translation by mourningmoor
“Ehyo, Ichannie hyung is so bad at selling, you know.”
“But it sold out though?”
“They bought it because they felt bad for him. The fans did.”
It was a short break before the start of Manito time.
Yet, even during that brief moment, Jaewon couldn’t resist and started rambling to Junhee about his cyber marketplace theory.
“He asked people to buy it without smiling even once. The most he did was twitch the corner of his mouth like this, and that’s it.”
Junhee was equally shocked at the fact that an idol, whose basic skill is smiling, didn’t smile even once.
“Gasp, really?”
“Yeah, and it’s amazing that it still sold out, isn’t it?”
Ha, that runaway chatterbox.
Still, he shouldn't have team-killed.
Standing in the back, quietly watching over the kids, Möbius' leader Jeongsoo approached with a dejected look.
“Our manager just told me we’re done for the day after Manito Time.”
Huh? Done for the day?
“Aren’t we supposed to be sleeping here?”
According to the schedule, they were supposed to spend the night here, then film two additional missions tomorrow morning. But now, they were told they could leave?
“First, they said they need to cut MuteSeven from the filming, and apparently the format doesn’t work without them or something. Anyway, that’s what the production team decided.”
Decided by the production team, huh? More like a decision made in ‘agreement with HS.’
They’re probably thinking there’s no point in filming extensively if MuteSeven’s screen time is going to be minimal anyway.
Jeongsoo seemed to be thinking along the same lines.
"Ultimately, they’re just trying to sweep it quietly under the rug."
It was true. The production team and HS wanted to downplay this incident as much as possible. It was an incredibly unfair and unpleasant decision.
But none of them could blame anyone for it.
Because everyone here was complicit.
"We’re the ones who made that choice, right? To resume the broadcast. The bare minimum risk that HS desperately wanted."
And with every choice comes responsibility.
“Well… that’s true, but.”
For a moment, Jeongsoo’s thoughts grew complicated.
《If we let this slide, it feels unfair, but if we expose it, we don’t have the strength.》
《Maybe if they had said they were canceling the show and caused a fuss, it would feel less unfair.》
《No, if that had happened, we’d be completely buried.》
These feelings weren’t exclusive to Jeongsoo. Gyuhyung, Möbius’ manager, and the other members all felt the same way.
The reality of being a powerless rookie idol under a small agency was just that—inescapable.
Understanding their thoughts, I too could accept their decision.
At that moment, Jeongsoo dropped his head low.
“Pathetic, isn’t it? Not being able to do anything at times like this.”
《Pathetic. Kim Jeongsoo.》《Is this all you’ve got?》《Should I just give up and blow everything up?》
Jeongsoo’s inner thoughts were so loud that I had to lower my Heart’s Resonance to level 2, yet his mind remained relentlessly noisy.
What could a 22-year-old possibly have so much to think about?
For an average person, isn’t it normal to not be able to do anything at that age?
“Well, at least the production team fired PD Choi Chiguk, didn’t they?”
When things went into chaos, TVH immediately issued a suspension order to PD Choi. Eventually, after the meeting ended, he had to pack his things and leave the filming site.
At least it was the moment he could take a sip of cider.
T.N.: It’s a metaphor for "feeling refreshed" or "getting to the point."
“He probably won’t be back for a while.”
“It’s a problem because it wasn’t just PD Choi’s project.”
Yes, that was the biggest problem.
TVH intends to smooth things over by disciplining PD Choi and imposing broadcasting restrictions on MuteSeven. However, the real party responsible for planning the matter in collaboration with PD Choi is not MuteSeven, but HS Entertainment.
Will HS face any repercussions from this?
No, that will never happen.
It was clear just by looking at Director Kim Chanyeong's inner thoughts..
They were only trying to buy themselves time in this way.
For an entertainment company like HS, a broadcasting restriction from TVH is nothing. MuteSeven might stumble for a moment, but they can appear on other shows and continue their activities in the future.
Of course, that is, if they can get past me first.
"Don't worry."
I gently patted Jeongsoo's shoulder to comfort him.
"Originally, people who do bad things will receive divine punishment, no matter where they are."
"Yeah, I really hope so."
Jeongsoo gave a faint smile at my comforting words.
"I just hope this is the last time those brazen bastards hold their heads up so shamelessly."
* * *
It wasn't until after midnight that we could leave the filming location.
The kids fell asleep as soon as the car started, and the car was filled with silence.
Gyuhyung, who looked back, frowned.
It was because Ichan was looking at his phone.
I had told him to get some rest, but this guy just wouldn't listen.
"Get some sleep, okay?"
"I drank six bottles of Big House."
"...Huh?"
"Can't sleep."
How did he suddenly start liking Big House, something he used to avoid because it made his heart race?
"You're like a jujube tree struck by lightning."
"What?"
"You got struck by lightning, and it changed your constitution."
"Ah―"
Without thinking, Gyuhyung nodded, then quickly shook his head.
What’s going on? Did I say that out loud? No, I didn’t...
Or maybe this guy just answered.
He cautiously asked,
"Hey, can you hear my voice?"
Then, Ichan lifted his gaze from his phone and looked at him.
"What's that weird thing you're saying?"
"No... right?"
