I’m Debuting With The Bias I Killed Chapter 76

Chapter 76

 

While Kang Se-jun was drawing out the moment before the announcement, I-yul quietly muttered,

“I hope it’s hyung.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

It was a short but decisive answer.

I-yul wasn’t looking at the electronic board, but at me. As if he had already decided what the result would be.

“Congratulations, Yoo Seong-woo trainee!”

“Huh?”

Things I never even expected kept happening.

“Hyung!”

“Congratulations, Seong-woo!”

“That’s great!”

From the moment I joined this team, I had only one goal: to make the team come in first place. The result had far exceeded my expectations, and for a moment, my mind went completely blank.

“Wow, Seong-woo trainee. You transferred teams and managed to take first place both as a team and individually, huh?”

The microphone was pointed at me. I came to my senses a beat late.

“I think our team brought us good luck.”

“Come on.”

Kang Se-jun narrowed his eyes. There was a hint of playfulness in them.

“It wasn’t Yoo Seong-woo trainee who brought the luck?”

“That’s right!”

At Ji Dong-seok’s shout, both my cheeks grew hot.

“He’s our team’s lucky charm!”

He shouted so loudly that even the trainees standing farther away laughed and looked over at us. I-yul was still holding my hand as he smiled.

At that moment, there was also a change in the danger level before my eyes.

 

[Danger Level: 82% (▼3%)]

 

It felt like my breath stopped. More than my name displayed on the electronic board, that number stood out vividly.

‘My choice wasn’t wrong.’

“With this, we will conclude the announcement of the Round 6 voting results.”

“……Okay! We’ll take a short break and continue filming!”

“Yes!”

The filming stopped earlier than scheduled. The other trainees left the filming site to take their break without any particular suspicion.

However, Choi Unjo, who was about to leave through the door, was stopped by the writers.

“Wh-why?”

Looking around, I saw Song Woo-joo and Go Jae-seong talking with the production staff as well. There was only one reason the four of us had been left behind.

‘She’s here.’

 

Seori had arrived sooner than expected.

 

***

 

Seori let out a shaky breath and grabbed the conference room doorknob.

Creeeak

The sound of her heartbeat filled her ears.

‘Don’t be nervous……’

She repeated Yoo Seong-ah’s words to herself.

“You need to reclaim something more important than money.”

She had never expected a settlement in the first place. That was why Yoo Seong-ah’s proposal had been both courage and fear at the same time.

“This is your chance to make sure people know Ms. Seori’s name.”

Until now, she had comforted herself and lived by telling herself that money and fame weren’t important. As long as she could dance, that was enough.

But after going through this incident, she realized something. That had merely been resignation disguised as contentment.

So she made up her mind.

‘I will never remain an unknown choreographer.’

Even if she never became famous, she would at least make sure people knew her name properly.

She lightly shook out her wrists. Only after loosening her neck once as well did she finally turn the doorknob.

“Hello.”

Perhaps because she had practiced it countless times, her voice was less shaky than she had expected. The moment she entered the conference room, everyone inside stood up at once.

“Thank you for coming, Choreographer.”

Seori immediately recognized the man who politely greeted her first.

‘So that’s Yoo Seong-woo.’

Yuzu-nim had said they didn’t look alike, but anyone could tell they were siblings.

And then there was the man whose gaze kept wandering restlessly from place to place. She recognized him at once, too.

‘And he’s the bastard who stole it.’

Finally, there was the man who extended his hand to her a beat late.

‘He must be the CEO.’

The awkward handshake ended quickly.

“I’m Song In-hyuk, CEO of Nix Entertainment.”

“Yes.”

The fact that even the agency’s CEO had come meant that they weren’t taking this situation lightly.

She was secretly relieved by that. At least it seemed the company wasn’t as irresponsible as she had feared.

“First of all, I sincerely apologize for involving you in such an unfortunate incident.”

At Song In-hyuk’s words, the four trainees bowed deeply.

“We’re sorry.”

In truth, she had no ill feelings toward the others.

“I wanted to debut so badly… that I made a huge mistake.”

Go Jae-seong bowed his head once more in apology.

“I’m truly sorry.”

Seori silently looked at Go Jae-seong.

It was a moment she had imagined countless times. Would she get angry? Would she demand to know why he had done it? But now that she was actually facing him, she couldn’t think of anything to say.

Only after a long while did her lips finally move.

“Yes.”

That was the best answer she could give right now.

“Would you like to discuss the compensation proposal somewhere without the trainees present?”

At the production staff’s suggestion, the hand Seori had hidden beneath the table trembled slightly. She clenched her fist tightly so it wouldn’t show.

“No.”

“…Yes, let’s do that.”

It was so that he could properly face how wrong what he had done was, and how many people had been harmed because of him.

Go Jae-seong lowered his eyes, keeping his gaze fixed on the floor.

“First, as for our proposed compensation, we will formally pay you the choreography usage fee.”

