The staff members cautiously glanced in our direction, sensing the unusual atmosphere, but fortunately, they didn’t seem to have heard the conversation.
I gathered my thoughts and stopped the manager.
“Let me come with you.”
“Hoyun, I understand your feelings, but don’t come now.”
“No, I’ll go.”
After all, this whole situation was a matter concerning my life.
Jeong Dajun’s potential withdrawal and the inability to proceed with the main scenario meant one thing:
The Dawn was on the verge of complete failure.
I saw Jeong Dajun’s pale face as he leaned on me slightly.
I then looked at the other members.
“Then I’ll go too.”
Kim Seonghyeon stepped forward.
Judging by his gaze directed at me, he seemed to feel sorry for always relying on me.
They must be flustered too.
“Never mind, you guys go home first. Didn’t you have a V-Live scheduled for today?”
“That is…”
“It’s important to keep it a secret from people. In that sense, it’s better for me to go than for the leader to be absent. Manager, the news hasn’t been released yet, right?”
“We’re desperately trying to stop it.”
“Did you hear that? It’s important to keep it hushed. Cover for us at today’s V-Live. I’ll follow Jeong Dajun and talk to the CEO.”
Jeong Dajun is a minor, only 19 years old. I couldn’t leave him alone with that snake-like CEO.
“Ugh…”
Turning to the groaning manager, whom I couldn’t fully trust, he tightly closed his eyes.
“Fine, it’s not the first time Seo Hoyun doesn’t listen….”
He habitually rubbed his stomach as if it hurt.
I should be the one with the stomachache in this situation.
I bid farewell to the filming crew with a bright smile, pretending that everything was fine, and quickly got into the van with Jeong Dajun.
“Hyung, ah… shit… I’m sorry.”
It seemed that Jeong Dajun only realized the reality of the situation after getting into the van.
He was clueless and panicked.
“What should I do? Will I get caught up in a lawsuit? No, I definitely settled things with that agency, so why now…!”
“Jeong Dajun.”
“I clearly said I would terminate the exclusive contract. They agreed and let me go. Why now…!”
“Jeong Dajun!”
I placed my palm on Jeong Dajun’s shoulder.
A loud slap was heard, and the manager glanced at us through the rearview mirror.
Regardless, I lifted Jeong Dajun’s face and looked him straight in the eyes.
“Explain it properly so I can understand.”
“…Hoyun-hyung…”
“I need to know what’s going on to cover for you.”
Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I could resolve the exclusive contract issue.
That’s why I vaguely used the term “cover,” but Jeong Dajun seemed relieved by my words.
“…I understand.”
Throughout the drive to the company, Jeong Dajun nervously recounted his story.
In summary, this was what happened:
Before joining Daepaseong Entertainment, he had an exclusive contract with a sketchy agency. Although he had signed a contract, he felt suspicious and requested its termination. The other agency agreed and let Jeong Dajun go, and then he proceeded with an exclusive contract with Daepaseong Entertainment.
I can see the scheme.
What came to mind was a ghost company.
These con artists would target young and naive individuals, sign contracts with them, and then let them terminate the contracts, only to later take advantage of the signed contracts to blackmail them.
“Hyung, what should I do…”
“First, tell them everything as is. Just like you told me.”
“And after that?”
Jeong Dajun looked at me with anxious eyes.
Just as I was about to respond, the van stopped.
We were in front of Daepaseong Entertainment.
I sighed and unbuckled my seat belt.
“Leave it to me.”
What more could I do at this point?
***
The manager tried not to show his frustration as we entered the CEO’s office, but the CEO’s gaze seemed to say, “This guy didn’t do his job well,” and “Why did you bring Seo Hoyun?”
‘As if I wanted to bring him!’
Although teary-eyed inside, he kept his mouth shut for now.
Seo Hoyun had an odd ability.
No matter how ridiculous his claims were, things always turned out as he wished.
“…That’s what happened.”
Jeong Dajun seemed to have regained some composure with Hoyun by his side as he explained his situation much more logically than when he had told them in the van.
Upon hearing the whole story, the CEO looked annoyed.
“You got played.”
“…”
“Sigh, they just want to extort the penalty fee, including trying to silence the news….”
