Chapter 193. Staking Everything On The Line… (1)

“What do you think Miss MoonHee will do?”

Lee HyunJi had her arms crossed as she looked out the window.
Even if she was talented enough to shake the world, it would be no good if she wasn’t motivated.
Is there really a reason for her to give up a stable future for an unknown one?
Lee HyunJi did not have that confidence in her.
KangYoon spoke calmly after hearing her worries.

“How can we know what a person thinks? I, too… don’t know exactly. Rationally speaking, there are no strings attached in her point of view, so she could just walk away and treat it as studying her hobby.”
“My dear, you made a contract that’s disadvantageous for us then?”

When Lee HyunJi asked jokingly, KangYoon smiled and shook his head.

“It’s not really a disadvantage for us. If we treat MoonHee well, then the other potential trainees will find out that we, as a company, will try to raise anyone with enough skill, and not look at previous jobs or age. You know, the average age of freshly recruited trainees are getting younger and younger these days. I think this is a good way to improve our image.”
“Now that I think about it, you’re right.”
“It would be all for the better if she does become a singer, but even if she does give up mid-way, we won’t have any losses on our hands. Let’s just consider it a 3-month investment to our company reputation.”
“So better people might consider joining us later… so if the reputation of our company goes up, the quality of applicants for our company will increase as well, and indirectly affect our own artists as well. That’s a lot of gains.”

Lee HyunJi nodded in acceptance.
Having finished talking, KangYoon stood up from his seat.

“Then let’s talk more later.”
“What? Oh, it’s time already.”

It was going past 6:30 right now.
It was about time In MoonHee arrived at the company.
KangYoon headed to the studio in order to meet her.

***

‘He told me that I shouldn’t twist too much on this part, right?’
“Miss In.”
‘If I focus on the score too much, I’ll end up forgetting the important part of transferring the emotions…’
“Miss In!”

In MoonHee was contemplating in her mind when someone suddenly shouted behind her.

“Y, yes!”

When she turned around, it was the balding vice-principal.
He had puffed up cheeks and glared at her.

“You didn’t answer no matter how many times I called. Miss In, have you finished the meeting minutes?”
“What? Oh, yes, I have.”
“…Hm. Really?”

The vice-principal gave her a suspicious glance and frowned after seeing the finished minute.”

“…Don’t just think about going home all day and do more work.”

The vice-principal was mad at her even when she did well.
Just as she sighed, a colleague of hers next to her whispered to her.

‘Looks like that guy’s mad again. What does he have against you?’
‘…I can’t help it, he’s had a grudge against me from the beginning of the semester.’

In MoonHee lightly sighed after hearing the worries of another lady of the faculty.
That balding vice-principal always nitpicked with her and gave her tedious work to do.
She just didn’t understand why he hated her so much.
Her colleague whispered again with a serious expression.

‘Anyway, be careful. I heard that octopus has a grudge against you for leaving on time.’
‘I’m finishing all my work though… Okay, thank you for telling me that.’

In MoonHee felt bitter.
This social life in an organization was very difficult for her. Although she had other things on her hands right now, never did she put less effort into teaching. Just why was society like this…

‘Oops, I’m late.’

Soon, it became closing time.
However, In MoonHee couldn’t leave the faculty office immediately due to some work and left a little later than usual.
She was walking through the corridor but then she just had to meet the octopus-head vice-principal.

“Miss In. Going home already?”
“Ah, yes. The thing is…”
“Tsk, tsk. You aren’t a temporary teacher. The other teachers are still here, no?”
“……”
“Go on. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Just what was he going to talk to her about tomorrow…
She had finished her work. She checked over and over again to see if she had missed anything. She was unable to understand why the vice-principal was doing this.

“…Then I’ll take my leave.”

In MoonHee clicked her tongue and left the school after bowing to the vice-principal.
She got on the bus after she left school, but her mind was not in good condition.

‘It really isn’t easy, huh.’

