Chapter 13

12. Incident at the Music Video Shooting Site

Manager Kim Gyun-woo came to Taesu's house the next day to meet him. He had brought audition information as Team Leader Woo had instructed. He had gathered opportunities that would not be bad for a career-less Taesu, ranging from independent films, web dramas, to mini-series.

"Actually, a lot of information comes into the company. The problem is the age of the roles. Most of the roles that come in are for characters in their 30s or older."

"Oh, I see. The actors in Triz are a bit older, aren't they?"

"Yes, most of the active actors are in their 40s."

Nowadays, the most active age for actors is around mid-30s. There are actors in their 20s, but it's rare for them to get significant roles. Taesu, being younger, was actually more suitable for child roles.

"I'm fine with child roles."

"To be honest, Taesu, you're not suitable for child roles. It's not about your acting skills, but your height and appearance."

"Uh."

"There's nothing we can do. It might be better to aim for a small role in a movie."

They scheduled a new profile photo shoot. The company seemed to think of Taesu as having a sophisticated and sexy image. The existing profile photos Taesu had taken had a natural image, which didn't match the company's intentions, so they decided to reshoot them.

"By the way, this is a different matter, but there's been a casting request for Taesan."

"Really? Our Taesan?"

"Yes, do you know TB? They asked if Taesan can appear in Jihyunsoo's solo music video."

"Wow. Taesan will debut before me, then."

Taesu had heard of TB. Taesan had linked and promoted the idol's music video, which led to a significant increase in subscribers to Taesan's channel. Although it felt a bit odd to say it was a favor, Taesu wanted to help if possible.

"Will the shoot be difficult?"

"According to the storyboard, it's not a difficult scene. It's just about playing with toys with Jihyunsoo."

"Our Taesan is really cute. To get such a casting request. Well, we can't refuse Jihyunsoo's music video from TB."

It was a strange feeling. He was happy that Taesan was popular, but at the same time, he felt a bit overshadowed by Taesan.

*

Taesu bought as many nutritional supplements for pets as he could from the store. There were quite a few types, excluding those that Taesan couldn't eat yet because he was still young.

Before the music video shoot, Taesu fed Taesan everything he could eat and applied all the topical supplements. He felt like an overprotective parent, but as long as Taesan looked good, it was fine.

Taesu took Taesan and the manager to the music video shoot. Taewoo wanted to come, but he couldn't because the supplementary classes started before the school reopened.

"Taesan!!"

"Wow, so cute."

"What?"

"Super cute."

"Thanks."

Several men with brightly colored hair started talking to Taesan. They seemed to be other members of TB.

"Move, you guys. You're a nuisance."

Fortunately, Jihyunsoo came and chased the other TB members away. The manager sighed, apparently also feeling tense.

"You all get along really well."

"The members? Well, we've been together for almost ten years. We've been friends since we were trainees, so we're like family."

Idols were definitely different from actors. It was impressive that members would come to the set to cheer even when they weren't filming. It made the group members seem admirable.

*

On a bed under a bright window, Jihyunsoo and Taesan were playing. Jihyunsoo took the string toy that Taesan had been playing with recently. Thanks to this, the scene with Taesan was filmed without any NGs.

'Including camera setup, it took less than thirty minutes.'

"Mr. Taesu, let's go. The shoot ended faster than expected."

"Taesan seems to have a natural talent for acting. No NGs at all."

"Ha ha ha."

As they were about to leave the studio, Taesan, who seemed unsatisfied with the playtime, started whining. Suddenly, a 'slap' sound was heard.

"Huh?"

"What's that?"

Taesu and the manager's eyes met. It was unmistakably the sound of a slap.

"Slap."

"Slap."

The sound continued a few times. When Taesu tried to go towards the sound, the manager stopped him and went himself.

"What are you doing?!"

"What's your problem?"

"Who are you to hit children?"

The noise started getting louder. Taesu quickly approached where the manager had gone.

Children, who looked to be around Taesu's age, were standing in a row against the wall with one cheek swollen. In front of them, a man was trying to shake off the manager's grip on his arm.

