A Good Manager for Red Blossom
I asked for their understanding. Since I'd seen the two of them wake up, there was nothing more for me to do at the hospital. I reported to the team leader that Sera had regained consciousness and headed back to the company. The moment I arrived, the head of the PR team dragged me straight into the conference room.
“Thanks to you, I have no idea how the day even passed. I can handle entertainment reporters just fine, but those social affairs bastards are like private investigators. They're so damn persistent.”
Park Youngsun, the team leader, said while taking a sip of coffee. She was known for her straightforward, no-nonsense personality and being the company's best networker.
“I need to get the press release out before I leave, so I'll ask you a few things. Once this goes out, you're going to get flooded with interview requests.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
The first questions were similar to what Cha Soyeon had asked, so I pieced together the alibi the Divine Spirit had given me and answered accordingly.
“I'm not some superhero. How could I take on three hundred people? There were just a few left near the entrance, so I only dealt with them.”
“There was a boat at the dock. Most of the people who fell in the water were flailing around near the pier and the dock, so I could save them. I don't really know about the rest.”
“After Sera's father passed away, her mother got heavily into that religion. From what Sera said, she donated so much that it made their lives difficult. It seems like the cult leader gaslit her.”
“Everyone except the kidnapped woman was male. It looks like only men were allowed inside that building.”
“I got lucky. I found Sera on the floor I went to looking for evidence that it was a cult. If she hadn't been there, it would've been a wasted trip.”
“Sera's fine. They found traces of anesthetic in her system, but it wasn't enough to require treatment. If the test results are good, she can be discharged this weekend.”
The PR team leader, who had been typing nonstop, stopped and looked at me.
“I'll ask just one last thing. This won't go in the press release.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“How did you even think to go there yourself? Weren't you scared? It was a place full of people crazy about a cult. You had no idea what they might do to you, yet you went there alone?”
Her face showed genuine curiosity.
“When I first met the three of them, I told them this: Even though I'm new, I'll do my best. I meant that I'd try everything I possibly could.”
I remembered the kids listening with skeptical expressions, thinking it was just empty talk.
“But if I hadn't gone after them, I wouldn't have done everything I could. Even if I couldn't save her, I figured I could at least go see the situation and report it to the police. That's why I went down there.”
“……”
“I didn't expect a fight to break out inside. But since I went, I was able to see it and find a way to handle the aftermath. If I hadn't gone, I really would've regretted it.”
I didn't mention the Grace, but everything else was sincere. What if I didn't have the Grace? I still would've gone. After all, I needed to know the exact location to report it to the police.
The PR team leader grinned and stood up from her seat.
It seems Red Blossom has gained a truly good manager.
*
As soon as the PR team leader left, I headed straight to the AR team. I had something to ask Baek Hagyeong.
“I was shocked when I saw the article. How the hell did you take down three hundred people?”
“They were fighting among themselves.”
“You don't have to hide it from me. Compared to saving Yuri, three hundred is nothing.”
He grinned and lightly punched my shoulder. Yeah, there was no point hiding it from this guy.
“Please keep it to yourself, sir.”
“I know. If it gets out, those bastards will all wake up, right?”
He burst out laughing. So he knew everything.
“Anyway, what's up? If you need a favor, I'm all ears.”
“I came because I had a question.”
I told him about Chie. To come up with a strategy to bring her in, I needed to know how trainee contracts worked. As time passed, Team Leader Baek's expression grew serious.
“Trainee contracts are usually three years. Since she was put into a unit, she probably still has time left… If we try to pull her now, they might cry tampering.”
Tampering referred to the violation where a pro athlete contacts another team before their contract ends. It was a term from professional sports, but thanks to exclusive contract disputes in girl groups, it was now commonly used in the entertainment industry too.
“If we really need her, we can bring her in even if we take the heat, but if it's SN, they probably put a penalty clause in the contract. We'd have to deal with that too.”
“How much would the penalty be?”
“In the standard contract, they can claim up to fifty percent of the training expenses. If SN spent a hundred million won raising a kid like Chie, the penalty would be fifty million. So you'd have to pay a hundred and fifty million to bring her over.”
If SN had already marked her as a debut candidate, even paying the penalty might not be enough to get her. There could be other poisonous clauses besides the penalty.
“I have a friend at SN Entertainment. I'll look into the situation. From what you're saying, both a trainee and a manager have disappeared. The company must have taken some kind of action.”
