Chapter 4

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Translator: 8uhl

Chapter: 4

Chapter Title: Termination Notice

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Kim Min-jae dragged me straight back to the company the moment we returned to the café.

I didn't even have time to check my phone. Damn it, I needed to see how that photo I just posted was doing.

"What the hell is this? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠If you were gonna do this, you should've just told me to come with you earlier."

"You think I knew it'd turn out like this? I was the one running back and forth—why are you complaining?"

"Man, you won't even let me talk."

"Because you're talking nonsense."

"Am not? It is talk? If it's not talk, is it just noise?"

"......You lunatic, don't pull that trashy pun on me."

"Then don't give me an opening."

He starts with the nonsense himself and then gets mad at me for it.

After hearing me out, Kim Min-jae let out a deep sigh, his expression oddly complicated, and made a request.

"Don't say stuff like that in front of the Executive Director."

"Obviously. What do you take me for?"

"......Fine."

What was that? What was with that hesitation just now?

But before I could press him, Kim Min-jae's footsteps halted. We'd already arrived at the Executive Director's office.

Stepping into the Executive Director's office for real made me a little tense. There were too many possible reasons for this summons, and that made it hard to pin down.

Congratulating me on my discharge? Comforting me for getting kicked out of Flame? Or maybe discussing my future plans?

It could be all of the above.

As I mulled over the possibilities, Kim Min-jae knocked on the door.

Knock knock.

"It's Kim Min-jae. I'm here with Lee Do-jun."

"Yeah, come in."

Nice one, he mouthed, opening the door. Seeing that actually eased my tension a bit.

I do have a ton of real worries, you know. You think I'm dumping them all on you?

Inside, the Executive Director was leaning back slightly in his chair, looking our way.

"No time to waste, so let's cut to the chase."

He said it without even getting up from his seat.

Huh? We haven't even sat down yet.

Kim Min-jae, heading for the sofa, froze awkwardly too, clearly thinking the same. Our eyes met the Executive Director's head-on.

"Just terminate the contract, or terminate and we'll introduce you to another company. Which one's better?"

......What?

What did he just say?

"Executive Director!"

Before I could react, Kim Min-jae exploded.

"Lower your voice."

But Kim Min-jae's tone stayed heated.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I sent you all the details by email. You're the one who didn't check it. Right?"

"You should've told me in person for something like this! Is notifying me by email even acceptable? The plan I sent was for transitioning to acting, not shipping him off somewhere else! No! Not even telling me and just—"

Despite the Executive Director's rebuke, Kim Min-jae's voice kept rising.

Shouting back and forth went on several times, but none of it registered.

Terminate the contract? Did I hear that right? From the hospital incident to now, everything felt utterly unbelievable.

Was I actually trapped in some insanely long nightmare? I knew that wasn't the case, but the thought crossed my mind anyway.

"You're twenty-three, right?"

The Executive Director's words pierced like a needle. I just sat there blankly, absorbing it.

"Flame debuted this year, so at least five more years until the next group. You planning to stay a trainee that whole time? No, you're not."

"......I could."

"If you do? That just gives another reason why you won't make it. An idol at twenty-eight? And that's if it's the soonest—could be your thirties if it drags. Is that an idol?"

I wanted to say something, but my mouth wouldn't move. Because he wasn't wrong.

But the one who couldn't let go even more than me was apparently Min-jae hyung.

"You don't have to wait for an idol group! Solo debut, or like I suggested, start with acting—"

"Want me to be straight with you?"

The Executive Director cut Kim Min-jae off and turned to me.

"In my eyes, you don't have what it takes."

Those words stabbed right into my chest like a needle.

"Executive Director! What do you—"

"Section Chief Kim."

Kim Min-jae flinched at the low, sinking tone.

"I'm talking right now, aren't I?"

Shutting Kim Min-jae down with his overbearing tone, the Executive Director turned back to me.

"Two boy groups launched while you've been training here. And you still didn't make the cut? That means this isn't your path from the start."

