Chapter 469: Seo Hee-Joo (1)

Inside the president's office at Ensemble Entertainment, Baek Jae-Ho sat on a luxurious Italian leather sofa. His pomade-styled hair, horn-rimmed glasses, and gray checkered designer suit exuded sophistication as he raised his hand in a confident pose.

"Have a seat."

As an actor appearing in dramas, Baek Jae-Ho maintained a youthful style despite being fifty-three years old. However, all his designer clothing and styling were funded by money embezzled from the company's celebrities.

Beside him sat Choi Dae-Jin, a thirty years old team lead and Baek Jae-Ho's second cousin. Choi Dae-Jin also worked as Baek Jae-Ho's talent agent.

"Hello." Choi Dae-Jin greeted with a sly smile

As I was about to respond, my eyes caught the phone in Choi Dae-Jin's hand. The pink case decorated with beads and a ballerina charm clearly belonged to Seo Hee-Joo.

I asked, "Why do you have Hee-Joo's phone?"

Choi Dae-Jin smirked. "Doesn't your company manage the trainees' phones too? As her talent agent, I'm holding it."

"We also manage phones, but we don't read messages or chats without permission."

Choi Dae-Jin replied with a shameless grin. "Oh, come on. We all know everyone checks. Let's not pretend otherwise."

It was evident Choi Dae-Jin wouldn't listen, so I shifted my focus to Baek Jae-Ho. "I'll be straightforward. I'm here to take Hee-Joo with me."

Baek Jae-Ho crossed his arms and replied smugly, "Didn't you hear what I said on the phone earlier? Hee-Joo is with us."

"You know that Hee-Joo is still a minor, which means the contract can be voided, right?"

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes. So let's avoid complications. Here's her mother's authorization letter."

Baek Jae-Ho chuckled. "I refuse. If you want to cancel, take it to court. I'll comply once the court sends the paperwork."

His brazen attitude was baffling.

I asked with a frown, "What's your real intention?"

"Maybe you should have assessed the situation before butting in. Even if the contract is voided, Hee-Joo won't return to her mother. She told me she'll re-sign in a couple of months when she's an adult."

Seo Hee-Joo's birthday was March 1st, meaning it wouldn't be long before she became an adult. If I couldn't persuade her, Baek Jae-Ho's words could become true. Once she was an adult, nothing could legally stop her from signing a contract.

But that was a concern for later. For now, I had another solution. "Is this how you're really going to handle this?"

Baek Jae-Ho responded with a laugh. "Hey, why so serious? We're just doing what Hee-Joo wants."

Choi Dae-Jin joined in mockingly. "That's right, Mr. Jung. We're only helping Hee-Joo."

Seeing their smug faces, I decided further words were useless. I held my phone firmly and stated, "Fine. Then I'll file a kidnapping report with the police."

A guardian's rights over a minor were absolute. Keeping a child under eighteen for financial gain could lead to a life sentence or at least five years in prison. Moreover, even if Seo Hee-Joo had "run away," failing to report her whereabouts to the police could result in up to five years in prison or a fine of thirty million won.

Effectively, Baek Jae-Ho, who had signed a contract with Seo Hee-Joo two weeks after she ran away, had committed kidnapping.

Baek Jae-Ho's face turned pale with shock. "K-kidnapping?"

The shock caused him to uncross his arms.

"Yes, kidnapping. What nerve do you have to accept a minor without parental consent?"

At that moment, Choi Dae-Jin sitting beside Baek Jae-Ho spoke urgently. "Kidnapping? What kind of nonsense is that? Hee-Joo has been sleeping at a friend's house and only practicing at our company. She also attended school regularly!"

I shot back at Choi Dae-Jin, "If you love the law so much, why don't you present your argument to a judge instead?"

Both men were at a loss after suddenly being accused of kidnapping.

I pressed further, "What's your next move? Should I really call the police?"

As I picked up my phone, Baek Jae-Ho hastily interjected. "W-wait, Mr. Jung!"

"What is it?"

"We'll bring her. That's what you want, isn't it?"

Shouting, Baek Jae-Ho turned to Choi Dae-Jin and barked an order.

"Dae-Jin, go fetch Hee-Joo. Bring her here and make her tell him that we didn't kidnap her."

"But sir!"

"I said, bring her!"

When Baek Jae-Ho waved his hand and signaled something to Choi Dae-Jin, he left the room with a nod. It seemed the two had exchanged some sort of silent agreement, but I wasn't worried.

