Just as Go Won was about to give up and turn around.
“I’m going to do it on my own strength, but you’re riding on your senior’s coattails? Still?”
Go Won could let most of Kim Eumyul’s words slide, but at that one sentence, his heart dropped.
At the same time, he realized the identity of the discomfort that had been scratching at him since coming down from the stage.
He had done nothing for Baek Hanje. In contrast to the overflow from the opposite direction.
“……”
If anything, it might be different if, like Director Kwon Taeyoung or the surrounding staff, his success benefited them structurally.
Baek Hanje—he who shone alone on stage—was someone who had absolutely no need to do anything for him.
He realized that anew.
However, Kim Eumyul interpreted Go Won’s silence differently.
He’d finally landed a blow on that blockhead who didn’t seem affected by anything he said.
That’s what he thought.
Already, he’d been annoyed by the talk about whether it was a copy of Go Won over just one concept or whatever… It was something he’d worked hard to prepare on his own regardless of Go Won.
“But how long will those senior coattails last? It’s already been years since yACE was active. Isn’t it time for disbandment now? Honestly, at 13 years they’re practically washed up. If you cling to that and get dumped, you’ll also…”
“Kim Eumyul.”
Kim Eumyul, who had been smoothly mocking, froze for a moment.
It was an expression he’d never seen before.
* * *
“There was a fight!”
“Fistfight? Who? Idols against each other?”
Oh my, such overflowing energy. Coming all the way to a foreign land and fighting.
“Haha…”
But I didn’t know it was about my kid.
Go Won had his head deeply bowed with a bruise on his cheekbone.
From what I heard, staff first discovered the dog fight in the bathroom and tore them apart, then Boyholic’s manager and Go Won’s manager rushed in and dragged out their respective artists.
“Are both those bastards crazy? Just because it’s overseas, are we going freestyle with work?!”
Even though the waiting room door was closed, the PD’s shouting echoing through the hallway could be heard clearly. Then two voices apologizing.
Not long after, the manager came into the waiting room looking cautious.
“What did they say?”
Chief Manager Park asked hurriedly first.
“First, send out the other singers and talk again later. In the meantime, finish organizing everything, and the parties who fought and those responsible should come find him on their own…”
“I’ll go alone. I’ll go apologize to the PD-nim and handle it.”
At Go Won’s words, the manager rubbed his face.
“The other side, Boyholic was it? That… Maybe, right?”
“Yes.”
“Haa… We’re really caught.”
“By Maybe?”
“No, they’re in an emergency too. Right now the PD is trying to shake things up holding K-dum and Maybe’s weaknesses. What does asking for the person in charge mean? He’s asking for someone with enough clout to relay to the company.”
“Ah…”
While the managers conversed, I sat on the inner sofa observing Go Won.
When he heard that damage could come to the company because of him, even the kid who had been frozen like a stone showed a reaction. Of course, the seasoned manager probably aimed for that.
“Won-ah, what on earth happened?”
“……”
“You have to tell us so we can handle it and clear up the unfair parts. If you get on a terrestrial variety PD’s bad side, your singer career will be very difficult from now on. …And as you heard earlier, if problems even reach the company from this, it’ll be an even bigger deal…”
“Wow, Jonghyeok hyung. You really got good at talking. In the old days, you used to say ‘Hey, hey guys, you can’t do this…’ while being all flustered.”
“Ah, Hanje, just—”
“So Go Won. Don’t torment the tender-hearted hyung and talk quickly.”
I leaned my head back against the backrest and turned to look at the kid.
“Did you already forget what I told you before?”
“…No.”
The quest window was blinking before my eyes.
The sub-quest had appeared a while ago.
Q Emergency. Crisis Detected for HBN
Break Through Crisis Situation
Upon success: –
Upon failure: Permanent ban from CBS appearances
But quest or whatever, I just didn’t like Go Won’s actions and the situation itself.
‘Fighting at a broadcasting station?’
Right, I did tell him not to live holding it in. Since he seemed like the type to fester if he only kept it inside.
