The faces of the RE:VIBE members were haggard.
“I didn’t even sleep for an hour last night.”
“You too? Me neither.”
“Before, I could fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, but thinking someone is monitoring us 24 hours a day… it makes me so on edge.”
“I’ve been like that from the start. If a doctor could cure this damn insomnia, I’d be willing to serve them as my savior for the rest of my life.”
“I could even buy them a place in Hannam The Hill.”
“You don’t have any money.”
“…I mean, once we succeed.”
A severe case of insomnia and anxiety that even a hospital couldn’t cure.
On top of that,
“Brother. How much longer do we have to live like this?”
“Let’s just bear it a little longer. Our debut isn’t far off.”
“We aren’t animals! Is this idol training or is this livestock farming? CEO Bang is going way too far!”
“I’ll try to talk to him when he gets here. Let’s stay quiet for now. He’ll be here soon.”
Jun, the leader, soothed and coaxed the members as he always did.
Then, as if on cue when speaking of the devil—
Clang!
The practice room door flew open.
Soon, CEO Bang Ki-chul stormed inside, huffing and puffing.
“…”
The air in the room froze instantly.
Jin-woo reflexively stiffened his posture, and Liu’s clenched fists trembled.
Of course, the most nervous of them all was the leader, Jun.
‘The CEO… the atmosphere today is unusual.’
He knew from years of experience.
He had faced the CEO with this exact feeling once last year.
Back then, an ashtray had come flying at Jun’s head.
“Everyone, sit.”
A low, chilling voice.
The distinct anger contained within it quickly consumed the members.
“Close your eyes.”
Tightly.
The five of them followed the order in perfect unison.
“The one who secretly ate ramen at dawn yesterday. Who was it?”
“…!”
Goosebumps broke out all over Jun’s body.
‘Someone… someone among us ate ramen?’
Someone might criticize the CEO for being petty about food.
However, they were idols on the verge of debut.
Naturally, weight management was mandatory.
In fact, the contract clearly stated clauses related to this kind of work ethic.
“Oh? No one?”
Just then, Jun felt a presence right beside him.
If it were the person in that direction…
‘…Hye-seong.’
He was the youngest member of the group.
The moment Jun realized this,
“I’m sorry. It was me, CEO.”
Jun raised his hand sharply.
“…Jae-jun, you ate it?”
“Yes. I couldn’t control my appetite and…”
“If your face swells up from stuffing yourself with ramen at dawn, do you think makeup can cover that?”
“I will correct my behavior.”
Since there was no longer any point in keeping their eyes closed, everyone hung their heads low.
In particular, the youngest, Hye-seong, was restless and couldn’t stay still.
“You brat… at least you’re decent as a leader.”
“!”
At that moment, Jun’s eyes widened.
Thwack!
Simultaneously, a kick flew into the person right next to him.
“Gasp…!”
The youngest, kicked in the solar plexus, let out a sound like he was about to pass out.
“Hey. You disloyal piece of shit. What I hate most are types like you who have a dark heart.”
“Cough! Cough, cough!”
“Don’t pretend to be hurt, you idiot. Before I beat you even more.”
Hye-seong, the youngest, desperately held back his coughing.
“You’re the one who did wrong, and you keep your mouth shut until the end while your comrade takes the fall?”
Jun’s face turned pale.
No.
Knowing Hye-seong’s personality, he definitely would have told the truth eventually.
He wasn’t that cold-hearted to begin with.
It was just that his fear of the CEO was so great that his body had momentarily frozen.
“I—I apologize, CEO! It’s my fault for not managing the kids properly!”
When another kick seemed imminent, Jun rushed forward to block him.
“…Hey. Didn’t I tell you not to lie, no matter what?”
“…!”
“White lies? Is there such a thing? Aren’t rules meant to be followed?”
Jun bit his lip.
“Ple—Please hit me instead.”
“Yeah. You broke the rules, so of course you have to get hit too. You and I will have a separate private meeting later.”
Tremble.
At the mention of the private meeting, Jun’s face turned deathly pale.
“You want to eat whatever you want, but you don’t want to get hit? Then get out. I’ll terminate your contract right now. Instead, pay back every cent I’ve spent on you bastards so far and get lost.”
“No, no! That’s not it!”
Hye-seong prostrated himself on the floor.
Seeing the minor doing that made Jun’s heart feel even heavier.
Especially since he knew the youngest’s family situation better than anyone.
“I’m doing all of this so you guys can succeed. Do you think I want to be like this?”
Immediately after, Bang Ki-chul’s voice softened significantly.
“We will make sure… this never happens again!”
“Loudmouth. Makeup at 4:30 AM tomorrow. Rehearsal at 6:00. Jae-jun, follow me.”
With only those words, CEO Bang Ki-chul left the practice room.
Simultaneously.
“…Is this being a celebrity? It’s being a prisoner.”
Jin-woo sighed.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Brother. I should have raised my hand sooner, but I was so scared…”
Hye-seong, the youngest, burst into tears he had been holding back.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.”
Although Jae-jun pretended to be composed on the outside.
‘What’s going to happen to me now?’
