Chapter 166
Chapter 166
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: The Hangure Exposé
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In Japan, there are groups known as hangure.
They're definitely not the good kind.
After laws were enacted to crack down on violent gangs in an effort to eradicate yakuza—the cancer of Japanese society—the yakuza's influence waned, creating an opening that these hangure groups rapidly filled.
That said, they're not a perfect counter to the yakuza. If yakuza are like the mafia, hangure are more like street gangs, and the two often coexist in a shadowy symbiosis.
The key point is that these hangure groups frequently recruit and activate kids as young as teenagers.
They spot promising delinquents early on and drag them into all sorts of criminal activities.
Their crimes are no less severe than the yakuza's—in fact, often worse.
Believing that absolute terror is the way to control people, they routinely unleash unimaginable violence too horrific to even describe.
So why bring up hangure out of nowhere?
Because an explosive exposé thread popped up on a major Japanese online community.
> [I've got dirt on Saito Riku, who's set to debut in Korea. Saito Riku [- Real name's Ichijo Riku. Seems like he changed his surname after his parents divorced and he went with his mom, but back in 6th grade elementary, he was already running with the Kansai Outseven crew—hanging out with middle and high schoolers.]
> He got famous for stabbing a classmate in the stomach during elementary 6th grade.
>
> That's just the big one—countless assaults, thefts, you name it.
>
> Vanished after moving away in middle school 2nd year, no idea he'd show up here. WWW
>
> Surname changed, grown a ton taller, and face looks reworked—maybe surgery?—so some might not recognize him, but not me.
>
> Why?
>
> I'm the victim with the hole in my gut.
>
> No matter how much he fixes himself up, that mole inside his left eyebrow and the one right by his lip stay put.
>
> Exposing this trash so he doesn't debut as an idol.]
This post—exposing not just school violence but outright crimes—spread like wildfire across Japan, and the news soon reached Korea.
- Whoa, for real?
- What's hangure?
- Hangure? Think of them as ultra-dangerous delinquents.
- Way beyond that;;; These are straight-up criminal syndicates, more brutal than yakuza.
- Outseven's a real group, damn ㄷ
- Stabbed someone in elementary 6th grade;;;;;
- JOP doesn't do background checks?
- Japanese bureaucracy's a joke. Name change and good luck tracing the past.
- Plus, common sense: how's a 16-year-old about-to-be high schooler gonna have that elementary/middle school knife record exposed;;;;;
- Kids that young probably no official records anyway.
- But what now ;;;
- Someone's dumping shit on a group right on the cusp of debut.
It was total chaos.
In Japan, surprisingly, there are even celebrities with tight ties—or straight-up origins—in yakuza or hangure circles. Athletes and entertainers with school violence records atone through sports or acting, and society accepts it. But Korea's different.
Unlike Japan, Korea doesn't forgive school bullies. And that's how it should be.
What could be more wrong than letting someone who tormented others live high on the hog?
Either way, the company now faced a crisis because of this past.
It hit Datemura Nanase especially hard.
After all, she was the final decision-maker who scouted them in Japan and brought them to Korea.
With succession on the horizon, any blemish on her biggest project—launching JOP idols—could shake the whole lineup.
Sure, it's not a public company, and she's Datemura Shuji's niece, but succession isn't guaranteed?
It is guaranteed—by her ability.
She wasn't handed JOP just because of the family name; Shuji named her heir for her proven competence.
No competence? Shuji has no reason to keep her as successor.
"Chase out that damn hangure scum right now and prep a press conference."
"You're stepping up yourself, Director?"
"I'm the one responsible, so I should be the one to apologize publicly."
"But..."
"You know as well as I do—if we fumble this sloppily, it'll hand the chance right back to Yuichi, that bastard."
Yuichi—Datemura Yuichi—was her younger brother.
Lacking her political savvy, he'd been sidelined to a distribution backwater after losing out to her. But he was more elite than her and shared Shuji's musical tastes, with real talent to boot.
So if the idol project—which Shuji wasn't thrilled about to begin with—goes south?
Shuji would surely give Yuichi another shot.
Datemura Nanase prepared a public apology to the nation.
"Oh, and just in case—keep Yuin absolutely safe. Don't let even a speck touch him."
"Understood."
"And to be safe, re-vet the debut group thoroughly. Private investigators if needed. No—check all the trainees too. From now on, background checks from the start for any new recruits."
"Yes."
After these ironclad follow-ups, Datemura Nanase even brushed up on her Korean to apologize at the press conference for attempting to debut a trainee with a problematic past.
Call it fortunate?
They acted fast after only profile photos dropped—booted Saito Riku, held the conference with Nanase front and center apologizing, and compensated the victim to avoid retraumatizing them. The scandal didn't balloon and was contained.
