13
Step Thirteen
:: Mission 2 ::
Bang!!
Clash!!
“What the heck is going on?!” The middle-aged man, his chubby figure trembling with anger, swept documents and office supplies off the desk, causing them to crash onto the floor and shatter into pieces.
But it seemed that even this couldn’t relieve the storm brewing in his chest.
He turned back and kicked over a leather chair, which crashed into the display cabinet of collectibles behind.
Then he continued with the luxurious furniture set, a genuine teakwood ship model, or even paintings by world-renowned artists, all serving as outlets for his frustration.
There was nothing left to destroy.
The storm began to subside slightly.
“Damn it!” Kim Jungeol, CEO of OMM Ent., was facing a major problem.
Suddenly, his carefully kept secret of evading taxes for several years was exposed by someone in the police department.
If it had been just a rumor on the internet, he could easily turn the tide.
But his underling, who was in the police department, had just sent news that they had evidence to incriminate him for everything!
“Please, calm down.” the first madam frowned, looking at his husband who had been consumed by anger until his composure was all gone.
Normally, he didn’t look pleasant, but when enraged, he looked even more repulsive.
In his youth, he looked good, but he seemed to look worse as he got older.
“With what’s happening, how can you expect me to stay calm?” It’s impossible for anyone to stay calm in such a chaotic situation, especially considering that the events from two years ago had resurfaced unexpectedly, even though he was sure he had gotten away with it for good.
“Hey, you said your plan was foolproof.
Why did it fall apart so easily like this?” Kim Jungeol snapped at his law-abiding wife, forgetting that he had been the one asking for her advice in the first place and had even supported her every step of the plan.
“Are you blaming me for this?” Choi Goni raised her eyebrow, looking at his husband with a calm and steady gaze.
“Are you sure it’s because of me alone?”
“Um!
It’s also because of me,” Kim Jungeol feared this woman, who his mother chose for him and had been brought into the marriage to take control of the near-collapsing business that looked beautiful on the outside.
She calmly moved her pawn, sending people into SKM Ent.
one by one, intending to gradually infiltrate the company from within.
But why did…
the other side find out?
Until now, she hadn’t done much.
If anything, it was the second wife of her husband who wanted to boost her son’s image by sending him to participate in the Star Fight program.
The truth was, the kid had some talent, but his personality, molded by his stepmother, was too obvious.
With just one look, she knew he wouldn’t go far.
Proud, eloquent, arrogant, and ambitious.
“Or is it because your beloved wife stirred up trouble on the Star Fight program, and they sent someone skilled to investigate until they found what we did?” Choi Goni could only speculate in this direction, as there was no other plausible explanation for how the other side could have uncovered their actions.
She couldn’t understand how her husband could fall for a woman with such an unsavory mouth.
Even though they didn’t love each other, their marriage was just a business deal, and she didn’t care who he had affairs with, she was hoping that he would pick someone with a bit of brains to help with the family business, unlike the current situation.
“So, what do we do about this?” When it came to the second wife, Kim Jungeol, who had previously been argumentative, calmed down, with a face that looked as vulnerable as ever.
If the first wife could be likened to a business partner, the second wife was the first love he could never forget.
The previous fiery arguments had softened noticeably.
“We’re done, there’s no ‘we’ anymore.
In two days, my lawyer will send the divorce papers.
Your only responsibility is to acknowledge and prepare for court.
As for Junjae, my son, you don’t have to worry.
I’ll have him revert to my surname as soon as we’re divorced.”
“What?
Divorce?
You said you’d divorce me like that!
And you’re letting Junjae use your surname too!”
“Yes, Did you not hear clearly?
If so, then wait to receive the documents from my lawyer.
Then read through them line by line until you understand.
As for today, I must take my leave first.
I have an appointment with Junjae that I promised to take him to visit the university in country A.
The flight is almost due.
Excuse me.” With that, the former wife and president of OMM Ent.
got up, grabbed her branded bag, and walked out of the room with her bodyguard.
He reached out, attempting to grab her for more talks but was stopped by her bodyguard, so all he could grasp was only air and despair.
The rumors surrounding OMM Ent.
that should have just been baseless gossip by netizens late at night, unexpectedly turned out to be true the next morning when major media outlets came out to report it.
Moreover, they managed to trace it back to nearly ten influential figures within the entertainment industry.
But one thing was certain, Kim Jungeol, once regarded as a prominent figure in the business world, was now declared bankrupt by the court.
