Chapter 167
“Bo-ra.”
I knocked on Ryu Bo-ra’s door.
“Can I come in—”
Creak.
The door opened before I could finish speaking.
Her disheveled hair caught my eye, indicating she had just gotten up.
“Have you been sleeping?”
“No. I was just watching a movie.”
“Horror movie?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Really…?”
The TV screen behind her seemed too dark and bluish for that to be true.
I stepped into Ryu Bo-ra’s room.
As expected of Bo-ra, the room was clean and straightforward, with no decorations.
She claimed to be a minimalist, but this felt too barren.
“I have something to discuss.”
“…Is it about family issues?”
Sharp as ever.
“Yes.”
“What do you want to do?”
“It’s not about what I want. What’s important is ‘what you’ want to do.”
It wasn’t my family but Ryu Bo-ra’s.
It wasn’t my life but hers.
In my hand, I held hundreds of pieces of evidence and clues.
But whether to use them or not depended on her.
With just one word from her, I could either cover it all up or expose everything.
“What do you want to do?”
“…”
Ryu Bo-ra avoided my gaze.
For a while, she stared at the frozen TV screen.
The screen that had once trapped her because of her family.
“I never hated acting.”
“…I know.”
“Even working as a child actor… it was tough, but I still liked it.”
I just listened to her quietly.
“What I hated was my family, not that time. Even though the money I earned went to them… well, I could tolerate that. I just wanted to act, not make money.”
I see.
She must have loved acting much more than I had anticipated.
“When I had dyslexia, my family got mad at me… but the one who really wanted to get angry was me.”
Because she couldn’t act, something she loved.
I understood how she felt.
If I couldn’t sing, I would feel the same way.
“Do you know what I feel about my family now?”
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t presume to understand her feelings.
“They just feel like my first management company. Not a family, but my first agency. I went in not knowing anything, and it turned out to be a bad one. Still, I’m grateful they discovered me. Even if they took a part of the money I earned… well, I could tolerate that. But that’s all there is to it.”
Ryu Bo-ra gave a faint smile.
“In the end, I signed with a new agency and found a new job. So, regardless of the bad relationship with the old agency… I feel like it’s time to end it. I’m grateful they discovered me, but they’ve made enough money. No matter how upset I am, I want to think it was a win-win and end it.”
“But you don’t want to see them again.”
“Yes. I don’t care if my family takes all the money I’ve earned. I have no intention of reclaiming it. But… I just…”
Ryu Bo-ra picked up the remote and turned off the TV screen.
“I want us to consider each other as non-existent from now on.”
She handed me the remote.
“Unnie…”
Ryu Bo-ra paused, seemingly choosing her words.
“Unnie has always… solved the problems in front of us.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Yes, you have. You always hide it from us, but we know you’ve been handling everything.”
That’s really not true.
“…I have eight months until I become an adult.”
“Yes.”
“But unnie, you’re already an adult.”
“That’s right.”
“Baek-young unnie said that adults should help minors because they were all helped when they were minors.”
It seemed like she’d had more conversations with Seo Baek-young than I thought.
“That’s right.”
“Did you get help when you were younger, unnie?”
Did I?
I tried to recall.
But no particular memory came to mind.
Whether I was Baek Nokha or Yoon Cheong, I didn’t remember receiving any help.
But I nodded.
“Yes, I did.”
Because.
I actually received help after becoming an adult.
Let’s say it was similar.
“Then, unnie.”
“Yes.”
“Could you help me for just eight months?”
How hard must it have been to say this?
I tightly gripped the remote that Ryu Bo-ra handed to me.
“Sure. But pay me back when you become an adult.”
“With what? Money?”
“No.”
I turned the TV back on with the remote.
“Later, make a documentary about Yoon Cheong. The great achievements of Yoon Cheong…!”
“Get out.”
Hmph.
She said that, but I knew she liked the idea.
Dodging the remote Ryu Bo-ra threw, I quickly left the room.
“The information leak was because of Burn Ash and your manager?”
