Siblings Working in Business (177)
Song Nam-chul of TaKa Entertainment.
He smirked as he looked at the flood of articles.
Oh Hyun’s marijuana controversy, classic car enthusiast Choi Tae-hyun’s unregistered car controversy, and so on.
None of it was true.
All of it were controversies fabricated by Song Nam-chul himself.
“Park Chang-seok, that guy who was under me, dares to challenge me? Looks like the guys you raised are going down with you. Hahahaha.”
The stock prices did waver for a moment.
But everything would quiet down once these guys renewed their contracts with TaKa.
Why?
Because he had already prepared the bait to turn things around.
He would just lump Hwa-rang, that bat-like traitor who declared his solo departure from B&C and crawled into NRY, together with E-UNG and burn them all.
The shareholders were making a fuss, but it was fine.
Everything would go back to normal once Toxin returned.
Toxin’s fans had been demanding new music.
Although Song Nam-chul had been ignoring their requests, he didn’t want to just use Toxin for commercials.
The Toxin members, despite their age, kept wanting to try things that weren’t commercially viable, which he didn’t like.
So, he kept them doing only commercials until they gave up, and now their contracts were about to expire.
“Why do they make me out to be the bad guy? Stupid bastards.”
Song Nam-chul put a cigarette in his mouth and put his feet up on his desk, shoes still on.
His short legs barely reached the edge of the desk. Just then…
Slam!
“Damn it! You scared me! Ouch!”
The office door suddenly burst open.
Song Nam-chul lost his balance, and the cigarette ash fell on his thigh.
“What the—!”
He hurriedly brushed off the ash, but it had already burned a hole in his expensive suit.
“Damn it.”
As Song Nam-chul looked up angrily…
He froze.
It was Choi Tae-hyun who had barged in.
His face was not just angry, but chillingly calm.
“T-Tae-hyun?”
Choi Tae-hyun quietly looked around Song Nam-chul’s office, then spoke calmly,
“I came because you seem to have forgotten.”
“…F-forgotten what?”
Although they had seen the tabloid articles, they didn’t know he was the one behind them yet.
No, even if they knew, it was fine.
He was the only one who knew how to cover it up.
Song Nam-chul relaxed, thinking this.
That was, until Choi Tae-hyun looked him in the eye and said,
“I came to warn you.”
“We’re the kind of people who can take down a company run by someone even worse than you.”
“For over 10 years, we earned you at least as much as you took care of us.”
“You know I took care of you, and yet you—”
Song Nam-chul’s face crumpled like a piece of paper.
Ignoring Song Nam-chul’s threat, Tae-hyun continued calmly,
“Don’t mess with people who have been obedient.”
“What?”
It was difficult for Song Nam-chul to act more brazenly.
Choi Tae-hyun seemed to know what he had done.
“Instead of wasting your time on nonsense like this, you should be thinking about how you’re going to manage this company after we leave, CEO.”
As he expected, they seemed to know everything.
“Y-you…”
“I’m done talking. I’ll be going now.”
Song Nam-chul clutched the back of his neck and let out a hollow laugh of disbelief.
“Do you think you can handle this without me?!”
“…”
Choi Tae-hyun, without answering, left the office.
When he reached the elevator…
Choi Tae-hyun checked his phone.
He scrolled through everyday conversations… then stopped.
His finger rested on a recording file sent by Eun-ho, titled “Bomb.”
[I thought it would be helpful for you to know this beforehand.]
Eun-ho’s words were accurate.
If he hadn’t heard this beforehand, Oh Hyun would have crumbled under the guilt again, and Choi Tae-hyun himself, although he wouldn’t have shown it outwardly…
“I would have thought about dying.”
Choi Tae-hyun sighed, closing and opening his eyes slowly.
People often forget.
Even though the name ‘Toxin’ was widely known…
Even though they had reached the top… they weren’t superhuman.
They were still human.
Unable to cope with the onslaught of articles, Oh Hyun had turned to alcohol.
While the other members tried to talk him out of it, saying he needed to stay sober…
Choi Tae-hyun checked the reactions of fans and non-fans on various social media platforms and comment sections.
Even though Choi Tae-hyun was also a target of the articles, perhaps because he was the oldest…
The younger members didn’t stop him.
‘How can they say such things to someone?’
So he read it all.
Every single word directed at him, at Oh Hyun, at Toxin…
It felt like they were being cut and stabbed all over.
Even if they denied it…
These people just needed something to tear apart.
Even if they learned the truth…
‘Oh, is that so?’
‘I see.’
Their pain was just gossip fodder.
When it was time to criticize, they swarmed in, but when it was time for an apology, no one remained.
He knew this from experience.
Team Leader Park Chang-seok always said,
Don’t give them any ammunition.
So, always…
Whenever they carried the name Toxin… always…
They were careful, extremely careful.
They were never careless.
Team Leader Park was like a god to Toxin.
His words were never wrong.
