Expelled from the Entertainment Industry

The moment Kwon Dain sent that strange message, the thought of going to pick her up immediately crossed my mind.

Since she was late for our promise, there was no way Dain would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just keep her phone in her pocket.

If she were in a position where she could type, she wouldn't be walking leisurely with her phone tucked away. Dain was the type of person who would absolutely send a message like, "I'm sorry I'm late. I'm on my way."

Based on that assumption, if I had to guess her current situation...

"It means she's in a situation where she physically can't use her phone."

Stepping out of the cafe, I quickly headed toward the company.

Since there was only a single crosswalk separating the cafe and the HS headquarters, it took me less than five minutes to arrive.

"She's not here."

Because it was the weekend, the company lobby was quiet and deserted.

Is she still talking with the CEO?

Despite my worries, there was a good chance Dain was simply caught up in a conversation with Bae Sol.

I mean, surely no crazy bastard would try to hit on someone and ask for their number inside the company headquarters.

When trying to figure out why Dain hadn't shown up, the first thing that came to mind was someone hitting on her. But once I cooled my head, I realized how unlikely it was for someone to try and get a girl's number inside an entertainment agency.

"Maybe it's nothing."

Had I overreacted? A slight wave of embarrassment washed over me.

"Oh? What are you still doing here?"

"Sunbae."

Min Jiwon was stepping out of the elevator.

"I had some business to take care of at the office."

"Did the CEO call you in?"

"No, it's not related to the CEO."

Perhaps because I always treated him with utmost respect, I could feel that he was also being polite to me.

"I just finished talking with her myself. That's why I thought she might have called you."

...He was talking to the CEO just now?

Then what about Kwon Dain? If she wasn't talking to Bae Sol, there was no reason she wouldn't be answering her phone...

Her status shows she's still active online, so it's not like her phone died.

And there was no way we had missed each other. The cafe and the office were just across a single crosswalk. There was nowhere for us to cross paths.

...Could she really be in trouble?

I never imagined someone would actually try to hit on her here.

If she couldn't use her phone, it was highly likely someone was trying to get her number. In all my life, I had never heard of someone hitting on a girl inside an entertainment agency.

"Sunbae."

If someone was indeed hitting on her, I shouldn't go look for her alone. Would a crazy bastard bold enough to hit on someone inside the company building back down just because I showed up? Having a senior artist with me would make it much easier to drive him off.

Besides, even if it wasn't a case of someone hitting on her, Min Jiwon, with all his years of experience in the company, would be a huge help in resolving whatever issue had arisen inside the building.

I asked Min Jiwon if he could come with me for a moment. He readily agreed, and we set off to find Kwon Dain.

Since Sunbae was talking to the CEO until just now, she won't be on the upper floors.

We could also rule out the recording studios and production rooms. Dain had no reason to visit the company's studios.

That left only the practice rooms...

But there's only one practice room in the main headquarters.

Fitting for its reputation, HS Entertainment owned two buildings. One was the main headquarters where we currently were, and the other was the training center, packed to the brim with practice rooms and ensemble rooms.

Trainees usually went straight to the training center. The practice rooms in the main headquarters were reserved for active artists or those in the debut group.

The only active HS artists currently in the headquarters were Only One. I couldn't imagine them trying to get Dain's number. Why would members of Only One, who were actively promoting, do something so reckless?

That left the debut group... But would someone in the debut group really try to hit on a girl? They had to know it could ruin their chances of debuting.

Still, without knowing the exact situation, even the most absurd hypothesis started to feel plausible.

With that in mind, we headed down to the basement level where the practice room was located. And there, we saw Kwon Dain.

"Whoa."

Min Jiwon seemed to grasp the situation instantly. It was a relief that no explanation was necessary.

...Let's not start a fight right away.

"What took you so long?"

I raised my voice just enough for Dain to clearly recognize it.

Two pairs of eyes instantly turned toward me. The guy who had been trying to get her number looked at us and muttered under his breath.

"...Min Jiwon?"

Look at this rude bastard. Calling a senior artist by his bare name without any honorifics.

But Min Jiwon didn't seem to care about that. Instead...

"...Senior Seong Haein's daughter...?"

He looked slightly surprised as he recognized Dain.

Dain quickly ran over to us. I could see her hands trembling visibly.

I gently offered my arm to her. In moments like this, holding onto someone's sleeve helps calm the nerves.

"Sunbae will handle it from here."

