Chapter 613: Sung Na-Ra (2)

In front of the SBC lounge, the voices of the girls cornering Sung Na-Ra echoed from inside the room.

For this reason, I initially assumed that Sung Eun-Joo, the talent agent of FIVE Angels, wasn't around. But to my disbelief, there she was right in front of the lounge door. She was leaning against it and playing a game on her phone instead of stepping in to stop them. She wasn't just ignoring the fight, but it was like she was standing guard while it happened.

FIVE Angels was made up of five members, all 18 years old this year. Even though the team ran entirely on Lee Jin-Sil's parents' money and influence, I didn't expect they would allow this kind of behavior. This wasn't neglect—it was practically giving permission to bully her.

I immediately approached Sung Eun-Joo, who was still focused on her phone game. "Ms. Sung, what exactly are you doing right now?"

Startled, Sung Eun-Joo looked up from her phone. But once she saw it was me, not a broadcasting staff member, she smirked. "Oh? It's you, Chief Jung."

Sung Eun-Joo was thirty-six years old and a veteran talent agent with twelve years of idol management under her belt. But sometimes, being a veteran meant something else. It could mean becoming desensitized to the bullying that happened among idol groups, just like now.

However, bullying was something a talent agent could never afford to be desensitized to. For the one being bullied, it was like their soul was trapped above a pit of hellfire 24 hours a day.

"I asked what you're doing."

Sung Eun-Joo glanced sideways toward the lounge. She could still hear the voices berating Sung Na-Ra, but she shrugged it off.

"Na-Ra messed up during the visual radio stage earlier. That's why they're like that. It's just the girls venting. Stay out of it."

With that dismissive tone, she turned her attention back to her phone.

"

Ugh

~ damn it. I missed an item cause you distracted me at the wrong moment."

Then, more of the FIVE Angels' voices rang out from inside.

-Hey, Sung Na-Ra! Are you crying now?

-No one here's going to take your side, so quit it.

-God, what a pathetic act.

-I told you to hand the mic off immediately when you grab it. Why'd you keep talking and make it all about you?

I couldn't stand by anymore. I pushed Sung Eun-Joo aside from the lounge door. Still holding her phone, she stumbled off to the side.

"W-Whoa, hey!"

Click.

When I opened the door, four girls including Lee Jin-Sil were pointing fingers and cornering Sung Na-Ra against the wall. Sung Na-Ra looked terrified with tears streaming down her face as she trembled.

Sung Na-Ra was about 159 cm tall and petite, but had good proportions thanks to her small head. Her skin was porcelain white, she had dimples, and her cute manner of speaking had earned her a dedicated fanbase despite her group's general lack of popularity.

Because of that, Sung Na-Ra had become the object of jealousy for Lee Jin-Sil and the others. But with her naturally kind disposition, Sung Na-Ra couldn't fight back and simply endured the abuse.

Just as I was about to step in and stop it, something outrageous happened. Lee Jin-Sil poured a cup of cola over Sung Na-Ra's head, straight from the vending machine.

"Bitch. Did you think I was joking when I told you to stop crying?"

Drip.

The thick, dark cola ran down Sung Na-Ra's hair and soaked her white blouse. It was disgusting to see someone so jealous over screen time. But more than that, her actions were pure malice.

I immediately shouted, "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

Lee Jin-Sil's hand froze as she turned her head. For a moment, it looked like she knew she was screwed. But then she quickly relaxed her face and spoke shamelessly.

"This is between us. Mr. Jung, why don't you butt out? It's not like we're even in the same company."

Lee Jin-Sil's mother was currently SBC's variety department PD Ahn Mi-Hyun, and her father Lee Seok-Hyung was a former idol and the head of a famous dance academy in Gangnam. Thanks to her family's influence in broadcasting, Lee Jin-Sil showed no fear toward me.

It was absurd. I pulled out my phone and started recording a video of Sung Na-Ra being bullied.

Catching on late, their talent agent Sung Eun-Joo finally noticed the situation and shouted, "Wait! What do you think you're doing, Chief Jung? Stop filming!"

Lee Jin-Sil and the other girls' expressions twisted. They realized that if the video got out, it could be the end of their idol careers. Sung Eun-Joo jumped up and tried to snatch my phone despite our twenty-centimeter height difference.

Avoiding her, I walked straight toward Sung Na-Ra.

"Move!"

The girls surrounding her stepped aside. I took off my outer coat and draped it over Sung Na-Ra's head as she trembled. She was only about 159 cm tall, so my long coat completely covered her.

Freed from the hostile stares of her tormentors, Sung Na-Ra's small hand reached out from under the coat and tightly grasped the edge of my suit jacket. Her trembling fingertips conveyed just how frightened she was.

