Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 17. The Most Effective Way to Remove a Bomb (2)

Ji Suho arrived at the meeting place in a record 30 minutes. Despite hanging up on me hastily, he approached quite politely, gritting his teeth, and said,

“What the hell were you talking about out of nowhere…?”

“You asked what was going on. I just stated the facts.”

“I was really shocked because other employees might have heard it.”

I always felt this, but for someone titled Miro’s guardian deity, he was surprisingly soft-hearted.

I was now eating a hamburger set at a nearby burger joint with Ji Suho, who had run over as soon as I hung up the phone. There was a brief moment of worry about whether an idol trainee should be eating this, but the fragrant smell of French fries quickly dispelled any doubts.

Well, if I’m anxious, I’ll just have to run ten laps around the track tonight.

“Suddenly talking about a Director and a promotion. What are you talking about out of the blue?”

I told Ji Suho, who was looking at me with wide rabbit-like eyes, everything I had learned from beginning to end. The daring deeds the Director was pulling off and the tyranny he was inflicting on the trainees. Just in case, I didn’t mention Joo Eunchan or Dan Haru’s names.

“…I had no idea.”

“Well, you were in charge of Enderway exclusively from the start.”

“But still, to have no clue about such things happening in the company….”

Ji Suho gritted his teeth as if genuinely upset.

“Anyway, because of that, I’m thinking of cutting the Director off from Miro this time.”

“How? It won’t be easy. Even though he’s currently treated like an outcast within the company, he’s still a founding contributor.”

“……”

“He’s often criticized for lacking sense, but many also praise his keen eye for finding good trainee talents.”

The problem was that he only picked trainees to exploit with that keen eye.

I shrugged my shoulders while picking the longest, crispiest-looking French fry and dipping it into the milkshake.

“Team Leader.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know the quickest way to defuse a bomb?”

The French fry I had bitten into fell back into the milkshake. The slightly melted shake splashed a little.

“It’s to blow it up. It’s the most certain way. No worry about it exploding again, no fear of failing to defuse it properly.”

“…It’s not safe, though.”

“Then what’s the safest way to blow up a bomb?”

Isn’t it unsafe the moment it explodes? Even if Ji Suho seemed to say that with his eyes, I continued speaking.

“You make the person who planted the bomb blow it up.”

“That’s not safe at all.”

“I’m safe.”

“……”

“I’m not in a position to worry about the safety of a Director who exploits minors.”

The person who sowed it should reap it. As I spoke with a subtle smile, Ji Suho creaked. Was that what that saying originally meant?

“So, what are you going to do?”

Despite everything, he seemed curious as he asked me with a completely puzzled face.

Of course, I had prepared an answer for such a question. I handed him a stack of A4 papers from the L-file I had kept beside me.

“What is this?”

“Read it.”

“…Those who wish to reach the sun, soar?”

“Read further below.”

“Provisional title, ‘Finding Miro’s Icarus’? What’s this?”

I threw a fastball cheerfully at Ji Suho, who was flipping through the A4 pages in bewilderment.

“It’s a survival show. An internal survival competition to decide Miro’s next boy group.”

Who can decide who deserves to debut?

The public can. Especially when Miro’s hardcore fans, who firmly adhere to the ‘agency’s undying love’ policy, are there, there’s no reason it can’t be done.

“That’s the item you’ll bring to the next meeting with the CEO.”

“Miro’s next survival show!? With what money?”

“Ah, that’s all prepared. Will you open to page 8?”

At my words, Ji Suho turned to page 8 as if in a trance. There, several investors interested in the proposal, major brands showing potential for sponsorship, and the contacts of broadcasting PDs and outsourcing production companies suitable for leading the project were listed.

“I worked in broadcasting during my first life.”

“You were an idol trainee, weren’t you?”

“That was briefly in my teens. I quit and looked for ways to make a living.”

“You said you worked at an agency too?”

“That was during a short leave of absence from university.”

After pondering my words for a moment, Ji Suho asked seriously,

“…What haven’t you done?”

“Well. An idol?”

As I answered nonchalantly, Ji Suho seemed to accept it again, and he looked through the proposal I had written once more.

Reading and rereading it seemed to make him quite nervous. It felt like I needed a confirmation to feel relieved.

“Anyway, the Director isn’t interested in the next debut group. He’ll be more focused on picking out good kids before the debut group is decided. So, we should defend ourselves before he starts any tricks.”

“A survival show… as a defense?”

“You’re not going to debut all the current trainees anyway. Moreover, in the current state, honestly, those who didn’t enter the special class have no chance.”

Even in internal survival competitions, there were cases of predetermined winners, but the advantage of survival shows was that they got broadcasted.

If a trainee was eliminated from the internal debut group, no one would remember his dream, but if he was broadcasted, it was a different story.

“Even if they don’t debut, they can make a name for themselves among the countless K-pop wanderers eagerly awaiting the next rookie.”

