Chapter 805: Outside Pressure

"Mr. Saigo Ryota, please return to Japan immediately."

President Hiroshi of AMOSE had accepted my proposal to assign his second son, Sasuke, as the exclusive partner for

Project I.O.A

. And Sasuke was appointed as the head of the Japanese staff and sent to Korea.

Yet AMOSE, worried about "dim-witted" Sasuke's inexperience, also dispatched Saigo Ryota—a ten-year veteran at thirty-five years old—as his operational support.

From day one in Korea, Saigo Ryota ignored Sasuke and began making unilateral decisions. And now, he had the audacity to accept the AMOSE board's decision to push Kudo Minatsu on his own.

Furious, Sasuke was issuing a firm directive to Saigo Ryota for overstepping his authority. Saigo Ryota couldn't hide the flusteredness in his voice.

"Sasuke. Are you saying this because I accepted the board's decision without you?"

"What else would it be? If you're going to overstep to this extent, you should be prepared to take responsibility."

Saigo Ryota spoke like he had been wronged.

"

Sigh

... Look, Sasuke. I'm sorry if I hurt your pride, but I just thought you'd struggle dealing with those old geezers on the board. I was only trying to help!"

"No matter what the board said, exercising full authority without reporting to me in my absence is a serious overreach. I won't tolerate it any longer. Return to Japan immediately."

Saigo Ryota, startled by Sasuke's unexpectedly firm stance, switched tactics and tried to appease him.

"Hey, I'm really sorry, okay? I won't ignore you again. Let's just drop this, alright?"

Just then, Sasuke raised his voice.

"It's not just about overstepping. The real reason I'm asking you to leave is because of your intent to push Kudo Minatsu. That's blatant rank manipulation, isn't it?"

Saigo Ryota snapped.

"W-Who said anything about manipulation? I'm just saying we give her a little push. Once I.O.A debuts, they'll promote in Japan too. Putting Kudo Minatsu as the center just makes for a better visual. We could even get help from her father!"

Kudo Minatsu's father, Kudo Akira, was not only a shareholder in AMOSE but also a former top singer and currently a famous girl group producer. In Japan's heavily networked industry, having a giant like Kudo Akira's support could make I.O.A's Japanese promotions much easier.

On top of that, Kudo Minatsu had long been branded a genius and was widely recognized across Japan from her TV appearances, making her an obvious promotional asset. That was why AMOSE thought having her rank first in Japan would be most advantageous.

Nevertheless, Sasuke flatly refused.

"Minamoto Aoi, who is currently ranked number one in Japan, can also succeed with proper PR. And more importantly, Mr. Jung would never be unaware of this kind of tampering."

"Then just don't let him find out!"

"That's impossible. Do you even know what kind of person Mr. Jung is? And more than anything, I wouldn't dream of hiding such garbage from him."

At that, Saigo Ryota exploded in frustration.

"Hey, Sasuke. Whose side are you even on? AMOSE or Hoop?"

"Of course I'm on AMOSE's side."

"Then why do you care more about what Chief Jung thinks than our company?"

For the first time, Sasuke raised his voice sharply.

"Mr. Jung severed ties with Aris, Hoop Entertainment's former Japanese partner, and chose AMOSE. He even risked meeting with the yakuza. If we can't honor that loyalty, the least we can do is not stab him in the back. I'm doing this for AMOSE's dignity. We're not some thugs, you know. What do you think you're doing!?"

Sasuke was mocked for being the "useless" one who only managed idol merch within the company, especially compared to his Tokyo University grad older brother—a high-level executive. However, he had more pride and affection for AMOSE than anyone. So when the AMOSE board tried to secretly manipulate rankings and betray that trust, his anger was fully justified.

'

This kid... he's better than I thought.

'

With the official lead Sasuke stepping up like this, there wasn't much left for me to say. I turned, intending to quietly close the door and slip away.

But just then, Saigo Ryota's voice rang out again.

"

Tch

... damn it. Fine. Whatever. But you'd better understand this. Even if the order came through the board, the one who actually made the call was Mr. Tetsuya."

"My brother?"

"Yeah. There's no point hiding it now, right? Mr. Tetsuya's the one who called the board meeting. The directors just rubber-stamped whatever he wanted. So if you send me back to Japan now, you're basically going up against Mr. Tetsuya. Do you think you can handle that?"

"Th-That's..."

Sasuke's voice started to tremble. Having spent his life being compared to his older brother, Sasuke was completely powerless when it came to Tetsuya. Everyone including his parents, their colleagues, and the entire company listened to Tokyo University graduate Tetsuya over Sasuke, who barely finished high school.

