The Trap
Park Yu-hyeon and Baek Ji-won were chatting idly in the general manager’s office.
"Representative, did your overseas tour go well?"
"Mm. While I was gone, how was the company, Director Park?"
"There are a few things I need to report, but I’ll speak to you separately later, Representative."
Watching them, Team Leader Ma Seok-du thought, ...What is this?
Why now, of all times?
Why was Baek Ji-won, of all people, in the general manager’s office?
Cold sweat began pouring down Ma Seok-du’s back at the sudden ordeal.
Then Baek Ji-won snapped her head around and looked at him.
"Team Leader Ma."
"!"
"Didn’t you say you had business with Director Park?"
Startled, Team Leader Ma answered in a rush.
"Y-yes, that’s right, Representative."
"Report."
...
His face went pale.
She wants me to talk about the rat hidden inside Baekhak, right in front of the Representative?
He couldn’t do it, not even if he died.
He needed an excuse, but Baek Ji-won’s cold gaze had frozen his mind solid.
"Why aren’t you reporting?"
At her impatience, Ma Seok-du screamed inwardly.
Then Park Yu-hyeon added a word of his own.
"Team Leader Ma, go ahead and report."
Pressed by the company’s representative and the general manager alike, Ma Seok-du finally squeezed his eyes shut.
Damn it, fine! Let it all go to hell!
Thinking about it, just as Kwon Chan had said, whether he reported to Director Park Yu-hyeon or to Representative Baek Ji-won made no real difference if they wanted to move Baekhak.
Ma Seok-du drew in a deep breath and slowly opened his mouth.
"There seems to be a problem in the management team."
Baek Ji-won’s eyes widened.
"A problem? What problem?"
"...Well."
Ma Seok-du’s Adam’s apple bobbed hard.
"It looks like there’s an employee colluding with SAG."
Baek Ji-won’s expressionless mask wavered at once. Park Yu-hyeon, seated beside her, also stared at Ma Seok-du in shock.
"What do you mean by that, Team Leader Ma?"
"There was headhunting aimed at the management staff recently, wasn’t there?"
Steadying his trembling voice, Ma Seok-du continued.
"I think there’s an inside helper among the management employees who’s assisting that headhunting."
That was the bombshell that burst from Ma Team Leader’s mouth.
In that instant.
"............!"
Baek Ji-won’s blank expression shattered.
"You’re saying there’s a traitor in my company?"
At Baek Ji-won’s icy voice, the general manager’s office turned to frost.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
It was To.Any’s goodbye mini concert.
"Waaaaaaah!"
Sitting in my seat and watching the stage, I noticed the Christmas decorations and the snowfall effects cascading over the set.
If they’d only half committed, it might have looked awkward.
But because they’d gone all in, it actually felt like I’d stepped into a real winter festival.
At least the stage isn’t a problem.
So what about the members?
I turned to look at To.Any onstage.
Just as Director Choi Jeong-eun had said, there was To.Any, transformed into Elsa from Frozen.
"One, two, three. Two steps to the top! Hello, we’re To.Any!"
The four girls in pure white dresses were racing and dancing across the stage. The fans filling the 2,000-seat venue answered with a roar that shook the hall.
They’ve gotten that much better at stage performance?
Honestly...
It felt like only yesterday they were trainees, and now they genuinely had idol presence.
Guess they can drop the rookie label now.
I smiled softly and let go of the anxiety I’d been carrying, the fear that they might make a mistake onstage.
From the back rows, the fans’ cheers burst out again.
"Kyyaaaaaaa!"
"They’re so pretty!"
"Unnie, look over here!"
"I love you, Park Ga-eul!"
"Maknae, look this way! Over here!"
"Nova, wave for us once!"
This moment, shouting and singing in the same space as the singers you loved, gave me a pleasure and exhilaration far greater than I’d expected.
Maybe that was why.
Only now did I start to understand idol fandom culture a little.
So this is what they mean by being a fan.
It was a different kind of excitement from watching a favorite actor’s work.
As I lost myself in the stage with the fans, the concert had already reached its final stretch. Nova grabbed the mic and shouted,
"You want an encore again, right, everyone?"
An encore was already the fifth one, and they wanted another?
But contrary to my thoughts, the fans only got more excited.
"Encore, encore, encore!"
"Do another encore!"
"We want an encore!"
At the crowd’s roar, Nova shouted back in a delighted voice.
"Then this is really the last song! Music, please!"
With Nova’s cry, the MR for Youth Travel began to play. It was the moment the members lifted their microphones to sing.
The 2,000 fans who had come to see To.Any began singing Youth Travel first.
- Youth is our journey
- With a heart bursting from excitement
- And days full of sunlight
- Enjoy this moment, right now.
My eyes widened as I watched.
A singalong?
...I was genuinely shocked.
Even for a concert, a singalong for a rookie group like To.Any?
To.Any onstage was also startled by the sudden singalong and covered their mouths with their hands.
In the meantime, Youth Travel sung not by To.Any but by To.Any’s fans filled the entire concert hall.
