Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer the Entertainment Industry

Chapter 217

Looking at everything laid out like this, I couldn’t help but think that both I and that kid have gone through quite a tumultuous time.

Some of the events listed here were overwhelming traces of that kid, while others were marks left by me, inheriting tomorrow.

For the first time in a while, I recalled not the music, movies, or games of that world, but my own life itself.

“……Ha.”

The suffocating feeling in my chest, as if someone had blocked my breathing, cleared up astonishingly as soon as I thought of the one living my tomorrow.

I thought of the kid who, at the age of eighteen—the same age when I gave up and broke off my life—was somehow managing to connect it alone.

Apart from the effort of running a YouTube channel, I did shut myself in the coziest space, my room, while neglecting outside matters.

But no matter how comfortable it was, that kid would never stay confined to such a small place.

Neither would I now.

Given all that I’ve experienced, what’s the big deal about this?

That night, I repeated to myself over and over again.

This is really nothing.

* * *

The next day.

Before being discharged, I checked on Lee Young-min twice, but each time he was sleeping like the dead, so I couldn’t have much of a conversation.

The second time I visited, a nurse who had come to check on Lee Young-min’s condition looked at me with a slightly pitying gaze and kindly explained his status.

“He sleeps most of the time except for brief periods when he wakes up to eat. Thanks to that, his progress is very good. Please don’t worry too much.”

“Yes, thank you.”

There was no way Lee Young-min, who had self-destructed, was simply indulging in sleep.

Since the manager was an inherently incomprehensible existence, I didn’t pay any further attention and left.

He’ll take care of it.

Suddenly, I remembered that Larry had mentioned that I was the only intelligent being he could contact until the end of his term.

I still didn’t understand how he emerged into reality with the identity of Lee Young-min from that space.

‘I’ll have to ask him about it later because I’m curious.’

On that very day, I was discharged.

Wearing my casual clothes, Gwak Sang-hyun, with a haggard face, said to me,

“I’ve prepared a car right below, but there are some reporters waiting nearby. It seems difficult to pass without a collision, so when the guards block them, get in the car quickly.”

Following Gwak Sang-hyun’s words, two guards, whose build would make anyone feel protected or uneasy depending on their intentions, gave me a slight nod.

“Okay.”

Due to this incident, the company urgently supplemented its security personnel.

And the security guards hired this time were not just temporarily employed until this situation calmed down.

They were contracted to exclusively handle all of Orca’s schedules, meaning they would always accompany me and the other members whether we were attending a broadcast schedule or an event.

In fact, the idea of supplementing security personnel came too late, and there had already been opinions among fans that guards should have been hired when I got pushed over by Pluto fans on the way to the music show.

Unfortunately, the company itself was quite inexperienced and sloppy in small matters, likely because it was their first time dealing with idols.

Because of this incident, I later learned that we received a significant amount of complaints via email, phone calls, and even faxes.

Anyway, that’s that, but what happened with Oh Hyun-jin was largely my fault.

I felt quite sorry for the company, which had to bear the full brunt of the damage caused by my reckless actions.

“……Still, following me to the bathroom while I was in the hospital seemed a bit overprotective.”

Gwak Sang-hyun, who was looking after my house, responded instead of the guards.

“It happened right after you said you were going to the bathroom, so what’s so strange about it?”

Gwak Sang-hyun’s rebuttal left me guilty and speechless.

When we went down to the underground parking lot, as Gwak Sang-hyun had predicted, there were a few reporters waiting near the entrance to the parking lot from the hospital building.

The reporters rushed over as soon as they spotted me.

Even though I had a hat and mask on to cover my face, I didn’t know how they recognized me.

‘……Or maybe they figured it out because my hat and mask scream “celebrity”.’

Fortunately, the guards managed to block the reporters who were bombarding me with questions in time, allowing me to quickly get into the car.

“Buckle up.”

“Yes.”

As I sat quietly, not even listening to the music I usually played as soon as I got in the car, Gwak Sang-hyun asked,

“Are you sure you want to go straight to the dorm?”

What he meant wasn’t so much questioning if I was well enough to be discharged but rather if I shouldn’t visit my family, who were staying at a nearby hotel since their home in Korea was in Busan.

“I’m fine.”

In fact, my mother and father were originally supposed to come when I was discharged.