Once they showed their potential, the opportunities could expand endlessly, from establishing a solid position within the company to receiving love calls from other agencies.

So, this was the ‘fair opportunity for everyone’ I had promised Joo Eunchan.

“Even if the proposal is fine, how did you get these investors?”

“That’s a trade secret.”

Ji Suho looked like he wanted to know how I got the investment proposal, but there were trade secrets on this side too.

“You’ll get hurt if you know.”

“It’s not illegal, right?”

“…Yes. For now.”

Anyway, they weren’t committing to immediate investments, just showing interest, so more detailed discussions would be more appropriate once the proposal became a reality within Miro.

“I’ll review it first. Anyway, it’s not an easy item to bring up out of the blue. It’s also the first survival show in Miro.”

I nodded, not intending to assign this as homework like a subordinate. Now that I had brought out one thing, we needed to discuss more specifics about how to detonate the bomb…

Brrring—,

“Ah. Sorry. A sudden call.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll take a look at this proposal.”

Wondering who it could be, I checked my phone to see Dan Haru’s number, which I had saved recently, pop up.

‘…? I didn’t summon him.’

I hadn’t even recruited him as a colleague yet, so why a call? A prickly feeling buzzed like radar. Ah, I’m good at sensing these things.

“Hello? Why, what’s up?”

-Hyung, please help Taehyun hyung!

“What are you talking about, suddenly?”

-Taehyun hyung is at Rene right now. It seems like he had a big fight with Minseok hyung!

“What?”

The little kitten who was getting hit finally snapped. Ah, damn it.

* * *

“Dan Haru!”

“Hyung….”

“Oh. Manager Jang.”

“It’s nice to see you again under such circumstances, Team Leader. Shall we talk privately for a moment?”

The new Rene office building’s conference room, which I was visiting for the first time, was as flashy as a Greek temple.

Of course, it was Rene’s Manager Jang Seoyun who greeted us upon arrival. Leaving the complicated coordination to Ji Suho, I entered the conference room where Seo Taehyun was with Dan Haru.

The cherry boy who used to smile cheerfully now sat in the corner of the conference room with a face carrying the world’s rebellion.

Seeing Seo Taehyun, who still had angry eyes and avoided my gaze, something boiled inside me. He seemed to have had a fistfight, judging by the scratches on his usually clean face.

Though I hadn’t seen him much, in that short time, I seemed to have formed a bond. Countless nagging thoughts quickly crossed my mind.

Are you in your right mind? An idol trainee hitting someone? When you should be stuck at home on your day off, binge-watching Netplus, what? What are you going to do if you end up debuting later? Do you want people to say you’re someone who goes around beating others? Are you a gangster? Is this what you trained so hard for?

And among all those thoughts, the first words that came out were these.

“Seo Taehyun.”

“……”

“Did you win?”

No, that’s not it.

“…Hyung?”

“……”

Even I was the most surprised after saying that, but since I had already said it, I continued as nonchalantly as possible.

“Don’t tell me you lost?”

“…I won!”

“Good. Congrats, man.”

“……”

When I prodded, Seo Taehyun, who looked like he was about to cry, immediately opened his mouth. Ah, these turbulent teenage years are really tough.

“Good for you, Taehyun. You beat Cha Minseok.”

“…Don’t mock me. What do you know?”

There was no way pretty words would come out of Seo Taehyun, who had boarded the crooked ship properly. Dan Haru looked surprised, as if seeing

this side of Seo Taehyun for the first time. But I found this side easier to deal with than the forced smile.

“Really? What don’t I know?”

“……”

“Like the anxiety of not being able to debut because you lost the concept and position fight during Boy’s World?”

“The impatience that your prime has already flickered and gone out?”

Seo Taehyun looked at me with a face as if asking how I had seen through him. I, leaning my chin on my hand, leisurely prepared the next uppercut.

“Or maybe the anger at the Director who threatened you that you won’t debut, and at Cha Minseok who left you and went to Rene?”

“…Hyung, did you hear all that back then?”

“So, what don’t I know? If there’s something, tell me. I’ll take it into account.”

Guessing from the past life’s memories, Seo Taehyun’s true feelings were exactly what I had thought. Seo Taehyun bit his lip until it turned red in embarrassment. Seriously, does he not care about his own body?

I jabbed Seo Taehyun’s joints.

“Ah! Are you crazy? Why are you jabbing my leg?”

“Aren’t you an idol trainee?”

“……”

“Won’t you relax your mouth? If you get a scar on your lips, will you Photoshop each one out?”

Seo Taehyun hurriedly checked his lips, realizing he was in rebellion mode again, then roughly dropped his hand.

“…I’m not going to debut anyway. What does it matter if I bite my lips?”

Seo Taehyun’s true feelings, finally revealed in a twisted form, were more torn apart than I had imagined. His voice, cracking as he tried to hold back tears, became even deeper.

“I’m not going to debut anyway. I’m going to quit.”

Seo Taehyun declared with a determined face. It was completely opposite to the path he took in his past life.