Not only that, he was also sued for divorce by his wife and had to pay millions in compensation.
After spending all the money on compensation and everything else, there was still the penalty for tax evasion remaining.
His beautiful mansion was sold off.
The second wife, An Sangsu, could only lament as valuable items within the house were inspected and seized by the police.
The once mighty giant company, which had been built and held onto its top position for many years, now had to change hands.
It was scrutinized by the police every single day, encountering problems at every department.
Artists who had once signed contracts with them now rushed to leave for other agencies.
It would take several years to get back on track and resume operations.
By then, OMM Ent., once grand, would have been reduced to merely a name, no longer a major player, but rather a small to medium-sized agency.
They couldn’t reclaim their position alongside the other four major agencies.
Choi Goni looked out at the capital city from a high angle through the airplane window.
The middle-aged woman behind the scenes of OMM Ent.’s grandeur could only furrow her brows, not understanding why the carefully laid-out plan was uncovered so quickly.
She thought part of it might have been due to the actions of her second husband’s second wife on the Star Fight program.
But…
it shouldn’t really trace back to her husband’s wrongdoing or the moles she had planted in that company.
Actually, if the plan had kept going, even if there were unexpected variables like An Sangsu sending his son to participate in the idol search competition of the rival company, it wouldn’t have affected the laid-out plan in any way.
It would even help divert attention quite effectively.
But what Choi Goni didn’t know was that the Star Fight program had a foreign trainee who wasn’t just good at singing or dancing.
He merely investigated the suspicious personnel within the program.
Then, he followed the scattered threads that seemed to connect.
But ultimately, they all converged to one point: if it wasn’t a friend or a close acquaintance, it had to be a relative of someone connected to OMM Ent.
In one way or another, once he realized this, continuing the investigation wouldn’t be difficult.
On the flip side, if Choi Goni ‘s plan succeeded, the company that would be left in ruins would be SKM Ent.
And the person on the plane to evade societal scrutiny would have to be Dong Hyunin instead.
“…” The more Choi Goni thought about it, the more confused she became.
Where exactly did she go wrong…?
Meanwhile, Jacan was unaware that he had inadvertently dealt with the villain in the young president’s life quite easily.
The turmoil outside didn’t affect the filming process because all the trainees had their phones confiscated since the first day of filming until now, and no one knew their own popularity.
The young man didn’t bother to check his either.
Even though he had the opportunity to use the computer in the producer’s favorite room to hack for information about his enemies, he had to be careful because if he took too long, he might not be able to extract all the information as someone might happen to enter the room at that time.
There was only An Junsa, who was called by the staff in the morning, notifying him that his guardians needed to urgently contact him.
And from the moment he returned until now, he sat pale-faced, spacing out in one corner of the room, not speaking to anyone.
Jacan, deducing from An Junsa’s demeanor, could roughly guess that the president, Dong, must have done something for sure.
Well…
at least the information he provided wouldn’t be wasted and he wouldn’t be exhausted for nothing.
“Brother Jay, do you think which class we will be in?” Kim Jiseong nudged his older brother, who kept looking towards An Junsa.
“I don’t know.
Can’t figure out the show’s direction at all,” Jacan shrugged.
He really couldn’t guess the good old Im’s thoughts.
This PD often did something different from what they usually did on regular shows.
After finishing morning classes, there was an announcement to gather in the main conference room in the afternoon to receive instructions for the second round.
There was a hint that they would have to perform a team showcase for the first time.
“We’ll probably find out what we have to do in the afternoon,” even the eldest brother had to speculate.
…
Main Conference Room
[How was it?
Went to the amusement park all day and you didn’t even invite me,] entering, Park Insa complained with a theatrical expression on his face.
“We thought we would see you at the amusement park,” never thought he’d miss it.
[No one invited me, that’s why] the middle-aged man still pouted, cheeks puffed out, playing it big until the little kids looked at each other without knowing what to do, unsure how to handle the situation.
Swift
Before they all turned their heads to their eldest brother.
Jacan, after being momentarily puzzled by their stares, curled into a wry smile…
They’d seen him play kindergarten teacher before, hadn’t they?
Not knowing how to solve the problem, they turned to him for advice as usual.
“So, can we make up for it with this one instead?” Jacan lifted a five-pointed star plush toy with a ring around it that he had picked up from his room.