"This time it was the accident! I couldn't perform properly on stage!"

Yeah, why is that my fault? The stage I was on just happened to collapse.

But the words still wouldn't come out.

"Section Chief Kim, you still don't get this industry? Luck is skill. This biz is seventy percent luck. How do you think it works?"

He scoffed with that infuriating look, invoking the saying "luck seven, skill three," and continued.

"And going to another company? That's not just leaving. We're recommending you, so if you quit midway, it puts us in a tough spot. You get that?"

"......"

"You'd just be wasting your time too."

I couldn't respond. More like, I didn't know what to say. My head was a tangled mess, like a knotted ball of yarn.

What the hell was I supposed to say?

"I'm saying this for your sake. Find another path now. Twenty-three isn't too late."

With that, the Executive Director stood up.

"Section Chief Kim, I've got fieldwork. Handle the cleanup and send him off."

And just like that, without a hint of hesitation, he walked out.

Click.

Left alone in the empty office with Kim Min-jae, the sound of his footsteps faded beyond the door.

"......Do-jun."

After zoning out for a while, Kim Min-jae's cautious voice snapped me back. I turned my head stiffly, like a robot low on oil.

"Hey, hey......"

Our eyes met, and Kim Min-jae suddenly looked flustered.

Why are you making that face, hyung? I'm the one freaking out here.

As I thought that, Kim Min-jae's face started blurring.

What the—

"Huh?"

Drip, drip.

Weird? A few days ago at the hospital too, and now it's raining indoors again lately.

......No way that's possible, so maybe this really is a dream. That's what I figured.

❤

The bar, a bit away from the company, had just the right level of rowdy noise. It created an invisible wall around our table.

"You okay?"

Kim Min-jae, sitting across from me, spoke softly enough that I had to lean in. I liked that.

Thinking I hadn't heard, he repeated himself.

"Do-jun, you okay?"

Of course not. You're asking the obvious.

A surge of irritation hit me, but I couldn't snap at innocent Kim Min-jae. He wasn't the one kicking me out. If anything, he'd been trying to help.

I sighed and shook my head lightly.

"Yeah......"

Not knowing what to say, Kim Min-jae awkwardly fiddled with the menu. Oh, right—we should order.

"Hand it over."

I reached out and took the menu. No real appetite, but habit had me scanning low-calorie dry snacks first.

Ah, no need to watch that anymore......

I passed the menu back to Kim Min-jae.

"Order whatever you want, hyung. I'll just have beer."

"Boss! Order here!"

Beer and snacks hit the table in a flash.

Dried squid, dried cuttlefish, even semi-dried squid that wasn't totally desiccated.

What is this, the desert? Turned the table into a dried seafood showcase.

I grabbed my beer and downed it straight, no toast.

Gulp, gulp.

"Ahhhh."

A total dad-level sigh escaped. Yeah, this is the stuff. Gotta drink from a glass, not a can.

Suddenly, memories of sneaking beer with Lee Jae-yoon at the dorm flashed back. Back then, I just wanted to debut quick and escape. Now, I missed it.

Kim Min-jae's voice cut through my thoughts.

"Hey, hey, take it easy. Gotta take care of your body."

"Forget it. What body maintenance?"

"Dude. Can't even manage yourself, how you gonna be an idol?"

"Quit with the idol talk."

I just got my release notice—what debut? I'm twenty-three, never thought about anything else.

More importantly, I didn't have much time left.

Speaking of, how much time do I have now? Might as well check.

Status Window.

"......Huh?"

"Do-jun! What's wrong?"

Startled, Kim Min-jae half-stood from his seat. I barely set down the nearly spilled glass and spoke.

"Nah, it's nothing. My hand just went limp for a sec."

"You good?"

"I'm fine. Just drink your beer."

Kim Min-jae looked suspicious, but I had no attention to spare.

All my focus was elsewhere.

Why do I have 16 coins?

