Chapter 49

A few hours earlier, after his private meeting with Executive Director Choi.

Nam Jeongho remained at the company a little longer. Then, late at night, after everyone had gone home, he took the access key in question and headed to Division Five’s A&R team office.

Until he set out, he had been worried about what would happen if Executive Director Choi asked, “Did you go where I told you?”

But when he actually reached the deserted office, a different fear abruptly closed around his throat.

Is it really okay to do this?

That fear doubled when the access key he held to the reader actually unlocked the door.

Nam Jeongho stepped inside on trembling feet.

I’m not trying to do anything wrong.

Executive Director Choi was merely trying to intimidate him... This was something like a test of courage, and it would not cause Gowon any harm whatsoever.

They were all part of the same company anyway. What was so wrong with hearing it a little early?

...That has to be true....

No matter how much he tried to rationalize it, his heart would not stop pounding.

Nam Jeongho looked around the office uneasily until he found a computer left defenselessly powered on, protected by nothing but the door lock.

Then, inside a cloud folder, he found a file.

[Gowon] New Song_demo ver

At that moment, curiosity overcame fear.

Music flowed from the speakers, their volume turned as low as possible.

“.......”

The song began quietly, like waves lapping around his ankles, then rapidly surged into a storm while he stood there entranced.

Nam Jeongho’s lips pressed tightly together of their own accord, and the corners of his eyes grew hot.

The song is so good.

It was so good that it almost felt excessive.

And this was not merely a matter of coveting the song, as he had with <DRIFT>.

From the very first line, Gowon’s face came to mind. The deep blue-black image established by his debut song rolled through the entire track like waves.

This was a song made solely for Gowon. Something the genius named Baek Hanje had created for him and him alone....

Nam Jeongho remained there as if bewitched, listening to the music. In the end, he shut it off just before the bridge and fled the office.

...Can we beat Gowon when he promotes with that song?

No. We have to beat him. What am I saying?

But both Gowon’s talent and the opportunities he had been given felt like an enormous wall. A wall gradually pushing Jeongho toward the edge of a cliff.

Far from setting his motivation ablaze, it only left his mind more tangled. The thought of having to cajole and coax the members into practicing starting tomorrow made his stomach ache even more.

Still, after cooling his head in the quiet room, he thought he was beginning to feel a little better.

Creak—

Then the door finally opened.

Nam Jeongho thought the timing was the worst thing that had happened to him lately.

Nam Jeongho shared a room with Jung Yusang. The process of choosing roommates had been filmed as original content, and fans had cheered for the pairing of the immature, noisy youngest member and the leader who always took care of him despite constantly clutching his forehead at his antics. Jeongho had known that, which was why he had deliberately lost the game.

“Brother, are you okay?!”

If you know I’m not okay, either don’t come in or just leave me alone.

Yusang came all the way to Jeongho’s bed and clung to him.

“Why? Is the executive director going on about Gowon again?”

“...Yusang.”

“I appeared on an entertainment show with that bastard last time, remember? He’s fucking terrible at talking. Whenever I take the conversation a few steps forward, he can’t even keep the back-and-forth going. He just shuts his mouth, you know? He only blew up for a moment because of <Debut Chart>. All that’s left is for him to fade.”

“.......”

“Brother, just trust me. I’ll go on another entertainment show next time and make a real impact.”

Jung Yusang had appeared alone with Gowon on a terrestrial television entertainment program the last time, without any of the other members.

The reason was simple. Newton had been given only one spot, and Jung Yusang was Newton’s center.

It was uncommon for a group’s underage youngest member to also be its most popular member, but Yusang was exactly that.

Gowon had placed first on <Debut Chart>, making him the center there, and now that he had debuted as a solo artist, he was still the center.

And Yusang would be the center forever too.

What did it feel like to be born a natural center? What was it like not to worry about how much screen time you would get that day, or know the disappointment of being placed at the very edge of a formation?

“Next time I go on another entertainment show, I’ll put him firmly in his place.”

His words overflowed with certainty that if only one member went again “next time,” it would be him.

Nam Jeongho forced down the ugly feelings rising toward the boy three years younger than him.

“Yeah, all right.”

“Then let’s go out and eat something. With the others.”

“We’re promoting. Why would we eat at this hour? The manager will scold us if we look swollen tomorrow.”

Even now, this is what comes out of my mouth....

Right. They’re the members I have to look after.

He was just trying to settle his thoughts when Yusang spoke again.

