It had been a long time since I last had a conversation with Ryu Chungwoo.
'Is this the first time since waking up?'
No. Before waking up, I was keeping my distance from him thanks to the damn truth-check. It might have been a little longer.
'… Checking the truth, it looks like it's going to happen again.'
I briefly recalled the pop-up and then erased it from my mind. There was still time.
Anyway… After waking up, this guy didn't seem to be in good spirits, so I deliberately left him alone. In my experience, scratching at times like this would make him angry.
So, it means that I didn't know that Ryu Chungwoo would prepare a place like this first, as soon as the concert was over.
"Would you like something non-alcoholic?"
"… Um, yes."
I accepted the non-alcoholic canned beer he gave me.
Click. Gulp.
The sound of opening a can and the tingling sensation of swallowing it were refreshing.
"… … You drink well."
"It's kind of like that."
It's not that I wanted to drink like crazy, but I couldn't say that I didn't think about drinking from time to time.
I didn't know if Ryu Chungwoo was trying to be polite or not, but he himself opened a non-alcoholic beer.
The chat started In such a rather soft atmosphere, and it was not difficult to get to the point.
"Have you ever considered a lawsuit?"
That's right, the sudden concert ended, so it was time for this topic to come back. I answered honestly.
"I've been thinking… Honestly, I think it will be burdensome for more than half a year now. The momentum will collapse."
"That makes sense too."
Ryu Chungwoo quietly drank his beer.
"Now one year and… The value of one year after 10 years will be different."
Yes.
It was a concern for occupational groups whose uncertain prime time ended short when they were young.
-Is this job worth throwing away a year of our prime time?
Ryu Chungwoo was originally an athlete, so this kind of judgment would be more familiar.
The guy smiled bitterly.
"It seems like Sejin hasn't given up yet. He's been looking into a lot of things. And a lawyer."
"… A lawyer."
"Yes. It's like consulting via text."
When did he have time to do that while practicing?
I was stunned, but at the same time, my appetite was a bit bitter.
He must have wanted to prepare for a lawsuit rather than a concert, so he must have been frustrated because he suddenly had a donation concert.
It seemed that he put up with it a lot because it was the wish of the dead and awakened man.
"… …"
Ryu Chungwoo and I just drank beer without saying a word. And I was the first to speak.
"First… Shall I call Sejin hyung?"
"Okay"
After all, the story would proceed only when there was an opinion actively in favor of the lawsuit.
I texted Bae Sejin.
[Hyung, would you like to come to Chungwoo hyung's room? We're talking right now.]
It was said that he read the message, and without a reply, a running sound was heard from there and followed by a cautious knock.
"… …"
He was a very easy-to-understand guy.
"Come on in."
"Yes, yes."
I opened the door for him, and that was how the formatting changed to a three-way meeting.
"We were talking about the lawsuit."
"… ! That, yes."
"Yes. Hyung still wants to sue the company."
"… Yes."
Bae Sejin's face was tense, but the answer was quite calm. There would be no more yelling at me and making his own face red…
"Even though the Human Rights Commission's recommendation came, the tail was cut and the general manager didn't change…! At this rate, it will be back to normal soon!"
"… …"
"I'm just waiting for them to calm down!!"
No. They were already pissed off enough.
Well… The company was now lowering its body and thinking about it, but Bae Sejin was right. The general manager hadn't changed either.
However, it was better not to change.
"Hyung, but I think it would be more comfortable for the general manager to stay."
"What?? Why!"
I spoke boldly.
"Because he would have been scared."
"… … ??"
"Maybe nothing will happen and they will notice us. The case has grown so big that he can't help it."
In a word, it meant that the order had changed.
A singer in the company almost died due to a company mistake, but the moment the singer had a cause to sue, that would be the end.
He must have gotten into a lot of trouble in the head office, so in order to preserve his position, he would have to go through hardships in the future.
