We Need a Countermeasure (2)
From Team Leader Choi Giro’s answer, Baek Yuri could read the mood of the meeting without being there.
So even when they knew it was bad, nobody had been able to say it out loud…
And among the employees left at Flux now, there was no one left with the backbone or loyalty to offer honest advice.
“May I ask… on what basis the people who were laid off were sent away?”
“After Representative Jake got fired and the investment money was slashed, Representative Kim Woohwan said, ‘Since we need to trim staff, anyone who wants out should volunteer to leave.’”
“…….”
“But then the employees started arguing back, saying, ‘You leave. Why did Representative Jake get kicked out and some guy like you get brought in?’ and then things just….”
Good heavens.
“They’d only worked with Representative Jake for a little over three months, but everyone had grown really attached to him. They all said he was truly a good boss. You don’t find people like that these days.”
“I see.”
“So this whole thing was a huge shock. All the plans we’d worked so hard on while Idol Travel was airing got torn up, too….”
In the end, the people who could speak their minds had all been driven out, and only the obedient employees who were trying not to get fired had been left behind. The management team—Team Leader Choi and Manager Gwak—didn’t seem to understand in the slightest what was wrong with the concept.
“Is the debut date still the same? Representative Jake told us the debut showcase was scheduled for Monday, November 25.”
The timetable was tight for a debut just one month away, but it had been possible only because Representative Jake had planned and prepared everything in advance.
The members were meant to learn the song and choreography in the first week, then finish recording and all filming in the second. From the third week on, while the members threw themselves into showcase prep and stage practice, the staff would complete the music video edit and album release preparations.
“Ah, well, actually… they said it’ll be pushed to around April next year. The showcase was supposed to be held at the indoor gym in Jamsil where the finale was filmed, but I think they’ll probably tell us to cancel the reservation soon.”
“April… next year? Isn’t that too late?”
Six months away. That was an awfully long time for all the buzz they’d scraped together from Idol Travel to vanish into thin air.
“Ahem, well… this isn’t set in stone, so I didn’t mention it, but they’re considering a triple title track.”
“Pardon…?”
“The song I just played you might end up being used as the first prerelease track. Nothing’s confirmed yet. Since so much investment has fallen through, I’m not sure whether a triple title is even possible on a low budget.”
At Team Leader Choi’s words, Ha On-ha flopped onto the floor again and grabbed at his hair. Whether he was laughing or crying, his shoulders shook violently.
Baek Yuri forced himself to stay calm and asked another question.
“You said the debut prep reality shoot was starting tomorrow—will that still go ahead as planned?”
“Ah. Well… they said the concept is supposed to feel mysterious, dreamlike and all that, so a reality show goes against that whole mystique thing… He said friendly content just chips away at the image, and why would we need something like that anyway….”
“I see….”
Baek Yuri shut his mouth.
So they were just going to give fans no bait at all, no content, nothing until next April? Tell them to sit there sucking their thumbs and wait? Mystique, my foot. What era were they living in, exactly?
He could now see why Kim Woohwan’s company, Breaking Day, had gone under. The situation was profoundly… hopeless.
Looks like we really do need a meeting, like On-ha said.
Baek Yuri glanced at the members’ faces and said, “Could we talk among ourselves first, and then maybe arrange a meeting with the representative later…?”
“Ah, of course. Discuss it among yourselves… and then let me know. I’ll ask the representative for you.”
“Thank you.”
“Yup! Any other questions from the members?”
At least Team Leader Choi was cooperative; that was a relief. The members shook their heads to show they had nothing else to ask. In truth, they’d simply lost the will to ask anything else.
“All right, then that’s it for the announcements. Since the dorm has suddenly changed, I’ll take you to the new place first. Guk-pal-nim—no, Manager Gwak.”
“……?”
“I’ve been told to revise the way we address him as well, so… yes. Anyway, Manager Gwak will take you there.”
The members stood up weakly and followed Manager Gwak out.
* * *
The car brought them to a shabby old villa, and one that was unnervingly close to the creepy old company building, at that.
The only security was the first-floor lobby intercom and the lock on the front door. Once they stepped inside, they found a cramped little 1.5-room unit with just one room and a living room that doubled as a kitchen.
The room smelled stale. An old wardrobe and two bunk beds stood side by side, and in the living room, a pair of black socks someone had thrown away lay sprawled across the floor.
Baek Yuri asked Manager Gukpal, “But didn’t you say the dorm was supposed to change today? How did you find a place this quickly?”
