novelraw Chapter 113 : A Way to Handle It Cleanly
Chapter 113 : A Way to Handle It Cleanly
Chapter 113 - A Way to Handle It Cleanly
“Alice-ssi.”
Baek Hyeon-woo looked straight at Alice and spoke.
“I didn't single you out, Alice-ssi, with any ulterior motives.”
“……!”
“As you can see from having another girl sit in with us here, I have no such intention whatsoever.”
Even now, Kanade was only playing her phone game intently. There was no way anyone could do anything insidious in this kind of atmosphere.
“I am curious about Alice-ssi's true skills. I merely asked Producer Iwata because I wanted to see that.”
“B-Baek Hyeon-woo-ssi...”
Alice swallowed hard and asked.
“Exactly what kind of person are you, Baek Hyeon-woo-ssi? Why go out of your way to...”
“I am an employee working at an entertainment agency in Korea.”
“Pardon?”
Alice's eyes widened.
“You weren't a celebrity?”
“No. It seems there was a misunderstanding.”
Saying so, Baek Hyeon-woo directed his gaze toward Kanade.
“The only celebrity here is Kanade. She is a member of a girl group called Newstarz active in Korea.”
“N-Newstarz? Really?”
“Have you heard of them?”
“Yes, I've been continuously checking the Korean music industry, so...”
Alice stared at Kanade with trembling eyes.
“Actually, I became interested in Alice-ssi after hearing about you from Kanade.”
“Pardon?”
“Kanade also had a time in the past when she pondered participating in 77 Produce. That's how I was able to learn that Alice-ssi, who is from 7STAR, is working as a local idol under BBB Production.”
“……!”
Of course, the reason Baek Hyeon-woo called Alice out like this was because he had seen her status window at the venue.
If Alice possessed ordinary talent, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to arrange a meeting like this.
“I checked a few videos from your 7STAR days, and it was quite different from the appearance you showed at the venue earlier.”
“That’s...”
“I would like you to show me the same appearance as back then.”
In front of Alice, as he said this, Baek Hyeon-woo played the music source again from the beginning.
“Singing and dancing in a place like this might be awkward, but try to think of it as an audition venue.”
“……!”
The moment she heard those words, Alice recalled old memories in her head.
Memories of the days when she participated in 77 Produce and competed desperately.
As she recalled those days when she worked hard to pass the audition, her mouth opened naturally.
“Secret tears, this is a secret──♪”
Secret tears. The song that was the main theme song of 77 Produce and the title track of 7STAR's debut album.
Although two years had passed since she last sang it, her body remembered it because she had practiced it countless times.
“My secret story that nobody knows, you won't know how much my heart ached──♪”
The choreography came out on its own. Moving her limbs powerfully, she danced a light dance.
In TEAM STM, because twelve people mixed together and had to perform harmoniously, there were restrictions on her movements. But now, there was no need to worry about such things.
Without any need to match the other members, she could move her entire body with all her might.
“But still, now I want to show you. The precious thing I kept inside me...!–—♪”
A powerful shouting!
Even though it was a room with soundproofing equipment, at this level, her voice would have leaked outside.
Even so, it didn't matter. Right now, Alice was only thinking about showing her best stage.
“…….”
Baek Hyeon-woo watched Alice performing like that in silence. That appearance was worlds apart from when she was doing a live performance as TEAM STM earlier.
When he suddenly turned his head, Kanade, who had been immersed in her game, had raised her head at some point and was staring blankly at Alice.
It was proof that Alice's performance was at a level sufficient to captivate people's attention.
......
After the song ended.
Baek Hyeon-woo spoke to Alice, who wore a relieved expression.
“Alice-ssi, do you have any lingering attachments to the Japanese idol scene?”
“No.”
Alice shook her head.
“It's not that I want to deny the Japanese idol industry. But where I am right now... there is no way to climb any higher.”
“Then let's go somewhere else.”
Baek Hyeon-woo said in a calm voice.
“Our Haram Entertainment is currently looking to expand its business. In addition to Newstarz, we plan to nurture various idol singers and grow them into top idols.”
“…….”
“Alice-ssi, come to Korea. I would like you to become an idol of Haram Entertainment.”
Before she knew it, tears were flowing from Alice's eyes.
Today, Alice had come here after being pushed by her producer. She was just feeling a sense of shame and despair over her situation.
However, something completely different from what she had expected happened. Instead of the fake opportunity the producer spoke of, a true opportunity was here.
“Can I really... challenge myself again?”
Alice asked, on the verge of tears.
“Are you letting me challenge myself again?”
“The challenge has already begun, Alice-ssi.”
Baek Hyeon-woo smiled.
“We will help you so that you can climb to a higher place.”
“Sob...!”
She had been giving up, wondering if this was her destiny. But before she knew it, her destiny had changed. At this miracle-like event, Alice couldn't help but shed tears.
“I’m sorry if it sounds like I’m nitpicking.”
Right at that moment. Kanade, who was still clutching her phone, cautiously spoke up.
“Is the contract and everything going to be okay? If you ask them to terminate the contract so you can go to Korea, I don't think BBB Pro will just sit still...”
“Ah...”
Producer Iwata was by no means a good person. He was a human being who had suggested the entertainment first and had forced Alice, who showed reluctance, to go to Baek Hyeon-woo.
There was no way such a person would obediently let Alice go to Korea.
“W-We can just keep it a secret that I'm going to Korea.”
Alice said urgently, wiping away her tears.