I lightly crushed the beer can for recycling.
"So, even if this company feels a bit like crap, it still means that we will be able to move around in the future."
"Uh, calling it crap.."
"Well, I'll correct myself and say immoral."
"… …"
Bae Sejin was silent for a moment. I didn't know if he was speechless or stunned.
However, he soon answered in a broken voice.
"Okay… If everyone thinks so."
If this was the case, would the formatting where Bae Sejin had to give up after being pushed out of the majority vote repeat itself again as in the last time the lawsuit was suspended in the hospital room?
Bae Sejin seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then continued.
"Actually, I kind of thought of that. With this case, if we win by filing a lawsuit, it will set a good precedent…"
"… …"
Did he think that far?
"By the way, that's right. If you have the time to think about things like that, you should play your part in the team."
Bae Sejin lowered his head.
"I will give up the lawsuit."
"No…"
I didn't mean to put so much pressure on him.
I just tried to convince him in a good way, or even if we filed a lawsuit, we could try to set it in a way that would end in the shortest possible time.
I pondered over the words for a while. However, Ryu Chungwoo was the first to speak calmly.
"Not everyone thinks like that, Sejin."
"What?"
"I like the idea of a lawsuit."
"… !"
What?
Bae Sejin raised his head.
"… R-really??"
"Yes."
Didn't you, bastard, agree with me when I said that lawsuits were burdensome?
… Wait a moment.
I remembered the sentence Ryu Chungwoo agreed with.
-That's also true.
… It was 'that too'.
I put up with the silence. This guy was neutral.
'Come to think of it, he was like that in the hospital room too.'
Ryu Chungwoo continued with a calm tone.
"And Sejin, I think you're doing well as the eldest member of the team."
"… …"
This… I had to add more words.
"I think so too. The lawsuit is just because I'm not sure, so don't worry."
"You guys… …"
Bae Sejin seemed to be moved for a moment, but soon came to his senses and cleared his throat.
"Hmm, then… S-should I ask the other kids? Maybe they haven't changed their minds!"
"Yes. I see."
"Good."
And after a while…
"A lawsuit? Uh… Didn't we decide not to? Haha."
"So, if we file a lawsuit, will the next album be postponed indefinitely…?"
"I want to do that activity! I like the activities!"
"… …"
It was a KO.
Even Cha Eugene, who wanted to file a lawsuit at first, turned around, perhaps because the feeling of the concert was good.
Bae Sejin sat on the floor with a lonely face and began to ponder the defeat. A little pitiful.
Seon Ahyeon, who remained neutral at least, was restless, but soon raised one hand and spoke cautiously.
"I… I-if we file a lawsuit, will we take a break… ?"
"That's right, Ahyeon-ah."
Ryu Chungwoo answered instead. Then, Seon Ahyeon noticed, and he gave a small answer.
"Well, then, if it's not too long… I like the idea."
"… !!"
What was he talking about?
I asked right away.
"Seon Ahyeon, did you want to rest?"
"Yes? Yes… …"
Seon Ahyeon avoided my gaze. This guy… ?
"Wait a minute, Ahyeon wants to take a break, so you want to file a lawsuit?"
"Yeah, the concert ended well, and the reaction was good. T-taking a break… I thought it would be nice to take care of our bodies… !"
Keun Sejin quickly jumped in.
"Ah, then we can rest~ Before preparing for the new album, let's take a break from our schedule for a couple of weeks and go somewhere to recuperate!"
"Oh~"
"What does recuperate mean?"
"It means to eat something delicious and play~"
"Great!"
There were a lot of votes in favor. I could see Bae Sejin holding back while trying to aim for Keun Sejin. Even if Seon Ahyeon approved the lawsuit anyway, he wouldn't have won the majority vote.
It was my turn to answer next.
After thinking briefly, I took a sip of beer from a new can and answered.
"Healing is good."
"Oh!"
"R-really… ?"