I blinked repeatedly, but the number didn't change.

It was definitely 5 earlier. When did it jump by 11?

I yanked out my phone and rushed to Goodstar. Then it hit me.

"Ah......"

The photo with Lee Jae-yoon I'd posted earlier. That one alone had over 1,000 likes.

And matching those likes? The flood of comments.

No joke.

It felt good, but also this indescribable emptiness.

We'd been prepping for debut together not long ago, but seeing the gap between Lee Jae-yoon and me during my coma really hit home.

If Lee Jae-yoon had posted it himself? At least thousands of likes.

Or more?

Thousands? Probably tens of thousands. Famous celebs get that many likes.

......No wonder being an idol rocks.

Is debuting the only real way to rack up likes?

But what can you do. I got cut three hours ago. Real nice situation, huh.

"......Anyway, how about going to another company?"

"Huh? What?"

What company?

I looked up to see Kim Min-jae staring at me with a rare serious face.

"I said, what about another company?"

"Nah, like the Executive Director said, what am I gonna do starting over somewhere else now."

I didn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have time, or the confidence to restart from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scratch.

I figured GH might work something out since I'd put in the time, but that's over now.

"No, remember I pushed for acting? It's got potential. I guarantee it."

"You can guarantee, but other companies won't know me. You switching with me?"

"......That's tough."

"See? Just drink."

"Sorry...... I was trying to make it work somehow."

"What can you do when the higher-ups say no?"

I knocked back the rest of my drink.

I'm not saying this because I'm actually okay.

Deep down, I wanted to storm after that Executive Director bastard right now.

You that good at business? There's an order to layoffs, not just chopping people without warning or manners?

I'd unload all the curses I held back in shock right on that greasy face.

Problem is, I can't. I sighed and said,

"Let's just drink."

"......Yeah."

One glass became two, two became three in a blink. By then, the alcohol's warmth was flushing our faces.

"Hyung! Drink up! Don't go to work tomorrow!"

"Then I'll get fired too, dumbass!"

"We get fired together. Nice. Unemployed on the same day."

"No way, you crazy—"

Kim Min-jae's face was beet red, lips quivering. My rock-bottom mood lifted just a tiny bit.

"Gotta hit... the bathroom."

Kim Min-jae staggered up, eyes glazing over, steps wobbly toward the restroom.

Time to stop. He's not making work tomorrow at this rate.

What do I do starting tomorrow?

First, buy time. Can't do shit like this. Who knows when I'll drop dead.

If I stock up coins? Enlist first? Or cram for college, then army?

"Feels hopeless......"

Even if I took the CSAT this year and got into college, I'd be a twenty-four-year-old freshman. Ha, what an awkward age.

In my imagination, I'd have debuted by twenty-four, chatting with fans.

That thought brought up that infuriating face.

"That Executive Director bastard."

I'll crush him somehow. No plan yet, but revenge is on.

As I burned with vengeance, my phone started buzzing like mad.

What? Likes pouring in again?

Excited, I checked—an unknown number calling. What? Who's this? No one should be contacting me.

"Hello?"

- Ah! Hello. Is this Lee Do-jun?

The voice on the other end kept going before I could reply.

- This is Kim Han-soo, Team Leader at Pida Entertainment.

......What the hell now. Am I drunk already?

It was so out of left field, I wondered if I'd gotten wasted without noticing.

- If you're free, can we talk now?

"You sure you dialed the right number?"

My name matches, but how does another agency know me to call? Wrong number?

Pida, though... Sounds familiar......

- You're GH trainee Lee Do-jun, right?

"Yeah, that's me......"

Guess it's legit. Only one Lee Do-jun at GH.

......Though I'm fired now.

Anyway, the calm voice continued.

- Sorry for the sudden call. I wanted to reach out because we'd like to work with you, Lee Do-jun.

"Pardon?"

- If it's okay, could we meet tomorrow or whenever to talk?

"......Sure?"