Save a Failed Idol’s Life

Chapter 71 Help me SOS

The dorm became as quiet as a mouse after Seon-woo dropped the second bomb. 

After a brief silence, Kyunghwa opened his mouth.

“Do you think I’m a joke?”

Seon-woo was taken aback by his unexpected reaction and answered.

“No, I, I thought you would do better than me…”

“It’s you who needs it, not me. Can’t you understand what I’m saying? Do you have no sense at all? Or did you think you could get away with ignoring me this much because you were fine without paying attention until now?”

“I, I’m, I’m sorry…”

“It’s no use getting angry at you. I’m the only trash and the only bad guy here. You just trample on my feelings without any malice and think it’s over when you say you’re sorry.”

From the part distribution to the various appearances and self-promotion. Kyunghwa had given up too much for Seon-woo as a senior and as a strategy.

Until now, no one had received much attention, so he didn’t have to stress about it…

‘But it’s different when he starts getting good offers from outside.’

It wasn’t Kyunghwa or Ye-jun, who had a wide network of contacts, but Seon-woo who got the offer…

He couldn’t deny that it was influenced by the spotlights that Kyunghwa had gradually conceded to Seon-woo.

“Kyunghwa, I know you’re upset, but you’re being too harsh…”

The manager, who intervened in the middle, tried to mediate, but he only ended up hitting Seon-woo.

What was he supposed to do? The manager would naturally care for Seon-woo, who brought in the money with the good offer.

A few months ago, he might not have cared, but Seon-woo had successfully restored his idol mode with a diet and shone with his mere presence.

He didn’t need to try hard to get attention. He had a face that made people wonder how he could be so pretty with just a glance.

I guess I have to side with Kyunghwa for now…

If I make a wrong move, it will look like the older guys in the group are jealous of the young one’s appearance and want to devour him.

How can I handle this situation well? I glanced at Ye-jun. He met my eyes and made a playful expression as if to say, ‘I can’t help it either.’

How can he joke in this atmosphere? He was really an amazing character in many ways.

“Seon-woo, you can’t say that. How can you replace a member who was casted logically?”

When I intervened, I heard Kyunghwa sigh deeply.

“First of all, it’s a good thing that we got casted, so let’s prepare for it gradually. You were able to get attention like that, honestly, thanks to Kyunghwa’s consideration. So think about how you can help Kyunghwa positively from now on.”

Do I have to spoon-feed him like this when I’m not even a kindergarten or elementary school teacher?

The manager in the middle still tried to say something, but I stopped him.

“We don’t have time now, so hurry up and pack up and move. Let’s talk again later.”

In front of the rolling camera, these guys would act as if nothing happened. I hoped they would behave according to my common sense and tried to wrap up, when the third nuclear bomb exploded.

“Wow, but we’re in a huge mess right now… on Entertainment Talk Talk.”

Ye-jun suddenly cut in with an irrelevant remark. He wouldn’t make a fuss over nothing in this situation.

I quickly accessed Entertainment Talk Talk on my phone.

[Title] Male idol group appearing on a famous live show today under public scrutiny

[Body]

I posted this at dawn, but it got deleted by report, so I’m posting it again

A 5-member male idol group that recently became famous for their healing self-content, they stole the song of their junior group from the same agency that they’re going to come back with soon`

I was planning to write this for the summer comeback of our junior group, but the senior group snatched it and flew away with it as their own comeback single.

The senior group had a member who was a parachute from a big company, so the whole company was only looking after them.

Come on, spill the tea, guys. This time I’ll attach some proof.

[Picture]

“…”

The proof was a staff ID card with the name covered.

Maybe it was because of the sudden surge of incidents and accidents. I was suddenly seized by a transcendent feeling that everything would somehow work out.

Maybe this was all a dream. Maybe I was having a nightmare because I was too stressed and nervous about the comeback.

There was no way that such terrible things would happen one after another if it wasn’t a nightmare.

Or was this a quest? If I somehow managed to fix this, would the comeback be a success for sure? Something like that?

‘Tell me that, you bastards.’

I desperately called for the system, but there was no sound of Pposil barking.

“We should… go get in the car right now…”

The manager, who hadn’t checked the content yet, opened his mouth in a tense atmosphere.

“Hyung, first… please check the Entertainment Talk Talk. They even posted a staff proof, so it’s spreading like crazy.”

The rumor that ‘Kang Yugeon got beaten up and the parachute caused trouble for Floss again’ was spreading among the Tempo, the fandom of Floss.

I shouldn’t look at it. But I couldn’t help clicking on the linked article.

[- Ugh… I’m so sad and teary… Our Flicking members have such talent that they could fly higher if they went to a big agency, but the incompetent company… The senior group that only causes trouble for them and makes the innocent members and Tempo suffer every day…]

[- Everyone, don’t lose your firepower and raise the trend.