Her job and singing.
It wasn’t easy to handle both at the same time.
She sat by the window and leaned on the window before closing her eyes for a little.

‘Can I.. really become a singer?’

She was having a hard time in society, and she wasn’t able to practice a lot at the company either.
Could she really overcome all of these obstacles and become a singer?
It was nearing the end of the 3 months that the president had spoken about.
However, she was still unable to come to a decision.

‘I don’t know. I just…’

her messy thought process did not seem to stop.
At that moment.

-This stop is…
‘Eh!?’

In MoonHee shook herself up.
When she had dozed off a little, she had heard the name of the stop she was supposed to get off on.
She got off the crowded bus after clearing her thoughts up a little.
But then…

“Where… is this place?”

When she looked around, it was an unfamiliar place.
She had gotten off a stop early by mistake.
As she was dozing off, she mistook the next stop for this stop.

“Really… nothing’s going well today.”

Clutching her head, In MoonHee sighed deeply.

***

After practice, In MoonHee left the booth exhausted.

“…Thank you for all your work.”

Collapsing onto a chair, she drank the cup of water on the table.

“Thanks for your work. You’re doing great, so you should just continue like this.”
“Yes.”

KangYoon patted her shoulders before getting his bag.
He was about to leave the studio first but then saw that she was tired and asked.

“Aren’t you feeling tired these days?”
“….Yes, what?” N, not at all!”

She unintentionally gave an honest answer before waving her hands. Her moment of distraction caused a tragedy.
KangYoon was the president of a company.
In terms of school, he would be a person above the vice-principal and would be the equivalent of the principal.
To think she showed a weak side to such a person…
In MoonHee clutched her head.
However, despite what she thought, KangYoon spoke with a soft expression.

“It shouldn’t be easy working during the day and practicing during the night. Should we take a day off this week?”
“N, no. It’s fine.”

In MoonHee replied tensely.
However, KangYoon squinted his eyes in dissatisfaction and asked.

“What is it? Did something happen at school?”
“N, no. It’s not like that…
“I don’t think that’s right. What happened? Did practice interfere with your schoolwork?”

KangYoon asked worriedly.
She thought that she should have been on her guard at all times, but his kind words shook her heart.
Despite that, she refrained from saying ‘she was tired’ to the bitter end and smiled.

“Not at all. I’m having a lot of fun these days. I can become a singer again if I do this, no?”
“…..”

Unlike what she said, one of her eyelids were trembling.
KangYoon felt bitter while seeing her eyes.

‘It’s about time she’s shaken.’
“Wait a minute.”

KangYoon took out an envelope from the desk drawers in the studio and gave it to her.

“Song TaeGyum’s dinner show? There’s two of them?”
“Take your boyfriend there.”

In MoonHee was dumbfounded. It was like she was a miner that had unexpectedly struck gold.
KangYoon added.

“I won’t tell you to write up a report about it, but I’m going to make you tell me how you felt for ten minutes straight so think about it well, okay?”
“Ten minutes?”

A ten-minute speech required a lot of thinking to do. It might be better to write things down.

“Okay.”
“Those are VIP seats. Have a good time.”
“… Thank you.”

In MoonHee bowed to KangYoon in appreciation.

‘But wait… I don’t have a boyfriend. Who am I supposed to go with?’

She had pleasant worries now.
Her level of trust towards KangYoon had grown deeper by a level.

***

Yeoksam-dong, Seoul. It was a place filled with skyscrapers.
In the middle of the district was a rather eye-catching traditional Korean building, a high-class Korean restaurant known for its good ‘reception’ of guests.
This place was under tight security and the cars parked were all high-class ones. In such a place, the directors of MG Entertainment and the president of Yerang Entertainment, Kang ShiMyoung, were laughing with each other.

“Hahahahaha. I’m glad to hear that loan got through.”

President Kang ShiMyoung was holding a glass of alcohol on one hand and a young girl wearing Hanbok (Traditional Korean clothing) on the other and poured director Yoo GyungTae a glass.

