The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees Chapter 21 - Kang Ye-seong (2)

 

 

“Hello, everyone! We Get Victory! I’m Victory’s leader, Muse…!”

 

Kang Ye-seong trailed off.

 

It was because of a strange glowing light stick that stood out in the crowd. At first, he thought it was just a fan from another idol group waving their light stick by mistake, but that wasn’t it. This light stick was flashing—words continuously appearing and changing. Strangely enough, it wasn’t distracting the stage at all.

 

[♡ We love you ♡ ♥Victory♥]

 

[♡ Congratulations ♡ ♥On Your Comeback♥]

 

‘Is that even possible? Can a light stick really display words like that? Has light stick technology advanced this far?’

 

Then another thought struck him.

 

‘Wait—we don’t even have official light sticks!’

 

All sorts of random thoughts swirled in Kang Ye-seong’s head. For a moment, he wondered if he was just seeing things—but no.

 

“Wow!”

 

The youngest member, Lee Nak-hwa, was staring in the same direction, eyes wide, lips pursed in awe.

 

“Ye-seong hyung! Your line’s not over yet!”

 

“Ah!”

 

Snapped back to his senses by Cheong-ryang’s reminder, Kang Ye-seong quickly wrapped it up.

 

“I’m Muse! Please take good care of us!”

 

“Wooooaaahhh!!”

 

A loud, unmistakably male cheer rang out.

 

This time, Kang Ye-seong doubted his ears. Victory didn’t have male fans—certainly not the type who would show up at a comeback stage and scream with that much passion.

 

And yet—

 

“UWAAAHHHH!!!”

 

That voice, roaring at the top of its lungs—what on earth was it?

 

While Kang Ye-seong was still reeling, the booming intro of their new track blasted through the speakers.

 

The comeback song, the title track of their third mini-album, <Micho Macho Micho>, had begun.

 

Kang Ye-seong instantly moved into formation, his earlier confusion wiped clean from his expression.

 

***

 

With that end-of-the-century-style beat, Victory’s comeback stage came to a close.

 

“Kyaaaaaa!”

 

“Uwaaaahhh!”

 

Only two fans, including myself, screamed with all our might.

 

“Thank you! That was Victory!!”

 

Kang Ye-seong and the other members of Victory smiled brightly, bowed, and left the stage.

 

How could their CEO not want them to perform—especially for a comeback stage?

 

“Ahem, hem!”

 

As the stage lights dimmed, the woman who had been cheering beside me cleared her throat.

 

I extended my hand toward her.

 

“That was a good match.”

 

She looked at me in surprise, then firmly grasped my hand with a determined expression.

 

“Next time, I won’t lose.”

 

A fine resolve.

 

That could only mean she planned to come to Victory’s next stage as well.

 

“I hope we meet again at Bigdol’s next performance.”

 

Her eyes seemed to say, That’s my line!

 

A good attitude indeed.

 

I gave her a faint smile, then turned and headed backstage. The cheering for Victory’s comeback was done—now it was time to handle the real reason I’d come.

 

“Stop right there. Authorized personnel only—”

 

I showed the guard my entry pass. He immediately bowed his head apologetically and stepped aside.

 

And the moment I stepped backstage—

 

“Oh my, sir!”

 

“PD Yang Won-seok?”

 

The main producer of the Show! Champion Music came rushing over. Shaking his hand, I asked,

 

“I thought you’d be monitoring from the control room.”

 

“With you here? I had to come greet you myself! Don’t worry about the broadcast—I left it to the guy with the second-most experience after me!”

 

A lie.

 

No doubt he’d dumped the work on the rookie PD. The poor guy wouldn’t handle it properly, and when that happened, fans would explode with complaints.

 

After all, today wasn’t just Victory’s comeback—it was also the comeback of a top idol group.

 

It was always like this whenever I met Yang Won-seok at Victory’s stages.

 

Glancing at me nervously, he tried to butter me up.

 

“Uh, as for the director…”

 

“I’ll put in a good word for you.”

 

Not that I ever would.

 

The only reason I could even be here was because of my connection with the head of AVS Broadcasting Station’s Entertainment Department, who oversaw the Show! Champion Music.

 

Strictly speaking, it was my grandfather who knew him. But since I’d met him a few times as a child, you could still call it my connection.

 

More importantly—

 

“Where’s Victory?”

