I'll Take Care of You

The sobs were like needles, piercing Jiang Yuhe's heart.

He froze, instinctively gripping his phone tighter.

August 2007...

Vague memories surfaced, then instantly became clear.

It seems that Soyeon ultimately chose to withdraw from the group during this spring, just months before Girls' Generation's official debut.

"Oppa..."

The crying coming through the receiver pulled him back to reality.

"I'm here, Soyeon."

Jiang Yuhe's voice was surprisingly calm. He then slipped away and disappeared into the nearby stairwell. "Where...are you now?"

"In...the old stairwell behind the dormitory."

She sniffed hard, trying to make her voice sound normal, "They...they're still practicing in the practice room, I...I felt a little out of breath, so...I ran out..."

Jiang Yuhe closed his eyes.

The image of that rather old dormitory building at SM immediately came to mind.

The cement steps were dusty and the motion-activated lights worked intermittently.

He had waited for So-yeon there several times.

In my memory, she always came out with almost exhausted steps, her forehead damp with sweat, but her eyes shone as if they were filled with starlight.

"You must be very tired?"

Jiang Yuhe asked softly, even though he already knew the answer in his heart.

Su-yeon remained silent for a long time on the other end of the phone, then began to cry.

"Yuhe... I'm so... tired... Grandma's condition... has worsened again, and Uncle's health isn't good either... They're keeping it from me so I won't worry... But how could I not know..."

She seemed to have completely lost her composure and began to speak incoherently.

"But debuting... is really hard... When I look at myself in the mirror, I sometimes feel like a stranger... I'm so scared, scared that I've chosen the wrong path, scared that even if I give it my all, I'll end up with nothing..."

She finally lost control and burst into tears.

Jiang Yuhe leaned against the cold wall and slowly squatted down.

The girl's desperate cries pounded in his heart, suffocating him.

he knows.

He always knew.

In the memory of another time and space, Park So-yeon's departure was never a matter of ability or style.

It was economic hardship, a series of unexpected events, and the instinctive fear and self-doubt a young girl felt about the future in the face of this grand dream…

Her thin shoulders were already too heavy to bear.

"So-yeon."

Jiang Yuhe took a deep breath and deliberately softened his voice, "Listen, whatever choice you make is not wrong. Whether you stay or leave."

He paused, giving her some time to process it.

"The important question is, what do you want to do right now? Do you want to stay, or do you want to stop, catch your breath, and then start again?"

"Anyway, I unconditionally support our Soyeon's decision! At worst... I'll support you!"

"You...you'll support me?"

The crying on the other end of the phone stopped abruptly. Su-yeon seemed stunned for a moment, then her sharp tongue instincts kicked in instantly. "Woo-hyuk, you're only a semi-regular guest now. It's hard to say whether your appearance fee can even support yourself, right?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuhe was speechless.

As expected of you, sharp-tongued So-yeon.

"But……"

Soyeon's emotions seemed to have calmed down a bit because of this little incident, but her voice was still low, "But don't you think... I'm useless? I'm about to debut... and yet..."

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Jiang Yuhe interrupted her affectionately, "Life isn't a 100-meter sprint. The one who sprints the hardest at the beginning isn't necessarily the one who laughs the most in the end. Besides, if you feel you're going in the wrong direction, adjusting is the smart thing to do!"

"What you've accumulated over the years is your greatest wealth, and no one can take it away!"

For a moment, he felt somewhat dazed.

The image of Park So-yeon, radiating brilliance on the T-ara stage, comes to mind.

That's where she truly belongs!

Park So-yeon gave a soft "Mmm".

The crying had stopped, leaving only a thick nasal tone, "Yuhe..."

"Huh? I'm here!"

"Thank you...and I'm sorry...for making you hear me looking so pathetic again..."

"What are you saying, Pab?"

Jiang Yuhe let out a long sigh of relief. "Do we really need to say all this between us? How about this? How about I come find you after I finish recording? And take you to eat your favorite spicy rice cakes?"

"No, don't..."

Park So-yeon refused repeatedly, "This is the strictest time for the training camp, and we're not allowed to go out at all... Besides, my eyes are swollen like two peaches, I look awful, it's so embarrassing..."

"Fine, fine! Whatever you say!"

Following her words, Jiang Yuhe said gently, "Come find me when you're able to get out, or I'll wait for you at our usual spot. It's a deal!"

"knew……"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a shy call, "Oppa..."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Yuhe did not rush to get up, but instead quietly squatted in the stairwell, lost in thought.

He knew that Su-yeon would most likely choose to leave in the end.

She had already made up her mind, and it wasn't something that a few words of comfort from him could completely change.

After that... she will be discovered by MBK and join the T-ara group that is in the works, starting a completely different, yet equally magnificent, idol career.

T-ara...the crown group...the chameleons of the K-pop world...

There's also Liu Huaying, and the troll incident that nearly plunged them into the abyss.

Through a carefully crafted lie and manipulation of public opinion, the entire team was dragged into an abyss of no return.

The entire internet smeared him, the whole nation boycotted him, endorsements were terminated, and his activities were canceled... Even if the truth comes out years later, the damage can never be undone.

But now that he's here and knows all this, he absolutely cannot stand by and watch the tragedy repeat itself.

but……

What gives him the right now?

An unknown artist from a small company who can barely get noticed by appearing on semi-regular variety shows?

What could he possibly use to influence MBK's decision and prevent Kim Kwang-soo from signing that troublemaker?

Right now, he doesn't even know which way MBK's doors face.

Not to mention the behemoth hidden behind it... CJ Entertainment.

A sense of powerlessness welled up inside me, but in the next second, it was suppressed by an almost stubborn will.

In this circle, the power to speak always comes from fame, status, connections, and... capital.

Fortunately... there is still time.

He has to climb up.

Climb upwards at all costs!

Only if he stands high enough, high enough that his voice can be heard by everyone, or... if he holds enough leverage.

Only he has the power to change all of this!

Thinking of this, Jiang Yuhe took a deep breath and slowly stood up, supporting himself against the wall.

In any case, the most important step right now is to seize the olive branch extended by Yoo Jae-suk and handle the upcoming gathering well.

……

The second half of the recording went smoothly.

Although Jiang Yuhe's thoughts were still somewhat wandering, fortunately, his role in the later stages was not significant, and all he had to do was cooperate with the progress of the process.

Although the performance was not outstanding, there were no major mistakes either.

Recording ended at 11 p.m.

As usual, Kang Woo-hyuk followed Yoo Jae-suk respectfully to the elevator entrance for the group of seniors and guests.

After seeing everyone off, Yoo Jae-suk smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "Let's go, don't keep them waiting."

"They... um, bro, where are we going?"

Kang Woo-hyuk couldn't help but ask, and at the same time naturally reached out and took the jacket that Yoo Jae-suk had draped over his arm.

Yoo Jae-suk chuckled. "Just follow me. Do you think I'd sell you out?"

The February night wind carried a chill as the two walked out of the brightly lit SBS headquarters, turning into a nearby alley with practiced ease.

The alley wasn't deep; at the end was a Korean restaurant with an unassuming storefront. The wooden signboard only had the character "醇" (chun, meaning pure/pure) engraved on it, and the lightbox was a warm yellow.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door, a wave of heat, a mixture of the aroma of roasted meat and the subtle fragrance of rice wine, rushed out, instantly dispelling the chill.

The two went straight upstairs and entered one of the private rooms.

Seven or eight people were already seated around the large wooden table, talking in hushed tones.

Jiang Yuhe's gaze swept quickly across every face present, and his heart began to pound uncontrollably!