The Daughter of a Conglomerate Family Has Debuted - Chapter 125
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Chaebol’s Daughter Debuted
Episode 125
Originally, since groups that already had their debuts scheduled were appearing, a joint concert event was prepared after Start Plan ended.
However, since the incident broke before they could even report on the joint concert, as of now…
There’s a high possibility that the joint concert was canceled along with May Rookie’s debut show.
‘The atmosphere is too bad, and it would be awkward to hold it without a winning team.’
When I heard about the joint concert through Gu Beom-tae and Choi Gyo-young, I briefly considered delaying the expose a bit.
But everything has its timing, so I stopped at just considering it.
By the time the joint concert would have ended, the general public’s interest in Start Plan would have cooled down too.
Most importantly, the anger of fans who had been suspicious of the results even before the manipulation was exposed would have been diluted.
If I had exposed it after the joint concert, it wouldn’t have burned as hotly as it is now.
No matter how much of a chaebol I am, I can’t create public opinion out of nothing, and controversies that no one cares about just end with fans feeling upset.
Actually, even now, if it hadn’t been for Hong Jin’s lawsuit article, things might not have blown up this much.
Anyway.
There were some losses from the joint concert cancellation and the damage to Start Plan’s image as a program.
But overall, things seem to be progressing as expected, which is reassuring.
As for the punishment of UNET and Start Plan, Hong Jin is grinding his teeth and handling that.
‘Now I just need the members to make up their minds.’
I smiled with satisfaction and accepted the reward for the fourth mission.
“Ooh.”
Since it was a difficult mission, the rewards were quite generous too.
Now I’ve accumulated enough cash to buy items from the cash shop.
‘Come to think of it, isn’t the Group Management System that expensive thing they were selling in the cash shop?’
Are the systems in the cash shop things that get unlocked as mission rewards later, even if I don’t buy them separately?
‘But what’s Enlightenment Level?’
When I first saw it, I was in the middle of a competition and suddenly caught up in controversy, so I couldn’t think to check it properly.
But no matter how I look at it, I don’t understand what it means.
Enlightenment Level.
Enlightenment?
‘…Could it be telling me to achieve enlightenment?’
No way, surely not.
Even though I died once…
“Making me suffer so much and then telling me to achieve enlightenment would be really too much.”
If it’s about achieving enlightenment while fulfilling unfulfilled dreams or something like that, it would be much better to quit right now.
Just as I was about to check the Enlightenment Level system first, pushing aside my uneasy feelings.
brrrr…
Hm?
Along with the vibration sound, an unfamiliar name appeared on my phone screen.
[Do Myeong-gyun (Start Plan)]
“…Oh.”
I didn’t expect this person to contact me directly.
Do Myeong-gyun is Start Plan’s main PD and the person who led May Rookie’s victory.
Until it was revealed that I was Hong Jin’s daughter, he was the figure who created malicious public opinion about our Flora.
“Hmm.”
Should I answer this or not.
Since the public opinion formation was already finished, I was planning to leave the pressure on UNET and Start Plan to Hong Jin and focus on debut preparations with Kim Ja-in from now on.
So I don’t really want to get more involved with this person…
‘But I am curious about what he wants to say.’
After thinking for a moment, I just declined the call.
Obviously, he’s about to be cut loose, so he called to beg, saying he was wrong, asking for forgiveness, or asking for help.
People from Hong Jin’s side, including Ryu Jae-geum and Ryu Jin-woo, are pressuring UNET with lawsuits and investment withdrawals like an iron fortress right now.
Since I’m the trigger of the incident and, more importantly, a young girl with no social experience yet, he probably thinks he can get somewhere by sweet-talking me.
‘Not knowing that I created this entire situation.’
Even when I declined, I watched the phone that kept ringing tirelessly without giving up, laughed at it thoroughly, then turned my attention back to the system window.
When I ignored Do Myeong-gyun PD’s call, calls started coming from unknown unsaved numbers too, but I blocked them all.
‘Check Enlightenment Level.’
Ding!
Oh, it changed a bit while I wasn’t looking.
Not much changed, but my affiliation changed to Day Entertainment, Kim Ja-in’s company, and my dance grade is about to increase soon.
It seemed difficult to raise grades through practice once you reach B grade or higher, but the results of practicing while cutting sleep throughout the competition period must have accumulated.
‘I should check the members’ stats next time I meet them.’
If mine is like this, there must be members who have already completed their grade upgrades.
And a new gauge called Enlightenment Level appeared at the bottom of the status window.
“…”
So what is this?
“Is this really my enlightenment level?”
Am I really going to die when this gauge reaches one hundred percent?
This isn’t The Last Leaf, what is this.
