Chapter 4..
The strange old man carrying the onion net definitely said this:
“Remember this. Don’t try to eat everything alone. You have to share to grow. It will tell you who you should share with. Do you understand?”
To grow, you must share. The onion will tell me who I should share with. At the time, it sounded like nonsense, but isn’t this exactly the kind of situation now? The onion has pointed out Nova Girls.
The three navy-blue leaves made it obvious. Navy blue symbolizes the Air Force. The Air Force uniform is navy, and so are the rank insignias. This must mean “Choose the 3rd Training Air Base.” For reference, Army insignias are black, Navy insignias are yellow.
“Why?”
The problem was how to answer Mina’s question… I just said what came to mind. I was worried about Team Leader Jo Min-su, but what could I do if the onion said this was an opportunity? Besides, Jo Min-su was just sitting in the passenger seat scrolling on his phone. If he wasn’t glaring at me, maybe it meant I was allowed to say this much?
“The traditional market event is about the market being the star. The purpose is to show how fresh the fruits and vegetables the merchants sell are. But in a military base performance, you girls are the stars. You should go where you can shine as the stars.”
“Even if we go there, I don’t think we’ll really be the stars like that…”
“Why not? You’ll be on stage, and all the soldiers will be looking only at you. Why wouldn’t you be the stars? You’re this pretty—won’t they all go crazy? Haven’t you done military performances before?”
Mina spoke in a slightly dejected voice.
“That’s… actually why I feel more upset sometimes. The response is so good, but when we come back, nothing has changed… Then I can’t help but wonder. Did they cheer because we were good? Or did they cheer just because the soldiers are kind…”
“No way. Soldiers are really cold. If they don’t like something, they close their eyes and fall asleep right away.”
“What? That would hurt so bad. Oppa, have you done that before?”
“Plenty of times…”
“You’re so cruel. Oppa, you’re the worst.”
Boos poured from the back seat.
“Boo—trash, cold-blooded, reptilian, frilled lizard~”
Frilled lizard?
“Then maybe it really was good? They liked it but didn’t remember? Was it just lacking impact…?”
“Enough. Why dwell on the past?”
Dabin spoke, and Mina turned her gaze back.
“Unni, so where do we go? I can’t decide.”
“Let’s go to Sacheon.”
“Didn’t you say it was far?”
“Still, military bases are fun. The soldiers’ cheers raise your self-esteem. What do you all think?”
No one objected. Finally, Jo Min-su spoke.
“Alright. Then it’s decided—the 3rd Training Base.”
After the members went into their lodging, Jo Min-su spoke to me.
“Didn’t I tell you not to overstep? From now on, let the kids decide. What if things go badly and they blame you?”
“Yes, I’m sorry…”
But it didn’t sound exactly like a scolding. Jo Min-su muttered to himself:
“They’ve failed so often they’ve become timid. Now even the idea of performing for the military scares them. Well, I can’t blame them…”
“……”
I carried the bowl with the onion and headed home.
‘Teacher Onion…’
‘Teacher Onion… is going berserk?’
That thought naturally came.
Since the night before yesterday—the day I first met the members—the onion had been acting strange.
It was clear this wasn’t an ordinary onion. Leaves of different shapes and colors kept sprouting, the magic marker face kept changing expressions… But until now, everything it did was still within what a “plant” might do.
But starting the night before yesterday, things were different. While I was looking up the route to Sacheon 3rd Air Base, I suddenly felt something beside me. The onion had stretched out a vine like a hand and was pointing to a corner of the monitor.
Do you know how shocked I was? Honestly, I thought it was a ghost.
“W-what is it, Teacher? You want me to buy this?”
The onion didn’t answer—because it was an onion.
Looking at its expression (I’d gotten used to reading them by now), it seemed to mean yes. At this point, calling it an onion felt wrong. Was it some kind of alien life form?
“A sleeve-type knee protector? Why this… Ah, you want me to give them to the girls. Okay. I have money, so let’s buy the best ones. Four, for dawn delivery…”
Then I went to sleep. As soon as I woke up, I headed to Nova Girls’ lodging. Sacheon was far. They needed to arrive a day early, settle in, and rest to perform at their best.
It was funny, but I had gotten into the habit of carrying the onion’s glass bowl everywhere. I’d leave it in the car during schedules, bring it into the house afterward, and take it back to the car for work… What did it matter? No one else could even perceive the onion was there.
Yesterday, when I handed the members the knee protectors, their reactions were odd.
