Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 251

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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 43.

After two days of all the members and staff pulling an all-nighter to finish filming.
Yun Chung slipped quietly out of the Dormitory and encountered Baek Ju-ha waiting in front of the car.

“You look surprisingly fresh.”

Baek Ju-ha remarked with surprise.

“It’s just the coffee hitting hard. That’s all.”

I’d barely slept. There was no way I was in any decent state.
Yun Chung pulled on a denim baseball cap and opened the passenger door.

“Are the others asleep?”
“They’re all knocked out.”
“Ryu Bora’s been chasing after you all day lately. Is something going on?”
“…Well. It’s nothing serious.”

Ryu Bora, anyway.
She had a way of broadcasting everything with her entire body—what good was keeping her mouth shut when everything else gave her away?
When Yun Chung showed no sign of elaborating, Baek Ju-ha didn’t press further and started the engine to drive off.

“But even if we go to the US Branch, what can we actually gain from it?”
“Representative Choi Han-jin’s intentions will be crucial. However… Representative Choi is an acquaintance of Hong President, so can we truly trust him completely?”
“Representative Choi will help us. From his perspective, the company he just transferred to is about to be sold off in an instant.”
“…If that happens, there’s a high chance the management will be replaced, so Representative Choi’s position would become precarious as well.”
“Exactly. We want the company not to be sold, and so does he.”

Yun Chung nodded in understanding.
We’d inadvertently become allies in the same boat.

“…Securing evidence is the most critical part.”
“That’s why I had you come directly like this.”
“You don’t mean…”

Don’t tell me, Baek Ju-ha.
Did the members end up choosing Los Angeles because of you…?

“I’ve been dropping hints for a few days now. Yun Chung seemed particularly curious about Los Angeles among all the American cities. The weather there looked decent, so I subtly brainwashed her into it.”
“Good grief.”

Why is everyone around me constantly scheming like madmen? Why can’t I find a single normal person?
Yun Chung shook her head with a wry smile.

“Thanks to that, we got here on the company’s dime. The music video’s going to look absolutely stunning.”
“…It really does seem like it’ll turn out quite well, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah. It’s going to be genuinely beautiful.”

The two of them locked eyes and laughed simultaneously.
If the members were people so different from me that they constantly surprised me and broadened my world each time,
then Baek Ju-ha was so similar to me that I always felt at ease with her, and she was the person who understood me best.

“Unni.”
“Hmm?”
“What fortune did I have to meet an adult like you?”

Baek Ju-ha’s eyes widened at Yun Chung’s sudden words.

“What, all of a sudden?”
“Just… I was thinking about it.”

I couldn’t shake the thought that even back when I was Baek Nok-ha, meeting Baek Ju-ha as an adult was what allowed me to reach that point.
The moment I first met Baek Ju-ha was still vivid in my memory.

‘Our names are similar, aren’t they?’
‘…They are.’

That was probably my second year after debut.
I had endured so much hardship because of the fact that I was a rising star from a tiny entertainment company.
Back then, as Baek Nok-ha, I was on the verge of developing a hatred for humanity.
In the midst of all that, Baek Ju-ha, whom the president had begged to bring along, approached me first without hesitation, saying she had a gut feeling the moment she saw me.
Of course, I didn’t like Baek Ju-ha that much back then.
I also didn’t think the fact that our names were similar was anything particularly significant.

‘You know, just think of me as your real older sister.’
‘In the entertainment industry, they warn you to be careful of people who say things like that.’
‘Yeah? But I’m really going to act like your real older sister. See for yourself.’

After saying that, Baek Ju-ha truly acted like my ‘real older sister.’
Unlike other managers who simply listened to and helped with everything an idol needed, she pushed me to do what I could do myself, scolding me harshly and raising me strong.
Whenever I showed even the slightest pouty expression, she would immediately scold me sternly.
Thanks to that, I was able to reach this position without catching that common star syndrome.

‘…Now that I think about it, I think that’s when I wanted to become an adult like that.’

A dependable adult like Baek Ju-ha.
…Have I become that kind of adult, even a little?

“I thought the opposite.”
“What?”
“I considered myself fortunate to meet an artist like you.”
“You like artists who create this much work?”
“Yes.”
“You have unusual taste, unni.”
“I don’t think you create a lot of work.”
“!”

At Baek Ju-ha’s words, this time it was Yun Chung who wore a surprised expression.

