Chapter 81: Bomb! (3)
81. Bomb! (3)
Han Seong-woo couldn't clearly remember what happened afterward.
"...So, we've decided it's best for you to quietly leave the company."
Leaving the program.
Vote manipulation.
Termination of trainee contract.
Warnings about breach penalties and damages.
Every word that came out of Ji Soo-ho's mouth was terrifyingly familiar.
He had always carried the fear of being exposed someday, buried deep in his heart.
But not like this. Not now. Not this way.
His mind buzzed with alarm bells, his pulse hammering as he denied reality.
"I—I don't know anything about this."
"......."
"I don't know anything, Team Leader. Please believe me!"
The response was icy.
"Yoon Ki-seok CP already confessed everything. In exchange for covering this up, he's taking separate disciplinary action from the broadcasting side."
Yoon CP ratted everything out? After all the money my family funneled to him?
The moment he heard that, Seong-woo felt his blood run cold. His fists trembled with rage, clenched so tightly his jaw ached from gritting his teeth.
Soo-ho, watching him, quietly delivered the final verdict.
"You know this is a crime, right?"
"......."
"We can make this as big as we want. The only reason we're wrapping it up like this isn't for your sake."
"......."
"It's because we don't want to waste the effort of the other kids sweating their hearts out in practice. Keep that in mind."
Then, without another word, Soo-ho slid forward a stack of documents prepared by the legal team.
Confidentiality agreements. Legal safeguards.
"We haven't informed your parents. You're an adult now, after all."
"N-No! My father—!"
Soo-ho sighed, looking at Seong-woo's dumbstruck, trembling face.
Then, with the last shred of sympathy he had left for the boy he'd watched all this time, he offered his only piece of advice.
"Why did you do it, Seong-woo?"
"......."
"Why did you make this choice? I should've... I should've believed in you more."
"......."
"I should've believed in your effort. In your sincerity. No matter how cutthroat this industry is, what you did wasn't competition. It was fraud. Deception."
"......."
"Read it carefully. Think it over. Sign if you're ready. But whether you sign or not, your exit from the program and termination of your trainee contract are final."
With that, Soo-ho left Seong-woo alone in the small meeting room.
'What... What is this?'
Now truly alone, Seong-woo lowered his head. Droplets from his still-damp hair splattered onto the table, forming tiny puddles.
'What is this? What the hell is this?! WHAT IS THIS?!'
His life, his dreams—tossed aside in a single day.
He resented his father for not pushing him harder, for not securing his position more firmly.
He loathed Yoon CP, who had taken everything only to betray him when caught.
'Where did it all go wrong?'
Seong-woo clutched his head, trying to trace the root of this disaster.
Among all the people and things he blamed, he never once turned that blame on himself.
By the time his trembling hand finished signing the documents, he was already half-mad with self-justification and rage.
After some time passed, Soo-ho returned with his usual calm expression.
"...Finished?"
"......."
"Sorry, but you'll need to clear out your things immediately. Let me know if you need help carrying them."
A clear dismissal.
Seong-woo, who had never been treated like this in his life, bit his lip and asked:
"...Do the others know?"
His voice held no remorse, no guilt.
Soo-ho answered with a faint scoff.
"No. Only a handful at the company are aware."
"......."
"But who knows? Companies are small places. Rumors spread fast."
"......."
"You've worked hard. Take care on your way out."
Only then did Seong-woo realize he was crying.
His body, soaked from head to toe, felt disgusting—but he knew that disgust wasn't from the rain. And deep down, he already knew exactly where that disgust came from.
Seong-woo slowly stood up.
It was time to leave.
Unsurprisingly, no one came to see Seong-woo off when he left Miro.
'Those bastards wouldn't have amounted to anything without me anyway...'
Grinding his teeth to the end, he stubbornly packed his things. Thankfully, most of the trainees had gone up to the third-floor practice rooms, so the basement was nearly empty.
"Oh, hyung. You're leaving now?"
But among the few still in the basement was the last person he wanted to see.
The moment he spotted him, Seong-woo snapped.
"You—you fucking bastard!"
"Whoa, hyung, you're gonna kill me!"
With a clatter, the belongings in Seong-woo's hands scattered across the floor.
Unfazed, he charged at Ha-jin, who stood in the hallway with a mocking grin.
Grabbing the taller boy by the collar, he slammed him against the wall with all his strength.
"It was you, wasn't it? You fucking snitched!"
"Huh? Hyung, what are you talking about?"
"Shut up! It was you! You're the only one who knew about me and Yoon PD! You fucking ratted me out!"
Seong-woo, who had felt cornered this entire time, erupted with uncontrollable fury the moment he lost his grip on reason. Refusing to admit his own mistakes, he began shifting all blame onto Ha-jin.
"Hyung, you're too worked up. Calm down first—"
"I never liked you from the start. Acting like you're hot shit, huh? You've always pissed me off. I'll fucking ruin you out there. Got it?!"
