Chapter 248 — Maybe I can Feed Her Head to The Fish

Backstage, in the artists’ lounge.

The contestants and the challenger were assigned to separate rooms.

Inside one of them, Haneul Lee sat gracefully, her polite smile never faltering as her manager, Suh-Yeon, sat beside her, translating the interviewer’s words.

Normally, the production crew would provide a translator for international artists, but this time was different—Suh-Yeon’s fluent Japanese made it unnecessary.

Besides, Haneul had personally requested her manager to handle the translation.

There was something she wanted to discuss once the interview ended.

“Thank you so much, Haneul-san! We wish you the best of luck!” the interviewer said with a small bow.

“The pleasure is mine,” Haneul replied smoothly, her Japanese practiced and elegant. “Please continue to support me.”

As soon as the interviewer left and the door clicked shut, Suh-Yeon exhaled deeply, slumping into her chair as she reached for her phone.

“Finally done… okay, Haneul, now we should—”

“You!!!”

Before she could finish, Haneul suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and began shaking her with surprising strength.

“W–Wait! Stop! S-stop shaking me!”

“You think I’m gonna stop, you useless manager!?” Haneul snapped, her polite idol façade completely gone.

“Okay I’m sorry for whatever you said, so please stop!!”

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After a few minutes of back-and-forth struggling, Haneul finally stopped, releasing her poor manager, who collapsed dramatically onto the floor, panting.

Suh-yeon clutched her stomach, her face pale. “Uuugh… I don’t feel so good…”

Haneul, meanwhile, stood above her with a look of sheer exasperation, catching her breath as she rubbed her temples.

Her hair was slightly messy from the commotion, her expression a mix of irritation and disbelief.

She finally sighed, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Fine. I’ll let you off for now.”

“What did I even do, Haneul-ah?” Suh-yeon whimpered from the floor, dramatically clutching her chest as if she’d been abuse.

“Did you forget all the times I covered for you when you had stage fright? Or when you craved midnight snacks after a long shoot, and I went out in the freezing cold just to get you something to eat?”

She raised her head, eyes sparkling with crocodile tears. “Have you forgotten all the kindness I’ve shown you?”

If it were anyone else, they might’ve fallen for the act.

But not Haneul.

She stared down at her manager, her temple twitching as a visible vein threatened to burst.

The sheer audacity of this woman made her question every career decision she’d ever made.

“Kindness, my ass!” Haneul snapped, taking a step forward, her heel clicking sharply against the floor.

“That so-called stage fright you’re talking about? That happened because on the day of my debut, you, my so-called friend, suddenly decided to quit because you were ‘too tired.’

And then had the guts to come crawling back a week later asking to be my manager because you were too lazy to find another job!”

She jabbed a finger against Suh-Yeon’s forehead, her expression twitching in disbelief.

“And that midnight dinner you mentioned! You didn’t ‘bring me food,’ you barged into my room insisting we drink together! I said no, over and over.

But you kept pushing—and we ended up toasting until morning! Because of you, my shoot got delayed, and my pay got cut!”

“Eh? Is that what happened?” Suh-Yeon blinked innocently, tilting her head. “My memory’s a bit hazy.”

“I’ll kill you!” Haneul growled, grabbing her manager’s cheeks and pulling hard.

“I’m sorry! I said I’m sorry, Haneul-unnie! Please, not the cheeks! They’ll stretch and never come back!” Suh-Yeon wailed, flailing helplessly as her words came out muffled.

With an exasperated sigh, Haneul finally let go, and Suh-Yeon’s cheeks snapped back into place with an audible pop.

“Uuuhhh… if my face ends up looking like an old lady’s, what do I do? What if I can’t get married now?” Suh-Yeon whimpered, rubbing her reddened cheeks.

“Who cares about that.” Haneul muttered, plopping back into her chair and crossing her arms with an indignant pout.

Yes, Suh-yeon was someone very close to Haneul Lee—what she often called a “cursed bond.” The two had known each other since middle school.

Back then, Haneul had been a quiet, introverted girl who always sat in the back of the classroom, her face buried in a book.

She couldn’t quite remember when or how their friendship began—only that one day, she discovered that Suh-yeon shared the same taste in novels.

Well… technically, Suh-yeon only liked the actor who starred in the film adaptation, but it was enough to start a conversation.

From there, the two began hanging out more, chatting endlessly about their favorite stories and “oshis.”

Then, one day out of nowhere, that very same girl dragged Haneul into the entertainment industry, only to quit shortly after and return as her manager, claiming,

“I didn’t think it would be this hard, don’t worry I will just support you from now on!”

Haneul had accepted the arrangement at the time simply because Suh-yeon was her only real friend.

She’d always been uncomfortable around strangers, and the entertainment world was full of them—along with dangers that could easily swallow someone whole.

Having her friend by her side, at least, made it bearable.

But now she kinda regretted her decision.

Haneul sat sulking in her chair, refusing to even look at her, Suh-yeon stepped up behind her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder and began to lightly massage her.

“My our Haneul-unnie is upset again I’m sorry, okay? Can you forgive this foolish one?” she said in a sing-song voice, trying to coax her out of her pout.

“I can…”

“What is it?” Suh-yeon leaned closer, cupping a hand around her ear.

But what she heard next made her blood run cold.

“Maybe I can dump her body in the ocean when we start sailing again… no, maybe dumb drunk body on the lifeboat,” Haneul muttered under her breath, her tone disturbingly calm as if she were planning tomorrow’s breakfast.

“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!” Suh-yeon yelped, dropping into a desperate dogeza on the floor, rubbing her head on the floor, “Please forgive me!”

Haneul sighed and rubbed her temples. “Don’t worry. That was only forty percent a joke.”

“So the other sixty percent is serious then!?”

Ignoring her manager’s horrified shriek, Haneul turned her chair toward her, crossing one leg over the other like a queen ready to pass judgment.

Her sweet smile didn’t reach her eyes.

“Now then,” she began softly, “would my dear manager care to explain where she’s been for the past couple of days?”

Suh-yeon twitched at the dangerously gentle tone.

She peeked up at Haneul’s “smiling” face and laughed nervously. “Ahaha… I was just, uh, going around town. You know—scouting some local deals and, uh— That’s right I know you like fish so—”

“Let me save you the trouble,” Haneul interrupted smoothly, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“From what I heard from the production crew… my dear manager~ was spotted drinking herself silly at a local bar, window-shopping around the market, and even relaxing at an onsen enjoying herself to the fullest.”

“Geh…” Suh-yeon winced, as if physically struck.

“Meanwhile,” Haneul continued, “her poor, hardworking talent was calling her hundreds of times with no answer… practicing alone on the cruise ship.”

Her crimson lips curved into a chilling smile. “Is there anything you’d like to say, my soon-to-be-dead best friend?”