After discussing future activities with the members of Pantheion, I contacted Choi Jeokhyeon at their request. Once the basic preparations were in place, I introduced Choi Jeokhyeon to the members. It wasn’t about building any kind of bond, just something along the lines of a professional meeting.
‘Lee Hwayoung is planning to join his mother’s company anyway, and he’s strangely uncomfortable around Choi Jeokhyeon, so he didn’t even show up…….’
There were other staff available, so there was no real need for Choi Jeokhyeon to meet the members. But since we had the kind of relationship where I could just drag Choi Jeokhyeon out unannounced, I figured they might as well at least get a look at the future CEO of the company and take the time to consider the contract carefully.
Frankly speaking, I also had some idea that Choi Jeokhyeon wasn’t that good of a person, except when he was dealing with people he was close to, like me or Lee Hwayoung. I didn’t care much about his business, but I knew full well that he’d deceived and exploited countless people to rise to his current position.
‘Besides, what I know is just the tip of the iceberg.’
Even now, Choi Jeokhyeon still hasn’t changed, and I doubted he ever would. Instead of respecting the members I brought in as equals, he would prioritize their value as products. And if he decided they weren’t worth keeping, he wouldn’t hesitate to discard them
At first glance, it might have looked pretty heartless, but that was also how Choi Jeokhyeon had achieved his success until now. In fact, t was an attitude shared by many business owners, not just him. Management was all about chasing profit, and sometimes, it was necessary to maintain such a cold, calculated perspective.
I was fully aware that I lacked that kind of mindset. It was obvious that I would tend to think of everything from the members’ perspective, so I purposely stayed away from the company’s management from the outset.
‘I can guarantee that if I get involved in everything, the company will go bankrupt within a year.’
Even though it all started because he took me up on my request, now that Choi Jeokhyeon has invested his money and time, shouldn’t there be a clear benefit for him as well? I had no intention of blindly protecting the members by questioning every single one of Choi Jeokhyeon’s decisions.
‘Even if I were to blindly protect them like that, if I suddenly disappeared halfway through, they’d end up as lost as a duck egg in the Nakdong River1.’
Therefore, I hoped that the members wouldn’t easily make a decision to sign the contract just because ‘Hyung introduced me to this company, so there shouldn’t be any problems’. I wanted them to judge for themselves whether this company was truly a good place to work with.
“I just presented the best option I could, based on the condition that as many members as possible would stay together. If you each go your separate ways, you might be able to find companies that offer better contract terms or ones that suit your style more, so think it through carefully. Even now, there are still a few companies offering to pay your penalties to bring you in, right?”
“….The decision to sign the contract is completely up to you, and once you sign it, there’s no turning back. So, think it through carefully.”
The most I could do in that process was give the members a heads-up that the CEO had some major personality issues.
Think about it.
Who in their right mind would want to work under a lunatic?
‘If I let my guard down even for a moment, I feel like he’ll swindle the kids…….’
To be completely honest, I still wasn’t sure if this was the right decision. The kids begged me, so we went for it, but I couldn’t trust Choi Jeokhyeon, not at all.
“You really, really need to think carefully.”
“Hyung, why are you acting like this? Why do you keep acting like we’re going to get scammed or something? It’s making me anxious! You said he’s your friend!”
Why couldn’t I feel even a shred of trust toward my one and only close friend? Well, it was because, after suffering through his unpredictable behavior for my entire life, he suddenly shoved an unfair contract in my face—something even Kang Hyukwoo had never done.
“…A 10-year contract?”
The reason why so many idol groups faced a survival crisis around their 7th year was that, in South Korea, the maximum exclusive contract length for entertainers was limited to 7 years. That was the standard contract, so a 10-year contract? If he had at least pushed for a full 7-year contract, I would have argued, ‘What do you take me for, a rookie?‘. But since he’d gone this overboard, I didn’t even know where to start with the complaints.
“Yeah, ten years.”
The way his eyes sparkled with baseless expectation and that bright smile on his face made me snap. I immediately threw the damn contract aside and yelled.
