Chapter 139: Corporate Retaliation (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 139: Corporate Retaliation (5)
“What happened to PD Yoo?”
“Don’t even put a ‘PD’ or a ‘sir’ after that guy’s name. Why would you want to use honorifics for a piece of trash like him?”
Lee Cheong-hyeon snapped.
Do you think I’m using them because I want to? It’s because I don’t know who might be listening.
I was about to fire back a retort, but I held it in after seeing the state of his face. I couldn’t let Spark’s top visual look like a deflated pastry forever.
“I heard he was at the police station earlier, but there’s been no news since then. All we know is that he’s being uncooperative with the investigation.”
Even in Jeong Seong-bin’s words, the honorifics for Yu Han-su were noticeably absent.
For a kid as polite as him to act like this... at this rate, Yu Han-su won’t even be able to get into heaven after he dies.
“I heard he held a lot of grudges against you, Hyung...”
“Even so, does it make sense to hit someone? That crazy son of a—”
“Shh.”
I barely managed to calm down Choi Je-ho, who was heating up again.
‘You told that writer about me, didn’t you?’
Yu Han-su had definitely said that. He even asked if I was going around talking behind his back.
In reality, I had never mentioned Yu Han-su’s power trips to anyone except the Planning Team Leader and Min Ju-gyeong.
I suppose he thought his position at UA was already precarious because of me, and then his reputation was dragged through the mud because of internal whistleblowing. He probably felt like he was being completely sidelined while I was the only one succeeding.
But he wasn't publicly executed, nor was he fired from the company. I never imagined a pathetic loser like him would go this far over something like that. It seems the trigger for Yu Han-su was the destruction of his "achievements"—that career he built by stealing other people’s hard work.
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[SYSTEM] A task directive from the ‘Person in Charge’ has arrived.
▶ I knew that Yu guy was going to cause trouble. I told you his eyes looked weird, didn't I? He had the face of someone who’d pull a stunt like this. Why do you keep doing things I told you not to do? I definitely warned you, didn't I?
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So the System knew Yu Han-su would do this.
Why didn't you just hold a funeral for me while you were at it? You seemed pretty excited, considering you were even counting down the seconds.
I’d love to tear him to shreds, but the System did technically prevent a truly fatal injury and even gave me an incentive, so I’ll let it slide.
Still, seeing how far Yu Han-su went, he must have been genuinely terrified of his image being ruined.
Does he not think about the things he’s done? Looking at his Occupation Planet, he was surrounded by enemies. If it were me, I’d be too scared to live my professional life like that.
More importantly, the investigation.
Has the time finally come for the collection of Yu Han-su’s "greatest quotes" I’ve been building up for months to shine?
My heart fluttered. Was it because this was the first time in my career I was getting such a satisfying, refreshing revenge? My heart pounded, and a surge of vitality rushed through me.
“You know that folder with my name on it in our shared drive? The password is ‘zkfxhlrldnjs214dlfck.’ If you go in, the third or fourth folder should be titled ‘[Misc.] Target for Revenge - Yu Han-su.’”
“Hyung, you were keeping something like that in our shared folder?”
Lee Cheong-hyeon asked with a look of utter disbelief.
“I gathered it all because I knew it would come in handy. Transfer everything in there to a USB and give it to the manager. There are plenty of empty USBs in the office, so don’t waste money buying a new one.”
“What’s even in that folder?”
“Screenshots of texts the PD sent me and recordings of our phone calls. I’ve got my work schedule organized, and even a diary where I poured out my heart about how much I suffered because of him. If they say they need the originals, you can just hand over my phone. I haven't deleted a single text.”
“...”
“They say the more records, the better.”
The methods for collecting evidence of workplace harassment—which I had researched once upon a time to report Department Head Nam—were finally paying off like this.
To have a criminal investigation start just as the internal investigation at UA was nearing its end...
Good for you, you piece of work. I’ll make sure you’re buried not just in the company, but in society as well.
As I was savoring the feeling of pure catharsis, I locked eyes with Kang Gi-yeon, who was looking down at me with a strange expression.
“Hyung, aren’t you even angry?”
“About what?”
“I mean, do you have any thoughts other than the fact that we were shocked and that you’re going to report Yu Han-su?”
I could feel a chill emanating from Kang Gi-yeon’s expression.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“Earlier, I stopped Je-ho because he seemed too worked up. But you...”
Kang Gi-yeon suddenly went silent.
There are only two reasons why he acts like that: either he doesn't feel the need to say it, or he thinks what he’s about to say is too harsh.
They’re usually the type to avoid saying harsh things to maintain decorum.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to hear his true feelings while his frustration with me is at its peak.
“If you have something to say, say it. Just leave out the profanity.”
“...”
“Hurry up. You won’t say it unless I set the stage for you. If it’s awkward to talk in front of the others, should I tell them all to leave?”
“Sigh...”
Kang Gi-yeon let out a deep sigh.
“I know you’re a consistent person, Hyung. But sometimes, I wish you’d just know when to stop.”
“...”
“We were really worried about you. We were furious at Yu Han-su. But since the person involved acts like it’s nothing while we’re the only ones anxious, I feel like a fool.”
Silence followed.
Kang Gi-yeon furrowed his brows and turned his head away.
