Raise Three Idols Well And They’ll Launch a Confession Attack

Episode 1

[Manipulate Han Ye-ji, a female staff member harboring resentment toward Pio, the leader of the idol group Twelve, into making false accusations that lead the competing idol team to voluntarily quit.]

[Reward – My Own Eavesdropping Device. (1x)]

“This jerk is acting up again.”

I waved my hand dismissively and closed the quest window.

One day, a management system suddenly appeared, claiming it would make me the best manager, and it seemed to wish for me to turn into a scum bag.

It laid out quests like pinning the blame on junior managers for incidents or sowing discord between the agency and its artists to poach them, throwing any sense of ethics out the window.

Is this a quest for a manager or an industrial spy?…

I ignored most of those immoral requests.

It was sufficient to succeed at work and be recognized for my competence by completing a few quests without compromising my morals.

Of course, it was clear that if I followed every quest, I could achieve greater success and a higher status.

But I didn’t want to become someone who sold their conscience.

Rather, I wanted to be someone a bit better as a human being.

Indeed. I wanted to be a good person.

I didn’t aspire to be a saint with a spirit of sacrifice worthy of a biography.

The good person I envisioned was closer to a kind neighbor.

Someone everyone would warmly welcome.

Life isn’t lived alone.

As you go on living, you inevitably form connections with others.

In those relationships, I wanted to remain a good person rather than a selfish jerk.

That’s why I never turned my back on friends in tough times.

I didn’t hesitate to roll up my sleeves and treat their crises as my own.

I was unafraid to offer my time, money, and opportunities.

Living this way made me increasingly seen as a networker in the management industry.

Calls for a drink came daily.

People promised to let me know if they needed help with anything.

I was satisfied.

I took pride in my choices and dedication.

I valued the vast connections I had built more than the money and position I had accumulated.

Then one day, a controversy about unfair contracts arose between my company, Flower Entertainment, and its affiliated artists.

The artists who had shared meals with me sought my help.

In response, the system handed me a quest to side with the company and deal with the rebellious trainees.

But I ignored that demand and acted to be a good person.

I united the artists’ rights and assisted in the legal battle.

However, the legal proceedings, which I thought would wrap up easily, dragged on.

As the settlements took longer, some artists began feeling the threat to their livelihood.

While I was contemplating what actions to take for them, Ban Seong-cheol, who had been competing and clashing with me at Flower Entertainment for years, made a suggestion.

“Taeyang, I’ve clashed with you in various ways until now, but this time I agree with you.”

Ban Seong-cheol said with a seriousness I had never seen before.

“The company has crossed the line. They’re completely ignoring their duties as human beings. Right now, you’re the only one who can protect those kids.”
“The only person who can protect those kids is you.”

“…Are you trying to screw me over with this?”

“This time, I’m not messing around, you bastard! Have I ever joked about those kids’ livelihoods?”

That was true. Ban Seong-cheol cared for the kids.

Though he did end up being accused of sexual harassment after getting too familiar with the smell of trainee tracksuits.

“And this is something only you can do! So take the kids and become independent. They’re stuck with the company right now, but once they get a chance to perform at events, making money won’t be a problem, right? I’ll help with the aftermath and persuading the kids as much as I can.”

Having gathered inside information about Flower Entertainment, I accepted the offer.

Because, as Ban Seong-cheol said, I was the only one who could stand by those kids.

I rebelled against the company and started a new agency, bringing artists who had nowhere else to go with me.

All my acquaintances, aware of the situation, supported and cheered me on.

It felt like the world was rooting for me.

And thus, I stepped into the wild world of the entertainment industry.

Flower Entertainment’s shenanigans were very blatant.

They made it so the artists I took couldn’t appear on broadcasts and were excluded from event brokerage.

Still, I believed in my connections.

As long as I had the strength of those connections who said to call them whenever I needed help, overcoming this obstacle wouldn’t be too hard.

That was the beginning of my downfall.

Even Mint, the singer I discovered and helped succeed.

PD Kim Han-su, who survived thanks to my assistance, even though he fell out of the company politics.