"Yes."
Anyway, the big hurdle was over.
There was still a grace period until I pressed the truth check, so I could spend it a little leisurely in the meantime.
Because it was a big accident.
'… I've forced myself too much.'
Not just me, but these guys.
As soon as I was discharged from the hospital, I pushed ahead with the plan of a donation concert, and of having the best senior group in this edition as guests.
'I was desperate and these guys just listened to me.'
Still, the logic I made when persuading worked.
I briefly recalled the conversation at the time.
-I think it needs to be topical.
- A hot topic?
-Yes. It's not an accident or a mess at the company, but in the direction that idols are originally consumed. And it will be hotter when there is conflict.
-Hmm.
Rarely did this method work as well as rival positioning, I said.
And this seemed to have motivated the members. That was fortunate because the results were good.
'After the concert, the follow-up went well.'
Public opinion would be fine for a while as we blew donations and photos as a save.
VTIC seemed to have benefited a bit, so I was hesitant, but the story of the champion and challenger seemed to have been settled well within the acceptable range of the public and the parties involved.
'Anyway, I drew a little bit of a composition that would naturally be caught when TeStar gets bigger.'
That was how we made the most of everything we could've gotten from this concert, so if they had a conscience, they'd have to give up a bit.
Even if we couldn't file a lawsuit, let's stop trying to interrupt when they wanted to rest.
'A lawsuit… Looking at it, I don't think Bae Sejin can achieve the desired effect.'
I rolled my brain slowly. Ryu Chungwoo across from me smiled.
"I like it too. We should have some recovery time. What about Sejin?"
"… That's okay."
"Okay, everyone agrees."
The atmosphere became harmonious. Keun Sejin snatched the beer in front of me and opened one. Be patient.
"Ah~ Chuseok is just around the corner, so shall we get together and rest well before going to our parents' house then?"
(TN: Chuseok/추석: a major mid-autumn harvest festival and a three-day holiday in South Korea celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar on the full moon.)
"O-okay… !"
Between the guys who were excitedly talking about where to go, this time, Kim Raebin's hand sneaked up.
"Uh, what about Raebin?"
"Ah, nothing else… So, are we telling the company that we are stopping all schedules and preparing for the next activity?"
That was fine.
"Anyway, our schedule is almost done for a while. We only have to shoot a few videos to show our fans."
"Okay! Then, only the video for fans to see is canceled… … Hmm."
Yes, making it like that made the meaning of the sentence mysterious.
Fortunately, a plausible opinion emerged.
"Then shall we show them our break? A little more comfortable~ To show them how we rest!"
"… I don't know if they'd like to see something like that."
"Well, it may be a bit boring, but… who cares! Healing travel is all entertainment. Well, I think it will be okay since we set up a donation concert as well."
That was right. Not bad for break content.
Similar opinions came from all over the place.
We just needed to change the theme a bit. I emptied the can and opened my mouth.
"But isn't the concept of travel a little overlapping? We traveled in our previous reality show already."
"Ah, yes."
"That's a good point."
Idol working holiday. Everyone had a mysterious look at the memories of making and selling hotteok.
I crossed my arms.
'Other than that, isn't there a typical healing entertainment? The one that matches the recuperation.'
Not traveling, something else… Oh, that.
Chicken feet.
"How about setting a theme for an eating show?"
"An eating show?"
Wasn't that proven content? I remembered the days of
And I wasn't the only one who thought of that. Keun Sejin burst into laughter.
"As expected, chicken feet Tibet Moondae~ Ah, Tibet? That's right, let's mix animals there too! Are there any other keywords??"
"N-natural scenery… ?"
"… That's good."
It was said that all kinds of healing keywords were combined in such a haphazard way, and a hastily prepared variety show was organized on an emergency basis.
〈TeStar goes to the countryside to recuperate〉
… And, until now, I didn't know how far this spontaneous entertainment show would go.