Episode 140: Remodeling (1)
Meeting Seo Yoon-je was definitely a godsend—a stroke of genius—for the new future I’m writing for myself.
I’m feeling that more clearly than ever this summer.
‘I don’t have to be apart from Zia even in the summer!’
Maybe it’s the rebound from spending sixteen years falling asleep alone in bed.
Falling asleep with Zia in my arms is nothing short of the world’s ultimate sleeping pill—nothing else comes close.
The warmth transmitted from body to body, her faint natural scent drifting over, the soft tickle of her breathing against my ear—everything!
Even so, sticking this close in weather like this is tough for me too.
Of course, for me, the satisfaction of feeling Zia’s presence far outweighs any discomfort from the heat,
‘But I can’t force that on her.’
In the end, last summer when we were still living in that rooftop room, I had no choice but to let her slip out of my arms.
More than anything, even though it was an unconscious action in her sleep, the feeling of Zia pushing me away was a little hard to endure.
But now it’s different!
Now I can run the air conditioner all night without a single worry!
Even if the electricity bill comes crashing down like a bomb, I’ve reached the point where I can handle that much with ease—and to begin with, not just electricity, but water, gas, and all other utility and management fees aren’t even being billed to us.
Every single management cost is being covered entirely under MyWay’s expense account.
Of course Zia still nags that we shouldn’t use things like water as if it’s free,
‘But the company is basically telling us to use it without holding back.’
The costs for management fees are more than covered—just the successful launches of Hylliy and Orion alone are enough to offset them with plenty left over.
If we skimp on those things just to save a little and end up ruining my condition, that would actually be the bigger loss for them.
Now that Zia is out on shoots, I’ve even heard similar things from the BNW side.
“Just set the air conditioner to 22 degrees and leave it there. Too low isn’t good either—22 is perfect. Got it? No matter what Zia says, you make sure to keep it that way, Yujin.”
Of course, the one who said that to me was Lee Ah-jeong.
When the owner of this building—and the real power behind both MyWay and BNW—says something like that, how could I possibly disobey?
Thanks to that, this summer Zia has been the one burrowing into my arms every night.
And as that became the new normal, the sense of loss from something that should have been there… disappearing… has grown just a little stronger.
I’ve rambled on quite a bit, but basically…
“You’re awake?”
That’s what it means when I wake up because I no longer feel Zia’s presence in my arms.
Summer has arrived, the sun rises much earlier now, but the sky outside the window is still dark.
“You’re leaving already…?”
“Yeah. There’s a dawn scene today, so I have to head out now. You sleep more, Yujin.”
It’s been about a year and a half since I came back to the past.
A lot has changed in that time, but when I look closely, there are still things that remain unchanged—and for some reason that made me smile.
Like how the perfect way to soothe Zia’s anger is still tteokbokki with the Scoville level cranked up to villain territory.
Or how, even though she knows I’m awake, Zia still moves carefully in the dark out of consideration.
But that’s not the only reason for my smile.
While many things have stayed the same, one of the biggest things has changed—and realizing that hit me all over again.
Click.
I reached out and turned on the bedside lamp, creating a soft pool of light.
“Sleep more, like I said.”
Immediately, Zia’s voice came back, full of apology.
And I,
“Yeah. I’ll sleep better once you’re gone.”
Answered as casually as could be.
Yes—this is it.
‘I don’t feel heavy-hearted anymore.’
Watching Zia leave me behind to go to work no longer feels uncomfortable.
It’s no longer her sacrificing for the path I’m walking. Now it’s her walking her own path too.
This too is one of the blessings that came from taking the hand Seo Yoon-je extended.
Chuu.
“Here too.”
“Ah, come on—I’m not a kid!”
The soft kiss I used to pretend to sleep through and accept without acknowledging—I can now openly demand one on the other side too.
“Have a good day. Work hard.”
“Yeah. Ah, Han Yujin—you didn’t send anything like that again today, right?”
“Hey, even I can’t handle tteokbokki two days in a row. My stomach’s still a little upset even now.”
“Serves you right—who else are you gonna blame? Ugh, how satisfying.”
Thanks to that, instead of holding back tears in case Zia forgot something and came rushing back, I was able to send her off with a playful farewell.
Even this much feels like an immense blessing to me.
Maybe that’s why.
Or maybe it’s thanks to the faint lingering warmth and scent of Zia.
In the past I would’ve gotten up and plucked at the guitar strings, but now I slipped right back into deep sleep.
Until the alarm I’d set went off.
***
I clutched my still-aching empty stomach and headed down to the parking lot.
Su-hyuk greeted me with something a little different from his usual morning hello.
“Hyung. Here.”
“What’s this? Why so much milk?”
White milk, chocolate milk, strawberry milk, banana milk, yogurt milk…
The lineup was so extensive I tilted my head, wondering if he was planning to start a milk business, but Su-hyuk grinned and answered.
“Zia noona asked me to prepare these for you. I didn’t know which one you’d like best, so I grabbed one of each.”
Ah, that explains it.
Usually he’d make a huge fuss asking if I was okay, but today he seemed oddly calm—I guess Zia had already taken care of it ahead of time.
‘This cheeky little rascal.’
She acts all sulky and pouty with her words, but then prepares something like this—how could I not find her utterly lovable?
It would’ve been perfect if I’d received it directly from Zia’s hands, but
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
How could I possibly show any dissatisfaction in front of our SSS-class manager?
This much is already a perfectly wonderful good morning.
“Whew, I thought I was gonna die, but now I feel alive again.”
My mouth craves the sweet taste of chocolate, strawberry, and banana, but my hand instinctively reaches for the low-fat milk and yogurt milk instead.
I chugged the two packs one after another to calm the storm raging in my stomach, and was about to tell Su-hyuk to finish the rest—when he held out a paper bag that had been sitting on the passenger seat.