#WePlanet_Explain

We have to get feedback today.

It’s humiliating, but we’re the only ones who can protect our Flicking members!]

[- Is it true that they’re making money like water by running our kids’ schedule, but they don’t manage anything? Do they think 5 million Tempo are easy?]

The buzz was exploding as the trend rose.

‘System, what are you doing, system!’

What was the item I got before? My head was blank and I thought I had to use it.

“Huh?”

I was so flustered that I exclaimed without realizing it.

“What, did something else come up?”

Ye-jun got up from his seat in surprise and looked down at me with wide eyes.

I couldn’t say anything because the system wouldn’t open.

I thought I didn’t rely on the system much until then. But when it didn’t show up when I needed it, I couldn’t see a way out of this situation.

“I’ll just make a quick call.”

There was only one face that came to my mind in this situation. That kid, who I didn’t know if he was a friend or a foe.

Calm down. 

I felt like my hand was shaking, so I took a deep breath and pressed the call button.

After two missed calls, the call was finally connected.

“Hello, Mr. Kang Yugeon. Are you available to talk right now?”

Yugeon answered in his low but weightless voice.

-No, I have to go to rehearsal right away. I’m busy, so it might be difficult. Is there something urgent?

There was a hint of laughter in his voice. He knew everything. I tried to calm my racing heart and answered.

“It’s just that, there’s a rumor going around between Floss and Climax that’s different from the truth.”

-Ah, is it about that song, the copy or the steal? Is that why you called me?

Ah? I was in a situation where my blood was drying up, but why was he talking so calmly? I put my hand on my chest to keep my sanity.

“Could you please post an explanation on SNS if possible? Our new single, we were offered to use a song that you didn’t use last summer, but we refused and made a new song with new arrangement and lyrics.”

-Ah… I see.

I see? 

As I lost my words and hesitated, Kang Yugeon quickly added.

-Why me?

“What?”

I felt my heart sink as I heard that.

Why? If someone was misunderstood because of being linked to him… It was common sense to help clear the misunderstanding.

It wasn’t a long time, but maybe it was because I had lived with too sensible guys until now.

I was speechless at the rejection I never expected.

My plan to post an explanation, which I had been working on until a moment ago, was shattered.

-Ise, you’re good at trend search, right? Then you must know that I’m being cursed as the manipulation king, right?

I couldn’t answer and clenched my fist.

-If I post an explanation, not another member… I’ll be dragged into the manipulation and get cursed too. Do I need to take that risk?

Need… Yeah, I guess not. He was the undisputed top. We weren’t.

-Honestly, I’ve done you a lot of favors by getting you the choreography and the self-control staff. That… You thought I would risk ruining my image for a few schedules you filled in for me…

Kang Yugeon’s light laughter scattered over the phone.

-I’m a bit surprised.

“…”

This bastard was an enemy. 

He had been so successful since he was young that he had nothing in his eyes.

I wanted to see his father’s face once, wondering who raised this selfish jerk.

-Well, cheer up. It’ll die down soon.

Is that what you call it? 

I wanted to grab his collar, but it was useless to argue with him now. It would have been better to urge the agency to do something about it.

“I understand.”

I hung up the phone weakly and called the system again.

‘System!’

I called it several times in my mind, but there was no answer.

It used to read people’s minds all the time when I didn’t need it, but why was it so quiet now? 

I felt feverish.

It was strange. 

Was I such an angry person?

I was always… calm and not swayed by anything… I even heard that I was not human because I had no emotional expression…

As I was in confusion, the manager called me.

“Ise, I know you’re upset, but we have to leave now!”

I had to do something. I had to call the agency while moving… If they protected their body from the sparks that would fly to Floss, maybe to the president of Cheon…

As the emergency bell rang in my head, the status window that I had been calling desperately popped up in front of my eyes.

[Would you like to start the special event ‘Find Cheonise’?]

The font was broken and the layout was awkward, unlike usual. It looked like I had accessed a phishing site…

[Reward: Emergency Escape Service]

Something was wrong.

Not only the situation I was in, but also the system was not normal.

[Would you like to start the special event ‘Find Cheonise’?]

[Reward: Emergency Escape Service]

The broken font window kept appearing and disappearing in front of my eyes.

As if urging me to answer.

And then, at some point.

[Do you accept the quest?]

[Yes/No]

As if this was the last chance, this time a normal system window popped up.

My head was so confused that I had no time to think about why the system was acting like this. It was not the time to judge whether the quest the system brought was a lifeline or a straw.

[Yes]

If there was a possibility to overcome this situation, if I could protect our kids, I had to do anything.

[The special quest ‘Find Cheonise’ begins now.]

[The power of ‘Cheonise (Lim Hyun-seong)’ will be temporarily cut off for location transfer.]

The suspicious message turned into a rude font and scattered almost as soon as it was displayed.

As the system window scattered, my consciousness began to fade away.