I Became the CEO of an Idol Company in a Game – Chapter 103

Author: Cireng

The preparation for Florence’s new teaser video shoot progressed faster than expected.

Stage setup, lighting tests, costume rehearsals for each concept… everything flowed smoothly, like a predetermined routine.

The Florence members still knew nothing. Because everyone knew how pure and radiant their passion for their first debut was, no one spoke a word about the leak of the debut song.

Unlike the company’s chaotic situation, where people moved in a frenzy and trembled with anxiety, their days recently had been a continuous mix of tension and excitement.

Recording schedules, choreography rehearsals, filming, and interviews.

Amid a breathless schedule where they couldn’t even tell how the day passed, the word “leak” belonged to a completely different world from theirs.

Inside the company, a temporary calm was being maintained because a single rule had been issued among the staff.

Watch your mouth. Absolute silence.

Fortunately, that rule was being well observed.

[We’ve arrived at the Florence dorm after finishing today’s schedule.]

The message from Yoo Jeongyeon was proof of that.

‘But the IP still hasn’t been traced….’

Staring at the monitor, I furrowed the space between my brows. On the blinking cursor-filled screen, the message “In Progress” remained indifferently displayed.

The longer it took, the deeper the anxiety grew.

Even though countermeasures had already been prepared so that a leak wouldn’t matter, if the culprit couldn’t be identified, it could happen again at any time.

‘What is Joo Youngjun going to pull this time….’

He was never the kind of person to give up after a single defeat. If he felt his pride had been hurt, he was the type who would try to bring the other party down by any means necessary.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have orchestrated something like this in the first place.

‘Seriously, this is ridiculous.’

A small laugh escaped my lips.

It was a sneer.

His anger was never justified. Both Spade and A-Pen wouldn’t have fallen apart like this if he hadn’t treated people as mere “numbers on a proposal” from the very beginning.

‘Especially A-Pen… you’re the one who ruined them, Joo Youngjun.’

After a single contract renewal, he erased from his mind all the effort A-Pen’s members had put into succeeding. He thought that as long as the conditions were met, the fans would follow, and he prioritized money over music.

In the end, he lost the fandom and lost trust.

And yet, he couldn’t admit the reality he had ruined, instead shifting all the blame onto others.

‘Instead of threatening A-Pen, you should have apologized and begged them. Asked them to work together again.’

I hadn’t known them well, and I had only met them once, but I could tell.

That A-Pen’s members were similar to the members of Spade Joker.

People who genuinely cherished and loved their fans, and who took pride in being idols.

From the start, aside from the gossip spread by Joo Youngjun, they had never caused any incidents or scandals… not even once.

What more needed to be said?

Even their fans jokingly yet proudly said they should be ranked number one among idols worthy of trust.

If he had sincerely apologized to A-Pen and simply presented a proper contract, they would have willingly signed it.

‘In a way, he brought about his own destruction with his own hands.’

Even if they had only continued with individual activities, A-Pen would have still earned a considerable amount of money.

But now wasn’t the time for me to be thinking about that.

“Ha……”

A long, heavy sigh escaped my lips. On the desk were scattered unfinished meeting notes, advisory documents from lawyers, and log reports sent by the IT consultant.

The edge of the documents I had just organized fluttered slightly in the breeze.

At that moment…

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

The person who entered was Han Suseok.

Though he usually wore neat shirts, today his was wrinkled. Fatigue and tension were layered across his face.

‘He’s someone who always maintains a tidy appearance, but this situation has really left him in a mess.’

In truth, I wasn’t in any position to think that.

I wasn’t much different.

Because people had started recognizing me due to consecutive variety show appearances, I somehow managed to take time to tidy myself up, barely maintaining a human-like appearance. Otherwise, I’d probably be sitting here unshaven, looking completely disheveled.

Anyone would think something serious had happened at the company.

“CEO.”

“Yeah. Go ahead, Han Suseok.”

Looking at him, I immediately asked:

“Any progress on the IP tracing?”

Han Suseok quietly shook his head.

“It’s not easy. It seems the hacking attempt was routed through multiple overseas IPs.”