“CEO…”
Jeong Dajun stuttered at the CEO’s words.
However, the manager tilted his head, not understanding.
“Dajun is still a minor. Isn’t it possible to cancel a minor’s exclusive contract?”
“Sigh… If only it were that simple.”
At those words, Seo Hoyun’s eyebrows twitched.
The man who had been quiet except for the greetings finally opened his mouth.
“Did they stamp their seal?”
The CEO glanced at Seo Hoyun and clicked his tongue.
“Yeah, they did.”
“Do we have the seal certificate and family relationship certificate?”
“Who takes care of such things in actual practice? But they said they have the phone records. They’re scary. They also sent a recorded call by email.”
Confirmed.
If it had gone to a lawsuit, they would have claimed that the exclusive contract was established, raising all sorts of fuss.
The call with Jeong Dajun’s parents at the time of the contract would be used as evidence.
“…Hmm.”
Seo Hoyun sank deep into thought.
Jeong Dajun, unable to follow along, just rolled his eyes.
The CEO sighed heavily but explained for Jeong Dajun’s sake.
“Dajun, a contract with a minor without parental consent can be voided. But in your case, there’s consent. There’s a contract with a stamped seal. You got your parents’ consent and stamped the seal. Your parents weren’t physically there, but they agreed while on speakerphone.”
“No! They called several times back then. They’re claiming that was the recording during the contract. Even during the consultation… my parents worked and couldn’t make the time.”
“Dajun, don’t lie because you’re scared. A contract made through a minor’s deception cannot be canceled.”
“I didn’t lie!”
“….”
As Jeong Dajun’s voice grew louder with injustice, Seo Hoyun glanced at him.
With trembling hands, the CEO swallowed back a sigh that threatened to escape as he watched Jeong Dajun aggressively shake his head, adamant in his denial.
“They said they didn’t give you a contract termination notice. They just pretended to terminate it and discarded it. Crazy bastards.”
The CEO seemed to regret swearing before Jeong Dajun, but his energy seemed drained as he rubbed his forehead.
“So, they claim that you knowingly signed an exclusive contract with us even though they treated you unfairly. They just stabbed us in the back.”
“….”
Jeong Dajun cringed, his face contorted.
Seo Hoyun carefully examined the contract on the table and asked.
“What are the conditions they’re proposing?”
“Ho-Hoyun.”
“They can’t really be planning to take Dajun and have him do activities, and if they were going to sue, they would have already sent the notice. They’re just trying to milk us for a penalty fee.”
Seo Hoyun calmly deduced the situation.
The CEO let out a hollow laugh.
“They haven’t told us yet.”
“…Buying time to raise the conditions?”
“Yeah. We fell for it big time.”
Money would solve the problem.
However, knowing that Dajun was a potential rookie from Daepaseong Entertainment, they were dragging it out, and it was unclear how much money would have to be poured in.
Jeong Dajun’s fist, partly hidden by the table, was clenched so tight it looked white.
“Then the fans will get tired too….”
“The next activity will be delayed, at least.”
Just as the CEO and the manager worriedly discussed what to do with the scheduled plans, Seo Hoyun, who had finished organizing his thoughts, nonchalantly threw another bomb.
“We’ll proceed as scheduled.”
“…What?”
Seo Hoyun patted Jeong Dajun’s hunched shoulders as if to say there was no need to hunch if there was nothing to mope about.
“Three days.”
Hmm…
The CEO, although dumbfounded, felt a subtle expectation that if it was Seo Hoyun, he would somehow resolve the situation.
This rookie idol, who always spouted nonsense, had always managed to produce astounding results in the end.
“I’ll get Dajun out in three days.”
It was still a crazy statement.
***
“Damn, who the hell delayed their debut for their own sake?”
Some fans would wait patiently, like azaleas[1].
But who would remain if there were only lawsuits without any activities during that long period?
And how could they turn back time when he was at his prime age?
It was inevitable that the size of the fandom would shrink.
“We need to catch it now.”
A noisy mosquito must be caught right away. Immediately.
It’s better than grinding your teeth while looking at your swollen red skin the next day.
In that sense, mosquitoes and fraudsters had something in common: they must be dealt with immediately when found.
