Chapter 76
Chapter 76: < Protect – Episode 75 – Fan Meeting [2] >
“They’re on standby.”
“Why?”
“Japan is in chaos right now.”
In response to what Baby Angel’s leader, Ye Seul said, the other members in the waiting room felt discouraged. They were excited for the first music program in a while, but a bomb went off in Japan all of a sudden. The right thing to do was to give their sympathy, but they were still little kids who were barely over twenty.
The youngest was just born during 9.11 in the States. Moreover, the 21st century Koreans were clueless about bomb terrorism. Actually, they were clueless about terrorism in general. After decades of the pro-democracy movement, this land put an end to the history of violence. It was unimaginable for people to strut down the streets with guns with their hands.
Bombs were even worse.
Even when Japan went through a Tsunami a few years back, Koreans just lived their lives as usual. Was that weird? The Westerners, who made a big fuss out of natural disasters and terrorism, could see the unresponsive Koreans as weird. However, most of the drug cartels of the Central and South America were Catholic, and what about the States which was mostly Christians? Too much freedom was like poison.
Just like how the Westerners were fascinated by Asians, Asians couldn’t understand how contradictory the Westerners were.
“Ugh! I want to go back to my dorm…”
“They said to wait for now.”
The manager came along and cut off the members’ complaining in one go.
“What does Japan’s bombing have to do with us?”
“You thoughtless wench! This is your chance to win points! Hey, come over here! You, too.”
Ye Seul got the members together and took a group photo.
“The title would be, ‘We’re cheering for you, Japan.’ Isn’t it good to gain at least one more Japanese fan?”
“Wow! Good idea!”
“This is why you’re our leader.”
“The problem is that we’re probably not the only ones with this idea.”
She looked through the current issues on the internet. And like she predicted, there were stars who were cheering on their Japanese fans through social media. Even though Baby Angel were top idols, it was hard to compete with those who started the Hallyu Wave.
‘We need something impactful.’
They needed something that the reporters would pounce at. While the leader contemplated, the other members laughed and gossiped with the coordinators and stylists. Since they were all females except for the manager, they had a lot to talk about.
“Isn’t Annex making a comeback, too?”
“I think so.”
“But is that okay? They usually don’t make the comebacks overlap in order to profit.”
“Since when did our company cared about that? And if we all take turns, we can only release one album each this year.”
“Oh! I see.”
There was a total of eight groups in Hosoo Entertainment, and if they only put out one group at a time, they would make very slow progress. Since idols were easily forgotten, they had to release at least 2 new songs a year. As soon as the broadcasting was postponed, the halls filled with managers, employees, and idols.
Baby Angel’s comeback received a lot of attention just from Hosoo Entertainment’s rising stocks. People filled the waiting room until there were no more seats left.
“Did you give up on entering the Japanese market?”
“Maybe later? I’m not sure. We don’t know either.”
The 6-member girl group, Ada, which debuted the same year as Baby Angel, had a leader named Yoon Ji who was close to Ye Seul on a personal level. Before they were cast by different agencies, they went to the same vocal classes, and even after they became trainees, they graduated from the same high school.
“Did you upload a photo?”
“Of course. Apparently, the company will make a donation in our name, too.”
“Wow, N Star is quick.”
“What about you?”
“They take care of it on their own.”
Ada’s agency, N Star specialized in idols just like the old Shinhwa Entertainment. They weren’t in the top 4, but they had a good reputation. Ada wasn’t the agency’s front group. The current representing group was N Star’s boy group, Blaster.
“Do you like your company?”
“It hasn’t changed much. The building and dorm got bigger though. Oh yeah. I still haven’t invited you after our move. Come over some time.”
“Can I go over any time?”
“I think so. Let me check. Manager!”
Her manager was on the phone, so he only turned his head to her call.
“What?”
“Can I invite my friend over to my dorm?”
“Hm. You’re in Complex B, right?”
“Yeah. Unit 503.”
“Just don’t be too noisy. Oh, hey, Yoon Ji.”
“Hello.”
Her manager saw Yoon Ji and immediately got up to greet her.
“But tell me in advance. Just in case.”
“Okay, I will.”
Her manager went back to talking on the phone.
Ye Seul shook her pinkie at Yoon Ji while making sure her manager didn’t see. It was her way of saying he had a new girlfriend. Fans would be disappointed, but idols also dated. Some actually liked the thrill of dating behind the fans’ backs.
