Chapter 54
Now then, since they had gone so far as to set the stage for her, it was time to drive the final nail in.
“I’m almost disappointed that you only asked me that now.”
“…?”
“Let me show you just how fundamentally different I am from Yeon Si-ho.”
With that, Se-rang took another set of documents she had prepared in advance out of the safe in her office.
I don’t know about anything else, but these documents really are dangerous.
Se-rang tried to hide the slight trembling of her hands and pretended to be calm.
“These are the atrocities Yeon Si-ho committed against you. I used my authority to access confidential documents and compiled all the things he did. Let me know if anything is missing. I’ll add it.”
“?!”
Se-rang watched with delight as the faces of the Twenties members filled with shock.
“For starters, I included all the evidence related to the settlement issue. You probably realized that Yeon Si-ho had been embezzling something, but none of you knew exactly how much of your money he took, right?”
At Se-rang’s words, the members of Twenties nodded as though hypnotized.
“It’s all in there. The exact amount he took from you is listed. And I’ll make sure measures are taken so that all of it is returned to you.”
That much was obvious.
They had earned that money through their own work.
Of course she would make sure it was returned to them.
“W-Why are you giving this to us…?”
“Why?”
Se-rang continued as though the answer were obvious.
“If I let what that bastard did to you slide, I’d be the same kind of bastard as him.”
“!”
“We need to report him and ruin him.”
She planned to expose all of this when the timing was right.
From the beginning, Se-rang had never once intended to quietly cover this up and move on.
She had lied to Chairman Yeon and claimed she was bringing Twenties back precisely to keep this from being exposed, but there was no chance she would pass up an opportunity to drop a massive bomb on the Yeon family.
Moreover, if Twenties became her artists, Se-rang would have a duty to fight for and protect them.
Of course she had to expose it.
She had to expose it and make sure a filthy bastard like him could never set foot in the industry again.
“The legal dispute will be very long and exhausting. But I promise you this. I don’t know about anyone else, but I will stand on your side and fight with you.”
“…!”
“But we can’t do it right now. If we expose it now, Yeon Si-ho will resign for the moment, but once the public loses interest, it’s obvious he’ll use his family connections to quietly shove his way back in. I refuse to watch that happen.”
If she was going to destroy him, she had to do it properly.
“We’re still missing the biggest blow. Please wait just a little longer, until I find it. I’ll make sure Yeon Si-ho can never set foot in this industry again.”
Watching the Twenties members look as though they might faint at every single word she said, Se-rang smiled proudly.
“In return, I’ll give you these documents as a token of trust. They should at least be enough to stop Yeon Si-ho from clinging to you.”
“We haven’t even… said we’re signing with you yet.”
Hwiun spoke while barely holding onto his senses.
Se-rang did not shrink back or hesitate in the slightest. She shook her head.
“That doesn’t matter. Business aside, this is something any decent human being should obviously do.”
“Pardon?”
“No, think about it. How can anyone work in the same industry as a person like that? I can’t stand it. One way or another, I’m going to destroy Yeon Si-ho.”
The Twenties members stood frozen, unable even to get a word out, while Se-rang lightly rose to her feet.
“Now then, discuss it among yourselves and give me your answer afterward.”
“…!”
It was an unmistakable order for them to leave.
She was sorry, but Se-rang had no choice.
She had far too much work to do.
Ignoring the members’ confusion, Se-rang suddenly clapped her hands as though she had just remembered something.
“Ah, and don’t forget to hire an expensive lawyer and have them examine everything down to the smallest detail. Both documents.”
“Did you enjoy the trip?”
“Yes!”
It was the day of the studio recording for <Cast the Future>.
Se-rang had personally picked up the three trainees and was driving them to the studio.
Secretary Cha had offered to drive, but Se-rang wanted to talk to the trainees somewhere Secretary Cha was not present.
From the trainees’ point of view, Se-rang alone was probably uncomfortable enough. Adding Secretary Cha, with her sharp and intimidating atmosphere, would only make things even harder for them.