“Haha. Yes. Are the preparations for the new girls at Yerang going well?”
“You mean WINCLE, huh. I should be able to show them at the end of the year or by early next year at the latest.”

President Kang ShiMyoung grinned while receiving a glass from director Yoo GyungTae.
Then, director Kim JinHo asked.

“It was a girl group of 6 girls, right?”
“Yes, director. They’re fresh and they’ve been preparing for years now. They’ve prepared themselves alright.”
“Hahahaha.”

Although they were talking about each other’s companies, their mood was good.
Director Moon GwangShik made an ominous laugh while stroking the lady wearing a Hanbok next to him.

“Hahaha, I hope they don’t overlap with our HelloTint girls.”
“Why, of course. There’s no need for bloodshed. Unless, you know, it’s, uh, Eddios, or something.”
“Hahahahaha.”

President Kang ShiMyoung made a confident smile.
6 girls.
They were young and they had the skills.
He believed that there was no reason for WINCLE, the group he was preparing for a debut, to not win against Eddios.
Just as the mood was heightening, a man wearing a suit opened the door and entered. It was a skinny man in his 40s and he wore glasses.

“So there’s all of you here. Please excuse me.”

When he greeted everyone, president Kang ShiMyoung squinted.

“That’s not someone I wanted to meet in a good place like this.”

President Kang ShiMyoung blatantly expressed his displeasure for the man.
However, the man didn’t seem to care and replied with a smile.

“It has been a long time, president Kang.”
“…Indeed it has been. I didn’t want to see you though.”
“Hahaha. I guess you hate me.”

When the mood was about to get cold, director Kim JinHo tried to stop president Kang ShiMyoung.

“There, there. Please calm down. Don’t hate him too much, president Kang. He has with him a good present for all of us this time.”

Hearing that, president Kang ShiMyoung squinted once again.

“I don’t want to get myself involved with the president of a news company that can only write trashy articles.”
“Sheesh, president Kang. You know well that trash can be recycled into something good.”
“……”

Even though he was blatantly referred to as ‘trash’, the man did not lose his smile. It was getting scary at this point.
Director Moon GwangShik put the lady next to him on his lap before speaking.

“President Moon, you did well getting here. So those conditions last time are fine with you?”
“First, please give me a glass of alcohol. I hope president Kang can pour me one.”
“……”

President Kang frowned but still poured him a glass.
He groaned after drinking the strong vodka in one gulp.

“Who shall I look into?”

The man’s eyes gleamed frighteningly.
Momentarily, the lady sitting on director Moon GwangShik’s lap trembled in fear.

“Hahaha, It’s fine, baby.”
“Director~”
“Cute girl.”

He put his thick lips against the lady’s lips before speaking in a serious expression.

“There’s a group named Heroy in Yoonseul, right? I heard that the leader there is quite close to Han JooYeon.”
“What? Han JooYeon? Isn’t she from Eddios?”

The man continued to speak as though it was absurd.

“There’s nothing about Eddios no matter how deep we dig into them. I put two teams against them and had them watch the girls 24/7 but we still got nothing. The president there seems really strict in managing his artists. In fact, we made losses thanks to petrol costs and living costs. We got nothing back. In the end, I had them pull out.”
“No, no. I have some evidence this time you know? Just trust me on this one. It’s quite big, you know?”
“…..”

Hearing director Moon GwangShik so confident, the man fell silent.
It would definitely be big if he dug something out of the stars of World Entertainment.
However, it wasn’t that easy. The people there had fixed schedules. His team stalked them for many hours but even on their days off, they rarely left their houses at all.
However, that director shouldn’t be saying that baselessly either.

“…Okay. I’ll try it, however.”

The man looked at president Kang ShiMyoung again.

“Let me receive another glass. Strangely, I’ve taken a liking to you, president.”

President Kang ShiMyoung poured him another glass without a change in expression.

‘There’s no good ending getting involved with those guys…’

President Kang ShiMyoung internally sighed.