“You seem to be cruising through life.”
“Oh, hello.”
“Hello.”
Ye Seul was startled by the sudden voice she heard, but she said hello followed by Yoon Ji. They were faced by their 7-year senior in the girl group industry, who didn’t seem impressed at all.
“Back in my day, we went around greeting all our seniors. But I guess it’s the other way around now.”
“I’m sorry.”
That was weird. They weren’t on the sheet of the day. They still bowed and apologized. When the other members started approaching, she stopped them with her hand.
“Who cares if your company is great when your character sucks?”
“I’m sorry.”
Ye Seul kept her head down in response to the sarcastic remarks given to her.
‘This senior’s agency is Oreo, right?’
Oreo had an alliance with JT Entertainment and was famous for harassing the newbies of Hosoo Entertainment. Baby Angel wasn’t complete newbies, but they were no comparison to a 7-year senior. She had heard that they go around asserting their dominance, but she didn’t think they would actually show up like this.
Her manager contemplated stepping in, but Ye Seul signaled him to stay out of it to not make things worse. The senior’s manager looked like he really wanted to start a fight. Seeing how he was much bigger, he would have sent her manager to the afterlife.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t you know what happens when a bad rumor gets out in this industry? I’m going to keep my eye on you.”
She became feistier in response to Ye Seul’s apology, so her manager couldn’t help but step up.
“That’s enough.”
“What are you talking about? Don’t disturb a senior from teaching her junior. Are you a noob?”
The other manager jumped in as well.
“We’ll take care of teaching our kids, so you focus on teaching yours.”
“What? Hey! You son of a bitch! How old are you? Huh?”
He went to grab him by the throat, but he wasn’t able to do so. He wanted to scream and snatch away from the hand that grabbed his wrist, but the pain of his breaking bones prevented him from making a sound.
“Our manager told you to stop. Why don’t you listen?”
Ahn Soo Ho twisted his wrist and pushed him away.
Other people would have thought he didn’t stand a chance, but he was someone that normal people couldn’t handle due to his experience on the battlefield. The big manager got on his knees in pain, and the senior idol was taken aback.
“CEO Ahn?”
“Wow, CEO?”
“That’s Ahn Soo Ho.”
Ahn Soo Ho’s appearance elicited various responses. He only went there to take care of his Hosoo family, but he ended up seeing a strange sight.
‘Do people still fight like this?’
He believed that one shouldn’t meddle in such situations, but something like this should have been reported.
“What happened, Manager?”
“I’m sorry, CEO Ahn. This is all my fault.”
“I’m not trying to question you. How did this happen?”
“Well…”
Following what happened with JT Entertainment, pathetic fools got together and engaged in acts of conspiracy. He heard that there were conflicts. However, such behavior could be seen in almost every field, so he didn’t think too much about it.
‘This is very organized and vile.’
But the scene was different from what he imagined. Ahn Soo Ho took turns looking at the big manager on the floor and the awkward girl.
“Hey.”
“Ye…yes?”
The big manager immediately got up and stood up straight. His behavior told him that he made a living off of using his fists. There was only so much an athlete could do after failing to represent the country in the Olympics.
“If you try something like that again, I’ll really teach you a lesson.”
The big manager just nodded like crazy. He didn’t know why, but his instincts told him to just nod and agree. Ahn Soo Ho looked at the senior idol and knit his brows.
“I don’t know your name, but who are you to criticize Ye Seul’s character as someone who’s picking a fight with her over nothing, you crazy wench?”
As soon as the girl who was humiliating Ye Seul got humiliated back, her face turned pale.
“If I hear about this happening to my kids ever again, I’ll ruin your life. Got it?”
She nodded with a pale face. Ahn Soo Ho shook his head as if he couldn’t be bothered.
“Piss off.”
The two of them disappeared without looking back. He was so taken aback that he lost his temper, but despite the sharp looks he received, he laughed bitterly inside. He had a feeling more rumors would start after today.
“So refreshing!”
“Wow! CEO Ahn is so awesome!”
“That cured my constipation!”
“Please sit over here!”
He just sat down while the Baby Angel members egged him on. It wasn’t just Hosoo Entertainment’s people in the waiting room. There were other agencies who didn’t get involved. In the entertainment world, A person couldn’t waste energy hating on other people when one couldn’t even take care of his or her own future.
Even dating a successful person was a skill.
