BIE 70

Chapter 70…

Pure Entertainment (1):

Well, something like that. But from the looks of it, it seems like actress Yeo Siyeon is also going through some tough times.

“Senior Yeo Siyeon too?”

Well, maybe she’s not exactly being harassed. They’re not putting her under strict management.

“And what about Kwon Soohyun? I heard he’s being harassed too?”

No. He’s the cash cow. As long as he’s making money, they’ll spoil him. It’s not like the old days anymore.

“Guys like him need to be caught and beaten like rats.”

Anyway, the world’s changed these days. If something like that had happened, it would’ve already blown up into a scandal.

Receiving the story through Director Park made my blood boil.
If I hadn’t heard from senior Yeo Siyeon, I would’ve just thought they were a bit strict and left it at that.

“Well, I understand. Thanks for your hard work.”

Hard work? Don’t mention it. Alright, I’ll hang up.

After the call ended, I let out a sigh.

“If someone loses their voice, you take them to the hospital. But locking them up and forcing them into training? What kind of outdated, delusional nonsense is that?”

On top of that, they pressured her, saying it was her fault other trainees couldn’t debut because of her.
In reality, Yeonju, who was the main vocalist, was crushed under the weight of that responsibility.

She was often starved because she had no money, and instead of being taken to the hospital, she was just forced to train even harder. It would’ve been stranger if something hadn’t gone wrong.

Starved, weakened, and all alone at home… her heart eventually stopped.
That was how Yeonju died.
She didn’t even get the chance to live. Her body broke down in a suffocating situation, clinging only to responsibility.
Alone.

“…This makes me angry.”

At first, I thought of it simply as helping Yeonju pass on peacefully.
But now, I was just getting angrier.

It was a strange emotion.
In a life where I’d only ever struggled to survive, I’d never felt this kind of rage.
Feeling furious because someone’s life was just too pitiful… it was a new experience.

It’s not like it’s the first ghost I’ve seen.
There’s no ghost without a story.
They all have reasons why they became ghosts.

But until now, I never cared to know those stories.
Why would I, when my own life was miserable?

Maybe escaping the gutter is what made me start thinking this way.
But no, I realized it wasn’t just that.

Grandma Gamdong’s family affairs.
Choi Junghoo, the grandson of the Cheongsan Foundation chairman, who only wanted to play a song his father loved.

As I resolved their stories, these emotions had seeped into me.

“…This beggar’s really gotten nosy.”

Thinking about this unfamiliar rage, I realized how much I’d changed.
I even possessed a dog, didn’t I?

“Well, they do say ‘with great power comes great responsibility’… Wait, whose quote was that again?”

Anyway, this blessing of possession…
Maybe it was given to me so I could do things like this.
It was more comforting to think of it that way.

Besides, I met new connections through this ability.
And honestly, they were all good people.

“Mansu… well, he did send over a snack truck and a food truck, so I’ll let that slide.”

No point in complaining.

But even though I understood the situation, I didn’t know how to resolve it.
It’s not like I could just storm in there.

“Come to think of it, didn’t they say Senior Yeo was being harassed too? I should look into that first.”

Though, they did say maybe not—since she wasn’t really being managed.
Should I make them start managing her then?

“Wait, they also arrange sex services?”

“Legally speaking, it’s a gray area. It’s more like they just provide the setup.”

“I get it.”

Chairman Yang Mansik nodded as he listened to the report from his secretary, Chief Yoo Jigwang.

“But in the case of that trainee, Jo Yeonju, there was a problem.”

“A problem?”

“Her cause of death was officially listed as a heart attack. But in the post-investigation, it was discovered that the documents had been falsified. While tracking down the coroner involved, it turned out he’d been caught doing similar manipulations and was expelled. It was resolved with money at the time, but…”

The chairman nodded, then asked again.

“What exactly was falsified?”

“The cause of death was heart attack, yes. But there was an opinion that there might have been another underlying cause. She was malnourished, but there were also traces of physical abuse.”

“Abuse? But she was a girl?”

“Yes. At the time of death, she was 18 years old.”

At the word 18, the chairman’s face turned grim.

“It seems organ damage had been caused by the beatings. Combined with malnutrition…”

“And?”

“They didn’t take her to the hospital. She was locked in the dorm instead. This was evidence collected from trainees who quit at the time…”

“And legally?”

The chairman’s sharp gaze made Chief Yoo answer with a regretful expression.

“With only conjecture, it’s hard to directly link it to her death. Her only family was an elderly grandmother, but she passed away two years after Yeonju’s death.”

“So, evidence exists but can’t be tied directly. Witnesses exist, but because they’ve been involved in similar cases, their credibility could be challenged by the opposition.”

“Yes.”

Feeling like he’d swallowed a sack of sweet potatoes, the chairman scowled.

