Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Turning the Tables
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Choi Yoo-jun was waiting at the café with his older sister, Choi Yoo-kyung. We all headed into the second-floor café across from the company.
“Hyung!”
Choi Yoo-jun, who was with his sister, Choi Yoo-kyung, raised his hand with a welcoming smile.
Choi Yoo-kyung watched her brother with a curious gaze, as if he wasn't usually the type to warm up to people so quickly.
“You’re being sued?”
“Yes. The police called and asked if we had any intention of settling.”
At Choi Yoo-kyung's words, Choi Yoo-jun's eyes hardened.
“Hyung, you don't have to worry about it. It's my first offense, so I'll just have to pay a fine.”
Choi Yoo-kyung's palm slapped her brother's back with a loud thwack, and many eyes in the café turned toward us.
“Ow! Why'd you hit me? That bastard was the one who sexually harassed her first!”
“Hah! You idiot! Were you the one being harassed?”
Despite my concern, I couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
Does Choi Yoo-jun see the world as a completely just place? Or is he the type to just charge ahead?
Unlike his gentle face, he might have a bit of a hot temper.
“I can just get a medical report and countersue.”
“Manager, this idiot is being ridiculous.”
Choi Yoo-jun spoke as if it were no big deal, but depending on the situation, it could become a very tiresome affair.
“Yoo-jun.”
“Yes, Hyung.”
When he answered me, his eyes were full of sincerity.
He had the air of a cute puppy waiting for a command.
“You said you wanted to stop making things hard for your sister.”
“!”
“*Cough! Cough!*”
Choi Yoo-jun was flustered, and Choi Yoo-kyung let out a dry cough.
How could the siblings' reactions be so identical?
They both stared at me with flushed faces.
They were blushing so hard over such a trivial comment that it was starting to make me feel awkward.
“S-see! That's why I told you to quit that job already. You cough even when the air is just a little bad.”
Choi Yoo-kyung, who had been coughing, looked at me and shook her head.
“No! I'm not doing anything strange. Hey! Why are you making it sound like I'm doing something shady?”
“You can make money without doing that!”
“Anyway, this is why he insisted on coming along when I said I was meeting you, Manager.”
“Because I don't know what you might say.”
Choi Yoo-jun pouted and grumbled.
“Please help me, Manager. I trust your judgment.”
“I already told you I'd do it if you quit your job, Noona. Tell those shady bastards to get lost.”
As Choi Yoo-kyung spoke to me earnestly, Choi Yoo-jun flared up in anger.
“Please, stop being so childish!”
“That's why I'm working!”
“What job are you going to get that pays as much as mine!”
“……”
We're in a café, people. Keep it down.
Not many people were looking directly at us, but I could feel them listening in on our conversation.
“Choi Yoo-jun. I'm begging you, please. Just let your sister rest easy.”
“……”
As Choi Yoo-kyung spoke with pleading eyes, Choi Yoo-jun's defiance seemed to deflate.
I could picture his usual tsundere self—worrying on the inside while pretending not to care on the outside.
“Please develop Yoo-jun's potential. I don't care if it takes a long time, just so he can live a normal life.”
“It's not like I'm doing anything bad…”
I cut Choi Yoo-jun off.
“Yoo-jun.”
[‘Charisma Lv. 2’ has a buff effect on targets who are favorable toward you.]
“Yes, Hyung.”
Choi Yoo-jun looked at me, his eyes now cleared of defiance.
“I'll handle this lawsuit, and within two years, I'll grow the company and make a place for you. Let's do as your sister and I say.”
“……”
Just by completing the current main quest, the company was certain to become a massive agency.
“Who knows? Maybe if Yoo-jun does well, he'll be able to make a place for his sister here too?”
Choi Yoo-jun's eyes sparkled, while Choi Yoo-kyung gave a bittersweet smile.
“I don't know what kind of work Yoo-jun was doing, but wrap it up cleanly and start coming to work next week. I'll speak to the Isa-nim.”
Choi Yoo-jun's head dropped.
[Sudden Quest ‘Cultivating Talent’ Complete]
[You have acquired ‘Choi Yoo-jun’.]
* * *
I gathered all thirteen male and female trainees in the practice room.
“Have some coffee and listen comfortably.”
“Iced americano? Or hot?”
Choi Yoo-kyung was smiling as she handed out coffee to the trainees, but she looked tired.
