Chapter 177
At the mention of a slush fund account, sweat began to trickle down Director Park’s back.
-You really did a lot of things. With that account, you hoarded stocks, evaded taxes, and embezzled. You made the most of it.
“Hey, hey. Do you even know what you’re messing with right now?”
-Yup. Do you think I would’ve started this without knowing?
The laughter from the other end of the phone was as bright as could be.
-Hey, thanks to you, I’ve had to meet with prosecutors who want to enter politics. My back is breaking from it.
“Pro-prosecutor?”
The word Director Park feared the most was spoken.
Is this a dream or reality?
-Something this big… It’s a free pass to enter Yeouido. A beautiful, big scandal in the entertainment industry. Not many would miss it.
Yeouido!
The flood of surreal words brought reality back to him.
The entertainment industry had always been a feast for the political world.
The attention it received was huge compared to its business scale.
There were countless eyes looking to get into the National Assembly by tearing apart the easy target of the entertainment industry!
Director Park knew this well and had been feeding them black money from time to time…
But there had been a gap.
Director Park tried to hold onto his composure as quickly as possible in the face of the relaxed voice on the other end of the phone.
“Do you think this is just a small issue involving only our entertainment company? Huh? Do you think this is such a small matter?”
-No~? Who doesn’t know it’s all tied up with TMM?
“Then what gives you the guts to-!”
-But why do you think those high-ranking people would take responsibility for you till the end?
“!”
No way.
No way.
-Why would I mess with TMM? I just need to take you guys down, right?
Director Park’s long experience in the entertainment industry was telling him.
This is screwed.
-Have you ever heard of cutting off the tail?
“Hey, hey… What do you want? Huh? What is it? Let’s just talk this out-”
-I just got back from meeting with those high-ranking folks at TMM, so I’m a bit late.
A sigh was heard.
“What?”
-I told them, ‘Oh, TMM? I wouldn’t bother going that far. It seems you did this on your own anyway.’
“Hey!!!!”
-Why so angry? You know I don’t fight losing battles.
Her pretty and clear voice.
To Director Park, it sounded like the voice of the Grim Reaper.
“You crazy Baek Juha…!”
-Hush. I’m not done talking yet. Anyway, I told them, ‘I’m the type to just take down one guy.’
I knew it, but… Isn’t she completely crazy?
Director Park couldn’t even wipe the sweat dripping from his forehead.
-If you just give me that one guy, I won’t touch any of you! I said.
“…”
-And you know what they said?
“W-what did they say?”
Even though he expected the answer, Director Park had no choice but to ask.
-They told me, ‘Oh! Quickly go catch that guy!’
Baek Juha.
Who was she?
There were countless epithets attached to her name.
The second daughter of the CEO of All Season, one of the three major entertainment companies.
A legend of winning every time.
Or.
A hopeless lunatic.
“It’s done.”
Even though her mother was the CEO of one of the three major entertainment companies, Baek Juha became independent as soon as she became an adult.
She believed that anyone should prove at least one capability of their own.
She started by learning management work at a small agency.
The fourth celebrity she had raised from the ground up was with Steel Blue.
The one she decided to nurture.
“…Already?”
Three months after taking on the job, Baek Juha had already come back with the problem solved.
“Yeah. I’ve completely crushed Director Park, so just think about what you want.”
…I always thought she was capable, but.
This quickly…
“Were there no objections from TMM?”
“There weren’t any. I didn’t touch them at all.”
Baek Juha looked at me and smiled.
“Anyway, a company like TMM wouldn’t be aware of such petty tricks. Instead of cutting off Director Park, we agreed to replace the next petty crook with a more moderate one.”
“Did they promise not to mess with us?”
“Of course. I can guarantee that. If they try to mess with us-”
Baek Juha tapped her phone.
“I have all the evidence here to break those Moment guys in just three minutes.”
Now I felt a bit relieved.
When Baek Juha was confident, you could believe it.
She wasn’t someone who spoke lightly.
“Thank you.”
“Why are you thanking me? I’m just earning my salary.”
Baek Juha leaned back deeply in her chair.