“The manager? It’s fine. I’ll cover for you. They never get angry at me for eating. They keep telling me to grow as much as I can while I’m still growing so I can try acting later. If they say anything, I’ll lie down and throw a fit that I won’t grow tall enough to become an actor.”

At those words, everything Jeongho had kept buried inside suddenly burst out.

“Yeah. Must be fucking nice.”

“...What?”

“Newton is about to be called the first flop group K-Dom ever produced, but at least you’ll survive. Must be nice.”

“Jeongho...? A flop group? Why would you say something like that...?”

“Jung Yusang. You’re the only one who’s popular, so you can’t see what’s happening, can you? You couldn’t care less about what the other members and I are worried about, could you?”

Bewilderment spread across Jung Yusang’s face. His brown eyes blinked several times.

“Then I can just... work even harder and carry all of you. What is there to worry about?”

Yusang did not realize that this was the one thing he should never have said.

“Get out.”

“Brother....”

“I said get out!”

The members, hearing him shout, hurriedly opened the door and entered.

“Hey, Jung Yusang, you little bastard. I told you not to go in.”

“Come on. Get out, get out.”

The members dragged Yusang outside, his face still stricken with shock. Yusang did not resist them as he stepped away from the bed. But until the moment he left the room, his gaze remained fixed on Nam Jeongho.

“...Brother, sorry. Stay alone.”

Leaving behind his clumsy Korean, the foreign member Liam closed the door.

“Ha....”

Nam Jeongho curled up beneath the dark blanket as though embracing his own depression.

***

K-Dom Entertainment’s employee cafeteria.

The cafeteria had become famous early on through the vlogs and original content of the company’s artists. Its menu was lavish and delicious enough to attract widespread attention.

The employees who had spent all morning waiting for lunchtime gathered in small groups and headed down to the first basement floor.

“Whoa, that looks good.”

Assistant Manager Kim from Division Five’s marketing team picked up a tray, deeply satisfied with the company’s employee benefits. The main dish that day was cheese pork cutlet. As he stood before the mountain of prepared cutlets, one thick piece was placed on his tray.

“Could I have one more?”

“Of course. We have plenty.”

“Then... three?”

The cafeteria worker looked at Assistant Manager Kim’s build, apparently decided he was a big eater, and willingly gave him three pieces. When outside security personnel or large managers came in, they sometimes received four or five, so this was hardly unreasonable.

“Good grief. Can you really finish all that?”

“Absolutely.”

Assistant Manager Shin, from the same marketing team, laughed as though impressed and searched for a place where they could sit together. They had just found empty seats and started walking toward them when—

“Wow, he’s stuffing all of that down by himself. Seriously, does he have no professional ethics?”

Huh?

When the two turned around, the speakers immediately pretended they had been talking about something else. But there was no denying that the remark had been directed at them.

“N-No, they could just ask for more too...!”

“Just leave them alone.”

“...Okay.”

The two forced themselves to ignore it and walked past. Still, they ate with a small knot of resentment lodged inside them. As the Division Five employees gradually filled the seats beside them, Assistant Manager Kim complained about what had just happened.

“Who said it?”

“Those people over there. The one in the blue shirt and the people around them.”

“They’re from Division Four. They’re certainly putting their energy to productive use on such a hot day....”

“Oh, they were from Division Four? Then I suppose they have plenty to be angry about.”

One person lowered their voice slightly, as though consoling Assistant Manager Kim.

“Happiness is determined by performance.”

Pfft!

Laughter spread among the people seated together.

No one could deny that during the first half of the year, Gowon’s results had been vastly better than Newton’s.

When they glanced toward the other group with quiet laughter still hanging from their lips, the people across from them could hardly fail to notice.

The unpleasant hostility they had flung at Division Five moments earlier now spread through their own group as well.

Feeling at least slightly vindicated, the Division Five employees tried to continue their meal.

“God, why are they eating so loudly? Do they think they own the cafeteria? Seriously, they have no professional ethics.”

“You know which division they’re from. Try to understand. You can tell how people normally behave just by watching how they eat.”

The provoking voices came again.

“Excuse me.”

At last, Manager Yoon, the least tolerant member of the Division Five group, tilted their head sharply and raised their voice.

“You were talking about us just now, weren’t you? Why are you trying to start something?”

“What? I said I understood why you were loud because you’re from Division Five. Why are you taking that as an attack?”

“What exactly do you mean by saying you understand because we’re from Division Five?”

“I mean it’s typical of Division Five. Why? Does being told you act like Division Five strike a nerve?”

“Wouldn’t you be offended if I said you were acting just like Division Four, sniveling and grumbling from the back because that’s all you’re capable of?”

“What, you little...”