It’s not like I’m not angry at all. I almost had a hole put in my head.
But that’s just how it is for an office worker who has to look out for himself.
When you have to earn this month’s living expenses to pay for next month’s, taking a break because you’re sick means unpaid leave, which means you can’t make money.
If you show that you’re hurting, all you get back is a reprimand, so you try your best not to give anyone an excuse to criticize you.
I’ve seen countless employees try to squeeze a surgery into a weekend or a public holiday because they can’t afford to be away for long. When you live like that for a long time, your own well-being becomes a secondary priority.
And what about my feelings? If I get insulted and show my anger, I’m usually the one who ends up looking like the crazy person. How could I just express it exactly as I feel?
My thoughts are drifting toward self-pity again. I need to stop.
I had a lot I wanted to say to Kang Gi-yeon—like how thirty million office workers would understand me, or how it’s not like I don’t want to rest.
Still, I decided to back down this time. I didn't want to get into a tearful argument.
“Thanks for caring about me that much. I’ll try not to let it happen again.”
When I looked at Kang Gi-yeon’s face again, it clearly said, ‘Yeah, right.’
No matter what I do, it’s a mess. My head was starting to feel tired.
Part of me wanted to tell them to get their heads back in the game and go practice. But if I did that, a few of them would surely glare at me and start nagging again.
I suppressed a sigh and decided to take a step back.
“Right. Everyone worked hard today, so go back and get some rest. Seong-bin, contact me as the representative when you have time tomorrow. Let’s discuss what to do about the Final Competition.”
“The Final Competition?”
Kang Gi-yeon asked back.
“Are you seriously planning to have a meeting tomorrow?”
“Then we just won't? Are we not going to the competition?”
“Hyung, you didn't listen to a single word I said, did you?”
“Gi-yeon, don’t push him too hard. Hyung, the Final Competition has been postponed by two weeks.”
Jeong Seong-bin stopped the flaring Kang Gi-yeon.
The postponement of the Final Competition was unexpected. For a survival program, the finale—especially one usually broadcast live—is incredibly important.
From renting the venue to recruiting the audience and expanding the voting system, there was a mountain of work to do. Pushing it back by two weeks meant the production team would have to redo almost everything from scratch.
“Why?”
“A cast member got into an accident; do you think they’d just go ahead with it? And it wasn't just any accident—it was a conflict that exploded while preparing for the Idol Dynasty Annals.”
Choi Je-ho clicked his tongue.
Jeong Seong-bin took out a wet wipe and rubbed it against my hair to clean it.
“There were a lot of articles, and it became such a big issue... the situation has grown quite a bit.”
The edge of the wet wipe was stained with thick, dark blood.
“So for now, don’t think about anything else and just get some rest.”
Jeong Seong-bin gave a clumsy smile, as if trying to hide his anxiety.
When he acts like this...
It makes it feel like I’m the one making them worry more.
But since I couldn't take back what I’d already said...
I told them I understood and pushed them toward the door, saying I wanted to get some sleep and that they should head back.
Only after watching them leave the room with the manager did I finally feel the tension ease.
Still, isn't it illegal for five people to gang up on one patient? I felt like crying internally out of a sense of injustice.
But there was no time to cry. I needed a plan for the Final Competition.
Originally, there were about three weeks left until the finale.
And now, that had been extended by two weeks.
It’s rare for an entire group to drop out of a program just because one member is injured. Usually, they just proceed without the injured member.
However, the situation was a bit different now. Not only did it happen while preparing for the program, but it was also entangled with internal company issues.
In this case, UA might pull all of Spark from the program to protect their artists and settle the incident.
Dropping out right before the finals wouldn't be an easy choice, but UA was more than capable of doing it. At the very least, UA was a company that prioritized the safety of its singers.
The conclusion was simple.
I had to recover completely and shout with a perfectly fine face, “I’m totally fine! Let’s run toward the final stage of the Idol Dynasty Annals!”
Judging by the state of the Spark members earlier, if I wasn't fully recovered, they wouldn't even let me participate in meetings, let alone let me on stage.
But who was I?
Wasn't I the man who had endured with nothing but a healthy body, never even catching a common flu?
Besides, I had the reliable Labor Support Service on my side.
With this, I could achieve a speedy recovery and a healthy return...
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.
.
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Cumulative Fatigue Level: 65% (Labor Support Service applied)
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...Or maybe not.
Why is it still at 65%?
Does that mean it would be 85% without the support service? Doesn't that mean I’m still in a crisis?
It didn't feel real. It was probably because I wasn't in any pain.
Just then, someone entered the room. It was the nurse.
“Patient, how is your pain?”
“I’m fine. Um, by any chance, is my injury very serious?”
“No, the surgery went well!”
Then why on earth is my fatigue level at 65%?
I’m not even having nosebleeds right now. Is that a system error?
“Then when can I be discharged? I’m not in any particular pain, so I’d like to be discharged as soon as the wound heals.”
“Discharged? Oh dear, I guess your guardian hasn't explained it to you yet. The professor said you need to be hospitalized for about eight weeks to monitor your progress. Do you have an urgent schedule?”
Excuse me?
A recovery period of... how many weeks?
I... I have a stage to perform...?