Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 177

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 177.

At the mention of a shell account, cold sweat began to trickle down Park Director’s back.

-You’ve really done it all, haven’t you? Bulk purchasing through that account, tax evasion, embezzlement. You’ve been quite thorough with it all.
“W-wait. You. You… Huh? Do you even know what you’re touching right now?”
-Yeah. I know. You think I started this without understanding what I was getting into?

The laughter from the other end of the phone was utterly carefree.

-Thanks to you, I’ve been meeting prosecutors who want to enter politics, and let me tell you, my back’s been breaking from the strain.
“P-prosecutors?”

The word Park Director feared most had just been spoken.
Was this a dream or reality?

-Something this big is… a free pass into Yeouido. A beautiful and massive scandal in the entertainment industry. Not many people would pass this up.

Yeouido!
Amid this surreal barrage of words, reality suddenly crashed back down.
Since ancient times, the entertainment industry had been the political world’s hunting ground.
The attention it received was disproportionate to its actual business scale.
How many eyes were fixed on exploiting the vulnerable entertainment sector to secure a seat in the National Assembly!
Park Director knew this well, which is why he’d been feeding dirty money into the system bit by bit….
But there had been a gap in his defenses.
Faced with the relaxed voice on the other end of the phone, Park Director desperately tried to regain his composure.

“You bastard. Do you think this is just about one entertainment company? Huh? Do you really think this is such a small matter?!”
-Oh please? Everyone knows TMM is tangled up in this too.
“Then what gives you the audacity—!”
-But why do you think those high-ranking people will take responsibility for you all the way?
“!”

Surely not.
Surely not.

-Why would I even touch TMM? I just need to take care of you lot first, don’t I?

Park Director’s years of experience in the entertainment industry spoke volumes.
This was completely screwed.

-Have you ever heard of it? Cutting off the tail?
“Hey, hey…. What do you want? Huh? What is it? Let’s just talk this through-”
-I’m a bit late because I just finished meeting with everyone from TMM’s side.

A heavy sigh escaped.

“What?”
-I told them, “Look, I’m not going to struggle with TMM to that extent.” Anyway, after hearing their position, it turns out you proceeded with this solo.
“Hey!!!!”
-Why are you like this? You know I don’t fight losing battles.

That beautiful, clear voice.
To Park Director, it sounded almost like the voice of death itself.

“Baek Ju-ha, you absolute lunatic…!”
-Tch. I’m not done talking yet. Anyway, that’s why I said it. I’ve always been the type to take down just one person, you see.

He knew it, but… wasn’t this woman completely insane?
Park Director couldn’t even wipe the beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

-If you just give me that one person! I won’t touch anyone else! That’s what I said.
“….”
-And then they said to me.
“What, what did they say?”

Park Director asked despite already anticipating the answer.

-“Please, hurry up and take that person away!”

***

Baek Ju-ha.
What kind of person was she?
There were countless descriptors attached to her name.
The second daughter of the CEO of All Season, one of the three major entertainment companies.
A legend of undefeated victories.
Or.
An incorrigible lunatic.

“I’ve handled it.”

Despite her mother being the CEO of one of the three major entertainment companies, Baek Ju-ha had moved out on her own the moment she turned eighteen.
She believed that anyone worth their salt should be able to prove their own competence.
Starting with a small entertainment company, she had learned the ropes of artist management from the ground up.
The entertainers she had cultivated from the very bottom of the industry now numbered four.
StillBlue was her final project.
The one she had chosen to nurture.

“…Already?”

Just three months after entrusting her with the task, Baek Ju-ha had returned with the work complete.

“Yeah. I’ve crushed Park Director completely, so just think about what you want to ask for.”

I’d always known she was capable, but…
This fast was something else.

“Did TMM raise any objections?”
“None. I didn’t even touch them.”

Baek Ju-ha looked at me and smiled wickedly.

“TMM is big enough that they wouldn’t even know about these petty schemes. Instead of cutting Park Director loose, I arranged for a more reasonable replacement to take his place.”
“Did you also secure a promise that they won’t touch us?”
“Of course. I’ll guarantee that personally. If they try anything—”

Baek Ju-ha tapped her phone lightly.

“I’ve got evidence here that’ll break Moment’s nose in exactly three minutes.”

Now I can finally breathe a little easier.
When Baek Ju-ha is certain about something, you can trust it.
She’s not the type to be confident about just anything.

