Prism reclaimed its freedom.
They couldn’t say they were completely free yet, since the contract hadn’t ended. Still, with the time to discuss a renewal approaching, it was only natural to start feeling like the end was near.
The members who had suffered for so long seemed to have found a good deal of stability even with just that alone.
Later on, Prism’s members told me that things had gotten quite chaotic inside RH Entertainment for a while.
“I heard they really put the employees through hell, saying that Director Kang Hyukwoo’s stuff had gone missing.”
It was only natural that all sorts of complaints began surfacing among the employees. After all, they were being treated like thieves despite having done nothing wrong. They repeatedly pointed out that if something had really been stolen, they should just check the CCTV footage or call the police. But Kang Hyukwoo continued to hound the employees to the very end.
‘Well, of course. The CCTV in the director’s office doesn’t work.’
Most employees had no idea, but the CCTV on the floor with the director’s office had been broken for quite some time. In any normal company, it would’ve been fixed right away, so why had it been left that way? The reason was none other than Kang Hyukwoo’s own paranoia.
He was a bastard who blackmailed people with photos and videos, even going as far as to ruin their lives. There was no way he’d ever let himself be constantly recorded on camera.
Everyone who had known Kang Hyukwoo for a long time was well aware of the strange lack of cameras around him. That paranoia was basically the price he paid for all the filthy things he’d done.
Still, was calling the police even an option?
Well then, how exactly would he explain what was in it? Wouldn’t the investigation uncover something he’d been working so hard to hide?
All of it was brought on by Kang Hyukwoo himself.
His countless misdeeds piled up until, in the end, he lost even the ability to properly protect himself.
It wasn’t possible to hide that Jay had visited the company that day, but fortunately, it didn’t cause any real trouble.
“What’s so wrong about an artist visiting their own agency?”
If anything, Jay acted even more boldly, leaving Kang Hyukwoo—who had no physical evidence—completely powerless. Besides, what could he even do if the truth were known? If the members of Prism really had taken the video, then Kang Hyukwoo was the one who should be watching his back.
The members of Prism were now free.
He should count himself lucky he didn’t get beaten up.
The members didn’t ask me what I had done.
They didn’t say anything even after they found out that Lim Seunghoon could no longer walk and that the stalker who had been following me was the perpetrator.
They just said thank you, and that they were sorry.
Because those words meant they were willing to shoulder the emotions I rightfully should have felt for the things I had done, I simply let them pass.
There was nothing to be grateful for, and nothing to be sorry for. I hadn’t done anything good enough to deserve a thank you, nor had I been hurt enough to deserve an apology.
There was nothing more ridiculous than trying to take responsibility for something you didn’t choose yourself. Everything happened because of my own choices, and it was all my responsibility.
“What should we do about the next company? I never thought I’d be able to get out of RH, so I’ve never paid attention to any other entertainment agencies. What if we end up joining another problematic company?”
“What else can we do? We just have to put our heads together and figure it out together.”
“Is this what they call a happy problem? I haven’t felt this nervous in a long time…….”
Now, the members just had to find their own happiness and chase their dreams in a new environment.
And as for me … I still had a little more work to do.
‘…Once Prism leave, RH Entertainment will probably be on a one-way street to ruin.’
I didn’t want to pour cold water on the members’ happiness, so I stayed quiet. But deep down, I knew Kang Hyukwoo was never the kind of person to let things end this way. He had no concept of remorse or restraint. He was the kind to push back, to make up for what he’d lost by any means necessary. And in that process, something was bound to go wrong. I had to prepare myself once again to stop it.
‘…No, even if it doesn’t come to that, I will…….’
The members still didn’t know the real reason behind Seo Yuseong’s death.
So, I will bring this tragedy to an end entirely on my own.
***
After that, we returned to our normal routines, and now we were on the set of Legendary Singer. We were still in the middle of dealing with a few things, but skipping out on filming was definitely not an option.
[“Who do I think will take first place in the leader position? Seungbeom-ssi. I think he’s the best, not just in this competition, but among all the current active idols.”]
The faces of the Prism members, listing their evaluations of me against a black backdrop, were now on the screen. As for what this crazy thing was … it was a reaction shoot for the second round of the competition, freshly edited.
[<“Which contestant are you rooting for the most, Yihwon-ssi?“>]
[“Me too, I’m also rooting for Seungbeom-ssi.”]