His body began to shake.
Suddenly, the memory of his first private meeting flashed through his mind.
***
“…Not long after that happened, Hye-seong, the youngest, left the group. He said he felt like he was going to die if things stayed that way.”
“Hmm. Knowing CEO Bang Ki-chul’s personality, I doubt he just let it go.”
“Yes. He’s likely still in the middle of a civil lawsuit against Hye-seong’s parents. Hye-seong’s home was almost completely ruined, but fortunately, Sister Hye-seo found out the situation later and helped them…”
“Ha-roo. You don’t have to say all that.”
My face hardened rapidly as I heard the inside story.
As I’ve said before, verbal abuse, physical assault, and unfair contracts by entertainment CEOs were more common than one might think.
In fact, not long ago, there was an incident where a CEO went to the group’s dorm and beat the members with a blunt weapon.
‘The superficial reason given was that they were being disciplined for keeping the dorm messy, but…’
According to what I heard through internal lines later, the member had been in a relationship within the company.
Naturally, the CEO was beyond furious.
The reality was that a member’s gossip directly impacted the company’s profit.
Still, an incident like that could at least be understood intellectually.
‘The real scum are those who commit sexual crimes against trainees or idols who haven’t made it yet, using debut and success as bait.’
Every year, the prosecution chooses a theme and conducts intensive investigations into specific crimes.
Whether it’s a crackdown on drug crimes or an investigation into power-abuse crimes.
Notably, these types of sexual crimes were often only reported during *those* specific periods.
What this means is—
‘It means that unless a state institution steps forward directly, it’s not easy for victims to even resolve to report it.’
A sigh escaped my lips involuntarily.
“Of course, it’s not that I don’t understand the company’s situation. But still, minimum human rights should be guaranteed. We celebrities are people too…”
Min Ha-roo couldn’t finish her sentence, her eyes bloodshot.
“Still no contact from Jae-jun?”
“…No. He hasn’t been answering my calls at all since earlier.”
At the same time, Shin Hye-seo’s eyes met mine.
Through our gaze alone, we understood each other.
That we had to move as quickly as possible.
“…I’m sorry, Ha-roo.”
“Why… why are you suddenly apologizing, Sister?”
“You want to sing too, don’t you?”
“!”
Min Ha-roo’s eyes widened.
“How… did you know?”
“How could I not? You sing alone in the backyard every single night.”
“You—You could hear that?”
Shin Hye-seo gave a faint smile without answering.
“But… I don’t want to go back to the company now.”
“I know. It’s not that you’ve come to hate singing… it’s just that you’ve come to hate the person.”
Trickle.
Finally, a single tear rolled down Min Ha-roo’s cheek.
“So, that person just needs to disappear.”
Shin Hye-seo turned back to me.
“Prosecutor.”
“Yes, Hye-seo.”
“This time, I don’t just want to solve the contract issue; I want to never be involved with CEO Bang Ki-chul for the rest of my life… is that possible?”
A faint smile appeared on my lips.
“ I’ll make it possible.”
***
I headed straight to the safe house.
“I’m going to Seoul for a bit.”
I intended to go up to Seoul tomorrow, but I had to say goodbye to my parents.
“…Uncle… where are you going?”
Seol, who had been sleeping soundly in my mother’s arms, rubbed her eyes.
“Are you awake, Seol?”
“Uncle… can’t you stay?”
“Hmm. That might be difficult.”
“What about me?”
I smiled and stroked Seol’s hair.
“How long could I possibly be away from my pretty Seol? I’ll go and come back quickly.”
“Mmm…”
With a half-asleep expression, Seol held out her pinky finger.
“Yes. I promise.”
Only after we did a pinky promise and stamped it with our thumbs did she seem satisfied.
“Uncle… come back fast… Seol is going back to sleep…”
As if finally relieved, Seol fell back into a deep sleep.
Yes.
Leaving that beautiful angel behind, what wealth and glory was I seeking by crawling back into that pit of hell?
“But, did something happen? Why Seoul all of a sudden?”
My mother asked worriedly.
“I have a job I was asked to do.”
“A request?”
“Yes. And, I still have my own business to finish as well.”
True.
I wasn’t going to Seoul just for the sake of others.
‘It’s time to wrap up my own business too.’
Directly after, I felt a small USB in my pocket.
Since a reliable successor had been decided, I should hand this over.
And I should meet the people I need to meet while I’m at it.
“Be careful on your way. Watch out for cars.”
“How old do you think I am?”
“Even if you turn sixty, you’re still a child to your mother.”
“Then, please keep saying things like that even when I’m eighty. So I don’t get into any trouble.”
“Oh, you…”
She looked at me with a soft gaze.
Please live a long, long time, Mother.
“Father, do you have anything you want to say?”
“What’s the point in talking to someone who won’t listen? A guy who just up and quit a perfectly good job.”
A bitter smile formed on my lips.
He didn’t show it outwardly, but he must have felt troubled inside.
“I’m sorry.”
My mother immediately cut in at my apology.
“There he goes again, talking like that. Can’t you just let it go, thinking the child must have had a hard time?”