“Uh… knee protectors?”
Dabin sounded puzzled.
“Yeah. The ones you used were worn out. Since this is your first schedule in a while, you should wear clean ones.”
“But actually, we weren’t going to wear knee protectors today.”
“Why not? Your choreography is intense, isn’t it? Especially you, Dabin, and Nari—you even have moves kneeling on the floor.”
“Well, since it’s a military performance… we thought bare legs would appeal more. It’s just enduring a little pain…”
It sounded reasonable, so I glanced at the onion. The onion had the stern face of a strict father-in-law. Kids, the onion says no.
“No, wear them. Your beauty won’t be dimmed by knee protectors. This isn’t your last performance. Be cautious, always cautious.”
“I don’t think we need to be that cautious, but… fine. It won’t make much difference anyway. Thanks for caring.”
Dabin handed out the knee protectors. The onion gave off fragrance and a satisfied smile.
“Strange, I smell something nice. Do you have an air freshener in the car?”
“Yeah, I smell it too.”
“Did the car change? No, it’s the same company car.”
“Did you wash it?”
That’s when I realized something different. How could they smell the onion’s fragrance? Min-young couldn’t. Maybe Nova Girls were the “people to share with” that the old man meant? But then again, when new leaves sprouted, they didn’t notice…
After dropping the girls at their lodging, I bought them dinner. That ended yesterday.
The onion truly went berserk today—the day of the military performance.
“Park close. Don’t go too far.”
Team Leader Jo Min-su said. Normally, a team leader wouldn’t even come for this. But since I was just a rookie of 3 days, and also because JM’s singer Seo In-seong had just been assigned to the 3rd Air Base and talks with the officers about his activities were needed, he came. Probably mostly the latter.
After dropping off the members and Jo Min-su, I went to park. I intended to go exactly where the soldier guide said. But then…
“Ugh, what’s that smell?”
A stench I’d never smelled before filled the car. The onion glared at me angrily.
“Teacher Onion? What? Don’t park here? Ugh, the smell…”
Even rolling down the window didn’t help. Was this supernatural?
“If I don’t park here, it’ll be far from the hall… Forget it.”
Only when I hit the gas did the stench start to fade.
“Where should I go then? This way? Ugh, nope. Straight? But Teacher, why can’t you talk? You understand everything and make yourself clear—why not talk? If this is fantasy, you might as well talk too. Ugh, okay okay, stop the smell…”
I drove around the base for a long time and ended at a dead end. No more road, just a narrow stairway.
“This is weird. Is this the place? There’s no road. I’ll just back up—”
Then came a rumble and a crashing sound.
“What? A landslide…?”
I opened the door. Behind the car, earth and debris were piled high, too tall to ignore.
Bzzzt. Bzzzt.
My phone rang.
“Yes, Team Leader.”
[ Hey, why aren’t you here yet? It’s almost time. ]
“Uh… I’m stuck by a landslide. The car’s blocked by dirt…”
[ What? Landslide? What are you talking about? Are you hurt? The car? ]
“Everything’s fine. Just trapped.”
[ Where the hell did you go to park… Anyway, I’ll handle things here. Solve it quickly and come. Got it? ]
“Yes, sorry.”
I was completely lost. The onion was releasing the most heavenly fragrance, as if we had reached its goal. But what was I supposed to do here?
Then, from the stairway, came voices.
“What the? The road’s blocked?”
President Kim Seok-gu was furious.
“The performance doesn’t match the report at all! And you reported to me, saying ‘the results are exactly as written’?! Do you know how much taxpayer money went into this?”
“S-sorry, Your Excellency. I have no excuse, but if I may explain—it’s because of the winter cold. When the weather warms, it actually performs above reported—”
“Is that a joke? Should we only fly fighters in spring? Do you expect the enemy to stay under their electric blankets eating tangerines all winter? Taxpayer money wasted on jets whose performance changes by season… Unbelievable.”
“I apologize.”
“You’ll all be held strictly accountable. Understood? Director Han, get me some water.”
He already drank a lot of water due to frequent anger, but today these tax-thieving bastards made him drink even more. It was obvious: the manufacturer was colluding with insiders. They must have known the flaws, but only reported measurements on sunny days.
“Your Excellency, for lunch…”
“Forget it. Why waste time? Let’s go back.”
And what happens if you drink that much water? You need to pee. Naturally. Kim Seok-gu hurried his steps. Then—
“What the? The road’s blocked?”