“The recently expelled trainee, Lee Seung-hoon, has apparently sued Choi Yoo-jun.”
The trainees began to murmur among themselves.
“After hearing Choi Yoo-jun's side of the story, it seems there are many unfair aspects to it. I gathered you all here to see if anyone has any information that might help, however small.”
“……”
They were all whispering to each other, but no one stepped forward to speak openly.
“I'm not asking you to be a witness or anything like that. I'm just asking if anyone has heard any rumors about Lee Seung-hoon, no matter how small. I can promise you won't be dragged into anything troublesome.”
Amid the murmuring, Uh Joong-hyun, one of the top two male trainees, raised his hand.
“I'm not sure if it's related, but… he asked me several times if I wanted to go to SJ Enter with him.”
“So that means he hasn't given up on debuting?”
“Right. He was always souring the mood, saying we'd never debut if we stayed here.”
Circumstantially, it seemed that Gyeon Sang-jin was pulling the strings in Lee Seung-hoon's case, just like with Team Leader Park and Mi-ji.
After all, it wasn't unheard of for agencies to poach coveted talent by first getting to the people around them.
But SJ Enter, which was incomparably more successful than JD Enter, was using methods that were excessively dirty.
I couldn't fathom what kind of grudge would drive them to go this far; it was completely beyond my values.
The comments that followed didn't particularly interest me.
After all, I was someone who had already engraved deep in my bones the belief that there was no need to play fair with villains.
I dismissed the trainees and stepped outside.
“It doesn't seem like there was any useful information. Should I just try to settle?”
Choi Yoo-kyung said worriedly.
Considering it was an incident that happened because of Answer, the group I manage, it was my responsibility to resolve it.
“No. Don't worry. If I can't handle it myself, the company will step in.”
“Phew… Thank you. Still, if it looks like it won't be resolved, please let me know. *Cough*.”
Choi Yoo-kyung glanced at her watch, then bowed her head of short, pink hair.
She had to be at least five years older than me, but she was so polite.
“Min-jun Oppa! What time is the directing session?”
It was Seul-bi, holding a sheet of music marked up in various colors. Her face was full of anticipation, like a student who had aced an exam and was just waiting for the grade.
Choi Yoo-kyung tilted her head as she looked at Seul-bi.
Do they know each other?
“The directing session is in about an hour.”
“Ah!”
“?”
As Choi Yoo-kyung let out a cry of recognition looking at Seul-bi, Seul-bi's eyes also filled with confusion.
Choi Yoo-kyung looked back and forth between Seul-bi and me.
“The club, right?”
At Choi Yoo-kyung's words, my eyes met Seul-bi's in mid-air, and our mouths opened at the same time.
“The DJ?”
“Yeah! I've always heard it's a small world, but this is crazy! The dance queen and her manager.”
I had thought she looked familiar because she was Choi Yoo-jun's sister, but it turned out we knew each other from the club, where we'd helped each other out during Seul-bi's little escapade.
No wonder her skills as a sound engineer seemed so high-level.
* * *
I spoke with Choi Yoo-kyung, feeling a strange mix of bitterness and delight.
“If you ever plan on coming again, let me know in advance. It would be even more fun if all the members came.”
A popular DJ and a performance by Answer. I could almost picture it. It felt like it could be fun.
Choi Yoo-kyung left.
Do club DJs make a lot of money?
I searched for 'club DJ' on Tube.
Choi Yoo-kyung was a fairly famous DJ with hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
I didn't know much about it, but it seemed like she made good money.
Surely she isn't still paying off Gyeon Sang-jin's debt, right?
Before dealing with Lee Seung-hoon's lawsuit, I went to see the Isa-nim and the Daepyo-nim.
This was clearly for the good of the company, so I had to at least make sure I got some credit for it.
I had resolved that in this life, I would live receiving fair compensation for everything I did, no matter how small.
“So, you're saying Gyeon Sang-jin tried to poach our kids? Again?”
“Yes. He was already frustrated with several things, and then the sexually harassing remark about Seol-ah made Yoo-jun snap.”
“Agh! That guy, seriously!”
Daepyo-nim Park Jae-yong rubbed his temples as if a headache was coming on.
“So, as I mentioned before, I'd like to recruit Yoo-jun as a manager. He's a kid with strong company loyalty.”
