, it’s so frustrating. They say other twins are so close they’d die for each other—why am I stuck with this?”
The mood grew heavy.
Jin-ah, back from the pharmacy, rustled a bag and squeezed out a generous amount of ointment, slathering it on Seon-yu’s tear-streaked face.
“My hands are clean. No stag beetle germs.”
Seon-yu calmly let Jin-ah tend to her.
The scratch from a fingernail was covered in ointment, and Jin-ah kindly applied a bandage too.
To think, Jin-ah, who seemed like just the quirky maknae, had this caring side.
Come to think of it, she’s a year older than Seon-yu.
For the first time, it hit me that Jin-ah was the unnie.
“Thanks…”
“Be my teammate,” Jin-ah said.
“Huh…?”
“We’ll treat you well. You’d be a great visual center.”
“Whoa, slow down!”
I calmed Jin-ah down and asked Seon-yu the most critical question.
“You said you became a trainee because of the company and your parents. So, you don’t actually want to be an idol?”
“I wasn’t planning to originally…”
“Yeah?”
“But I’m going to try.”
“Oh, really?”
“Why should I quit for someone else’s sake? If I give up now, it’s just letting Jin-yu win.”
Perfect.
This is good.
Anger is the most powerful, primal motivator, isn’t it?
Regardless of her reasons, Seon-yu’s passed the character test in front of the members—there’s no reason not to bring her onto Free Sense.
The Free Sense members didn’t seem to object either.
The real issue is whether Seon-yu is willing to board the Free Sense ship.
That’s the biggest hurdle.
A hot prospect who could be scooped up by a major agency based on her visuals alone has no reason to join a sinking ship.
Seon-yu probably hasn’t even considered becoming a new member of Free Sense.
But she doesn’t know the team’s on the verge of disbandment.
There are precedents of obscure groups rebounding after adding new members, so I need to lean into that angle.
In a way, it’s her fastest, surest shot at debuting.
It all comes down to my pitch.
I started rolling out the strategy I’d prepared for this moment.
“If you join another agency now, you’d have to start over as a trainee. Your singing and dancing are probably beginner-level, right?”
“I’d just have to learn step by step.”
“If you join our company, you could debut in a few months.”
“But they said they’re not forming a new girl group.”
“Who says you have to join a rookie group?”
Seon-yu’s mouth clamped shut.
She’s thinking.
GraceOne doesn’t need new members… so that leaves Free Sense.
With all our members here today, it’s obviously Free Sense.
My team is Free Sense.
The conclusion is undeniably Free Sense.
“Wait a sec… You mean…?”
“Yeah. We’re thinking of you as a new member for Free Sense.”
“Me? Why…?”
It wasn’t an outright rejection, but her humble phrasing was a polite way of saying there’s no need to go through the trouble for her.
If I hesitate here, I’ll lose her trust.
With unwavering confidence and fiery determination in my eyes, I answered boldly.
“I’d bet everything I have on this—we’re going to make it big. If you join our team and we don’t hit it off within a year, you can kill me.”