But there should be limits to that too.
I was doing my best for Go Won’s success. The start might have been the quest’s coercion, but lately I couldn’t deny that my heart was invested beyond that.
But were those efforts that seemed so desperate really pledges that would crumble this easily?
“Do you not want to be an idol?”
“……”
“In a situation where you should cherish everything, if you can throw it away so easily, I have no more expectations for you either.”
“……”
I didn’t expect some great answer, but even at a time like this he kept his mouth shut, so not even a scoff came out.
“I’m leaving first. I’m tired from performing on stage after so long. Wrap things up well.”
Whether the fault of this incident lay entirely with Go Won, there was no success reward and the penalty didn’t shake my or yACE’s lifeline. Only fatal problems would arise for Go Won alone.
‘Right, he threw away the opportunity himself, so there’s no need to feel sorry for him.’
“Yeah yeah… Right, Hanje, you don’t need to be here. Go to the hotel and rest. Good work today. Kyungho and Minju’s kids all follow Hanje. Uh… we’ll try to handle it as much as possible, so let’s tell Taeyoung about it slowly. Haha…”
“What would I have to say?”
It meant I didn’t want to care about this matter anymore.
Only then did Go Won’s face show he realized that my waiting here itself had been goodwill.
I turned the waiting room doorknob. No, before turning it, my elbow was grabbed.
“Hyung.”
Go Won had somehow approached close to me.
“That’s not it.”
“What isn’t?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to do it. I…”
“……”
“It’s not that…”
And for a long time he couldn’t continue his words. But the hand gripping my arm was clenched tight, making my elbow throb.
Unlike his lips that couldn’t move, Go Won’s eyes looking at me shook ceaselessly.
“Then what else?”
“……”
With a confused face as if hundreds of words were coming to mind, Go Won seemed to struggle desperately to choose words that could persuade me.
But what could he do? My mood was already ruined…
“Please help me.”
“……”
“…Please, help me…”
Of all things, Go Won brought up those words here.
‘Current Status.’
Go Won
Current Status: ■■Please help■.
Honest bastard.
When he noticed my steps hesitate, Manager Park hurriedly approached in front of Go Won.
“Right, Won-ah. Of course we have to help. What on earth happened with that guy for you to get so angry? A kid who usually just stays still even when people pick fights.”
Go Won barely opened his lips that he’d been biting until they showed blood.
“…He said bad things. …With insulting, that kind of, words he picked a fight…”
“So in what way? We need to know the details.”
“Well…”
His voice dropped very low. But Manager Park right in front of him seemed to hear it. But how should I put it? Manager Park’s expression was dumbfounded rather than angry together.
“…Washed up? Clinging on pathetically? Hey, Won-ah. Even though you’re the senior, your debuts are only two months apart, and more importantly, aren’t you and him the same age?”
“No, not about me.”
Go Won desperately tried to express it as indirectly as possible. But in the end, the direction of Manager Park’s fingertip pointed to—
“Ah, me?”
You’re talking about me?
At that moment, the faces of the staff in the waiting room turned pale.
“Wow! Isn’t that crazy bastard insane! Kids these days are really out of line. Not some other group, but to yACE?”
“Deputy-nim, I’m dreaming right now, right? They can make a living abroad bragging about K-pop thanks to who? Ha…”
“Won-ah, you should have told us that first! Then I would’ve gone and secretly smacked him on the back of the head!”
Especially the reactions of managers and stylists who’d been with yACE since debut were fierce.
“Huhuh…”
“Hanje, you’re dumbfounded too, right?”
Actually, I wasn’t particularly angry at those words themselves.
Well… I’m an old-timer with a second contract renewal right around the corner, so kids these days might see it that way. It was just like an itchy malicious comment.
The reason I scoffed was.
“You got so angry about that you hit him?”
“……”
No, seriously.
Repeating it with my own mouth made me scoff again from absurdity.
“Baby, were you so upset that hyung got cursed at?”