 

“Ah! Over there! You guys, come here!!”

 

Referring to idols like they were objects.

 

Even after looping through this moment 365 times, Yang Won-seok never changed. My face twisted in disgust.

 

“Come here for a second!”

 

At his call, Victory’s members hesitated, then slowly approached.

 

“Here they are.”

 

Did this man really see them as mere things?

 

I smoothed out my expression.

 

‘This isn’t the first or second time this has happened.’

 

He would ruin himself sooner or later—and if not, I’d make sure of it.

 

So, with a pleasant smile, I handed Victory my business card.

 

“Hello, I’m Kwak Yoon-hoo.”

 

[WF Entertainment

CEO | Kwak Yoon-hoo

010-□X34-▲X1□]

 

“I’m a personal fan of Victory, so I asked PD Yang Won-seok for a favor to meet you.”

 

“See? You don’t know how badly he wanted to see your stage! Your CEO was throwing a fit to cut your performance, and I had to fight to put it back on!”

 

What a load of nonsense.

 

When Gaechul wanted to cancel their stage, Yang Won-seok had been the first to happily agree. Cutting Victory’s performance meant making room for a first-tier idol’s special stage, and he’d been delighted about it.

 

Of course, Victory had no way of knowing that.

 

“Thank you so much! Thanks to you, we got to stand before our fans and sing with all our hearts!”

 

Kang Ye-seong’s eyes sparkled as he bowed in gratitude. I returned his sincerity with a faint smile.

 

“It certainly looked that way.”

 

From what I saw, Kang Ye-seong and the others truly did enjoy themselves on stage.

 

At my words, Kang Ye-seong’s eyes widened.

 

“Wait—did you actually watch our stage?”

 

“Yes. I even cheered.”

 

“Then… the person waving the lightstick was…?”

 

“This one?”

 

“Ah! Y-yes, that’s it!”

 

When I showed him the lightstick with an LED display attached, Kang Ye-seong gasped and nodded quickly. Beside him, Lee Nak-hwa’s eyes lit up.

 

“Wow, did you make that yourself? We don’t even have an official lightstick yet.”

 

“Yes, I made it myself.”

 

Most people assume AMA only deals in luxury goods, but that’s far from the truth. In reality, AMA controls dozens—no, hundreds—of subsidiaries. Naturally, some of them can easily produce items like lightsticks.

 

“Would you like one?”

 

“Huh? Y-yes! I mean, no!”

 

Lee Nak-hwa stammered. He might technically be twenty, but he still had the air of a kid.

 

“You can be honest. I’ve already made several.”

 

“Yes?”

 

Everyone, including Lee Nak-hwa, widened their eyes in surprise. As if asking, Why would you make so many? The reason was simple.

 

‘Because this will be Victory’s official lightstick from now on.’

 

Even with its LED screen, the glow wasn’t strong enough to interfere with performances—a true innovation in lightstick technology.

 

Lee Nak-hwa hesitated, then asked timidly,

 

“Then… could I maybe have one?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Wow!”

 

Lee Nak-hwa beamed with joy while Shin Yu-soo thanked me politely on his behalf. As he turned the lightstick over in his hands, oohing and aahing, Nak-hwa suddenly asked,

 

“Excuse me, but… which one of us is your favorite?”

 

“Lee Nak-hwa! How can you ask something so rude to someone who’s done so much for us?” Shin Yu-soo scolded.

 

“I was just curious…” Lee Nak-hwa pouted.

 

“I don’t mind,” I said.

 

After all, it was the kind of question every fan gets sooner or later.

 

“If I had to name my favorite…”

 

I looked straight at a man and spoke clearly.

 

“Mr. Kang Ye-seong.”

 

I smiled faintly, using his real name rather than his stage name.

 

“But of course, I like all the members of Victory. Enough that I’ve memorized all of your birthdays.”

 

Lee Nak-hwa: January 25.

Shin Yu-soo: October 24.

Cheong-ryang: December 19.

Ha-neul: March 17.

 

“And Kang Ye-seong: May 20.”

 

“Whoa, you really memorized them all?”

 

“Wow!”

 

Lee Nak-hwa’s eyes widened in astonishment, and Ha-neul wore the same expression.

 

“If you’d like, I can even tell you your birth flowers.”

 

“You remember those too?”

