Chapter 75: Heartbroken

"Damn it, my hand hurts from the beating, I hope I didn’t cripple that guy!" Although Lee Yunjae knew how to control his strength, he couldn’t guarantee that he hadn’t crippled Park Chan-hwan.

However, he didn’t regret it. Back when he was only ten, he had already stood up to a fifteen-year-old Liu Menglong. How much more so now? Sometimes, one can’t just accept things passively; where there is oppression, there is resistance. In the entertainment industry, management companies are like slave owners, and agents are like their servants, constantly watching over the “slaves” — the artists — to create wealth for them.

Because this phenomenon is so widespread in the entertainment industry, it has led to the dominance of management companies and the rarity of artists daring to resist them.

"If I get the chance, I will definitely take down these ‘landlords’!" Looking out at the scenery speeding by, Lee Yunjae, sitting on the train, made a decision at this moment that would change many people’s lives.

Meanwhile, LOEN Entertainment was in an uproar.

Bae Song-in’s face was unusually grim. Five minutes earlier, he had received a call from Lee Yunjae’s assistant, Yang Hao. At first, he thought he had misheard, but after Yang Hao’s repeated confirmation, he couldn’t help but burst into a fit of rage.

"Tell Park Chan-hwan to get lost... get lost..." Bae Song-in’s voice, filled with anger, echoed far and wide, causing the staff outside to shiver involuntarily.

One was a domineering agent, the other a promising artist. Without a second thought, Bae Song-in’s first reaction was to fire Park Chan-hwan.

In the past, S.M. Entertainment had faced a scandal where an agent had beaten a fan, which was only resolved after S.M. personally apologized. Now, Park Chan-hwan had beaten not a fan but another artist, which made Bae Song-in even angrier. The agent had claimed to be protecting the artist by beating the fan, but Park Chan-hwan had turned around and beaten his own artist, and in public no less. This was like slapping himself in the face.

"President... Park Agent was beaten quite badly. I’m on my way to the hospital with him. I’m afraid he might sue Yunjae, which would be very detrimental to Yunjae’s debut!" Yang Hao said worriedly, his voice still tinged with fear. The scene of Lee Yunjae brutally beating Park Chan-hwan was still vivid in his mind. It was hard to imagine that the usually gentle Lee Yunjae could be so fierce.

"What exactly happened?!" Bae Song-in’s dark voice reached Yang Hao’s ears.

"I’m not sure. Yunjae received a call, saying something about his sister being in trouble, and he wanted to go home. Park Agent didn’t let him, and after a few words, Park Agent hit Yunjae first, and then Yunjae beat him up like a pig’s head!" As he spoke, Yang Hao couldn’t help but glance at Park Chan-hwan, who was glaring at him with bulging eyes.

"Serves him right!" Bae Song-in slammed his hand on the table. He had met Lee Yunjae’s sister, Lee Soo-yeon, once and knew how close they were. Hearing that Lee Soo-yeon was in trouble, Lee Yunjae must have lost his mind. Adding to that, Park Chan-hwan had provoked him at such a time, leading to his own downfall. After thinking it through, Bae Song-in said, "Since he hit first, it’s fine. Yunjae was just defending himself. Tell him that from today, he’s fired. As for his medical expenses and salary, I’ll send someone to deliver them."

"Understood, President!" Yang Hao hung up the phone and relayed Bae Song-in’s instructions to Park Chan-hwan, who fainted on the spot.

Yang Hao sighed and shook his head. "You’re just a paper tiger, with such poor mental fortitude. Fainting like that, you’re useless."

Park Chan-hwan, who hadn’t fully fainted, heard Yang Hao’s sigh and his body suddenly trembled. His head tilted, and this time he fainted completely.

On the other side, Bae Song-in sat in his office with a grim face, beginning to think about the agent issue. He had heard similar stories before but hadn’t paid much attention. Now, he had to take it seriously.

..............................................................................................................................

When Lee Yunjae arrived at the Park family home, it was already 6:30 PM, and the sky was pitch black. The doors of the houses in the small town were tightly closed, and the residents had already eaten their dinners and were watching TV. The atmosphere of the approaching Spring Festival was thick in the town.

The taxi stopped at the Park family’s door, and after paying, Lee Yunjae ran in, three steps at a time. He opened the door and saw Park Sang-hae and Choi Ji-ya sitting at the dining table, but there was no sign of Lee Soo-yeon.