'What? They're just kids. Did you just hit them?'

Taesu quickly looked around. The place where they were standing was blocked by a wall separating the studio and the parking lot, so there was no way out except where Taesu had entered. It seemed the man had deliberately brought the children here to prevent them from escaping.

'Camera. Start recording from the entrance. Start.'

Taesu set up the automatic camera to record from a distance at the entrance and prepared to call 112 at any moment.

"Let go, let go."

Manager Kim Gyun-woo pushed the man inside and stood between the children and the man. Taesu understood Gyun-woo's intention and brought the children, who were standing against the wall, to the studio entrance. If necessary, he planned to bring the children inside the studio, where the music video was being filmed.

"You're making a mistake. Move now while I'm still talking nicely."

"What do you mean by talking nicely? You've already hit them."

"What?"

"What do you mean? Did they all hit the wall together? Can't you see their swollen faces? You're a child abuser and you're talking back."

"Mr. Taesu!"

Taesu vaguely remembered these children's faces. The agency president had been committing violence and confinement against minors, and one of the children had been forced into prostitution by a sponsor. One member had committed suicide, revealing all the details. The male idol's prostitution scandal had made the entertainment news noisy for a long time.

"Stop, stop."

"What?"

"We're fine. Please stop."

A pale, gentle-looking boy tried to stop Taesu. Taesu couldn't easily understand why the boy was stopping him. Although Taesu wasn't short-sighted, he couldn't immediately grasp the psychology of children who had been repeatedly abused.

"It's our fault. We didn't listen, so that's why."

"What?"

"We didn't listen, so that's why."

Gyun-woo, with a stiff expression, moved Taesu to the side. It seemed unwise to provoke the children at this moment.

Gyun-woo thought the children understood that the situation was unjust, but they couldn't escape due to fear or other reasons. They were trying to ignore the reality by convincing themselves it was their fault.

If Taesu couldn't rescue the children immediately, he needed to avoid provoking them and come up with a plan. In this situation, Taesu's presence was more harmful than helpful.

The children might feel even more miserable seeing Taesu, who was bright, confident, and beautiful. His actions were full of confidence, and he had the ability to back them up. His bold words and relaxed movements were enough to provoke the children.

"Manager."

"Mr. Taesu, let's step back now. Forcing help on someone who doesn't want it can be another form of violence."

"What do you mean? They're just kids. We should help them."

"Calm down. What you're doing now isn't helping."

Although Taesu didn't agree with the manager's firm words, it was true that he didn't have a clear way to help immediately. He wanted to terminate the children's contracts with the terrible agency and get them treatment, but he had no way to intervene.

"Got it. 010-12XX-5678. Easy, right? 010-12XX-5678. Memorize it. Call if you need help."

Taesu gave the children his phone number and stepped back as Gyun-woo suggested. It was hard to leave the children at the scene of violence. He was angry that he had to leave them there, knowing the man might hit them again.

'Camera. Move forward quickly. Move.'

Thud!

"What? Who's there?"

This small act of venting seemed acceptable.

*

"You were reckless. Provoking that man could have caused more harm to the children."

"To be honest, I don't like stepping back. He used violence in a public place. In a closed space like a dorm or a car, he could have done worse."

"That's why I said not to provoke him."

"Whether you provoke him or not, the children need to be saved."

Gyun-woo sighed inwardly at Taesu's firm attitude. He didn't like leaving the children behind either, but since they were bound by contracts, they would have to return eventually. If they didn't terminate their contracts with the agency, there was nothing they could do.

"Bad agency. Go bankrupt."

"Ha ha."

"Why?"

It was hard to say he laughed at the clumsy curse spoken with a serious expression. Today, his actor showed many new sides. But if Gyun-woo had known what Taesu was thinking, he wouldn't have laughed.

*

A few days later, a video titled "Beaten Idol" was uploaded to the internet. It showed the members of a five-member male group, who had debuted a year ago, being hit on their buttocks and thighs with a bat while lying face down.