These kids had no fear.
They must have had a lot of fascination with a CEO who didn’t have a bulging belly but rather a very handsome and tall gentleman instead. After a few questions, it turned into a small meeting centered on Ahn Soo Ho. They almost couldn’t tell who was the celebrity and who was not. They sat around and bet on ice cream through a game.
Clap-
“27!”
“28!”
The section of hell began.
Clap-
Clap-
Clap-
Clap-
Clap-
She got it wrong. She had to clap twice, but she only clapped once.
“Agh!”
“It’s Min Jung!”
“Min Jung has been chosen!”
In response to the older members who were ready to tear her apart, Min Jung looked at Ahn Soo Ho for help with desperate eyes.
“Volunteer! Volunteer!”
“Volunteer!”
“The youngest will grant your wish!”
However, who was that? It was the uncompromising guy that disqualified Yesterday’s Mina on national television.
“I’m not interested in minors.”
“Oh!”
They jeered at his immediate rejection, which he made with a straight face.
“Why? Why? Am I the bad one? What about Logan?”
“White men are difficult…”
“White men?”
Ahn Soo Ho tilted his head, and then laughed as he took out his card from his wallet.
“Here! I’m in a good mood today.”
“Wow! You’re the best, CEO Ahn!”
“Stop saying stuff that makes you sound like the ARS.”
“I want mint chocolate chip!”
“Ice cream should always be vanilla!”
“I want Melona!”
In the midst of the rowdy surroundings, Ye Seul trembled with the black card in her hand.
‘Is this the black card that only the richest can own? These can buy houses, too?’
The topic of a variety show a few days back was credit cards. That was when she first learned that there were ranks to credit cards. She didn’t have much interest, and she had only used debit cards all her life.
While Ye Seul felt emotional, someone grabbed her by the shoulder.
“Huh?”
“You’re not thinking of running off with it, are you, Leader?”
“Oh…oh.”
Even though Ye Seul was the leader, she was one of the youngest in the group. The two other members took her by each arm.
“We don’t want to send you off alone. Let’s go together, Ye Seul.”
“No, that’s okay…”
“Hey! It’s not good to be greedy. Stop being foolish!”
They recited lines from a historical drama and dragged Ye Seul away. The vibe in the waiting room wasn’t bad following the mini meeting and the game they had. The idols made friends with other idols, the managers made friends with other managers, and the employees made friends with other employees. And the coordinators and stylists who were interested in marriage showed interest in Logan.
The phone inside his pocket started vibrating.
He checked the background screen and raised his eyebrows. The number was restricted. They even used 2nd and 3rd locking devices to secure their privacy. At this point, their location couldn’t be secured. Ahn Soo Ho went outside and left through the emergency exit. When he answered the phone, he heard a familiar voice.
“What took you so long to pick up?”
She spoke in a persistent tone.
“Soo Ho?”
“I’m listening.”
Just as he thought.
She couldn’t die that easily.
“I’m in Korea right now.”
“Was Japan your doing?”
“Mm, I did lay a hand on it, but not enough to put my name on it.”
“There must have been a lot of bottled up feelings.”
“Well, they treated me like an object. If they at least treated me like a person, I wouldn’t have gone that far. I would have just screwed a few people over.”
As soon as rumors about the Dresden File went around, the Japanese government locked her up. There were lots of war criminal enterprises in the States and Europe, but they couldn’t be compared to that of Japan. Rather than negotiating, most Japanese companies were ready to go to war for Tenno. But due to the chaos after the war, it became hidden. What made that possible was the fact that the States led how Japan dealt with it before and after, which allowed a secretive agreement possible.
“I won’t cause you any harm, so don’t worry, Soo Ho.”
“What are you going to do, Kumiko?”
That was right. The person on the other end of the call was the Accompanist, who was declared dead.
“I don’t think I’m the only one who came to Korea.”
“What?”
“Anya, Gizzling, Margo, D-Rabbit, B-Arc, Antellasini.”
“Crazy bastards!”
They were followers who kept Ahn Soo Ho on top before he retired. They were similar to passionate fans who followed their favorite celebrities everywhere. He had already met Henry, who managed the bulletin boards and was the president of the fan club, when he was in China.
He heard Kumiko laughing over the phone.
“You have to hold a fan meeting, Soo Ho.”
< Protect – Episode 75 – Fan Meeting [2] > The end.