Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols
SS Chapter 51: Dystheism (3)
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TL: FoodieMonster007
What in the world are these guys thinking…
I couldn't understand either of them, not MYTH and not Parthe. The only clear thing was that their relationship was screwed, and I was an innocent caught in the crossfire.
MYTH would never let Parthe off the hook now that they had leverage. Why would they? Parthe was a cash cow that could keep doing world tours. That was why they brought up the departed Hellas, to warn Parthe not to get any funny ideas.
Even the worst-case scenario wouldn't be fatal for Hellas, who were past their prime, but for Song Minil and the other members needing new agencies after their contracts ended, a suspension of activities was a completely different problem. MYTH now held a leash, one they could use to suck the members dry for another year before casting them aside.
"It's a wonder Han Gawoon managed to tell you this. He doesn't know how they'd retaliate if he got caught contacting you."
"Well…"
Jeong Seongbin hesitantly held out his phone. A voice recording file was open on the screen.
I thought he wanted me to listen, so I pressed play. Han Gawoon's voice came through the speaker. The conversation was just as Jeong Seongbin had described.
『"I appreciate it, but can I trust you?"』
Jeong Seongbin sounded calmer than I felt. He was wary of someone from a company he distrusted. His sharp attitude made it hard to imagine what anyone could say to earn his trust.
A long silence followed. Jeong Seongbin, thinking the call had disconnected, called out to Han Gawoon again. Han Gawoon finally spoke, his voice strained.
『" You don't have to trust me. I'm sick and tired of people now, too."』
Jeong Seongbin asked what he meant. The reply came slowly and deliberately.
『"MYTH has other photos."』
The moment I saw the article's picture, I had a gut feeling they might have also photographed me before I got into Polo's car. We had argued on the bridge for a while, giving them plenty of chances to press the shutter, but since they were unlikely to release those to the public, I had set the thought aside to focus on other things.
Did they release it internally to scare them?
They were no different from gangsters. They were likely showing off the agency's power, proving they could use even this incident for their own convenience. Since they couldn't release the photos to the world, they planned to use them to threaten Parthe instead.
The weight of the situation would hit Parthe completely differently. A junior from another company had attempted suicide, and their own company somehow found out, shoved it in their faces, and pressured them to choose wisely. How would that feel? It could easily be interpreted as a threat that the company could bury someone at any time.
"So? Did you tell the company about this?"
"Only that MYTH's target isn't Hellas. I thought I should discuss it with you first, hyung."
"If they don't intend to mess with us, it doesn't matter. They'll probably release a follow-up article once their internal conflict is sorted out. What I'm worried about is…"
…That they made you guys find out about something that's long past.
Just as I trailed off, Jeong Seongbin reassuringly patted the back of my hand.
"On the surface, it's an issue between Hellas and MYTH, so they said Hellas will discuss it with the companies first. In the meantime, there's nothing for you to do, hyung."
"Is that really okay?"
"They'll ask you to contact them if they need you!"
A wise answer to a foolish question. His shamelessness, so unlike Jeong Seongbin, pierced the heavens. A dry laugh escaped me as my tension eased. Jeong Seongbin laughed along and asked in a gentle voice.
"You said you're okay now, right?"
"…Yeah."
"As long as you're okay, hyung, we're not too worried either. They said everyone's wrapping up and coming over, so let's see their faces, say hi, and then get some good rest."
"Are you sure you're not worried?"
"How could we focus on work when this whole mess is going on? You have to cut us some slack for that, hyung."
The words had barely left his mouth when the front door opened. I heard the failed 'nobility' candidates rushing in.
"We're done for as the Northern Grand Duke group. Let's change our aesthetic to the 'Northern Fiefdom Residents' group."
"Yes, go be a resident of Castle Seongbinius. You're not going to sleep until you hear from the company, right? I'll go make some tea."
Jeong Seongbin got up without waiting for my answer. Lee Cheonghyeon, who had just gotten off work, called out, "Hyung!" and hugged me from behind. The contact felt warm.
Even though spArk had done nothing wrong, the dorm felt like a house in mourning. Choi Jeho downed three cups of cold water in a row. Kang Kiyeon kept rubbing his dry face, ignoring pleas to stop. Lee Cheonghyeon looked like he might sigh a hole through the floor.
If we could have come up with a plan, we would have done something, but there was nothing to do. All we could do was wait. It was maddening.
"For something from the past to cause all this… it's a shame."
