Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: TrueDetective
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: 12. The Disappearance of Mu and Jun (1)
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‘Is this really okay…….’
The leader of Nokrim sat with an anxious look on his face, fiddling with his phone.
Sitting across from Uchi was Namgung Ryeo.
The main MC of [Idols, Let's Cross After Testing the Waters!] and a veteran actress who was one of Kichi CEO Sa’s closest allies.
Since she was a senior far above him in the industry, Uchi was a bit intimidated.
Namgung Ryeo took a sip of her black tea and gracefully set down her teacup.
“Accepting CEO Sa’s offer was a wise choice. You don’t need to worry.”
“Ah, no? I’m not worried at all?”
Even as he said that, Uchi’s leg was shaking.
Namgung Ryeo just smiled as if it were cute and didn’t point out his trembling leg.
After shaking his leg a bit longer, Uchi leaned forward over the table and asked,
“B-but, it’s true, right? That once our contract with Ramang ends, you’ll let us move to Kichi…….”
Namgung Ryeo looked surprised that he was asking such a thing.
“Are you confirming that now? I thought you’d already accepted.”
“That’s…….”
Uchi clamped his lips shut and looked down at his phone.
On the screen was Twatter’s real-time trends.
#ForeignMoneyIdol_OUT
#Caps_Bullshit_Apologize
#PlagiaristIdol_OUT
#YouScum_Apologize
That’s right.
A full-on Wannajoni dogfight.
The fight between the Nokrim fandom and Caps, sparked by Caps’ provocation, had escalated so much that the two fandoms had dominated the trends for hours.
And things had reached this point because of a deal between Uchi and Kichi’s CEO.
What Kichi’s CEO had demanded through Namgung Ryeo was simple.
‘Stir up the fandoms and cause some chaos.’
In exchange, Kichi’s CEO had promised.
Once the contract with Ramang ended, he’d let them debut as Kichi idols.
It was too good an offer to refuse.
So Uchi had vented to one of the named homas who contacted him personally.
[Nokrim Leader: Being a mid-tier idol is so toughㅠㅠ]
[Homa: Huh? What happened?]
[Nokrim Leader: Even rookie idols ignore meㅠㅠ]
[Homa: Rookie? Who?]
[Nokrim Leader: Never mindㅠJust suddenly feeling down… I debuted with Nokrim to meet you guys, but sometimes I envy those big agenciesㅜㅜ]
[Homa: OppaㅠㅠDon’t cry, we’re here for you]
There had only been one rookie lately bold enough to ignore a senior: Cheonma.
So the homa would have figured it out right away.
Proof was that no sooner had the conversation ended than a post sniping Cheonma went up on the homa’s Twatter.
But as he watched the fandom war grow, the excitement of moving to Kichi cooled, and Uchi regained a bit of his senses.
‘If I just get used and discarded… Our fandom’s already small as it is…….’
Seeing Uchi’s darkening expression, Namgung Ryeo spoke in her usual relaxed tone.
“Oh my. You really are worried, aren’t you? But think about it……. Why would someone like me or CEO Sa waste time lying to you?”
“But I still don’t quite get why you’d make an offer like this to me…….”
“You’ve got plenty of talent, Uchi. And I hear you know a lot about wuxia too?”
“Huh, how did you know?!”
Uchi jumped in surprise, and Namgung Ryeo covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
“I heard you’re friends with So-ui?”
“Friends might be a stretch…….”
Why was Jeom So-ui coming up here?
They were more like sworn enemies than friends, so Uchi fidgeted nervously with his fingers until Namgung Ryeo continued in a gentle tone.
“Keep getting along well from now on.”
Uchi sensed unmistakable goodwill from Namgung Ryeo.
He didn’t fully understand it, but she seemed sincere.
‘No way did Jeom So-ui say good things about me to the CEO?’
Sure, Jeom So-ui was a jerk, but the guy had an eye for people.
All the annoying clashes with Jeom So-ui over the years suddenly flashed through his mind in a romanticized light.
In that case… maybe!
‘Could I debut as the next Gupailbang member……?!’
Namgung Ryeo watched the excited Uchi with a chilling gaze.
* * *
Silence fell after Dang Sa-cheon’s revelation.
In the silence, Namgung Mu felt boundless rage and betrayal.
‘Hyung calls a bastard like that his friend……!’
Of course, it was bound to come out eventually.
He lacked the dancing, singing, variety skills, and martial arts to fully impersonate his brother.
But at this timing.
And from the mouth of Dang Sa-cheon, who had just left Kichi—no way had he imagined that!
Something he’d never even thought of.
A situation he couldn’t have dreamed of.
His head throbbed, so Namgung Mu stood still for a moment, running his hand through his hair.
The manager’s confused face, Cheonma’s calm one as if it was none of his business.
And Dang Sa-cheon’s utterly shameless face came into view.
Urk—a surge of fury rose from his dantian.
‘Why am I here, pretending to be hyung and living this idol life I never asked for.’
The moment Dang Sa-cheon entered the dorm and their eyes met.
Namgung Mu had instantly realized that Dang Sa-cheon recognized him.
That’s why he’d emphasized that he was ‘Namgung Jun’ now and tried to pull him aside to explain.
But this bastard Dang Sa-cheon had fallen for the manager hyung’s sweet talk and sold him out.
He hadn’t even agonized for a few seconds.
Had he agonized at all?
