ALL NOVEL Chapter 320
Topist office cafe.
Seo-yoon was sitting at the top seat.
“Right, Seo-yoon?”
What she was currently watching was the pre-interviews of the members that the production staff had put on.
[I don’t think I would have hurt anyone…]
She nodded at Na-eun Unni’s obvious question.
As she said, Na-eun Unni’s kindness couldn’t be belittled to just a lack of empathy.
[I completely empathize. Fully capitalized F.]
She even gave a nod to Woo-ah.
“But honestly, among the members, I treat everyone the best.”
“Huh? I treat you the best!”
Even if you deny it, the truth is you’re relatively better compared to others.
However, there are definitely some members that make you want to slap them instead of being positive.
[Are you T? You know that saying? Ugh, it’s so unbearable to hear. At first, it felt like a joke, but somehow it turned into this feeling where if you don’t participate in the blind empathy, I’ll consider you both lacking in intelligence and immoral? Ah! Of course, I’m not saying Seo-yoon Unni would say that. Haha.]
Even if what she’s saying makes sense, you can’t help but nod.
“Well, does Unni usually use those words? If so, throw a stone at me.”
There’s Do-hee, who has the audacity.
[Huh? Seo-yoon Unni doesn’t empathize with me!]
And there’s Chiyo, who’s rather upset, claiming to be a victim for not receiving empathy.
“I want some empathy too… Seriously, why doesn’t anyone give it to me?”
“Ha-ah…”
Chiyo surprisingly seemed genuine.
“Okay, I did everything wrong.”
“Oh-ho?”
Anyway, she had long given up on perfectly understanding Chiyo.
“But why is this Unni acting like this today? Why is she being so nice?”
“Exactly, exactly.”
Yes, Seo-yoon was originally nice.
She just lacked a bit of calmness compared to Na-eun Unni.
She thought there was definitely a misunderstanding in her being lumped together with the other members as crazies.
“Are you going for a big-hearted concept today?”
Her excellent sense of entertainment was the problem.
Her wit sometimes shone through with madness on screen.
“I’m originally big-hearted, unlike you.”
“Ha-ha-ha, that was funny, that was funny.”
Moments where genuine laughter comes out, like now, are just a result of trying to meet the expectations of the members who are scratching themselves and drawing reactions.
‘Yeah, no matter how much you bark, I’m still the unni.’
So Seo-yoon wanted to decline being funny, at least for today.
“I always say, I absolutely don’t hope for blind empathy.”
“Ha-ha-ha! Oh, this unni is funny today. My stomach for real.”
‘Should I really just hit you once?’
Do-hee Lee was laughing for a long time as if it was genuinely funny.
“Do-hee, hurry up and empathize! I’m testing you right now!”
Pretending to stop the laughing Do-hee.
Even when Jiwoo sneaks in some teasing.
“Jiwoo, you get a warning too.”
“What the fun~”
The self-content variety show for pure entertainment had already been enough in the previous episode.
Now it was my turn, and the slightly threatening playful remark was just another element for amusement.
Since it was self-content for the fans,
Air could get to know us.
And the members could understand each other better.
‘Such meaningful time…’
It’s not that I wanted to have a deep sisterly image.
Not at all.
*
─ Hahaha, why is Seo-yoon such a big person today?
└ Seems like she’s avoiding a pointless empathy show because it might annoy her. Like, 100%
└ Honestly, I can imagine the kids being all silly, lol.
└ Wait? Really? Oh my gosh! Jackpot!
└ Just reading the text is pissing me off, lol.
The viewers’ interpretations were a bit different, but
Seo-yoon perfectly avoided becoming the source of irritation.
However, if all member banter disappears just because of the title “Just Empathize with Me,”
There’s no way to extract the content, either.
Due to that, the Producer was contemplating the direction a bit, but
Seo-yoon proposed a perfect alternative.
[Seo-yoon: Apparently, MBTI doesn’t really correlate with empathy; it’s more about mindset and priorities, which aren’t indicators of empathy.]
[Do-hee: What? You knew that and still said it?]
Seo-yoon was calmly explaining to the members.
[Na-eun: Do-hee, let’s try to agree today…]
[Woo-ah: Right? I absolutely can’t empathize. Do-hee, you’re the worst.]
[Do-hee: Okay, I admit. I got a bit carried away. Sorry, Seo-yoon Unni!]
[Chiyo: Hehe, just knowing is enough!]
─ Ugh, haha, that’s so frustrating.
─ If Seo-yoon starts empathizing, it’s gonna be a disaster.
That was the EQ (Emotional Quotient) test.
[Seo-yoon: This definitely correlates with empathy, I think it’d be good for the members to try it out.]
[Na-eun: I really like it, Seo-yoon.]
─ Oh, isn’t this kind of like an intelligence test?
─ Sounds fun, haha.
─ If someone scores low on EQ, they’re going to be teased, lol.
It’s commonly known as social intelligence quotient.
[Do-hee: But why have you been staring at me since earlier?]
[Seo-yoon: Don’t worry. EQ is a developed skill, and the guest today will also tell us how to improve it. Let’s listen and learn well, okay?]
─ Hahaha, the suspicious looks definitely suggest low scores may ensue.
─ What if Do-hee scores the highest?
Of course, the self-content production staff had invited an expert for the test.
The counselor introduced herself as the director of the counseling center.
