translation by mourningmoor
Aki, the woman in question, lives near Seoul Forest. Her agency is also nearby.
When I tried to confront her, Gyuhyung and Jaewon desperately held me back.
“Seriously, in all my life, I’ve never seen a hyung with such a bad temper.”
Jaewon had been saying this since earlier.
“What are you going to do if you go find Aki? Kill her?”
“Why not?”
“You can’t! Do you want to become a murderer?”
I know the rules of this world.
I know that if I become a murderer, I’ll go to jail.
So, I wasn’t planning to kill that woman, Aki.
But they were so adamant about stopping me that it made me wonder if I should just go and kill her.
I shook off Jaewon and Gyuhyung’s hands and brushed off my wrinkled clothes.
“If I don’t kill her, it’s fine, right? I won’t kill her. I said I won’t kill her.”
Then I looked at Siu.
This guy. Still in that ridiculous outfit with his finger like that…
“Let’s get an apology for Siu. A sincere one.”
Yeah, let’s end it with an apology.
Honestly, I’d love to find that woman and break every bone in her fingers, but I can’t do that.
There’s order in this world, and in this industry too.
Just as I was calming myself down, a loud noise came from somewhere, and the front door swung open.
Hanjoon and Roa, their faces pale, rushed in together.
“Who the hell messed with Siu!”
After all that effort to calm down, the conversation ended up back at square one.
* * *
PD Pyo, with a serious expression, made a phone call.
The person on the other end was Kim Yangho, the CEO of Maon, a large agency specializing in actors.
Kim Yangho, known for his fiery temper and stubbornness, didn’t seem like the type to easily comply with requests, but it was worth a shot.
If he had any conscience, he’d at least offer a written apology.
After a long dial tone, the other end finally picked up.
―Hello?
Was he asleep? His voice sounded drowsy.
Even in this situation, he’s sleepy. Typical of Maon’s CEO.
“Hello, CEO Kim Yangho. This is Pyo Cheonhee from Blade Entertainment.”
There was a brief silence.
Then, a disinterested voice responded.
―Ah, ah. That rookie singer’s… agency?
Damn. He’s outright looking down on us as a small agency with rookie singers.
―So… what’s the matter?
PD Pyo’s brow furrowed.
What’s the matter? I sent an official email this morning. What’s the matter?
“You haven’t seen it yet? I sent an email this morning.”
The read receipt clearly showed it had been read.
After a brief pause, Kim Yangho let out a deep sigh and spoke.
―You said you’re CEO Pyo Cheonhee, right?
Then, with deliberate annoyance, he spat out in a rough voice.
―I got your email and asked Aki about it, but she said she has no idea what you’re talking about.
Your email? She has no idea?
I heard he’s a young CEO in his mid-thirties, but his arrogance is through the roof.
How can someone with such poor phone manners be a CEO?
I can already see how this will play out. It’s going to be all over NewTube.
―There was a fire, the lights went out, and everyone was scrambling to escape, bumping into each other left and right. How am I supposed to know if Aki stepped on him or if he just fell and broke his finger?
“Even though there are witnesses?”
The other end fell silent.
“Other members of L.I.T were there too. They saw Aki grit her teeth and step on Siu’s hand.”
―That, that…
CEO Kim Yangho tried to say something, but I didn’t give him a chance.
If I gave him an opening, he’d just deny it.
I didn’t want to hear any more of that.
“Aki has a history, doesn’t she? She’s known for belittling good-looking guests and even spilled hot coffee on someone’s clothes once. I heard that actor suffered second-degree burns.”
And she never apologized.
Aki, the variety show personality, was famous for that kind of behavior.
She’s allergic to good-looking people, they say. She hates handsome men and beautiful women, so if a guest is even slightly attractive, she throws a fit.
She’s caused a few incidents and made headlines.
Honestly, she’s not a great person, but somehow she’s managed to stick around in this industry.
―What do you want? Are you going to sue?
“We want an apology.”
―What?
“Apologize.”
Earlier, Kang Ichan had stormed into the office.
[Get us an apology. That’s all we want.]
[I understand it was a chaotic situation with the fire, but if you hurt a kid like that, you should at least apologize, right?]
The atmosphere was so tense it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
[The agency should at least do that much.]
He smiled coldly, and it was clear he wouldn’t leave without making the call.
“We don’t need anything else. Just an apology. I’ll be waiting for your response.”
I hurriedly hung up.
Then, I looked at Ichan, who was sitting on the couch watching me.
His black eyes gleamed with an icy light, and it was anything but ordinary.
“I made the demand, but it’s clear they won’t apologize. Maon is known for never backing down.”
A few years ago, they became a subsidiary of SS Group, a multinational corporation, and their influence only grew.
Plus, they’re an opponent we can’t beat legally.
