In the end, Seongho called the number on the card.

At first, Jiyeon tried to stop him.

(Jiyeon) : “You're seriously going to do this?”

(Seongho) : “Why not? I can't go to work anyway.”

(Jiyeon) : “Still. Becoming an idol out of nowhere is a bit much.”

(Seongho) : “I'm just auditioning.”

He said that, but he looked pretty excited.

A few days later, they stood in front of the agency building. Jiyeon glanced at Seongho reflected in the glass door.

Jeans and a white T-shirt.

Nothing special.

And yet he stood out.

(Jiyeon) : “Not nervous?”

(Seongho) : “Better than a job interview.”

Seongho laughed.

(Seongho) : “My mind is still forty. I've still got all those years of office experience.”

The waiting room was full of young applicants. They sat tensely memorizing lyrics or watching choreography videos.

Seongho sat among them looking at his phone.

Jiyeon glanced at the screen.

Stock charts.

(Jiyeon) : “You're looking at that here too?”

(Seongho) : “The market's open.”

(Jiyeon) : “You do remember you're here for an audition, right?”

(Seongho) : “Yeah. But this is important too.”

Jiyeon laughed.

Soon, Seongho's name was called.

Three judges sat inside the audition room. Seongho stood in the center and bowed.

(Seongho) : “Hello. I'm Seongho. Thank you for having me.”

Watching on a monitor outside, Jiyeon blinked.

Even his voice sounded different.

The man who usually mumbled around the house suddenly sounded clear and bright.

One judge asked,

(Judge) : “Have you ever danced before?”

(Seongho) : “I've never trained professionally.”

(Judge) : “What about singing?”

(Seongho) : “I wouldn't say I'm especially good.”

Jiyeon muttered under her breath.

(Jiyeon) : “At least he's honest.”

The first song started.

His singing was average.

Not bad, but nothing special.

His dancing was even more average. He could follow the movements, but he was always just a fraction late.

Jiyeon thought,

Of course.

But even after the music ended, the judges kept looking at him.

One of them spoke.

(Judge) : “Let's try some expressions.”

The camera moved closer.

(Judge) : “A little colder this time.”

Seongho's expression changed immediately.

(Judge) : “Now smile.”

His face softened into a gentle smile.

Jiyeon tilted her head at the monitor.

It didn't look awkward.

It looked far too natural.

(Jiyeon) : “Since when could he make faces like that?”

Another judge asked,

(Judge) : “No nerves around cameras?”

(Seongho) : “It's better than giving a presentation in front of an executive.”

The judges laughed.

Seongho laughed with them.

(Judge) : “You seem mentally strong.”

(Seongho) : “Working at a company toughened me up.”

Jiyeon's expression froze.

Seongho closed his mouth immediately.

The judge laughed.

(Judge) : “You must've had a lot of part-time jobs.”

Seongho didn't miss a beat.

(Seongho) : “Yes. I've done all kinds of things.”

Jiyeon bit her lip as she watched the monitor.

She was going to laugh.

When the audition ended, Seongho came outside.

(Jiyeon) : “Working at a company toughened you up?”

(Seongho) : “Slip of the tongue.”

(Jiyeon) : “And when they asked if you'd had lots of part-time jobs, you answered that fast?”

(Seongho) : “I've got fifteen years of office life behind me. I can think on my feet.”

Jiyeon laughed.

(Jiyeon) : “A twenty-year-old rookie with fifteen years of work experience.”

Seongho laughed too.

They thought it had just been a funny experience.

Then the agency contacted them the very next day.

The CEO wanted to meet Seongho personally.

Jiyeon stared at the message.

(Jiyeon) : “You passed?”

(Seongho) : “Apparently.”

(Jiyeon) : “Your singing was average. Your dancing was average.”

(Seongho) : “Honey.”

(Jiyeon) : “Yeah?”

(Seongho) : “I have a face.”

Jiyeon stared at him.

He was completely serious.

(Jiyeon) : “You're so annoying.”

A few days later, they returned to the agency.

The CEO got straight to the point.

(CEO) : “You'll need more training in dance and vocals.”

Seongho nodded.

(CEO) : “But you're not afraid of the camera, and your expressions are good.”

The CEO looked him over for a moment.

(CEO) : “And honestly, your face is exceptional.”

Jiyeon took a pointless sip of water.

The agency wanted to train him with a debut in mind.

Instead of getting excited, Seongho picked up the contract first.

Revenue split.

Contract term.

Scope of activities.

Penalty clauses.

He read through each item carefully.

The CEO smiled.

(CEO) : “You're surprisingly meticulous, Seongho.”

(Seongho) : “You should always read a contract carefully.”

(CEO) : “You are twenty, right?”

Seongho paused for a fraction of a second.

(Seongho) : “Yes.”

Jiyeon lowered her head.

Again, she was not allowed to laugh.

Once the contract discussion was mostly over, Seongho spoke.

(Seongho) : “I have one request.”

The CEO looked at him.

(CEO) : “What is it?”

Seongho pointed at Jiyeon.

(Seongho) : “Could Jiyeon be my manager?”

Jiyeon's head snapped around.

(Jiyeon) : “What?”

The CEO looked at her too.

(CEO) : “Do you have management experience?”

(Jiyeon) : “No.”

(Seongho) : “But she knows me better than anyone.”

Jiyeon stared at him in disbelief.

Seongho added as though it were obvious,

(Seongho) : “And she'll make sure I don't get into trouble.”

Jiyeon glared at him.

(Jiyeon) : “Who's keeping who in line?”

The CEO looked back and forth between them, then laughed.

(CEO) : “You two must be close.”

They answered at the same time.

(Seongho) : “Yes.”

(Jiyeon) : “No.”

Silence.

The CEO laughed even harder.

Only then did Jiyeon fully absorb what was happening.

One sip from a strange spring had turned her husband twenty.

That husband was now about to debut as an idol.

And somehow,

she was about to become his manager.