 

“Yes, because I’m a fan.”

 

Do fans really memorize things like that?

 

Right. Would NIKE’s fans know ours too?

 

Well, that CEO is a NIKE fan.

 

Ah. Then of course he would.

 

Lee Nak-hwa and Ha-neul chattered back and forth in awe.

 

Smiling at their excitement, I pulled another lightstick from my coat and held it out.

 

“By the way—could I get your autographs?”

 

“O-of course!”

 

Lee Nak-hwa and Ha-neul signed first, then Shin Yu-soo, and finally Cheong-ryang scribbled his name across it.

 

“Thank you, hyung-nim!”

 

“Hey! Cheong-ryang! You should say CEO, not hyung-nim!” Shin Yu-soo scolded again.

 

“It’s fine,” I said, waving it off.

 

Then I looked at the one person who hadn’t signed yet.

 

“Muse-hyung! You’re not signing?”

 

“Ah, right. Of course.”

 

Prodded by Cheong-ryang, Kang Ye-seong picked up a pen. I leaned in and whispered as he moved closer to sign:

 

“Mr. Kang Ye-seong, could we talk alone for a moment?”

 

He glanced at me, lowering his voice.

 

“We don’t accept sponsors.”

 

So that’s what he thought I was?

 

“I don’t do that sort of thing.”

 

I smiled and continued softly.

 

“Kim Sang-cheol. CEO of King Entertainment.”

 

His hand froze mid-signature.

 

“I just want to talk to you about Gaechul.”

 

“…If that’s the case, you should be speaking to our CEO, not me.”

 

“I don’t think going to him would do much good.”

 

A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips.

 

“What good is it to ask a loan shark to forgive your debt?”

 

Kang Ye-seong’s eyes wavered, agitation plain on his face. Watching his shaken expression, I smiled and said,

 

“You’ll spare me some time, won’t you?”

 

“…Guys, go on ahead. I’ll have a quick word with him.”

 

But the other members of Victory didn’t budge. They looked worried for Kang Ye-seong.

 

“It’s fine, really. Go on. As for the manager—”

 

“I’ve already spoken to him.”

 

I cut Kang Ye-seong off.

 

“I slipped him some money, so he told me to relax and take as much time as I wanted with you.”

 

Kang Ye-seong bit his lip hard, clearly ashamed of his manager’s disgraceful behavior.

 

“Well then, shall we?”

 

He met my gaze with a hardened expression before giving a reluctant nod.

 

***

 

I brought him to a café near the broadcasting station.

 

“There’s no one here?”

 

“I figured you’d be conscious of people watching, so I rented the place out.”

 

“You… rented it?”

 

“Yes.” I answered casually, then asked,

 

“You still have the business card I gave you, right?”

 

“What? Ah, yes.”

 

“The company written on that card is backed by AMA. I hold a rather important position within AMA.”

 

Namely, being the only grandson of Chairman Kwak Jin-tae—a very important position indeed.

 

“But why would someone like you…”

 

“I told you already.”

 

I’m a fan.

 

“I want Victory to become a group loved by many. You’ve got the talent, the character, and also—”

 

I smiled at Kang Ye-seong.

 

“The looks.”

 

“N-no, I’m not particularly…”

 

He tried to be modest.

 

But in truth, his looks surpassed most idols. His features were delicate yet refined, carrying a quiet strength.

 

A plum blossom that never falls.

 

That was what industry insiders who knew Kang Ye-seong often called him.

 

‘Though fans know him as Victory’s House Leader.’

 

Either way, I continued,

 

“But it’s such a shame, isn’t it? Just because you landed in the wrong company, your talent isn’t getting the spotlight it deserves.”

 

Of course, I was speaking as a fan.

 

“That’s why I’ve decided to promote you myself.”

 

Kang Ye-seong covered his mouth, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

 

Naturally so.

 

For a so-called failed idol in his third year since debut, without a single notable achievement, to suddenly have a company backed by AMA extend a hand—

 

“Gaechul… No. Don’t worry about CEO Kim Sang-cheol. Your debt means nothing to me. But there’s one condition.”

 

“A condition?”

 

“Yes. Mr. Kang Ye-seong, do you…”

 

The question I had asked him every time we sat down like this—

 

“Do you really want to continue staying with the current members of Victory?”

 

I raised it once again.