Siblings Work in Business (146)
“…Let’s call it a day and meet again tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
“Yes. We have a meeting, so we can’t see you out. Get home safely.”
“Thank you for your time.”
Hwa-rang stood up, politely clasped her hands together, and bowed.
Then, she left NRY Entertainment without a backward glance.
It was still raining.
Hwa-rang opened her umbrella, left the building, and walked down the alley, her steps measured and calm.
And the moment she left the alley where NRY Entertainment was located…
“Ugh…”
She collapsed on the wet ground, seemingly unconcerned about her dirty knees.
“I thought my heart was going to explode…”
The moment she entered NRY Entertainment…
She had been slightly taken aback by the small, cramped office, compared to TaKa Entertainment.
She had expected at least a separate building, if not a high-rise, for a company that was considered a threat to TaKa.
She hadn’t imagined it would be in such an ordinary commercial building.
The atmosphere inside, however, was a stark contrast to the unassuming exterior.
A peaceful and warm atmosphere, yet filled with focused staff members who seemed to take pride in their work.
‘It’s been so long since I’ve seen…’
…such a work environment. It was the complete opposite of the lethargic atmosphere at TaKa, and she felt a strange tension.
“Did someone arrive? It can’t be the kids, they’re never this quiet…”
She heard a voice from nearby, presumably CEO Park Chang-seok.
‘Is he referring to the E-UNG siblings as ‘kids’?’
Just as she wondered…
“Who… are you?”
CEO Park Chang-seok, whom she had only heard of, appeared.
‘Wow…’
He was wearing a simple white short-sleeved shirt and dress pants.
But his posture was impressive, unlike his ordinary clothes.
He was completely different from CEO Song of TaKa, who had narrow shoulders and a protruding belly, even in a suit, like an alien.
CEO Park of NRY, on the other hand, clearly took care of himself. His broad shoulders and toned arms strained against his shirt sleeves.
‘Even the CEO has a perfect physique…’
She had already made up her mind, but seeing him in person reinforced her decision.
‘This is it.’
This was the place.
Sensing the company’s atmosphere, she resolved to join them.
“Hello!”
She bowed deeply, greeting him in a cheerful voice.
“And you are…?”
“Kim Hwa-rang!”
“I… see…”
CEO Park’s eyes widened momentarily, then he led her inside.
Then, she expressed her desire to join his company.
Of course, his reaction wasn’t positive.
She had expected that.
So she was about to reveal the items she had brought to prove her worth when…
“Oh, we have a guest.”
She turned her head towards the commotion…
‘Wow…’
…and couldn’t help but exclaim inwardly.
She knew E-UNG were talented singers. She had watched the videos CEO Song forced her to watch, focusing on their expressions, their stage presence, and their choreography.
But it seemed the camera couldn’t capture everything.
Seeing them in person, she felt a sense of awe, as if they were on a different level.
Their bright energy and uninhibited movements, even with their slightly disheveled, rain-soaked appearance, were captivating.
They had a unique aura, a mysterious charm hidden beneath their cheerful facade.
Mesmerized, she stared at them, and then, wanting to interact with them somehow, she blurted out,
“Hello, Seniors!”
That’s where she made a mistake.
Not knowing what to say, she just said the first thing that came to mind.
“I’m Kim Hwa-rang, and I’m here to be a trainee at NRY!”
“…Huh?”
Lee Eun-ho’s calm gaze made her shrink, and she realized what she had just said.
‘I’m… crazy. I’m so crazy!’
She was panicking. Although she maintained a calm exterior, her mind was a mess.
“Um… aren’t you… from ‘B&C’?”
“Not anymore, Senior. I disbanded the group before coming here.”
I answered his question with a smile, like a robot.
But my heart was in turmoil.
It started when Eun-ji approached me, calling me “unnie.”
I had completely lost it.
‘Why are you talking like that?! You sound so pathetic! His expression is not good! Kim Hwa-rang, shut up! Just shut up!’
I rambled on, my mind blank.
I had just blurted everything out, thinking, ‘Just tell them everything!’
That’s why I always carried a voice recorder.
I panicked during lessons and forgot everything, so I recorded them to review later.
‘Although I often lost the recorder too…’
I hadn’t imagined that habit would lead to this.