“Don’t do this, really. If this is telling me to achieve enlightenment, I won’t do it. I really won’t.”
I finally got to pursue my desired dream again, but enlightenment? What kind of cruel hope is that?
Just imagining it made me angry and felt like all my passion would cool down.
Then, ding! With a cheerful sound, another window appeared.
“…”
Even though the text was floating right in front of my face in large letters, I instinctively squinted and read it over several times.
At first I was puzzled about what this was, but after reading it repeatedly, I could understand it.
‘The Unfortunate Idol means…’
It was an unfamiliar name that I could forget, but it wasn’t completely new to me.
‘I’m sure this was at the very beginning.’
I looked through all the text records I had seen so far and brought up the very first window I had seen.
Right, this one.
Before I could even think about understanding the meaning of this phrase, the first mission arrived, and I spent hectic days adapting to what was happening to me.
Since then, it hadn’t been mentioned at all, so I hadn’t paid any attention to it.
But now that “unfortunate idol” was being mentioned again.
“Hmm….”
What could the unfortunate idol be?
Simply thinking about it, the person who made me into Ryu Ji-ye.
They said our interests aligned, but I knew absolutely nothing about this existence.
But suddenly they want me to break through their traces and help them find peace?
A ghost?
‘It’s not asking me to follow the traces, but what does “break through” even mean.’
If these were traces I could break through in the first place, wouldn’t that mean the unfortunate idol was human?
“I have absolutely no idea.”
Maybe more information would come out if I progressed through a few more missions?
I frowned and glared at the text before closing the window that had popped up in front.
For now, I decided to observe this more and focus on the group management system that seemed practically helpful….
Knock knock.
“Ryu Ji-ye, are you in there?”
“Damn it, every time I try to do something, there’s an interruption!”
Ryu Jae-geum opened the door and barged in without permission.
“What did you say? To hyung? I came because I have something to say. Huh? Get ready. Hyung wants you to come out.”
***
While Ryu Ji-ye was getting annoyed with the system and Ryu Jae-geum, various community sites and SNS were ablaze with heated discussions about Start Plan, May Rookie who won through manipulation, and the contestants.
May Rookie who won through manipulation.
Groups who knew about it but still used entertainment and bribes to pass auditions just to appear on the show.
The small number of cast members who became victims.
The all-too-clear evidence that emerged right after the competition and Hong Jin’s lawsuit that drove the final nail in the coffin.
And as if they had been waiting, testimonies from trainees who were eliminated in the first audition or dropped out early.
Not only Start Plan but UNET’s image was severely damaged, and fans’ anger was immense.
National petitions were filed, and demands for explanations, responses, and compensation for trainees from Start Plan dominated real-time trends one after another.
Among them, the people expressing particularly fierce anger were undoubtedly the fandoms of Flora and U&DA, the two groups that were eliminated just before winning.
The atmosphere was getting more heated.
The criticism and anger from fans and the general public showed no signs of cooling down.
However, even though delaying explanations would be more harmful in this situation, UNET and Start Plan, who had promised to release statements, still hadn’t provided any explanations.
It wasn’t that UNET didn’t understand the seriousness of this situation.
Even aside from public opinion, Hong Jin was currently applying strong pressure, so they couldn’t maintain their no-response stance.
Nevertheless, the reason they were still quiet was.
“Just having you come here, I really don’t know how to express my gratitude….”
The haggard-looking Do Myeong-gyun PD and Entertainment Director bowed their heads before Ryu Jin-woo and Ryu Ji-ye.
‘So I’m finally meeting these people.’
Ryu Ji-ye looked down at the tops of their heads with an unimpressed expression.
This was why UNET had been quiet until now.
Before releasing any statement, their priority was to calm down Hong Jin, who had become UNET’s biggest investor, advertiser, and now the biggest victim.
“Gratitude?”
Ryu Jin-woo, who had been looking down at the tops of the two people’s heads like Ryu Ji-ye, showed a cold smile.
“What more could we possibly have to say.”
Then he spoke with a genuinely regretful expression.
“We’re about to become complete strangers.”
At his words, the Entertainment Director trembled greatly and looked at Ryu Jin-woo.
“I heard Team Leader Ryu Jae-geum already told you. Perhaps you didn’t receive the message?”
Ryu Ji-ye glanced at Ryu Jin-woo with a disgusted expression.
‘That’s madness….’
No, murderous intent.
“We usually don’t withdraw investments that have gone into broadcasting stations, but this is truly regrettable.”
Unlike Ryu Jae-geum who would just lose his temper outright, this was a soft yet deadly tone, like a snake slithering over a wall to coil around and strangle someone.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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