Chapter 28

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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Workplace Harassment (2)
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‘So he’s meticulously getting rid of anything I could use against him, is that it?’

It was ridiculous. If he didn’t want trouble, he should’ve just behaved himself.

When I obediently held out my phone, Jang Junhu snatched it from me.

‘Not that it’ll do him any good.’

The photos of the break room entrance had already been deleted before I came in.

Because those photos had already served their purpose by letting me know about this situation.

Whether it was intentional or not, I had no intention of using something that could be illegal, no matter the potential gain.

It seemed the system’s intention was the same as mine. Because the moment I deleted all the photos, this notification popped up.

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[SYSTEM] As ‘The Subordinate’ has complied with ‘Professional Ethics,’ the penalty is waived.
+

Unlike a ‘Task,’ which gives a reward upon completion but has no penalty for failure, it seemed ‘Professional Ethics’ only gave a punishment when not complied with.

‘It probably means I should do things by the book and not use any shortcuts.’

Though for someone like me, who used to get a guilty conscience for not following even the ridiculous company rules at Hanpyeong Industries, I think it's a useless rule.

After that, Jang Junhu held onto my phone for a long time, rummaging through it.

“Hey, take it.”

“Yes, thank you!”

And when nothing special turned up, he returned the phone with a look of displeasure.

“However, sir.”

But following the rules is one thing.

“Did Seongbin happen to do something that deserved a major scolding from you?”

Pointing out wrongdoing is another matter.

Who does this almost forty-year-old geezer think he is, harassing a kid who’s still wet behind the ears?

My words must have sounded insolent to him, because Jang Junhu's eyebrow twitched.

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“From what I saw for a moment outside, it looked like Seongbin was getting scolded by you.”

“Hyung, it’s not like that…!”

This time, Jeong Seongbin, his face pale, grabbed my arm.

Jang Junhu said with a smile.

“He said it wasn’t. Don't go around running your mouth.”

“I think you’re the one who should be careful how you act, sir.”

“What?”

What I said was that it ‘looked’ like Jeong Seongbin was being scolded by you.

Meaning, this all would have been over if Jang Junhu had just said, ‘Did it look that way? That wasn't the situation, but I should be more careful.’

‘He's the one who got defensive and made it a fact.’

The speed at which he incriminated himself was top-notch.

It seemed that guy wasn't a very wise person.

Though it’s ridiculous to expect any humanity from someone who acts like this.

“Even if that wasn't your intention, it's a problem if others see it and misunderstand, isn't it?”

“Are you lecturing me right now?”

“No. I was seriously contemplating.”

I swallowed a laugh as I looked at Jang Junhu, who was probably trying to intimidate me with his presence.

Is he really trying to create an atmosphere that has absolutely no effect on me, someone trained by Department Head Nam?

Unfortunately for him, he's about ten years too early.

“Whether I should stay at an agency where someone can snatch and search a passerby's phone, even though they weren't caught scolding a trainee.”

Of course, I have no intention of leaving. In fact, if they told me to leave, they'd be the ones begging for forgiveness.

‘But this situation is unconditionally disadvantageous for Jang Junhu.’

If I were a trainee who'd been at UA for years like Jeong Seongbin, I would have had no choice but to cower before Jang Junhu.

First, he's a major senior in the industry, and we're colleagues under the same roof at the same agency.

The more someone has to lose, the more they have to be careful in front of someone with power.

But I was a trainee who knew nothing and had just joined the agency.

Meaning I'm closer to the outside world than the entertainment industry, a newbie with nothing to lose externally even if Jang Junhu were to exert pressure on me right now.

‘Unless he wants to become famous for an issue like… "The downfall of a famous singer who tried to blacklist a trainee for whistleblowing on his misdeeds."’

A whistleblower's report is bound to be constantly questioned for its true intentions and evidence.

And I could easily prove I was actually part of UA with just a single contract.

That's why I could act like a bright-eyed rookie who was completely clueless.

A person who would search a stranger's phone to destroy evidence wouldn't be completely stupid.

Besides, he was ten years older than me. An age where he would have seen his fair share of mudslinging fights.

“Ha, fuck…”

Jang Junhu muttered, letting out a dry laugh.

It seemed he had reached the conclusion that there was nothing to gain from trying to beat me here.

He probably even predicted the reaction if he were to harass me too, just for the crime of hurting his feelings, and I exposed everything.

≫ Is it true JJH power-tripped on a trainee at UA?
└ It's true ㅇㅇ The kid who exposed him provided proof
└ But it's a bit much to say it's a power trip just from the post... Staying neutral for now.
└ Fuck, can't we just split these neutral-gear fuckers in half and throw them to each side? If they're gonna be 'staying neutral' all the time, it'd be easier to just split their brains in two beforehand.

≫ Who the hell is JJH
Is every post about JJH?
└ There's this singer who was a one-hit wonder and then immediately became a has-beenㅋㅋㅋ
└ It's pathetic, ajusshi, doing this to kids who are just about to debut ㅠㅠ

This, too, was a moderate reaction that would only come out because I hadn't debuted yet.

If I had debuted, there would have been a lot more talk like, ‘It's just noise marketing,’ or ‘He was so rude to his senior,’ but such a hypothetical was meaningless to Jang Junhu, who was thinking I could leave UA at any time.

In the end, Jang Junhu left the break room after only telling me to watch my mouth. He slammed the door so hard I wondered if the hinges broke.

“Hyung… are you okay?”

Jeong Seongbin, who had been crumpled like a crushed can between me and Jang Junhu, asked.

“Why wouldn't I be?”

“That's a relief. …Um, did you say the manager called for you?”

