Chapter 32 - I've Decided
“Pfft, pffft!”
“Khahaha...!”
“Tell me about it, haha!”
Laughter burst out from here and there as they ridiculed Da-yeon.
A moment ago, Da-yeon had spat out a mocking remark at Kim So-yeong.
It was a very vulgar remark, but because it was based on facts, it was enough to make Kim So-yeong feel humiliated.
However, with one sarcastic remark from Baek Hyeon-woo, the dynamic had changed.
In this place right now, the one who had to feel humiliated was not Kim So-yeong, but Da-yeon.
“N-Now...”
Amidst the laughter that was mocking her, Da-yeon lunged at Baek Hyeon-woo.
The atmosphere was as if she was about to slap him at any moment.
“What did you just say...”
“Haha, yes, it's an unusual event.”
At that moment, PD Kim Jun-hyeok's laughter cut off Da-yeon's words.
He stepped between Baek Hyeon-woo and Da-yeon with a smiling face.
“It seems you got too immersed in the game, Da-yeon-ssi? I understand how you feel, but if the camera's off, you should just forget about it. What are you going to do, getting so angry over something that's already past.”
“PD-nim...!”
“Alright, everyone must be busy, so let's wrap it up! Those with schedules, move quickly!”
Kim Jun-hyeok was trying to forcibly resolve this situation.
Because if he just let emotional words be exchanged here, a fight would only break out.
It's not like they were going to air that fight, so ending it here was the right thing to do.
“I'm still... Ack!”
Da-yeon tried to raise her voice again, but there was someone who forcefully grabbed her shoulder.
It was DP Entertainment's Team Leader Jeong Do-woon.
“Come out, quickly.”
“Team Leader!”
“Didn't you hear me? I said come out!”
It was Da-yeon who had tried to resist, but in the end, she bit her lip at Jeong Do-woon's coercive voice and left.
As the other managers from DP Entertainment also left with them, Kim Jun-hyeok said with a bitter expression.
“Well, this turned out strange. Let's just all forget it.”
“I'm sorry, PD-nim.”
“No, there's nothing for Assistant Manager Baek to be sorry about. Originally, on our program, there are often cases where idols fight with each other, so in a way, it's also our responsibility.”
‘Idol Weekly’ is a program that features a segment where idols compete against each other.
There are times when it ends with just fun and friendly socializing, but occasionally, the competition gets overheated.
A bit of a battle of nerves also broke out last time Kanade appeared.
“Still, I didn't know she would get that angry. It's a shame we can't air it, haha.”
“The atmosphere got a bit nasty during the game too... will it be okay?”
“Don't worry, I'll edit it so that So-yeong doesn't get any hate. You can rest assured on that part.”
“Thank you. I'll be in your care.”
Actually, in this recording, Kim So-yeong's side consistently showed a better performance.
Because in the Part 1 talk segment, she appealed with her reverse charm by showing various sides of herself.
Besides, since Da-yeon made such a scene and left... it's bound to affect the production team's editing direction.
In the end, it will be edited and aired in a way that highlights Kim So-yeong's charm more.
‘The fans who like Da-yeon will be furious, but it can't be helped. She reaped what she sowed.’
'Idol Weekly' is originally a program with these kinds of risks.
Because they tend to air controversial content without filtering.
Since she knew those risks but couldn't control her emotions and showed such disgraceful behavior... she will have to accept the consequences.
***
A corner of the TVX parking lot.
Jeong Do-woon shoved Da-yeon into the back seat of the van.
“Are you out of your mind?”
Thumph!
Slamming the door hard, Jeong Do-woon spat out in a rough voice.
“I definitely told you that the 'Idol Weekly' production staff are bastards who enjoy throwing bait on the internet and fanning the flames. And you still made a scene like that?”
“I did it after the recording was over, so it doesn't matter!”
“You call that an excuse?”
At Da-yeon's protest, Jeong Do-woon's voice became even rougher.
“You acted like that in front of the PDs, do you think they're going to edit it favorably for you?”
“Then you talk to them and request that there's no evil editing! That's your job, Team Leader!”
“Talk sense! Do you think I'm someone who wipes up the shit you take?”
