Resort Getaway (4): Idols' Destiny at the Resort
Yuwan, the leader of Aesis.
Every time she stepped onto the stage under the name Wan, old memories flooded back.
The days when she'd show off the dances and rhythms she'd learned at kindergarten to her mom and dad.
Her parents' faces, beaming with such pure joy—even after more than a decade since their death—were still etched vividly in her mind.
"Unnie! Ready?!"
"Yeah!"
Behind her parents' faces rose the image of her aunt.
Her aunt, a webtoon artist whose works didn't sell well.
The aunt who had stepped up to raise her after losing her parents.
She couldn't bear to see her niece sent to an orphanage.
Wan had never regretted taking her aunt's hand when she invited her to live together in that tiny home.
But still.
She felt so guilty for the hardships her aunt endured because of her that she could barely lift her head.
That was why.
Why she always pushed herself to try harder.
For her aunt's sake.
Her aunt, who had treated her orphaned niece like her own daughter and raised her with such devotion—she had to succeed, no matter what.
That would be her way of repaying her.
To succeed, keep succeeding, and let her aunt live in luxury—that was her absolute duty.
"Aesis!! Ready?!"
"Yes!"
So, no stage was too small.
No song too tough.
She'd give her all and nail it, every time.
The event their agency had lined up for them.
Cosplaying characters from Dungeon & Saga and singing the theme song—but that didn't matter.
Wan smiled at her members.
"Great job today, everyone!!"
"No way, Wan~!"
"You worked hard too, unnie!"
"No more schedule today?"
"Yeah, that's it."
It felt disappointing.
She had the stamina for a few more songs.
She glanced at her younger members, their faces a bit downcast.
They were all such hardworking, good kids.
If only their post-debut songs had been better.
If only the agency had promoted them properly, she could've shown off their charms more.
No. Let's keep pushing.
Keep working hard, and the spotlight will come eventually.
Don't give up, Wan.
You can't falter as the leader.
Wan had only just become an adult herself, but she was still the leader.
"Wan!! Let's walk around the event a bit~!"
"Is that okay?"
"Manager unnie's not here~."
The manager was off meeting other company presidents at the resort for business deals.
Normally, the agency handled that, but after their second song flopped hard, they'd dumped even this on the manager.
"Manager unnie... must be exhausted."
"Sigh. We just need to work harder."
Aesis's maknae, Mei, said it brightly.
But Wan knew.
How many wounds hid behind that cheerful energy.
"Just do our best. That's enough."
Miyabi, who came from Japan.
Aesis's eldest unnie.
She'd trained for nearly a decade before debuting, yet saw no spotlight—and still had no thoughts of returning to Japan.
She handled all the dorm cooking too, since she was great in the kitchen.
"If I walk around cosplaying, maybe it'll promote us more?"
Yuri, the dancer her age.
Incredible dance skills, but no stage to shine on.
Yet she never stopped trying.
"Then I'll come too."
Wan clenched her fist.
No thoughts of giving up.
If there's a chance to grab and climb, she'll take it.
With that resolve, Wan and Yuri headed into the event hall.
It was packed, as expected for a big gaming event.
Some eyes lingered on their cosplay, but that was it.
Promoting Aesis itself wouldn't be easy.
Then, three people approached them.
An ordinary-looking guy.
A burly man in his thirties.
And a pretty woman in horn-rimmed glasses and a hood.
Seeing the merch in their hands brought a wry smile.
How nice if it were Aesis merch.
Right, we don't even have merch like that.
For unknown flops like them, merch was a pipe dream.
"Want me to take a photo? If you like the female infighter..."
"I do like the female infighter, but that's not why."
The glasses girl slowly removed her glasses.
Then pulled down her mask a bit...
"...Gasp!"
Wan gasped.
How could she not?
The woman was on a level they couldn't even dream of touching.
"E-En-En-En..."
"Shh."
NCIA's Seo Yurin grinned mischievously, finger to her lips.
"I was heading to meet you anyway. Got a minute?"
Wan nodded frantically.
The Aesis members tensed up.
Who wouldn't? She was a senior idol with overwhelming success, unlike them.
"Nice to meet you. Seo Yurin, NCIA. We've met before, right?"
"Y-Yes! Senior!"
"Hey, no need to be so tense."
How could they not be?
As they gulped nervously, the burly guy returned with drinks.
"Huh...?"
Wan stared at the drink placed before her.
Iced vanilla latte.
Loaded with whipped cream and chocolate chips.
Her favorite.
And it wasn't just hers.
Every member had their own favorites in front of them.
"Ahem. I'm a Starlight fan."
"Whoa!!"
Starlight.
The fan cafe they'd had briefly in the past.
It fell apart due to agency mess-ups and vanished into thin air.