“Ah, this was apparently where an idol group that used to be under Breaking Day lived. I think they were called Jumping Boys? There were four members… the company went bankrupt, and then everyone went their separate ways, I guess. It’s been empty ever since, but Representative Kim Woohwan told us to move here….”
“Ahh….”
“It is a little small for seven people, isn’t it…?”
Baek Yuri couldn’t bring himself to say no, so he only smiled quietly.
Overnight, their dorm had changed from a high-rise apartment with three bedrooms to this dingy little villa with one and a half rooms. Even keeping a smile on his face was not easy.
“It feels like a school trip!”
“We’ll get closer to the members even faster!”
Woo Cheong and Baek Gi-yeom, already recovered to full positive-mental-mode, kicked off their shoes and ran inside, cheering.
Manager Gwak handed Baek Yuri the front-door password and the address written on a note. Then he passed over the chicken breast fried rice lunch boxes he’d picked up on the way.
“I was going to call a cleaning company, but the representative wouldn’t approve it. The cleaning supplies are in the trunk for now. It looks like you’ll have to eat dinner first and then clean together.”
They finished eating quickly, sitting on the floor wherever they could, and then the deep clean began. They opened all the windows wide, wiped the dust from the floors and windowsills, cleaned the bathroom, and even replaced the toilet seat cover.
Fortunately, the ventilation was decent and there didn’t seem to be any mold.
Baek Yuri took charge with impressive efficiency, scrubbing away the water stains and grime that had built up in the corners of the house, spraying alcohol disinfectant here and there as he went to annihilate every last germ.
Ha On-ha and Lee Gal-chae each handled their tasks well enough, and Yeo Do-bin, though slow and a little awkward, was meticulous and did a fine job of the more careful, orderly work.
“Cheong! Watch the bleach! You’ve got to dilute it, dilute it! No, put a mask on first! No, seriously, can’t you just let me do it?”
Woo Cheong wasn’t much help. Baek Gi-yeom chased him out into the entryway.
“Cheong, tidy up the shoe rack!”
“Yap-yap!”
Neoul, too, took a dishcloth and diligently wiped down the inside of the empty refrigerator. That had been assigned to him by Baek Yuri from the start, because if he let Neoul do anything else, he might cause an accident for no reason at all.
Once the place was at least made to look like a home where people actually lived…
“You probably had a rough day with the company being so chaotic and all these things happening out of nowhere, so please talk comfortably and get some rest. I’ll come pick you up at 9 a.m. tomorrow.”
“Thank you for helping us clean. Please drive safely.”
“See you tomorrow, Guk-pal-nim!”
Manager Gwak left. The once-loud house fell silent in an instant.
Yeo Do-bin glanced around nervously and asked, “W-are… are we okay…?”
The mangled song, the minor concept, the delayed or canceled schedule, the cramped and shabby dorm—everything seemed determined to ruin their team. They had thought they’d debut on the back of high ratings and popularity, taking the world’s attention with them.
If they just stood by and did nothing, they’d end up with poor results, reduced to an afterthought, and eventually forgotten and erased from people’s memories.
Baek Yuri took off his rubber gloves and said, “At this rate, we’re done for.”
“…….”
“We need a plan.”
Everyone nodded.
Neoul looked over the exhausted members, then opened his suitcase. He took out the business card Representative Jake had given him at their first meeting and held it out.
“Would it not suffice to simply bring Representative Jake back?”
“Could that… actually be possible?”
“One need only ask.”
Without the slightest hesitation, Neoul took out his smartphone and dialed the number. The call connected at once. Ha On-ha yelped and lunged to snatch the phone away.
“Aaaah! How can you just call him out of the blue like that?”
“He too vanished without warning or explanation.”
“What are you even going to ask him? Representative Jake didn’t exactly leave because he wanted to go, so why go pouring oil on a house that’s already on fire?”
Ha On-ha was deeply pessimistic.
If it were really that easy to bring him back, would he have been kicked out in the first place? Making the call might only end up adding fuel to Representative Jake’s anger.
But Neoul raised his long arm high and kept the phone out of reach.
“Has Representative Jake’s house caught fire?”
“Caught fire? It’s worse than that—it’s like a bomb fell on it! This is a thunderbolt from the blue.”
“Then we must go and aid him.”
Hah. And how exactly were they supposed to do that? His own nose was already three feet long as it was!
Ha On-ha was about to retort in disbelief when he shut his mouth. The members were not trying to stop Neoul, despite how startled they’d all been by his sudden move, and that made the situation hit him all over again.