When they were driven to the edge and wondering if they should comply with the demands of their malicious agency…
「“Get a grip.”」
Team Leader Park told them not to crumble.
‘There’s always an end.’
He told them that what mattered most was their actions and mindset.
Team Leader Park eventually created an end.
And they were judged by the public.
Sliced and diced.
Watched by ‘eyes’ looking for flaws to exploit.
Thanks to Team Leader Park, they were able to pass the public’s judgment.
Song Nam-chul knew the key to escaping this crisis.
But it would create another victim.
When he first met Song Nam-chul, he was an ambitious man who wanted to grow his small company.
Ambition wasn’t a bad thing.
It was the seed of progress.
But its direction needed to be checked.
This became apparent after Team Leader Park left TaKa Entertainment.
After he left, many things changed at the company.
The board members, who used to speak their minds, grew tired of the unyielding Song Nam-chul and left the company one by one, following Team Leader Park.
There were plenty of places offering better terms.
There was no reason to stay at a rotting company.
Now, only they remained.
Song Nam-chul wanted them to create provocative music.
Music that would definitely get the public’s attention.
That meant not only positive attention but also the kind that attracted ‘hate.’
But their fans, the Potions, didn’t like that kind of image.
Even if they did, it wasn’t their style.
So they refused Song Nam-chul’s offer.
As a result…
For several years, they only received commercial and photoshoot offers.
Work that was far removed from their roles as singers.
The clever Ye-chan left as soon as his contract ended.
He started his own company and was now making the music he wanted.
Choi Tae-hyun opened his empty hand.
‘When was the last time I held a microphone?’
The last time he visited a recording studio was when he recorded “Wise” and “Hot Afternoon” with Ye-chan for E-UNG.
The Toxin members were now all in their mid-30s.
To survive and continue promoting amidst the flood of young idols was honestly pushing their limits.
Tae-hyun clenched his open hand into a fist.
He tightened his grip so hard that his nails dug into his palm, leaving marks.
‘I know it’s wishful thinking, but still.’
He, they, still wanted to sing as Toxin.
Alone in the elevator, Tae-hyun covered his face with his clenched fist.
‘Team Leader Park…’
Late 30s.
He was much older than when they debuted, but nothing had changed.
Ye-chan, Toxin’s leader, had left to pursue his own path, and now only he remained for his three same-age members.
But he didn’t know what to do when he became the target.
He wasn’t as smart as Ye-chan…
All he knew how to do was stand firm like a pillar.
That’s why he still sought out Team Leader Park Chang-seok in difficult times.
Because he would always have the answers for him.
‘So, please.’
In the elevator going down to the first floor of the TaKa Entertainment building, Choi Tae-hyun, momentarily shedding his title as the oldest member of Toxin, crumbled.
‘Like how you saved us back then.’
He didn’t want to disappear, buried under these baseless rumors.
Just once more.
Please save us.
Just once more.
‘Because I want to sing as Toxin.’
Please.
Save us.
“Please save me, Team Leader…”
On the way to the restaurant.
Ye-chan, Eun-ji, and Hwa-rang were sitting in the back, and Eun-ho was in the front.
CEO Park was driving.
After driving for a while, he quietly spoke,
“Eun-ho, Eun-ji.”
“Yes.”
“…”
CEO Park checked the rearview mirror, seeing no response from Eun-ji.
Perhaps because the restaurant was a bit far…
Or maybe because packing the boxes was more tiring than expected…
Eun-ji and Hwa-rang were asleep, leaning against each other.
Ji Ye-chan was looking out the window, lost in thought.
CEO Park chuckled and spoke,
“Eun-ho.”
“Yes.”
“Do you know what happened with Tae-hyun and Oh Hyun?”
“The Toxin Sunbaenims?”
“Yes.”
At the mention of it, Ji Ye-chan’s expression darkened with worry.
“There’s a shareholders’ meeting at G-MISIC soon.”
“A shareholders’ meeting…?”
Since Eun-ho hadn’t paid much attention to stocks, he didn’t quite understand.
Knowing this, CEO Park added a brief explanation,
“It means the people who own shares in Ye-chan’s company will gather.”
“Ah, yes.”
“I was planning to announce this a little later…”
CEO Park hesitated, then carefully continued,
“I’m planning to acquire Ye-chan’s company.”
Ji Ye-chan, sitting in the back, chuckled at CEO Park’s words.
“Before bringing Toxin in, our company needs a good reason, right?”
“Ah.”
He had expected Toxin to join NRY Entertainment to some extent.
But he didn’t understand the need to create a ‘reason.’
“The condition for the acquisition is to either destroy TaKa or remove Song Nam-chul from his position as CEO.”
Destroy TaKa or remove Song Nam-chul.
Eun-ho thought for a moment, then asked CEO Park, as if he had come to a conclusion,
“Are you planning to use the bomb that Hwa-rang brought?”
“Yes.”
CEO Park smiled warmly, seemingly proud of Eun-ho for understanding so quickly.