Chapter 2

# Episode 002

“…….”

I got scolded.

I was thoroughly reprimanded by Kim Tae-hoon, the CEO who always wears a smile.

It was only natural.

After all, I had kicked Yun Sang-yul, the vice president, in front of everyone.

It wasn't a good move to do that in front of the subordinates.

‘I had no choice, even though I saw a future I would regret.’

Yun Sang-yul had never been to my liking.

He would casually cause harm to Seong Pil and then take him to the smoking area.

“Bro, I'm sorry.”

He would pat Seong Pil's shoulder a few times.

“Hey, why are you like this when I'm the one doing it? Lighten up, will you?”

He would subtly threaten.

“Ah, damn. I keep doing this for you, and you don't even think I'm special?”

He would openly threaten.

What made it worse was that this happened frequently.

Perhaps because they were of the same rank, they often clashed. Seong Pil had entered the company first, but Yun Sang-yul was the senior.

Naturally, Seong Pil often found himself in conflict with Yun Sang-yul.

‘He must be a big shot from outside, right?’

About ten years ago, Yun Sang-yul suddenly came to Success Entertainment from being a producer at one of the top three agencies.

Naturally, CEO Kim Tae-hoon welcomed him with open arms.

Seong Pil had initially liked him. That was until Yun Sang-yul started interfering in everything.

‘Does he think this is his company?’

CEO Kim Tae-hoon also pressured Seong Pil to yield to Yun Sang-yul because of his fame and seniority.

From Seong Pil's perspective, a founding member, it was impossible not to snap.

No matter how many times he brought it up over drinks, it was to no avail.

“……Sigh, what can I do.”

No matter how much he disliked Yun Sang-yul, they were still part of the same family at Success Entertainment.

Although he had kicked him, it was more of a spontaneous act.

It was the explosion of anger that had built up over more than ten years.

If they had fought and settled things earlier, today's disaster might not have happened.

‘Today, Tae-hoon and I were supposed to have drinks with Yun Sang-yul.’

Seong Pil had already vented everything to Kim Tae-hoon. One of Kim Tae-hoon's strengths was that he was a good listener.

As a result, they had planned to have drinks today to clear the air and reconcile.

‘What else is better than alcohol?’

Seong Pil went to the floor where the practice rooms were.

It was the time when the trainees were in the middle of their lessons.

‘The debut group is almost set. It would be a real waste to let them go now.’

Seong Pil had a strong sense of possession.

He didn't want to let go of anything he held onto. That was why he had stubbornly stuck it out in this industry.

Otherwise, he would have quit after just a month as a manager.

Seong Pil entered one of the practice rooms.

As the trainer, who was watching the trainees dance, stood up to greet him, Seong Pil waved him back to his seat.

“How is it?”

“The opinions of the development team are almost all in. We should have a conclusion after one or two more evaluations at the end of the month.”

“That's good.”

“Should we pause the training? Is there something you want to say to the kids…?”

“No, I just came to watch.”

Something felt off.

Previously, watching the trainees would make his empty stomach growl, but now it felt like he had swallowed a bug.

‘Is it because of Yun Sang-yul?’

Since it wasn't his anymore, it felt like it didn't matter what happened to it.

Seong Pil carefully observed the trainees dancing.

Each one was like a gem.

If shown to people, they would marvel and give a thumbs up. But he couldn't polish those gems anymore.

His stomach churned.

The trainer clapped to signal the end of the session. The trainees, panting, still managed to greet Seong Pil in unison.

“Yeah, good job.”

To the trainees, Seong Pil was almost like a god.

He was the one who would decide the members for the next debut.

Many of them wanted to catch his eye.

“I won't be in charge of the project. Vice President Yun Sang-yul will take over. From now on, you don't have to run up to me with a smile when you see me in the hallway.”

Leaving those words, Seong Pil left the room.

It was a shocking announcement, and the trainees didn't have time to respond.

But their reaction was good.

“Vice President Yun Sang-yul, you mean?”

“Yeah. The nice vice president.”

Among the trainees, Yun Sang-yul was known as the nice vice president.

Conversely, Seong Pil was known as the angry vice president.

According to the artists under the company, Seong Pil had a very bad temper.

“Some relief….”

Seong Pil didn't favor any particular trainee.

When he met them, he would quickly say, “Yeah, good job,” and move on. Therefore, there were no rumors about who was favored by Seong Pil.

Unaware of Seong Pil's intentions, the trainees simply called him the “angry vice president” and found him difficult to approach.

* * *

CEO Kim Tae-hoon, Vice President Yun Sang-yul, and Seong Pil found themselves in a high-end Chinese restaurant.

After placing their order, the server politely closed the door and left.

