023 Not Enough Bathrooms

"Ah, sometimes I think about it, and sometimes I don't."

If anyone else had said that, Yoon Yun-hui would have felt disrespected. But coming from Cho Mi-yeon... it was highly likely that she really was just thinking exactly that.

"That's great, then."

Yoon Yun-hui sighed. There are some people you just can't get too close to; they might look like classical beauties on the outside, but their souls are incredibly abstract.

Still, do I 'like' a woman for her soul? As long as she's pretty, that's all that matters.

Yoon Yun-hui was plotting his revenge. He still held a grudge from elementary school, when he was soundly defeated by Cho Mi-yeon in the class president election.

The stage outfits for (G)I-DLE today were short skirts for everyone—the kind of pleated, bouncy skirts that gave off a cheerleader vibe, with safety shorts just as short as the skirts themselves.

Then there was ITZY, following behind. Their outfits caught Yoon Yun-hui's eye for an extra moment.

Very good. This was another cost-saving measure—very JYP Entertainment.

At first glance, you might think all five of them were wearing the exact same thing. Look closer, and they really were. The five members of ITZY were all dressed in white athletic tank tops paired with white athletic shorts, using only different small blue accessories to create a sense of differentiation.

Well, what can you expect for eight million won? It was already quite decent.

Yoon Yun-hui watched as the two groups of idols headed backstage. He truly didn't know a single member of ITZY this time. But pretty kids always draw attention.

"That one who stands out the most in ITZY, what's her name?"

"Shin Yu-na. What's up? Want me to set something up for you, Hyung?"

"How would you even do that?"

Lee Jun-ho was speechless. He couldn't set anything up. Yoon Yun-hui felt that his little brother had been acting quite mischievous lately—when did he turn into a talent scout?

"Manager Lee, Yu-na-ssi is a minor..."

Assistant Kim had returned just in time to hear Lee Jun-ho's comment and offered a quiet, cutting remark. Lee Jun-ho smiled, trying to ease the awkwardness.

"She's so tall, I thought she was older."

"Yu-na-ssi is a '03-liner; she really isn't an adult yet..."

Assistant Kim was relentless. She didn't really care about the private life of her boss, Brother Hui—in her mind, that was just another part of her job, and if he really needed it, she wouldn't be against helping him out. But there were red lines that simply could not be crossed. This friend of Brother Hui's from CJ had a dangerous way of thinking, and she needed to be on guard.

"Manager Kim, has the club been booked?"

Yoon Yun-hui stepped in to smooth things over. What was wrong with these people? In his assistant's eyes, was he really some kind of wicked predator who wouldn't spare anyone?

"It's booked. We have the private room with a view of Namsan. The club said they couldn't prepare a formal banquet on such short notice, but all other facilities are available for use."

"Understood. Thank you for your trouble. Once the VIP check-in starts later, you don't need to stay with me the whole time."

"Understood."

Assistant Kim 'vanished' on the spot. Lee Jun-ho sighed in admiration.

"Brother Hui, you have to teach me. How do you get a loyal hound like that for a subordinate?"

"Uh... first, restore it to factory settings, then change the password to your own."

Yoon Yun-hui's explanation was rather cryptic. In plain terms, Artist Company had practically gifted one of their best managers to Yoon Yun-hui, and a silent agreement had been reached between the three parties.

The two brothers, Lee Jung-jae and Jung Woo-sung, were quite the inspiring duo. One was worming his way into the chaebol circles while the other leaned toward the progressive faction, acting separately. After all these years, they had been quite successful. However, Jung Woo-sung's starting point was much lower than Lee Jung-jae's. He grew up in the shantytowns of Seoul and didn't even finish high school. Lee Jung-jae, on the other hand, was born in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and although his family had fallen on hard times, he had spent his middle school years in Cheongdam-dong.

Therefore, when Yoon Yun-hui intended to join Artist Company, only Jung Woo-sung came to meet him, making it clear that Lee Jung-jae wanted to give this opportunity to his good brother, hoping to strengthen their standing on the progressive side.

It was under those circumstances that Assistant Kim had reported to Yoon Yun-hui. Sincerity for sincerity—talented people in society were both abundant and rare, and Yoon Yun-hui cherished Assistant Kim quite a bit.

"I'm so envious..."

Lee Jun-ho looked on with longing. When would he ever be as cool as Brother Hui?

The backstage of the open-air theater was packed to the brim, bustling with people greeting each other, catching up, meeting new friends, exchanging contact information, and taking photos. It was almost humorous to suggest that anyone in the entertainment industry didn't know anyone else. Everyone's motives were easy to guess, especially the idols; there was a certain aesthetic to it, like a convention for naive youths—their level of socialization was generally quite low.

"President, are you really not planning to be the MC?"

"Let's leave that opportunity for the juniors."

With a limited budget, they hadn't hired a professional host this time, opting to select one from the student clubs instead. Yoon Yun-hui met with the student organizers in charge of the music festival to ensure everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

Once the sun became less intense, the music festival would begin. Just then, a student organizer approached with a hesitant look on his face. Yoon Yun-hui took the initiative.

"What is it?"

"President, we're running out of restrooms."

"Huh?"

One oversight. Yoon Yun-hui really hadn't expected this to be an issue. Well, the current open-air theater had been renovated in the 90s with donations from alumni; the seating area had plenty of restrooms, but it wasn't realistic to send the artists over there.

"This is Yoon Yun-hui. Shuttle service, please respond."

"Received, President. Please instruct."

"Get two vehicles to the open-air theater, quickly."

"Vehicle 2 is on standby outside the theater."

"Vehicle 5 is on the way."

"Business School, please respond."

"Received."

"Clear out the first-floor restrooms on the north side and keep a fast-track lane open."

"Understood."

Yoon Yun-hui issued the orders directly over the radio. The closest building to the open-air theater was the Business School. Since the performances were about to start, rather than waiting for the crowded backstage facilities, it was better to rush them over to the Business School building to take care of business.

"I'll leave things here to you."

Yoon Yun-hui encouraged the student organizer. Once he said it out loud, he felt like taking a ride over to the Business School himself.

The managers of the various groups quickly rounded up their people who needed to head over, seemingly accustomed to the routine. It made sense; they all had experience with commercial gigs. Sometimes, when touring outside of Seoul, they had to wait until they reached a highway rest stop or arrived at their destination to find a bathroom.

Two small shuttle buses didn't seem like enough—artists, managers, and security all had to travel in groups. Seeing this, Yoon Yun-hui simply told the driver of one of the vehicles to take a break and took the wheel himself. That settled it.

It turned out that he was the one who was extra.

"Hurry, hurry."

The female idols were dragging their feet, not sure what they were doing. It wasn't until Yoon Yun-hui urged them that one girl with cat-like features took the initiative and sat in the passenger seat next to him.

Oh... so that's how they were assigning seats. But he was wearing a volunteer vest—he was just a complete passerby.

Noticing Yoon Yun-hui's gaze, the girl with the cat-like features gave him a sweet smile.

Why does she look so silly? No, wait—this face!

She looks like an old acquaintance!

As Yoon Yun-hui drove, he couldn't help but observe the girl in the passenger seat through his peripheral vision. Wasn't she the leader of ITZY?

What was her name... Hwang Ye-ji?