The emergency room was still busy for this purpose. It was because the news reached the reporters.
Lee Sejin looked at the floor and thought silently.
'I contacted the company, so it must be over now.'
Even though he couldn't calm down, he himself yelled at them, so soon all kinds of words would come out from the staff members who grasped the situation.
Still, he couldn't do it… this situation.
Except for Ryu Chungwoo, who had lost consciousness, he was the only person who could contact the company, but he couldn't stay calm.
"… … Hueup."
Lee Sejin grabbed his smartphone and caught his breath.
His hands trembled.
Most of the members were fine. It was to the extent to which joints were sprained or fractured.
After some time, the aftereffects would have to be checked, but Lee Sejin now only suffered minor abrasions.
The person who caused all of this was thrown out and passed out because he was not wearing a seatbelt. But even that was merciful compared to someone else.
'He should have died.'
However, Lee Sejin held his breath in overwhelming emotions rather than anger toward their former manager.
It was horror.
-Is everybody okay… !
When he checked the conditions of the members right after the accident…
The last person he saw next to Ryu Chungwoo in the back…
'… No, it'll be fine.'
He… Maybe because he was so taken aback, he must have thought that the injury was more fatal than it actually was.
All of them are lightly injured, but Ryu Chungwoo, who was closest to the place where the car hit the back, only cracked his leg, so only Park Moondae... It couldn't be true.
It was because of the bleeding. He got a blood transfusion and surgery, so he'd be fine.
Lee Sejin tried to calm his head, making guesses about the field he didn't even know well.
It was because he almost signed the consent form for Park Moondae's surgery right before.
-Current patient condition... … It's dangerous... … He needs to have a tube inserted right now... …
He tried to listen as much as he could, but he couldn't concentrate.
There was no sense of reality.
'We… Until just now, our 2nd-anniversary performance was held.'
No matter how many times an accident came without warning, did it have to come without any preparation whatsoever?
So powerlessly?
Yes, this was nonsense.
'Everything was going well.''
Wasn't this too unfair? Park Moondae did nothing wrong…
Talented, sincere, and hard-working people were not so common in the industry, so why did it have to be Park Moondae?
The guy whose life wasn't easy.
-Parental consent is required.
- A guardian...
Lee Sejin's blood ran cold.
- Um, can't I just sign it? Just...
-Wait a minute.
The talk about the signature seemed to come and go quickly, but instead of receiving Lee Sejin's signature, the medical team reconfirmed the patient, held a meeting, and went into surgery right away.
It was possible because it was an emergency, but anyway, Lee Sejin sat there stunned and waited for the results.
"... ..."
And he thought.
Now, the other members who were already in a state of panic would have received their treatments already, so they would have known the situation.
Lee Sejin could immediately imagine the scenes of crying and fuss.
'Soon, sightings will come out... When an article is published, rumors...'
No, what was the use of all that? First of all, all the members should be fine.
Lee Sejin gritted his teeth and clasped his hands.
'It'll be fine.'
Still, having the surgery meant that there'd be room for recovery.
So, if Park Moondae came to his senses soon...
-Then, you'll suddenly die in your 30s!
'Fuck, I said that for no reason...'
Lee Sejin hit his knee with his fist. His eyes were blurry.
'He'll wake up.'
He had to.
* * *
"... I am Ryu Gunwoo."
"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you. I hope we get along well! I am Lee Sejin."
I looked at the guy who greeted me with a strange feeling.
Even in the coma, he was still a goofy guy, but one thing was different.
'His eyes...'
There was no kindness in them.
Trying to seize the opportunity somehow, he smiled and acted nice, but he couldn't erase the doubt and caution in his eyes.
'... Was it a fatal blow because he had to leave due to his rumors?'
I didn't know why LeTi brought him after he got kicked out due to rumors of school violence, and even more so, I didn't know why he was able to explain it in detail.
"How old are you? I'm 21 years old~"
"I am also 21 years old."
"Oh, we are the same age."
First of all, he didn't even talk about how he had a high rank in the survival show.
It meant that his mind was destroyed because of the rumors to the extent that he couldn't even consider the reputation he had built within
I spoke with a sigh.
"Shall we speak informally?"
"Oh, shall we? Good~"
Afterward, Lee Sejin left to meet an official from the agency and had a formal conversation to gather information.
"... ..."
Was this the right thing to do?
