Hard Mode Idol

I stood up, holding Park Yoochan’s hand, the one who had rescued me. As repayment for saving me, I should diligently address him as “hyung”. I wonder when Seoho will be treated by me as a hyung too.

“Let’s go to the room. I didn’t bring you here to sleep in the living room. Seoho, you realize you’re being unreasonable right now, don’t you? Accept it quickly.”

“……I can’t. I really can’t give up on Jaehyuk hyung.”

Park Yoochan pulled me along. Before we had even taken a few steps, I glanced back at Seoho out of concern. His dejected face resembled a large dog who had just had its treat snatched away. His slumped shoulders seemed to reach all the way to the floor.

I waved to catch his attention, and when he looked at me, I gave him a bright smile before sticking out my tongue playfully. Then, I quickly turned my head away.

“You’re really annoying!”

He took the childish bait perfectly. I could hear Seoho’s stomping footsteps as he grumbled loudly. A short while later, a loud bang! indicated he had forcefully slammed a door.

That’s the perfect level of tension for him. While I chuckled behind his back, Park Yoochan let out a deflated laugh.

“Surprisingly, you and Seoho seem to get along well.”

“We seem close?”

Caught off guard by this unexpected assessment, I reflected on my own behavior. Come to think of it, at some point I had started treating Seoho quite casually. Ever since receiving his apology, his constant fussing hasn’t caused any fluctuations in my stamina either.

“Yeah. It’s quite different from what I expected.”

“I do find Seoho rather cute. Both his face and personality are adorably innocent, you know.”

“……If you say that, Seoho might have a fit.”

“But he seemed to like it when I told him.”

I shrugged at the bewildered Park Yoochan, then set my bag down beside the bed. When I picked up the unpleasant laundry that had been bothering me, he reached out and took it from me.

“Why?”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Park Yoochan left the room, carrying both his laundry and mine together. In the meantime, I gathered a change of clothes. When I went to the living room, Park Yoochan, who had left the laundry in the utility room, was knocking on a door.

“What!”

Seoho’s clearly irritated voice could be heard. Park Yoochan peeked inside.

“It seems Ilhan won’t be back today either. What about Kanghyun?”

“You’d know if you looked, right? He’s probably still in the practice room.”

So the three of them share this space. Come to think of it, this was a two-room unit. Gomchi’s group was so lively that their place seemed smaller, but objectively, this unit had a much smaller square footage. As I watched Park Yoochan enter Seoho’s room, I opened the bathroom door.

After showering, I immediately climbed onto the bed. Park Yoochan still seemed to be talking with Seoho. I was concerned about Ilhan, who had looked depressed, but my stamina was precariously low. Managing my own stamina took priority over Ilhan. No status abnormalities were allowed.

****

Team leader Jeon Minsu, in charge of managing the trainees, was staring at Kim Jinsu while repeatedly swallowing dry saliva. His annoyance at having to work on the weekend had long dissipated. This stupid brat…… He wanted to unleash the torrent of curses swirling in his mouth right then and there, but given his position, he could only hold back.

“Kim Jinsu. I’ve explained why I called you here, so do you understand?”

“……Yes.”

“Do you have anything to say to me?”

Kim Jinsu slowly knelt down on the floor. This whole damned situation was created by Park Yoochan. Director Kim Hyemi was someone who carefully looked after the debut team members and trusted them.

Of course, she would believe Park Yoochan’s word. Insisting it was a lie would only further tarnish his own image. Having anticipated what would happen to him since being called to the director’s office, Kim Jinsu bowed his head deeply in resignation.

“Director……I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

But his true feelings were the opposite.

It’s so unfair. Tremendously unfair. The others there went along with it too, so why am I the only one summoned here? Why am I the only one being punished?

Kim Jinsu suppressed the rising fury bubbling in his head, and began pleading that he would never do it again. Still, Director Kim Hyemi’s hardened face remained unmoved.

“For taking Jaehyuk hyung’s spot, I acted on impulse…… I, I was wrong. I really want to be an idol. It’s been my dream since childhood. Please don’t kick me out like this. Please, I beg you.”

Director Kim Hyemi’s face currently lacked any warmth, to the point where Jin Haon would find her unrecognizable and ask, “Who are you?” Under her chilling gaze, Kim Jinsu’s back became damp with sweat.

It didn’t seem like she would easily let this go. This industry is small. Rumors surrounding trainees in particular tend to spread rapidly. Being kicked out like this would make it difficult to transfer to another agency.

He pleaded incessantly, begging over and over again. Since it’s his first offense, surely she would forgive him this once. Acting pitiful and clinging persistently, surely she would forgive him once. But the more he swallowed his pride to beg, the more furious he became.

“You couldn’t make it into the debut team? A new trainee came? I recommended you when I was leaving. Out of all our kids, there’s no one as good-looking and talented as you. You’re good enough to debut right away, so why not Jinsu? It’s strange.”

‘You’re right, Jaehyuk hyung. It is strange that it’s not me.’

It’s all because of that unlucky parachute brat. For someone who got in through dirty means. Since he stole my spot, there’s no problem with threatening him to chase him out. No matter how much I think about it, that was a justifiable action.

“Do you have anything to say to Jin Haon?”