Looking at the three trainees burning with enthusiasm through the rearview mirror, Se-rang pushed her sunglasses up once.
“Did you do what I told you?”
Se-rang had given the three of them a mission: persuade two trainees who would be good additions to their team.
Her performance during the First Competition had certainly been impressive, but it might not have been enough to overturn the long-standing prejudices of the other trainees.
In that case, Se-rang’s strategy was to tempt them with reviews from actual users.
Had it worked?
“Ummmm.”
“Hmm….”
“Hmmm….”
For some reason, however, the three trainees did not look confident.
“What’s with that attitude? You did badly? They didn’t fall for it?”
“N-No…. It’s not exactly that….”
“They were the ones desperate to recruit you, weren’t they?”
“!”
At Se-rang’s words, the three trainees’ eyes widened as though she had struck the nail on the head.
“Of course. I don’t know for certain, but the other producers probably gave orders similar to mine. They’re not idiots either.”
“Y-You expected all of that…?”
“Of course.”
Se-rang shrugged as though it were obvious.
“Especially Seungha’s trainees. I bet they were serious about recruiting you. Am I wrong?”
“Y-You’re right….”
“I knew it.”
Now that she had discovered that Seungha and Baek Do-gyeong were much closer than she had expected, that side would naturally become more aggressive.
“Who from that team came to recruit you?”
“Trainee Jo Ideum….”
Yuhyun looked utterly exhausted, as though Ideum had really put him through the wringer.
“I guess Seungha really has him under control, since he’s clearly the ace of that team. What about Hyunseo, who belongs to that team?”
“Hyunseo hyung didn’t seem interested in this kind of thing at all.”
Taeha spoke with a very serious expression.
“It seemed like a good sign that he didn’t look particularly interested in Producer Seungha either, but the problem is….”
“He didn’t seem particularly interested in our team either?”
“Yes. He’s the kind of hyung where you can’t tell what he’s thinking at all….”
“He looked very solid. There are people who can’t see anything except their own skill. That kind of person….”
In other words, he could be single-minded.
If that kind of obsession went in a good direction, it could be excellent. If it went in a bad direction, it could be the worst.
Se-rang liked people who were that single-minded.
It was much better than someone being calculating and slippery.
At least they were trustworthy.
“What about Jiho?”
“We’d heard so many times that Jiho hyung was blunt, but he was easier to talk to than I expected. He was really nice… Is that the right word? Anyway, he was nice.”
“But?”
“But there was something….”
Yuhyun hesitated and looked toward Taeha.
Unexpectedly, however, it was Dowon who picked up his explanation.
“He seemed like the type who doesn’t let people get close easily.”
“Ah! I think that’s exactly it….”
“If Hyunseo hyung is the type who simply has no interest in people and treats everyone with the same distance…. Jiho hyung is more like someone who gets along with everyone just fine, but quietly disappears when something important happens?”
So he was socially capable but extremely difficult to read.
That would make him hard to recruit in a different way.
Lost in thought, Se-rang quietly turned the steering wheel.
“Well, leave those two to fate. Are you ready to hear the results of today’s popularity vote?”
“Ughhh….”
At Se-rang’s words, sighs erupted from the back seat.
“What if I come in last? I’m not worried about Dowon hyung or Taeha, but I’m….”
“What are you talking about? You’re popular too. I feel like I’m the one nobody likes.”
“M-Me…. Who would like someone like me…. I can’t even sing well….”
As all three trainees answered with their spirits completely crushed, Se-rang grinned.
“Don’t worry.”
“!”
“I checked your fortunes this morning. They weren’t bad.”
“…F-Fortunes…?”
“Yeah. So straighten your shoulders. Worry about not misspeaking during your first live broadcast instead.”
“!”
At the words live broadcast, the three men’s expressions darkened even further.
“Haha.”
Se-rang, however, felt nothing of the sort.
She was confident.
Confident that the entire world would recognize the value of the gems she had discovered.