“Yes.”
“Burn Ash said they wouldn’t immediately deal with the manager. Are you going to deal with yours right away?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll find a new person for you.”
“Can I recommend someone?”
“What?”
CEO Hong asked back with a surprised face.
But I was serious.
This was a crucial time.
I needed someone I could trust.
“Who do you have in mind?”
I handed CEO Hong a number.
It was my manager from when I was Baek Nokha, who had worked with me for ten years.
He was the only person from the company I trusted.
He was a good person.
Competent and reliable.
“Can you contact this person and have a talk? But please don’t mention that I recommended them. Just say it’s a scouting opportunity, and they’ll understand.”
“…Is this person trustworthy?”
“He has a solid career. You can trust him.”
“Alright. I’ll reach out.”
He currently worked in actor management.
I hoped CEO Hong would talk to him and bring him onboard.
“By the way, are you going to be on WBN’s new variety show?”
“Oh, yes.”
“I’ve been thinking about this for a while.”
What was it?
I felt nervous at CEO Hong’s serious expression.
“Are you in good enough condition to perform on stage? You’re not overdoing it, are you?”
“…”
Tears suddenly welled up in my eyes.
But that wasn’t the important thing.
“What about the request I made?”
“Oh, that. I looked into it, and you were right. They’ve been using Bo-ra’s name to attract investors.”
Just as I thought.
I sighed in relief.
“We’re gathering information and looking into a lawyer.”
“Thank you for your help.”
“No, it’s something that should have been done.”
CEO Hong looked down at the documents on the desk with a sympathetic expression.
“What will you do if that family doesn’t accept it?”
CEO Hong looked at me with worried eyes.
“They’re probably most concerned about losing the investment funds. Now that the ‘Ryu Bo-ra’ cash cow has dried up, that business is their only source of income.”
The <Detective Mode> didn’t reveal much.
It only listed names and amounts.
A massive total exceeding three billion won.
There wasn’t a single line explaining what this meant, but I could easily guess.
This was the money that family received.
Using Ryu Bo-ra’s name.
I let out a sigh.
They called it investment, but how was it different from borrowing money under Ryu Bo-ra’s name?
“Exactly. Without the investment funds, they can’t run the business.”
“Then we’ll just have to take away those investment funds.”
“…!”
These were the investments received by leveraging Ryu Bo-ra’s name.
Investments made with the belief that Ryu Bo-ra would pay them back if the investment failed.
But what would happen if they knew that Ryu Bo-ra had cut ties with her family?
If I were an investor, I would immediately withdraw my investment.
It would be like losing the collateral suddenly.
“Bo-ra has made up her mind.”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“If Bo-ra has resolved, then the problem is simpler. That family is nothing without Bo-ra.”
“They need to wake up quickly. If they reject this proposal, they will lose everything. Tell them if they don’t return the investment funds, we’ll make them cough up all the money they siphoned from Bo-ra’s earnings at her previous agency.”
How many commercials did Ryu Bo-ra shoot?
It didn’t make sense that there wasn’t a penny in her account.
If we sued, we could recover all that money.
It wasn’t that the money couldn’t be recovered, but that Bo-ra had decided to overlook it.
Before contacting the investors, the family needed to return the funds.
That’s the only way for them to survive.
If they can’t realize this, then we’ll make them realize it.
“They can choose whether they want their assets to be zero or to accumulate fifty billion won in debt.”
—
WBN’s New Variety Show is Stirring Up Hype Among Idols and Fans Alike
3 Major Entertainment Companies’ Idols Performing Cover Stages Against Each Other
Colors vs. Moment vs. AllSeason
Cast Revealed So Far
Episodes 1-2
– Colors: Burn Ash, Steel Blue
– Moment: NextGen, Inleven
– All Season: WicStart, X-Days
Episodes 3-4
– Colors: All Colors, White Noise
– Moment: Phoenix, Double Seconds
– All
Season: Summer High, Winter Kill
It’s expected that the oldest members from each group will appear in episodes 5-6.