"Uncle, Aunt, I’m here!" Lee Yunjae rushed into the house, throwing his backpack aside. Park Sang-hae and his wife put down their chopsticks and stood up when they saw Lee Yunjae.

"What happened? Where’s Soo-yeon?" Lee Yunjae asked anxiously. Since receiving Park Sang-hae’s call, he had been restless, and only now did he realize how important Lee Soo-yeon was to him.

"Ah!" Park Sang-hae sighed and then recounted the entire story to Lee Yunjae.

It turned out that on January 28, the day of Lee Soo-yeon’s CCM audition, her grandmother had passed away. Lee Soo-yeon hadn’t seen her grandmother before she died.

Perhaps sensing that her time was near, the grandmother wanted to see her descendants one last time. Park Sang-hae had called Lee Soo-yeon, which was the call she received before her CCM audition.

Because she was at the CCM audition, she missed Park Sang-hae’s call. After the one-hour audition and the subsequent delay, it took her several more hours to call back and learn that her grandmother had passed away. She had missed the chance to see her grandmother one last time because of the CCM audition.

Lee Yunjae staggered at the news. The kind face of Lee Soo-yeon’s grandmother left a deep impression on him.

"Yunjae, go up and talk to her. Since she came back from her grandmother’s house, she’s been locked in her room. I’m really worried about her!" Choi Ji-ya sobbed.

Lee Yunjae nodded and walked up the stairs.

"Sister, it’s Yunjae. Open the door!" Lee Yunjae tried the doorknob, and to his surprise, the door opened; it wasn’t locked from the inside.

As he pushed the door open, the scent of a girl’s room, a familiar smell to Lee Yunjae, greeted him.

The room was dark, and in the dim light, he saw a figure huddled in the corner of the bed, head buried, arms wrapped around her legs. Her long hair hung down, and her body trembled occasionally.

Lee Yunjae’s heart ached. He turned on the bedside lamp, and the soft light made Lee Soo-yeon’s figure appear even more helpless and lost.

He took off his shoes and climbed onto the bed in front of Lee Soo-yeon. Not knowing what to say, he gently lifted her head from her legs, brushed her hair aside, and saw her tear-streaked face.

Lee Yunjae held her face in his hands, his thumb gently wiping away her tears. Finally, Lee Soo-yeon couldn’t hold back and burst into tears, sobbing into Lee Yunjae’s chest, quickly soaking his shirt.

"It’s okay... it’s okay!" Lee Yunjae held Lee Soo-yeon tightly, his other hand stroking her head, offering words of comfort.

Let it out, cry your heart out, and you’ll feel better! Lee Yunjae held Lee Soo-yeon silently, letting her tears soak his clothes.

"Grandma is gone, and I didn’t even get to see her one last time... I shouldn’t have gone to CCM. If I hadn’t gone, I wouldn’t have missed seeing her..." Lee Soo-yeon sobbed.

Lee Yunjae stroked her head. "I know, I know everything! It’s not your fault... Grandma wouldn’t blame you! Don’t be too hard on yourself! And didn’t she always support your dream of becoming a star? If you missed this opportunity because of her, she wouldn’t rest in peace... Grandma is watching over you from heaven, praying for you to achieve your dreams!"

Lee Soo-yeon cried uncontrollably, overwhelmed by the suddenness of everything. Even Lee Yunjae found it hard to accept the news, let alone Lee Soo-yeon. After crying for about ten minutes, her emotions finally stabilized, her face tear-streaked, looking like a tearful doll.

"Since Grandma is gone, it’s a fact that no one can change. The living must live on to honor the dead. Grandma loved you the most. If she saw you so sad, she would be heartbroken too!

Sister, don’t cry. Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to visit her grave, and then we’ll go back to Seoul. CCM has already accepted you, so let’s aim for an early debut. Grandma’s greatest wish was to see you become a big star!"

In Lee Yunjae’s view, staying in a place filled with memories of a loved one would only make Lee Soo-yeon more sad. Redirecting her attention to something else, like becoming a trainee and debuting, might be a better way to help her move on.

PS: This plot is not made up. In 2008, Lee Soo-yeon’s grandmother and uncle passed away, leaving her in a state of grief. These two elders were the most supportive of her becoming an artist, and it was under these circumstances that she waited outside CCM for several days, met Kim Kwang-soo, and eventually joined CCM.

Please follow and recommend! I’m almost at 300,000 words, and I haven’t received any recommendations... I’m so sad...

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