Ichan, who had been staring at him carefully, squinted his eyes and asked with a suspicious tone.
"Hyung, have you been watching something weird lately?"
"Ah... no?"
"But why are you spouting nonsense?"
The word "nonsense" made me feel a bit upset, but I couldn't argue.
Anyone would think it's nonsense.
It doesn't make sense to hear voices from the heart. It's not some fantasy genre, after all.
"By the way, Chan-ah."
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Gyuhyung quickly changed the topic.
"About the Manito time."
Just a moment ago, while filming for Manito time, Ichan caused an incident that wasn’t exactly an accident.
Of all things, he brought that kind of gift and handed it to that guy. It might seem like a small action, but it was such an obvious item that the whole filming set was buzzing.
"Do you think that’s okay? That guy, Kim Wooyoung, was totally freaking out."
If this is edited poorly, the issue of 'personality' will be brought up, and that could be a fatal mark for a rookie idol.
At this point, we could only hope for the worst kind of editing.
"Hyung."
Turning off his phone, Ichan placed his hands on his neck and leaned back lazily. Then, he flashed a strangely languid smile.
"You know, there's one word in this country’s language that I really like."
"...What do you mean?"
A slight, ominous thought crossed my mind.
If his earlier actions were genuine and not intentional, it wouldn't be a problem, but judging by the atmosphere...
"Eat shit." (can also be Fuck you)
It was intentional.
* * *
It was past 3 a.m. when I arrived at the dorm, and I went straight to bed.
The time I woke up was 8 a.m.
After going for a morning workout by myself, I started making breakfast.
Everyone was exhausted from shooting a three-episode variety show in a single day. Especially last night, Hanjoon's snoring and Jaewon's sleep-talking were off the charts.
I knew I had to recover from the fatigue quickly to secure my right to sleep, so I made sure to put a lot of mana into the food today.
I quickly changed clothes after preparing a fish cake soup for the kids who were still sleeping.
I had received permission from Gyuhyung to go out.
[Hyung, originally, we were supposed to have another shoot tomorrow.]
[That's right.]
[But it got canceled.]
The entire schedule was cleared due to the cancellation of the shoot.
Since falling into this world, there hadn't been a single day of rest, but now there was finally a blank space on the schedule.
[If there's nothing else, can I step out for a bit?]
[Where... are you planning to go?]
[Hmm, clearing up the past?]
In fact, it was more of a declaration of war than clearing up the past.
I pulled my hat low and left the house.
It was my first time exploring an unfamiliar place in this world on my own, but it wasn’t difficult.
Thanks to the fact that I had carefully studied the ‘Seoul Subway Map’ and ‘Bus Routes’ from last night in the car.
I got off at Mapo Station and walked for about 5 minutes.
A building far more magnificent than Blade Entertainment appeared.
"So this is HS?"
I tilted my head and looked up, letting out a sneer.
"Such insignificant things."
Although more glamorous than Blade Entertainment, it was a far cry from my tower—pitifully small in comparison.
To think they managed such things with a company this tiny. They certainly had some nerve.
Letting out a scoff, I immediately stepped into HS Entertainment.
* * *
It seemed that even a director at a large agency had a secretary.
Kim Chanyeong's secretary placed a warm cup of cocoa in front of me and said,
"He’s on a call with the CEO."
The woman briefly explained why my superior was still making me wait, flashed a smile, and returned to her spot.
Even so, another 30 minutes passed.
It’s hard to believe that the great archmage is wasting time just to meet with a director at HS Entertainment—if the rabbits of Parapara found out, they’d throw carrots at me.
"Making me wait like this for something so trivial."
At that moment, the door opened, and Kim Chanyeong appeared.
His greasy, oily face was flushed red, probably from being thoroughly scrubbed by the CEO.
"Is Ichan here?"
He's trying not to show it, but it's clear from his voice that he's pissed off.
"Our Ichan is up this early... I wonder what's going on?"
Considering he doesn't even know what time it is, it's clear he's not all there.
"Early? It's already 11 o'clock."
"Really? Has it already gotten that late?"
He casually lifts his left wrist and furrows his brow.
"This, I have a lunch appointment at 12. I can't talk for long."
It's not that he can't; it's that he doesn't want to. Right now, I'm making him incredibly uncomfortable, and yet, he's burning inside, wondering why the hell I'm here.
"I'll get straight to the point."
I don't plan on staying in this place for long either.
Listening to this disgusting person’s revolting thoughts makes me want to puke.
"Who’s got my laptop?"
《This bastard. Still on about the damn laptop. So what if someone has it? You think I’ll return it?》
"Then let me change the question. You can take the time to find my laptop."
《Ha, this crazy bastard. When did his smile become so wicked?》
I scoffed at the incessant thoughts coming from Kim Chanyeong and asked my next question.
"Who is Who's M?"
Who's M. HS’s secret weapon and genius composer.
In the recent albums of HS's artists, his name is always included. And Kang Ichan believes that Who’s M is Kim Chanyeong.
But I don’t think that’s the case.
"Who the hell does he think he is, claiming that he made MuteSeven’s title track <Typhoon> that I created?"
Kim Chanyeong's face twisted into a pale expression.
"Could it be... Who's M is... Kim Wooyoung?"