His expression had been so solemn that for a moment, Namgung Mu hadn’t even registered that Dang Sa-cheon had exposed him.
Namgung Mu dropped his hand from his head and spat out in a trembling voice.
“Dang Sa-cheon, you bastard…….”
“Don’t misunderstand, Mu-ya.”
Dang Sa-cheon cut in abruptly.
He placed a hand on Namgung Mu’s shoulder with a face showing no trace of guilt.
And then what he said was a sight to behold.
“I had no choice to protect you.”
Namgung Mu was so dumbfounded that his words caught in his throat for a moment.
But if he didn’t retort, he felt he couldn’t contain his rage, so he barely forced his mouth open.
“That doesn’t sound like something the guy who just sold me out for a debut should say.”
At that, Dang Sa-cheon turned serious.
“What nonsense is that? This family head isn’t the type to sell a friend’s little brother for a mere debut.”
His expression was so earnest that Namgung Mu faltered a bit.
“Th-then… what was it for?”
Dang Sa-cheon replied with an unwavering face.
“Manager So-ui hyung already knew everything and asked on purpose.”
“……!”
The manager hyung had known everything?
Come to think of it, lately his gaze had been unusual.
He’d seemed like he wanted to ask something but held back.
But even so, there was no way a mere manager could know that Namgung Jun had a twin brother!
The manager, Jeom So-ui, replied in a flat voice.
“What are you talking about? How would I know?”
“Heh, playing dumb again, I see. This family head knows everything.”
“I’m saying I don’t know, so why do you keep insisting you do?”
“It’s hyung’s profound test. You were testing my loyalty. To teach me that the path of following hyung is the path of the asura, where even a friend’s brother must be cast aside. But this family head is already resolved to become an asura!”
Namgung Mu was confused.
‘The manager hyung really seems clueless…….’
But Dang Sa-cheon looked utterly convinced.
Whether the manager hyung truly knew everything, he wasn’t sure.
But one thing was clear.
“You bastard! You did sell me out!”
“That’s not it, Mu-ya! Rather than have you confess it yourself, this family head took on the villain role. Villains are expendable!!”
“Uh… Namgung Mu-ssi?”
As he trembled with fists ready to punch Dang Sa-cheon’s face any second, the manager cautiously spoke up.
“Let’s set that lunatic aside and talk just between us.”
“…It’s reasonable to exclude the lunatic, but I have nothing to say…….”
The manager was a good guy.
But he’d only been kind because Namgung Mu was Gupailbang’s Namgung Jun.
Above all, the manager was the CEO’s right-hand man.
Now that he knew he wasn’t Namgung Jun, getting kicked out was just a matter of time.
Namgung Mu bit his lip, and the manager, watching him quietly, gave a faint smile.
“Honestly, I don’t care if you’re not Namgung Jun.”
“…What?”
“No, actually, it’s better if you’re not Namgung Jun.”
“What… does that mean?”
Namgung Mu clenched his fists without realizing it.
As long as they could stand on stage, it didn’t matter who?
Sure, he hadn’t even noticed that Namgung Jun had been replaced over the past few months.
Maybe his brother had grown disillusioned with this industry and……
But the moment he heard the manager’s next words, Namgung Mu snapped to attention.
“The reason I’m leaving Kichi to start my own agency is because weird things are happening at Kichi.”
“Weird things?”
“Yeah. And for my plan, it’s better if you’re not Namgung Jun.”
“Why?”
“Because I plan to block Gupailbang members’ renewals and bring them to my agency.”
Namgung Mu and Dang Sa-cheon’s jaws dropped.
The story was so absurd that their thoughts froze for a moment.
Then, Cheonma, who had been standing beside the manager, spoke up.
“The administrator said that if you’re not Namgung Jun, you can leave Kichi regardless of Namgung Jun’s contract term. Promise to join the new agency he’ll establish later. No matter why you’re impersonating Namgung Jun, he’ll help you.”
“You’ll help me?”
Namgung Mu stared blankly at Cheonma for a moment.
It doesn’t matter if I’m not Namgung Jun, so switch agencies?
And you’ll help me?
Why?
“What’s in it for you two?”
Cheonma replied as if it were obvious.
“If you leave, we’d have to redo the choreography again, wouldn’t we?”
“It’s a super convincing reason, but I deceived everyone?!”
As Namgung Mu shouted, Cheonma and the manager exchanged glances and shook their heads.
“Making a fuss over nothing.”
“It’s surprising that Namgung Mu-ssi is Namgung Jun’s brother, but no one at Kichi doesn’t have secrets like that.”
“What do you mean…….”
As Namgung Mu looked confused, Cheonma smirked crookedly and said,
“So, no need to fear over something like that. Because.”
Cheonma raised his right hand to shoulder height.
Then neatly extended his left hand, palm facing outward.
It was the mudra of ‘Fear Not Outsiders,’ one of the choreography moves from the Public Enemy of the Martial World.
Its meaning: fear not.
As Cheonma formed the Fear Not Outsiders mudra, his body floated softly into the air, and Namgung Jun gasped.
Perched in midair, Cheonma’s eyes glowed red as he arrogantly declared,
“This seat is the Heavenly Demon. I am the one who will end all your troubles.”
The next moment.
Namgung Mu knelt before him without realizing it.
“Please help me…….”
Unaware of what he was even saying, Namgung Mu opened his mouth as if entranced.
“Help me find my missing brother.”