Once the sensation of nausea thoroughly disappeared from Rayen's throat, the entire group of SEEDZ was led by Madame Sophie and two other figures ahead of them. These two figures were Liam and Adrian's manager, Ms. Lewis and Ms. Penny.

'Are they good friends?'

Earlier, Madame Sophie had spotted these two among the group of managers behind Plotter, leaving Rayen alone to chat with them. But upon arriving at the dressing room, Madame Sophie immediately turned her attention back to Rayen.

Madame Sophie stared at him oddly, the corners of her mouth seemed to be drooling.

'Why do I feel like a prey about to be eaten by a predator?'

"Today, I shall handle you!" Madame Sophie said.

Rayen took a step back, the corners of his mouth twitching.

Before Rayen could even run away, she pushed him into the makeup table. His body was still soft from the portal travel earlier, so he couldn't gather the energy to resist.

All he could do was accept his fate today.

But just as Madame Sophie observed his face, she noticed the dark bags under his eyes and the paleness of his face.

"What happened to you, Rayen-chii?"

Rayen only smiled wryly at his former sponsor.

"Is idol life too tough for you?" Madame Sophie asked with a teasing grin.

Her eyes briefly wandered around to look for Plotter. When she saw that he was far away from them, she lowered her head toward Rayen's ears.

"Is the Overseer giving you a hard time again?" she whispered.

Her breath tickled him.

'Too close!'

Rayen shook his head hurriedly, his face turning hot. "No, it's not that."

Well, actually it is.

It's because of that damn Mini Plotter's fault that he hadn't had any peaceful sleep since last week.

He's still waiting for the activity that Mini Plotter mentioned, so he could finally rest in peace, but he still hasn't heard any news from the original Plotter.

'I'm running out of patience.'

Madame Sophie pulled her face away. This time, she no longer had a teasing expression on her face. "You should always take care of yourself! Once I receive my pay, I'll gift you more—"

Hearing that, Rayen immediately jumped up. "No need! I'll also receive my paycheck soon!"

Probably.

"Are you rejecting me?" Madame Sophie said, her tone sharp.

Rayen flinched in his seat.

'Wait. That doesn't sound right.'

Seeing him tense, Madame Sophie immediately smiled. She then patted Rayen on his shoulder. "I'm just kidding."

From the side, Vallenci's staff turned to look at each other.

Were they having nightmares? Just now, did the CEO really smile in front of that idol? She even had the mood to tease him.

They all stared at Rayen's face, observing just what this person who made their CEO smile looked like.

"He's good-looking," Staff Member A whispered to Staff Member B.

"We deal with good-looking people every day, yet I haven't seen her smile like this..."

"You're right. It's indeed strange." Staff Member A glanced at the members of SEEDZ who were all receiving their make-ups from the other staff. "Just who are these people?"

"I heard they're idols. I also remember that guy. He's that guy from the Cracktusss commercial, right?" Staff Member C said.

Looking at Rayen once more, their eyes brightened in realization.

"You're right! I didn't recognize him earlier because he changed the color of his hair!" Staff Member D said. "How did she meet them, anyway?"

Staff Member B gestured for the others to gather. Once everyone had formed a circle, she whispered. "Wasn't she obsessing over a show back then? I thought I was hallucinating when I heard K-pop songs playing inside her office."

"You also heard that?"

"Yeah. Then a week ago, she also stayed late in her office. When I passed by the corridor, I heard someone screaming... I was so scared for her, so I secretly peeked inside."

Staff Members A, C, and D's ears all perked up.

"What did you see?" they simultaneously asked.

"I saw her dancing... But the screen on her laptop seemed to be playing a movie, and the face I saw was similar to that person she was talking to right now..."

"....."

Why would their CEO dance to a movie?

"Are you sure you weren't hallucinating?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm not..."

Just then, a voice sounded from behind them. "You must be having such a conversation here."

The voice was unfamiliar. It was high-pitched, but it sounded like neither a girl's nor a boy's voice.

The staff members all flinched. Gradually, they turned back to look. Their eyes were almost blinded by the sight that greeted them.

A handsome, yet at the same time, pretty person stood tall before them, a wide grin on their face.

Is this person a man or a woman?

"What are you talking about?"

"Uh... No. Nothing."

The staff members all scrambled to each corner of the room, trying to find any work that they could do.

After the make-up session, the group immediately headed to the studio for the magazine photoshoot as well as the relay dance.

Their business in Vallenci was obvious. They were offered an ambassador role for their new line of clothing, which was impressive for a rookie group that had just debuted a week ago.

Though, it was a given since Rayen's sponsor was Madame Sophie, the CEO of Vallenci.

Throughout the entire photoshoot, Madame Sophie never left the studio. As the CEO, she had never been present during times like these with her busy schedule, yet here she was, enjoying herself with the stunning visuals, baffling the staff members even more.

Did someone replace their CEO?

But as the photoshoot continued, the staff members couldn't help but understand the changes with their CEO.

"Ah... My eyes are getting pregnant..."

"I think I'm in love..."

Then came the relay dance.

The moment that Staff Member B heard the screaming part in the chorus, she gasped.

"That's—"

"What happened?"

"That's the same scream I heard from the CEO's office that night!"

Intently, the staff members listened to the song. At first, the song made their skin crawl, yet as they listened more and understood the lyrics, they felt the corner of their eyes stinging.

"W-Why the hell am I crying?"

"Huhuhu..."

Soon, the entire studio was filled with bawling from the staff.

Once Rayen and the others finished dancing, they glanced at the seemingly pitiful staff members at the corner, their gazes odd.

'Did we do something wrong?'

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