Coming down the stairs, a mid-sized car blocked the path. A man stood in front.
The colonel asked:
“Who are you? How did you enter the base?”
“I’m the manager of the girl group scheduled for today’s performance, Nova Girls. I got lost while parking, then a landslide blocked the way.”
“My goodness, how’d you end up here? That slope was due for reinforcement work… I’ll call the facilities unit.”
The colonel raised his radio. The man spotted Kim Seok-gu and his eyes went wide. Kim, meanwhile, was trembling—he was about to wet himself!
“Your Excellency, we’ll have to detour. If not for this car, we could’ve taken the side road, but it’s blocking the fork.”
“…Is there a building nearby?”
“Sir?”
“I urgently need… the restroom.”
“Ah… yes, there’s an auditorium about 3 minutes away.”
The man stepped up.
“I need to head to the auditorium too. May I come along?”
“Sure. Restoring the path will take a while anyway.”
Kim quickened his pace. The man quietly moved beside him.
“I couldn’t greet you earlier, but… You’re President Kim Seok-gu, right? I’m a supporter. Thank you so much for controlling soaring living costs.”
“Ah, thank you for your support.”
“By the way, have you heard of our group, Nova Girls?”
“No, I haven’t. Sorry.”
“They’re performing here in 15 minutes. Since you’re already heading to the auditorium, why not drop by? K-culture is booming. As the policymaker, wouldn’t it be good to feel the atmosphere firsthand?”
If it were a leader in K-culture, Seok-gu would have at least heard the name. But Nova Girls? Never. He knew the man was desperate to promote them, but time felt wasted.
“My schedule is tight.”
“Ah… so you’ll just use the restroom and leave?”
Kim was about to say “Yes,” but hesitated. Just use the restroom and leave? Why did that sound so ominous?
A military performance… then the hall would be packed with soldiers. Soldiers are always starved for gossip. If they saw him—
“Outside… President Kim Seok-gu is here!”
“What? Why?”
“He just used the restroom and left.”
“He came all the way up the hill to the auditorium only for the restroom? Not even to see the girl group?”
“Now that you mention it, his face was pale!”
“I saw his legs trembling at the urinal!”
The leader of a nation is bound to fall into gossip. Kim had developed a neurosis without realizing.
“Soldiers have phones nowadays… It’ll spread fast. What if it becomes a headline…”
<President Kim Seok-gu, Bladder First, Soldiers Second?!>
<Urologist: “President Kim likely has urinary disorder.”>
<Strong in Economy, Weak in Bladder?>
“Military performances don’t last all day…”
“…I’ll stop by for a bit.”
“An excellent choice! Let me tell you about the Nova Girls members…”
The man chattered excitedly.
“Two, three! Hello, we’re Nova Girls!”
Beautifully dressed Dabin, Nari, Ha-young, and Mina bowed. The auditorium shook with soldiers’ cheers. It was understandable—they were all stunningly pretty.
Where the hell is Yu Hyun-jae? Landslide? What nonsense is this?
Jo Min-su frowned. Was he skipping on purpose? He seemed diligent, but you never know from first impressions.
“Manager oppa, where is he?”
Before the performance, Mina had asked while putting on her knee protector. Min-su knew what that worry meant. Did he abandon us too? They were already hurt enough; why should they carry such worries?
If it’s not a landslide, he’s dead meat…
Then, the back door creaked open. Hyun-jae entered. He stood out, not wearing military uniform.
Who’s he with? Not in uniform either… wait—that’s…
Min-su gasped.
“…President Kim Seok-gu?!”
His heart pounded.
Approval rating 68%. Called the “sage-king” of the 21st century. The president who, with natural economic sense and charisma, tamed the National Assembly and, upon inauguration, improved real estate, cost of living, and unemployment indices—all record-breaking.
How on earth did circumstances lead to Kim Seok-gu walking in here?
What has Yu Hyun-jae been doing? Went parking, got into a landslide, then came in holding hands with the president?!
President Kim was known for his disinterest in entertainment. Once, at a French Hallyu event, while BTS performed, photos caught him staring only at the French president instead of the stage.
Headlines read: “Economy-only Fool Kim Seok-gu,” and “Please Look at Us Too.”
Now this same president was watching Nova Girls’ performance? Just that was newsworthy!
The Defense TV reporter noticed too, turning the camera toward Kim. Min-su hurriedly texted Hyun-jae:
Don’t come here. Keep the president with you. As long as possible!
