<Episode 72>
“Hello.”
[Hello. This is Park Juchan, the leader of A-Pen.]
I received a call from the number Han Suseok had given me; it was A-Pen’s leader.
Honestly, I hadn’t expected them to contact me on the same day.
‘They must be pretty desperate too.’
[Um… are you really CEO John Raid Lombardi of Ramos Entertainment?]
“Yes, that’s correct.”
I could hear murmuring on the other end.
[If it’s not too much trouble, would a video call be possible?]
“That’s fine. Please hang up and call again via video. That would at least give you some trust, wouldn’t it?”
A brief silence followed.
A-Pen went quiet, as if I had perfectly read their thoughts.
[Then we’ll hang up and call again.]
“Yes.”
The call ended, and shortly after, a video call came in.
After answering, I extended my arm so my face would be clearly visible. Through the screen, I could see the A-Pen members gathered together.
“Do you believe me now?”
[Yes. We’re sorry. Please understand that we had no choice but to go this far. Our CEO is a bit…]
Park Juchan trailed off.
“I know. I’ve met him a few times. More importantly, since we’re talking face-to-face like this, would you mind if I brought a stand to hold the phone?”
[Ah, yes. We’ll get one too.]
I briefly set the phone down and brought over a Bluetooth charging stand I normally used.
The A-Pen members also seemed to be setting theirs up, as their screen was shaking.
[Okay, done.]
Once the phone was secured, their faces became steadier on screen.
[Shall we continue now?]
“Let’s.”
The A-Pen members looked extremely tense.
“You saw the message I sent, right?”
[Yes. You said you wanted to discuss a contract. Are you serious?]
“Yes, I am.”
This was my first time trying to pull idols out of another agency.
In previous timelines, I either didn’t have the capacity or didn’t feel the need because I was focused on building Spade Joker.
In a way, this decision could be called impulsive.
But I wouldn’t regret it.
For the first time, I had drawn the blade of revenge against Joo Youngjun, who had harmed me countless times.
Until now, I had only been busy cleaning up the damage he caused or avoiding getting entangled with JM Entertainment in the first place.
‘He might feel wronged in this timeline, but after this Spade incident, my anger has reached its limit.’
“If you feel uncomfortable joining another agency, I’m willing to help you establish your own company.”
[What? You’d help us set up our own agency? Why?]
Park Juchan looked at me with suspicion.
Perhaps because of everything they had gone through under Joo Youngjun, they didn’t trust people easily.
Which was understandable.
There was no existing relationship between us.
“I’ve suffered quite a bit because of Joo Youngjun as well.”
At my words, the A-Pen members nodded as if everything made sense.
No further explanation was needed.
[If that’s the reason, we understand why you want to help us. But when our contract ends, we’ll have to change everything… the group name, fandom name, even the smallest details.]
“Then change them.”
I said it as if it were nothing.
“A-Pen has already built enough recognition, both as a group and individually. The group name can be changed to something with a similar feel, or something fans will clearly recognize as ‘A-Pen with a different name.’ As for the fandom name, fans will understand. They’ve been watching you struggle in your current company all this time.”
There was especially no need to worry about the fandom name.
Fans want idols to be happy.
They want the people they love to live well.
You could see that even with Clover, who once told Spade Joker they could leave the company even if it meant quitting being idols.
And A-Pen…
They endured ten years.
They even signed an additional three-year contract with a problematic agency out of loyalty to their fans.
If idols like that said they needed to change their fandom name to leave their company…
What fan would get angry?
They’d be happy and ask what the new name would be.
That’s what fans are like.
[That’s true. Fans have watched us struggle all this time. Even during the last renewal, they told us to do whatever we wanted… that everything was okay. But hearing that made it harder to act freely.]
The member next to Park Juchan spoke.
It was Jeon Sihun, recently recognized for his stable acting.
“I understand. Spade Joker was the same.”
At my answer, the A-Pen members nodded.
“Think it over seriously. I won’t force you.”
[…Even if we establish our own agency?]
A probing question.
Even though I said I’d help them start their own company, they were testing whether I’d later try to redirect them to another agency or gain something in the middle.
“Yes. Honestly, I think that would be the better option.”