It was the mascot plush he got from playing a game at the amusement park.
[Would that be ok?] In truth, Park Insa wasn’t really upset about anything; he just wanted to tease the little kids.
He hadn’t thought about accepting gifts from anyone.
“Well, I saw it was like the Twinkly Star, so I got several of them.
I intended to bring it for you as gifts,” Jacan didn’t lie about getting multiple copies of this plush toy because he saw it resembled the Twinky Star, the mascot plush he had obtained at a concert of Twin K when he was five.
[Really?
I was just teasing you earlier, you know.] Park Insa looked at the star plush toy in front of him, lost in thought.
Looking at it, it really resembled the Twinkly Star, only that the Twinkly Star had a rice ear around it.
Surely, dedicated fans like him would have that mascot kept at home.
However, a few days ago, his niece saw it and wanted it badly.
So, he promised to give her a similar one.
But until today, he still hadn’t found it…
“I got several copies indeed.
If you don’t believe me, you can ask anyone in my room,” because he had distributed them to everyone already.
“True, I have one too, but it’s at the dorm,” Kim Jiseong, Wang Qi, and Yeo Un-se confirmed in unison.
[Then I won’t be considerate,] for the survival of his Twinkly Star mascot back home, he would give this one to his niece instead.
[Ahem, back to our program,] the main host of the show cleared his throat after chatting off-topic for a while.
[Please sit in your assigned seats according to the class signs.
We’ll start explaining the rules of the next round together] Trainees in their uniform according to the class color of the show moved to their designated seats according to the signs indicating their level.
[Question…
What do you think makes a good center?] Once everything seemed settled, Park Insa threw the open-ended question to everyone, distributing airtime generously.
“Must be handsome,” one trainee from Class C raised his hand to answer.
“Good at dancing,” another class member raised his hand to respond.
“Good at singing.”
“Has leadership qualities.”
” Mature.”
“Someone who can captivate the audience’s attention.”
And many others took this opportunity to present themselves in front of the camera, hoping to get a few seconds of airtime or two.
But why did all these characters seem to match a certain trainee so well…
“…” Meanwhile, Jacan, who was sitting there, was suddenly turned to by the trainees in the room, all without any prior arrangement.
[Do you think you have enough ability to stand in that position or not?]
“…” The previous questions were manageable, but when faced with this one, confusion set in immediately.
Answering “yes” seemed overly confident, while saying “no” would indicate a lack of confidence.
Minds raced, causing several seconds of delay in responding.
“Yes,” Jacan raised his hand to answer first, before the remaining class members scrambled to raise theirs, followed by other classes.
Everyone wanted to be the center.
Wanted to stand in the middle.
Wanted to be the focal point.
[Okay, everyone wants to be it, huh?] Satisfied with the answers, Park Insa picked up the show script to move on to the next segment.
[In my hands, I have a list of centers that the judges have selected.
Do you want to know what they were selected for?] Park Insa paused, sweeping his gaze across the participants in the room.
“Was it based on what we were asked earlier?” Wang Qi quickly raised his hand to respond faster than anyone else.
[Um…
I could say yes, but not entirely.] Park Insa teased, leaving the room guessing.
“Is it about luck?” Kim Jiseong raised his hand to answer some.
[Oh, yes, yes!] The seniors smiled broadly.
[The selection criteria for the centers this time will be divided into three types: talent, diligent, and luck.]
[Everyone probably already knows that the task for the next round will require you to form teams for a stage show within a 10-day period.
On the 11th day, we’ll perform shows where you’ve spent a week preparing, captivating the audience of 500 program fans for the first time.]
“Just ten days!” Yeo Unche snorted, echoing murmurs of agreement from around.
The time given by the show seemed ridiculously short.
[Yes indeed, you all have just ten days to prepare your show.
Furthermore, the audience in the studio will be the ones to vote for the show they like the most.
Exciting, isn’t it?
But what’s even more exciting is that this competition is a battle.]
“!!!!”
Park Insa gestured towards the giant TV screen at the back.
The screen that used to display only the program’s logo now switched to a video clip explaining the mission for the next round.
<< Mission 2 Rules >>
The show would divide the judges into two teams:
Team 1: Kim Sujin / Jung Wangseong
Team 2: Kim Bomi / Lee Danbi
Each team will have three show options to choose from: singing show, dancing show, and song composition show.
On the actual competition day, representatives from each show of both teams would battle it out in a battle, with the studio audience serving as judges.