Composer Oh Jin-woo, who managed to avoid plagiarism accusations because of my help.

All turned their backs on me.

Their excuses varied.

They couldn’t get permission from their superiors.

It wasn’t a good time for them.

Their counterpart held a grudge against them.

But the reason was ultimately one.

I was no longer someone who could help them.

“Do these bastards know I have their weaknesses?”

I still had the materials obtained as a quest reward.

I thought about just giving up and blowing the whole thing up inside.

But I worried about the kids who would have to endure the fallout if I did.

I had people to protect.

Yeah, what wrong did the kids do… I should hold on.

To endure the bitter reality, I poured some liquor into an empty container.

“Oppa, why are you drinking alone at this time?”

“Oh, Seri? I shouldn’t be doing this at work; I’ve shown a bad side. I’ll tidy this up right away.”

Seri sighed softly and spoke.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing much…”

I couldn’t hold back and let out the frustration bottled up inside my heart.

It was a complaint about how all the acquaintances who promised to repay their kindness turned away.

I knew I shouldn’t be acting like this as the boss, but since Seri always treated me warmly, I vented my feelings.

She was like a younger sister who always believed in and followed me, so my heart relaxed.

“So, what do you want to say, Oppa?”

That’s why Seri’s next words were something I completely didn’t expect.

“Did you want me to defend you and take your side? Or did you want me to bash the bad guys together?”

“…Seri?”

“Aha, you wanted me to comfort you saying you did nothing wrong?”

“No… Seri, that’s not what I wanted… Sorry. You must be having a hard time, and I ended up whining.”

Surely, Seri must have been bearing a lot too, but I showed her my weak side.

Let’s console the struggling leader a bit.
Let’s calm the leader down.

“I’ll work harder. Please let go of your anger.”

“Hah… and you’re saying that now?”

Se-ri spoke while fiddling with her hair, looking frustrated.

“Doesn’t it seem like everyone likes you and wants to be friends with you? Nope. They’re just flattering you because they see you as an easy mark and want to milk you dry.”

In the past, I would have definitely countered that statement.

But now, it was something I couldn’t deny.

Still, I wasn’t completely out of words.

“That might be true, but still, you stayed with me even during hard times, Se-ri.”

That’s right. Se-ri had stayed by my side even when things got tough.

That was the reason I still had the strength to go on.

“You stayed, huh? Hah… that’s actually why I came to talk to you.”

Se-ri handed me a stack of documents.

“What’s this?”

“Can’t you read? It’s a contract.”

The document was a transfer contract stating that I would return to Flower Entertainment.

Given that I had rebelled before, it seemed unlikely that I would get good treatment again, so I wondered if this was a good choice.

“…What about the other members? Did they all agree?”

“I decided to represent us because it was awkward to face each other. It wasn’t just my decision; we discussed it thoroughly.”

…Oh, I see. Moa, Rancy, and Hawon all share the same view.

“Just let us go without complicating things. If you really care about us and are not being hypocritical.”

With those words, Se-ri left the president’s office.

I couldn’t say a word or stop her as I watched her walk away.

I sat there blankly, not even touching the alcohol that was nearby.

Se-ri’s words about wanting to be let go echoed in my ears.

Since they were kids who had already left my hands, I considered giving up and just blowing up with Flower Entertainment.

But ultimately, I steadied my heart.

“Yeah, if there’s a lifeboat, those who can be saved should be saved.”

Of course, just because I survived on a lifeboat didn’t mean I could withstand the giant waves of the ocean.

So, if I really cared about the kids, there was one thing I had to do.

I called Seong-cheol, who had helped with our independence.

“Seong-cheol, sorry to bother you when you’re busy.”

“Yeah, Taeyang, what’s up?”

“Since the contract’s already come out, I’m sure you know, but the kids are going back… It’s going to be hard for them to adapt after leaving on such bad terms.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. The company will probably see it as betrayal.”

“Right. So the company might hold a grudge, and they could make us circle around the event hall or force us into low-class schedules.”

