Chapter 70

If I can't debut, I'll get a disease that will kill me 070

As I walked into the room and opened the locked door, Isejin, who was sitting dejectedly on his bed, was startled.

“Ugh…!”

“Pull yourself together.”

I sat down on the opposite bed. Ryu Cheongwoo and Big Sejin, who I thought would follow me in immediately, were nowhere to be seen.

‘…They must have figured it out and left.’

That's what those two would do.

Well, whatever. Since Isejin is like this, there's no way he'll be able to sleep, so I might as well hear what he's thinking.

‘It would be nice if there was some alcohol.’

There was no way an idol group's dormitory, just starting out, would have such things. Regretfully, I just started talking.

“Bro, you know you're going to have a meeting with the company tomorrow, whether it's in the morning or at dawn, right?”

“…!”

“If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to stay here and sort out your thoughts a bit? Running away won't change the situation.”

After a considerable amount of time, Isejin finally spoke, as if the ‘Listen and it makes sense’ trait didn't activate this time.

“…I don't know.”

“What don't you know?”

“What I want to do….”

“…?”

Isn't it a bit late to be thinking about your career now?

“Do you want to go back to your previous agency and continue acting?”

“…I don't want to go back.”

“Then you do want to act, right?”

“…Isn't that obvious?”

Isejin buried his face in his palms.

“I never even considered being an idol….”

“….”

This feels like when I was in an abnormal state…?

I clicked my tongue.

‘He didn't participate in the audition voluntarily, I guess.’

“‘Ajuza’ seems to have participated because of the previous agency.”

“…That's right. They said I had to do something like this because I had been on hiatus for a long time….”

“Hmm.”

I said without thinking.

“You seem to have worked hard, though.”

“…I have to work hard, don't I? Because I can't do it.”

Isejin got a bit angry.

‘Hmm, that's different from what he said before.’

I remembered what he said to me in the final.

-You'll debut, so it won't end, that's what you mean? …That would be nice.

Isn't that also saying he wants to continue? Moreover, I could see the changes in Isejin's status window.

‘Now there's no F.’

Isejin, who started with an F in dance, had raised it to D+.

It wasn't a growth that could be achieved just by doing it without any passion.

So I got a rough idea.

“Actually, it was fun, wasn't it?”

“…!”

“Once you tried it, you found it fun and couldn't help but work harder, right?”

Isejin tightly closed his mouth. He couldn't deny it.

“Yeah… Standing on stage was good. I even thought I wanted to continue. But acting… I also want to continue.”

“…? Then do it.”

“…What…?”

I don't understand why he's still hesitating.

“If a few years pass, this agency will probably let you do solo activities. Act. When the 5-year contract is up, if you want to quit being an idol, you can just continue acting.”

Isejin, who had been listening with his mouth open, soon lowered his head with a bitter smile.

“…I can't.”

“Huh?”

“You don't know what my previous agency is like.”

“….”

Well, I didn't really know. Acting wasn't my specialty.

Isejin, who seemed to have given up a bit, started explaining the situation.

“DreamK… It's not a good agency. If I stay here, they might make up some trumped-up charges and ruin me.”

“Do they have any leverage on you?”

If drugs come up here, I'll suggest he quit first.

Fortunately, Isejin frowned.

“I didn't live that recklessly. …They'll probably make up some plausible rumors.”

According to his explanation, several actors who didn't renew their contracts had already been discarded this way.

They also deliberately spread rumors to lower their value when the renewal season came.

‘Sounds like a typical evil agency.’

“Hmm, any specific rumors you can predict?”

“Mine is obvious… First, they'll say the audition was to revive my acting career, and I didn't want to be an idol at all, to set the tone.”

“Hmm.”

“Then, something like an affair… or something that can't be proven but is still suspicious.”

“Hmm, our investor is T1, so they probably won't go that far.”

“To set the tone, they'll start with the first one. The goal is to get T1 to cut me off.”

Isejin muttered bitterly.

“After all… I was just an addition at the last minute.”

“….”

“My reputation on the internet isn't good right now. Many people are saying I should be left out… because I'm not good….”

“…Hmm”

He must have looked into it.

Indeed, such stories were circulating.

As an additional member, an actor, and the one with the lowest stats, people were saying the group would be much better without him.

I shrugged.

“That public opinion will weaken once we debut.”

“…Stop giving me unnecessary encouragement.”

“No, I mean it. When we debut, the public will be more united.”

“…What?”

“VTIC and TeSTAR are rivals. They'll unite internally to deal with the external threat.”

“…!!”

When a strong external enemy appears, the internal group tends to unite.

“Moreover, if you leave, someone else will become the target. That's how it usually goes. So you don't need to worry about that.”

It's a common behavior in any group to want to get rid of the weakest member. This isn't something special that happened to Isejin.

Isejin seemed a bit choked up but soon composed himself and shook his head.

“Still… There's no way to stop my previous agency right now. Even if I talk to this agency, I can't block the rumors.”

“Then you should do it yourself.”

“…What?”

I crossed my arms.

“You should announce it yourself.”

“…First?”

“Since you were forced to participate by your previous agency, write a post saying you found your calling and don't want to go back. Emphasize the ‘forced, pressured’ part. Make it clear that the audition helped you escape from there.”

“…!”

“Then the rumors won't stick as much.”

