translation by mourningmoor
It was the same as that day.
Cold eyes, an arrogant expression, an indifferent tone, and an oppressive atmosphere.
Chanyeong, who had received Jung Yoobin’s medical records from Kang Ichan, went to see Jung Euicheol, a member of the National Assembly and Yoobin’s father, and made what was essentially a threat.
A week later, the prosecution deferred the indictment.
Kang Ichan’s petition had played a role in that decision.
It stated that he no longer held resentment toward Director Kim Chanyeong, who had once been his manager, and that he asked the prosecution to forgive him as well.
After receiving the indictment deferral, this time, it was Chanyeong who went to see Kang Ichan.
And he became his dog.
“What should I do this time?”
Kang Ichan, who occasionally came to give him tasks, knew how to pay a fairly generous compensation. With that money, Chanyeong had been making thorough preparations to screw over HS Entertainment.
“Is there something else you want me to look into?”
Most of the tasks Ichan assigned were like that.
Find out about domestic companies that SS Group was investing in.
Check if there were any SS Group-related individuals in Jung Yoobin’s family tree.
Keep an eye on the movements of Maon Entertainment’s CEO, Kim Yangho, who was receiving investments from SS Group. And so on.
“What did the SS Group do again?”
At that, Kang Ichan let out a small laugh and shook his head.
“SS Group? I don’t even care about them anymore.”
He laughed dryly, as if he had grown bored of a toy he had once enjoyed playing with, then continued speaking.
“Director-nim, do you want a job?”
It was quite a provocative offer.
After being humiliatingly thrown out of the entertainment industry, getting another job in the same field was impossible.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about trying something else, but he didn’t want to. No, there wasn’t anything else he could do.
If he had to work again, it would inevitably be as a manager, but even if someone were willing to hire him, his age imposed too many restrictions.
“What kind of bullshit is that? You call me all the way here just to say that? Are you messing with me?”
He frowned, clearly displeased. He had to react that way—at least to preserve his pride.
But he knew full well that such things were meaningless in front of Kang Ichan.
“Judging by what you’ve been up to lately, it seems like you actually want to work as a manager again.”
Just as expected, Ichan began listing out exactly what he had been doing recently.
“Drinking with top-tier composers and lyricists, building connections with TV producers, constantly meeting with journalists. You’ve been pouring all the money I’ve been giving you into that.”
“Hey, that’s—”
Seriously, there was nothing he could hide from this bastard.
“I know you’ve been looking for ways to bring down HS. You’re watching for an opportunity to land a decisive blow.”
“Then let’s do it together.”
“…What?”
What kind of ridiculous nonsense was that?
Do that together, with him?
As Chanyeong frowned, Ichan smirked coldly.
“There’s no one in our company who can work as petty as you.”
“Was that an insult?”
“It was a compliment.”
Ichan smiled slightly and held out a piece of paper.
Chanyeong reflexively took it, narrowing his eyes.
“What is this?”
“What else? A job recruitment notice.”
Kang Ichan flicked the paper with his index finger.
"Tomorrow, the official announcement will be released, but our company is hiring a road manager. Try applying for it."
"Why are you giving this to me… I don't want to."
"Don't want to? Kim Chanyeong-ssi, whose manager’s blood is boiling. If you were just five years younger, you’d already be running around as a road manager again. You want to breathe in the air of the field again."
Kang Ichan's dark eyes glinted with amusement.
"You were just thinking that a moment ago."
Yeah, there’s no point in hiding it.
I kept lying to someone like this, and that's why I ended up completely ruined.
"So, is your company okay with hiring an old road manager like me?"
"I don’t know about the age, but we do need a manager exactly like you."
"A manager like me?"
"A manager who will be absolutely ruthless in grinding down the artists."
What the hell does that even mean?
But I didn't ask.
Even if I found out, it wouldn’t help me, and even if I didn’t, it wouldn’t make a difference in my life.
"What do I have to do?"
I asked as I carefully read the job posting. I figured there must be a way since he told me to apply.
But the response I got was completely unexpected.
"What do you mean, 'what do you have to do'? You have to pass the interview on your own, of course."
"Hey, what kind of irresponsible answer is that? If you're telling me to apply, you should have figured out a way for me to get in."
"Why should I? You have the skills for it anyway."
Then, as if he was done with me, he turned away with an indifferent expression.
Walking toward the end of the alley where he first appeared, he tossed out his final words.
"I’ll be waiting, so make sure you come."
Without even saying goodbye, he stepped into the shadows.
He’ll disappear without a trace, as always.
Am I really going to become that guy’s manager?
It didn’t take long to make up my mind.
"Kang Ichan."
Half-hidden in the shadows, Ichan turned his gaze toward me.
"The real Kang Ichan—what happened to him? Did he die?"
I mustered up the courage to ask, but I already knew the answer.
I heard he got into an accident right before his debut. He probably died back then. And then, he either became someone else or, like in a movie, gained supernatural powers from the accident.