“I’ve replaced all the higher-ups at Moment, and Director Park will go to jail for embezzlement within the company.”
I nodded.
“We also postponed Inleven’s comeback. There’s no need for both of us to suffer.”
“When did you postpone it to?”
“In October.”
“!”
That late?
“It definitely means they don’t want to clash with us.”
Baek Juha nodded.
“Well, it’s not just because of us. They want to take a break and reorganize their team, and they want to make a solid, high-quality album.”
I nodded in agreement.
“But the real reason is…”
“They probably want to repay you guys. Both Inleven and Moment.”
There was no need to go that far.
We were confident we would win even if they made their comeback.
“How does it feel to be almost invincible rookie award candidates?”
“We can’t let our guard down. You never know when a big new rookie might pop up.”
“No one can beat you guys anyway.”
Baek Juha laughed heartily.
“This is why I manage idols. Oh, and the Inleven members.”
Baek Juha smiled sweetly.
“They decided to trust the company one more time since it’s changed.”
“And they won’t hoard stocks anymore.”
“That’s right.”
It seemed they had achieved some of their wishes.
I took a deep breath.
“Now all that’s left is…”
“You guys winning first place. An artist should only think about that.”
I nodded.
I was confident about that.
It was my duty, too.
I turned on my phone and showed Baek Juha Steel Blue’s OTube channel.
“Our response is good.”
“I know. I’ve been monitoring it too.”
“The album pre-order trend is good as well.”
“It looks like you’ll set a new record for first-week sales.”
“That’s a given… We should aim even higher.”
Baek Juha grinned.
“The music video was great.”
I smiled back.
“I love our music video too.”
Finally,
I could smile comfortably.
Meanwhile,
Prism Homma was about to watch the music video for the first time.
Although she was a bit late due to her real life obligations, she had done her best.
Click.
She pressed play.
Under the snow-filled milky sky, one person appeared.
A small snowflake landed on her cheek.
As the snowflake melted, Yoon Cheong’s season began to change.
You are my early summer
In the long lethargy
You’ll become the heat that shines down
Thus, Yoon Cheong’s opening line began.
A door appeared in front of Yoon Cheong.
The clock hands turn every time
The seasons change every time
In the repetitive daily life
The only thing that shines brilliantly is Only
From the opposite side, Seo Baek-young opened the door and reached out her hand.
Seo Baek-young pulled Yoon Cheong, who was standing at the edge of winter, inside the door.
When Yoon Cheong took her hand and stepped in, a quiet classroom appeared.
Yoon Cheong was already sitting at a desk.
There was a shared diary on the desk.
The moment Yoon Cheong opened the shared diary.
All four members were sitting around Yoon Cheong.
Give me the endless summer
Promise that our blue season
Will never end
Eternal Summer Eternal Wait
They all sang the chorus together.
They handed a letter to Yoon Cheong.
The recurring winter
The recurring wounds
Even so, we have to
Shine brightly Always
Next came Ryu Bo-ra’s bridge.
At that moment, all the members smiled brightly at the camera.
Because you showed me the light
Because you colored me green
This is inevitable
The next part was taken by Yeon Juhong.
Yeon Juhong pulled Yoon Cheong, running through the school,
When Kim Geum appeared, she gently pushed Yoon Cheong towards her.
Our long break during the saturation
The resting summer
At the end of the frozen snow
The heart that melts
The sunlight shining through the leaves
Fluffy clouds like vanilla ice cream
That’s exactly how your heart looks to me
The screen then transitioned.
A school filled with lush, dense trees appeared.
Kim Geum’s rap part followed.
Then.
The screen suddenly blacked out.
Gradually, light began to spread.
I am your heatstroke
In the heart that’s suddenly burned
I will become the unforgettable heat
At the end of that light stood Yoon Cheong.
This time, in reverse.
Yoon Cheong stood in front of four doors.
As the doors slowly opened, the four members, still in winter, were revealed.
Give me the never-ending memories
Tell me that our scorching days
Will never end
Eternal Summer
No Longer Wait
Yoon Cheong reached out her hand toward them.
This time, it was her turn to bring the members back to summer.