They had reached the point where they needed to grab at even the last broken straw.
Right. My own nose is on the line here, so why am I worrying about other people’s feelings?
Manners were a luxury you could afford only when you had the room for them. Whether Representative Jake could come back or not, and no matter how he felt right now….
The members all refrained from stopping Neoul, as if clinging to a shred of hope had become their only option.
When Ha On-ha gave up trying to seize the phone, the members gathered in a tight cluster around Neoul’s smartphone.
“Hyung! Speaker, speaker!”
At Woo Cheong’s urging, Neoul pressed the speaker button. The ringing sound grew louder, carrying through the room.
— Yes. This is Jake.
“Representative Jake! Come back!”
Woo Cheong blurted out his plea. A faint laugh drifted over the phone.
— That’s difficult at the moment.
At the moment…?
“Does that mean… it’ll be possible later?” Baek Yuri asked.
— The number is under Neoul’s name, but I can hear other people’s voices. It sounds like you’re all together.
Representative Jake cleared his throat once and continued.
— I’m planning to file a lawsuit for a declaration of inexistence regarding the shareholders’ meeting that suspended me from my duties and dismissed me.
“A lawsuit for declaration of inexistence?”
— Yes. There was a serious defect in the procedure for convening the shareholders’ meeting.
At the phrase “serious defect,” the members perked up and listened closely.
— I am, without question, the one authorized to convene the shareholders’ meeting as the representative director, but I never convened one, nor did I receive any request to do so. And yet the meeting was held and my dismissal was decided anyway.
“……?”
— Even if all shareholders agreed and the result to dismiss the representative director was unanimous, the act is void because it was carried out in disregard of procedure. ...So the lawyer told me.
“Then you’re saying you really can come back?”
— If the court rules in my favor, yes. And there’s a high probability it will.
“Wow!”
Woo Cheong let out a single shout. It was the happiest thing they’d heard all day. The members’ faces brightened at once.
But the voice over the phone turned somewhat darker in contrast.
— However, it will take time. In the meantime, your debut preparations… will be troublesome.
“It’s a total disaster!”
Woo Cheong rattled off everything: the song and concept Kim Woohwan was pushing, the changed schedule, and more. Even Yeo Do-bin, who sounded as if the song’s condition was beyond terrible, overcame his shyness to add a word from beside him.
“J-Jake… I don’t want to do this song even in my next life….”
That was brutally honest.
After a moment of silence, as if deep in thought, Representative Jake spoke again.
— From what I’ve learned, Kim Woohwan is a lazy man, so I assumed he’d use the plan I left behind exactly as it was. I was wrong. To think he’d scrap it all.
A low groan sounded on the other end.
— For now… push the fact that you’re the kind of people who can self-produce.
Woo Cheong and Yeo Do-bin exchanged glances. They were the very ones who had shouted that if they had to do whatever Kim Woohwan wanted, they’d rather make it themselves. The other members looked at one another as well.
— You can write lyrics, compose, and choreograph, can’t you? I saw how well you staged performances with all sorts of concepts on Idol Travel. Choosing an album concept isn’t all that different. Say that you’ll handle all of the producing yourselves, too.
“Will they really accept that?” Baek Yuri asked. The members wore worried expressions. But the next words from Representative Jake eased their concern.
— Kim Woohwan is weak-willed and has no spine. Sell him on the fact that self-producing and self-making are the trend these days, and imply that not doing it would mean falling behind the times.
“Oh….”
— Since you already emphasized self-production on Idol Travel and made content out of it, the fans will expect self-producing and self-making, too. Tell him they’ll definitely be disappointed and drift away otherwise.
Representative Jake made his earnest request.
— Don’t show anything publicly during the planning stage, and don’t show him any unfinished intermediate work. He won’t be able to infer the final product from the middle stages. He’s not that smart. It’ll be easier to persuade Kim Woohwan if you just finish it first and then present the result.
So he was a stupid man. I see.
Neoul listened carefully to Representative Jake’s words and nodded.
— He has no sense either, so he won’t be able to create a good work himself, but he won’t be unable to tell which of two finished results is better.
“…….”
— Ah, and one last thing… be sure to mention that going with self-production will save on the budget. That man is miserly.
Representative Jake was only stating facts, but to the members listening, it felt strangely loaded. It was as if they were hearing gossip disguised as advice.
Representative Jake, too, seemed to have a great deal bottled up after being so unjustly thrown out.
* * *