Chapter 143

Oh my G.o.d.

I now understood what was going on.

“Ms. Jung Jae, I have never accepted money to work for anyone.”

-I’m not recording you. I know that there are brokers for this, but I didn’t know who to contact so I contacted you directly. If you find it troublesome to talk on the phone, I’ll wait for you. If you let me know when you’re free, I’ll…

“Wait, wait. There’s nothing troublesome, and I don’t have a broker. I don’t know where you heard all that from, but they are all baseless rumors.

-… I heard it though. That even Nam Joyoon sunbae used this method…

“Those are baseless rumors. Malicious, nonsensical rumors.”

Why were rumors like this still circulating? The PR Team spread a detailed press release, and I even did an interview. SBE Film even got Director Choi Sungwon commented on it.

Her breaths began more uneven.

It was so clear that I could tell she was agitated without her saying anything.

“Don’t think about anything strange, you need to prepare for Pretty Girls’ next alb.u.m-“

-So-sorry. Sorry. Sorry.

She hung up.

I tried calling back, but her phone was turned off. What a bolt out of the blue. It had only been a few minutes since I decided to throw my concerns and worries to the side and enjoy working.

I left a voicemail asking her to call me back then looked through my address book. I found Chief Lee Taeshin’s phone number and called him. This time, the phone only rang, no one picked up.

The Pretty Girls’ company number was…

-He-h.e.l.lo?

I was about to hang up when someone answered. It was a woman’s crying, nasally voice. She wasn’t simply crying. It sounded like she had been wailing. On top of that, I could hear others crying in the background.

What was going on now?

“Is this not Chief Lee Taeshin’s phone number?”

-Th-the chief can’t answer the phone right now. He left his ph-phone here…!

“Wait. Please calm down. Are you a member of Pretty Girls?”

-Pretty Girls is no longer. Heeuuu…. It’s dead.

“What?”

-We are disbanding…!

***

Chief Lee Taeshin was squatting in a dark washroom.

His phone slipped in his hands from all the sweat.

-I’m going to take my hands off the project so if you want to continue, continue on your own.

“President, no, hyung!”

-Jung Jae left and Yoon Bora and Park Hyojin are packing their bags, right? Then that’s the end of it.

The president said leisurely. Chief Lee Taeshin cracked open the washroom door. The blinding room lights shined in his eyes, and he could hear people sniffling. He looked outside with bloodshot eyes.

It was a small one-room apartment.

The three high school members of Pretty Girls were curled up on their beds. Their faces were buried in their knees. Their crying voices leaked out from within. Their pet.i.t shoulders trembled.

Two adult members were jamming their things in their luggage carriers.

-Only the dregs are left now that the useful ones have left. What can we do with them?

“Only the dregs are left? Dregs? How can you say that to these girls who put their lives into…!”

Chief Lee Taeshin halted mid-shout.

The three high school members were looking at him.

-Anyways, I want out so don’t call me.

He hung up with a yawn. Chief Lee Taeshin tried calling back, but his phone was turned off. He rubbed his face with his stiff hands before getting out of the washroom. The two adult members glanced at him but didn’t stop packing their bags.

“Hyojin, Bora.”

“Don’t try to stop us. We’ve already decided.”

Park Hyojin said coldly.

“Don’t think about dragging us down with the contract either. The president said that we could leave anytime we want since he could no longer support our rent, utilities, and food.”

“We asked a lawyer, and he said there’s no legal issue.”

Yoon Bora added with wary eyes.

Chief Lee Taeshin clenched and opened his hands.

“I’m not trying to bring up the contract. Just, we decided to put our all into this single. Let’s at least do this. Just this once. We already got a song.”

“A song from some unknown producer?”

His face distorted.

“… I’m sorry I couldn’t get you a song by a famous songwriter. I’m truly sorry about that. But this song is the best out of all the t.i.tle tracks we’ve had so far. It’ll be a waste to throw it away now. So please trust me once more and-!”

“I can’t trust you.”

Park Hyojin turned to look at Chief Lee Taeshin.

“I can’t trust you.”

“What?”

“We’ve already flopped three times! On top of that, Jae unni left. Anyone who looks at this situation will know it’s hopeless, but you want to try once more? We’re already twenty-one. We’re already late in trying to debut as a different team, yet you want us to waste our time even more?”

“Why do you only think about yourself? Don’t you think that disbanding right now is the best for us? I’m going out to find a path for myself so don’t try to stop me when you are incompetent!”

“Unni!”

A high school member turned and glared at the adult members.

“Aren’t you being too harsh? Don’t you know how much the chief has endured for us?”

“And we didn’t? It must be so great to be so easygoing since you’re still high schoolers.”

The high school members’ eyes turned red at those ridiculing remarks. This was like adding fuel to a fire. The members began fighting loudly.

“Stop, stop it.”

Pale-faced, Chief Lee Taeshin tried to stop them.

Then he asked the adult members,

“Have you thought about what you’re going to do once you leave the team?”

“Do you think we’d be packing our bags without deciding anything?”

Yoon Bora added with a proud expression,

“Suran is in NK Entertainment’s girl group that’s about to make a debut…”

“What? NK? Suran joined NK?”

Chief Lee Taeshin hurriedly held Yoon Bora’s shoulders.

“I clearly told her not to-!”

“Are you even trying to block the path of a member who left long ago?”

“We’re going there too.”

Park Hyojin added.

“NK is apparently looking for people with experience in performing. We even scheduled a meeting with their chief. We might debut right now.”

“I know their CEO’s methods. That’s why I told you not to go there!”

Chief Lee Taeshin shouted, aghast.