「“You’re so clumsy despite your appearance. Here, I’ll hold onto it for you. It’s an expensive pen.”」
Manager Jo always kept the pen for me.
And he was one of CEO Song’s close associates, often drinking with him.
「“If I say ‘bombs,’ would that be a sufficient explanation?”」
Why did I say that?
That’s why I couldn’t debut. Stupid Kim Hwa-rang.
As I replayed the conversation in my head, bits and pieces about ‘G-MISIC shares’ and other nonsense…
I had brought the recordings to prove my worth to NRY Entertainment, hoping they would accept me.
But I hadn’t intended to present it so… arrogantly.
‘It sounded like I was saying, ‘Take this and accept me!’’
I sighed and stood up. My pants were wet up to my knees.
‘Just like my situation… ugh!’
What if they told me I wasn’t welcome and kicked me out tomorrow, just like when I first arrived?
‘Ha, I even brought my TaKa contract to show them it was over… wait, where is it?’
My contract! I looked down, and my hand was empty. The envelope with my TaKa contract was gone.
‘D-Did I leave it behind?’
“Oh, what’s this?”
“Huh?”
Eun-ji picked up an envelope that had fallen near the entrance.
“TaKa Entertainment?”
“Hwa-rang must have dropped it. Hey, hey, hey!”
It was too late.
Eun-ji had already opened the envelope.
“Oh? It’s a contract.”
“You shouldn’t just open other people’s mail.”
“It was already open.”
“…Whatever. What do I even expect from you?”
“What?! Why are you picking a fight?!”
While Eun-ji was yelling, the CEO took the envelope from her.
He took out the papers and read them, then muttered,
“If she didn’t renew her contract, then she wasn’t lying.”
I leaned closer and looked at the contract with the CEO.
It seemed like Hwa-rang had come prepared, just in case we didn’t believe her.
She wasn’t lying.
The contract had expired months ago.
If she hadn’t renewed her contract and still promoted as B&C, there was no issue of a dual contract.
“CEO, besides the dual contract issue and her being a member of B&C, what do you think of Hwa-rang? Based on your standards.”
The CEO seemed surprised by my question, then he thought for a moment.
“She’s… decent. CEO Song failed to nurture her talent. Seven years as a trainee is a long time, her skills must be better than yours were, Eun-ho…”
Lee Eun-ji snickered annoyingly next to me.
I flinched at the sudden mention of my past skills, my composure faltering.
I wanted to retort, but I couldn’t.
Because it was true.
“A-Anyway, about the recordings…”
I changed the subject, feeling embarrassed.
“She obviously didn’t get permission from CEO Song or the staff member he was talking to, right?”
“Of course. They wouldn’t have agreed to be recorded talking about this.”
I had initially just wanted to change the subject, but now that I thought about the recordings…
“If we release this, it will damage TaKa, but it will also hurt us.”
The recordings were like a gun.
The moment we fired it, their fate would be in our hands.
But the damage to ourselves would also be significant.
And although Hwa-rang wanted to destroy TaKa and bring Toxin to our company…
I looked at the CEO.
Was it necessary to go this far?
“Our company isn’t exactly failing. Can’t we bring in the seniors without using this?”
“Haha, that’s right.”
The CEO chuckled, seemingly pleased with my trust in him, and nodded.
“And TaKa Entertainment, although its internal structure might be collapsing, still maintains a good public image.”
The CEO nodded.
“A large company like that has a lot of financial ties, and even if the CEO messed up, the shareholders can always replace him.”
There was still a chance for them to recover.
So, releasing this bomb now could be like stepping on a landmine.
“So we’re not using this? I wanted to get revenge for them stealing our debut stage.”
Eun-ji asked, holding up the pen recorder.
“I’m just saying, let’s keep our options open. Calm down, you fighting cock.”
“Fighting cock? You’re the one who’s too passive.”
“I just don’t want to be the ones who start the fight. If things are this bad, someone else will release it eventually.”
Eun-ji, seemingly not understanding my analogy, frowned.
“TaKa interfered with our promotions this time.”
“Yes.”
“What if something like this happens again?”
“Oh, oh! I see. If we release this then, they’ll be screwed… oh.”
Eun-ji, just as she said “screwed,” seemed to remember the CEO’s presence.
The CEO glared at her, and she quickly apologized.