"So if you really want to send me back, go ahead and call Mr. Tetsuya yourself. If he gives the okay, I'll follow your order without a word."

Sasuke hesitated, unable to say anything.

At this point, it was time for me to step in. Sasuke, who hadn't achieved anything noteworthy yet, didn't stand a chance in a direct confrontation with his brother.

I opened the door and stepped into the counseling room. "If you're going to call Managing Director Tetsuya, count me in on the call, Mr. Saigo."

Saigo Ryota froze in place with a phone in hand.

"

Uh

, I... that is..."

"Wondering how much I heard, are you? Just assume I heard everything."

Even though none of it was his fault, Sasuke bowed his head. "Mr. Jung, I'm sorry. I'm the general manager here, so I'll take responsibility. What happened was..."

Unlike the flustered Saigo Ryota, Sasuke tried to take full responsibility for something he hadn't even done. Just as I thought, I had picked the right person. This was what a true general manager looked like.

Smiling, I gently helped Sasuke to his feet. "Sasuke. I understand how much you care about AMOSE. But this isn't how you deal with something like this."

"Mr. Jung..."

"I want to draw a clear line here. So please, call Managing Director Tetsuya for me now."

Sasuke looked helplessly at Saigo Ryota. With a sigh, Saigo Ryota began dialing.

***

Click.

Tetsuya answered.

-So, Team Lead Saigo. Did you and Sasuke settle things?

I jumped in before Saigo Ryota could answer.

"Mr. Tetsuya. This is Chief Jung Yoon-Ho."

Tetsuya's voice wavered, clearly surprised by the unexpected voice.

-M-Mr. Jung?

"Yes."

Tetsuya quickly switched tones and forced a laugh.

-

Hahaha

, how have you been? I've left my poor little brother in your care and haven't even called once. I'm terribly sorry. I'll make sure to stay in touch more from now on.

'

Did he just call Sasuke a poor little brother? What a joke.

'

There was only one pathetic person here.

"As far as I can tell, the most lacking person in this situation is you, Mr. Tetsuya."

A silence fell for a moment. Then a shaky voice came through the line.

-W-What did you just say...?

"Did you really think you could deceive me and interfere in

Project I.O.A

's audition process?"

-...

"This is a warning. If you meddle in this audition again like you did today, I'll send the entire Japanese staff back home. No exceptions."

-The entire team?

"Yes. And let me be very clear that I'm only holding back right now because of Team Lead Sasuke. Do you understand?"

At that moment, Tetsuya's tone turned nasty.

-We're just trying to support our Japan-side business... I didn't expect such aggression. But listen here, Mr. Jung. If you won't accept our terms, things might get difficult for you on the Japan business front. Are you really okay with that?

'

Oh, so now it's a threat? He makes the mistake and now he's trying to strong-arm me, huh?

'

If it was threats he wanted, he picked the wrong guy. After all, I was the master of making threats.

"Is that so? Fine. Then as soon as this call ends, I'll personally expel Kudo Minatsu from the program under my authority."

-W-What did you just say?

"If there's no favored candidate, then there won't be any outside pressure like this again, right?

Oh

, and if you won't support our Japanese business, we'll find another partner. Please pass that message to your president as well."

Sasuke and Saigo Ryota both went pale as they listened from beside me. Clearly, they hadn't expected me to take it this far.

From the phone, Tetsuya's voice turned desperate.

-I... I may have gotten a bit carried away. I understand your point. We won't push Minatsu anymore, so please cancel her removal.

True to his weaselly nature, he backpedaled the moment things didn't go his way. Yet in this life, I had no intention of playing along with Tetsuya's games.

"Whether you lost your temper or not doesn't matter to me. I've made my decision."

Click.

I ended the call right there.

Sasuke looked at me with pleading eyes. "Mr. Jung. No, Yoon-Ho hyung. Please... Even if Kudo Minatsu's father pressured the company, kicking her out like this is too much, don't you think?"

I agreed. And I also understood that this situation wasn't so different from what Go Eun-Seo's father, Go Joon-Taek, had done.

However, the bigger issue was that AMOSE, the company handling our Japanese business, had officially gotten involved. If I let this slide now, it could lead to even bigger problems once I.O.A officially debuted. That was why I needed a firm promise that it would never happen again. And I needed this promise not from Tetsuya but from someone else.

"Yoon-Ho hyung..."

Sasuke kept pleading, but I stayed silent. After all, I knew the phone would ring again soon.

And then it did.

Buzz~

[Caller: AMOSE President Hiroshi]

'

There it is.