Suppressing my rising anger, I addressed Lee Jin-Sil again. "You do realize nothing good will come if this goes public, right?"

Even a fool should have answered yes, but Lee Jin-Sil had a different response.

"If you release that video, do you think my mom and dad will sit still?" Lee Jin-Sil shouted in a sharp voice.

She was threatening me, implying that her mom and dad wouldn't leave me alone with all their broadcast connections. Yet, she had no idea how much more powerful my connections were.

"And if they don't? What then?"

"Huh?"

"I asked, what are they going to do!?"

Other talent agents would probably have let things slide because her mom was a PD, but not with me.

When Lee Jin-Sil started trembling without a reply, Sung Eun-Joo jumped in. "Chief Jung! I'm going to report this to our president!"

I responded calmly. "Go ahead."

"Pardon?"

"I've got nothing to lose. If I release this video, that's the end of it. And with Ace Entertainment's situation lately, wouldn't it be quite a sight?"

Ever since half the company moved to Reverse Entertainment, Ace Entertainment had dropped to the industry's fifth tier. Though they still had some clout, the decline was undeniable.

"That's..."

Sung Eun-Joo couldn't say more.

At that moment, I turned to Sung Na-Ra, who was still clutching my jacket. "Na-Ra, you know me, right?"

Sung Na-Ra nodded silently.

"I'll get you out of this awful place. Will you come with me?"

After a moment's hesitation, she answered softly. "Is... is that okay?"

"Yeah. I overheard you're getting released anyway, right?"

"Yes..."

"Then it's fine. I'll get you out of FIVE Angels and Ace Entertainment. Let's get you a fresh start."

"O-Okay..."

Having received Sung Na-Ra's consent, I turned to Sung Eun-Joo. "Ms. Sung, make sure to tell your president this clearly. Keeping Sung Na-Ra in FIVE Angels means she'll never grow because of Jin-Sil. Let her go. If he does, I won't release the video."

Sung Eun-Joo shouted furiously. "Hey! Chief Jung! Did you really just say that?"

"Yes. I've said what I needed to say, so I'll be going."

For Sung Na-Ra to attend the I.O.A audition, she first needed to leave FIVE Angels. Now that I had leverage, I couldn't let this chance slip by.

As I walked forward, still brimming with anger from witnessing that bullying, Lee Jin-Sil, the other girls, and Sung Eun-Joo stepped aside.

And just like that, I rescued Sung Na-Ra from the scene of her torment.

***

As soon as we stepped out of the lounge, I checked Sung Na-Ra's condition. Her hair and clothes were soaked and sticky with cola, thick with sugar. There was no way I could take her home in that state.

"Na-Ra, let's get you changed first."

With trembling hands, Sung Na-Ra offered back the coat. "I-It's okay. I can wash up in the bathroom. And... Thank you for helping me."

Sung Na-Ra hesitantly bowed her head shyly.

"And your coat... I got cola on the lining. I'll have it cleaned later."

She didn't even have any income, and here she was talking about dry cleaning costs. It was unbelievable how kind she still was after just being horribly bullied.

'

Too kind, honestly.

'

"First, let's get you changed. And don't worry about the cleaning. I'm not going to charge you."

Maybe I would charge Lee Jin-Sil for it.

Wrapping the coat around her, I led Sung Na-Ra to the SBC meeting room where the

Project I.O.A

meeting was taking place.

***

I knocked on the door to the 7th-floor meeting room of SBC.

Knock knock.

-Come on in.

When I opened the door, I saw CP Kang Dae-Woong sitting on one side of the room. With years of experience producing audition programs, he was the executive producer in charge of

Project I.O.A

. He was also the PD of

Chasing Idols

, the show PD Ji Yung-Hyun had appeared on back in high school.

Beside him sat Ji Yung-Hyun and AD Lee Tae-Eun. Across from them were Ling Ling, Seo Hee-Joo, and a crowd from our company.

The moment I walked in with Sung Na-Ra cloaked in a coat, everyone's faces lit up in shock. One look at her wet hair and blouse was enough to tell she had been bullied.

"Chief Jung. Don't tell me..."

"Yes. It's what you're thinking. Excuse me for a moment."

I turned to Do Ran-Hee, who had arrived earlier with Seo Hee-Joo.

"Ran-Hee, help her wash up and get changed. She should be about Sae-Ri's size."

Do Ran-Hee sprang up. "Yes, Mr. Jung."

At that moment, Lee Tae-Eun stood as well. "I'll show you where the shower is. Come with me."

Jung Sang-Bong stood too. "Ms. Do, I'll bring the clothes. You handle the shower."

"Okay."

With that simple division of duties, Do Ran-Hee took Sung Na-Ra and left the meeting room.