The video showed the man's face clearly, with no mosaic. There were several videos showing the man slapping the children multiple times in a recording studio, and scenes of the children being kicked and stepped on at what appeared to be a dorm entrance. These videos were uploaded to various sites.

– Did you like it?

"Yes, you handled it well."

– I'll charge the same as the video job.

"Wait, didn't you say double?"

– My pleasure.

"Yes. I'll send it as you instructed."

Taesu felt satisfied as he read the breaking news on his tablet, bringing closure to the matter that had been bothering him for days. He had struggled to remember the hacker's contact, but the person was reliable and quick, despite the high fee. His former manager, Yunseok, had introduced him.

"Karma, I guess."

Unable to help the children legally, Taesu hired the hacker. Before the regression, there was an incident where a video of a politician planning to cover up a sexual extortion scandal was spread online. It was the work of the hacker Taesu had hired.

Taesu gave the hacker two tasks. One was to upload videos of the children being beaten online, and the other was to investigate the company president's corruption and report it to the prosecution.

"Even though I hired a hacker, the job was completed smoothly. It cost a lot, but it was worth it."

He didn't expect 100 million won in cash to be so helpful. Although it was halved this time, it wasn't a waste.

"Before, they managed to avoid punishment, but this time it was quick. They admitted to the violence but denied other charges. Ah! The company wasn't big yet. Right, this was supposed to happen a few years later."

Trrr~~

'Unknown number.'

"Hello?"

– Hello, this is Shin Ji-woon. We met near the studio before.

"Oh! I remember. I told you to call if you needed help, right?"

– You remember, that's great.

Shin Ji-woon was the leader of the group. According to him, the group was practically disbanded. The problem was that one of the members had nowhere to go. The other members had returned home, but this member, who was from an orphanage in a rural area, found it difficult to return.

"So you've been staying in a sauna? The two of you?"

– Yes, but now I have to go home. I wish I could take him, but I can't because of my own situation.

"Then come here first. The address is... "

Less than an hour later, the two arrived. They looked quite exhausted, dragging a battered suitcase and carrying backpacks. Taesu sat them down and offered them some snacks.

'Have you been eating properly? You look really thin.'

"Your name is Park Yeon-woo, right?"

"Me? Yes, that's right."

"Eat comfortably. This is Taesan. He's interested in human food lately, so he keeps asking for it, but don't give him any."

Taesu reminded Taesan, who was eyeing the sandwich he had given. Since starting solid food, Taesan had developed a big appetite and would beg for food whenever someone was eating. The two seemed to relax and started eating thanks to Taesan.

"You have debts? How so?"

"Training fees and other investments, and the album contract is for three albums, but only one has been released, so they're demanding a penalty."

"Isn't that fraud?"

"I'm not sure."

"I'm not sure about the legal aspects either. Let's go to a lawyer's office together later."

The more he listened, the more shocking it was. The agency had promised to support them in taking the high school equivalency test, but they had dropped out of school, and the promise was not kept. After debuting, they traveled to unknown rural areas for events and rarely stayed in their dorm.

Moreover, they had never received payment, and high-end equipment and luxury clothing had been charged to their personal cards, which they had never seen.

'They're minors. Can that be done? Don't they need parental consent?'

"Your contract with the company is over, but there are still many issues. Have you thought about what you want to do next? What you want to do?"

At Taesu's question, Shin Ji-woon looked at Park Yeon-woo, who was sitting next to him, and started talking.

"I plan to go to the military. I can't afford to go home."

"Oh, the military. What about Yeon-woo?"

"···I'm not sure."

"Sure, take your time to think about it."

It felt like a tough situation. Listening to their story, the representative seemed so malicious that he wondered if he had been too lenient in sending him to prison. If they had stayed a few more years, the situation might have been the same as before. It was really fortunate to have intervened early. Seeing how tired the two were, he decided to take Yeon-woo in for the night.

Manager Kim Gyun-woo, after hearing Taesu's explanation, offered to introduce a lawyer. When Taesu said he would cover the legal fees, the manager looked puzzled but agreed.