Kim Jinsu, who had been seething with rage, belatedly heard Director Kim Hyemi’s words.

There were plenty of things he wanted to spew out, but none that he could say right now. What is she telling him to say? It seems like there’s something specific she wants to hear.

Kim Jinsu sought help from Team Leader Jeon Minsu, who usually doted on him. Team Leader Jeon Minsu mouthed the word ‘apologize’ while giving him a nudge. There’s no way Director Kim Hyemi missed that.

“A-Apologize! I’ll apologize! I’ll apologize to Jin Haon too! Please forgive me just this once. Being an idol is really my dream. It’s the dream I absolutely want to achieve……”

“Who said you can’t? If you want to be an idol, then be one.”

“Th-Then!”

Kim Jinsu looked at Director Kim Hyemi with a glimmer of hope in his previously sullen face.

“Go do it at another agency. We have no intention of keeping you here. We don’t want to deal with personality issues down the line and have a headache.”

“I-I didn’t push him on purpose! The kid was weaker than I thought…… I j-just gave him a light shove……”

“The discussion is over, so you can leave now. I’ll handle terminating your trainee exclusive contract myself.”

Team Leader Jeon Minsu’s insides were burning up. That stupid fool squandered his last chance himself. Even accounting for an accident, Kim Jinsu caused such a major incident that he has no room for excuses. It’s fortunate that the others at least claim they didn’t lay a hand on Haon.

SR Entertainment’s rapid rise to success in such a short period was entirely due to the CEO and Director Kim Hyemi’s eye for identifying rough gems. Anyone they unanimously evaluated as “That one will make it” was guaranteed to take off.

Jin Haon was someone the CEO himself had cast, a trainee Director Kim Hyemi doted on to an unusual degree. He passed the audition on the spot and was immediately introduced to the debut team members.

This unprecedented situation caused a buzz within the company. But there wasn’t a single employee who didn’t know that both the CEO and director evaluated Jin Haon as “someone destined for success.”

And yet, they had repeatedly stressed to treat Jin Haon well no matter what.

“Take him away.”

“Yes. Understood, Director.”

Team Leader Jeon Minsu grabbed Kim Jinsu’s arm and pulled him up from his prostrate position. Only then did the anger dissipate from Kim Jinsu’s mind, replaced by fear.

If he gets kicked out like this, he had no idea how he would live going forward. He started as a trainee at 17, and will turn 21 this coming year. He had no future outside of this path. His mind went completely blank.

“Director, Director! Please, just one more chance! Just one more chance, Director!”

“Jinsu.”

“Team Leader, please say something. I really, really want to be an idol…… Really……”

While Team Leader Jeon Minsu wanted to help, his own wellbeing was the bigger priority right now. If he screwed up, he could get fired along with Jinsu. Why did he bother favoring the kid? He should have just treated him insignificantly, then this could have quietly blown over.

Team Leader Jeon Minsu silently dragged Kim Jinsu out.

As Kim Hyemi sank into her chair, she reflected.

Originally, the group Dias that included Joon Jaehyuk was scheduled to debut in January. They had been meticulously preparing since last year, with plenty of private member photos and self-produced video content accumulated.

But something about Joon Jaehyuk seemed off, so they put everything on hold to observe him closely. His singing, visuals, the leadership to earn the members’ trust and become the fandom’s center – he was a flawless member, and yet.

Something about him kept nagging at her. His painted-on smile occasionally revealed a sense of dissonance. A premonition that he shouldn’t debut like this. Despite conducting a background check on Joon Jaehyuk, no definitive disqualifying reasons surfaced. Which only made her more uneasy.

He was well-respected among his high school peers, an honor student who had been the student council president. Currently a rare case, attending a prestigious university while being a trainee and juggling academics. He was a perfect person, lacking nothing.

And yet that nagging unease persisted…… Until the CEO Park Taemin’s nephew, who had happened to encounter Joon Jaehyuk, revealed the reason. But by then, it was already too late.

“An explanation, you say? You wouldn’t believe it…… Joon Jaehyuk’s followers are blindly devoted. They would do anything for him. To the point where it seems they lack any sense of self.”

Joon Jaehyuk remembered Park Taesoo.

“Please convey my apologies. It seems my friends may have bullied him a bit. I only found out later, otherwise I would have stopped them. But I’m upset that your one-sided account led to me being misunderstood…… There’s nothing I can do about it, I suppose.”

After finalizing the termination of his trainee exclusive contract, Joon Jaehyuk said as he was leaving:

“Hmm. By the way, Director. You might find yourself in a bit of a predicament without me. If you need me, contact me anytime. As long as you don’t wait too long to reach out, I’ll be happy to help.”

The audacious attitude, the certainty that he stood above everyone else. Even the subtle threat that it would be better to contact him before it’s too late.

Joon Jaehyuk spoke those words with a self-assured smile. Director Kim Hyemi could hardly forget that moment when he first revealed his true nature. From that point onwards, Joon Jaehyuk must have already known how the members would turn out.

Neither the CEO nor Kim Hyemi had any intentions of debuting Joon Jaehyuk at SR Entertainment. If they couldn’t do it without Joon Jaehyuk, then they would recruit a new member. And for that, some pruning was necessary.