Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 248

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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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Episode 40.

After barely managing to placate Ryu Bora and sending her off.
I drove directly to Baek Ju-ha’s house myself.

‘Ju-ha rarely calls people to her home like this.’

There were occasional times when she’d invite all the StillBlue members over for personal reasons to enjoy good food, but she’d never once called anyone to her house to discuss work matters.
It was simply Baek Ju-ha’s nature—she moved herself rather than asking others to move for her.
So then….

‘Something unusual must have happened.’

My heart was far from calm as I pressed the doorbell to Baek Ju-ha’s house.

“Oh, you’re here, Yun Chung?”

Soon the door opened, and Baek Ju-ha appeared looking somewhat gaunt.

“Thanks for coming. I was planning to go to you if possible, but this situation is far from ordinary….”
“I expected as much. I’m fine, so let’s get straight to the point.”

My head was already throbbing with worry. I steadied myself and sat down at the table in Baek Ju-ha’s house.
Then Baek Ju-ha poured coffee and let out a very long sigh.

“I asked Choi Han-jin to look into the situation in the United States. And I also dug a little into Hong President’s recent circumstances.”
“Something bad came up, didn’t it.”
“Yeah. This situation is very bad.”

Baek Ju-ha took a sip of her own coffee before speaking.

“Hong President is planning to sell the Company.”
“!”

Damn it.
The situation was far more serious than I’d anticipated, and I was left speechless.

“To be precise, he’s trying to sell the 24.7 percent stake he owns.”
“…Why on earth would he do that? Is it about money? But Hong President shouldn’t be lacking funds…”
“He wants to start a new company dedicated solely to his own music.”

Ah.
I found myself at a loss for words, simply pressing my forehead with my hand.

“After personally producing his own album in the United States, he apparently developed ambitions. Initially, he planned to keep it small—just enough to satisfy his passion—but once he met major-league producers there and tasted that larger world, his appetite grew. More investment means better album quality.”
“…But the shareholders would never approve that level of investment for Hong President.”
“Exactly. And using company funds without internal approval would obviously land him in prison for breach of fiduciary duty, so he wouldn’t want that either.”

Now the puzzle pieces were falling into place one by one.

“So he’s planning to sell his stake and use that money to establish an agency in the United States—one dedicated entirely to himself.”
“Right. It would be an enormous sum of money.”
“Sigh…”

I washed my face with my hands and fell into thought.
Would Hong President selling the company be a loss or a gain for us? Our fate depends on who buys it. Hong President is admittedly a mediocre executive, but… this industry is crawling with executives far worse than him.
We could go from bad to worse.
It means that the worst could pass and an even worse situation could come.

“There’s more?”
“Is there more?”

Doesn’t this seem like enough already?

“…That’s true.”
“There are three reasons for it.”
“There are three reasons for that.”

There are quite a few reasons.

“…”
“….”

Staying with Colors after a change in leadership would be too risky.
Senior idols from Colors could enter the free agent market and choose from major agencies when their contracts expire—there’s no reason they’d stay.
If they were senior idols under Colors, they could pick and choose which Entertainment Company to join when they hit the FA market, hearing offers from major players. There’d be no reason to stay put.

“Second. Colors’ stock price is quite inflated right now, and that’s thanks to BurnAsh and you all.”
“…Even StillBlue has some time left on their contract, but BurnAsh….”
“Doesn’t have much left.”

They’re in their fifth year, nearly approaching their sixth.
There isn’t much time left until seven years.

“Colors has no future right now.”
“None. Especially since Greenery, the most recently debuted group, has also been disappointing in performance.”
“…You’ll receive an unfavorable price when selling.”
“If it’s just unfavorable, that’s a blessing. It might not sell at all. The market is bad right now, so everyone’s keeping their wallets shut.”

Hardly anyone would want to buy a company with such an uncertain future.
Yun Chung nodded.

“What’s the last reason?”
“The third is that Hong President spent an insane amount of money in the United States.”
“!”
“But compared to that, he’s recovered almost nothing. In short, he spent a lot of money—”
“And got nothing in return.”
“Right. And he’s in a position where he has to cover it up somehow.”
“….”

And in a very short timeframe at that.

“Unnie, you don’t happen to have a trillion won hidden away somewhere, do you?”
“…Wouldn’t you have a better chance of that than me?”

The two women locked eyes for a moment and let out hollow laughs.
This situation was difficult enough that even these two women, who had experienced every hardship imaginable and solved any problem that came their way, found it challenging.

“There are only two options. Either we prevent Hong President from selling—”
“Or we make sure he sells to the right person.”

Both scenarios were absolutely difficult given Hong President’s personality.

“Hong President is the largest shareholder of Colors, isn’t he?”
“Yes. The single largest shareholder.”
“So he holds management rights, and whoever purchases that stake will naturally have a high probability of acquiring management control.”
“I’d say it’s virtually certain.”
“….”

I fell into thought.
Truth be told, several approaches had occurred to me the moment I heard Baek Ju-ha’s explanation.
But I couldn’t easily voice them aloud.
The decision I made now wouldn’t merely shape my own future—it could fundamentally upend the futures of StillBlue, and perhaps even Colors as a whole.

“…Hong President, do you have any contacts? Who are you planning to sell to?”
“I heard he’s been in talks with a private equity fund based in the United States.”

At the mention of a private equity fund, both my expression and Baek Ju-ha’s darkened considerably.
They were the worst possible buyer for Colors.

“That can’t happen.”
“Absolutely not.”

StillBlue’s contract still had far too much time remaining to simply overlook this and move on.
If it were within a year, I might drag things out and attempt to transfer the entire group to another agency, but….

“Alright then. We need to move quickly on our end too.”
“!”

Baek Ju-ha’s eyes widened at my words.

“You’ve thought of something, haven’t you?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”

Whether that approach would truly be optimal, I couldn’t say.
Rarely did my expression betray such weak conviction.
Then.

-I need to hear this plan first.
“!”

At that familiar voice, I lifted my head.

-I need to hear that plan before Baek Ju-ha does.

At my words, Baek Ju-ha stood frozen, not a muscle twitching.

-Tell me. Right now!

And there was the Cotton Ball Entity, its mouth wide open as if it were having the time of its life.

“…How long have you been here?”

I spoke with a rigid expression.

-I’m always watching over you, Yun Chung.
“That means…”
-Of course I saw everything you told Ryu Bora as well.

What a sinister creature.
I twisted my lips in displeasure.

-I was surprised, Yun Chung! To think you’d confide in Ryu Bora of all people.
“…”
-I naturally assumed if you were going to open up to anyone, it would be Seo Baek-young or Baek Ju-ha. You always exceed my expectations.

I didn’t respond. I could feel that no matter what reaction I showed, it would use that against me.

-Choosing someone who seems absolutely certain never to contract with me—well, that’s quite a wise decision on your part.
“Get to the point.”
-The one who needs to get to the point isn’t me. It’s you.

The Cotton Ball Entity settled gently atop Baek Ju-ha’s head.
As if to say, ‘Even if I do this, what can you possibly do about it?’

-What are you scheming?
“Why should I tell you that? We’re not bound by any contract anymore.”
-That’s also true, Yun Chung.

The Cotton Ball Entity smiled with genuine regret, as if truly disappointed.

-But it would be better for you to cooperate with me.
“Why should I?”
-Otherwise, well.

Cotton Ball Entity conjured a small mirror-like object beside Yun Chung.
What the mirror reflected was-

“You!”

None other than the members of StillBlue.

-Because I can torment your members whenever I please!

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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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