Their actions were predictable, and I had prepared for this long before coming here.

***

Knock, knock.

A short while later, a knock at the door was followed by four female trainees entering the president's office. Among them, one stood out prominently. It was Seo Hee-Joo.

Standing around 170 cm tall, she wore a pink tracksuit. Her fair skin, cute face, and well-toned body shaped by years of dance training made her striking. She was someone any agency would want as its star.

The girls accompanying her were members of the group 'VIKIZ' set to debut with Seo Hee-Joo.

As I expected, Choi Dae-Jin brought along the other trainees. At this age, friends and peers often held more influence than parents. Bringing the group was a strategy to prevent me from persuading Seo Hee-Joo, the team's centerpiece, to leave.

Then, VIKIZ's leader, Bae Eun-Jung, spoke. "Mr. Baek, did you ask to see us?"

Baek Jae-Ho replied brazenly. "I only called for Hee-Joo, but it seems you all came together."

"We're debuting as a group, so I thought I should know what's going on with Hee-Joo as the leader."

The three other members seemed determined to protect Seo Hee-Joo. But knowing their future, I found the situation laughable. Bae Eun-Jung was twenty-two years old, Choi Eun-Yoo was twenty-one years old, and Yang Hee-Joo was twenty-one years old as well. They were all school dance club alumni, which was really just a front for a delinquent circle.

Four months after VIKIZ debuted, photos of the three members at a host bar would surface online. Before the regression, the photos were posted by a host who had been bullied by them during school, leading him to drop out. After undergoing plastic surgery and joining the host bar, he collected evidence to exact his revenge.

Once the photos were revealed, the trio's history of bullying came to light and led to VIKIZ's disbandment.

Although Seo Hee-Joo had never been to the host bar, her image was dragged down by association. This caused her to remain a B class celebrity afterward.

Knowing all this, I found the three trainees' act of claiming to protect Seo Hee-Joo comically hypocritical, especially since they were secretly pocketing appearance fees behind her back.

Baek Jae-Ho turned to Seo Hee-Joo and asked, "Hee-Joo, answer honestly. Are we forcing you to stay here?"

Despite her stubbornness, Seo Hee-Joo was only nineteen-years-old. A young girl alone in the world wasn't likely to respond confidently to an older man's question.

Seo Hee-Joo glanced around before hesitantly replying, "N-not at all. I'm here because I want to be."

The satisfied Baek Jae-Ho pressed further. "Right. And when Team Lead Choi wanted to notify the police for protection, you stopped him, didn't you?"

Seo Hee-Joo nodded. "Yes, that's correct. I've cut ties with my mother, and when Mr. Choi wanted to call the police, I asked him not to."

At that moment, Baek Jae-Ho turned to me and said, "You heard her, didn't you? We've done nothing wrong."

I expected some clever trick, but it seemed this was all they had. Now it was my turn to use the card I had prepared.

Ignoring everyone in the room, I locked eyes with Seo Hee-Joo. "Hee-Joo, you know me, right? I'm Team Lead Jung Yoon-Ho from Hoop Entertainment."

Seo Hee-Joo nodded. "Yes, I know you."

Thanks to leading Cherry Blossom to success, I had gained some recognition in the idol industry.

"Can we talk privately? Your mother sent me here."

The mention of her mother made Seo Hee-Joo flinch.

At that moment, Bae Eun-Jung stepped in front of Seo Hee-Joo. "Don't talk to Hee-Joo. Talk to me. I'm the leader of this team!"

I ignored Bae Eun-Jung and spoke directly to Seo Hee-Joo. "Your mother has been worried sick since you ran away. She also promised to respect your dream of becoming an idol. That's why she sent me."

"Really...?"

"Yes. So why don't we step outside to talk? I have things to tell you."

Before Seo Hee-Joo could respond, Choi Eun-Yoo and Yang Hee-Joo blocked her path again. "Mister! Didn't you hear what our leader said? Talk to Eun-Jung unnie instead!"

Ignoring them again, I looked past the barrier of her team members and addressed Seo Hee-Joo. "Hee-Joo. Debuting is important, but meeting good team members is even more so. You understand that, don't you?"

Seo Hee-Joo peeked out before nodding. "I understand. But unnies... they're good people."

It was a predictable response for someone her age.

But I countered right away, "Is it common for delinquent 'unnies' to be good people these days?"

"Delinquent?"

At this, Bae Eun-Jung flared up. "Mister! What are you talking about?"