Kim Tae-hoon laughed awkwardly, while Yun Sang-yul and Seong Pil avoided making eye contact, neither wanting to be the first to apologize.

“Seong Pil.”

Kim Tae-hoon gestured to Seong Pil.

‘Again, it’s me first.’

Well, Seong Pil had been the one to make the first mistake.

He had kicked Yun Sang-yul out of nowhere.

Seong Pil placed his hands on his knees and bowed his head.

“I'm sorry, bro.”

Only then did Yun Sang-yul soften a bit.

“You talk like water after hitting someone. Can't you hit harder?”

“I'm really sorry. Did you get hurt anywhere?”

“Hey, Seong Pil.”

When Seong Pil spoke sarcastically, Kim Tae-hoon quickly intervened.

“……I'm really sorry. I was just too heated up at the time. But, of course, hitting someone when you're angry isn't right. What can I say, sigh.”

Seong Pil couldn't easily describe his feelings.

To do so, he would have to reveal all the personal grudges he held against Yun Sang-yul.

If he did, it would look like he came to fight rather than apologize.

“I'm really sorry. I'm just not good with words.”

Yun Sang-yul stared at him for a moment, then poured a glass of the recently opened liquor.

“I know. You're terrible with words. Take this and calm down.”

“Sure.”

Kim Tae-hoon watched contentedly as the two shared a drink.

“I should have offered it to you first, I'm sorry.”

“No, no. When have I ever cared about that?”

As the food came out and a few rounds of drinks were poured, the atmosphere became warm and friendly.

Despite the fight, the three were the core management of Success Entertainment. They had a lot to talk about and even more to laugh about.

Seong Pil's face was flushed, and he had almost forgotten why he had hit his senior that day.

He had a habit of forgetting grudges over drinks.

Kim Tae-hoon and Yun Sang-yul knew this, which was why they had arranged this drinking session.

“Hey, I'm full. Shall we go for a second round?”

Kim Tae-hoon made a gesture as if to pour another drink.

Yun Sang-yul clapped in agreement, but Seong Pil disagreed.

“What second round? Don't you feel bad about your wife?”

“Come on, it's a good day. Don't be a buzzkill. Business can take you places. And my wife goes to a hiking club every week. She always comes back in a bad mood.”

“Wow, that's okay?”

“After 20 years, it's kind of okay. You can't be tied down to one place forever. As long as the kids grow up well, that's all that matters.”

“Haha, really!”

“Crazy….”

Seong Pil burst out laughing, his head spinning. He didn't know if he was walking, crawling, running, or in a car.

When he came to his senses, he was in a room.

“Ah, when did I get here?”

“This guy was laughing just now. Did he drink too much?”

“Maybe….”

Seong Pil wiped his face and tried to focus.

CEO Kim Tae-hoon was giving a speech.

“Our company had a tough start, but now it's doing really well. It's all thanks to Seong Pil and Sang-yul. I'm very grateful to both of you. Let's continue to do great things together.”

“Of course.”

“Seong Pil, you should clear the air with Sang-yul.”

“Um… did I say that much?”

“Hey, man.”

Yun Sang-yul playfully patted Seong Pil's shoulder.

“My name has all kinds of animals in it: shit, dog, cow, horse. I must be a saint to have put up with it.”

Laughter filled the room.

Seong Pil's head ached, but he laughed along with everyone else.

“Let's do our best together from now on.”

He felt good.

‘Yeah, CEO said he would give me the next idol project. Yun Sang-yul has heard a lot of complaints about me, so he'll probably be more restrained from now on.’

Seong Pil looked optimistically to the future.

His head was spinning.

He felt like he could fall asleep at any moment.

* * *

“……Min-gyu?”

When the door opened, Min-gyu was there. But something was off. In his mid-twenties, he looked much older.

“Why are you here? Are you here to curse me like the others?”

Seong Pil was in a bad mood.

Maybe it was because of the cold winter wind coming in from outside. Min-gyu stood straight and refused to enter.

“Yeah, man. Curse me. Get it all out.”

“……I know you won't.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I just wanted to see you since I was in the area.”

Seong Pil forced a smile.

“Are you still under Kim Tae-hoon?”

“……Yes.”

“What a pity. Come find me after you leave there. I'll treat you then.”

Just as the door was about to close, Min-gyu held out a paper bag.

“I brought a gift….”

“Why would I accept a gift from you?!”

Seong Pil roughly pushed Min-gyu's hand away.

His vision blurred.

He was crying.

“You guys threw me away like trash! You're working under those people! I worked so hard… So, I was just a replaceable manager, right? That's why you never gave me the final say. If I had created too many successful projects, it would have been harder to push me out later.”

