Weapon seller in the world of magic

Hye-rin let out a soft chuckle, her fingers tightening briefly on the wheel. ”Yeah, I remember her. Anyway, that drama changed my life. I got more and more opportunities in dramas and movies. Eventually, I went from cameos and small roles to second leads and now even main leads… And I give the entire credit to my manager.”

She took a slow breath before continuing. ”I owe her a lot. So now that she finally has time to focus on her own life, I want her to take it easy. I don’t want to rely on someone else when the person I trust the most isn’t here.”

Tianzhu nodded, understanding the sentiment.

Loyalty was somethiing rare in the world, much less in the Entertainment industry, where money, fame, and opportunities matter more, whether it is for a celebrity or a manager.

It was something rare in this industry.

After another moment of quiet, he finally spoke. ”She sounds like a good person.”

Hye-rin smiled, glancing at him again. ”She is.”

The car continued its steady pace down the road, the conversation fading into another comfortable silence. But this time, it wasn’t awkward anymore.

This time, it was Hye-rin who took the initiative to continue the conversation.

”Xueli-unnie told me you’re from Novarusk.” She glanced at him briefly before returning her focus to the road. ”How are you adjusting here?”

Tianzhu let out a small chuckle and shook his head. ”I’m not exactly from Siberia… I was born here and just moved there after graduation for career opportunities… And also because of the marriage…”

Keeping his expression casual, he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his gallery before handing it to Hye-rin.

On the screen was a picture of his kids. One of them, Hye-rin, was already recognized, but she feigned ignorance and reacted as if she was looking at the picture for the first time, widening her eyes as she glanced between the screen and Tianzhu. ”I know that you have twin kids, but I didn’t expect they were this big… You must have married very young.”

Tianzhu leaned back against his seat and nodded. ”Yeah. Both of them are 18 already…” Hye-rin’s gaze softened. ”Your daughter’s looks were quite striking, I must.”

”I guess she got the best of our looks combined,” Tianzhu replied with a small smirk, taking back his phone.

Then, without much thought, he added, feeding her lies… ”I married when I was 20. I was working for an oligarch back then… But after my wife died in childbirth, I quit the job and joined a company with fixed working hours. Worked there for 12 years, and after that, I opened a convenience store with my savings. And now that my children are big and my daughter wants to be in the Entertainment world, I had to relocate to my hometown, here to Hangzhou, and started working for Xueli-jiejie, whom I have known since childhood.”

There was a brief pause before Hye-rin quietly said, ”I’m sorry about the loss of your wife. I don’t have kids, but I grew up in a single-parent household. My parents divorced and split us sisters; my younger sister went with my mom, and I stayed with my dad. He suffered quite a bit, raising me up. He couldn’t go out with his friends, couldn’t date girls and have serious relationships, couldn’t go on trips, and it suffered him even more when I hit puberty… So, I know how tough it must have been for you, who even handled two kids on your own…”

Tianzhu shook his head, offering a reassuring smile. ”It’s alright. It’s been a long time.” At the same time, he felt touched in his heart, feeling that someone understood the suffering he went through without him having to say it.

However, her words almost brought silence between them again. The air between them felt a little heavier for a while, but fortunately, Hyerin smoothly shifted the topic. ”Anyway, you said your daughter wants to be in the Entertainment business. Does she want to become an actress or…”

Tianzhu replied right away. ”An idol…”

Then after a brief pause, he exhaled, half-laughing. ”She was gifted in fighting and to some extent, playing guitar, but she wants to join an agency as a trainee and become an idol. I fully support her though… I don’t want her to become a hunter and risk her life anyway…”

Hye-rin grinned. ”If she really wants to become an idol… well, she’s got a long road ahead of her.” She turned the wheel smoothly as the traffic light turned green. ”Idol life isn’t as glamorous as people think. I have been one, so, you can trust my words…”

Tianzhu tilted his head slightly, intrigued. ”Go on.”

Hye-rin smirked. ”You sure? Once I start talking, I might not stop and you might regret asking me.”

