NOVEL WEB Chapter 17
Chapter 17
It was the jackpot.
I never thought such a good situation would unfold.
I was prepared for a long, drawn-out legal battle, but this felt like hitting a grand slam.
If anyone shared the recent scene, no one could deny that Gyeoul was being bullied.
Yoon Jeong, perhaps sensing the gravity of the situation, turned pale.
“It seems like there’s a misunderstanding here. This isn’t the situation you think it is.”
Yoon Jeong, sweating buckets yet managing to stay calm, continued,
“I see you making Gyeoul apologize as if you’re forcing her to. Is there any other way to look at this?”
“That’s precisely what I’m saying is a misunderstanding. That wasn’t bullying; it was a process to showcase a more polished performance as a team.”
I sighed softly and replied.
“That was already a situation where you had to poke into the heart of a child who apologized, right? Yoon Jeong, from a general perspective, that’s called bullying.”
“It’s not for you to judge. That’s up to Gyeoul.”
Yoon Jeong glared at Gyeoul as she said this.
“Han Gyeoul, tell me straight! Did you just get bullied?”
As she spoke, Yoon Jeong became more emboldened in her argument.
She was leaving the definition of clear bullying to Gyeoul herself.
“Umm, well…”
But Gyeoul’s expression was peculiar.
She could simply say she was bullied, yet she seemed hesitant to speak.
Maybe she was scared looking at Yoon Jeong right in front of her.
As I looked again, tears were streaming down her face.
I released Yoon Jeong’s wrist and properly stood Gyeoul up with both hands, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Then I said,
“Gyeoul, do you remember what I said when we first met?”
“…Yes?”
“I said there wouldn’t be anyone to help you, right? I still believe that’s true. After all, there’s someone here to help you now, isn’t there?”
I subtly blocked Yoon Jeong from Gyeoul’s view with my back and continued.
“Just say one thing for me. Right now, in this situation, do you need my help?”
If she could just say that one word, I could charge at the enemy with a cause.
I could prove how aggressive a jobless person crazed by employment could be.
Gyeoul looked at me with watery eyes.
Eventually, her mouth opened.
“…Yes, I was bullied.”
“Han Gyeoul!”
Yoon Jeong shouted with rage.
Seeing her, I stepped forward to protect Gyeoul, stating, “It seems, from Gyeoul’s perspective, that this indeed is bullying.”
Yoon Jeong looked ready to explode.
Normal conversation seemed impossible at this point.
But contrary to my judgment, Yoon Jeong took a deep breath and calmed her heated emotions.
“Once again, you’ve burned out.”
“Truly, whether in the previous iteration or this one, it was a remarkable self-control that deserved the title of top idol.”
“Shouldn’t you show that to Gyeoul a bit too?”
“I just heard that you’re not an employee, so who are you, mister?”
“Me?”
“Who else would it be?”
“Your guardian, Gyeoul.”
Yoon Jeong scoffed at my response and said, “So you’re saying you’re not an employee? If that’s the case, don’t you have any authority to involve yourself in our matters?”
This time, I scoffed back at Yoon Jeong.
“Kid, I may not have the authority to involve myself in Alcest’s affairs, but I sure do have the authority to involve myself in Gyeoul’s. And this is about Gyeoul. Step aside if you don’t want to get sued.”
It seems Yoon Jeong forgot while stuck in the small world of SS.
Lawsuits and judgments apply equally to everyone in SS, whether they are the president or a trainee.
“Where’s the evidence? It’s hard to prove anything with just testimonies!”
I grinned and called for my sister.
“Lawyer, can you come here for a moment?”
My sister, who had been lurking in the corner, appeared with a frown.
The smartphone camera recording the scene was a bonus.
“We’re capturing everything that’s happening right now.”
Checkmate.
Yoon Jeong, perhaps recalling the bleak possibilities for her future, stood speechless, tears welling in her eyes.
It seemed she pictured all her efforts crumbling down.
It was quite pitiful.
I had been a fan until now, but seeing her like that made all my fan feelings dissipate.
“Let’s go.”
I grabbed Gyeoul’s hand, still in shock, and led her outside.
So, my sister, Gyeoul, and I passed by the sniffling Yoon Jeong and headed out.
“Wait a second! Taeyang, just a moment!”
As we walked down the hallway, a man who seemed to be Cheon Jong-hoon’s sidekick approached, possibly alerted by Coco and Lily or the security guard.
His name was probably Sanghoon.
Sanghoon rushed over, catching his breath before speaking to me.
“Taeyang, it seems there’s a bit of a misunderstanding right now. If you act like this, it’ll put everyone in a tough spot.”
“Well, Sanghoon, I don’t think this is a situation for discussing future troubles right now. Gyeoul has been facing difficulties consistently.”
“That’s precisely what I am trying to clarify! It seems Gyeoul is saying she’s being bullied, but that’s just the noise that arises during work! It shouldn’t be called bullying!”
“…Noise, you say?”