Even their legal advisors are from the top law firms in the country.
“We can’t win even if we sue. They’ll find a way to wiggle out of it.”
“I know that much.”
Ichan nodded and stood up.
“We’re not even going to sue.”
“We can’t get an apology, we can’t sue. We’re not getting anything out of this, so why bother calling Maon…”
“Who says we can’t get an apology?”
He smiled faintly, the corners of his lips curling up, but there was no way this was the aura of a 20-year-old.
The charisma of someone who’s lived at least 300 years made my heart clench for a moment.
“W-what are you going to do?”
“We’ll get an apology. Definitely.”
Then, he handed me a business card.
“If a direct attack doesn’t work, we’ll hit them with a quick strike and retreat. We’ll do some groundwork too.”
I took the card and checked the name.
“Kang Mina, Weekly Music Q Idol Editor? The reporter who interviewed us last time?”
“She covers internet news too, so let’s ask her to write an article. Something vague, like Siu broke his finger in the fire, causing disruptions to his activities.”
So, everyone will think Siu broke his finger in the fire? Not from being stepped on? That’ll leave people with questions. A vague article like that will make people curious.
Then, even the smallest piece of information will easily sway them.
“You’re trying to shape public opinion?”
Ichan nodded.
“Aki will feel some pressure. L.I.T’s fandom won’t just sit back and do nothing.”
Yeah, our fandom is a bit unique.
Small in number, but their firepower is immense.
Well, it’s hard to call them small now.
“Got it. I’ll contact her and have her write the article as you suggested.”
Ichan smiled faintly, nodded, and left the office.
“You? Going back to the dorm?”
“No.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
“I promised the kids I’d get them an apology.”
I felt a strange sensation.
A kid who just turned 20—what could he possibly do? But somehow, I felt like Ichan could do anything.
PD Pyo nodded, clenched his fists, and cheered.
Ichan smiled even more deeply, gave a slight nod, and left the CEO’s office.
* * *
I took a taxi and got off at a bus stop near Seoul Forest.
Then, I sat on the bench at the bus stop and gathered my thoughts.
According to Yoo Noah, because I’ve been steadily infusing them with magical power, the kids have started emitting a light similar to mine.
Strong energies are drawn to that light, and not just goodwill—malice clings to it too.
Could Siu’s accident have been caused by that malice?
My chest ached heavily.
“In the end, it’s my fault.”
Because of my existence, the kids got hurt, and because I’m weak, I couldn’t protect them.
“Then I just need to get stronger. Strong enough… to make sure no one dares to touch my people again.”
I can’t just take back the magical power I’ve given them.
Of course, it’s not like there’s no way.
I could forcibly take it back, but doing so would require an equivalent exchange. That would be too dangerous for the kids.
So, there’s only one way.
Use the “Retrieval Magic” that only a 9th Circle mage can use.
Retrieval Magic, which resets everything to “zero.”
It’s called the “essence” of magic and can be adjusted from level 1 to level 4.
Level 1 retrieves memories, level 2 retrieves magical power, and level 3 retrieves physical matter.
Level 4 and above are too dangerous, so even among 9th Circle mages, only Grand Mages are allowed to use it. It retrieves souls.
What I need is level 2, retrieving magical power.
But to do that, I must reach the 9th Circle.
“Damn it.”
Anyway, I need to get stronger, and until then, I have to protect the kids properly.
“But first, let’s settle this grudge.”
At that moment, a female student caught my eye.
A girl with a red backpack slung over her shoulder, wearing a school uniform.
Like most kids her age, she was engrossed in her phone, furiously typing away.
If I played my cards right, she might take an interest in me.
I activated “Heart’s Resonance.” I planned to use it briefly and decisively, then end it.
《Did you see the article? No, what’s going to happen to L.I.T? Siu oppa got really hurt, right? As soon as Chan oppa arrived at the airport, he turned pale and rushed overㅠㅠㅠㅠ》
《Jaewon was there too, right? Is Jaewon okay? Guys, don’t we need to do something? Should we protest in front of TVH? Demand the truth?》
I wondered what she was typing, and it turned out she was posting on our fan cafe.
As expected, her mana had a unique color—she was a Filament.
And the energy she was emitting, fueled by anger, was no joke.
Perfect. Her combat power is exceptional too.
Alright, Red Backpack. You’re the one.
I got up from the bus stop bench and casually walked over to Red Backpack, blocking her path.
With her combat power at max level, she immediately shot me a fierce look.
“What? Blocking someone’s path…?”
Red Backpack stopped talking and blinked.
She recognized me at a glance but seemed unable to believe it.
“Yes, I’m Kang Ichan from L.I.T. I need your help right now, Red Backpack.”
I activated “Heart’s Resonance” at level 5.