“I simply think of you as the finest colleague who cooperates fully to allow me to do my work.”

In the gaze with which Baek Ju-ha looked at Yun Chung as she said this,
Yun Chung recalled that absolute trust in Baek Ju-ha’s eyes she had seen back when she was Baek Nok-ha.
A person who hadn’t changed at all.
The same in every world.
A truly mature adult—now rare to find.
That was Baek Ju-ha.

***

The building housing the Colors US Branch located on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
Passing through the darkened lobby, I took the emergency elevator up. Two in the morning. While every floor lay shrouded in darkness, only the 15th floor glowed softly.
As if waiting for me alone.

“I didn’t expect to find a building this impressive in the United States either. Hong President must be quite wealthy.”
“This is Hong President’s building.”
“…Hong President’s personal property? Not Colors’ ownership? Is that even allowed? Doesn’t he need to pay rent to Hong President?”
“Of course. Technically it’s a conflict of interest and shouldn’t be allowed, but everyone just turns a blind eye to it.”
“A building this size must cost a fortune in rent, yet he made such a big deal about investing in the artists’ albums?”
“That’s just how management companies operate.”
“An eternal truth, it seems.”

It was excessive, perhaps, but not something I could openly object to.
Hong Yeon-seo distributes her generosity evenly, doesn’t she.
As we stepped through the door, Choi Han-jin greeted us while organizing documents.
Soft brown hair styled in an updo and horn-rimmed glasses created quite an intellectual atmosphere.
This was my first time seeing him in person.

“Thank you for coming at such a late hour.”
“Not at all. We’re grateful to you for meeting with us at this time, Representative.”

Yun Chung bowed briefly. Choi Han-jin gestured quietly. On the table lay thick files, a laptop, and an external hard drive, all neatly arranged.

“Here are the documents exchanged during Hong President’s sale negotiations.”

Choi Han-jin opened the laptop and scrolled through the screen as he explained.

“This is a draft preliminary contract with the investment firm. Before the official announcement, but if this deal goes through, complete control of the company transfers over.”
“How did you obtain this?”
“Trade secret.”
“….”

That sounds like a dangerous secret.
Yun Chung didn’t press further.
Instead, she scrolled through the screen quickly. At first glance, the documents appeared to expose the company’s entire financial situation, but upon closer inspection, certain details diverged from reality.
For example, the section where StillBlue and BurnAsh’s profits were redirected to Greenery, a group that had barely debuted.

“This…!”
“Now you understand why Greenery was bundled into events with senior idols like BurnAsh and StillBlue, right? It’s because of things like this. The profits are actually generated by you, but they’ve been attributed to Greenery instead. The contract clauses were crafted very cunningly in the same manner.”
“Isn’t this illegal?”
“We’d have to go to court to know for sure… but it’s risky. Especially manipulating things like this right before an attempted sale. And this isn’t even the end of it.”

Choi Han-jin opened a drawer and pulled out a thick envelope of documents.

“Hong President improperly diverted company funds for a personal album project. The stated purpose was global promotion, but in reality, every expense was purely private.”

Baek Ju-ha’s complexion darkened in an instant.

“That’s… clearly a breach of fiduciary duty.”

Yun Chung calmly reviewed the materials Choi Han-jin had pulled up on his laptop. The documentation was meticulous. Yet there was something rushed about it all.

“With proper scrutiny of these documents alone, Hong President is finished.”

Baek Ju-ha bit her lip as she spoke.
Choi Han-jin nodded.

“This isn’t something that ends with a failed sale. At this level, he could genuinely end up in prison.”
“Is there a reason for going this far?”
“Who knows. The rumor is that Hong Yeon-seo is trying to cover up a failed investment by any means necessary.”
“!”
“It’s only a rumor. No one knows for certain. Besides, digging into matters in the United States is difficult. Hong Yeon-seo attended so many parties over there anyway.”

Yun Chung drew a deep breath. My fingertips trembled, but my mind remained oddly calm.

“We need to be careful.”

Choi Han-jin’s gaze grew heavy.

“Hong President is sharp. He’ll counterattack the moment he catches a whiff of this.”
“We have all the ammunition to take down Hong Yeon-seo, but the problem is….”
“The problem is which company to sell to. We need to tell Hong Yeon-seo to sell now. We can’t continue working under a president like this.”

Yun Chung nodded.

“I have one place in mind.”

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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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