“Yes, noise! As you know, the existing trainees have been here for 3 to 4 years, while Gyeoul has just entered, right?”
“And so?”
“With that time gap, it’s natural for some noise to arise! If you blow things out of proportion, it’ll genuinely become troublesome.”
“Haha, ‘kids’ stuff,’ huh… You might think so.”
“Haha, it’s just a kid’s thing… You could think that way, I guess.”
That one remark revealed how SS had been managing the kids.
I didn’t have a good impression of SS.
From what I saw in the fragments of the future, it seemed like they were ignoring Gyeoul’s bullying.
Of course, they might not have known.
But my evaluation wouldn’t change.
After all, it proved their incompetence.
I was just convinced by Sanghoon’s words.
SS was both.
Incompetent and indifferent.
“Lawyer, could you please show me that video you filmed?”
Nuna handed me her smartphone she used for filming.
I manipulated the smartphone to play it at just the right moment and passed it back to Sanghoon.
“What’s this?”
“Take a look.”
Sanghoon wiped his glasses on his clothes before checking the video.
The video showed Yoon Jeong bullying Gyeoul under the pretext of dance routines.
“Do you have any further comments?”
Sanghoon seemed speechless, perhaps not expecting such a video to exist.
I snatched the smartphone from Sanghoon’s hands and handed it to Nuna, attempting to walk away.
“…This is a breach of contract!”
At that moment, Sanghoon shouted.
“What?”
“The contract with Gyeoul isn’t a trainee contract that can be terminated freely! It’s an idol contract assuming debut! Leaving for such personal reasons is a breach of contract!”
“Well, Mr. Sanghoon, if you’re going to bring up the contract, you need to state it properly. Article 15, Section 5 states that if an employee of the agency is convicted of a crime, violence, theft, etc. against the singer by a court’s definitive ruling, the singer can terminate the contract. Don’t you know that?”
“I know. That’s why I’m saying this. According to that clause, the contract can only be terminated after a definitive ruling by the court, right? This matter hasn’t received a court ruling yet!”
I smiled slyly.
“Then can we take it as SS is willing to legally discuss this issue?”
“…That’s…”.
Sanghoon, sensing the aftershocks of my words, couldn’t find his voice.
“A lawsuit has arisen between trainees of SS. That’s already intriguing, but there’s more to it?”
Cold sweat trickled down Sanghoon’s face.
“The reason is bullying and violence, and the trainee wishes to terminate the contract based on this. However, SS does not consider this bullying and violence and refuses to allow the termination. Minor harassment, idol power dynamics….”
I exclaimed in awe.
“Wow, can you really resist clicking if this hits the internet as a news article? I know I can’t!”
Sanghoon, who had brought it up, wouldn’t be able to resist either.
“I’m not considering taking this to court. We know very well how challenging it is to face a giant like SS. However, if SS puts a stop to this, I won’t hesitate to burn my bridges either.”
“It’s not like that.”
I finished off the threat and brought out a way to negotiate.
“How tiring would that be? So let’s not roll around in the mud and just go our own way.”
Sanghoon stared at us without saying or doing anything. He probably thought it was beyond his capacity.
Leaving Sanghoon behind, we exited the hallway.
We hurriedly walked to the lobby where the gate was.
Suddenly, I realized I was still holding Gyeoul’s hand and tried to let go. But sensing my intention, Gyeoul tightened her grip as if her hand would break.
“Oh dear, our little dork.”
I felt sorry for her.
Maybe I still hadn’t gathered my emotions because I was tearing up as I spoke to Gyeoul, who clutched my hand.
I had something I wanted to say to that delicate child.
“Gyeoul, in situations like that, you just need to speak up confidently. There’s no need to be scared.”
“What situation?”
“When Yoon Jeong asked if you were being bullied, you hesitated to answer for a moment. That’s what I’m talking about.”
I understood Gyeoul’s fear of being hostile to others. There are people who are more afraid of hating someone than being hated themselves. Gyeoul was one of them.
So, she probably couldn’t cut ties with that brat Yeji either.
But there come moments when you have to face off with someone.
I wanted to let Gyeoul know that.
Gyeoul seemed to hesitate in her response, but eventually blurted it out, unable to hold back.
“I wasn’t scared.”
That was unexpected. Given Gyeoul’s nature, I thought she’d just say, “I won’t do it again,” and let it slide.
“So, what was it then?”
“…I felt embarrassed showing that side of myself to Teacher Taeyang.”
Embarrassed?
I turned to look at Gyeoul.
“What do you mean by that…?”
“Seon Taeyang!”
Even after a month, that remarkably high and arrogant voice was impossible to forget.
It was Cheon Jong-hoon, one of the pillars of SS and the self-proclaimed best producer ten years later.
By the way, that guy actually knew my name.
I thought he didn’t because he always directed his conversation elsewhere.
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue. I had gone through all this trouble just to avoid running into him, and here we were.
His current schedule must be dealing with something within SS.
What bad luck.
“I’ve heard enough about the situation. Let’s have a quick chat.”
The final boss had appeared.