- On this star-filled night,
- You and I can be together.
- We’ll ride the sea of youth
- And stay together like the waves.
I hurriedly turned to check the members’ expressions. Their eyes were shining wetly from the fans’ singalong.
Seeing that, I felt a little choked up too. Then Ga-eul lifted her microphone and said to the fans,
"Sing with us, everyone!"
With that one line, the concert atmosphere turned even hotter, as if it had only just begun.
When the fans led, To.Any sang the response. When To.Any led, the fans answered in turn.
Watching the stage quietly, I slowly got to my feet.
"Ah, I got so absorbed I just stood there."
I didn’t have time to be standing around like this. This was bad.
I hurried backstage, where To.Any’s manager, Lee Ye-ji, was watching the stage with tears streaming down her face.
With a smirk, I grabbed the crying Ye-ji by the shoulder.
"Ye-ji."
"...Eek! You startled me!"
Ye-ji wiped at her tears in a rush and said, flustered,
"W-when did you get here, Team Leader?"
"Just now. But I already saw you cry, so trying to fix your expression now is pointless."
"I-I didn’t cry!"
Hmm.
Our Ye-ji really was fun to tease.
I wanted to tease her a little more, but there was no time. I dragged the muttering Ye-ji along toward the waiting room.
"Let’s finish the cake and party room setup before the girls get here."
"Ah, that’s why you called me?"
"Yeah. If we’re doing it, it’s better as a surprise gift, isn’t it?"
Ye-ji looked at me with red-rimmed eyes for a moment, then broke into a grin.
"Team Leader."
"Yeah?"
"Do you know you’re secretly really meticulous?"
"What are you talking about?"
She laughed mischievously.
"Usually you’re so blunt, but I never dreamed that you would be the one to suggest preparing a cake because it’s their mini concert finale~"
That left me speechless for a second, and then I let out a dry laugh.
Our Ye-ji’s really grown, huh?
On her first day at the company, that rookie road manager had burst into tears the moment she saw me. Now she was teasing me?
Yeah, so she’s picked up some seasoning, has she?
But she was still too young to be taking shots at the Team Leader.
"This isn’t meticulous. This is basic."
"Huh? Basic?"
"A singer finishes album promotions and holds a goodbye concert, and you expect me to be the kind of manager who doesn’t even prepare a cake?"
"..."
"Our Ye-ji still has a lot to learn."
At my words, Ye-ji pouted and gave me a long look. Luckily, we’d reached the waiting room, so I wasn’t subjected to further grief.
When I opened the door and stepped inside, I saw the To.Any crew gathered there, all dedicated to To.Any alone.
The performance team, styling team, and content production team were all present.
Unlike actors, who usually travel with only a manager, idol groups often have these specialized teams organized separately.
I clapped my hands toward the To.Any crew and said,
"All right, let’s get moving according to plan. We need to finish the cake and the waiting room setup before To.Any gets here."
At that, Ye-ji and the rest of the To.Any team hurriedly began decorating the waiting room like a party room.
Since we’d prepared in advance, the setup itself was over quickly.
"This looks good, I think."
"Team Leader, Team Leader! Should we turn off the lights and hide?"
"Do whatever you want. I’m going to go bring the girls over."
I left the waiting room again and headed down the long corridor toward backstage. To.Any had just finished the stage and was gulping down water, breathing hard.
Their makeup was smeared with sweat and their hair was a mess, but they looked so radiant that I found myself stopping where I was and staring at them.
Then Nova noticed me and shouted,
"Oh, Team Leader!"
I came to my senses and answered.
"How was the stage, Nova?"
"Of course! The atmosphere was insane!"
Rei, standing beside her, raised a hand and cried,
"Team Leader-nim! The fans did a singalong!"
"Oh, I saw it. Rei seemed the most excited."
Ga-eul let out a sigh and said,
"It was a little disappointing. I wanted to do a few more encore songs..."
"Six songs were more than enough. Your throat doesn’t hurt?"
Seol Chae-i, the maknae, said weakly,
"I feel good, but my body’s so tired, Team Leader."
"You worked hard. Nothing hurts, right? Want me to stick on some pain patches for you?"
After making light conversation with To.Any, who had just finished the stage, I quietly got back up.
"Should we talk about the rest in the waiting room?"
"Ahh... can’t we rest just a little longer, Team Leader?"
"We’d be bothering the venue staff. Get up already."
At my urging, To.Any reluctantly stood. Watching them, I thought, What kind of reaction will they have when they see the party they prepared?
They’d definitely like it. It was probably the first time for them.
Just imagining it made the corners of my mouth lift on their own.
Meanwhile, Nova and Seol Chae-i, walking ahead, were talking about the stage, and Rei was leaning against Ga-eul, whining that she was hungry.
As I watched them from behind, I realized we were almost at the waiting room and quickened my pace.
I barely got my hand on the waiting room door before To.Any did, then turned my head back.
"Mm."
"?"
"Don’t be too surprised, and don’t cry, okay?"