“Ah. That was a lie to get into the break room.”

“What?”

“More importantly, Seongbin.”

“…Yes.”

“I think you have something to talk to us about, don't you?”

At my words, Jeong Seongbin hesitated before nodding.

This was the second summons since Choi Jeho and Kang Giyeon's fiery battle of wills.

* * *

Even Jeong Seongbin himself knew he wasn't always this kind of person.

Because he'd always had a knack for working hard and not giving up.

He was confident that the time he spent trying would one day become his asset.

So, his years as a trainee weren't hard at all.

Until he met an incredibly difficult senior.

‘A trainee?’

‘Yeah, but he's been singing for a long time, and he's really good. Even Eun-ie acknowledged it.’

‘Hyung, I'm not at the level where I should be receiving a guide sung by a trainee, am I?’

Was the problem that someone inexperienced and green like him was tasked with recording a guide for someone who had already debuted?

Or was it that his skills were truly so lacking they were embarrassing to show?

‘Hey. You recorded it like this, and no one from A&R said anything?’

‘I've been listening to your guides, you know? But your voice isn't exactly a mainstream vocal color. It gets tiring to listen to.’

‘I heard you're going to be the main vocal if you form a group? If you're the main, isn't your team screwed?’

Whatever the reason. And before he even knew what it was.

In the hallway, in the lobby, whenever Jeong Seongbin ran into Jang Junhu, he had to listen to criticism disguised as the kind of frank advice an industry senior wouldn't give just anyone.

Such words were usually of no help. They only left scars on the listener.

To Jeong Seongbin, Jang Junhu's reproaches were no different from daggers.

Unfortunately, Jeong Seongbin's ‘polite and humble attitude toward his elders, never neglecting self-censorship’ was seen by Jang Junhu only as an ‘easy target.’

It didn't take long for the teasing to become ridicule, the ridicule to become criticism, and the criticism to become profanity.

His low rank in the monthly evaluations. The feedback that, while framed as praise, couldn't hide its disappointment.

Above all, his own self, unable to produce any results for years, was proving that Jang Junhu's words were true.

When it became an established fact that the guide would be specifically assigned to Jeong Seongbin, and that Jang Junhu would find fault with everything once he finished recording.

Jeong Seongbin thought he had truly become an incompetent person.

‘If you just keep doing what you've been doing, the day you're acknowledged will come. Really.’

That is, until an impassive colleague who had just joined—and had no reason to be considerate of him—said the words he wanted to hear most.

* * *

Silence filled the practice room. Only Jeong Seongbin, the tip of his nose red, would occasionally let out a small sigh.

After hearing the whole story, the first emotion I felt was guilt.

For being happy about getting experience points for recording a guide for Jang Junhu's song, not knowing he was a piece of human garbage.

The next thing that came was anger.

A few years ago, Jeong Seongbin was just a middle schooler.

He took out his frustration over his own failed comeback on a kid twenty years younger than him for years?

It was something that couldn't be forgiven, nor was it worth trying to understand.

At this point, my mind was filled with nothing but all sorts of vile curses.

‘This son of a bitch…’

There are things a person should and shouldn't do.

Even I, who had to work 20 hours of overtime a month because of Spark, am sharing the ups and downs with these kids. Who the hell does he think he is to cause such a fuss?

To hell with watching my mouth, I just wanted to go up and say, ‘Excuse me, is Mr. Jang Junhu here?’ and then ask him if he could even call himself human before setting the surroundings on fire.

Choi Jeho, who was next to me, was already cursing up a storm.

“Fuck, isn't that bastard out of his fucking mind?”

“I'm just as angry, but let's not swear in front of the kids.”

It's not Jeong Seongbin's fault, and if the two oldest ones just get angry, it will only make the younger ones feel uncomfortable.

I suppressed my anger and asked Jeong Seongbin.

“Seongbin, how would you like this to be resolved?”

If Jeong Seongbin wanted an apology, I was prepared to post public exposés until that bastard's face was mosaicked on every news portal. I was confident in my ability to drag things out messily.

However, it seemed Jeong Seongbin wanted everything to be quietly buried.

“With him… I don't want to exchange any more words than I already have. Even if it's for the sake of a resolution.”

“Right. Still, I don't think it's a good idea to keep doing things with him. Do you agree on that point?”

“…Yes.”

“Then let's at least move in pairs of two inside the company. When you go home from school, Giyeon, you keep an eye out for him.”

“Okay.”

“And if you hear any nonsense from anywhere, you have to tell at least two members. Got it?”

After that, the strategy meeting to separate Jeong Seongbin and Jang Junhu continued.

“What if another guide offer comes? I heard they've been giving them to trainees until now to handle it conveniently within the company.”

“I'll practice until my throat bursts and I'll do it.”

I raised my hand and volunteered in response to Lee Cheonghyun's concern.

I figured it was better for my throat to bleed than to send these guys into the lion's den.

And so, after a long 30-minute meeting.

“Lastly, Seongbin, I'd like you to do just two things.”

“Yes… Yessir.”

“One is to never think that you're lacking.”

I said this while looking at Jeong Seongbin's face, which still had a youthful air to it, a face that looked like it couldn't bring itself to speak harshly even if told to.

It was a face I had rarely looked at straight on, afraid his suppressed sorrows might burst out.

“Later, when you're feeling a bit better, bring me everything that could be used as evidence of how that bastard treated you.”

Son of a bitch. As if I'd let him take away a talented rookie like this.

We can't get revenge now because we haven't achieved anything yet.

But I'll show you just how tenacious the dark heart of a working adult trying to protect promising sprouts can be.