The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees Chapter 28 - New Stage (3)

 

 

Ji Ye-chan sprinted down the street, only to trip over his own feet and crash to the ground. He tumbled across the pavement and then lay motionless.

 

Passersby glanced at him, whispering among themselves, but Ji Ye-chan didn’t bother getting up.

 

“Ji Ye-chan.”

 

At the sound of that voice, he finally stirred.

 

“…Why did you come?” Ji Ye-chan asked as he got up. “Oh, wait—did you come just to show off? Must feel great. I hear AMA’s giving you a big boost. Congratulations, Kang Ye-seong.”

 

Kang Ye-seong only stared at him, silent.

 

Ji Ye-chan’s face twisted.

 

“Didn’t you hear me? I said congratulations! Now scram!”

 

“No.”

 

At last, Kang Ye-seong spoke.

 

“I know everything. The CEO told me.”

 

“Whatever Kim Sang-cheol told you—it’s all bullshit.”

 

“No.”

 

Kang Ye-seong shook his head.

 

“Not him. Our new CEO.”

 

The new CEO… that arrogant guy who acted like he knew everything and ordered twenty servings of samgyeopsal.

 

Ji Ye-chan let out a dry, mocking laugh.

 

“Whatever he told you—it’s crap.”

 

“It’s not. I know the truth.”

 

Kang Ye-seong’s voice rose.

 

“You left because you had no choice.”

 

Ji Ye-chan’s expression froze.

 

“Your debt—you tried to pay it off with the settlement money, at least part of it. That’s why you fell out with Kim Sang-cheol.”

 

Ji Ye-chan didn’t answer.

 

“Why did you do it?” Kang Ye-seong pressed, his tone sharp. “Why?”

 

“Damn it—like I wanted to?” Ji Ye-chan shouted back. “But you—!”

 

Because I hated seeing you chained down by that debt.

 

That was what he wanted to scream, but he swallowed it instead.

 

It was all in the past. Bringing it up would only raise their voices higher. So instead, he said:

 

“I don’t know how your new CEO found out about that, but it’s over now.”

 

“No. It’s not over.”

 

Kang Ye-seong’s voice was firm, his expression resolute.

 

“Stand on stage with us again. As one.”

 

Ji Ye-chan’s eyes widened. He knew exactly what Kang Ye-seong meant.

 

His lips trembled, but he brushed back the long bangs hanging over his face instead of answering.

 

“See this?”

 

A large scar marked his forehead—the one he’d gotten when Kim Sang-cheol beat him during an argument over Kang Ye-seong’s debt.

 

“Even without this scar, I still couldn’t go back on stage.”

 

Because the day he left Victory, he had been forced into a contract. Kim Sang-cheol’s fists had made sure of that. Under relentless violence, Ji Ye-chan had signed—never to set foot in the entertainment industry again.

 

“Is this why you’re doing this?”

 

Kang Ye-seong pulled out a document and showed it to him.

 

Ji Ye-chan’s face went pale.

 

“You—! How did you—!”

 

Rip.

 

Kang Ye-seong tore the contract to shreds right in front of him.

 

“Now it’s fine, isn’t it?”

 

Ji Ye-chan blinked in shock. As if his soul had left him, he just stared until Kang Ye-seong held out his hand.

 

“Come with me, Ye-chan.”

 

Ji Ye-chan’s face twisted. When he stayed silent, Kang Ye-seong spoke again.

 

“You know it too.”

 

Lee Nak-hwa, always cheerful—the team’s mood maker, though his emotions swung like a roller coaster.

 

Shin Yoo-soo, mature beyond his years, yet weighed down by countless worries he carried alone.

 

Cheong-ryang, another mood maker like Lee Nak-hwa, but his mischief often caused no end of trouble.

 

And Haneul, the only one who could rein Cheong-ryang in—though he usually ended up swept into trouble alongside him.

 

“You know I can’t handle them all alone.”

 

So.

 

“Ye-chan.”

 

No—

 

“Sol.”

 

Calling him by the stage name they had once chosen together at debut, Kang Ye-seong repeated:

 

“Come with me.”

 

And at that moment, Ji Ye-chan realized—he had only one path left, just like Kang Ye-seong once did.

 

***

 

Ji Ye-chan returned with Kang Ye-seong.

 

Yes—Kang Ye-seong had succeeded in bringing him back.

 

I hid my joy, forcing a calm tone as I asked,

 

“You’re here?”

 

Sizzle—!

 

The twenty servings of pork belly we’d ordered earlier were already gone. The appetite of unleashed idols was no joke.

 

I ordered another ten servings and was about to speak when—

 

“Hey! Ji Ye-chan! What the hell are you doing, slacking off in the middle of your shift?!”

 

The restaurant owner’s shout cut me off.