I stared at Bae Eun-Jung and replied calmly, "What? Feeling scared, Bae Eun-Jung? You were infamous for extorting money from students all the way from Daehyun Middle School to Songji High School. Didn't you have hundreds of victims?"

Bae Eun-Jung seethed with anger and retorted, "I-I never did such things!"

"You might not remember, but your victims sure do. Oh, and don't worry. Once you debut, they'll help jog your memory by posting photos online."

"Fuck you...! How can you say that...!"

Leaving the enraged Bae Eun-Jung behind, I turned to Seo Hee-Joo again. "Hee-Joo, the two people next to her are the same. They were in the same dance club and have bullied and extorted countless others."

"I-Is that... true?"

"Yes. And while you're still a minor and haven't gone, these girls are already frequenting host bars. You know what would happen to your life if you got tangled up in that, don't you?"

Seo Hee-Joo's eyes trembled. After two weeks of being around them, she seemed to realize my words weren't entirely baseless.

"Host... bars?"

"Yes."

As a senior in the dance department of a closed-off traditional arts high school, Seo Hee-Joo was a naive girl who had spent her life dancing. The mere idea of what I described left her pale with fear.

"Damn it, you're lying!"

"What delinquent?!"

"W-we don't go to host bars!"

As their voices rose, Seo Hee-Joo instinctively took a step back.

The fuming Bae Eun-Jung whipped her head around and glared at Seo Hee-Joo with her eyes nearly shooting lasers. "Hey! Seo Hee-Joo! You're not believing this, are you?"

"I... well..."

When Seo Hee-Joo couldn't answer, Bae Eun-Jung pressed her again. "Hey! Are you saying you're not debuting with us next year? Are you going to give up on your dream just like that?"

Choi Eun-Yoo and Yang Hee-Joo joined in, glaring at Seo Hee-Joo menacingly.

"Yeah, Hee-Joo! We're debuting together, aren't we?"

"Hee-Joo, the choreographers already made routines for us as a team. Are you really going to leave us behind?"

The overwhelmed Seo Hee-Joo took a step back again. "I... that's..."

I addressed the flustered Seo Hee-Joo directly. "Don't worry, Hee-Joo. I have an authorization letter from your mother, so I'm your guardian now. As long as you're with me, no one can bully you."

"But I already signed a contract..."

"That doesn't matter. The contract is invalid anytime since you're a minor."

Seo Hee-Joo glanced around nervously before slowly moving toward me, because I was the only one in the room showing her kindness.

At that moment, I heard someone curse from behind me. "Team Lead Jung, you bastard! How dare you!"

Turning my head, I saw Choi Dae-Jin charging at me in a rage.

I effortlessly sidestepped Choi Dae-Jin's attack, causing him to crash directly into the VIKIZ members. Like bowling pins struck by a ball, the three girls were flung sideways.

"

Ahhh!

"

"

Eek!

"

The startled Seo Hee-Joo quickly hid behind me.

"Hee-Joo, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

Taking advantage of the moment, I grabbed Seo Hee-Joo's phone which Choi Dae-Jin had dropped.

"Hee-Joo, here you go. Do you have any other belongings left?"

"No. Everything else is at a friend's place near school. We can leave now."

I then turned to Baek Jae-Ho. "Hee-Joo says she's leaving. Do you have anything else to say? If you're dissatisfied, feel free to call the police."

Baek Jae-Ho's face turned crimson as he huffed in frustration. "Take her... and leave!"

"Understood."

I looked down at the VIKIZ members sprawled on the floor and said coldly,

"You caused others so much pain and still think you can become a celebrity? Wake up and find a new dream. Do you really think your victims will stay silent?"

But the three girls showed no remorse and glared back defiantly.

"It was just some teasing! Why are you calling us delinquents?"

"Yeah, just being in a group doesn't make us bullies!"

"Mister, if you spread false rumors, we'll sue you first!"

'

Of course. If they were the type to reflect on their actions, they wouldn't have caused trouble in the first place.

'

It seemed they still hadn't given up on their debut, but they would soon find out the hard way. Once they debuted, their victims would come forward, ready to expose everything. And I had no intention of staying idle. I would stand with the victims and help them bring justice.

Shaking my head at the incorrigible trio, I turned to the trembling Seo Hee-Joo. "Alright then, shall we leave?"

"Yes... Mr. Jung."

With that, I safely escorted Seo Hee-Joo out of Ensemble Entertainment. As soon as we got into the car, I called Choi So-Hye.

I wanted to make sure the trio understood they wouldn't get away with what they did.