Song In-hyuk spoke calmly.

“And if you would like a penalty imposed on the trainee in question, we will reflect that as well.”

Seori gave a small nod. It was exactly what Yoo Seong-ah had predicted.

“They’ll probably talk about a settlement or choreography usage fee, and ask if you want the trainee to receive a penalty.”

The main PD added,

“As for the initial penalty, we will edit out the entire process of trainee Go Jae-seong creating the choreography from the rebroadcast. And on the official channel videos as well–”

Seori shook her head.

“No. Why would you delete that?”

“Well, because it contains incorrect information…”

She took a small breath.

“Keep the footage as it is, and clearly state that the choreography is mine.”

If they removed the footage, Go Jae-seong’s theft of the choreography would naturally become a forgotten incident as time passed. Seori realized that the production staff had probably intended exactly that when making the proposal.

If someone became interested in Go Jae-seong at any point, they would surely watch this broadcast. And then, they would naturally learn. That he had plagiarized Seori’s choreography and shamelessly deceived people by claiming it as his own.

Seori remembered Yoo Seong-ah’s words.

“Ms. Seori, do you know what the scariest thing in the entertainment industry is? Having a scarlet letter branded onto you.”

Go Jae-seong’s head gradually lowered.

“I’m fine with anything beyond that.”

Her heart began pounding like crazy. Beneath the table, the marks from Seori’s fingernails were digging deeper and deeper into her palm.

“I didn’t come here in the first place to get this trainee eliminated.”

“Trainee Go Jae-seong, you should look up.”

Go Jae-seong slowly raised his head.

Everyone in the conference room was looking at her.

It was burdensome. But at the same time, her heart was pounding with an indescribable exhilaration.

“That depends on what you do from here on out. If you really have the talent, then you’ll rise.”

“……”

“Otherwise, won’t you fall?”

This, too, was Yoo Seong-ah’s advice.

“And in this week’s broadcast, clearly state that I made the choreography.”

The words poured out of her without hesitation, to the point that it made all her worries seem meaningless. It felt as though she had been bewitched, as if someone were pushing her forward from behind.

It was as though she could hear Yoo Seong-ah’s voice beside her ear.

“If you end it with a few bucks, don’t you think the broadcasting station will just think they got off cheap? The record that leaves Ms. Seori’s name behind forever will soon become your career.”

“Please correct the articles and press releases that were previously distributed as well.”

“Yes.”

“Correct all the statements saying that trainee Go Jae-seong created the choreography… to say that I worked on it.”

Her lips, which had been about to say, ‘Please correct them,’ stopped. Because there was no reason for her to lower herself in this negotiation.

“I didn’t come here seeking financial compensation in the first place.”

Seori took a sip of the water in front of her. After setting down the glass, she spoke clearly one last time.

“Just make sure that the fact that I made the choreography remains intact.”

Song In-hyuk slowly nodded.

“……Understood.”

“Then, rather than removing the trainee, we will discuss internally and determine the trainee’s penalty.”

“Yes.”

The negotiation ended much faster than she had expected. The moment she closed the conference room door and stepped out, the strength drained from her legs. She leaned her back against the wall and let out a long breath.

“……I did it.”

All the tension she had been holding back came rushing over her at once. Her eyes grew hot as emotion welled up for no reason.

‘Still, I said everything well.’

“Phew…”

The first person who came to mind was Yoo Seong-ah. She wanted to boast to her and be praised right away.

She immediately took out her phone.

Tap, tap

 

[Senior, I finished talking with them.]

[They agreed to everything I asked for.]

[Thank you. If it weren’t for you, Senior, I wouldn’t have had the courage.]

 

“You’re busy, so I’ll probably get a reply tomorrow…”

Ding

The reply arrived before she could even finish speaking.

 

[Yoo Seong-ah Senior: See? It was a good thing you went through with it, right?]

[Yoo Seong-ah Senior: Sounds like you spoke well. It couldn’t have been easy to get the broadcasting station people to back down on their stubbornness–]

 

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

She replied without realizing it. Embarrassed, she quickly looked around. Fortunately, there was no one in the hallway.

Just then, the sound of a door opening came from behind her, and the PD and Song In-hyuk came out.

“You haven’t left yet?”

“Ah, I had somewhere to contact for a moment.”

“Choreographer, just a moment.”

Song In-hyuk took out a business card from his inner jacket pocket and held it out.

“We started talking as soon as you entered the conference room, so I’m sorry for the late introduction.”

“Th-thank you. Ah, I have one too.”

It was a business card she had hastily made at Yoo Seong-ah’s recommendation.

“In the future, I’ll contact you for something good.”

Song In-hyuk said with a smile.

“Yes, yes. I’ll look forward to it.”

“Then, please get home safely.”

Seori left the building after being seen off by the two men. As soon as she stepped outside, the cool air touched her flushed face.

“……Amazing.”