So I answered honestly.
“A-Pen is an incredible group with a strong fanbase, but moving to another agency and starting fresh isn’t as easy as it sounds. That’s why I offered the option of creating your own company.”
[…]
“There will inevitably be some level of investment involved, and you might worry that it would come with interference. But I have no intention of doing that. In fact, I won’t be investing that heavily to begin with. So take your time and think it through. Whatever direction you choose, I’ll help.”
[…May I ask what exactly our CEO did to make you this proactive?]
There were countless things I wanted to say.
Countless things I could say.
But I could only list what he had done in this timeline.
“Trying to take Spade Joker’s song. And the group ‘Spade’ that JM Entertainment just launched… I believe you already know about that.”
A-Pen let out a small sigh.
“Ah…”
That was enough explanation.
[Then… what are the terms? If we move to another agency, what conditions would it be?]
“Nothing is set in stone, but I’m thinking around a 4:6 profit split. Of course, it could vary depending on conditions.”
[Then why recommend another agency instead of your own?]
“Our company is already short on time just supporting Spade Joker and preparing a new girl group launch. Of course, I’d like to bring A-Pen in… but realistically, we don’t have the manpower.”
At my honest answer, A-Pen fell silent for a moment.
“Any other questions?”
[Not for now.]
“Then contact me if you have anything to discuss or ask. I’ll be waiting.”
[Yes. We’ll reach out soon.]
And with that, the video call ended.
***
After ending the call, A-Pen found themself deep in thought.
“What should we do?”
“We need to decide carefully. If the CEO finds out, he won’t stay quiet. Honestly, it would be great for us to move to another agency. There are plenty of trustworthy people.”
They envied Spade Joker more than any other idol group right now.
And it made sense.
Not long ago, Spade Joker had been in a similar downward situation to them.
Then suddenly, their CEO publicly admitted his mistakes on broadcast and completely changed his attitude.
To the point where he seemed like a completely different person.
Not only did he work hard… he worked well.
The songs, concepts, and music videos he brought after turning over a new leaf… everything was perfect.
And this time, even a new attempt like a film music video had succeeded.
Because of that, Spade Joker was now on a path to success.
At the same time, a genuine sense of loyalty had formed between the company CEO and the artists.
Watching them leave the past behind and run toward the future…
It was impossible not to feel envious.
Once upon a time, when they performed as a top-tier idol group…
They had looked like that too.
“Yeah… I saw that. The album was good.”
“Fans’ reactions changed too. Before, all they did was criticize the company. Now they’re all praising them.”
For a moment, they even wondered…
Could their CEO change like that too?
But no.
Instead, he was causing even bigger problems.
“We weren’t planning to renew this time anyway.”
A-Pen had intended to endure it.
For their fans.
To protect the group and the fandom they had built.
But the moment they saw the announcement about the Spade album fan signing event…
They changed their minds.
They couldn’t stay in a company like this anymore.
“Honestly, no agency would take us in without conditions. If we only did individual activities, it’d be fine. But for group activities, we need proper support. Our current company is hopeless. Remember the last album?”
They had gathered songs through connections from their individual activities…
But the CEO rejected most of them.
As a result, many of the songs they worked hard to secure never even made it onto the album.
The album made solely under the CEO’s direction was heavily criticized.
Even fans admitted they only bought it out of loyalty.
Joo Youngjun wasn’t just malicious; he had no sense in this field.
“Ha… remember that fan who once gave the CEO persimmons?”
“To help him ‘find his sense,’ right?”
“Seriously? That’s bold. Not something just anyone would do.”
“Yeah. And he didn’t even eat them… he let them rot and then returned them.”
“Wow… that’s something. He could’ve just eaten them. The fan was clearly trying to hint at it indirectly.”
“That’s just how he is. Always has to win everything.”
“Yeah…”
Just thinking about Joo Youngjun made them shake their heads.
“But if we transfer, will he just stay quiet? We’d be lucky if he doesn’t resort to something extreme.”
“That’s the biggest problem. It’d be great for us, but we can’t cause trouble for whatever company we join. So let’s think carefully. There has to be a good way.”
“Yeah.”
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