However, it’s likely they will perform as soloists rather than full groups.
Massive Excitement Among Fans
Fans of the three major entertainment companies are eagerly anticipating the show, predicting it will be a huge hit.
+ The casting is expected to create a lot of buzz and drama.
The first two episodes are likely to be particularly attention-grabbing.
Mixed-gender music variety shows are already generating a lot of interest and speculation online.
There’s a sense that live comparisons and discussions will dominate timelines for a while.
Even though I’m not a fan of the involved idols, the concept looks really entertaining.
The talent is guaranteed, so it should be fun to watch.
Reactions from overseas are also enthusiastic, with many fans already pairing up male and female idols.
Overall, it seems like it will be a hit show.
—
Public’s Reactions and Comments
– “I’m really excited. This show is going to be so much fun!”
– “I’m not a fan of these idols, but as a fan of smaller companies, this looks super interesting.”
– “The talent is guaranteed, so the performances will be great to watch.”
– “Overseas fans are already going wild, pairing male and female idols together.”
– “Other people’s romances are fun to watch, but our idols don’t date!”
– “They love pairing up male and female idols over there.”
– “Did you see Burn Ash Ion’s public reaction? Hilarious!”
Interview with Ion
PUBBLE:
“Ion, how do you feel about appearing with your juniors?”
Ion:
“Already feeling shy…. We’re all shy and awkward around each other.”
PUBBLE:
“Aren’t you close? Aren’t you like family?”
Ion:
“We are like family. But it’s more like being sixth cousins. You get what I mean?”
PUBBLE:
“Not that close then?”
Ion:
“Yeah, that’s right.”
They’re relatives, but since they only see each other during holidays, they don’t really know each other well…
They greet each other, acknowledge that they’re family, but they’re not close… Sometimes they even get confused about their ages and don’t know how to address each other…
Ion
“Do you think you’ll get closer by appearing on the show this time?”
“Do you guys get closer with your sixth cousins just by meeting them once during the holidays..?”
Seems like there’s really a big gap between the two groups, lol.
Rest assured.
Rest assured.
Even the Steel Blue members are keeping their distance, lol. Rest assured.
The program that started with so much buzz, <Three Kingdoms Era>.
Everyone was shocked at how outdated the name sounded, but they still picked up the remote control.
Why?
Because it seemed like it would be fun.
However, there was one person watching with a worried heart.
It was Blue Duck.
‘Our kids are still recovering, who keeps giving them more work…!’
The only consolation was that they would only appear for two episodes, but Blue Duck’s heart was still breaking.
But she couldn’t not watch it.
Because our kids were on it.
[MC: Do you know the three major entertainment companies responsible for K-POP in South Korea? Colors, Moment, and All Season. These three entertainment giants, known for producing top-tier idol groups, have showcased the best idol groups in Korea.]
[MC: Skill is a given, and visuals are guaranteed. This is <Three Kingdoms Era>, a program to break the prejudice that idols lack talent! For today’s first episode, we have invited the next-generation idol groups from each company.]
The MC turned towards the electronic display behind him.
[MC: Each group will perform two stages. One is a cover of a representative song from a rival group. The other is a collaborative stage by position within each group. Boy groups will collaborate with other boy groups, and girl groups with other girl groups.]
“A collaborative stage?”
Yoon Cheong would undoubtedly collaborate with Dahin.
…I wonder if the two of them have gotten closer.
The one good thing was that there would be no joint stages with boy groups.
[MC: Now, let’s watch Colors’ stage first. The agency Colors chose to cover is—]
As the MC flipped the cue card, a smile spread across his face.
[MC: Moment.]
The camera then focused on the electronic display.
Burn Ash: KILL ME (NextGen)
Steel Blue: LOVE SAVE (Inleven)
[MC: Both Burn Ash and Steel Blue participated in the rearrangement for this stage. True to Colors’ self-producing spirit.]
Subtitles: Colors, sharpening their skills.
Subtitles: What will the stage be like?
Subtitles: Stay tuned!