“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. I’m just doing what I’m paid for.”

Baek Ju-ha leaned back deeply into her chair.

“Moment’s entire upper management has been completely replaced, and Park Director is going to prison. Embezzlement within the company.”

I nodded.

“We’ve also decided to postpone Enliven’s comeback. No point in both sides tearing themselves apart.”
“When are they pushing it back to?”
“About October.”
!

That far back?

“So they really don’t want to clash with us.”

Baek Ju-ha nodded.

“Well, it’s not entirely because of us. They want to take a breather, reorganize the team. They also want to create a solid, high-quality album.”

I nodded.

“But the real reason…”
“They’re saying that to repay their debt to you. Both Enliven and Moment.”

They don’t need to go that far.
Even if they had made their comeback, I was confident we would’ve won anyway.

“How does it feel to be practically an unbeatable rookie award candidate?”
“I can’t let my guard down. You never know when a major new artist might emerge from nowhere.”
“Even so, no one can beat you.”

Baek Ju-ha laughed, saying this with a smile.

“This is what makes being an idol manager worthwhile, you know? And the Enliven friends too.”

Baek Ju-ha smiled softly.

“Since the company changed, they decided to trust us one more time.”
“And we won’t be doing any bulk buying anymore.”
“That’s right.”

So they’ve achieved their wish to some degree.
I exhaled deeply.

“Now all that’s left is….”
“For you guys to take first place. That’s all an artist should think about.”

I nodded.
I was confident about that.
It was my responsibility too.
I turned on my phone and showed Baek Ju-ha StillBlue’s OTube channel.

“We’re getting great responses.”
“I know. I’m monitoring everything too.”
“The album pre-order trends are looking good as well.”
“We’re going to hit a career high for first-week sales.”
“That’s just the baseline… we need to aim even higher.”

Baek Ju-ha grinned widely.

“The music video was really good.”

I smiled back at her.

“I love our music video too.”

Finally.
I could smile without tension.

***

Meanwhile.
Prism Homma was on the verge of watching the music video for the first time.
They were a little late due to the demands of living in reality, but they had still done their best.
Click.
They pressed play.
Beneath a milky sky where snow fell, a single figure appeared.
Small ice crystals settling on her cheeks.
As the crystals melted away, Yun Chung’s season began to shift.

You are my early summer
To the long lethargy
You will be the scorching heat that pours down

And so Yun Chung’s opening began.
A door appeared before Yun Chung.

The clock hands that turn every time
The seasons that turn every time
In the repeating mundane
What shines brilliantly is Only

It was Seo Baek-young who opened the door from across and reached out her hand.
Seo Baek-young pulled Yun Chung, who stood at the boundary of winter, through the doorway.
As Yun Chung grasped her hand and stepped forward, a quiet classroom appeared.
Yun Chung found herself already seated at a desk.
On the desk lay an exchange diary.
The moment Yun Chung opened the exchange diary.
All four members surrounded Yun Chung and sat down.

Give me an endless summer
Our blue season
Will never end
Promise me
Eternal Summer Eternal Wait

All together they sang the chorus.
And handed letters to Yun Chung.

Winter repeating every time
Wounds repeating every time
Yet still, we must
Move forward brilliantly Always

Next came Ryu Bora’s bridge.
In that moment, all the members looked toward the camera and smiled brightly.

Because you showed me light
Because you painted me in emerald hues
This is inevitable

The next part belonged to Yeon Ju-hong.
Yeon Ju-hong grabbed Yun Chung and ran through the school, and
when she spotted Kim Geum, she quickly pushed Yun Chung toward her.

In our long saturation
A summer to rest
Within the frozen eye’s edge
A heart coming undone
Sunlight filtering through the leaves
Fluffy cloud vanilla ice cream
Your heart is exactly like that

And so the screen transitioned.
A lush school filled with dense trees came into view.
Kim Geum’s rap part continued.
Then.
Suddenly the screen went black.
Light slowly spread outward.

I am your heat stroke
In this suddenly scorched heart
I’ll become an unforgettable summer heat

At the end of that light was Yun Chung.
This time, reversed.
Yun Chung stood before four doors.
As the doors slowly opened, the four members remaining in winter came into view, and

Give me memories that never end
Our sweltering days
Tell me they will
Never fade away
Eternal Summer
No Longer Wait

Yun Chung reached out her hand toward them.
This time, it was her turn to bring the members back to summer.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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