At that moment, Chief Yoo slid another document forward.

“We confirmed that actors from Pure Entertainment were being used as models in our subsidiaries’ campaigns. Quite a few too—five, in fact.”

“Then no renewals. Will that hurt us?”

“No. Fortunately, all the contracts are either expiring soon or in preparation for renewal. They can be replaced.”

The chairman’s reply came cold and sharp.

“Cut them all off.”

“Understood. I’ll make sure our group never deals with that company again.”

The chairman didn’t even bother answering—just nodded faintly.

Chief Yoo carefully gathered the papers and added:

“Then, shall I relay this information to Woo Suhan?”

“Yes. Since he asked, he deserves to hear it.”

“Understood.”

There’s a saying: like slapping a crying child.

“Fired?”

“It’s not exactly fired, more like an early termination—”

“That’s the same thing! Weren’t they preparing to renew the contract?”

Kwon Soohyun shouted, veins popping on his neck.

The road manager sighed heavily before replying:

“That’s why I told you not to throw your phone around.”

“What? That wasn’t my fault! It slipped! I said it slipped!”

“That phone was from Baeksan! You smashed a Baeksan phone—while you’re shooting an ad for Baeksan!”

“What? That’s the reason?”

Soohyun looked dumbfounded, but the road manager lowered his voice and continued.

“It’s not just you, hyung. Other actors from our agency all lost renewals too. Contracts that were about to be finalized also got canceled.”

Soohyun trembled with anger. Lately, everything was going wrong.

“And hyung, the CEO wants to see you back at the office.”

“Why?”

“Well, it’s just that…”

“Damn it.”

The manager’s evasive answer told him everything.
CEO Jang Sangsoo was pissed.

“…Do I really have to go?”

“You know you do.”

Soohyun, who had just been yelling at the road manager, now shrank like a scolded child. The manager looked just as nervous.

Soohyun sighed and lowered his head.

“…Haa…”

Pure Entertainment’s CEO, Jang Sangsoo, rolled up his sleeves.

“Down.”

“Huh? Wait, why—”

“Down.”

Soohyun’s protest was ignored.
The moment Jang saw him, one word was enough. Soohyun dropped to the floor without resistance.

Jang already had his beloved baseball bat in hand.

Whack!

“Gahh!”

Wham!

“W-wait!”

Two hits. That was all it took for Soohyun to writhe on the floor.

Resting the bat on his shoulder, Jang ordered again:

“Back in position.”

“Y-yes, back in position!”

Clutching his sore backside, Soohyun scrambled back into position.
Three more strikes followed.

Whack! Wham! Whack!

“Arghhh!”

He rolled on the floor, clutching his butt.

“I told you not to get cocky.”

“Ughhh!”

“Do you have any idea how much damage you’ve done to this company?”

“W-what do you mean!”

Soohyun cried out, squirming.
Jang sighed, glaring at him.

“Don’t you know why Baeksan cut us off?”

“…What?”

“Because they found out about your little stunt. Don’t play dumb.”

“I-I didn’t—”

“You tried to use reporters for some half-assed scheme…”

“….”

Soohyun averted his eyes. He had no words.

“If you’re gonna do it, do it properly. Idiot.”

“Uncle…”

“Don’t call me that, bastard!”

“…Yes, sir.”

Outsiders didn’t know, but privately, Jang was his mother’s brother.
It wasn’t something they wanted known.

“Aren’t you ashamed? You didn’t even get caught fooling around with women, or taking someone down. No, you botched some petty stunt. What a disgrace.”

Lighting a cigarette, Jang exhaled smoke in Soohyun’s face.

“Someone’s been sniffing around asking questions about us. Can’t you see what that means?”

“….”

“I already backed off, knowing a giant like Baeksan was behind it. You should’ve known to do the same.”

Jang gripped the bat again.

“Missed the bat, didn’t you?”

“N-no.”

“Down.”

Crying, Soohyun obeyed again.
Three more hits followed.

Finally, Jang tossed the bat aside, somewhat appeased.

“Don’t whine, bastard. I even let you get your butt padded first.”

Soohyun flinched, lowering his head.
Despite everything, Jang’s actions showed he was still family.

Jang crushed his cigarette and turned to the road manager.

“Times have really changed, huh.”

At that single line, the manager stiffened.

Jang tossed the bat toward the side.
The manager rushed to pick it up and set it carefully in its display stand.
It bore the autograph of a pro baseball player.

“Let’s do better.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

The manager bent at a 90-degree angle.

Barely sparing him a glance, Jang said:

“Call in Chief Gu.”

“Yes, sir!”

“And you, get out. I don’t even want to see your face.”

“Yes…”

Relieved, Soohyun bolted out of the room.

Moments later, Chief Gu Bonghan, a burly man over 190cm tall, entered.

“You called, sir?”

“Sit down.”