'

One of Tetsuya's worst habits was this exact move. Whenever he couldn't handle something himself, he would always run to their father, unlike Sasuke who tried to take responsibility for everything himself. And that was exactly why Sasuke, not Tetsuya, was destined to lead AMOSE in the future.

I took a deep breath and answered.

"Yes, Mr. President."

-Chief Jung. I heard our managing director made a serious misstep. I apologize. And more importantly, wouldn't crushing Kudo Minatsu's future like this hurt both sides?

"That may be true. But what happens if this kind of thing happens again?"

-I'll make sure to have a stern word with the board and the managing director. And if it ever happens again, I'll take responsibility personally.

"

Sigh

... Understood. But I have one condition."

-Go ahead.

"Not only for this project, but even after I.O.A is formed and starts its Japan promotions, I want you to guarantee Team Lead Sasuke's independent authority as general manager. Frankly, he's the only one I've seen at AMOSE who actually cares about your company's integrity."

I used this opportunity to request the complete removal of Tetsuya's influence from

Project I.O.A

and to consolidate authority in Sasuke's hands.

There was a brief pause. Then thankfully, Hiroshi responded positively.

-Understood. We'll do that. Sasuke will be given full authority and responsibility over all I.O.A Japan operations going forward. With that... Can we consider this matter settled?

With that, everything I wanted had been achieved.

"Yes, sir."

-Good. Then I'll leave Sasuke in your care.

"You don't need to worry. Sasuke's already doing an excellent job on his own, Mr. President."

-Is that so? Our Sasuke, really now...

hahaha.

Hiroshi didn't fully trust Sasuke yet. But at the very least, this incident gave him reason to start seeing Sasuke differently. From here on, I would ensure I.O.A's massive success and solidify Sasuke's position inside AMOSE to make him the next president.

Just like that, Tetsuya's scheme was utterly destroyed, and Sasuke, who handled things like a true leader, had taken one step further in his growth.

***

Now back in his role as general manager, Sasuke once again issued an official order for Saigo Ryota to return to Japan. After that, Sasuke and I stepped out of the counseling room.

Sasuke looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, Mr. Jung."

"There's no need to be. If anything, I'm grateful. You held your ground."

"No... If I'd ended up on the phone with my brother, I probably wouldn't have lasted."

I gave Sasuke a reassuring pat on the back. "I think you would've."

Even if he had yielded to Tetsuya's pressure, I knew Sasuke would have come to me eventually because he couldn't stand lying. He was just built that way.

"That's..."

"Alright, what's done is done. Now it's time to be ready for what's next."

Sasuke clenched his jaw and nodded with resolve. "Yes. First, I'll go check on Aoi's mental state. She was practicing alone in Studio 6."

"Good. I'll go see the PD then. Catch you later."

"Yes, sir."

Sasuke gave a respectful bow and ran off toward the practice room. Maybe it was the authority that came with being general manager, but there was strength in his stride.

And I, too, headed off to deal with the fallout from the Japanese media coverage.

***

In the monitoring room located in the

Project I.O.A

dorms, the atmosphere was heavy. Broadcast staff and talent agents from Hoop Entertainment's Singer Division 2 were gathered, all staring gravely at the Japanese entertainment news articles displayed on a massive screen.

[Rank controversy among Japan's selected members in

Project I.O.A?

]

[Renowned producer Kudo Akira questions

Project I.O.A's

rankings.]

[Kudo Minatsu VS Minamoto Aoi. Who's really number one in Japan?]

...

Thanks to Kudo Minatsu's father stirring up the Japanese tabloids, article after article had surfaced. Because of this, CP Kang Dae-Woong and Variety Department Head Park Han-Jong were in heated debate.

"This is nuts. They drop this scandal on the day we're announcing eliminations?"

"Come on, CP Kang. Didn't Minamoto Aoi rank first even in Japan's internal evaluation? Why don't we just release those results?"

"We can't, sir. Releasing the internal reports would affect the outcome of the audition."

"So what then? Just let this fester?"

Park Han-Jong pressed Kang Dae-Woong further. Meanwhile, PD Ji Yung-Sik-remained tight-lipped, clearly troubled.

Then Kang Dae-Woong spotted me. "Huh? Chief Jung!"

All eyes turned toward me. It was like they were looking at a savior.

"Perfect timing. Have you got any good solutions?"

Even if I had helped plan the show, it wasn't right for them to only look to me. More importantly, the person ultimately responsible here was Ji Yung-Sik. And since I had brought him in from KBC as an audition program expert, I trusted he had a plan.

"Mr. Ji. Do you have any ideas to resolve this controversy?" I asked.

Ji Yung-Sik met my gaze, took a deep breath, and finally offered a clean-cut solution.

"If it were me..."