“……”

“I had to do everything myself… I couldn't just take what others made… I had to create something….”

His vision dropped.

All he could see were Min-gyu's shoes.

Tears kept streaming, blurring everything. Min-gyu gently patted Seong Pil's back.

“Others might have cursed you, but I didn't. You were the one who showed me this path, and looking back, you never said anything bad. Except for not giving me the scheduled leave.”

Seong Pil laughed lightly.

“Do you still remember that?”

“It's a good thing I only remember that.”

“……”

“……”

“Will the company run well without me?”

“……Yes.”

“It will, right? Yeah, that's it.”

After all, no matter how high I climbed, I was just a manager.

Easily replaceable….

* * *

The sleepiness faded.

As Seong Pil moved, a brief silence fell, but it was soon followed by laughter.

“Go home and sleep if you're tired!”

“Seong Pil ruined the mood. Take him home. You're pretty drunk, right?”

Seong Pil's mind was crystal clear.

He looked at CEO Kim Tae-hoon and Vice President Yun Sang-yul, and recalled the dream he had just had.

No, it wasn't a dream, but the future.

‘Judging by Min-gyu's appearance, 10 years? Anyway, it's a very distant future.’

Until now, the furthest he could see into the future was about six months.

But this time, he saw ten years ahead.

Something was different.

It was confusing, but there was a clear point.

‘I will… regret something terribly?’

What?

‘Could it be that I won't produce anything until I leave this company?’

Seong Pil looked at Kim Tae-hoon again.

His kind smile looked different. It seemed to hide a blade beneath it.

Seong Pil didn't know how he had fallen so far, but he could clearly see the result.

“Yes, you seem pretty drunk.”

He needed to keep this feeling.

To remember it whenever he needed to.

‘No matter how high I climb, I'm just a manager. My future self regretted that. So…’

He needed to become a producer.

He needed to create, not just manage.

That creativity would be his strength.

“I'll….”

Just as he was about to stand up, his body twisted.

He stumbled and sat back down, and laughter erupted again.

Seong Pil laughed in disbelief. His mind was clear, but his body was acting strange.

“Ah, I definitely drank too much….”

* * *

“……?”

Seong Pil was startled. The scene in front of him had suddenly changed.

It wasn't the dimly lit room.

Bright fluorescent lights were embedded in the ceiling, and calming music played.

“What… are we drinking?”

A man's voice he had never heard before came from right in front of him. Seong Pil turned his gaze to the front.

‘Wow, what is this? He looks like an actor. His proportions seem good even when sitting. His eyes are amazing. He looks so gentle. He'd do well as the lead in a youth drama. I should put him in front of a camera and see….’

But first, Seong Pil tried to understand the situation.

He was in a café. But he had no idea who the man in front of him was.

The man laughed awkwardly when Seong Pil didn't respond. Just as he was about to speak again, Seong Pil jumped up.

“I'll be right back to the bathroom.”

Could this be another vision of the future?

But it felt different.

He looked in the mirror in the bathroom.

“Huh?”

His face had changed.

To be precise, he looked ten years younger.

Startled, he checked the date on his phone.

“Crazy.”

He had traveled back ten years.

‘Traveled back in time?’

Was that even possible?

‘If I can see the future, why can't I travel back in time?’

When Seong Pil realized his ability to see the future, he had delved into dramas, movies, and novels with similar themes.

So he had some knowledge about time travel.

Thanks to this, he had a more open attitude towards supernatural phenomena.

Ghosts? They could exist.

Superpowers? Of course!

“This feels real.”

Having another ability besides seeing the future was an interesting research topic.

But he couldn't think about it for long now.

Seong Pil washed his face and returned to his seat.

His slightly clearer mind identified the man in front of him.

“Ah.”

He understood.

Why he had traveled back ten years.

Seong Pil's ability was to see a future he would regret. In the final future, he saw a scene of ultimate regret.

The condition for this ability to activate was standing at a 'branch point' where such a future could unfold.

If he had the ability to travel back in time, it was highly likely that this point was a 'branch point' where he would deeply regret making the wrong choice.

“This sudden story might be confusing.”

The man continued in a gentle tone.

“But we really need you, Seong Pil. Please come and be the general manager of Garo Entertainment.”

Seong Pil recalled the future.

‘My answer back then was probably…’

No.

I've been with Success Entertainment since it started, and I can't betray Tae-hoon.

I'm sorry.

‘That's right.’

Seong Pil laughed bitterly.

The fact that he had traveled back to this point meant it was a branch point.

Seong Pil deeply stored the pain he felt in the final moment.

And then.

“I'll consider it positively.”

He changed the future.