“Again, shit? What did you just say?”
Da-yeon's face turned bright red as she shrieked.
“How can you say such a thing to an idol...!”
“I call it shit because you took a shit!”
“Hey!”
Da-yeon shouted again, but Jeong Do-woon didn't even blink an eye.
“I'm going to report this matter to the Director, so just know that.”
“W-Wait, the Director?”
It was Da-yeon who had been shrieking at Jeong Do-woon, but when the name of the 'Director', who was above Jeong Do-woon, came up, her expression changed.
“Hey, start the car now and have her join the other kids. I'm going somewhere else.”
“Ah, understood, Team Leader.”
“Team Leader...!”
After giving the instruction to the road manager in the driver's seat, Jeong Do-woon got out of the van and slammed the door.
Da-yeon urgently called for Jeong Do-woon from inside the car, but it went in one ear and out the other.
“Just because she has a pretty face, she thinks she's some kind of queen, tsk.”
There were signs of that since her trainee days, but it got worse after Black D became a popular idol group.
As it is, it's a situation where the road managers keep quitting because they can't endure Da-yeon's power abuse.
Managing the road managers is also the job of the team-leader-level Jeong Do-woon, so it has been a continuous headache for him.
It seemed he would have to borrow the power of the higher-ups to fix her bad manners.
“Ah, Hae-won-ah. How are things over there?”
Jeong Do-woon took out his phone and made a call.
Because he had to talk on the phone with Seong Hae-won, the leader of Choux-pop.
“I'm heading over to you guys now. Black D's schedule? You guys, Choux-pop, are the priority over them.”
Black D is a popular group, but Choux-pop is far ahead.
That's why Jeong Do-woon always had more affection for the Choux-pop side.
To raise Choux-pop to be Korea's top idol... that was Jeong Do-woon's ambition.
“Yeah, see you later.”
After finishing the call, Jeong Do-woon was about to leave to go to the Choux-pop site.
But at that moment, he saw Kim So-yeong and Baek Hyeon-woo, who had come down to the parking lot.
‘That bastard...’
Jeong Do-woon glared at Baek Hyeon-woo.
The one Da-yeon faced off against today was Kim So-yeong, but when you think about it, that manager named Baek Hyeon-woo was the main culprit of it all.
And the reason Jeong Do-woon was humiliated in front of PD Seo Dong-cheol earlier was because Baek Hyeon-woo had tattled.
‘It seems he hasn't been with the company for long, what the hell is this guy?’
He didn't seem like someone who had been in the entertainment industry for a long time.
He seems like someone who came here after working somewhere else, but where on earth is he from.
Seeing how he captured the hearts of not only Seo Dong-cheol but also Kim Jun-hyeok, his skill is no ordinary matter.
‘Baek Hyeon-woo... I'll have to look into him a bit.’
Originally, Jeong Do-woon doesn't pay attention to the likes of a mere road manager.
However, Baek Hyeon-woo seems to be somewhat different from other road managers.
He wanted to check where on earth a guy like that had rolled in from.
***
“So-yeong-ah, don't pay any mind to what she said earlier.”
Baek Hyeon-woo spoke to Kim So-yeong as they got into the van.
“Because it was just something she spouted off however she wanted.”
“No. Because it's all true.”
Kim So-yeong shook her head with a dejected expression.
“It's a fact that my singing ability is lacking... and it's also a fact that I'm less popular than her.”
“So-yeong-ah.”
“So it can't be helped even if I hear things like that.”
“……”
Looking at the bowing Kim So-yeong, Baek Hyeon-woo opened his mouth again.
“I'm disappointed to hear that.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, that you're so dispirited after hearing that from just Black D.”
“……!”
Kim So-yeong held her breath and looked at Baek Hyeon-woo.
“Weren't we going to defeat Choux-pop? But what are we supposed to do if you get intimidated by Black D, who are like Choux-pop's little sisters?”
“H-Hyeon-woo oppa…”
“So-yeong-ah, there's no need to worry about the likes of Black D.”
Baek Hyeon-woo said without hesitation.
“Those kids, they're far below Choux-pop. Even their personalities are that terrible. Do you think kids like that can be our rivals?”