“Ah, hyung. And this too.”
“What’s this?”
“Your phone.”
I could tell just by looking.
The brown paper bag had the [Voyager!] logo printed on it—the name of the smartphone model released by Our Electronics.
Before I could even ask why he was giving it to me, our SSS-class manager quickly added the explanation.
“Our Electronics came in as a sponsor. They said the producers have to use it.”
“Ah, product placement.”
“Yeah. It might be inconvenient, but while the cameras are rolling, you’ll probably have to use this one.”
I understood.
If that’s the case, no choice.
They can’t hand phones to the trainees, so if Our Electronics is doing PPL, it naturally falls to the producers.
I took out the foldable smartphone from the box and opened it—the power was already on.
“I got a prepaid SIM and put it in for you ahead of time. I also entered a few important numbers.”
Wow, as expected of an SSS-class manager.
I’m always grateful for how he takes care of these small details first, but unfortunately, Su-hyuk’s consideration had missed the mark a little this time.
“Doesn’t this have a pin?”
“Huh?”
“No, I mean… since I have to use it anyway, I might as well keep using this one. Isn’t this the latest model?”
“Uh… yeah, it is, but…”
“If they’re giving it for free, I should be thankful and use it. It’s not like I’m an iPhone user or anything.”
I’ve been a Voyager user since my school days.
‘iPhones were a luxury.’
Back when I was young and had to scrape by on every penny, an expensive iPhone was completely out of reach.
I started with a low-end Voyager model, and it became so ingrained in me that even as time passed, I could never adapt to iPhones.
“Here’s the pin. I just thought… since you kept using that old phone for so long, maybe it had some sentimental value or something…”
Su-hyuk trailed off, and a small chuckle escaped me.
‘Sentimental value, my ass…’
Memories are what’s inside this thing, not the smartphone itself.
In a world where one tap—click—and everything transfers over anyway.
‘Just… this one or that one… it’s all the same.’
The reason I hadn’t changed phones wasn’t some deep attachment. For someone accustomed to 2030s devices like me, whether it was the old model I’d used since before regression or the latest one, they were equally frustrating and clunky—there wasn’t much difference.
If I’m going to be conscious of the camera anyway and fuss over unnecessary things, it’s better to just switch.
“Since we’ve got sponsorship, there’s no downside to showing myself using it normally. If they like me, maybe MyWay can land an ad or two out of it.”
“Ah…!”
A small exclamation of realization slipped from Su-hyuk’s mouth.
This too would become one of the pieces completing our SSS-class manager.
“How do I transfer everything?”
“Ah, just pair them via Bluetooth first. There’s a pre-installed app called Smart Traveler.”
“Ahh, this one. Got the gist. I’ll do it on the way, so let’s head out.”
“Yes, sir.”
I swapped the SIM first, followed Su-hyuk’s instructions, and started preparing to welcome the new phone by transferring what I could recall.
‘By the way… Project Trinity… is it really at the level where Our Electronics would jump in?’
The thought naturally crossed my mind.
To be honest, in this industry—the idol world—Voyager isn’t exactly a preferred brand.
‘Security aside, you can’t ignore trends.’
It got to the point where even a lot of my own fans didn’t follow me when it came to phones.
Whether idols made it trendy or people followed the trend—who came first, the chicken or the egg?—setting that aside,
Most of Project Trinity’s main viewers are probably firmly in the iPhone camp.
‘Didn’t Our Electronics already know that?’
Maybe that’s why Voyager models were mostly endorsed by actors.
Among singers, maybe just the trot prince Min Uiri at best?
It got so bad that even a weirdo like me didn’t get model offers until I was well into my mid-thirties.
‘Unless…’
For no reason, that one thought popped up.
The nickname of whoever plastered my photo all along the transfer corridor at Gyodae Station.
‘No way… right?’
What if that person really is Vice President Woo Hye-yeon, and she put advertising into Project Trinity because of me?
No matter how much of a royal family member she is, for a woman to rise to vice president of the electronics division—the core of our group—as a businesswoman?
Come on, this level of self-consciousness is basically a disease.
‘It’s probably just a mood-changer attempt at a reversal…’
While I was thinking that, the data transfer finished.
There was still a lot left—photos, videos, etc.—but since you can’t use the phone at all during transfer, I’d moved only the basic apps for now and would handle the rest when I got home.
I waited for the reboot, confirmed the sluggish phone had regained its normal speed, and immediately made a call.
Messenger would’ve been easier, but the other person doesn’t have it, so no choice.
The recipient: E-GIS’s manager.
“Hello? Hi, this is Han Yujin. Could you put Min-gi or Ha-on on the line for me?”
“Yes, hyung. It’s Min-gi.”
He must’ve handed the phone over as soon as he saw my name—Go Min-gi’s voice came through right away.
Sending Zia off at dawn, the milk, and now this call.
Things flowing smoothly from the morning—it feels like today’s going to be a pretty good day.
It has to go well.
We’re about to enter a pretty important phase starting today.
The order I’m about to give Go Min-gi is the very first step.
“Work the kids hard this morning.”
“Hard? How hard?”
“Hmm… hard enough that they can barely lift a spoon at lunch?”
“Huh? Then what about the afternoon?”
Go Min-gi asked the perfectly reasonable question.
But my decision wasn’t changing.
“Just push them.”
No helping it.
‘To shape Chaekyung into a proper vocalist, I have to drain her stamina first.’
But I can’t just grind Chaekyung to death alone, can I?
They have to carry this burden together—that’s what makes it a team.
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TL Note:
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Chapters 141–176 are available on My Patreon (Premium Tier) together with 5 other novels.
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[This series is in the “Regressed Idol” collection]
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