I was just trying to lighten the mood, but all I got was sympathy. Instead of getting angry at my dark joke, the guys were busy comforting me, even though I was perfectly fine. These days, a doctor would just send me home from the hospital, declaring me healthy in both body and mind.
"I just don't get it… Hoo."
That was the third time Kang Kiyeon had trailed off mid-sentence. He had a lot to say but couldn't bring himself to say it.
"You all were probably just planning to rest. What are you going to do, being so unsettled?"
"Unsettled? This is anger."
"Eh?"
"How could we not be angry? There are things a human being should and shouldn't do!"
Kang Kiyeon's tightly shut mouth finally opened. A rap-like torrent of words poured out like a waterfall, as if he had been waiting.
"They're exploiting a person's weakness for their own gain, and of all things, to use something like that!"
His reaction was different from when he found out I had secretly taken medication. He didn't press me about why I hadn't told him sooner. The target of Kang Kiyeon's emotional outburst was strictly MYTH.
"My biggest worry was whether you guys would be shocked."
"Of course we were shocked. How could we not be? But no matter how shocked we were, it couldn't be as much as you, hyung."
I could see him trying to suppress his simmering emotions. Even as he sighed with every other word, Kang Kiyeon never said anything resentful to me. He was more furious than I was that MYTH had used my private matters.
"I have no intention of prying into why you did it. That would be the same as saying you're also responsible… It's not like we didn't know you weren't in a good state, hyung."
He meant the time I lived aimlessly, with a 'whatever happens, happens' attitude. That period must have been a huge shock, seeing as no one ever brings it up. Or maybe they were just being considerate of me, the one who went through it.
"It's too much to shake up someone who was doing just fine like this."
".….."
"It's something that should never have happened."
His expression instantly turned gloomy. I patted his shoulder a few times as if it were no big deal, and Kang Kiyeon lowered his head. Even Lee Cheonghyeon, who usually stuck by a friend's side when they were down, was quiet today.
"I had a feeling."
Lee Cheonghyeon, who had been lost in thought, began to speak in a small voice.
"It was such a deep issue… I just couldn't bring myself to ask if my guess was right."
Then he buried his face in his arms, which rested on his knees. The sun of spArk had set.
"I'm completely fine now. You know that, right?"
"I know. I believe you, hyung. You explained everything before… You know I'm acting like this not because I'm disappointed in you, but because I'm upset, right?"
"Of course."
Lee Cheonghyeon moved me with his words, even without showing his face. The traveler Kim Iwol used the warm sunlight to light his torch and thought.
I will never let these bastards at MYTH get away with this.
"We can't make an issue out of this from our side, can we?"
Choi Jeho asked. Unfortunately, that was the case. If we made a fuss, only MYTH would be thrilled. They could paint UtopiA as a gangster company that lets its idols get into such a state and also poaches people from other companies.
The dark side of a large corporation is a true abyss, a different shade of black from that of a small or medium enterprise. The most terrifying part was that they never collapsed but only grew bigger.
When I said it was realistically difficult, Choi Jeho just nodded as if he understood and added nothing else. In the past, I might have internally cursed him for asking a question then showing no interest. Only now could I interpret it as him thinking that not dragging out a hopeless conversation was for my sake.
I've grown.
As I praised myself internally, someone rapidly pressed the buttons on the door lock. The last member who hadn't come home yet had arrived. Piercing the summer night, Park Joowoo rushed in. He must have run from the parking lot, as he was panting heavily.
"Joowoo…"
I meant to call his name, but the word got stuck. Before I could finish, Park Joowoo pulled me into a tight hug. His warm forehead and fluffy hair pressed against my neck. I heard sniffling near my ear.
I remembered the song Park Joowoo had sung, 『My Family, Submerged in Water』. His pale face flickered in my mind as he casually brought up old stories. The image of him squatting before an urn, the voice that had resolved to face a difficult challenge alone, now trembled in my arms.
I completely understood how Park Joowoo felt. The day I unlocked my own submerged memories, I had run to a sleeping Park Joowoo in the exact same way. On that bridge, I must have been as blatantly close to death as the Park Joowoo in that breaking news report. How could anyone even describe that terror?
"I'm sorry for scaring you."
I apologized to reassure him, but Park Joowoo shook his head fiercely. With his face still pressed firmly against my shoulder, Park Joowoo asked.
"You're going to be here too, right, hyung?"
I remembered Park Joowoo telling my past self that he would be here, that I should sleep without worry.
"Of course."
I smiled and rubbed his back. His tears of relief soaked the shoulder of my t-shirt, forcing me to change my clothes in the middle of the night.