-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Workplace Harassment (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“What?”
“Like you caused some ridiculous trouble that needs cleaning up, or you're plotting revenge on a scary upperclassman who extorted money from you.”
“That's not it at all!”
Hearing my examples, Jeong Seongbin recoiled and shook his head vehemently.
What a relief. I can't be in the same boat with someone who thinks such scary thoughts.
With a much lighter heart, I waited for Jeong Seongbin to speak first.
Before meeting him, I'd given Choi Jeho a heads-up to wait until Seongbin spoke first, so he was keeping his mouth shut and staying quiet.
With that terrifying mouth shut, I felt much more at ease.
“There's something I wanted to tell you hyungs before you get the wrong idea.”
For someone who had started so gravely, Jeong Seongbin began to speak cautiously.
“Um, we're debuting in the same group, right? Well, the CEO asked me... if I would consider being the leader.”
It seems that part went according to the original plan.
In the current situation, where things were as volatile as Department Head Nam's mood, this was welcome news.
Satisfied, I waited for what he would say next, but Jeong Seongbin just kept his head down, silent.
*No way. Is this all he wanted to talk about?*
Given Jeong Seongbin's personality, it didn't seem likely he'd call just the older members to ask them to celebrate his appointment as leader.
I glanced over at Choi Jeho, and his face clearly read, ‘Is that all you have to say?’
You Spark guys better thank me. If I hadn't shut Choi Jeho's mouth beforehand, this meeting to welcome your leader for the next seven years would have been a disaster.
But if that was really all he wanted to say, the reason Jeong Seongbin called us here was obvious.
He must feel apologetic about becoming the leader when there are older members in the team.
Even at Hanpyeong Industries, there were a few people who found it difficult to deal with subordinates older than them.
It was common for the age gap, which was manageable when they were peers, to suddenly become a real issue after a promotion.
*Still... has it not occurred to him that there's no one else fit to be the leader?*
I recalled the dazzling members of Spark.
Starting with Choi Jeho, the world's number one mouth-fighter who causes discord every time he speaks.
Then there's Park Juwoo, who speaks so little that fans mark the date on their calendars if he even says five sentences in their original content.
And Lee Cheonghyun, who seems to live in a blissfully happy flower field.
And finally, Kang Giyeon, the clear-eyed madman whose gaze is always intense about everything.
Not a single one of them was capable of standing before the public and saying, "Hello, we're Spark! Please take care of us!"
It was like having a company of five employees where everyone only did the practical work, leaving no one to sign off on anything.
In short, the combination was a total mess. Without Jeong Seongbin, that is.
“I also thought you were the most suitable person to be the leader among us.”
I stated my opinion honestly. But Jeong Seongbin's expression remained dark.
“With the hyungs here, I feel like it's not right for me to be the leader...”
“Were you always so obsessed with seniority?”
Half of it was a joke, but the other half was a genuine question.
I'd been bothered by the fact that Jeong Seongbin was the only trainee who used extremely formal speech.
If I could just get Choi Jeho to agree, I thought I should introduce a system of using informal speech within the group as soon as possible.
After he finished speaking, Jeong Seongbin's shoulders were trembling slightly. It seemed he'd really been worrying about this a lot on his own.
“If you're feeling pressured about having to represent a bunch of socially awkward members, that's one thing, but if you're worried because of your age, you really don't need to be.”
“I never thought the members were socially awkward...!”
Jeong Seongbin waved his hands dismissively.
What a good kid. Because I definitely had that thought.
“So the real reason you're worried is your age?”
“I think there's a reason the eldest member is the leader in most groups. Compared to the hyungs, I lack leadership skills and...”
I was surprised. I had no idea Jeong Seongbin, who was famous in the idol fandom for being a leader with top-tier character, was this timid.
I remembered that the anecdotes about Jeong Seongbin's school days known among the fandom were mostly about him being sociable and getting along with everyone.
It seemed that a long trainee life inevitably lowered one's self-esteem.
*That's a bit disheartening.*
Unlike me, whose self-esteem had been weathered down from being beaten around at Hanpyeong Industries, these guys were just kids who weren't even twenty yet.
It seemed this team needed to recover their self-esteem before they could even think about debuting. Except for Choi Jeho.
But aside from protecting his self-esteem, it would be a problem for us if Jeong Seongbin didn't become the leader.
Even excluding me, who had the constitution of a subordinate who didn't want to stand out.
Based on my years of monitoring experience, without Jeong Seongbin, the Spark guys wouldn't be able to open their mouths anywhere.
For the sake of all the fans desperately scraping together screen time of their favorite members, Spark needed Jeong Seongbin.
In times like this, the most effective method is to make him state with his own mouth why it has to be him.
“Putting everything else aside, Seongbin.”
“Yes.”
“Do you think there's anyone else in our team who could be the leader?”
Jeong Seongbin flinched at my words.
I knew it.
A kid like Jeong Seongbin, who thinks so much, must have imagined what it would be like if someone else became the leader at least twenty times.
“Having someone like Choi Jeho, who'd fight seriously even with the youngest member, or me, who can't tell a left turn from a right turn just by words, become the leader doesn't seem like a very good idea.”
“Why are you dragging me into this when I was just sitting here?”
“Are you denying what I just said?”
“Just continue with what you were saying.”
It wasn't just about personality; there were plenty of other reasons why Jeong Seongbin had to be the leader.
He was the one who led practices, and he was the one who took care of the trainees in the smallest ways.
That was something that couldn't be explained away simply as his nature.
Willingly going through trouble for others isn't something that happens automatically just because you're given a title.
