<Episode 83>
The Spade Joker members came out of the broadcasting station, tightly hugging their first-place trophy.
They couldn’t hide their joy at winning first place.
‘You’d think they’d be used to it by now.’
Come to think of it, even in previous timelines, Spade Joker had always been genuinely happy… whether they won the grand prize or were taking first place as if it were routine.
That was precisely why they were able to rise to the position of idols representing Korea.
“Clover!”
They raised the trophy high so Clover could see it clearly.
“Congratulations!”
“Congratulations to Clover too!”
At the sudden congratulations, Clover exchanged glances with the person next to them.
‘What are they congratulating us for?’
“We won first place together!”
At Cain’s shout, Clover clutched their chest.
“Together? We did it together too?”
“Of course! How could we have gotten first place without Clover? It’s something we achieved together through all of our efforts!”
At the members’ words, Clover began to cry.
‘Do fans start to resemble their idols?’
“Huh? Why are you crying?”
Juseok flustered as he spoke.
“No, it’s just… this is…”
I took out the tissues I had and handed them to Clover.
“Here, wipe your tears.”
“Thank you.”
Clover hurriedly wiped their tears with the tissue.
“Are you okay? No one’s hurt or anything, right?”
At Sora’s question, Clover quickly shook their head.
“It’s just… hearing that we all worked together for first place… I was moved.”
“Oh, dear. Our Clover is such a crybaby.”
That wasn’t really something Heeseo should be saying.
‘If I remember correctly, aside from Zen, the rest of the members all tear up easily.’
“Alright then, let’s head back now.”
I led Spade Joker to the car.
They all looked reluctant, but it couldn’t be helped. I had to take them back to the dorm and then return to the company to continue working.
“CEO, thank you for today.”
“Go inside and get some rest.”
“Yes.”
After dropping Spade Joker off at their dorm, I headed back to the company.
Perhaps there were still many people working late, as the building where the company was located still had lights on.
‘It’s Friday… that’s unfortunate.’
Not that I had any intention of joining them.
I took the elevator up to the office.
‘No one’s here.’
The dark office greeted me; no one at our company was working overtime.
I turned on the lights and went inside.
‘I can’t believe I’m already missing Han Suseok.’ (TL.Note; I MISS HIM TOO)
I entered the CEO’s office and sat down.
I had to sort through the first round of applications for Florence’s manager interviews.
‘I said I’d contact them by tomorrow morning. I should hurry.’
***
Spade had debuted after being persuaded by CEO Joo Youngjun’s sweet promise to make them like A-Pen, but the reality they faced was completely different.
Even when they simply greeted people at the broadcasting station, many ignored them and walked past.
This wasn’t limited to staff… it included senior artists as well.
Even the reporters they met on their way to work only asked them questions related to Spade Joker.
“People are saying your group name is similar to Spade Joker… do you think you can beat them?”
“Can you say a word to Spade Joker?”
There was no one showing any genuine interest in the group Spade itself.
Moreover, fans of other groups waiting outside the station to see their favorites looked at them with contempt.
“I feel so bad for Spade Joker fans. This was obviously intentional.”
“Did you see how identical the outfits are? It’s seriously shameless.”
“That’s not even imitation, it’s just a knockoff.”
“Spade Joker has a solid narrative, strong relationships, and even core fans built over four years. And they’re talented too.”
Contrary to expectations of becoming like A-Pen, they were only met with neglect and ridicule.
They tried bringing it up to the company out of frustration, but the response was always the same.
“Do you know Spade Joker stayed unknown for four years? You should be grateful your name is getting out there right after your debut.”
Nothing changed.
If anything, it only became more painful.
Unable to undo their debut, they headed straight to the practice room after their schedule ended, trying to at least change public perception a little by little.
They had to do what they could right now.
“Hello.”
On the way to the practice room, they ran into A-Pen.
“Oh, it’s you guys. The ones who just debuted.”
A-Pen looked at Spade with pity.
“How long is your contract?”
“Five years.”
“That’s still better than us. You only have to endure five years.”
A-Pen clicked their tongue briefly.
“We’ll give you one piece of advice. Listen carefully.”
“Yes.”