I tried to bring in the people I could scrape together before
Besides, Seon Ahyeon's side… The agency had not yet responded.
… After watching the broadcast of
'Fuck.'
My head was itchy.
... I should've forced myself to participate in
In fact, with LeTi, in such a ruined program, kicking out one participant and inserting one's own trainee
wouldn't be a chore.
The problem was that the agency strongly refused.
-
'... They were saying how there was nothing to gain.'
Getting two or three trainees to debut would've been possible with Cheongryeo.
However, it was said that an unverified trainee with a name tag from this agency couldn't go to a low-quality program.
At this time, everyone thought that Idol Co Season 3 would fail spectacularly.
'The persuasion didn't work.'
I thought I could encourage Cheongryeo a bit more with the bait of future knowledge, but it was impossible due to time constraints as Idol Co's first filming was right around the corner.
'It's like shit.'
The positive thing was that this agency treated me very well.
-Gunwoo, have you really never taken lessons? Really?
I had been a trainee for the past two or three months, and after about 15 days in the beginning, they figured out my skills and their attitudes became extremely friendly.
It was understandable. It had been 3 years since I first joined the survival show and debuted, so I had experience in being the main vocalist.
'Looks like they're even making plans for me to join their new debut group.'
But that debut group... There was no news of their debut even after 3 years, so I'd like to tell them to stop.
"...Hoo."
I sat looking at the mirror in the practice room. My familiar face I had seen for 29 years was reflected in the mirror.
... To be honest, the progression itself was much easier.
My abilities were already almost complete, the company was smart, and the treatment was good. Besides, I already knew what song and concept I should debut with.
If members with verified abilities were gathered, we would surely achieve success after our debut.
And since I couldn't see the status window, it would be best to bring those who I had already worked with.
'... I think it's only a matter of time before Seon Ahyeon gets in touch.'
It would be perfect if we brought in a few more guys through
So even though it was much easier than the reality where I'd been through everything with
Oddly enough, I didn't like it.
"... This isn't real."
I finished my thoughts, saying that it was unavoidable because the purpose of this was to wake up.
"What do you mean this isn't real?"
"... … !"
When I turned my head, I saw Cheongryeo opening the door at the back of the practice room and walking in.
'That bastard didn't even learn to knock.'
I gave a stern answer.
"I'm just saying."
"Well, it's about time for you to think about things like that."
"... …"
"But it's real, so don't think like that. Because it's a waste of time."
It wasn't real. It was a dream, bastard.
I just nodded without saying anything. Cheongryeo smiled and continued.
"Ah, I will be following
"You can't appear on TV. I'll be the one getting the people you need."
"That's enough."
I didn't want to be on the show.
Anyway, after my future knowledge was verified several times, the guy who became horribly kind was willing to accept the manipulation of
"Hmm... You mean you want me to ask these questions?"
"Yes."
It was a reverse use of the method of 'receiving a transfer offer from the agency if you had the most similar answers to the given questions.'
Kim Raebin knew that he would be invited by LetTi even if he went anyway.
And Cha Eugene and Ryu Chungwoo... No matter what I did, I knew that these guys weren't the kind to be swayed.
So, I planned to catch the one left.
"I told you, he'd do it."
Bae Sejin.
If done right, he was the easiest fish to catch at this point.
* * *
And a few days later, at the filming site of
"Move this first!"
I checked the situation by running errands on the LeTi side among the staff in similar outfits.
'... The odds are high.'
First of all, the agency confirmed that they had contacted and talked with the two members before
'Kim Raebin and Bae Sejin.'
It was through the advice of Cheongryeo, who had been instructed by me.
Since
Both were declared with deals that would tempt them the most.
'For Kim Raebin, it was centered on work support.'
-Among national entertainment companies, we invest the most in production-related facilities.
This agency's AR work was very systematic. Besides, Kim Raebin was curious about the recording programs used by VTIC, so there was quite a possibility.
And considering his moral inclination, he wouldn't even mention the leaked questions.
We just emphasized that all of this was the 'official way'.
-It would be a great pleasure if we could meet through the official transfer method in the program.
However, he added that it would be good to persuade Cha Eugene to come with him if necessary.
'Cha Eugene is a guy who pays attention when necessary.'
If he found this proposal, he would notice what was going on and would imagine the answer Kim Raebin would give. Although, the odds were extremely low.