She stared down at the business card in her hand for a long time. Nix Entertainment was still a new agency, but it wasn’t common for an unknown choreographer to receive a business card directly from the CEO.

“Senior was right.”

Once your name became known, opportunities would naturally follow.

 

***

 

That night, Nix Entertainment’s response was astonishingly fast.

 

[Official Apology Posted]

> (Copied the whole thing)

Hello, this is the Boys Code production team and Nix Entertainment.

First, we sincerely apologize to choreographer Seori, who suffered harm due to a participating trainee’s unauthorized use of her choreography, and to all the viewers.

The trainee in question personally met choreographer Seori, admitted his wrongdoing, and conveyed his apology. The other trainees who participated in the stage without knowing that the choreography had been used without authorization also voluntarily apologized.

Thankfully, choreographer Seori accepted the trainees’ apologies with a generous heart. We would like to take this opportunity to thank her once again.

The Boys Code production team has indicated that choreographer Seori is the original creator in all stage videos in which the choreography was used, as well as in rebroadcasts and replay services. In addition, if the trainee in question advances to future missions, a separate penalty will be imposed.

We will conduct more thorough checks of the sources and production processes of creative works to ensure that the same thing does not happen again. Once again, we apologize to choreographer Seori and all viewers.

Thank you.

 

↳ Wow, the choreographer is seriously a bodhisattva lol. If it were me, I would’ve demanded they kick him off immediately;;

 ↳↳ Exactly lol. I thought they were going to drop Go, but I have to keep seeing that bastard’s face? Fuck;;

↳ The other kids apologized too? This is seriously legendary levels of causing trouble lol

 ↳↳ It says they apologized voluntarily;;

 ↳↳ Wow, aren’t those three seriously bodhisattvas too?

↳ Yeah, Jae-seong, it’s good that you apologizedㅠㅠ Don’t lose confidence and prepare well for the final

 ↳↳ Don’t lose confidence and just… [See more]

 

[Fast response.]

> Seori’s name is all over the official videos now lol. It’ll probably show up on this week’s broadcast too?

↳ Even on the replay videos, it says in huge letters that Seori made the choreography;;

 ↳↳ Ah, really?

 ↳↳ Wow, won’t this stay up for at least a few years?

↳ I think I properly learned about a choreographer named Seori because of this incident

↳ But I watched her other choreography videos, and she’s actually really goodㅇㅇ

 ↳↳ That’s why he plagiarized it lol;;

↳ She definitely got some promotional exposure out of this

 

Just a few weeks ago, Seori’s choreography videos had been getting only double-digit views, but within a single day, one of them surpassed 10,000 views.

 

↳ Go knew about a choreographer this good and kept her all to himself?

↳ Her lines are really pretty

↳ Haha, so she’s happy about making a young kid’s life miserable just to get her name out there?

 ↳↳ BMK

 ↳↳ What are you talking about? Seori was practically a bodhisattva. She should spend the rest of her life grateful that Seori didn’t demand he be kicked off

 

A comment section tangled with both praise and criticism. Seori felt sick to her stomach, yet she couldn’t take her eyes off the screen.

“So this is what it’s like…”

The view count rose every time she refreshed the page. The number that had been in the hundreds became thousands, and before she knew it, it had surpassed ten thousand.

Comments continued pouring in without a break. Some people praised her choreography, while others supported her. Some felt sorry for Go Jae-seong, while others cursed Seori.

Her heart pounded like crazy.

She had thought she didn’t need people’s attention. She believed it was enough if she could simply dance quietly.

But people were watching her dance now. They were talking about her movements, praising her choreography, and even searching for her other videos.

And above all, they kept saying her name.

 

Seori.

 

Choreographer Seori.

 

It was the name of her own that she had wanted to leave behind so badly.

“……I like it.”

Only after saying it out loud did Seori realize what she had just said.

It was scary, but she liked it. She didn’t like being cursed at, but she didn’t want to go back to the days when no one knew who she was.

Unable to handle the surging emotions by herself, she eventually sent Yoo Seong-ah another message.

[Senior, I didn’t really think people’s attention was that important, you know?]

Her finger paused for a moment. Even so, she wrote honestly.

[But this… is really exhilarating.]

“…Are we even close enough for me to tell her something like this yet?”

Only after sending the message did she suddenly feel embarrassed.

[Yoo Seong-ah Senior: Looks like you were secretly an attention seeker, Ms. Seori.]

“Me, an attention seeker……?”

Attention seeker. It was a word used to describe the type of person she hated most. But to think that she had actually been an attention seeker all along… the instinctive rejection came first.

But when she thought about it carefully, there was nothing wrong with wanting attention itself.

Wanting to show people what you had created, wanting to be acknowledged for doing well, wanting people to remember your name.

Those were not shameful desires.

Seori mulled over the word for a moment before slowly replying.

[I think you’re right.]

[I’m going to try living as a talented attention seeker from now on.]

For some reason, it felt strangely cathartic.