Both are famous enough in their respective fields to be recognized by name and face, and they passed down their exceptionally good looks to me, so they tend to stand out.

I had already messaged them to say we should meet later to avoid any unnecessary complications if they were spotted by the reporters lingering around like earlier.

‘I was so surprised when they suddenly called……’

My mother, on the phone, cautiously asked if I didn’t want them to come.

Noticing the slight tremor in her otherwise calm voice, I couldn’t say whether I was happy or upset.

While the feelings that the other left behind were all emptied out with sudden tears, the emotions I had to carry from the past remained the same.

There was an urge to snap back and ask how they would feel in my shoes, a bit of joy that they wanted to come, some bewilderment at their sudden kindness, a melancholy over what I had been deprived of and could have enjoyed earlier, and intense anger towards Zero, who caused all this.

All these complex emotions were tangled together so intricately that it was hard to separate them.

And what weighed most heavily on my mind was the question of whether it was fair to unload my resentment on those people who weren’t directly responsible for my sadness and bitterness.

After a long, silent struggle that I couldn’t easily resolve on my own, my mother offered a compromise, asking me to at least let them know when I was discharged.

I couldn’t answer then either.

‘Should I send it……’

After a long contemplation, fiddling with my seatbelt, I finally sent the message.

[Me] [I’ve been discharged]

The reply came quickly.

[Unregistered Number] [Alright. Don’t overdo it and let’s meet later.]

Honestly, notifying someone about my actions like this felt incredibly awkward.

Even in elementary school, I rarely did such things.

I bet my brother, who handled things well on his own, wouldn’t have done this either.

So I can assure you, they would find this equally awkward.

It’s uncomfortable enough over the phone or text; imagine how much worse it would be face-to-face in this situation.

At least I did well by telling them not to come today.

Gwak Sang-hyun had a puzzled look.

“Really…?”

“Yes. I have things I need to discuss with the members as soon as possible at the dorm.”

I added an explanation, sensing the concern on Gwak Sang-hyun’s face.

It wasn’t just an excuse about the peculiar family relationship that might seem strange to others.

Gwak Sang-hyun didn’t press further.

“Yohan seemed really angry.”

“He did look like it.”

“Don’t worry too much. He’s always been narrow-minded.”

The light-hearted jab about Jo In-soo managed to lighten the mood in the car.

“Sorry.”

But my apology quickly brought it back down.

I hadn’t even finished the broadcast I insisted on attending that day, and rumors had spread about me fainting and being taken to the hospital.

Although my apology was late, I didn’t overlook the fact that my stubbornness could have left Gwak Sang-hyun shouldering all the responsibility as the person in charge.

Gwak Sang-hyun, perhaps still holding onto some resentment from my obstinacy that day, glanced at me with a complex expression.

Finally, he sighed briefly and spoke.

“It’s not your fault. The real culprit is that guy.”

Gwak Sang-hyun glanced at the guards in the car through the rearview mirror and changed his wording.

He clearly intended to call him a ‘damn bastard’.

I agreed with his sentiment.

“That’s true.”

I could confidently say that most people would agree with that statement.

Gwak Sang-hyun gave me a reproachful look at my sudden change in attitude.

“You shouldn’t just agree with that. Reflect more.”

“That’s different. You said it wasn’t my fault.”

Not long after the relaxed conversation, we arrived at the dorm.

Even though it had only been three days since I left the dorm, it somehow felt like a long time.

“Raon!”

“How are you feeling?!”

Seeing the sasaengs waiting in front of the building like the reporters at the hospital reminded me that I was back at the dorm.

On a normal day, I might have responded more kindly.

The fact that I was contemplating whether to tell them that I’d be in a much better condition if not for their presence during the day showed how irritated I was.

Thanks to the guards, I managed to get into the dorm building safely, even without Lee Young-min, who was always bothered by the sasaengs.

Soon after, we arrived at the floor where the dorm was located.

As I got off the elevator alone, Gwak Sang-hyun, who didn’t get off, spoke to me.

“I’ll be back in a bit, so try to resolve things well and contact me. Don’t be too discouraged.”

“Yes. Thank you. See you later.”

With a deep breath, I braced myself for a 4:1 confrontation and resolutely opened the door to the dorm.