“Racy outfits that reveal your b.r.e.a.s.t.s and thighs. Sensual ch.o.r.eography. They film their music videos like p.o.r.nos! They are going to send you on programs that ask what your s.e.xual preferences are! How can you think about joining such third-rate-!”

“What’s wrong with that?”

Park Hyojin asked as if she found this amusing.

“They are investing money into music videos and getting us appearances on shows. What’s wrong with a s.e.xy concept? That’s a tactic as well. Isn’t it more important to gain people’s attention and spread our names?”

“Hyojin!”

“Also, this place is also third-rate. No, this place is worse. Everyone besides you and those girls know that the president brought Jae unni out when he went to drink with investors.”

Chief Lee Taeshin’s eyes flared. His phone slipped from his hands.

The three high school members were also pale as though they had just woken up from a nightmare.

“… What do you mean by that?”

“Why don’t you ask the president?”

The adult members finished packing and got up. At the two girls who were walking out the door, Chief Lee Taeshin said in a trembling voice,

“If, if something like that was going on, why didn’t you tell me…!”

“Why do you think?”

Park Hyojin said while opening the front door.

“If Jae unni can nab a sponsor, then our team can become more popular!”

The two then left without looking back.

The sound of rolling wheels quickly grew distant.

“b.a.s.t.a.r.d. This b.a.s.t.a.r.d…!”

Chief Lee Taeshin hastily slipped his shoes on.

“Chief! Wh-where are you going?”

“I’ll be right back so stay here. Don’t cry too much.”

The door slammed shut.

The three high school members were the only ones who remained in the apartment. The three sat without moving with blank expressions. Tears endlessly fell from their already soaked cheeks.

Just then, a phone rang.

It was Chief Lee Taeshin’s phone that had fallen below the beds.

The member closest to the phone answered the phone.

-He-h.e.l.lo?

Not long after, someone knocked on their door.

The exhausted members stared at the door with shocked expressions.

“The-there isn’t anyone who would knock?”

“Was he for real? Did he really come?”

“What do we do? Shouldn’t we call the chief?”

“How can we call him when he left his phone here?”

While they were taken aback, there was another knock on the door.

“Open the door first! We’re making him wait!”

Two of them wiped the tears off their faces, and the one member who was in a better condition than the two got up and opened the door. Wearing a disheveled wool coat and with sungla.s.ses tightly held in his hand, a man was panting in front of the door like he had run up the stairs.

Chief Jung Sunwoo was standing in front of the door.

***

Three members with childish features stared up at me.

Their eyes were trembling as though they were taken aback. What a sight. Their faces were red and their eyes were swollen. They looked like goldfish. One even had the hiccups.

One of them, who had a blank expression, abruptly shouted,

“One, two, three! h.e.l.lo! We are Pretty, Pretty…!”

The girls stiffened and stopped their nasal-voiced chant. Still bowing, they raised their heads to reveal tears flowing down like rain. I was a mess, but they looked like they were completely out of it.

“We aren’t Pretty Girls but dregs.”

“Dregs?”

The girls nodded gloomily.

I was led inside their apartment. It was a mess. All their household items were sprawled on the floor. Someone unfamiliar with the situation would think they were robbed.

I tried to understand what was going on first. The girls sat around me and explained the situation. Throughout their explanation, they used a toilet roll to wipe their tears, blow their nose, and wail like the sky was failing.

No, to them, the sky really did fall.

Since their team suddenly split in half.

I was astonished too. How could things come to this?

If things went as expected, they would be revitalized with their new single. That was what would have happened. How did everything scatter to the wind in a single day?

Let’s recall from the beginning.

Jung Jae. She mistakenly thought I was interested in her and believed the rumor that I would work for a price so she left her team. The other two members exploded and left as though they had been waiting for this opportunity.

Now all that was left was these three members and Chief Lee Taeshin.

In the end, me staring at Jung Jae a bit longer. That must have been the turning point.

What kind of s.h.i.tty b.u.t.terfly effect was this?

“But- hick, sorry.”

The member to my left held back her hiccup and continued,

“Why have you come here?”

“Hmm. That’s…”

Three goldfish looked at me.

What should I do?

What would be the best way to clean up this predicament?

I had a calm expression on my face but was furiously churning my brain for a solution. Someone was pressing the keypad outside. The member quickly looked at the door. Wary, antic.i.p.ation, and gloom were present on their faces.

The door opened.

Chief Lee Taeshin entered.

It seemed he had a scuffle with the president as his lips were busted and his appearance was a mess.

“Chief!”

“What happened to your face? Were you hurt?”

“It’s nothing. Did you hear back from the other membe- Huh?”

Chief Lee Taeshin stiffened when he discovered me.

Seeing how confused he was, I walked over to him and said,

“h.e.l.lo, chief.”

“How are you, no, why have you come here?”

“I called you and a member answered. She was crying…”

“Ah! Thank, no, sorry. You must be busy, yet you came all the way here…!”

He trailed off. Then he stared at me. His blurry eyes began to shine. He rushed over to me and held my arm desperately like a person who was sinking in a swamp.

“Chief Jung, does W&U plan on producing another girl group after Neptune?”

“Plans?”

“If you do, could they audition to be trainees?”

He gestured to the members.

“While they aren’t impressive at a glance, they are really kind, hard-working girls. They never said they wanted to give up after all they went through. Even when their unnis fought, they acted cautiously and didn’t cry once.”

Chief Lee Taeshin’s eyes were getting teary as well.

The three Pretty Girls held his arms while sniffling.

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“If you aren’t, could I ask you to introduce us to some other companies? I just don’t have the ability… If you help us, I would do whatever it takes to repay this debt.”

He said while bowing his head multiple times.

Their heartrending cries and request rang in my ears.

Then my frantic mind finally came to a decision.

Yeah, let’s try it.