Chapter 208
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 208
Twenty-one-year-old Seong Ji-won’s days were remarkably ordinary.
Classes, classes, classes, and then practice.
Acting, dancing, and singing.
“You won’t make it anyway, so why bother working so hard?”
“……”
He simply loved to sing.
Just hearing a simple compliment like, “Ji-won, you’re really good at singing,” was enough to keep him bathed in happiness all day long.
His time as a trainee had been anything but short.
He had known exactly what he wanted from a young age, and knowing his face was at least decent enough to look at, he had entered the industry relatively early.
“Ji-won, I’m not just saying this because you’re my grandson, but you really are beautiful. Many good things will surely happen in your life. So, make sure to only speak kind words and listen to beautiful stories.”
Those were the words his grandmother always lived by.
There were times he had answered her through tears, and times he had laughed brightly while pulling her into a hug.
But reality was consistently unforgiving.
‘Grandmother. I’m sorry.’
“Don’t you get it after being here this long without debuting? You’re never going to make it.”
He had fought tooth and nail to finally secure a center position, only to have it snatched away recently. When he took first place again in today’s monthly evaluation, those were the kinds of words that greeted him.
“Don’t you get tired of it? Because I do. Watching you cling on like a persistent pest.”
The guy in front of him was clearly below average in both looks and skill, yet he somehow managed to squeeze into the debut team every single time.
Perhaps that was why every time Ji-won looked at him, he felt as though his long years of training were being trampled upon.
‘Is it even worth debuting if I have to be in the same group as someone like this?’
At this point, he wasn't sure.
Regardless, it was clear the guy was not a good person.
“Yeah, it’s not exactly fun.”
At some point, the final routine of Seong Ji-won’s day—a day that used to be filled only with practice—always ended in a war of words with trainees who didn't know the meaning of respect.
“Does it look fun, watching you flounder like this every day?”
“...!”
The guy’s face turned a mottled shade of red and purple at just that one remark. It was quite a sight.
“Hey, Seong Ji-won—!”
“Hyeong-jo.”
Ji-won didn't think crude insults or vitriol suited him, nor did he particularly enjoy them, but he knew exactly how to shut down someone like the person standing before him.
“Why don’t you spend the time you use selling your body on practicing instead?”
He looked down at the idiot’s gaping face for a moment before turning on his heel and leaving the company building.
‘Hmm.’
In truth, he could feel his own nerves getting sharper lately.
It was only natural, considering a new boy group project had been underway at D.go for some time now.
Last time, they said he didn't fit the group’s overall image; the time before that, they said he was too young.
The number of "Rejected" tags pinned to him already exceeded ten.
He knew better than anyone that this was his last chance.
“Is that you, Ji-won?”
“Ah, Grandma!”
As soon as he heard his grandmother’s voice upon opening the front door, he scurried into the master bedroom and affectionately massaged her shoulders.
“How was your day?”
“It was great, of course.”
Seong Ji-won put on a picture-perfect smile. Even if the family was well-off, the shadow of growing up without parents didn't fade easily, so his grandmother was always exceptionally attentive toward him.
“You’ve seemed busy lately, my sweet boy.”
“Yes, because I made it into the debut team.”
“Oh, really? Do they think well of you?”
“Well, there is a director I trust and follow...”
Suddenly, the layers of wrinkles on his grandmother’s face caught his eye.
His heart ached at the thought that those wrinkles were born from worrying about him, but it was still bearable.
“I have to give it my all.”
His grandmother’s wrinkles deepened as her eyes curved into a gentle smile.
“Yes, yes. Where else could there be a child as beautiful as our Ji-won? But you mustn't overdo it, okay?”
“Yes, of course.”
Seong Ji-won took every one of his grandmother’s words to heart. Though the situation at the agency was far from ideal, he didn't want to burden her with any more worry.
His grandmother stroked his cheek lovingly as he gave his obedient reply.
“Still, tomorrow is your birthday, so come home early. I’ll prepare plenty of the food you like.”
.
.
.
“Pardon?”
One day, Director Jo called Seong Ji-won aside.
“I’m saying let’s redo your profile shoot.”
Looking at Director Jo’s awkward smile, Ji-won felt something was off.
“I already took them a month ago.”
“I think it’s better to retake them. The new boy group the company is planning is going to be a performance group, but your profile photos look too soft. Oh, do you happen to have other plans today?”
Ji-won couldn't answer immediately.
Today was his birthday.
He remembered his grandmother telling him to come home early, but he soon slowly shook his head.
It wasn't like redoing a profile shoot once or twice was a big deal.
“...No, I don’t.”
“Good. Then, I’ll give you a ride.”
As if he had been waiting for those words, Director Jo quickly threw an arm around Ji-won’s shoulder and urged him toward the parking lot.
“Wait, why are you...?”
“Just because. We should have days like this once in a while.”
Though surprised by Director Jo’s unusual behavior, Ji-won followed his lead.
The reason he had stayed here despite countless failed debuts was because of Director Jo. In this rotten, decaying place, he was the only person Ji-won felt he could trust and rely on.
“Then, I’ll be in your care.”
That was why he trusted him today, too.
Even if it was a bit unusual, it was within the realm of a small kindness.
