NOVEL WEB Chapter 2
Kang Hyung-man looked at our family, causing a ruckus over cigarettes, with disdain before speaking in a cold voice.
“…So, you’ve blown all the money I lent you on coins, huh?”
“Gah! K-Kang Boss, th-that’s…!”
When Dad, who could take on the world, became a frightened frog at Kang Hyung-man’s words, it was hilarious.
“So, how do you plan to pay back the 200 million I lent you?”
“Uh… w-well, you see…!”
Dad rolled his eyes, then pushed me forward with Mom’s help.
“Hehe, why don’t you talk to our daughter?”
“Dad…!”
“You know, Boss Kang, my daughter’s a money-making machine. She’s amazing at her job!”
“And she takes after us because she’s pretty, ho ho. Ye-rin, you should repay your mom for bringing you into this world.”
“Mom…! How can everyone….”
To be honest, my love for my parents had long faded.
Still….
‘…But we’re family. They’re my mom and dad who gave me life….’
…They were family. In my past life, I wished for a family until the very end.
How could they treat me like this?
Tears welled up, but I bit down hard to hold them back.
‘…Stay calm.’
As long as we were bonded by the chains of family, I couldn’t separate myself from my parents.
Sadness was sadness, but first, I had to figure out how to deal with the 200 million debt.
If I couldn’t pay it back, I had no idea what the thug in front of me might do to me, their child.
I gazed into Kang Hyung-man’s eyes, trying to be as trustworthy as possible.
“I’m working two part-time jobs right now. If you just give me some time… I’ll pay you back eventually.”
“You think you can pay back 200 million just from part-time jobs? Are you planning to do that for life?”
He clicked his tongue and turned to my parents.
“You two are in this mess, and yet you expect your daughter to take all the responsibility?”
“Uh… well, it’s just that… these days, jobs are hard to come by…”
“I could get you a factory job, you know?”
“I’m not very good with work, so a factory… heh heh…”
“I’m a girl too, so the factory….”
“What a bunch of bugs.”
Kang Hyung-man looked at my parents with disdain before lighting up another cigarette.
I raised my hand timidly.
“Um, Uncle. Would you mind introducing me to that factory job instead?”
“……If you go to the factory, what about school?”
“I guess I’ll just drop out. I can take the equivalency exam later anyway.”
“…….”
Hoo…
Kang Hyung-man’s expression was indescribable as he exhaled smoke.
“I actually strongly support my daughter working in a factory! Who cares about degrees in Korea….”
“Shut up.”
Kang Hyung-man silenced my dad with that one line, shook the ash from his ashtray, and looked at me.
“I understand your feelings, but that factory isn’t suitable for a minor like you.”
“If that’s the case….”
“I had another job in mind for you.”
Swish…
“……!”
Kang Hyung-man’s indifferent, cold eyes scrutinized my face, making me flinch.
“To be honest, I’ve never seen a prettier kid than you. So, I thought….”
“…….”
“It would be a shame to bury your beauty in an ordinary life.”
Swish…
Kang Hyung-man reached into his suit pocket and pulled something out.
In that moment, I could guess roughly what kind of job he was suggesting.
What kind of work would a thug want a young, pretty girl to do?
‘Is he thinking of selling me to a nightlife club…!’
No matter how desperate I was for money, I had no intention of degrading my dignity.
I was ready to firmly reject whatever Kang Hyung-man was pulling out before he could even show me.
But….
“How about becoming an idol?”
“Uncle, I absolutely won’t do nightlife… h-huh? Idol?”
What came out of Kang Hyung-man’s mouth was completely unexpected.
…An idol? Where did that come from all of a sudden?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Kang Hyung-man scrunched his face.
“Nightlife clubs? Do you think we would sell minors to such places?”
“No, that’s not it… but why are you suddenly telling me to become an idol?”
“Just take a look at this.”
Now that I noticed, Kang Hyung-man pulled a small business card from his suit pocket.
I slowly took it and examined it closely.
[Brotherhood Planning]
[CEO Kang Hyung-man]
…What terrible naming sense.
Is Brotherhood Planning some kind of service company name?
