The Sunbae Who Paves a Flower Path 3

“What a fucking bastard. The concept, the music, the choreography—everything was killer, and now it’s all about to disintegrate…”

…Right. With the project group debut scrapped and all the fans on edge, if the first-place winner comes out with a song titled <DRIFT> at this timing…

Drifting into the school gate

Is this Choi sniping?

Running off to K-dum alone and pouring oil on a burning house lol

Fuck, our Eumyul’s debut is about to get scrapped for the second time lol So the friends who were on the survival show with him aren’t related to him anymore, right?

These types’ specialty: Later also does drunk driving and becomes a new meme

What? Go Won did drunk driving?

Beyond this, he would receive all kinds of anger and speculation that my meager imagination couldn’t reach.

“But there’s an even more serious problem.”

“…More than this?”

It already feels like an indoor fireworks show went off right in front of us?

“Just yesterday evening, not knowing this would happen, we uploaded the debut teaser. Hahaha.”

“Wow.”

I thought it was a fireworks festival, but it was a volcanic eruption.

Team Leader Shin switched screens to show the SNS account.

Composed of ambiguous photos and short phrases in line with current trends, but.

Go one @Go.one.official

Debut

202X. 02. 14 (KST)

These two lines were written so clearly they couldn’t even be edited.

They couldn’t even buy time by postponing the date.

“Still… at least the title isn’t written, so that’s fortunate. Don’t you have other title track candidates?”

“Uh. We spent a lot of money on penalty fees to extract the winner, so we couldn’t even get a proper budget.”

“……”

“So we planned a digital single¹ with just one hard-hitting song. And that one was lucky enough to be a huge hit.”

“……”

He ruffled his hair roughly.

“Ha… The demo was good, and I came in giving up work with other teams to maintain loyalty too, but this situation is starting to piss me off a bit. I know it’s not Director Kwon’s fault, but people’s hearts don’t work that way…”

‘The person in question didn’t cause the scandal…’

I finally understand Kwon Taeyoung’s words.

The entertainment industry is rife with stepping in someone else’s shit and getting your own head smashed, but having a debut song shattered like this is harsh.

My eyes naturally turned toward the front of the table. Toward the kid sitting silently among the conversing adults.

As if noticing my gaze, the head that had been deeply bowed lifted smoothly toward me.

Our black eyes met simultaneously.

The moment wasn’t long, and his head dropped again as long eyelashes covered his eyes.

I would understand if he cried and made a fuss, but the kid just pressed down hard on his emotions, his two hands clasped together until they turned white.

I leaned crookedly against the backrest and searched for <Debut Chart> on my phone. The first-place winner’s name wasn’t hard to find.

‘Go Won.’

A single-character name. The androgynous sound suited the atmosphere the kid possessed quite well.

“Hanje.”

Kwon Taeyoung at the front of the meeting room called me.

“If you’ve heard all the explanation from Team Leader Shin, let’s brainstorm together. First, I’ll play <DRIFT> so you can listen too and…”

“Has Division 5 already gathered and started plotting?”

Just then, a sneering voice intruded into the meeting room. Unpleasant expressions appeared on the faces of Division 5’s working-level staff sitting in the meeting room.

“Executive Director Choi, you’re here.”

The person who appeared was Executive Director Choi Dongjin, who was in charge of K-dum Entertainment’s Division 4.

Executive Director Choi, who entered without permission with bold steps, came next to Kwon Taeyoung.

One side had the appearance most would picture for a company executive, the other side was a handsome, young director who would appear in romance novels.

“Kwon Taeyoung. No, Director Kwon. No matter how urgent it is, how many busy people did you call here exactly? So, did you come up with an answer besides scrapping it?”

“This happened at dawn today, and Division 5, where the person in question belongs, was just about to start discussing countermeasures, so I don’t know why you’re in such a rush, Executive Director.”

“I’m wondering if countermeasures can even come out? Is this a problem with an answer?”

“Then we have to create one.”

“……”

At the firm attitude, Executive Director Choi patted Kwon Taeyoung’s shoulder somewhat hard, tap, tap.

“Yeah, in your eyes I might look like I’m performing a ritual for your downfall, but do you think I don’t know? The concept photos came out well, and we had the music video shooting schedule all set up, then this happens—how frustrating. But what can you do? He’s a stone that rolled in from outside, so you have to endure the noise too. Right?”

Even without an agreeing answer, Executive Director Choi continued regardless.

“For Go Won, I’ll instruct the media team to be mindful of articles saying ‘the one who caused the accident is separate, but this side also feels responsibility and postpones activities.'”

“……”

“It’s unfortunate to delay, but it can’t be helped. Ask publishers to pick out good songs with a refreshing concept and prepare for a summer debut. This song was already too difficult for a rookie anyway. Newton is currently securing songs, so I’m thinking Division 4 could review it. From the start, this work was too greedy.”

‘Ah, so that was the main point.’

Executive Director Choi is the division head, and Division 4, where his line is solidly built, has the boy group Newton.

Since the members’ ages are similar to Go Won’s, it would be perfect to steal the concept and song wholesale.

If another division comes out like that, it must be a song with quite the hit vibes, as Team Leader Shin guaranteed.

“Even if we can’t use it for the debut stage, <DRIFT> was fixed by the A&R team to match Go Won’s image, so yielding it would be difficult.”

“Then you’re going to push forward in this situation? Goodness, even after seeing big trouble break out from greed, you’re still like this?”

“Well. Go Won himself hasn’t directly caused a scandal yet, so I’m not sure. Compared to the incidents and accidents during Young ACE members’ rebellious phases, this level isn’t that serious, is it?”

Kwon Taeyoung, who had stood as the representative of six members for 12 years, wasn’t easy either.

But the executive director, who hesitated for a moment then raised his lips again, was also someone well-seasoned in this industry.

“Will an answer that doesn’t exist right now pop out just because you have a meeting a few hours later?”

I watched that spectacle with my chin propped up and thought.

‘What a mess.’

For reference, that wasn’t an assessment of the two executives.

Entertainment work originally involves cursing to death, fighting, and hair-pulling as the main job. That level is ordinary.

The mess was the situation that ‘Go Won’ over there was facing.

Outside the company, a former colleague blew up the concept, and inside the company, some old man appeared trying to snatch away that song.

Starting from the <Debut Chart> incident, the thorny path to fastening the first button as an idol is truly treacherous.

“Hey you, Go Won? Answer for yourself directly. Even now, do you want to prepare a different concept, or do you want to stubbornly cling to one song and get cursed at from your debut?”

Suddenly, pressure disguised as a question was directed at Go Won.

‘Why are they making a fuss at the kid too when the adults should just fight among themselves?’

At the same time that thought occurred, I became curious.

At this moment, cornered at the edge of a cliff, what expression was Go Won making?

How about it. Not just a delayed debut, but the song prepared only for you is about to be taken away.

“Hey, doing that to the kid is a bit much, Executive Director.”

Support came from Team Leader Shin in place of Go Won.

“Ah, it’s not like I said anything wrong.”

As a new war of words began, Go Won clenched his drooping hands a bit harder.

Over his bony knuckled hands rose a mountain of knuckles even paler than before. That was the only change. The mouth that had briefly opened couldn’t make any sound.

“……”

‘Does he have nothing to say, or are too many words pressed down?’

That’s when it happened.

Crackle-crackle-

‘……?’

Something grayish and whitish squirmed small before my eyes, then soon took the form of a square window.

Ding-

Another’s wish has been registered.

…Huh?

Processing wish into optimal form.

“What?”

Quest Scenario <The Sunbae Who Paves a Flower Path> will now begin.