“If you want to survive here, never listen to CEO Joo Youngjun.”
“…What?”
Spade members’ eyes shook in confusion.
“There’s nothing good that comes from listening to him. You probably know this already, but the drama appearances and successful albums… we achieved all of that ourselves.”
Park Juchan, A-Pen’s leader, lightly tapped the shoulder of the member giving advice, as if telling him to stop.
“…Anyway, you need to be prepared to fight the CEO and win. Oh, and Joo Youngjun really likes having his contributions acknowledged. If you use that personality when persuading him, it’ll be a bit easier.”
“Yes.”
“And if you ever feel like the company is about to collapse, run away quickly. Don’t stay here.”
It was sincere advice.
And to Spade, the weight of those words felt overwhelming.
“…Thank you.”
“Yeah.”
Spade passed by A-Pen.
“Aren’t you two crushing their hopes too much?”
“What’s the point of hope? We had it, and look where we ended up.”
“…That’s true.”
“Even if they’re young, they need to know reality. What they need right now isn’t practice… It’s learning how to stand against the CEO.”
Park Juchan didn’t think his advice to Spade was excessive at all.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
They stopped in front of the CEO’s office.
Joochan lightly clenched his fist and knocked.
“Come in.”
With permission granted, A-Pen entered.
“Hello.”
“Yeah. Sit down.”
“Yes.”
They sat and waited quietly.
“Let’s do another video call fan signing event.”
“…What?”
It had already been five months since their promotions ended, so their surprise was natural.
“Why are you so surprised? I just said we’re doing another video call fan signing.”
“At this point…?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“You know Spade’s situation right now, don’t you?”
A-Pen swallowed the words rising to their throats.
‘This is all the company’s fault in the first place. We told you so many times.’
They wanted to walk out immediately, but couldn’t.
‘Seriously…’
“CEO, even so, asking fans to buy albums for a video call event after promotions are long over… and when there’s not even a hint of a comeback rumor, doesn’t seem right.”
Park Juchan spoke calmly, suppressing his anger.
“Your fans would like this. They’re desperate to see you even once more. Shouldn’t they be grateful for even a video call event? Or do you want a comeback? But you said you wanted to focus on individual activities for now.”
The CEO spoke as if he were being considerate.
In reality, they delayed their comeback because if they prepared an album and then didn’t renew contracts, the timing would become awkward… and lawsuits over production costs could follow.
“I’m being considerate, aren’t I? And the company doing well is good for you too. You need to release another album. You need money for that.”
They wanted to ask if he had forgotten who built the company from a single-floor office into a three-story building.
“Anyway, we’re doing the video call event. Take the scripts for Taehwi and Yoonjae on your way out.”
“Yes.”
They couldn’t say anything.
They had to endure.
“And take some pictures with Spade. Look after them a bit. Do I have to say even this? They’re your juniors. Don’t you see they’re already discouraged?”
“We’ll take care of it.”
“Good. You don’t know the trouble I’m going through because of the Ramos Entertainment CEO, do you?”
A-Pen wondered if the man even had a conscience.
“He even stole your projects! So if you run into Spade Joker, just ignore them. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Good. You can leave now.”
They gave a brief bow and left.
Their pace quickened, and only after getting into the car did they finally speak.
“So basically, since the company has no money, they’re going to use our fans to make money, right? To cover the losses from launching Spade. Is he insane?”
“I didn’t think it would come to this.”
“Is he really an entertainment CEO? Sure, the plan might bring short-term profit, but doesn’t he realize it’ll damage Spade’s image even more?”
“He’s just crazy.”
“I’m starting to doubt how he even started this company.”
They vented everything they had been holding in.
“Are you going to take that project?”
“Not now. If we sign now, it could cause problems when we leave later.”
“True.”
“For now, it’s better to avoid anything except one-off deals like photoshoots or variety guest appearances. We might get tied down otherwise.”
The others agreed with Yoonjae.
“We don’t have much time left. Let’s endure a bit longer.”
“Yeah.”
They decided to hold on just a little longer… waiting for the day they could leave JM Entertainment.
And when that day came, they would finally say everything they had been holding back, and end it.
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