[<“Why?”>]
[“He’s got such a sly-looking face, but he still somehow looks like an angel.”]1
[<Visual Sunbaenim’s One Pick ❤️>]
[<A handsome person praising a handsome person>]
The evaluations had been proceeding normally, until Nam Yihwon, with an expressionless face, said something that made the members of Prism all lower their heads with a stifled “Pfft“. Jo Inchan was the only one who didn’t lower his head, but he was also guilty; his lips tucked in as he elbowed Nam Yihwon in the ribs.
‘…What the hell is wrong with Nam Yihwon?’
Did he know?
There was no future for a crazy guy who’d forgotten Bunny Yihwon.
That personality of his, where he’d just say whatever came to mind even if he ended up getting beaten for it later, must have clearly been the result of something being wrong in his head.
“…….”
What’s so funny about me being trapped in the body of a pretty boy like Han Seungbeom?
If anything, he should be grateful.
If it were my original body, I would’ve slammed him headfirst into the ground.
Just as I was having that thought, a dramatic sequence played to build suspense over whether Gong Seonghwa or I would take first place in the center group, and then the results of the second competition were revealed.
[Center 1st Place: Han Seungbeom (PANTHEION +30 points)]
[Vocal A 1st Place: Do Yuda (PANTHEION +30 points)]
[Vocal B 1st Place: Nicholas Hwayoung Lee (PANTHEION +30 points)]
[Dance A 1st Place: Youngho (RAIZE +30 points)]
[Dance B 1st Place: Ilrang (RAIZE +30 points)]
[Rap 1st Place: Kidd (24Hours +30 points)]
‘It’s a shame that Do Yuda and Baek Kiryang ended up in the same team.’
I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. I was convinced that if the vocal position had been split into three groups from the start, Baek Kiryang would’ve come back with a first-place win too. It was like that feeling of not getting to show off everything you had. I had this urge to grab the production team and shake them, demanding they hand over his first place.
“Wow! I think we look so cool!”
Do Yuda clapped excitedly and giggled when he saw Pantheion’s name completely dominating the vocal position rankings. Then, with a proud look on his face, he turned to me as if waiting for praise.
“Well done. You all worked hard.”
When I said the words he’d been hoping to hear in a calm tone, Do Yuda pouted and grumbled.
“…This isn’t really the reaction I was expecting.”
It seemed like Do Yuda had been expecting me to cover my mouth, cry happy tears, and get all emotional. But I’d already found out the results last week, and it wasn’t that far off from what I expected anyway, so there wasn’t much of a reaction left to give.
I just patted him on the head like I was petting a dog.
“Hehehe, this isn’t bad either.”
While Do Yuda happily leaned his head on me, I could feel Lee Hwayoung behind him, shooting me a fierce glare.
“…….”
…The back of my head was burning.
I broke into a cold sweat as I looked at Lee Hwayoung, who was practically radiating an aura of ‘Why are you only praising that guy?‘ without holding back in the slightest. I gestured for him to come over, and after glancing down at the floor with those glassy, marble-like eyes, he slowly edged his way to my side.
“You were cool.”
“Not that one.”
“…You did well.”
“…….”
“…I’m proud of you?”
Having finally gotten the praise and petting he wanted, Lee Hwayoung gave a satisfied nod, then quietly took a step back.
[Final 1st place: RAIZE]
Since group rankings were determined by adding up the weighted points given to the top three in each position, Raize, who swept most of the second-place positions despite not securing many firsts, ultimately claimed the final first place spot.
“Congratulations, sunbaenims!”
“Thank you.”
As the reactions to the second competition wrapped up with another round of applause for Raize, the MC, who had been waiting off to the side, stepped in front of the camera and picked up the microphone.
“Now, I’m going to reveal the song you’ll be performing in the final competition.”
The contestants tilted their heads in confusion at the mention of revealing the song, rather than the usual announcement of the performance theme or concept. Meanwhile, the members of Prism were just standing there with wicked smirks on their faces.
In response, I pulled up one side of my mouth in a forced smile.
It was because, just like Prism, I had instantly realized the trial that was about to befall us.
“Come at me.”
And in the midst of all this, that idiot Zen was striking a pose like a character from a tokusatsu2show, arms stretched out in front of him, saying something like that … This really wasn’t the time for such carefree nonsense.
Dun dun dun duuun.
The sound of drums, building the tension, echoed. But since I already knew the predetermined outcome, I just stared straight ahead with a hazy gaze. Then, the ever-cheerful idiot, Do Yuda, turned to me and asked with a bright expression.
“Hyung, what’s wrong?”
What’s wrong?
I’m worried about you, main vocalist.
In the chaotic atmosphere, the MC thrust the hand holding the cue cards forward and shouted confidently.
“The third competition song is, Domination!”
‘…Yeah, I knew this was coming.’