After kindly explaining the "Younger Members as Leader: Nightmare Edition," I added.
“So you don't have to feel sorry to us, or worry that the older members will be uncomfortable with a younger leader. It's fine.”
“Hyung...”
“The other guys are your friends or younger, so it'll be fine, but if Choi Jeho doesn't listen to you later, just tell me. I'll have a huge fight with him for you.”
“Why do you assume I'm the only one who won't listen? You could be the one to drive Jeong Seongbin crazy.”
“I'm the type to bow down to authority, so that will never happen.”
Jeong Seongbin must have mistaken my words for a joke, because his expression finally relaxed.
Seriously. I was being completely sincere.
Even though he picked a fight with every little thing I said, Choi Jeho also expressed his opinion indirectly.
“There's no one else to be the leader besides Jeong Seongbin anyway.”
Sometimes, a single word from someone you wouldn't expect to say it can be more impactful than a hundred others.
Having passed even Choi Jeho's gate, Jeong Seongbin finally smiled in relief.
*As long as he's not feeling burdened by the leader position itself, that's a relief, but...*
I thought we'd crossed the biggest mountain when we talked about his grades. I was too complacent.
It was a problem that Jeong Seongbin's self-esteem wasn't recovering even after overcoming the issue with his ranking.
It was even more concerning when I looked at the case of Kang Giyeon, who was already suffering from a loss of confidence.
Watching Jeong Seongbin's back as he led the way to the practice room, I earnestly hoped this wasn't a side effect of me moving up the debut schedule, and I prayed that nothing else would happen from now on.
However, my prayer was completely shattered in exactly three days.
Meaning, it was smashed to smithereens.
* * *
The incident occurred when I went to get my cell phone from the manager and, while I was at it, picked up the non-disclosure agreement.
+
[SYSTEM] A 'New Task' has been assigned.
▷ Take a picture that includes the non-disclosure agreement
▷ Reward: Experience (5)
+
I should say I was puzzled by this task, which was completely different from any I'd had before.
*Did they mess with the document somehow?*
The system had never given me a task that would be detrimental to my idol activities; they were always beneficial, if anything.
At first, I wondered if there was some kind of poison pill clause in the NDA. But there was no way I would have missed a few malicious clauses.
*It's not the agreement itself, but the fact that it's a picture 'including' the agreement that's particularly suspicious.*
Judging by the task description, it seemed the agreement was just being used as a prop.
In fact, even when I took a picture with the agreement right in the center, the completion notice didn't appear.
*What am I supposed to do?*
I tried placing the agreement in the left corner, then holding it up in the air on the right, taking about twenty pictures in total.
And then, when only the very edge of the agreement was visible, and the lounge door behind it took up about three-quarters of the screen.
+
[SYSTEM] 'Task' has been completed.
▷ Reward: Experience (5)
▷ Accumulated Experience: 60
▷ Accumulated Points: 0
+
A completion notice appeared with a brilliant flash of light.
*I took a picture this badly and it's complete?*
I checked the last picture I took in my photo album.
The focus was so off that you couldn't even read the words "Non-Disclosure Agreement."
The focus was so strangely placed that the man and Jeong Seongbin behind the glass door of the lounge actually looked clearer in comparison.
*...Huh?*
I tore my eyes away from the phone screen and stared at the lounge in front of me.
Jeong Seongbin was really standing inside the lounge. His face was etched with tension.
The person sitting across from him was also a familiar face.
It was Jang Junhu, the original singer of the song we recorded for the guide track experience a while ago.
*Were they close enough to meet privately?*
Even as I felt suspicious, I already knew in my head.
That as long as one person was sitting there nonchalantly, making the other stand while they snickered, the assumption of them being close had to be thrown out the window.
As if to confirm my assumption, Jang Junhu threw something near Jeong Seongbin.
*This crazy son of a bitch?*
I immediately knocked and entered the lounge. Both of their gazes snapped toward me in an instant.
“Seongbin, you were here?”
At my sudden appearance, both of their faces stiffened.
I looked straight at Jang Junhu and greeted him like an inexperienced newcomer who hadn't realized a senior artist was present.
“Oh, Jang Junhu-sunbaenim, you're here too! Hello!”
“...Uh, yeah. Haven't seen you around before.”
“I'm Kim Iwol, a new trainee, sunbaenim!”
The kind of vocal projection I used back when I was being disciplined in front of Department Head Nam came out for the first time in a while.
I glanced at the floor and saw a water bottle, still containing a little water, rolling around.
*Fuck, what if he'd gotten hit?*
My fists clenched on their own. I barely suppressed my primal rage and spoke.
“The manager was looking for Seongbin. If you two are in the middle of a conversation, should I wait outside? I can let the manager know.”
“No, it's fine.”
“Thank you!”
Like a clueless idiot, I gave a bright 90-degree bow and then pulled Jeong Seongbin's arm.
I hoped I was overreacting, but if Jang Junhu was giving Jeong Seongbin a hard time, my plan was to separate Seongbin from him first.
“Wait.”
Just as I was about to leave the lounge, Jang Junhu called out to stop us.
Jang Junhu's gaze was fixed on the cell phone in my hand.
“Aren't trainees not allowed to carry phones?”
Jang Junhu asked, slouching in his seat.
I maintained the most amiable smile I could muster and replied.
“I have special circumstances, so I'm using it with the manager's permission.”
At that, Jang Junhu gestured toward me with his finger.
“Bring it here.”
The atmosphere instantly froze at Jang Junhu's words.
My grip on the cell phone tightened.