At my words, Ga-eul tilted her head.
"What do you mean by that, Team Leader?"
Instead of answering, I opened the door.
Bang!
As the cake popper sounded, the To.Any crew, hidden in the dark, shouted,
"You worked hard! To.Any!"
Startled, To.Any stood there with their mouths open.
Watching the scene, I nudged the frozen members from behind and pushed them into the waiting room. As if they’d been waiting for this, the To.Any crew rushed over to them.
The girls, still too dazed to process it, were overwhelmed by the flood of congratulations.
As I stood there with my arms folded, watching the scene with satisfaction, Ye-ji came over and held out the cake.
"Team Leader, here, the cake! The cake!"
"...Why don’t you hand it over yourself, Ye-ji?"
"Come on! Just give the cake to the girls already!"
Ye-ji gave my back a light push and sent me forward. Before I knew it, I was carrying the cake and walking up to To.Any, and the members looked at me with wide eyes.
Some were crying, tears spilling down their faces; some stared at me as if they couldn’t believe it.
One member’s eyes sparkled, while another looked at me in solemn silence.
Watching those jewel-bright expressions, I thought, Good thing I went through with the party setup.
At the same time, another thought came to me.
The four girls standing before me really had grown well.
It was only natural. A rookie idol group that nobody had paid attention to had finished their first album promotions this splendidly.
"You worked hard, To.Any."
So today, To.Any had earned it.
They had earned celebration.
"You finished your debut album beautifully. Our To.Any is really the best."
As I said that and handed them the cake, all the members finally burst into tears and rushed at me.
"Teeeeeam Leadeeeeer!"
To.Any’s first-album wrap-up after-party had begun.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The after-party ended and naturally flowed into dinner.
Their regular debut promotions were over, but the members still had individual schedules, so To.Any couldn’t drink. Instead, Director Choi Jeong-eun drank enough for all of them.
"I’m telling you! Thanks to To.Any, our standing in the AR team is solid now! Just wait and see! For the second album, I’m going to make it even more incredible...!"
Aside from the thoroughly drunk Director Choi Jeong-eun, the dinner went on happily without any major problems.
As we ate, drank, and laughed our way through the evening, it was suddenly past nine at night.
The girls were exhausted, and tomorrow’s schedule was packed, so we decided to part ways cleanly instead of going for round two.
After sending off the drunk staff first, I finally headed toward the van with To.Any inside it. Nova was hugging the cake like treasure.
"Cake is for eating, Nova."
"Seriously! How am I supposed to eat this? It’s way too precious!"
"It’s better than letting it expire and go to waste."
At my words, Nova pouted. I snorted and turned away, only to find Rei and Seol Chae-i already dozing off, their heads leaning against Ga-eul’s shoulder.
"Please take care of the girls, Ga-eul."
"Yes, Team Leader. Ah, but..."
Ga-eul hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head deeply.
"Thank you, Team Leader."
"Why so suddenly?"
"...I still need to say it."
The short-haired Ga-eul smiled brightly.
"Thank you so much, Team Leader. Really, thank you."
My eyes widened at that smile.
Uh... huh.
Ah, my chest tickled.
We’re only at the beginning, so why is she thanking me so seriously like that...
The timing meant I should have said something equally moving back, but I was still a man from Busan.
My instincts broke out in a rash at situations this embarrassing.
I could have said something nice, but in the end I couldn’t get it out and just closed the van door.
"Thanks for doing so well onstage today. Get home safe, and rest well tonight."
After telling Ye-ji to drive carefully, I belatedly called a taxi.
On the ride home along Han River Boulevard in the dark, I let the slight buzz from the alcohol carry me into thought.
So we’ve finished the first album...
What remained now was the second album?
What should I aim for this time?
The first album had been more successful than expected, but To.Any’s position was still unstable. The second album would probably decide where To.Any stood and how well-known they became.
Thinking about that uncertain future made tension and worry rise in me, but only for a moment.
What am I worrying about on a day like today?
Right.
Tonight, more than anything, I should focus on the happiness of having wrapped up the first album well.
Then the taxi driver spoke.
"We’re here, young man."
"Ah, thank you."
I opened the door and got out of the taxi. The chilly autumn air made me pull my coat tight without thinking.
"Man, I’m going to crash the moment I get home."
I’d probably sleep like a log.
A very happy, very deep sleep.
Just as I was hurrying toward the house, someone called my name.
"Director Kwon."
"?"
"You’re back from To.Any’s goodbye concert and dinner?"
I blinked like an idiot.
...What?
Was I hearing things because I’d had a little to drink?
Why was I hearing a voice I absolutely shouldn’t have heard?
And yet, shockingly, it wasn’t an auditory hallucination.
"..........Huh?"
An expensive sedan that didn’t belong in this old neighborhood of houses. Standing beside it, waving, was a woman in a pure white suit.
My mouth slowly fell open.
"R-Representative Baek Ji-won?"
My boss.
No, the company’s representative was standing in front of my house at more than ten o’clock at night!