The winning show would earn 1 point for the team, and when all points were tallied up, the team with the highest score would receive 1,000 votes for each trainee in that team.
“A thousand votes!” echoed by all.
The trainees’ voices resonated loudly in the conference room, each person’s eyes widened and mouths agape in disbelief.
Could the show that was so stingy with voting points really be giving away up to a thousand votes!
“Yes, indeed, a thousand votes!
Wanting them, wanting them so badly, right?!” Park Insa pretended to have an eager expression, waving the script in his hand as if he were holding a bundle of money, much like the wildly popular internet meme.
Who wouldn’t want them?!
This program used a different voting format from current survival shows, where as long as you had money, you could prepare to get debuted.
So, whether it’s 10 votes or 100 votes, each vote carries equal value.
Because they had no way of knowing whether there would be anyone out there dedicating their votes to them twice a day, or if the available votes would be enough to carry them through to the next round…
Therefore, they had to gather as many points as possible.
[With 99 of you.
Surely, being placed in the team of your preferred judges won’t happen for everyone.
So, my sympathies for those who are out of luck.]
The senior host pushed in a closed opaque box with a hole on top.
[Those who draw black will be with Kim Jung, while those who draw white will be with Kim Lee.
Whoever wants to pick theirs first, come forward!]
The trainees glanced at each other, as if silently communicating through the gaps in the air, deciding who would take the first step.
Woosh
And then someone dashed forward to the box first, it was Lee Sangah.
This surprised the trainees in the same class quite a bit.
Since he cleared his mind with Wang Qi and became close with Jacan’s group, he hadn’t been seeking much airtime in the show, as if waiting to be eliminated.
[Ah, here comes our first person,” Park Insa didn’t let the anger of that day dictate his judgment on the person today.
After receiving an apology and giving a warning, he didn’t want to clutter his mind with it again.
Who knew if there would be a reason to work together in the future.
[Have you thought about which team you want to be on?] The host handed over the microphone.
“I want to be on Lee Danbi’s team,” Lee Sangah always wanted to be like the young rapper.
Besides joining this show to earn money to pay off debts, part of the reason was because his idol had been invited to be a judge on the show.
[Grab it and make your wish come true,] He pushed the box closer.
The ball Lee Sangah picked out was white, and he happily joined Lee Danbi’s team.
Clutching the ball tightly, he hurriedly signed up at the bottom of Kim Lee’s team list.
As soon as someone started, other waiting trainees also stood up to pick up balls.
In less than twenty minutes, the team division was complete.
This time, Jacan was on Kim Jung’s team, separated from Wang Qi, Yeo Unche, and Lee Sangah.
“Is it really that, big brother?
I…
hic, I…” The kid from Country C slumped down to the floor, wiping away his fake tears with one hand, and clinging to his closest brother’s leg with the other.
“Are you sad not to be on the same team as me, or are you sad not to be on the same team as senior Kim Sujin?” the mixed-race boy raised an eyebrow, hitting the point that nearly brought the younger one to tears.
“What have I, hic, what have I done wrong?
Why does heaven punish me so hard?!” the excessive acting of the youngest brother in the program made others laugh, including the judges watching from the adjacent room.
“That kid is your number one Cotton bud,” Lee Danbi laughed so hard he almost fell off his chair.
“It’s a pity we’re not on the same team,” Kim Sujin sighed.
“So adorable and entertaining, I wish I had a little brother like this,” Kim Bomi added.
“Having a brother like this would be a headache to the point of death,” Jung Wangseong could only imagine that having a brother at home who liked to cause trouble like this would be a constant annoyance.
His sleep would undoubtedly be disturbed.
“Now that the members of each team are set, we consider each other temporary rivals.
There are only talented people here.
It’s going to be tough…
we have to win against all the teams for sure,” Kim Bomi looked straight at Kim Jong with a slightly mischievous look.
“We outnumber you by one.
Just in terms of number, we’re already winning,” Kim Sujin countered, not willing to back down, blocking move for move.
“Alright, ladies.
The white and black team, let’s start sparring,” Lee Danbi rolled up the script into a makeshift microphone to start voicing the banter of the two girls, causing Sujin and Bomi to become more energetic as if pumped with adrenaline.
They sprayed their flower-language insults at each other relentlessly, neither willing to yield to the other.
Some punches landed, some missed, creating moments of dead air that made them turn to laugh at each other.
