The Daughter of a Conglomerate Family Has Debuted - Chapter 129

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Chaebol’s Daughter Debuted

 

Episode 129

 

“Sigh.”

 

I should wait.

 

As I lay there with a serious expression looking at my mobile phone screen, a muffled voice came from under the bed.

 

“Did Da-min unnie read it? Isn’t she replying right away?”

 

Min Ha-young looked at me with her mouth full of sandwich.

 

I nodded with an incredulous laugh.

 

“She read it but hasn’t replied yet.”

 

“Not yet? I thought Da-min unnie would contact us quickly. That’s strange. Oh, I’ll go get more sandwiches. Aunt said she made tons because I was coming.”

 

She’s so naturally at our home.

 

Min Ha-young has been coming to our house every day since the competition ended, after quickly accepting my proposal first and signing with Day Entertainment.

 

Now even our family members have gotten used to Min Ha-young and started treating her presence in this house as natural.

 

Especially Mother and our housekeeper Aunt really like Min Ha-young, saying she’s well-behaved and diligent.

 

Min Ha-young naturally went to the kitchen to refill her sandwiches, then sat close to me and put one in my mouth.

 

“But did you only ask Da-min unnie? What about the other members?”

 

“I haven’t contacted them yet.”

 

For similar reasons as with Han Da-min, I haven’t contacted them.

 

Since I said I’d leave it to each person’s choice, if I contacted them first it would feel like I was pressuring them.

 

With Han Da-min, since she expressed her intention to refuse, I’m actively contacting her to try persuading her.

 

Actually, not much time has passed since I made the proposal.

 

But Min Ha-young didn’t seem to think so, pouting as she muttered.

 

“Everyone’s slower than I thought. I expected them to say okay right away.”

 

“Rather, you’re the one who’s unusually fast.”

 

“Haha! That’s true.”

 

Min Ha-young readily agreed.

 

Like Han Da-min, everyone’s in different situations and has many things to consider.

 

Song-i is still young, and unlike how she spoke decisively to us, it seemed she actually had less choice in her decisions than expected.

 

 

 

-I want to do it, but my parents need to give permission. Don’t get your hopes up.

 

 

 

She said Start Plan itself was a big rebellion and stubbornness for Choi Song-i, so she needed her parents’ permission.

 

So currently she’s persuading her parents together with Kim Ja-in.

 

Since I’m getting progress reports from Kim Ja-in, I’m not really worried about this side…

 

‘Seo Ra-eun is…’

 

“Hmm…”

 

I’m considering contacting Seo Ra-eun separately as soon as Han Da-min’s contract ends.

 

Not just because of the contract, but purely out of worry.

 

“Can you get through to Ra-eun unnie?”

 

When I asked Min Ha-young, her expression also became subtle.

 

“No. Ra-eun unnie hasn’t been talking in the group chat lately either.”

 

“Right? Have you tried contacting her separately?”

 

“Many times. I’m worried. The unnie who kept saying we should definitely keep in touch after the finals suddenly went silent.”

 

As expected. Min Ha-young couldn’t talk to her either.

 

Recently.

 

No, right after the finals, Seo Ra-eun suddenly became unreachable.

 

After the finals ended, Seo Ra-eun shed tears at the after-party, saying she was grateful and suggesting we keep in touch going forward.

 

Actually, Seo Ra-eun treasured her relationships with the Flora members and had very high participation in the group messenger, so it was too strange for her to suddenly go silent.

 

Even though Seo Ra-eun didn’t give a definitive answer like Min Ha-young, she was very grateful for my proposal and seemed like she would contact me soon.

 

If she’s not just unreachable to me but to other members too, maybe something happened.

 

“Hmm, maybe she’s avoiding contact because she feels bad about refusing?”

 

“No, Ra-eun unnie isn’t the type to avoid contact because she feels sorry.”

 

No matter how timid Seo Ra-eun was, she wasn’t someone who wouldn’t contact me when I was waiting.

 

If another entertainment agency had contacted her, she would have honestly said so, or if she found another path, she would have said that too.

 

“What, you can’t reach her either? Since we’re talking about it, should I try calling once?”

 

Min Ha-young also tilted her head as if finding it strange and picked up her mobile phone.

 

Just as I was telling her to do that and trying to send a message myself.

 

brrr-

 

“Oh? Oh.”

 

A call came from Han Da-min.

 

“Who is it? Da-min unnie?”

 

Min Ha-young hung up the call she was making to Seo Ra-eun and came close to me.

 

I signaled for her to be quiet and answered the phone.

 

“Yes, unnie. Have you been well?”

 

-Oh, Ji-ye. I’ve been fine. Have you been well…

 

“Unnie! I’m here too!”

 

Min Ha-young grabbed my mobile phone and shouted.

 

Han Da-min seemed a bit flustered but soon greeted Min Ha-young in a bright voice.

 

-Ha-young was there too? You can put it on speaker. I was going to contact Ha-young after calling you anyway.

 

“Contact Ha-young too? Is something wrong?”

 

I asked while switching the call to speaker.