The announcement was that every group would be preparing a performance with the same song.
To think they so generously handed out the idol execution song, Domination, to everyone equally—after we’d all desperately tried to avoid it during the previous rounds. As expected, they really were pros at tormenting the cast.
The moment the MC finished speaking, Seo Yuseong’s high-pitched ad-lib rang out thunderously across the entire studio through the speakers.
“I hope you’ll remember
My dream
Our time
This feeling that’s impossible to forget.”
Judging by how the notes were even higher than the original track and the crowd’s deafening cheers could be heard along with it, it seemed they’d used the live audio from a performance known as a ‘legendary stage‘.
With dazzling effects, Prism’s past performances of Domination flashed across the studio screen. Then, the scene shifted to the dance break, with me standing at the center.
‘It’s not like they’re intentionally trying to discourage us…….’
The production team must’ve thought that part was the highlight of Domination and replayed it for for the broadcast’s sake. It made sense, too, because it was already publicly known that this song was practically born from a fight between us brothers.
[The level of their sibling fights is insane. In my house, we just hit each other with rice paddles, but these guys are like, ‘If you have a complaint, settle it on stage‘]
[Did Seo Yuseong rebel just to show this off? At this level, he can rebel all he wants; he’s so good it makes me sick. Ah, this is K-pop haha]
[Twinkle! Twinkle! Baby star!]3
└ Come to your senses
└ The brutal reality of being an idol — you’ve gotta see your 180cm tall, stoic younger brother getting moe-fied into an adorable baby star
└ It’s fine. Seo Yutae’s the one who named him ‘Byul‘. Sounds fake, right? But it’s real. We don’t even come close to Seo Yutae
└ I’m feeling rather disturbed……
[Seo Yutae’s physical stamina is seriously on the next level. All the other members are staring up at the sky after the performance because they’re exhausted, but he’s standing totally fine on his own, it’s so infuriating HAHAHA Sir, how could you choreograph moves that only you can survive!!]
└ What sin did the Prism members commit to deserve this?
└ Lee Chise: Super fun HAHA
Since my brother and I were both the quiet type and hardly ever talked about our personal lives in public, I used to wonder where on earth the story had leaked from. Later, I found out it was Lee Chise who’d been going around spreading it.
“Ha…….”
I let out a light sigh, remembering Lee Chise’s face as he winked at me cheerfully.
Then, as I turned my head, I saw the contestants standing frozen, their faces pale as sheets. In particular, Do Yuda, who had already been wrecked by Domination once before, had completely lost the light in his eyes.
“…….”
“…….”
Ideally, they’d be yelling it was impossible and ripping at their hair—anything dramatic enough to salvage for broadcast. But the only thing filling the set was a cold, heavy silence.
As he listened to Seo Yuseong’s vocal, Zen carefully pulled back his outstretched fist and spoke.
“Don’t come at me. I’ll sue you for assault.”
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Translator’s Corner:
Here for people who said they missed Pantheion….
If you’re curious about the differences in Pantheion’s vocal line, you can try to listen to Red Velvet (no I’m not saying this just because I don’t know any other groups….). Their comparison is really fit. Yuda powerful vocal house like Wendy, Nicholas the type of main vocalist who brings the “strong flavor” to the song like Seulgi, Kiryang the clear, tone fairy like Joy. You can see the example of RV vocal line singing the same line here https://x.com/gaewrites/status/1851031872962433405 to understand the difference (The order is Wendy, Seulgi, Joy)
If we look at the boygroups … well, tbh I don’t think there’s any trio that fits their combination 100%. Like, in SHINee, there’s Jonghyun – Onew – Taemin, Baek Kiryang’s type of voice, I think, similiar to Onew, and Nicholas can fit Taemin, but I don’t think Yuda match Jonghyun …. Jonghyun’s voice is more …. super, mega rich ? Like I personally would compare him to Seo Yuseong.
There’s Chen – Baekhyun – DO in EXO too, but I don’t know much about them to give an opinion (I only listened to DO). And for Do Yuda, I like to think of his voice like GOT7 Youngjae’s … just because their vibe is similiar……….
Anyway, I’m actually sick. And my interview didn’t go well, I think T_T I already thought of the basics like define myself strenght weakness etc… but when actually asked, MY MIND JUST GO BLANK ASDFGHJKL I think I need more practice …. I need to learn how to lie and stop honestly oversharing too T_T I’m ashamed of myself remembering it now ….. I also have to learn how to brag …. but there’s nothing good happening in my life so what am I supposed to do …
Well, anyway. Since it didn’t go well, I guess you guys really stuck with me until we see the ending of this story …..
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