"I got it, so let go first and talk, Seong-woo hyung. You can't just choke someone like this—"
"You know who my father is, right? This shitty agency isn't the only place out there. I can debut somewhere else if I throw money at it. You think there aren't stupid pigs who'll debut me for cash?"
"......."
"Fuck, I never should've come here in the first place. Arrogant little shits, hiding behind me while playing their hierarchy games... If it weren't for my father, I would've—fuck, I swear—"
"Hyung, please—please just let go—"
His mind completely shattered, Seong-woo's grip tightened around Ha-jin's throat.
Whether he realized it or not, Ha-jin's breathing grew labored. His expression flickered with fear as he clutched at Seong-woo's wrists—until suddenly,
"—I said let go and talk."
With a cold expression and perfectly calm voice, Ha-jin effortlessly pried Seong-woo's hands away.
"W-What the—?"
Seong-woo stared up at him like he'd seen a ghost.
Ha-jin looked down at him with eyes full of contempt, mockery, and pity, then shoved him back with terrifying strength. Seong-woo stumbled, slipping backward several steps.
"Honestly. No manners at all."
As if he had never been overpowered, Ha-jin casually straightened his collar and pulled out his phone. He turned the screen toward Seong-woo—where a voice recording app was visibly running, timestamped and active.
Still stunned, Seong-woo barely processed the situation before Ha-jin tapped the stop button.
"You're so predictable, hyung. I can see every move you'll make from a mile away."
"Y-You—!"
"Keep calling me 'you' like that, and this recording might accidentally get uploaded online. Still don't get it?"
"......!"
A recording.
The moment he imagined what would happen if this leaked, Seong-woo's face drained of color. If the things he'd just said about his father got out, it wouldn't just be him—his father and his company would take the hit too.
'He's already bailed me out so many times... I can't let this happen!'
He lunged for the phone, but Ha-jin dodged with ease—as if letting himself get grabbed earlier had been intentional. He slipped the phone into his back pocket.
"What now, hyung? Last time, there was no evidence. But now? Oops."
"Why are you doing this to me?! What did I ever do to you?! What grudge do you even have?!"
Ha-jin didn't even blink at the outburst. He smirked, shoulders shaking with silent laughter.
"Did you have a reason, hyung? When you and the others bullied Joo Eun-chan?"
"......!"
"Ever heard of 'walking a mile in someone else's shoes'? Guess not."
Seong-woo had no retort.
"Listen carefully, hyung. This is how you blackmail someone. Me? Worst case, I don't debut. But you? You've got so much to lose."
"......."
"The moment you try anything stupid, it's game over. Understand? Then get lost. Let's never see each other again."
With that, Ha-jin walked past him, not even sparing another glance.
As if Seong-woo wasn't worth another word.
As if he didn't care whether Seong-woo sank or swam.
"......."
Only then did Seong-woo's head clear, allowing him to objectively grasp his situation.
Unbearable fear and helplessness crashed over him. Nausea rose in his throat. Now that he understood everything, all he wanted was to escape.
"Fuck, this is... this is insane..."
Like a man being chased, he frantically gathered his scattered belongings.
In just minutes, he scrambled out of the basement, avoiding the elevator in case he ran into anyone. He took the emergency stairs instead, gasping for air.
"These... these fucking bastards... How dare they...!"
By the time he reached the exit, his mental state was in shambles. A small notebook—one he had once diligently filled with practice notes—slipped from his arms and fell to the ground.
As he bent to pick it up, someone else grabbed it first, brushing off the dust and grime before holding it out to him.
"...Here."
It was Joo Eun-chan.
The same Joo Eun-chan he had smeared with nepotism rumors, the one he had ostracized among the trainees.
"Here to laugh at me too?"
"......."
"Go ahead. Laugh. Mock me, you fuck!"
The truth was, Seong-woo had always envied Eun-chan.
Despite their similar backgrounds, Eun-chan had always seemed better at everything.
Seong-woo had felt superior when he tightened his grip on that shining boy, rendering him powerless.
Now, with everything flipped on its head, he was certain Eun-chan would mock and despise him.
But the words that left Eun-chan's mouth were the opposite of what he expected.
"Why would I laugh at you, hyung?"
"...What?"
"I used to wonder if I'd done something wrong to you."
"......."
"I thought about it over and over. But... I couldn't think of anything."
Only then did Seong-woo realize—Eun-chan's eyes held no emotion toward him at all.
"So now, I feel nothing toward you."
"......."
"I hope you can do the same."
With that, Eun-chan placed the notebook atop Seong-woo's belongings, stepped past him, and walked away—toward wherever he had been heading originally.
Meaning he hadn't come to mock or ridicule Seong-woo.
They had simply crossed paths by chance.
In the end, Seong-woo realized he had left no mark on anything.
No victory, no superiority, no lasting impression—nothing.
This was the end.
He had achieved nothing. Only exposed his weaknesses before being cast aside.
"No..."
And just like that, Han Seong-woo left Miro Entertainment.