“If I tell him that I refused to entertain Baek Hyeon-woo-ssi and just came back, it's obvious he will fly into a furious rage and try to kick me out of the group. So if you match the story...”
“Hmm...”
In fact, from Iwata's perspective, Alice wasn't exactly a precious talent.
If she said she was going to re-debut at a Korean agency, they would try to extract something like a penalty fee, but if she hid that fact and just said she was leaving the group, they would let her go obediently.
However...
“It’s a bit lacking.”
“Pardon?”
“They might raise an objection later after seeing that Alice-ssi moved to Korea. I want to avoid unnecessary noise as much as possible.”
Even if it didn't go as far as a legal dispute, getting caught up in a controversy itself was not a good thing for Haram Entertainment and Alice.
“Therefore, it's necessary to take measures so that such a thing doesn't happen at all.”
“But, exactly how...”
“There is a way.”
Baek Hyeon-woo said in a meaningful voice.
“Since it's another company's business, I didn't particularly want to get involved, but... since things have turned out this way, I should clean things up before I go.”
......
The next day.
Hearing the words of Alice, who came to the office, Producer Iwata screamed at the top of his lungs.
“What do you mean you parted ways without doing anything! What on earth does that mean!”
“I told him I was sorry. Baek Hyeon-woo-san understood as well.”
“Have you lost your mind?!”
Iwata shouted, looking as if he would raise a hand against her at any moment.
“I told you clearly! He is an important person whom even the president of AA Pro treats with special care! Then you should have followed him to a bar or a hotel and done whatever you were told!”
“Producer, is that what an idol is supposed to do?”
Although Iwata was glaring with terrifying eyes, Alice spoke without caring.
“An idol is someone who sings and dances for the fans. Things like that are not what an idol should do.”
“What kind of bullshit is that! Do you think you're somebody?!”
Iwata raised his voice.
“To grab an opportunity, you have to do whatever it takes! That's only natural in this industry!”
“So have there been any results until now? Has there been any member who made a major debut after following someone to a bar or a hotel just as you ordered, Producer?”
“Even if no one made a major debut, everyone, in one way or another...”
“In doing so, wasn't the one who profited the most you yourself, Producer, and not the members?”
Alice said, glaring at the man in front of her.
“You're just filling your own stomach while exploiting idols with all kinds of sweet talk. The members work hard at part-time jobs because they don't even have living expenses, but aren't you driving an expensive car and enjoying all kinds of entertainment, Producer?”
“W-What are you talking about! All of that is also social activity to win work from the local community...”
“Even if you win work, our situation is always at a standstill.”
TEAM STM was a group that was being operated stably. Many fans flocked to the live performances every time, and the handshake events or goods sales were also good.
Their relationships with companies based in Saitama were also good. They were also steadily showing their faces on local Saitama broadcasts.
However, that was the end of it.
The members' salaries were always at the level of pocket money. That didn't mean investments were being made to rise to a higher stage either.
“If you had seriously shown the will to pull us up to a higher place, Producer, I would have trusted and followed you more too.”
“Good grief...!”
Iwata wore an exasperated expression.
“Hey, do you think you're somebody? Just because you performed in Korea for a few months, do you think you've become some kind of global star?”
Pointing his finger, Iwata revealed his true nature.
“You guys are just kids who experience playing celebrity for a few years at an underground venue and then leave! You're different from the real stars who appear on TV!”
“Is it okay for you to say such things, Producer? Even though you encouraged the members every time, saying that if we work hard, we can go major and make a nationwide debut under AA Pro?”
“That’s just for show! Anyway, the cases of a local idol making a major debut are less than 1%!”
“Everyone knows that the door is narrow.”
The entertainment industry is a fiercely competitive society anyway. Even in 77 Produce, the 70 people who failed to make it into the 7 debut members had to return to where they originally came from.
“But no matter how narrow it is, the door should be kept open. Shouldn’t it not be closed from the very beginning?”
People put in effort even in audition programs because there is hope that they can debut if they work hard.
If the passers and those eliminated are decided from the beginning, it becomes a huge scam that deceives and exploits young people pursuing their dreams.
It was the same for BBB Production. They had been exploiting the members while lying that they would give them a major debut under AA Production if they worked hard.
“Producer, you are a fraud.”
Slap!
Iwata slapped Alice on the cheek.
“…….”
Alice bit her lip while touching her stinging cheek.
“Is it okay to hit an idol’s face?”
“It doesn’t matter because I’ll never put someone like you on stage ever again,” Iwata said, panting with rage.
“As of today, you are expelled. There’s no graduation live or anything. I’m going to rip up the contract, so get the hell out right now.”
“…….”
She had affection for TEAM STM. She also always felt grateful toward the fans. She didn’t want to leave like this, but it was unavoidable.
“I understand. Thank you for everything until now.”
After leaving her farewell like that, Alice left the office without looking back. And she walked into a nearby cafe.
“Is it all over?”
Baek Hyeon-woo was waiting there, drinking coffee.
“Yes, I did as you told me.”
Alice put her hand in her pocket. And she handed Baek Hyeon-woo the item she had hidden from Iwata.
“Here, the voice recorder.”
“Thank you.”
The voice recorder containing the entirety of the conversation she had shared with Iwata.
Receiving it, a smile appeared around Baek Hyeon-woo’s mouth.
“Are you going to blow this open to the media?”
“If we do that, Alice-ssi and TEAM STM will also suffer damage.”
It would also attach a bad image to Alice later when she is active in Korea. There is no need to make a fuss for no reason.
“There is a way to handle it cleanly. Please leave it to me.”