Click.

Once the door closed, Kang Dae-Woong asked, "That's Sung Na-Ra from Ace Entertainment, right?"

"Yes. That's her."

"Did she get bullied or something?"

"Yes. I pulled her out after seeing her getting bullied in the lounge."

Kang Dae-Woong sighed and said with concern, "You sure this won't get messy?"

Anyone in broadcasting had occasionally seen a girl group bullying another internally, but only a few stepped in. After all, trying to help often led to worse retaliation against the victim. At most, people might report it to the agency, but even that wasn't effective because most agencies denied and played dumb.

I nodded. "I'll be fine."

"Who's the ringleader?"

"Lee Jin-Sil."

"PD Ahn's daughter?"

"Yes."

Kang Dae-Woong scratched his head. "Now that's a headache."

"I'll handle it."

Kang Dae-Woong let out another sigh and shook his head. "

Sigh

~ I might not be much help, but I'll try talking to PD Ahn anyway."

Kang Dae-Woong tried to offer his support, but I couldn't let him.

"No, Mr. Kang. Please just focus on managing

Project I.O.A

. If you get involved, it might complicate things. Just keep an eye on it."

I was planning to have Sung Na-Ra audition for

Project I.O.A l

ater. But if the CP publicly took her side, it could spark controversy over fairness. Even though I.O.A was essentially for selecting idols to join Hoop Entertainment, we still had to be careful since there would be viewer voting involved.

"Let me handle the Sung Na-Ra situation. Now, why don't we start the meeting."

Everyone seemed eager to help, but I deliberately shifted their focus. This was something best handled alone.

"Alright, if that's how you want it."

And so, the joint planning meeting for

Project I.O.A

began.

"For the promo line, how about 'Your choice, your girls?' Feels right, no?"

"How about changing it to 'Your choice, your idols'? Since the group name is I.O.A."

"That actually sounds better."

After various suggestions, my proposal was chosen as the official catchphrase. The meeting wrapped up about thirty minutes later.

When I stepped outside, Sung Na-Ra was waiting, now dressed neatly. Wearing Sae-Ri's clothes, she smiled like nothing had happened earlier. Maybe because she was so kind, she had learned to hide pain and hardship behind a smile. It was heartbreaking.

Leaving the others to eat dinner, I headed straight to Sung Na-Ra's home in Seongsu-dong with her.

Time was tight if I wanted to get her out of FIVE Angels and into the I.O.A audition.

***

On the way to her home, Sung Na-Ra sat in the passenger seat and fidgeted before finally speaking.

"Mr. Jung... thank you for saving me."

"There's no need for thanks. It's just what I had to do."

"No one... ever helped me before..."

That short and hesitant sentence carried so much weight. It meant everyone had been too afraid of Ahn Mi-Hyun to step in.

My chest tightened for a moment. Had this been before my regression, I probably wouldn't have helped her either.

Then Sung Na-Ra asked, "So... what do I do now?"

Sung Na-Ra lived with her grandparents and had three younger brothers. After her parents died in a car accident, her grandparents had raised them all through part-time jobs. With her brothers still in elementary and middle school, Sung Na-Ra bore a heavy responsibility as the eldest. She had endured bullying and loneliness to try and succeed, just to support her family.

"First, we'll cancel your contract with Ace Entertainment. Then you'll audition for I.O.A. You've got what it takes to pass."

I handed her my business card and told her to call me anytime.

"Yes, Mr. Jung."

Sung Na-Ra thanked me again and again, tucking the card close to her chest like it was precious. While we talked, we arrived at a small, shabby two-story house in Seongsu-dong.

"We're here. Thank you so much for the ride."

"Don't mention it. And while I'm here, I'd like to say hello to your grandparents. The lawyer will be arriving too."

I had already assigned Attorney Kim Chan-Sung, who worked with Writer Lee Ji-Yeon, to handle this case.

Screech.

I parked in the alley and got out, then opened the gate to Sung Na-Ra's house. There stood her grandfather and grandmother, pale with worry.

"Oh, Na-Ra... what are we going to do?"

"N-Na-Ra..."

I looked around to find the reason. And there they were—two people I knew all too well. They were Managing Director Gong Tae-Soo and Legal Director Woo Sang-Woo, key figures in Ace Entertainment and close cronies of Kim Dong-Soo.

They stood there, smug and glaring straight at me. "Chief Jung. You showed up right on time."

While Sung Na-Ra had been getting cleaned up and changed, Ace Entertainment had moved first. It seemed things weren't going to be easy after all.

But I had no intention of backing down. No matter the interference, I would get Sung Na-Ra out of Ace Entertainment.

I was determined to crush these two and bring Kim Dong-Soo to his knees if I had to.