The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees Chapter 24 - King (2)

 

 

Kang Ye-seong woke up.

 

Despite his head aching, he didn’t even seem to feel the pain, tears streaming down his face.

 

The members of Victory panicked, thinking something was seriously wrong. They scrambled to call a doctor and made a whole scene. It wasn’t until they were chased out that the commotion finally died down.

 

Which left me alone with him in the ER.

 

“Are you feeling a bit calmer now?”

 

Just me.

 

Seo Do Hwan and Lee Yoo Seong had taken the rest of Victory’s members outside just in case.

 

Ah, and of course, Lee Nak Hwa was here too.

 

He was right next to the bed, fast asleep. The doctor had said he’d merely fainted from excessive stress.

 

Anyway.

 

“Mr. Kang Ye-seong, how did this happen?”

 

“Just…”

 

“Did your manager hit you? For no reason at all?”

 

I cut in sharply. Kang Ye-seong bit his lip, lowered his head, and muttered,

 

“You must have already heard from the others.”

 

That was true.

 

They’d said he’d suddenly barged into the dorm drunk and started causing a scene.

 

Kang Ye-seong had tried to stop him and ended up shoved by the manager, hitting his head hard.

 

When Lee Nak Hwa tried to call 119 in a panic, the manager stopped him.

 

‘That’s how I ended up coming there.’

 

Even so, I had no idea how Lee Nak Hwa had managed to contact me in that situation.

 

Regardless.

 

“I want to hear it directly from you, Mr. Kang Ye-seong. The members might have gotten it wrong.”

 

I tried to ease his guard with a gentle tone.

 

He glanced at me and said,

 

“I’m not sure what the others said, but it was a mistake on the manager’s part.”

 

“And what kind of mistake leaves an idol in his care with an injury like this on his head?”

 

“That’s…”

 

“Ah, right. I suppose if he was that drunk, it could happen.”

 

Kang Ye-seong flushed, as if I’d exposed a shameful secret. He bit down hard on his lip.

 

I spoke calmly.

 

“Mr. Kang Ye Seong, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened, is it?”

 

“No.”

 

“Really? Then this was the first time?”

 

He nodded.

 

Liar.

 

But I pretended not to notice.

 

“In that case, it’s even more serious.”

 

I steered the conversation toward something that would catch his attention.

 

He looked at me as if asking what I meant.

 

I smiled.

 

“Because Mr. Lee Nak-hwa was hurt too.”

 

Kang Ye-seong’s expression shifted as if he had only just realized it. Taking advantage of that, I asked subtly,

 

“Who will be next? It seems unlikely that the manager will change. And in that state, you can’t perform on stage, right?”

 

Kang Ye-seong’s face twisted. It seemed he had finally understood the situation.

 

He was injured, and at the very least, until his head injury healed, he wouldn’t be able to stand on stage. And this was right after the group had just made their comeback.

 

If Kang Ye-seong had asked for help earlier, this wouldn’t have happened.

 

‘But Kang Ye-seong had never done that, not even once.’

 

I thought he would be the same this time too.

 

But not anymore.

 

“Mr. Kang Ye-seong, from now on, I’ll take care of it.”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“I mean I’ll handle the problem before you even ask me for help.”

 

At that, Kang Ye-seong shouted,

 

“I’m not joining your agency!”

 

“I know. This is just me offering help as a fan, nothing more.”

 

“What kind of fan personally talks with the CEO of the company their favorite idol belongs to?!”

 

“I do.”

 

Just then, my phone began to ring.

 

Like with Lee Nak-hwa earlier, it was an unfamiliar number. But I knew exactly who it was.

 

Kim Sang-cheol, the CEO of King Entertainment.

 

He was the one calling me.

 

I stood up to take the call and said,

 

“Mr. Kang Ye-seong, please take your time and think about it.”

 

Whether he would come to our agency with the members or stay with King.

 

“Then, I’ll wait for your answer.”

 

Before Kang Ye-seong could respond, I left the emergency room.

 

Outside, the members of Victory, who had been waiting anxiously, shot up from their seats the moment they saw me. I gestured for them to calm down and answered the call.

 

“Hello?”

 

—Hello. This is Kim Sang-cheol.

 

“Sorry, but who is this?”

 

Though I knew, I pretended not to.

 

—One of our kids said you know me.

 

“I don’t know who you mean by ‘your kid,’ but I think you’ve got the wrong number.”

 

—Ha, unbelievable.

 

Kim Sang-cheol let out a hollow laugh before continuing.

 

—Have you heard of Victory? One of our kids said you’re their fan.

 

“Ah, yes. I have. And?”

 

—I’m their boss.

 

“Oh, really?”

 

I feigned surprise and asked, 

 

“Then, why would the boss of Victory be calling me directly?”

 

―What?

 

“I asked why the boss of Victory would be calling me.”

 

AHAHAHAHA!

 

Kim Sang-cheol burst out laughing, almost like he’d lost his mind, before answering.

 

―Because I heard you took my kids with you.

 

“Yes. Even though Mr. Kang Ye-seong’s head was bleeding, your manager just abandoned him.”

 

―So that’s why you smashed the door and dragged them out? Do you have any idea how much the repairs cost?

 

“I wouldn’t know.”

 

How could I, unless he told me?

 

―Seven hundred thousand won! That’s what it cost!

 

“That’s nothing. Should I transfer the money now? Oh, by the way, the hospital bill came to about the same. I’ll send you the account number—why don’t you transfer it?”

 

―Hey!!

 

My eardrums nearly burst. I pulled the phone away from my ear and waited for him to finish shouting.

 

―You think I’m joking?! Where are you right now?

 

“I’m at AMA Seoul Hospital ER.”