'And for Bae Sejin... safety.'
- Our legal team is fully staffed, and we are actively working with large law firms to protect our artists.
With the subtle nuance of being strong against agency disputes and more, we openly contacted him with answers to questions.
It was dangerous, but this should be enough.
And in this process, Cheongryeo surprisingly faithfully performed the role by blowing up the agency externally instead of me.
'I'm glad I used the song composer he'd use in the future as bait.'
So now, it was time to see the results.
I continued to pretend to be a staff member and checked the set.
First... Kim Raebin.
[That... Um, sorry. Since I appeared already, I want to do my best in my work.]
He thought about it more than in real life, but in the end, he refused.
'I thought so.'
But the important point was after that.
[Here you go.]
[Ah, yes! Thank you.]
He got a business card
In other words, in an unfortunate accident... if the program went bankrupt or he dropped out, he would contact LeTi.
I didn't know how this world would turn out.
'This is enough.'
I had been watching this production team for three years in my own way, and there were three or four ways to strike
In addition, after the filming was over, even Ryu Chungwoo took advantage of the confusion and took the business card from a LeTi official who sneaked up on him.
The performance was better than expected.
'What should I do with Cha Eugene... I think I could just gather all of them and debut.'
Suddenly, I felt a thrill in my head.
I swallowed.
However, not everything went as expected.
[... No. It's okay.]
Bae Sejin... refused.
He didn't even take the business card.
'Is he crazy?'
Why was he kicking the rope? Even during the filming in real life, I knew for sure that he was deeply troubled at that time.
[Yes. Good luck.]
However, the results did not change.
Bae Sejin had been confirmed to remain in
* * *
"... …"
I walked away with my mouth shut.
'It feels like I've been slapped on the cheek.'
I was going to skip the ones that didn't work out anyway, but I didn't know why.
Click.
Thinking of splashing cold water on myself, I rushed into the bathroom for workers.
"... !!"
"... !"
And Bae Sejin's eyes met mine.
It was clear that he was frowning with the water turned on.
'If that's the case, why did he refuse?'
I couldn't hold back my irritation and spoke impulsively.
"Why don't you accept it now?"
"What?"
Bae Sejin blankly replied.
"LeTi is a decent agency."
Bae Sejin's face turned blue, then red again, and finally went white.
'Did I stab him too directly?'
"What... You, LeTi…"
"Yes. I'm a staff there."
Bae Sejin looked at me with a bewildered face, then suddenly became extremely defensive.
And he responded sharply.
"You... Are you doing this to steal celebrities?"
"... … !"
"Contacting me in advance... Giving me the answers to the questions."
'Fuck.'
The situation got twisted.
This guy was terrified.
We sent him questions and even brought up the story of the legal team in advance.
It must have felt similar to what Bae Sejin originally did at his agency.
"... …"
Bang.
Bae Sejin left the bathroom as if he were running away.
And I had no choice but to admit my mistake.
* * *
In the car going back...
I crossed my arms trying to clear my mind.
'Let's forget about it.'
Still, I felt dirty.
Cheongryeo on the other side checked that the member next to him was sleeping soundly, and then opened his mouth.
"Hoobaenim?"
"No, I don't understand why you did this. They didn't join us anyway, so that's why I'm asking."
"... …"
"The former actor was not even a good contestant, so why did you bother to take him? If it were me, I would have cut it at this opportunity."
"... ... What?"
"He wasn't cooperative, and he doesn't seem very useful."
"... !!"
I felt like I had been hit on the head.
Why did I want to bring him here?
'That…'
I did it unconsciously.
If he debuted there, Bae Sejin would attract drug rumors and his career would end.
'His life... fuck.'
I gritted my teeth.
Actually, I knew already.
This wasn't even real, so what did it matter if Bae Sejin had drug rumors or dies?
I didn't know why I even bothered with all this shit, damn it.
"Don't worry about your past relationships. It's a loss."
"... …"
"The number of people has not been confirmed since everyone only received business cards anyway, so how about something like this instead?"
"What?"
Cheongryeo smiled.
"Um, joining VTIC?"
"... … !"
What kind of crazy shit was this?
'Is this a trap?'
Joining as a new member of a top-tier group until the contract renewal season. It was like he was telling me to commit suicide in a different way.
"No, listen closely."
And the guy, surprisingly, started talking about a fairly plausible route.