Whatever the case, that guy is not the Kang Ichan I knew.
Strong, bold, ruthless, brilliant, and incredibly capable. A man who hoards all the talent in the world—a total cheat character.
If it’s him, maybe he really can achieve the dream I’ve longed for.
"What are you talking about? The real Kang Ichan? Then what, am I a fake?"
The half of his face that wasn’t swallowed by the shadows glowed with a chilling smile.
"I-ssa-nim. Stop with the ridiculous thoughts and just focus on passing. Got it?"
And then, he disappeared without a trace.
"Ugh. No matter how many times I see it, I just can’t get used to it."
The first time I saw it, I almost passed out.
Now, it’s not quite that bad.
But instead, the fear has doubled.
I’m so scared that I can’t even ask what he really is. Reporting him to someone? That’s out of the question. The moment I do, Kang Ichan will probably snap my neck. So, I kept quiet.
Until now, I never said anything, and today was the first time I asked him a question.
And with that answer, I knew I shouldn’t ask any more.
Anyway, the best thing I can do right now is cooperate with Kang Ichan.
And honestly, it's thrilling. Being a manager for someone like that.
"I’ve gone round and round and ended up here, so now… let’s do this properly."
Chanyeong let out a dry chuckle, carefully folded the paper in his hands, tucked it into the inner pocket of his coat, and walked out of the alley.
* * *
On the last day of the concert, a job posting for a road manager appeared on Blade Entertainment’s official website.
Since we were preparing for an overseas tour, it seemed like they felt a shortage of manpower. On top of that, with a new solo artist debuting recently, restructuring the management team was inevitable.
Since Gyuhyung, the head of the management team, became several times busier, he couldn’t dedicate as much time to us as before.
The members weren’t thrilled about having a manager other than Gyuhyung, but it wasn’t to the extent that they couldn’t accept a new one.
The fandom also took the news in stride.
‘Blade is finally doing their job. They should’ve hired more managers ages ago.’
‘Now our kids need a one-on-one manager. Seriously.’
‘They have to take care of them from start to finish. Especially with the tour coming up, it’s going to be tough. They need to manage their health thoroughly, too.’
Meanwhile, there were also voices of concern.
‘Wow, suddenly hiring more managers? Isn’t this just a sign they’re going to push the kids even harder? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ They’re already busy enough to die.’
‘The overseas tour suddenly got longer. Isn’t this all connected somehow?’
There were even fans who had a pretty accurate grasp of the situation.
Well, for me, this was a great opportunity.
First of all, I get to acquire an excellent tool called Kim Chanyeong.
The only person who knows my true identity... No, since Go Dajin exists, it’s two people.
Anyway, having someone who knows my identity close by as an ally makes it much easier to get things done. It also makes setting up an alibi relatively easier.
It wasn’t a bad deal.
Now that Kim Chanyeong had become a somewhat useful person, it was a good thing in many ways.
Even that guy, Kim Chanyeong—whom I thought wouldn’t show up—ended up appearing in the VIP seats on the third day of the concert. He was sitting next to Go Dajin, and for some reason, they looked good together.
Of course, not everyone felt the same way as I did.
PD Pyo was immediately on edge.
“What are you thinking? Inviting Kim Chanyeong to the concert?”
“Haven’t you seen the articles? I forgave him. Even wrote a petition for him.”
“And that counts as forgiveness?”
“If you want to gain talent, you have to be generous.”
“You’re saying Kim Chanyeong is talent?”
“PD-nim, you know it too. Kim Chanyeong was once a top-tier manager in this field.”
The members weren’t much different.
But since it was something I was doing, they figured there must be a reason for it.
“Chanie hyung-ah. I really don’t like that guy, but since you said he’s also a victim, I’m letting it slide.”
Everyone kept their mouths shut, but the maknae spoke up without hesitation.
“If he tries to hurt you again, I’ll beat him to death.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Roa added fuel to the fire.
“Hyungnim, you really are magnanimous. To embrace a guy like that.”
Then, he shared his own thoughts. As always, his insight was surprisingly sharp.
“Well, I approve. He used to be the best manager, so to repay you for your kindness, wouldn’t he be willing to help somehow?”
Yeah, I really hope so. No matter what, I have to climb to the top of this world.
And so, with the last guest invited, we wrapped up the third day of the concert in style.
Did I cry on the final day?
No, I didn’t. There was a precarious moment, but I barely managed to maintain the dignity of a grand mage.
After finishing the last performance, we returned to the waiting room.
“Hyung, my phone.”
I received my phone from Road Manager No. 1 and quickly turned it on.
During the concert earlier, I thought I saw a familiar face in the crowd.
“This bastard. Don’t tell me he showed up unannounced.”
As soon as I turned on the power, a flood of unread text messages poured in.
Clicking on one of them, I found myself reading a very long message.
It started with: ‘Not bad?’