Wan instantly warmed to the burly guy who mentioned it.
"Sh-Should I sign something?"
"I-I have an album. Could you sign that?"
Touching.
Moving.
Not just Wan—all the members trembled with emotion.
Once the self-proclaimed Iron Soul guy left, NCIA sipped her coffee.
"Hmm, truth is, I didn't really want to talk to you girls."
"Huh?"
Then why?
That's when Wan's eyes shifted to the man standing beside NCIA.
"Did he want to meet us?"
"Yeah."
"Oh... Um, introductions first! Hello! May the radiant dawn shine upon you! I'm Aesis' Wan~!"
"Uh. Yeah. Sure."
The guy looked awkward.
He introduced himself as Kang Noah and nodded.
Wan tensed.
She had no idea what this guy next to NCIA did.
But maybe a young chaebol heir?
Or someone running a business, looking to hire them for promo or a stage gig.
Manager unnie knows business better, but...
Still, she could make the connection.
Wan swallowed hard.
"Um..."
"Mind flipping this over?"
"...Pardon?"
He held out a deck of cards.
Wan flipped one awkwardly.
Kang Noah, watching her intently, spoke slowly.
"You'll chart again soon."
"...Whaaat?!"
Great news.
But who says that?
Who the hell was this guy?
Then Mei, who'd been rigid and shaking, burst out.
"N-No-No-Noah? Noah oppa...?!"
Her tension wasn't just from NCIA?
As Wan puzzled, Mei shakily handed over her phone.
Wan's face hardened with tension as she looked.
The psychic with a perfect track record.
The man who saw all futures.
And he said their song would reverse and shine.
"...R-Really? For us..."
"Yes. But..."
But.
As she gulped at the ominous word,
Kang Noah described the future he'd seen.
Wan, hearing it,
"...Ah..."
Couldn't handle the shock and fainted.
It was around the time Wan came to.
The door to our room burst open.
"Girls! There you are!!"
A woman in her mid-thirties rushed in.
She spotted us and bowed repeatedly.
"Thank you so much for looking after my girls! They're just unlucky with songs, but their talent is..."
"Not here to book an event, no need to promo."
"...Oh. Th-Then... sorry, but we don't do that kind of..."
"Not that either... Hey. Don't just sit there, say something."
Seo Yurin stepped in, chuckling beside me.
Only then did the manager relax.
"R-Right... Huh? Wha—?! Noah oppa?!"
"Oh? You know me?"
"Yes! I watch your streams all the time!! Applied so many times but never got on... I was hoping my girls would make it..."
She rambled on.
The manager of flops twisted awkwardly before me.
"Um, our girls..."
No reason to hide it, so I told her straight.
The manager's face stiffened.
"...If it's those bastards, yeah, it's possible. So, Noah oppa, what should we do?"
"Best thing is to switch agencies."
From the manager's memories, the company treated Aesis like a headache now.
So, just switch cleanly.
"But you said they'll reverse. Songs and rights are with the company—switching kills the comeback, right?"
"Probably."
"Then what?"
"I see futures, not solutions. Hmm, hey. No one at your agency knows this stuff?"
"Hmm, lemme ask."
Seo Yurin pulled out her phone right away.
She called, chatted a while, hung up, and nodded.
"Seems doable. They trust my word."
"Oh..."
"If there's issues with the girls I bring, my contract extends ten years. But whatever, wasn't planning to leave anyway."
She grinned; she liked her current agency.
"So? When do they reverse?"
Instead of answering, I glanced at the manager.
"You signed the Ppuri Hong YouTube collab, right?"
"Gasp! Y-You knew, Noah oppa!!"
"It starts then."
So, sort the agency switch before that.
"Can you?"
Seo Yurin, checking her phone, nodded.
"President says come now."
The future shifted in that instant.
A new path to stardom opened for these rising idols.
"...R-Really?"
"We... we're gonna make it...?"
"Sniff... Hic..."
"Waaah!!"
"Girls! Girls, it's real! We're gonna make it...!!"
They hadn't shone yet, but if it followed the future I'd seen, success would come fast.
That was enough.
"H-How can we repay this...?"
"Didn't tell you expecting payback. Just hated seeing hardworking people end up like that, so I helped."
"...Still wanna repay you. Um, if we make it, can we promo you?"
"Promo?"
"Y-Yeah... Appear on your channel and..."
"Yes! We'll shout your name everywhere!"
"Can I call you oppa too?"
No, Miyabi. Hearing oppa from you...
Come to think of it, plenty of older viewers called me oppa already.
"Sure. Whatever."
If they want to, who am I to stop them.
Plenty others would promo me anyway, but it wouldn't hurt.
"Good luck then."
My part was done.
They'd handle the rest and soar.
They'd succeed on their own.
That horrific future was gone.