 

―Damn it, stay right there. Don’t move. I’ll come running and drag the kids back myself.”

 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

 

―What?

 

“I asked if you’re sure about that.”

 

AMA wasn’t just a domestic company—it was a multinational, with influence across Asia and even worldwide.

 

“You really think AMA will sit quietly if word gets out that some thugs caused a scene in a hospital under their name?”

 

―You fucking…!

 

Kim Sang-cheol spat out curses in a menacing tone.

 

Good. I’d pissed him off enough.

 

“I’ll come to you instead.”

 

Now it was time to sweeten the deal.

 

Kim Sang-cheol suddenly burst into laughter again, as if his anger had never happened.

 

―You’ll come here?

 

“Yes.”

 

―You really are a pain in the neck.

 

But he gave his approval.

 

―Fine. If you think you can find us, come. I’ll be waiting with the kids.

 

And just like that, the call ended—as if he couldn’t be bothered to waste another word.

 

That was fine. I’d already gotten what I needed.

 

“Seo Do-hwan, you heard all that, right?”

 

“At times like this, boss, I can’t tell if you’re fearless or just plain crazy.”

 

“That’s my strong point.”

 

I shrugged it off lightly, then turned to Lee Yoo-seong.

 

“Yoo-seong, stay here and watch over the others for me, okay?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Lee Yoo-seong answered sullenly, clearly unhappy about being left behind.

 

“It’s because those nasty guys who hurt your handsome hyungs might come here. Only you can handle this, Yoo-seong, so don’t get too down about it. Got it?”

 

“Yes! Yoon-hoo hyung!”

 

At my words, his expression brightened again.

 

I gave him a silent smile, then turned away.

 

“Mr. Cheong-ryang, Mr. Haneul, Mr. Shin Yoo-soo.”

 

The moment I called them, Cheong-ryang stepped forward.

 

“We’ll go with you!”

 

Shin Yoo-soo nodded firmly in agreement. Then Haneul spoke up.

 

“He’s right! This was our fight to begin with—”

 

“No.”

 

I cut him off flatly and continued.

 

“It’s our fight now.”

 

“…What?”

 

The three of them widened their eyes. But I was already looking past them—at the man who had just arrived.

 

“Mr. Kang Ye-seong. Are you here to give me your answer already?”

 

At his name, the three turned around in unison.

 

“Ye-seong hyung!”

 

“Hyung!”

 

The moment they saw Kang Ye-seong, they rushed toward him.

 

“Wait! Stop! Ye-seong hyung got seven stitches in his head! What if we make it worse?”

 

At the youngest’s words, they froze in their tracks.

 

Kang Ye-seong gave a faint laugh at the sight, then spoke.

 

“I’ll stand with you.”

 

His smile vanished instantly, replaced by a hardened expression.

 

“But I’m going with you too.”

 

“Aren’t you scared?”

 

After all, we were on our way to face Kim Sang-cheol.

 

“…If I keep running just because I’m afraid, what will ever change?”

 

Nothing would.

 

He would only remain chained to the past, yearning for days he could never return to.

 

“So please, take me with you.”

 

If I refused, it would only make things worse. Honestly, saying no would cause bigger trouble.

 

So I agreed.

 

“Alright.”

 

I accepted Kang Ye-seong’s request to join us.

 

“One injured guy and one weakling. Just my luck.”

 

Seo Do-hwan let out a heavy sigh.

 

The “injured guy” was obviously Kang Ye-seong.

 

“Weakling?”

 

Wait—did he just call me a weakling?

 

“Seo Do-hwan, I’m not a weakling.”

 

I pulled a stun gun from inside my coat and held it up.

 

“…Where the hell did you get that?”

 

“I always carry it for self-defense.”

 

“For what reason?!”

 

What do you mean, why?

 

“In case something happens.”

 

Seo Do-hwan stared at me like I’d lost my mind, but I ignored him and pulled out another spare stun gun from my inner pocket. I handed it to Kang Ye-seong.

 

“Here, take this, Mr. Kang Ye-seong.”

 

Startled, he accepted it with a bewildered look.

 

“You never know, right?”

 

Bzzzt!

 

He switched it on, nodded, and gripped it tightly.

 

And so, we headed to Victory’s agency—King.

 

“The CEO used to be a notorious loan shark in Incheon,” Kang Ye-seong began. “My father had borrowed money from him.”

 

But his father couldn’t repay the debt—and died. That was when Kim Sang-cheol decided to recover his money through his son instead, in a different way.

 

“The CEO forced me into the entertainment industry. He’d heard that running a talent agency could make far more money than loan-sharking.”

 

But there was one huge problem.

 

“The CEO knew absolutely nothing about the business.”

 

It was obvious—even from Victory’s comeback track, Micho Macho Micho.

 

“More than that, Mr. Kang Ye-seong. Do you really have to call that bastard ‘CEO’ every time? If it were me, I’d just call him a bastard.”

 

Seo Do-hwan, who had been listening quietly, tried to lighten the mood with a joke.

 

“He hasn’t done anything wrong.”

 

“Ah, so even a bastard like him is too good for insults? Well, after hearing your story, I almost feel sorry for that bastard.”

 

But I knew the truth.

 

There was a reason Kang Ye-seong kept calling Kim Sang-cheol “CEO.”

 

That reason was violence.

 

Years of it had been carved into him. At just thirteen, Kang Ye-seong had fallen under Kim Sang-cheol’s control and endured relentless abuse.

 

If he resisted, that violence would fall on his grandmother and his younger sister.

 

So Kang Ye-seong had no choice but to endure. It was crushing enough to make him want to end his life—but still, he endured.

 

For no one else but his grandmother.

And his little sister.