The idea is to create an atmosphere where fans can defend you, saying, ‘Your previous agency is spreading rumors…’

Once the public opinion shifts, the previous agency will be hesitant to sue, and T1, which doesn't want to give up its shares, will handle it properly.

Isejin was speechless for a moment.

“…What did you do after dropping out?”

“I participated in the audition.”

The script doesn't change. At least it didn't mention the National Intelligence Service this time.

“Then talk to the agency about it.”

“…Okay.”

At least the situation is sorted out. The rest, I guess, will be handled by Ryu Cheongwoo. I suppressed a sigh.

“…Should I post it on my SNS?”

“Make sure to say you wrote it by hand.”

* * *

After the news of Isejin's previous agency, DreamK, filing a lawsuit, the internet entertainment news section was filled with related content.

Since the contract was indeed unfair, various reactions emerged, linked with the issue of broadcasting station's bullying.

-It was too much to take people with remaining contract periods. The contract should be maintained, and they should only manage it.

-Then the kids will be double-billed. They're not freelance workers, why should they be treated like that;; Being an idol is better for them.

-Honestly, the previous agency didn't do anything right, so they sent him to the audition, right? Now that he's doing well, they want him back. Their intentions are transparent!

-If you consider the cost of training and other expenses, the previous agency has a right to be upset.

-This is tiring because of Isejin. Just give him up and go with 6 members. Without him, the stage quality and team atmosphere will be better.

Especially, the reactions from those advocating for his removal were strong.

-Really, he's no help at all.

-Let's get him out quickly so our kids can do well. He's just a liability.

-What's happening a week before debut?

-He was forced to participate in the audition and barely made it. Anyone who wants to see his face on stage? No, right?

-He couldn't sleep, cried, and only focused on the stage. The actor doesn't fit the group. Please remove him.

These comments hurt Isejin's fans repeatedly.

And the next morning.

A new post alert appeared on TeSTAR's SNS, which had been quiet since the first post.

Fans clicked it at the speed of light and saw a post with a handwritten letter attached.

-…!

It was Isejin's post.

=========================

[Hello, I'm Isejin, a member of TeSTAR.]

: I am writing this to share my thoughts on the recent news and discussions.

=========================

The neatly written content started with a story about his early entertainment career.

In summary, it meant that his previous agency had overworked him when he was young.

=========================

[…Due to the excessive schedule, my health deteriorated, and I had to stop my child actor activities. A 12-year-old body couldn't handle a schedule where I slept less than 3 hours a day.]

=========================

And just as he was about to recover and try again, he was forced to participate in the audition by his previous agency.

=========================

[…I had never been on stage before, so I refused several times. However, under the pressure of explanations like, ‘If you don't participate in this program, you won't get any roles,’ I ended up joining ‘Idol Corporation.’]

=========================

And the audition he participated in.

He wrote about the unexpected joy he found there.

=========================

[The good friends who approached me, a shy person, and the stages we created together were incredibly enjoyable. Standing on those stages was thrilling and happy.

I never expected it, but I became determined to continue this. I really wanted to.

And I am very grateful that this dream has come true, and I now have the precious opportunity to debut with good friends.]

=========================

Isejin concluded by saying he wanted to debut with these friends as TeSTAR.

=========================

[I'm sorry I couldn't share good news with my first post. The next post will bring you good news as a TeSTAR member. Thank you for reading this long post.]

=========================

Not long after the post was uploaded, the public opinion of TeSTAR fans who had been slightly favorable towards Isejin started to revive.

-ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-Isejin wants to be an idol! Just let him beㅠㅠ

-What happened to the previous agency's conscience? Treating a 12-year-old like that is unfair. Isn't that what you did?

-This time, T1 is right, and DreamK is wrong.

-I also wondered if Isejin ended up in TeSTAR by chance… I sometimes doubted if he really wanted it. I'm sorry.

Fans who had been following him since his child actor days were even more heartbroken.

-It's painful to think about how a 12-year-old could smile on TV despite such hardships…

-I thought Isejin had grown up and become more composed…

-I wanted to see Isejin act, but more than that, I want to see him do what he wants. He can't go back to that agency.

Once the public opinion shifted, many who enjoyed excluding Isejin started to back off.

Of course, there were still many who mocked him, but they were now outnumbered.

-Even Isejin is trying to appeal to emotions a bit, but what can you do about being the worst? Ah.

└It's better than the life of someone who leaves angry comments on a 23-year-old! Haha

└Haha, that's a good point.

-Isejin found being an idol enjoyable and wants to continue. He'll probably quit after 3 years. The other contestants who were eliminated are the ones who suffered.

└How twisted must you be to interpret it so negatively?

└These people's characteristic: They also mock the contestants who were eliminated because they lost to Isejin in other posts.

Because of the empathy felt by fans of the audition winners towards Isejin's post, even TeSTAR's individual fandoms started to feel repulsed by the negative comments.

Seizing this opportunity, Tnet caught DreamK with a bit of carrot and a lot of stick.

As the articles quietly disappeared and the fans' mood reversed that day,

Another teaser was released at midnight, like a nail in the coffin.

However, this time it didn't appear on TeSTAR's official YouTube channel.

Instead, it was added to Tnet's TeSTAR reality show section.

[TeSTAR (TeSTAR) ‘Hi-five’ Official Teaser]

‘Is the channel changing?’

‘We're not magic boys…?’

Fans thought this for a moment but quickly clicked the video.

“……!”