“…If you're the one saying it, Min-jun, I believe you. Let's do it. Isa-nim Sun, you're okay with this, right?”
“Yes.”
The Isa-nim nodded as well.
“However, just as in my case, I ask that you provide him with appropriate compensation if he shows potential.”
“…Why are you being so scary again?”
The Daepyo-nim made a slightly weary expression.
“Anyway, don't worry about that. What are you going to do about the lawsuit?”
“I'll take care of that myself.”
“I trust you to handle it well, Min-jun. I heard you also landed an article for Answer?”
He took his hand away from his temple, his face already back to a broad smile. That was Daepyo-nim Park Jae-yong for you.
“Yes. They're coming for an interview in a few days.”
“Wow! Why are you so good at this, seriously? You're just a kid, but you're like a Siljang-nim.”
“Daepyo-nim. Min-jun isn't a kid.”
“Ah, right, right. Oh, how time flies.”
He wasn't funny, but he was so absurd that he made you laugh.
Didn't he just have a headache? How could his mood change so quickly?
After making my case about my performance, I left the Daepyo-nim's office. Now it was time to call Lee Seung-hoon.
-…Hello?
“This is Team Leader Min-jun from JD Enter.”
-So?
When did he stop bowing to me so politely? How could he change his tune so completely?
“About the lawsuit against Choi Yoo-jun…”
-That's for Choi Yoo-jun to deal with. Who the hell are you?
For a moment, I saw stars.
He's arrogant, but I'll endure it. I must maintain my composure.
“From what I've heard, it wasn't entirely Yoo-jun's fault…”
-Dumbass, what a load of bullshit.
*Click.*
“…Huh? This son of a bitch…”
It was so absurd that I muttered to myself without realizing it.
I called back several times, but the punk didn't answer.
*Bzzzt.*
A text came from Lee Seung-hoon.
-So what? Pissed I'm not answering? I'm not gonna pick up, so keep trying if you want. I didn't ask and I don't care. Bye :)
“This little shit.”
I tried to resolve this nicely, but he's driving me crazy.
There's no need to be a gentleman to a villain.
I carefully typed out a text to the bastard, one letter at a time.
-This is to inform you that we will be proceeding with a lawsuit through our legal firm regarding the sexual harassment of Chae Seol-ah, an artist from the group Answer. The victim, Ms. Chae Seol-ah, has been hospitalized due to shock and has suspended her activities. As a result, we are facing penalty fees ranging from two to five times the contract value of her remaining schedules. We are notifying you in advance that there will be absolutely no leniency in the upcoming criminal and civil proceedings.
The corners of my mouth tightened into a smirk.
“What's with that devilish smile?”
“Oh? What are you doing here?”
Just then, Seol-ah appeared.
Today, Seol-ah's purple hair and pale skin seemed especially lustrous.
“…The members' throats seemed a bit dry, so I was going to give them some citron tea. This way, there won't be any complaints about part distribution, right?”
“Of course. They should sing their hearts out and get the parts they deserve without any regrets.”
*Bzzzt. Bzzzt.*
From that moment on, Lee Seung-hoon's calls started coming in nonstop. Seol-ah kept glancing at me, clearly bothered by it.
“Let's carry them together.”
“I can handle it, so you should answer your phone. What if it's about a schedule?”
Seol-ah said, grabbing four cups with both hands.
“It's not that, so don't worry. I have to let it ring for a little longer.”
“What kind of call is that?”
Seol-ah blinked her large eyes, nodded, and left.
*Bzzzt.*
-Manager. It seems there's been some misunderstanding. I don't know what you're talking about.
What do you mean, you don't know?
I typed another text.
-You were the one who said you were 'fucking turned on' looking at Seol-ah's thighs and ass, weren't you? Everyone knows about it, so I don't understand why you're the only one who doesn't.
A thrill shot through my fingertips with every word I typed.
*Bzzzt.*
-Timjang-nim. I think we need to clear up this misunderstanding first. Please answer the phone.
*Bzzzt.*
-I'm telling you, I really didn't do anything! What did I do wrong for you to treat me like this? Why are you suddenly trying to ruin my future! Please, just answer the phone! Please!
Just a moment ago he was taunting me, and now he's begging me to answer.
I scoffed, imagining Lee Seung-hoon's frantic state.
A punk like you deserves to face some real justice.
With a sense of satisfaction, I pressed the call button.
“This is Min-jun.”