“In the end, Seong Ji— also —does it—”
“They’re all the same— acted so clean— but really—”
While waiting for the elevator to go down to the basement parking lot, he heard the other trainees whispering behind him.
It was a familiar occurrence, yet for some reason, he felt a sense of foreboding.
After a moment’s hesitation, Ji-won discreetly turned on the recording app on his phone.
He felt a momentary pang of guilt, as if he were distrusting Director Jo, but he comforted himself with the thought that it never hurt to be careful.
Sitting in the passenger seat of an expensive foreign car, Ji-won watched the buildings blur past.
He was simply thinking about how he could finish the profile shoot quickly and get home.
“...I heard you’ve been practicing very hard.”
“I have to work even harder, haha.”
Director Jo spoke, breaking the brief silence.
Ji-won wore his usual practiced smile.
Sincerity and effort do not betray you.
He firmly believed that even if he was shaken by his surroundings, the time, blood, sweat, and tears he invested would surely return as good results.
No, in truth, clinging to those fragments of belief was the only thing Seong Ji-won could do at the time.
“...Um, Ji-won.”
The car, which was supposed to take him to the profile shoot, stopped in front of an unfamiliar hotel.
“Take this.”
“……Pardon?”
Ji-won looked around, unable to comprehend how the situation was unfolding, as Director Jo held out a small paper envelope.
Hesitating to take it because of a sickening feeling in his gut, Director Jo personally pressed the envelope into his hand. In that moment, Ji-won realized what was happening.
“I really cherish you, and I didn't want to push you into something like this. But the company’s situation isn't very good lately.”
“……”
“At this rate, you won’t be able to debut next time either. The project itself might be scrapped entirely. Honestly, there are so many kids who want to be celebrities. Are you going to throw away this chance too?”
The envelope in Ji-won’s hand slowly crumpled. Director Jo’s words meant that if he didn't do this, he would be replaced by someone else.
After a brief pause, a small sigh and a coaxing tone reached his ears.
“...Go inside for now. Contact me again when it’s over. It would be best if nothing... happens. For both of us.”
Ji-won wanted to argue point by point, but he couldn't find his voice.
“Take your hat.”
As if possessed, he blankly stepped out of the car and entered the hotel lobby.
Passing under a chandelier that scattered multicolored light, he slumped onto a sofa in the first-floor lounge.
Being a luxury hotel, the sensation of the leather sofa clinging to his body was excessively vivid, and the scenery visible beneath the brim of his hat was cruelly clear.
Crinkle.
Then, he remembered the paper envelope he had been clutching.
Ji-won tore open the envelope and took out the item inside.
Lying in his trembling hand was a card engraved with a three-digit number.
It was likely the key to the room number written on it.
“Ha, ha...”
He was sitting in a cozy place that smelled wonderful, yet he felt like he’d been tossed into a gutter.
“Haha.”
Profile shoot, my foot.
His time, his effort, his convictions, and even the person he relied on.
Everything collapsed into nothingness.
“Wow, so this is how it ends.”
He stopped the self-mocking laughter that had escaped his lips and took out his phone to stop the recording.
The more he retraced the events of a moment ago, the more his throat felt parched.
‘What should I do?’
Ji-won wasn't a fool.
Regardless of how much he wanted to achieve his dream, he didn't want to go as far as crossing that line.
‘Should I move to another agency?’
If he did, it would be difficult to get into a major one. D.go would surely try to tear him down.
He immediately erased that option from his mind.
‘Should I expose them?’
It would be cathartic, but that was it.
He would be sued, or even if he wasn't, he would never be able to set foot in the entertainment industry again.
‘Or should I blackmail them?’
If he brandished the recording, they wouldn't make him do this kind of thing anymore.
However, they would surely find an excuse to kick him out of the debut team later, or even if he did manage to debut, it was obvious he wouldn't receive any support.
He lacked the skill and the confidence to keep fighting and surviving alone among those viper-like adults.
“……Haa.”
No matter what he imagined, the only thing that returned was a suffocating reality.
The world looked black and white.
Seong Ji-won decided to throw everything away and end it.
‘Let’s just quit everything.’
The time he had spent waiting without reward had been too long.
It was time to stop trembling in anxiety over an uncertain tomorrow.
The moment Seong Ji-won, having organized all his thoughts, picked up the card key—
“Cheol-su~~!!”
He heard a voice calling out to someone.
It wasn't his name, so he slowly stood up from the sofa and pressed down on the brim of his hat, when—
“Hey, Cheol-su. Where are you going?”
“……?”
“Your big brother is here.”
An unfamiliar force pressed down firmly on his shoulder.
A pleasant mid-to-low-range voice with a casual, swaggering tone echoed close by.
“Aren't you happy to see me? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
Ji-won tilted his head slightly to look at the person.
He, too, had a hat pulled low just like Ji-won.
As Ji-won furrowed his brows, the man slightly lifted his face.
Even for Seong Ji-won, who had spent a long time in a major agency, the man had such striking features that he momentarily mistook him for a celebrity. However, his complexion was pale, there were dark circles under his eyes, and his expression was cold.
“...Who are you?”
“Me?”
The corners of his mouth curled up into a playful smirk.
“The guy who’s here to raise hell.”