“Right….”

After saying that one word, I couldn’t continue for a moment.

I steadied my thoughts while organizing the documents with my fingertips. The sound of paper brushing against each other felt unusually loud.

“Are the consultant and the white hat hacker saying it’s impossible to trace?”

“Not definitively, but they say more time is needed.”

In the end, it was an answer that was neither denial nor confirmation.

That ambiguity made it even more unsettling.

“Haah…”

Pressing my forehead, I let out a deep sigh. I tapped the corner of the desk with my fingers.

“They were so stingy about money when supporting A-Pen or Spade, but when it comes to something like this, they spare no expense. Quite impressive, really. Just how much money did he pour into this?”

My voice naturally turned sarcastic.

Han Suseok lowered his head silently.

“It’s fine if it takes time. It’s fine if it costs more. Just tell the consultant and the experts not to give up. We can’t let this go. After throwing us into this chaos, he thinks he can sleep peacefully? I won’t allow it.”

He nodded firmly.

“I understand.”

The door closed, and silence settled over the room.

I turned my gaze toward the window.

The sky, just after the rain had stopped, reflected dimly on the glass.

My face overlapped faintly within it.

‘If you’ve pushed me this far, then at least make it fair by having nightmares that wake you up in the middle of the night.’

***

At that same time, in Joo Youngjun’s office.

Leaning back in a wide leather chair, he leisurely sipped his coffee.

A satisfied smile spread across his lips. Rolling up the sleeves of his black shirt loosely, he muttered to himself:

“They’ll be quite busy for a while.”

A chuckle followed… low and chilling.

John Raid Lombardi.

Recalling the face of that young CEO, he lifted one corner of his lips.

‘So confident… let’s see how he handles this. It’s a shame I can’t watch his expression up close.’

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

Knock, knock.

“Sir, I’m here.”

The one who entered was a man in his late 30s.

Once an entertainment reporter, now a freelancer who feeds him various pieces of information.

“Long time no see.”

“Indeed. Sit down first. Go on.”

At Joo Youngjun’s gesture, the man carefully pulled out his laptop.

On the screen was a draft article already in progress.

[Florence, rumors of discord even before debut?]

Seeing the title, a subtle gleam of satisfaction appeared in Joo Youngjun’s eyes.

Slowly setting down his coffee, he asked:

“Good. This should be fine, right?”

The reporter spoke with slight hesitation.

“Is it really okay to release it like this? They haven’t even debuted yet….”

At that, Joo Youngjun scoffed.

“It’s fine. It’s not plagiarism or a crime. Things like this are hard to verify anyway. The point is to make people think, ‘Maybe it could be true.’”

“……”

“That’s how the entertainment industry works.”

His tone sounded as if he were stating an eternal truth.

But mockery lingered in his eyes.

“But if this goes out, won’t it make it impossible for those kids to recover?”

The reporter paused.

They were still just kids who hadn’t even properly begun.

Their faces flickered through his mind, and what little conscience he had left resisted for a moment.

“Kids?”

Joo Youngjun smirked.

“All the better, isn’t it? They’ll find another path sooner. It’s better than clinging to a futile dream and getting hurt even more. If they stay idols too long and get older, it becomes harder to study again. I’m helping them find a different path.”

It was a statement made entirely from his own perspective.

“And besides, do you know how much money I’ve poured into this? Spade, A-Pen… they’re groups I raised. And now some guy is doing well while ruining my ‘children’? You expect me to just sit still?”

The reporter couldn’t answer.

His chest felt strangely heavy.

He knew.

That the one who ruined A-Pen and abandoned Spade was the very man sitting in front of him.

But he couldn’t say it.

If he got on his bad side, he would lose his source of work.

Jobs that paid this much were hard to come by for a reporter.

‘Don’t provoke him. Just take the money. I barely have any work as it is. Feeding myself comes first.’

He quietly closed his laptop.

“Then, when should we upload the article?”

After thinking for a moment, Joo Youngjun curled his lips into a smile.

“The day Florence’s teaser is released. That’ll be perfect.”