“Who said anything? This is the first time I’ve mentioned it!”
“Seo-jun. Do you happen to know?”
I tilted my head.
“Know what?”
“That man still carries the training institute graduation photo he took with you tucked away in his pocket. He bragged about it so much to his friends over drinks that the photo is practically falling apart…”
“Why are you bringing that up again!”
“What? I’m not saying anything that isn’t true, why are you making a fuss!”
“No… I’m saying it because it’s something you don’t need to say.”
At the sight of my mother’s glaring eyes, my father quietly averted his gaze.
“Anyway, Seo-jun.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Whatever decision you make, your mom and dad trust you.”
“…Thank you.”
“We’re always rooting for you and we love you, our son.”
A smile formed on my face.
“I love you both very much, too.”
***
When I arrived at Seoul Station via the KTX—
“Yo!”
A familiar guy was waving his hand wildly from afar.
Just by his appearance, he didn’t look like someone you’d believe was a lawyer.
He had a fierce face that would make local thugs bow their heads and call him ‘Boss.’
He was 190 centimeters tall with an overwhelming physique that looked like a mountain.
“You must be busy, but the service is great?”
This guy was none other than my classmate and longtime friend, Jang Seok-gu.
“Of course. I’m meeting a friend who’s much busier than someone like me, I should do at least this much.”
“You’re not going to drag me somewhere dark and beat me up because I didn’t stay in touch, right?”
“Kahaha. I’d love to do that, but…”
Directly after, Seok-gu lowered his sunglasses to the bridge of his nose.
Then, he glanced at the scar on my wrist.
“Sigh… I’m still not sure if I could beat you in a fistfight.”
“As expected, a master recognizes a master.”
“Pfft. You get arrogant as soon as I give you a little praise…”
“Enough with the greetings. From the look of things, it seems we need to hurry a bit.”
Seok-gu immediately tilted his head.
“Did something else happen?”
“CEO Bang Ki-chul. It seems he’s starting to go out of control.”
“Anyway, I feel bad for that man too. How did he end up getting caught by a guy like you?”
Seok-gu couldn’t help but burst into laughter, finding the situation amusing.
“Are you going to show the form you used when you were hunting people down as a prosecutor?”
“I am an expert at putting down mad dogs.”
“I suppose a mad dog is the best medicine for a mad dog.”
“Hey, what’s with that? Even the mad dog listening has feelings, you know?”
“So, what’s the plan going forward?”
Once we got into the parked car, the surroundings finally became quiet.
“What CEO Bang Ki-chul wants is the remaining 18 percent stake owned by CEO Shin Hye-seo.”
“And what is Bang Ki-chul’s current stake?”
“The same. 18 percent.”
“Then, what is it that your side wants?”
“To get a high price for the shares. And for those who want to leave the company to be able to terminate their contracts without any restrictions or penalties.”
Seok-gu, gripping the steering wheel, frowned.
“Our client’s demands are quite high. Naturally, you’ve drawn up some kind of blueprint, right? Since you’re the great Prosecutor Baek Seo-jun.”
“I have a drawing I made previously, but…”
Trailing off, I let out a chuckle.
“I’m thinking of changing the drawing a bit this time.”
“Huh?”
“Thinking about it carefully, I got pissed off too.”
“What got you so mad?”
“The fact that a CEO who genuinely worked harder than anyone for the members of her professional family—even to the point of spending her own personal funds—is the one who has to leave, even if it’s true that she caused a loss to the company.”
“Hmm…”
Then, Seok-gu said something I hadn’t expected at all.
“It sounds just like you.”
“!”
“Doesn’t it? Even if you technically broke the organization’s rules, you were the righteous Prosecutor Baek Seo-jun who threw away his badge for a victim.”
Ah…
‘Was that it?’
The reason my heart had felt so stifled this whole time.
“So. What’s the new drawing?”
“…Even if the two of them split up, it’s only natural justice that the bad guy is the one who leaves the company, right?”
“Eh?”
“Then the penalty issue will naturally be resolved as well. The current celebrities will maintain their affiliation, so there won’t actually be any changes to their contracts.”
“No, I mean, that’s true, but…”
Seok-gu was so startled that he looked over from the driver’s seat toward the passenger seat.
“Can you actually do it? No matter how capable you are, that seems tough.”
“It would be possible if a friend more capable than me helps out, wouldn’t it?”
“Ha? You only suck up to me at times like this?”
I shook my head.
“Why is it that all the noble legal professionals around me use such vulgar expressions?”
“I tell you every time, birds of a feather flock together.”
Even so, Seok-gu let out a chuckle, seemingly not in a bad mood.
“Anyway, at this rate, the other side is going to start foam-at-the-mouth raging from our first meeting…”
“Then, I’ll just foam at the mouth and rage right along with him.”
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?”
“You said it yourself. A mad dog is the best medicine for a mad dog.”
“If they bite with their teeth, are you really going to bite back?”
“Did you forget my nickname?”
“The Mad Dog of the Prosecution Office?”
I smiled with satisfaction.
“You remember it perfectly.”