Then naturally the album quality would rise.
“……”
The problem is, perhaps, a bit of conscience.
I felt this before, but this Quest Window was quite lacking in humanity.
Taking care of Go Won was also slightly different from coddling the guy.
It was closer to preventing things that would hinder success, like suffering major mental damage or being disliked by PDs.
‘…Newton’s downfall, and… this quest’s theme, Go Won’s Rookie Award.’
The time is only late spring now, and you never know where a rookie might pop out from.
Due to Go Won’s nature as a solo artist, the self-produced content he can create is also limited, so fan influx through him is also hard to expect.
Even with good debut results, it’s hard to be certain about the Rookie Award.
So the more certain things are, the better.
My finger moved swiftly through the contacts saved on my phone.
At this point in my career, I did know some reporters. I had enough connections to spread this matter around.
‘Newton would want Executive Director Choi to eat shit anyway. This is win-win for both sides.’
“……”
‘Now, should I do it, or not?’
As I was pondering, the studio door was knocked.
A knock with a rhythm now familiar.
It was Go Won.
In the hands of the guy who opened the door and entered was a coffee carrier. He set down an enormous-sized iced americano in front of me.
“We could hold a water bomb here.”
Seeing the inefficiently large size made me let out an empty laugh. With this much caffeine, I won’t be able to sleep for 2 nights and 3 days.
“…How can you talk like that every time, hyung?”
“You think the lyrics of the century came out for nothing?”
“……”
Go Won seemed to be reading the room, then carefully settled his butt on the sofa.
“Have you calmed down?”
“Is this a bribe?”
“……”
“I thought it was an assassination attempt to send me to the grave with caffeine addiction, but this is surprising.”
Maybe because I was having complicated thoughts, my words came out twisted.
Go Won
Current Status: (■less…)
Go Won seems to have taken my attitude in a different way.
The reason is, well, because I said something when we got home that day.
‘How many times do I have to tell you that your body is an asset?’
‘……’
‘You know what kind of situation that was and you just carried someone and ran away? You think life unfolds as easily as a movie?’
‘…I’m sorry.’
It wasn’t just one thing but several things.
Go Won flinched at his neatly gathered fingertips and carefully opened his mouth.
“Yester, day.”
I just nodded instead of answering.
“…You said you gave me the door lock number to send me on an errand, hyung.”
“Yeah.”
I roughly covered it up and moved on like that.
“I don’t know why, but I felt like hyung was helping me.”
“……”
“So even if I pushed myself to help Yusang sunbae, I thought it would be okay.”
Oh my.
It was a reason so honest and absurd it made me sigh.
Still, since he had the sincerity to bring coffee.
“Let me ask you one thing.”
“Yes. Please speak.”
I guess he is scared when hyung is angry. Seeing the guy who would normally say ‘Ah, yes’ straighten up and answer properly.
“Why did you help Newton’s maknae? That group made your life miserable. You’re not some pushover bastard.”
“…Hyung, I’m not a pushover bastard, but.”
“Yeah, you’re a pushover bastard. Speak.”
Go Won answered a beat later.
“Yusang sunbae said he wanted to bring good news to the hyungs. That he wanted to be praised by the hyungs for doing well…”
“……”
“I felt like I knew what that feeling was like.”
“You’re the eldest, so what empathy do you feel there?”
“……”
“Oh my. Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m not.”
“Then you hope Newton doesn’t fall apart.”
“…What? Why would they fall apart… over something like this?”
Go Won’s eyes widened.
“The sunbaes are victims.”
At the expected answer, a sigh puffed out of my mouth.
“Then you’re on Director Kwon’s side.”
“What?”
“Geez…”
Director Kwon wouldn’t even consider abandoning Newton, the young hoobaes.
He’d try to preserve Newton’s activities even if he had to strike a deal with the materials he gathered.
And Go Won wouldn’t be much different either.
Then there’s no choice.
I won’t send Newton and Executive Director Choi together.
The Sub Quest reward… I decided to return it.
Once I reached that conclusion, it felt like the weight gathered on my shoulders disappeared smoothly.
I guess I also felt quite uneasy about sending off idol hoobaes.