Tianzhu chuckled. ”I don’t mind. I need to know what I’m dealing with if my daughter insists on this. I wish to know how an Idol’s life will be like.”

Hye-rin smiled softly before letting out a short sigh. ”Well, if I had to put briefly…” She tapped her fingers lightly against the steering wheel as if gathering her thoughts.

”It’s… brutal.”

Tianzhu raised an eyebrow. ”Brutal?”

”Yeah,” she chuckled dryly. ”People only see the glitz and glamour, but the early years are hell.”

She glanced at him briefly before turning her eyes back to the road. ”Even for a group like ours, which had a mediocre fan base, we had to push ourselves to exhaustion. Daily practice was intense—hours of singing, dancing, and even acting training. And if you weren’t naturally talented? Well… too bad. You had to work twice as hard and still couldn’t expect a chance to debut.”

Tianzhu listened quietly, his brows furrowing slightly.

”And then, there’s the diet. It’s the worst thing you can imagine,” Hye-rin continued with a shake of her head. ”You’d think companies would be strict in maintaining their artist in shape, but it isn’t simply strictness. They forced us to go on extreme diets to maintain them. Some girls barely eat, like surviving on just one single apple and a banana, and water for all day. It was all about looking good on camera.”

She cast him a side glance before adding, ”Of course, face jobs are also a thing. Nose adjustments, Botox injections—everyone does something to fit the industry’s beauty standards. Our faces have to be flawless all the time…”

Tianzhu hummed in acknowledgment, though he couldn’t help but find it unsettling. ”That sounds… exhausting and quite disturbing.”

Hye-rin nodded. ”It is. And the worst part? It doesn’t get easier after the debut. If anything, it gets harder.”

Tianzhu tilted his head. ”How so?”

Hye-rin let out a soft chuckle, but this time, there was something nostalgic in her expression. ”Once you debut, you start chasing fame, relevance, staying on top. The competition is brutal, and the industry is always looking for the next big thing. You can’t afford to slack off. Cuz once you do, some other group will take away your spot. And without a strong, dedicated fanbase, a group will always have a risk of disbandment. No fanbase, no income. No income, the company will lose interest. No interest, no good songs. No good songs, no views, and a loss. When losses accumulate, the company will have no choice but to fire everyone or worse, force their artists to become escorts for their investors.”

Tianzhu leaned back slightly, taking in her words. ”Sounds like a never-ending battle.” But in his head, he thought, ”As long as Vera is skilled and money is poured in, she doesn’t have to worry about anything. And with me around, there won’t be anyone who will take advantage of her…”

”It is.” Hye-rin’s lips curled into a small, genuine smile. ”But… you know what makes it worth it?”

Tianzhu glanced at her. ”What?”

Her eyes softened as she spoke. ”The cheers.”

Tianzhu blinked.

”When you’re on stage, under those bright lights, and you hear the crowd screaming your name… It’s indescribable.” She laughed lightly. ”Those ten seconds, twenty seconds of applause—it makes everything worth it. That moment of pure energy, of knowing that people appreciate what you’ve worked so hard for… it motivates you like nothing else.”

Tianzhu studied her expression—the way her eyes gleamed with both fondness and longing.

”Of course,” she added after a pause, ”as your fame grows and that kind of applause becomes normal, you kind of… lose the excitement. It becomes a routine, and you start looking for something else to chase.” She shrugged. ”It’s just part of the cycle, I guess.”

Tianzhu nodded to himself, his fingers tapping lightly against his knee. While he wondered what topic he should bring up to continue this conversation, a growl was heard from beside.

Tianzhu blinked. He turned his head slightly, and Hye-rin immediately turned red.

”Did you just—”

”No! That wasn’t me!” she blurted out, looking anywhere but at him.

Tianzhu raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. ”Lying only makes it worse.”

Hye-rin groaned and covered her face with one hand, still keeping the other on the wheel. ”Ugh. This is so embarrassing…”

Chuckling, Tianzhu leaned back in his seat. ”Did you skip lunch?”