 

Ji Ye-chan lowered his head apologetically, but the owner’s anger did not ease.

 

“Owner.”

 

“Oh—yes. Sorry, sir. The meat will be out right away.”

 

“That can wait. What I’d like to know is—how much is Mr. Ji Ye-chan’s monthly pay here?”

 

“…Why are you suddenly asking that?”

 

“Just curious.”

 

The owner looked at me in puzzlement.

 

“A little less than one million won.”

 

Less than one million won.

 

Ji Ye-chan had been working seven hours a day, every single day, without a break. Even at minimum wage, his pay should have easily exceeded one million won.

 

I twisted my lips. “That’s strange.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I know Mr. Ji Ye-chan has been working here every day, seven hours straight, without a single day off. And you’re telling me he doesn’t even earn a million won?”

 

“That’s…”

 

“Make sure you transfer his wages by tomorrow. Calculate his daily pay properly—down to the last won.”

 

The owner scowled.

 

“Who do you think you are, ordering me around like this?!”

 

“Me?” I smiled faintly. “I’m someone who can call a lawyer for Mr. Ji Ye-chan right now and make sure every last won is collected from you.”

 

The owner faltered in panic, but before things escalated, Ji Ye-chan quickly spoke up.

 

“Thank you for everything until now, boss.”

 

Everything?

 

He hadn’t even been properly paid for his work.

 

As someone who had once labored for a thousand years without pay, I could not overlook this man’s attempt to shortchange his worker.

 

The moment I walked out of here, I would report him to the Ministry of Employment and Labor. And I would have WF Entertainment’s legal team pressure him until every won was paid in full.

 

In any case—

 

“Okay, then sit down, Mr. Ji Ye-chan. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be working on the album day and night.”

 

“Tomorrow?”

 

“To be exact, from next week.”

 

I gestured for Kang Ye-seong to sit as well. Once both were settled, I continued.

 

“It’s going to be a rough schedule.”

 

Ji Ye-chan’s eyes shone as he nodded. Not long ago, he had run away in panic. But now he had changed—determined to stand on stage with his members again.

 

Every time I saw it, it amazed me.

 

Right after I finished speaking, Lee Nak-hwa shouted in excitement:

 

“We’re making a comeback in two months! And it’s our very first full-length album!”

 

Could that really be possible?

 

That was the unspoken question in Ji Ye-chan’s eyes. Catching it, Shin Yoo-soo carefully asked—

 

“Hyung, you’re really back with us, right?”

 

Ji Ye-chan hesitated a moment before giving a small nod. That simple gesture lit up Shin Yoo-soo’s face—and the others’ as well.

 

Even though he had once left the team without a word.

 

“Sol-hyung!”

 

Cheong-ryang hugged him outright. Ji Ye-chan shoved his head away and teased,

 

“Hey, Cheong-ryang. Didn’t I tell you to use my real name when it’s just us?”

 

“But it’s not just us right now, is it? Don’t you see CEO-hyung over there? And all these other customers too?”

 

“You little punk, you haven’t changed one bit!”

 

Ji Ye-chan ruffled Cheong-ryang’s hair roughly. The others—who had been holding back their laughter, all except Kang Ye-seong—finally burst out laughing.

 

As the mood warmed, I rose from my seat.

 

“I’ll step out for a bit. Take your time and talk things over.”

 

Just then, the fresh meat we had ordered arrived. Leaving the members to enjoy their time together, I stepped outside. Not long after, Kang Ye-seong came looking for me.

 

“What are you doing out here?”

 

“Looking at that building across the street.”

 

“A building? Why?”

 

“That owner… he really pissed me off. I’m thinking of buying it and opening a barbecue place just like his—only way bigger.”

 

Kang Ye-seong stared at me, half in disbelief, before saying,

 

“Ji Ye-chan agreed to move back into the dorm starting tomorrow.”

 

“That’s good news.”

 

And I meant it. Ji Ye-chan had never liked living with the others. Every time he stayed at the dorm, some sort of trouble happened.

 

‘This time will be different.’

 

I was genuinely relieved.

 

As everything fell neatly into place, I almost felt like humming. That’s when Kang Ye-seong spoke.

 

“I won’t let you regret it.”

 

“Regret what?”

 

“I mean reaching out to help our group.”

 

He repeated himself, his face more earnest than ever.

 

“I’ll make sure you never regret it.”

 

I smiled back.

 

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

 

But I already knew.

 

In the world where Kang Ye-seong doesn’t lose himself, Victory has never once disappointed me. It will be the same this time.

 

Kang Ye-seong will run across the stage with the members who are like family to him, leaving the past behind. He will bring joy to the Victory Fairies.