“……”
“Right now, Black D is more popular than Newstarz, but there's no need to worry about it. Because we're going to defeat even Choux-pop soon and climb to a higher place anyway.”
It seemed like wishful thinking that lacked any objective basis.
However, Baek Hyeon-woo was saying it because he had a basis for it all.
“So don't hang your head. There's no need to be intimidated by a petty kid who says that kind of crap just because she lost at basketball.”
“Hyeon-woo oppa…”
“Kim So-yeong, have some confidence.”
He said it, filled with strong conviction.
“You guys will win.”
Kim So-yeong's pupils trembled faintly.
***
When Kim So-yeong returned to the dorm, Kanade was watching TV while drinking milk.
“Ah, u-unnie, you're back?”
“Yeah, I am.”
Without even going into her room, Kim So-yeong plopped down on a dining table chair.
Watching her sit there with her mouth shut, Kanade carefully spoke to her.
“Y-You must be tired? Did something happen at 'Idol Weekly'?”
“No. The recording went well.”
“I see…”
Kanade was trying to read Kim So-yeong's mood, and was about to turn off the TV and go into her room.
However, when Kanade reached for the remote control, Kim So-yeong's voice was heard.
“Kanade.”
“Yes?”
“Hyeon-woo oppa... don't you think he's pretty cool?”
“……?!”
It was a good thing she wasn't in the middle of drinking milk.
She would have sprayed all the milk that was in her mouth.
“U-Unnie, with Manager-nim, did you...”
“I don't mean it in a strange way, so don't misunderstand. I just purely... think that he's admirable.”
Kim So-yeong said in a subdued voice.
“He handles everything smoothly, he deals with whatever happens well... and his reputation with the broadcasting station people is good, isn't it.”
“That is true.”
“Besides, if you do as Hyeon-woo oppa tells you to, everything works out well, doesn't it.”
Hearing that, Kanade recalled the time she had appeared on 'Idol Weekly'.
At that time too, she was able to achieve victory by doing as Baek Hyeon-woo told her.
“The more I think about it, the more amazing it is. How a person like that came to be our manager.”
“……”
She recalled the road managers who had been in charge of Newstarz until now.
Honestly, most of them were people who were hard to describe as good at their jobs.
People who would suddenly quit without even a handover of duties if the work seemed a bit hard... there were not a few of those irresponsible people.
Compared to people like that, Baek Hyeon-woo was a truly amazing manager.
“I don't know why such a person thinks so highly of us.”
“Unnie…”
“Honestly, we haven't been that impressive all this time. We weren't a very amazing group. It's almost been 3 years since our debut, and we haven't gotten first place even once...”
Kim So-yeong said self-deprecatingly.
“Even just me... honestly, I've been pretty bad all this time.”
“No, that's...”
“I really don't understand what Hyeon-woo oppa sees in us to be hyping us up like that.”
“……”
As Kanade kept her mouth shut, not knowing what to say.
Kim So-yeong said, raising her head.
“But it's really strange.”
“What?”
“When I'm listening to Hyeon-woo oppa, I get the feeling that I can achieve anything.”
Kim So-yeong's voice was filled with trust for Baek Hyeon-woo.
“If I just do as Hyeon-woo oppa says... I feel like I can do anything.”
“Unnie…”
Kanade had also felt a similar feeling before.
It was when she did as Baek Hyeon-woo told her on 'Idol Weekly', overturned everyone's expectations, and achieved victory.
“Not just Black D, of course, but I feel like we can even defeat Choux-pop.”
Saying that, Kim So-yeong turned her gaze to the TV screen.
Kanade, who also looked at the TV, immediately held her breath.
Before she knew it, idols in stage outfits were appearing on the screen.
—Choux-pop, what kind of performance will they show us today!
With the MC's voice in the background, the sight of a 4-member girl group waving their hands with bright smiles could be seen.
At their center was Joo Ga-hee, the main vocalist who had betrayed and left Newstarz.
“Kanade, I've decided.”
While gazing at her former colleague on the TV screen, Kim So-yeong said in a clear voice.
“I'm going to do whatever Hyeon-woo oppa tells me to. No matter how difficult it is.”