“Today, the test you will be taking is quite a valid assessment. It checks your strengths in certain areas and also your weaknesses. It’s categorized into five emotional intelligence scales and fifteen sub-scales.”
[Everyone, the test you will be taking today is quite a valid assessment. It helps you check which areas you have strengths in and what weaknesses you might have. It’s categorized by the five emotional intelligence scales and fifteen sub-scales.]
An expert-level explanation of the test was given.
Questions from the curious members were also welcomed.
[Do-hee: Principal, what if someone has an F in their MBTI but a low EQ? What would that feel like?]
[Well, considering F is seen as an emotional type, it would suggest that a person with low EQ might prioritize their own feelings above everything else.]
[Do-hee: Aha~]
However, her gaze was solely fixed on the Principal.
Strangely, it looked like only those two were paying attention to each other.
[Do-hee: Unnie, I just asked because I was curious, okay? You know?]
[Seo-yoon: Huh? Ah~ Oh, it’s fine! I wasn’t paying attention at all!]
—Oh, Do-hee, LOL.
—Wow, Seo-yoon is really a big person today.
[Seo-yoon: But if the teacher has a T and a low EQ, wouldn’t that make them a psychopath? Like, total psycho.]
—??? LOL
—A breathtaking battle of masters.
—If there’s a weakness, it’s a fatal wound.
Since it was a test that took quite a bit of time, the boring process of checking each item was quickly edited out.
[Q. People say that I am too assertive during discussions.]
[Na-eun: Hmm… Nope.]
The serious type analysis began when the Principal sat at the head of the table holding the members’ EQ result sheets.
[Honestly, since this is a broadcast, I was a bit worried that revealing the EQ scores might embarrass or trouble you, but… it seems there’s no need for that.]
And then came the unbelievable reactions.
[Incredibly, everyone is really in the top tier.]
[Chiyo: Huh? No way!!]
[Do-hee: Seriously, it’s a lie.]
[Seo-yoon: No, this doesn’t make sense…]
[Woo-ah: Wow, that’s amazing.]
They were all looking at each other.
—LOL why are you all surprised?
—In fact, even though they joke around like that in self-content, when they meet fans, they’re really all kind and sweet and beautiful! LOL.
Meanwhile, Na-eun’s expression turned serious.
[Na-eun: Then… then what on earth is the problem?]
Flashes of past days swept through Na-eun’s mind.
Quick clips from past self-content sessions rolled by on the screen.
—Na-eun, LOL.
—Our kids are definitely not normal…
└LOL
Even while seeing those moments, the counselor smiled and handed out the result sheets.
[Now, all five of you have been practicing since childhood and have been in the arts, so it’s been very effective in nurturing your EQ, which leads to these results.]
As mentioned earlier, the results were divided into the five emotional intelligence scales and fifteen sub-scales.
A result value divided by a scale.
[However, as you’ve received now, let’s analyze together what each person’s weaknesses are in their respective fields and how to strengthen them. Who wants to go first?]
Seo-yoon looked at Do-hee, who was hesitating while flipping over the result, and smiled meaningfully.
[Seo-yoon: Teacher, let’s start with our little one!]
[Ah, Do-hee first?]
Then the counselor immediately certified Do-hee’s EQ score.
[Well, at least Do-hee is in the top 5 percent, a top-tier!]
[Suspense-level plot twist ㄴ(°0°)ㄱ]
[Na-eun: Huh?]
[Seo-yoon: Oh, really?]
[Chiyo: Teacher, you can’t lie for fun here!]
[Woo-ah: People are indeed not simple.]
─?? Na-eun lol
─Chiyo suddenly got serious lol
─What’s up with Do-hee Lee?
[Do-hee: I was going to do it last so the others wouldn’t feel down… Alright, I admit! I score some empathy points.]
Do-hee, now puffed up with pride.
But then the counselor suddenly trailed off.
[However, the thing is, it’s a bit difficult to see just how high the EQ really is.]
[Seo-yoon: Ah! As expected, right?]
Seo-yoon was all hyped up.
[Yeah, originally EQ, like IQ, follows a normal distribution from 70 to 130, but we changed the perfect score to a 100-point scale arbitrarily to find strengths and weaknesses…]
[Chiyo: I knew it!!]
[Member's tension skyrocketed]
Do-hee’s expression suddenly changed as well.
Do-hee looked at the counselor with a bewildered expression.
[Do-hee: So, when you said top 5 percent, you just said it…]
[Ah, that’s also an imprecise value.]
[Do-hee: What… now…]
In front of the silently grumbling Do-hee, the counselor spoke up.
[To put it simply, it could actually be much higher.]
[Do-hee (empathy genius): Huh?]
[I said that to make sure, so just think of it as a minimum value. It should definitely be above that, so keep it in mind.]
[Chiyo: No, really teacher, you can’t lie! This is not that kind of show!]
[Seo-yoon: No, no… (cognitive dissonance)]
[Woo-ah: But, then am I not the top 1 percent too?]
Doubts about oneself swirled.
Do-hee was quite familiar with that.
[Do-hee: (clap) Hah~ Should we go out and grab a latte?]
She seemed refreshed.
There were some who were increasingly anxious.
[Na-eun (protector): Teacher, then what exactly is our Do-hee’s issue?]
─Then, what could possibly be wrong with our Do-hee!
└Sorry, but… it’s the late stage of Do-hee disease.
└Wah…