 

-No, nothing’s wrong with me. Oh, Ji-ye. Did you see the article?

 

“Ah, you saw it?”

 

She must have seen the article where UNET and SU admitted to manipulation.

 

“How was it, the gift I prepared? You saw the rankings too, right? We were supposed to be the winners originally.”

 

-…

 

“People now think we’re the winners, not May Rookie. UNET said so too.”

 

The fact that we were the real winners spread incredibly widely as soon as the article came out.

 

The biggest reason was that Choi Gyo-young reported it extensively with fellow reporters and Gu Beom-tae constantly posted about this issue on his channel to keep the buzz from dying down.

 

It was as if they were applying a grudge penalty, making Flora even bigger to spite May Rookie, SU, and their fans.

 

Anyway, thanks to that, now among those who don’t know much about Start Plan, more people think we won from the beginning.

 

With such public opinion, UNET even promised support and Kim Ja-in offered better conditions than anyone.

 

“Unnie, they say our Flora is the winning team. Do you know a more successful way to debut than debuting as the winning team?”

 

Where could there be a more perfect proposal than this?

 

At my somewhat boastful words, Han Da-min’s laughter soon came through.

 

-There isn’t. That’s why I called you. To say I’ll sign the contract.

 

“I was waiting for this.”

 

-I already told CEO Kim Ja-in. Thank you, Ji-ye.

 

“I’m glad my flower bouquet was to your liking.”

 

-…You really are.

 

Han Da-min couldn’t continue speaking for a while and muttered something incomprehensible.

 

She seemed to be crying a little, but given the situation, it was probably something like gratitude.

 

-But Ji-ye, Ha-young. Can you reach Ra-eun by any chance?

 

Huh?

 

At Han Da-min’s words, Min Ha-young and I looked at each other simultaneously.

 

“Wow, we were just talking about that. We said we can’t reach Ra-eun unnie lately.”

 

As expected, Seo Ra-eun wasn’t contacting Han Da-min either.

 

We might be one thing, but knowing how much Seo Ra-eun looks up to Han Da-min, if even Han Da-min can’t reach her…

 

-You too? Hmm…

 

“You can’t reach her either, unnie? Something must have really happened.”

 

-She’s not the type to suddenly become unreachable like this. I’m getting worried. I asked Song-i too, and she said Ra-eun’s voice sounded really bad the last time they talked….

 

Her voice sounded bad.

 

Something feels off. Is it just my imagination?

 

“I’ll keep trying to contact her too.”

 

“Me too!”

 

Min Ha-young quickly interjected.

 

-Yeah, please do. Ra-eun lives alone, and if we still can’t reach her, I think we’ll need to go to her place.

 

“If you’re going, let’s go together. I’m worried too.”

 

-Alright, let’s do that. I called to tell you that. Have fun with Ha-young!

 

Han Da-min ended the call with a bright voice like before, at least for the last part.

 

“Hmm….”

 

I rubbed the dark mobile phone screen with my thumb and bit my lips.

 

Something….

 

“What’s wrong? You suddenly got serious.”

 

“I’m a bit anxious.”

 

“About what? Not being able to contact Ra-eun unnie? Come on, I’m worried too, but surely nothing serious happened?”

 

“No, that’s not it.”

 

I want to believe that’s not it, but I’m afraid something worse than what we can imagine might have happened.

 

This is an anxiety you can only feel by experiencing it directly.

 

“Ra-eun unnie is pretty, and she’s also delicate.”

 

“…What do you mean by that?”

 

I really hope it’s just my worry. But it’s actually something that happens quite frequently.

 

“Nothing. I’m just anxious because we can’t contact her. Anyway, if you get in touch with Ra-eun unnie, let me know too.”

 

“Okay! You let me know too. And I decided to start practicing at the company tomorrow, want to join?”

 

I shook my head at Min Ha-young’s question.

 

I want to start practicing as soon as possible too, but I felt like I needed to find out about Seo Ra-eun’s situation first.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

My vision wavered.

 

A night with torrential rain pouring down.

 

I was standing in a dark space on a high floor of a building, surrounded by massive glass windows.

 

‘Where is this…. Is this a dream.’

 

I looked around with my wavering vision.

 

A large TV with some random channel on, glass fragments scattered from one of the several glass windows that had shattered completely, marble floor stained with blood and a huge carpet.

 

Clothes strewn everywhere and furniture that had collapsed and broken.

 

This place where everything had collapsed without a trace of warmth seemed to be the living room of some house with the lights off that I had never seen before.

 

I stared blankly at the night view visible through the window and then moved my steps.

 

Crunch- Crunch- Broken glass fragments were stepped on by my gaunt, dry soles and pierced into my skin.

 

It should hurt. It definitely should hurt.

 

Nevertheless, I was slowly approaching the broken glass window where outside wind was freely entering, muttering incomprehensible words without flinching at all.

 

‘Ah….’

 

Only then did I realize.

 

I was crying.

 

Already in a state of complete collapse.

 

‘Save me… I want to live….’

 

I was constantly muttering that I wanted to live while trying to fall to my death from outside the tall high-rise building.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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