“Seo Hoyun, what are you saying right now! You’re not thinking of stepping in yourself, are you?”
“It’s not about what’s important right now. It’s about whether we can cover this quickly or not.”
I brushed off the manager’s shock lightly.
“We have to deal with this before the fans all leave. Everyone still doesn’t know the situation, and the news hasn’t come out yet. We need to handle it.”
“…”
“CEO, we had no choice but to wait anyway, right?”
The CEO hesitated and then nodded his head.
Why do I have to go this far for this agency? It pisses me off, but I have to do it if no one else can handle it.
“CEO, you can just keep waiting.”
“…Do you have any connections on their side?”
The CEO seemed to think I had some sort of reliable backing, as if I would have any connections in the entertainment industry.
I don’t have any, but…
Since they’re misunderstanding it on their own, I don’t need to deny it.
“I’ll contact them again.”
I patted Jeong Dajun, who was sitting silently and gloomily on the back.
“Let’s go.”
“…”
“Quickly.”
Somehow, the situation was exactly the same as a few days ago.
Jeong Dajun gazed at me from afar. He bit his lip as he suddenly stood up.
He bowed politely to the CEO but still looked upset.
Ugh.
I turned my head just before leaving the door.
“Don’t forget to renew the contract.”
The door closed with a bang.
As I walked briskly ahead, Jeong Dajun hurriedly followed me.
Then, he lingered a step behind me, looking around nervously.
“Hoyun-hyung, I-I’m sorry…”
“It’s fine.”
“…”
He was really down.
Jeong Dajun thought it was all his fault.
That’s why I hated scams.
The victim was the one who got scammed, but people just kept repeating, “You should’ve been more careful,” and pointing fingers.
Since we needed to do some work behind the scenes again, I tried to contact Kim Jaeyeon, but I heard Jeong Dajun calling me with a trembling voice.
“Hyung.”
“What.”
“Hyung, do you… do you believe me?”
“What?”
What kind of nonsense is this?
I was in a hurry because I thought I had a lot to do, so I couldn’t ignore it and stopped walking to look back at him.
Jeong Dajun stared straight at me with a face that seemed like he was about to cry.
“Even if I were you or the CEO, I would’ve thought the same… that Jeong Dajun lied because he couldn’t handle the aftermath.”
“…”
“But it’s really not true, hyung.”
Jeong Dajun’s still clenched fists trembled.
“Really… I didn’t lie.”
Seeing the disheartened Jeong Dajun, my past self came to mind.
It’s tough not having anyone on your side. With no backing or abilities, the blame fell solely on me, who cried out without proof. How much I struggled alone in that situation.
I sighed.
“Jeong Dajun, do you feel wronged?”
“…Yes.”
I browsed the item shop while clicking my tongue. Some points were saved from the last quests, so I just needed to find something useful with them.
“If you feel you have been wronged, just ignore people’s nonsense and live more boldly as you deserve. Then, eventually, people will forget, or the real issue will be resolved.”
“…”
“But when you still feel upset about being deceived, when you can’t help but remember it every time you lie down even after enough time has passed, there’s only one way to resolve it quickly.”
I quickly scanned the item shop.
Then, I found exactly what I needed.
[“Let’s Get Closer”
A chance to know people’s true feelings!
Tea leaves that make people answer as honestly as if they were drunk.
Points: 10,000
※Note: The user may not function properly like they are drunk.]
This should do.
“What is it?”
Jeong Dajun asked hesitantly.
I immediately purchased the item and went to him, putting my arm around his shoulder.
“All you have to do is prove that you’re right.”
“…?”
“Simple, right?”
Jeong Dajun seemed dumbfounded, and the tears hanging from the corner of his eyes disappeared.
Anyway, I looked at my reflection in the lobby door and brushed my bangs up.
“Dajun.”
I glanced through it, and it looked a bit edgy. Doing this kind of thing made me laugh.
“What do you think? Does hyung look lighter and dumber with his bangs up?”
“…Yes?”
Jeong Dajun, who couldn’t understand what was happening, furrowed his eyebrows.
Whether he understood or not, I tried to smile lightly.
Hmm, good.
I looked like a punk.
[1] A type of flower known for its resilience
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