 

That future was so vivid in my mind that I couldn’t help but smile as I said,

 

“Go on in. You and Ji Ye-chan must have a lot to talk about.”

 

“We can talk later. The guys actually told me to bring you back inside.”

 

Kang Ye-seong grinned sheepishly.

 

“They said if you promise us barbecue and then run off, that wouldn’t be fair.”

 

Really, is that what they thought?

 

“It seems there’s a lack of trust in me.”

 

“But I believe in you, CEO.”

 

That was truly something to be grateful for.

 

I let out a small chuckle and nodded.

 

“All right, let’s go in.”

 

The moment we stepped inside the restaurant, Cheong-ryang shot his hand into the air.

 

“CEO hyung! Can we order seven more servings of galbi?”

 

Just before leaving, I’d seen ten portions of pork belly being served, but apparently, they’d already finished it all. Well, with six guys, ten portions of samgyeopsal was nowhere near enough anyway.

 

Still, seeing their eager eyes, I nodded.

 

“Order as much as you like.”

 

Like I said—soon they won’t be able to eat like this anymore.

 

***

 

The next day, Victory’s community—which was already lively on a normal day—completely blew up.

 

[WTF crazy]

They said Sol is coming back?

 

It was all because of the news that Sol, a former member of Victory, was rejoining the group.

 

The reactions were sharply divided.

 

?[Let’sSucceedBigdol]: He ditched the boys back then, and now he’s crawling back?

 

?[NewbieNike]: Sorry, I’m new. Who’s Sol?

 

?[Let’sSucceedBigdol]: He’s the member who quit right before their comeback. That’s Sol.

 

?[NewbieNike]: And now he’s coming back?

 

?[Let’sSucceedBigdol]: Yeah.

 

?[NewbieNike]: Wow… I didn’t know stuff like this actually happens…

 

?[Let’sSucceedBigdol]: Exactly ;;

 

On one side were those who rejected his return.

 

[I like it]

Sol’s coming back. Honestly, didn’t Muse seem like he was carrying everything by himself? There’s a reason we called him the “House Leader.”

 

?[DaebakMuseExists]: Exactly ㅠㅠ. The maknae line, the rap line, even Muse’s hyung-line—all the age balance was perfect, but after Sol left, our boy suffered so much ㅠㅠ

 

And on the other side were those who welcomed him.

 

But, of course, those posts always had negative comments tagging along.

 

?[Let’sSucceedBigdol]: Still don’t like it.

 

?[BigdolLet’sHitItBig]: 222

 

But that was fine.

 

It wasn’t like these reactions were unexpected. And I knew exactly how to quiet down a noisy community like this.

 

?[BigdolMajorShareholder]: Guys, I get being mad about Sol, but check this pic first. WF’s official Instagram just uploaded it. (link_@WF_Entertainment)

 

?[NewbieNike]: Gasp

 

?[LoveMyBoys]: WTF

 

?[OurBoysAreInTheMainLineup]: My eyes have been opened

 

?[DaebakMuseExists]: Omg guys ㅠㅠ

 

The community, which had been split into two camps, suddenly united around one topic.

 

And it was all thanks to a photo posted on WF Entertainment’s account—the one taken at the barbecue restaurant the night before.

 

“Wow, it really looked like the negative opinions about Sol were everywhere, but the moment that picture went up, they all just vanished.”

 

Chris sounded impressed. He must have been monitoring the reactions, too.

 

I smiled with satisfaction.

 

“Because everyone’s genuinely smiling together with Ji Ye-chan.”

 

Still, chatter about Ji Ye-chan wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. That was inevitable. But once the comeback showcase ended safely, the noise would settle down.

 

Because I would reveal the truth—that he’d been forced out of the team under pressure from Kim Sang-cheol.

 

That would cause quite a stir.

 

“More importantly, what brings you here?”

 

“I came for approval! The concept for this album just got finalized perfectly!”

 

Chris handed me the documents.

 

Normally, I might have just skimmed them—I’d seen dozens, no, hundreds of drafts like this—but not today.

 

One never knew when or where an unexpected variable might crop up.

 

Even so, the documents Chris gave me matched exactly with what I remembered.

 

Still…

 

“Whose idea was this?”

 

Feigning surprise, I asked.

 

Chris answered with a proud smile.

 

“Muse.”

 

Just as I thought.

 

I smiled and processed the documents.

 

“Looks good. Proceed with this.”

 

“Yessir!”

 

Chris left the office in high spirits, the approved plans in hand.

 

Maybe I should check up on T.U for the first time in a while?

 

I was just about to stand when—bzzz, my phone buzzed.

 

That turned out to be Seo Do-hwan.

 

[Seo Do-hwan]

 

Dealt with one guy, lol.

 

He was making a “V” with his fingers, grinning into the camera—with a man half-buried in the ground behind him.