“So what now?”
A cold wind is going to blow through the company for a while. I hope the situation resolves quickly so it doesn’t interfere with this Go Won kid’s comeback… but in the current situation, that’s not happening.
If things go wrong, only the employees’ hostility toward Go Won might grow.
“Hey, if by any chance something happens.”
“Yes.”
Oh, he’ll answer respectfully for a while.
“If something happens, what should you do?”
“…I should tell manager hyung or the division head.”
“Right, correct.”
It would be even better if you’d only act this docile and obedient until the promotion period.
Ha, anyway, I wish I also had a guardian to tattle about this shitty situation to.
Wait. Guardian?
“I also have a… guardian, right?”
***
“You believe what kids said not knowing better? And so what if it’s true? What do you think will happen to everyone if this leaks outside?”
Executive Director Choi shamelessly came out and raised his voice instead.
Considering K-dum’s reputation, just being entangled with the word ‘school violence’ was fatal.
On top of that, an agency that committed secondary abuse by making a school violence victim meet the perpetrator.
There was a risk of damaging even K-dum’s other artists’ images.
That’s why even people from other divisions, though they looked at Executive Director Choi with disapproval, couldn’t wish for the matter to escalate outside.
But to impose severe disciplinary action internally.
“Ah… the Executive Director is a bit old-fashioned, so he must have made a mistake.”
“Everyone lived like this before. Still, his intentions weren’t bad. Ultimately, it was all out of consideration for Newton.”
People from the same university, those on the manager line, blocked Executive Director Choi’s path.
Those who joined after K-dum went public couldn’t hide their disgusted expressions. For those who took pride in crying and laughing alongside growing artists, this was an utterly unbelievable story.
“From what I heard, school violence—and from when he’d just graduated elementary school. Actually, that can’t become a big issue. Back then, it’s all kids’ pranks. Also, Yusang seems to be particularly sensitive, so he might be reacting a bit strongly.”
“Ha.”
Gazes gathered toward the owner of the sigh let out as if for them to hear.
“…Director Kwon, seems like you have something to say…”
“Whose side is the 4th Division taking? Our own artist is the victim, and even now still suffers from trauma, yet you’re saying that kind of nonsense?”
Even the executives who had been confidently making excuses at that criticism lost their words.
Executive Director Choi stepped forward.
“So, is the great Kwon Taeyoung going to try taking those Newton bastards instead of me?”
“…Do you even know what you’re saying right now? Are you threatening with your artists’ safety?”
“With this matter, all the plans I was holding for them are completely ruined. Do you think Newton will roll along fine from now on?”
“……”
Kwon Taeyoung’s silence wasn’t affirmation. It meant he was so dumbfounded he had nothing to say.
And the fact that those seated at the table sent the same silence made Executive Director Choi’s insides boil.
“In the first place, if you can’t even endure and smile through that much, what kind of celebrity do you want to be? Huh?”
“Are you done talking? You’re not even sorry to the kid!”
“Taeyoung-ah, calm down. Calm down and speak! I can see you’re angry, but what are you doing right now?”
In fact, there was a reason Executive Director Choi deliberately spewed excessive language.
From before, when Kwon Taeyoung literally ‘lost his mind,’ even his fellow members couldn’t easily stop him.
So he was deliberately provoking him more. The more roughly he came out, the more he could grab onto threatening behavior like a drowning ghost and blur the essence of the incident.
It was when Executive Director Choi was about to pick another fight.
“Is the dog-like shit I heard true?”
The conference room door swung open and furiously angry steps stormed in.
“I’m asking. Is it true you tried to sell your own artist for money?”
The one who entered the conference room was K-dum Entertainment’s CEO Yang Okmi.
At the CEO’s appearance, everyone couldn’t say anything. However, the endless silence was no different from affirmation.
“I started this company to avoid seeing that sight…! People I knew…!”
The CEO looked at Executive Director Choi as if unable to believe it.
“Ah, CEO doesn’t know the situation right now…”
“So it’s true?”
Even Executive Director Choi, who had been treating Kwon Taeyoung pressingly, had no choice but to shut his mouth in front of the CEO.
“How can a person change like this?”