“Hurry up and pick the center…” if they didn’t stop playing soon, they would get home late again for sure, and his rest time would diminish…
Ah, how awful.
“Uh, okay,” the players reluctantly stopped, starting to count the number of players for each team in earnest.
…
After finishing drawing lots and dividing into teams, the trainees gathered in groups to chat.
Since all the afternoon classes were canceled today because the judges were meeting to divide the teams and choose the centers, there was no rehearsal at all.
They just waited for dinner and prepared to rest for the rest of the evening.
[Oh, as for the remaining details, your team leaders will talk to you later,] it was not his responsibility at this point.
[Another thing I forgot to mention.
Star Fight Episode 2 will start airing at six in the evening, and there will be a completed MV theme song at the end!]
“But we haven’t watched it yet,” Yeo Unche sighed and complained loudly enough.
Not being allowed to access social media was understandable, but not being allowed to watch the show like this, how would he know how he appeared to the fans in the program they had seen?
“Wanna watch it?” a senior in the industry tilted his head and asked.
“Certainly, sir!
I want to know if I look handsome when I do my own makeup,” another male trainee picked up a mirror to examine his own face.
Since he started filming the show, he had to use serum, foundation, powder, lipstick, and so on, things he had never done much before.
But he had to do it.
Otherwise, his face would look too plain for the public.
“So let’s meet in this room at six in the evening,” Park Insa finished speaking and quickly left the room, without explaining or setting any special schedule.
“Or we’ll get to watch the show with the viewers at home!!” Wang Qi cheered, standing up and shouting loudly.
“!!!!”
Six o’clock in the evening is prime time.
It was the time when people finished work and students went home from school.
When they sit around to eat, they usually turn on the TV to prevent the conversation at the table from becoming too quiet.
Therefore, this time was when most people watched TV, and the advertising rates were also naturally high.
Im Heewoo was fortunate to have had a good relationship with a top national TV station manager while studying abroad.
When he presented this project, they immediately accepted it.
However, there was no reduction in the advertising rates.
But that alone made the middle-aged PD so emotional that tears flowed.
It was unbelievable that the tissue he rushed to buy from the convenience store for a classmate who was having trouble in the restroom, would have such a powerful effect.
From now on, if he encounters someone in trouble, he would be ready to help without hesitation.
Just a small package of tissue paper could make the big TV station committee consider his program specially…
Amazing!
Doing good deeds was truly important for life fortunes.
“The second episode has started,” the team huddled together, ready to shoot advertisements and promote the program in real-time, turned to report to the head PD, who seemed to be in trance.
“Oh, right!
Just like the first episode.
If the ratings are low, find something else to pique interest.
Keep an eye on the ratings.
If they start dropping, shoot more advertisements.
As for the platform, have they notified about the initial viewers yet or not?”
“Yes, they’ve.
It’s two hundred and fifty thousand.”
“Um, not too much, not too little.
Once it actually airs, there’ll probably be more than this.
Keep watching.
Alright, back to work, don’t slack off.” Im Heewoo clapped his hands, calling the attention of the team to focus on their computers.
As for himself, he returned to his seat, ready to tackle whatever problems arose today, while keeping an eye on the social media trends.
[STAR FIGHT EP.02]
Comment: Has the show started yet?
Is it underway?
Comment: It’s here!
Woohoo!
Park Insa is so handsome.
He’s handsome even in the morning.
Comment: This is really exciting!
Comment: ROFL.
I want to know the name of the trainee who’s going to jump out the window when Park Insa shouted ‘fire’ so loudly.
Haha!
Cough, cough…
Almost choked on my fried rice.
Comment: Any show with candid shots of just-woke-up faces in guaranteed laughs.
OMG.
You guys are so hilarious.
Comment: Woah, bro!
You know this beforehand, right?
How can you wake up looking this good?
Comment: To the above comment, you mean that guy right?
What’s his name?
Comment: May I repay instead.
Comment: No need to repay me, I didn’t do that much.
Comment: I meant REPLY.
He’s so handsome, my eyes are blurry!!
Comment: You two above, can we be serious please?
Hahahaaa.
Comment: Jacan, his name is Jacan Miller.
I’ve pinned him, and I won’t change my mind.
Comment: Pinned Jacan oppa too.
It’s the first time I can call my beloved idol oppa without feeling goosebumps because he’s actually older than me.