He was right. She'd been absent without leave for days now. There was no way the company would just sit on that.
“That sounds good. I'd appreciate it.”
*
I was in the parking lot turning the key in the ignition to head home when a call came from Team Leader Baek.
“I looked into it, and SN Entertainment is handling this really strangely.”
“What did they do?”
“They told the unit members to keep quiet about Chie's disappearance and sent another manager in her place. The trainees think the manager was just replaced.”
“Is that even possible?”
“The executive in charge of the unit ordered it. If the higher-ups say to do it that way, the people below just have to follow.”
Something smelled fishy. A trainee had run away without permission, yet they weren't taking any action?
“Could you find out more about that executive?”
“I'll look into it. But it won't be as quick as this.”
I told him it was fine even if it took time and hung up. The last thing Team Leader Baek had said kept echoing in my ears.
“That kid Chie… it would be better not to send her back to the dorm. It seems like the company is hiding something. A trainee running away without permission isn't a small issue. So keep her with you until I dig deeper. That'll probably be safer.”
*****
The day before discharge — when I entered the hospital room, Sera was tapping away on her tablet.
“You're here?”
Her voice sounded much better than when she'd first woken up. And the way she looked at me was incredibly soft.
“Why are you working instead of resting?”
“This isn't work.”
“For people who create things, making anything is work.”
“I'm doing it because I like it.”
“Then keep doing that thing you like after you're discharged. You can do as much as you want back at the dorm.”
“Hehe, I will.”
She obediently set the tablet aside. These days she even smiled when she saw me. Back at the dorm, she'd always avoided my gaze. She pushed the blanket aside and crawled toward me on her knees.
“Could you lean down a little?”
I lowered myself toward the bed, and she gently pulled me into a hug.
“Thank you for saving me. I'll never forget that Manager Oppa came running for me. Sob, thank you so much…”
Her voice trailed off as she sniffled. For Sera, this was the most affectionate gesture she could manage.
“This is nice. Having you greet me so warmly like this. It was worth going all the way to Busan.”
When I stroked her hair, she flinched but stayed still and accepted my touch. It felt like the wall that had been standing in front of Sera had finally disappeared, and it made me feel good. This was the third hug. Every time we met at the hospital, she hugged me the same way and greeted me the same way. I'd wondered if she had amnesia, but since she said she wanted to keep doing it until discharge, I just let her.
From beyond the partition came the sound of someone sniffling.
“What are you doing?”
“Hiiing, it was such a touching scene… I'm sorry.”
This was the third time I'd seen Chie shedding emotional tears. I hadn't noticed when she was scared, but she was actually a very emotional kid with high energy. She reminded me of a Japanese version of Lina.
I had things to talk about, so I grabbed a chair and sat down beside the bed.
“I looked into the situation at SN Entertainment. Even though both you and the manager disappeared, the company hasn't reacted at all.”
“Th-that…”
Her face was full of deep disappointment. She'd gone to that company on her own feet to become a girl group member. Of course she'd think it was too much.
“I'm looking into why there's no reaction. It might take some time. What do you want to do? I don't recommend going back to the dorm. The way the company is acting is a bit suspicious.”
She thought for a long time before carefully opening her mouth.
“I don't want to go back to the dorm. There's… no one on my side there.”
Even the manager she'd relied on the most had deceived her. It meant there was no one in the company she could trust.
“Do you have anywhere else to go besides the dorm?”
She shook her head.
“If I leave the company, I'd have to go back to Japan. But I don't want to return without having accomplished anything. I fought so hard with Dad and came to Korea…”
Apparently Chie's father had opposed her debuting as a K-pop girl group. Honestly, considering the brutal training process for K-girl group debuts, it made sense.
“Um… Manager Oppa.”
“Yeah?”
“Until the company issue is resolved… could I stay at our dorm? My room is big, so we could share it.”
Since they'd been sharing the same hospital room, it seemed they'd grown close. For me, it was exactly what I'd been hoping for.
“What about you, Chie?”
“I, um… is it really okay if I stay with you?”
“There's no reason it wouldn't be. The room is big enough for two, and even if you eat, how much could you possibly eat?”
We couldn't bring personal luggage from the dorm, but with three girls living there, they'd have all the basics. As for clothes, we still had plenty of the bonus left, so I could buy her a few outfits.
“Then, even though I'm not much, please take good care of me.”
With that strange greeting, she politely bowed her head. With this, I'd successfully brought Chie to the dorm.