Flower Entertainment has no shortage of doing that.

“Of course, it’s something a money-making program can do, but still, we should uphold our duty as human beings.”

“….”

“Please mediate well in the middle. You’re the only one I can trust.”

“Pfft….”

As soon as I finished speaking, Ban Seong-cheol burst into laughter, obviously finding something amusing enough to make him laugh like crazy.

Even after years of knowing each other, it was the first time I saw him laugh like that.

“Are you really an idiot?”

“…Huh?”

“You think I’m the only trustworthy one? Hahaha! You know who’s the one who blocked your music shows and stopped the producers from giving you songs, right?”

“…Was it you?”

“Yup! I sent you away to get recognized by the company. Hahaha! Thanks to me, I got promoted, and I’m doing great!”

Ban Seong-cheol said with a refreshing voice.

“Ahh… that feels refreshing. Do you know how much of a pain it was to hear you talk about upholding human dignity? Did you know how maddening it was each time you were just acting like a good person?”
“Do you know how many times I’ve been humiliated every time I cosplay?”

“….”

“Is that something a businessman should say? You should have gone bankrupt ages ago!”

That bastard.

“This son of a gun gets ridiculously lucky every time he makes a mess, catching up to the results I barely made while others were grinding their guts out, as if it were his right because he graduated high school! Do you know how disgusting that is to watch?!”

“…I didn’t think you felt that way. We fought, but we were doing pretty well, right?”

“If I’ve been putting up with your crap and bowing down, that just means I was acting really well.”

Anger and resentment surged up from my chest, threatening to spill over.

I barely swallowed it down and calmly spoke.

I wanted to hear just one word about taking care of the Grace members.

No, I had to hear it. Otherwise, I felt like I would explode.

“Seong-cheol, still, you didn’t have to go this far, right?”

“This far?”

“If I didn’t want to see you, I would’ve vanished the moment I became independent. Instead of causing trouble, we could’ve just acted like strangers. You were bound to get promoted since I left anyway.”

“Ah, I guess that makes sense… but there’s no reason not to! It’s so refreshing!”

Only Seong-cheol’s laughter echoed in my tiny president’s office.

“Thanks for putting on that hypocritical act!”

The call ended, and the low mechanical sound of the disconnection echoed.

I felt nauseous.

I checked my smartphone.

No messages at all.

Just three months ago, it was buzzing non-stop.

Now, I was the only one in the cramped president’s office.

All the bravado I put on crumbled and broke apart.

“Hmph… Hmph.”

Anger toward Seong-cheol flared up, but I couldn’t deny it.

Isn’t it possible that at least one person in the world just dislikes me for no reason?

Wishing that everyone would like me is actually a delusion of grandeur.

But you know what?

Just like one of the people in the world could dislike me for no reason,

At least one person could have cared for me sincerely, right?

Even though Seong-cheol held a high position and Flower Entertainment was a large company, it didn’t have the overwhelming power to dominate the entire entertainment industry.

He could ask other agencies, artists, composers, and PDs to boycott my company.

However, what he’d offer in return was probably just a few song contracts, some appearances by celebrities, or maybe even vague promises to maintain good relations.

It might impact his status negatively, but it was a proposal easy to ignore if one wanted to.

Yet, not a single person chose to ignore that level of damage to help me.

Not a single one.

I tried to push back that thought, but I couldn’t stop the tears.

I felt incredibly foolish.

The image of my naïveté, wagging my tail while being a total pushover, looked so stupid.

It was pathetic to see myself sobbing alone like that.

“Dammit… dammit. Hmph.”

My wish to become a good person felt incredibly naïve.

I wanted to do it again.

If given just one chance, just once, I could be the most selfish person ever.

No matter how twisted the management system’s quests were, I would follow them all without hesitation.

At that moment, a quest was handed down to me, after I lost everything.

[Hit the back of Flower Entertainment Director Ban Seong-cheol’s head and engrave the lesson that violence is always nearby.]

[Reward – Time Reversal Candy]

It was the opportunity I had longed for.

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