Min Jiwon had already stepped up to the guy and was talking to him. Even without raising his voice, he made the atmosphere freezing cold.

Then, he spoke. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"What do you mean, apologize? It's not like you're ever going to see each other again, and she clearly doesn't even want you near her. Do you still not understand what you did wrong?"

Delivering the cold rebuke, he pulled out his phone.

"Yes, CEO, it's me. Yes. There's... an issue, but it's not about me. I think you need to come down to the practice room."

Before long, Bae Sol rushed into the practice room. Seeing Dain holding onto my sleeve and Min Jiwon keeping the guy away, she immediately understood.

"Has he lost his mind?"

She assessed the situation in an instant.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"He's in the debut group."

...So he really was in the debut group.

Instead of confronting the guy first, Bae Sol walked over to us.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Was there any physical contact?"

"...He grabbed my wrist."

"Sigh..."

At Dain's reply, Bae Sol let out a heavy sigh.

What was that? Was the guy some kind of irreplaceable genius? It sounded like a sigh of deep conflict.

"Hey."

Bae Sol glared at the guy with eyes like ice.

"Get out."

Her voice was resolute. It seemed her sigh wasn't about whether to keep him or not, but rather how thoroughly she was going to ruin him.

"Don't even think about setting foot in this industry again. Whether you change your name or get plastic surgery, I will personally block you."

The guy flinched, his body trembling continuously. He had started hiccuping out of sheer terror.

"I said get out. You're no longer our trainee."

Not long after Bae Sol's declaration, the guy fled the room as if running for his life.

"...If I knew he was that kind of trash, I wouldn't have accepted him in the first place."

And just like that, the situation was resolved.

Two days had passed since the incident.

Bae Sol told me she was going to make sure he paid dearly. She was extremely furious that Dain's wrist had been grabbed against her will. The guy's expulsion from the entertainment industry was now a done deal.

"Why on earth did he try to hit on her?"

I wondered why he would do something so stupid, but then again, if he couldn't even use common sense after making it into the debut group, he would have caused a major scandal after debuting anyway.

Bae Sol seemed to share the exact same sentiment.

"It can't be easy for the CEO either."

These days, the supply of male idols was far too low compared to the demand. That was probably why even someone as unstable as him managed to slip into the debut group. Of course, HS would have done their screening to filter them out, but...

"There's no way to tell if they're just acting."

Realizing that the company must have its own share of headaches, I found myself arriving at the school's main gate.

"It's still chilly."

Even though May was just around the corner, the morning air was still crisp.

"What's this?"

Stepping into the classroom, I was greeted by an unfamiliar sight for the first time in a while.

"Kwon Dain isn't here?"

First of all, Dain was missing. Having seen her every morning for the past month and a half, seeing her empty seat in front of me felt quite strange.

And at the same time...

"And you're awake."

Yoon Seolah was wide awake. What was going on?

"Am I not allowed to be awake?"

Seolah asked, her expression slightly pouting.

"I just found it surprising since you're usually asleep. I didn't mean anything by it."

I set my bag down and continued.

"Have you gotten used to the keyboard?"

"Yeah."

"You said it's been a while. How is it?"

"My muscle memory is kicking in."

There were four members in our band. However, there were also four instruments to play. This meant the vocalist had to sing while playing an instrument.

Fortunately, Seolah had completed up to Czerny 30 on the piano. She had even entered competitions back in elementary school.

"But it's not easy to practice without the actual instrument."

"You said you don't have a piano at home, right?"

"Yeah."

In the end, the fastest way to improve was to keep playing. Not having a piano at home was bad news.

"How about practicing in the music room during lunchtime?"

"During lunch?"

"I think it'll be fine as long as we get permission from the music teacher."

So, practicing the keyboard during lunch seemed like a good idea.

"...I don't really want to go by myself."

"You can just take Choi Saeron or Kwon Dain with you. Especially Saeron... I'm sure she'd tag along in a heartbeat."

"......."

Seolah stared blankly at me with her signature expressionless face. She just kept staring.

"...What?"

"Can't you help me?"

Help...?

It wasn't that I minded helping, but did she even need it? Completing Czerny 30 back then practically put her in the elite tier.

"Fine, if you don't want to."

Seolah muttered bluntly. She skillfully set up her pillow and blanket, then immediately buried her face in the pillow.

"...I'll help you. Let's go to the music room after lunch."

I had no choice but to give in. Anyone could see she was throwing a silent tantrum, basically saying, 'If you don't help me, I'm going to be mad.'