More importantly, it says Kang Hyung-man is the CEO. Does that mean he’s the boss?
Noticing my gaze, Kang Hyung-man continued explaining.
“This is a new venture we are ambitiously preparing.”
“Entertainment?”
“Yep.”
“…Doesn’t seem like a good choice.”
Since my friend from my past life had worked as an idol road manager, I knew a bit about this industry.
The entertainment industry was complicated, with all sorts of established relationships intertwined, making it tough for a new company to break in.
Especially since these guys were thugs… This wasn’t the 90s, and thugs running an entertainment agency wouldn’t be viewed favorably.
Kang Hyung-man seemed to sense this problem as he slightly grimaced.
“Yeah… This industry is definitely hard to break into. Most importantly, we can’t gather any trainees.”
His tone reflected his frustration as I scanned the area around us.
Kang Hyung-man, the CEO, aside from his intimidating appearance, had tough-looking henchmen, no, employees.
Some were bald and had scars on their faces.
‘What kind of trainee would want to join this agency…?’
No trainee would come here unless they were forced.
But the problem was….
“So, I want you to come work for our company.”
That meant I was currently being threatened.
“Um… well, Uncle….”
I had to figure out how to naturally decline Kang Hyung-man’s offer.
I knew my new body was pretty, but why hadn’t I thought of entering the entertainment industry before to make money?
There was a good reason for that.
Moreover, one couldn’t just become an idol overnight.
You had to spend several years as a trainee before debuting, and all support given during that trainee period would turn into debt that needed to be paid back later.
It wasn’t a suitable career for me, who needed to earn money right away to pay off my debts.
‘Right, I’ll just say that and decline.’
But… as if he knew my thoughts….
“I know what you’re thinking. Look at this.”
Kang Hyung-man flicked the ash in the ashtray before pulling out a smartphone to show me a screen.
I immediately leaned in to check. It was an ad for a cable program.
“‘My Idol Academia’…?”
“Looks like you already had a hint about what this is.”
“Um….”
I couldn’t deny it.
‘My Idol Academia’, commonly known as ‘Na Ah Ah’, was a huge hit girl group survival audition program that even I, who hadn’t followed media much in my past life, had heard of.
‘They selected 6 from 100…?’
The 6 who debuted were incredible, and even those who didn’t made a name for themselves, so viewers were on the edge of their seats watching Na Ah Ah.
From what I remembered, Na Ah Ah likely had a viewership rating of over 8% for its final episode.
But why was Kang Hyung-man involved in such a blockbuster program?
After all, dozens of agencies with established reputations participated in this production, and there was no way a newcomer like Brotherhood Planning could sneak in.
Kang Hyung-man quickly resolved my confusion.
“One of the sponsors for this program is a guy I know. He heard I was starting an agency and promised to give me a guaranteed slot here.”
“Ah….”
So it’s all about connections with this guy.
“So… how about you give it a shot? It’ll definitely be a great opportunity.”
“……”
A great opportunity….
Yeah, it was a great opportunity.
6 out of 100. If by some miracle I made it in, I’d debut as a major idol instantly, and even if I didn’t, I’d still gain recognition with the audience for future chances.
If I wanted to be an idol, there wasn’t a better opportunity.
But….
‘Idol isn’t for me.’
As I kept saying, I wasn’t suited for a career in entertainment for various reasons.
Even with the new variable of Na Ah Ah, it wasn’t enough to change my mind.
So, just as I was about to decline Kang Hyung-man’s offer again….
“Uncle, still, I really can’t do idols….”
“Wait, Sang-gu! Bring that over.”
Kang Hyung-man signaled to one of his goons to fetch a piece of paper and handed it to me.
“This is the Brotherhood Planning exclusive contract. Look it over and decide.”
“Exclusive contract…?”
What on earth was in this contract that he wanted me to decide after reading it?
I tilted my head in confusion as I picked it up.
Curious about the contract, Mom and Dad stepped closer to read it with me.
‘Hmm… it’s pretty standard…?’
Could there be any harmful clauses? I examined it closely, but it was just a normal contract.
However, when my eyes landed on the last section….
“……Huh?”
I couldn’t help but doubt my eyes.