But the issues didn't stop there.
Album artwork, choreography, part distribution—all had to be redone.
Artwork costs money, and choreography's all about precise positioning, so they'd need a full redesign.
The one silver lining: song parts.
Okada Sho had a similar vocal range to Saito Riku, so he could just take over the lines.
Sho's parts bulked up, but with Kim Jimin's powerhouse vocals and Anurak's unique tone, no risk of Sho hogging the spotlight no matter how much he got.
Parts reassigned, all that remained was re-recording and the music video shoot.
* * *
"What? Why'd you come out of nowhere?"
"Why'd I come? Don't be so ungrateful—act a little happy to see me?"
"I am happy. Just... so sudden."
Yeonwoo stared blankly at Olivia Snow punching in the house code like she owned the place.
Showing up unannounced like this.
"So where's everyone else?"
"Grandma's out grabbing something, Aunt's on her way from HQ to pick me up, and Dad went to quit his job."
"Quit?!"
Yeonwoo nodded like it was no big deal.
"Yeah."
"Wait, why quit a job he's been doing fine at? Not that I've ever seen him go in, thanks to paternity leave."
"Our label's going independent now. Still a JOP subsidiary, though."
"Oh, congrats on that?!"
JOP was spinning off SSHIN as a subsidiary amid the idol project.
Why? JOP Korea pursued different music styles from SSHIN's artists, SSHIN's headcount was ballooning—making HQ admin burdensome—and crucially, Yeonwoo's revenue potential outstripped JOP Korea's, raising tax and legal headaches.
"But how's that connected to Jihoon quitting?"
"Dad's gonna be our company president."
"Oh...!"
"More precisely, co-president with Aunt."
Jihoon would handle management, Jiyeong the music side.
"So what about you?"
"Me? Oh, right—lead producer."
"What's that mean?"
"Just do whatever I want, and the company grows itself."
"That tracks."
Olivia Snow nodded sagely and flopped onto the sofa like she was melting into it.
"What, lying down the second you arrive?"
"Jet lag's killing me. Worked on tracks the whole flight. And mentally? Wrecked right now."
Yeonwoo sat down properly, eyeing her with concern.
"What happened? Song not coming together?"
"Nah."
"Then?"
"Remember that film director I mentioned?"
Yeonwoo paused to think.
Yeah, he remembered.
"That... weird guy? The one who wanted to commission a track from me?"
"Yeah, kept hounding me nonstop 'cause he wants your music so bad."
Yeonwoo scowled.
"Why bug my innocent sister? Come at me directly."
"Who knows? Scared of getting busted by the cops for bullying kids, maybe."
Olivia Snow sprawled out fully on the sofa now.
"Ahh, this house smell, this sofa. Missed 'em so much—feels amazing. Gonna crash hard."
Yeonwoo gazed down at her a moment, then stood up.
"Hey, where you going?"
"Gotta head to the company with Aunt now."
"Why? Thought you were going independent—no need to go in."
"Yeah, but HQ's launching the idols. The guys are recording."
Olivia Snow bolted upright at "recording."
"Then let's go."
"Go where?"
"Can't miss Master producing. I'm coming."
"Not sleepy anymore?"
"Nope! What're you waiting for? Get ready! Let's roll!"
Yeonwoo shook his head, watching her bustle out ahead of him.
"Hurry up, Master!! Call Jiyeong!!"
"Uh, yeah, got it."
Still, nice to see her after so long.
Yeonwoo smiled faintly at the whirlwind Olivia Snow while finishing his prep and reaching for his phone to call Jiyeong—just as the door opened and Jiyeong and Jaehoon walked in.
"What? Olivia Snow? When'd you get here?!
"Just now! Long time, Jiyeong!"
As Olivia Snow hugged Jiyeong, Yeonwoo hopped in the car and greeted Jaehoon.
"Hyung, could've just waited in the parking lot."
Jaehoon looked grave at Yeonwoo's words.
"Nah, can't do that for a while. Stick with me whenever you go out."
"Why? Something happen?"
"You know Saito Riku?"
"Yeah, that guy... got kicked out for bad stuff in the past, right? Why bring him up...?"
"He's in Korea. And apparently posted on SNS vowing revenge on JOP staff."
Yeonwoo cocked his head, baffled.
"But... he got booted for his own screw-ups. Why revenge on us?"
"Someone thinking straight wouldn't have done the bad stuff to begin with. Anyway, HQ ordered full protection for you. Bodyguards incoming soon."
They'd notified the police, but with no direct threats yet, the response was lukewarm.
In the meantime, company policy was to guard their most precious asset—Yeonwoo—to the hilt, just in case.