Crash!
“Get lost!”
Then Choi Jeokhyeon, watching the papers fluttering through the air and the furious expression on my face, laughed until his cheeks turned red. It was only when I turned to leave the room that he finally pulled out the real contract from his drawer.
The moment I saw it, I realized that the anemone-like2 contract from earlier had all been a setup to mess with me, and that those sparkling eyes had been watching me in anticipation of my reaction.
“Are you angry?”
Do I really have to work with a guy like him from now on? The company won’t go bankrupt, right? After all, both the person in charge and the people joining are all capable individuals. But that’s not the problem.
“If you had a proper one ready, you should’ve brought this from the start!”
“Hahaha!”
I just felt like I was going to pass out from the stress.
Seeing how Choi Jeokhyeon had already printed out a proper contract but still went through the trouble of making a ridiculous one just to shove in my face, I couldn’t help but started to suspect that he got some strange thrill out of watching me lose my mind.
Choi Jeokhyeon grew brighter and more full of life with each passing day, but I just kept getting sicker and sicker. I seriously started to wonder if this was how things were supposed to go. He was definitely sucking the life out of me right now.
‘Why does this bastard always pull pranks like that? It’s all because he has no friends, f**k…….’
When on earth would Choi Jeokhyeon ever start acting his age? Sure, it suited his youthful just fine, but knowing how old he actually was, I just couldn’t bring myself to watch it with a generous heart.
“Alright, say hello. He is the person who’s going to be the CEO of the company you all hoped for.”
As expected, as soon as I introduced Choi Jeokhyeon, the members looked like the sky had just fallen on them. Actually, it might be more accurate to say they looked like hamsters dropped in front of a lion. Even the hamster Cha Woon keeps wouldn’t go that pale.
Of course they did. The members had already met Choi Jeokhyeon once, and the awful first impression he left hadn’t gone anywhere. It was from that day, when Lee Hwayoung dragged them all to the hotel where Choi Jeokhyeon and I were staying.
“I think I put too much faith in your social skills, hyung.”
“Leada, is that the only kind of friend you have?”
The members looked at me with pitying eyes and said that.
I, I had nothing to say in response to that…….
No, I could have said something.
I had two options.
This was a lie. If this were the truth, I would have ended up being a guy with no friends at this age, so I had to deny this at all costs.
This was also a lie.
In the end, I gave up the lie that only made me feel miserable and chose silence.
Where on earth did things go wrong, and what exactly did I do wrong? I still don’t know the answer. All I knew was that Choi Jeokhyeon was a completely hopeless troublemaker.
‘It’s not my fault.’
After meeting Choi Jeokhyeon, the members, who had been hesitating for quite a while, seemed to slowly make up their minds as time passed.
“For now, I think it’s best to finish my current contract first. The new company would inevitably focus on idol activities. Also, the CEO of my current agency has supported me since I had nothing, so I want to fulfill my obligations to him.”
Woo Kangwon said that he wanted to focus on his individual acting career instead of debuting as a group. He planned to build up his portfolio at his current agency, which also manages actors, and then move over here once he had gained some experience.
In Baek Kiryang’s case, his company was so small that it didn’t even have a proper office building, and just like me, he hadn’t received any real training from them. That made the contract feel less binding, so talk about a transfer started to come up.
“I’m going to terminate my contract and then follow you, hyung.”
Do Yuda decided to end his contract with his longtime agency, SU Entertainment, through mutual agreement.
SU Entertainment wasn’t particularly welcoming of members who stood out too much due to frequent exposure on external programs rather than internal ones. Still, being a large agency, they preferred resolving matters amicably for the sake of their reputation and ties within the entertainment industry. Internally, they had already finalized plans for another boy group, which likely played a major role in allowing Do Yuda to make a smooth exit.
‘Perhaps the reason they sent Do Yuda to the survival program in the first place was because the concept of the boy group they were preparing in secret didn’t suit Do Yuda.’
Thinking back to the trainees who always ranked at the top during the monthly evaluations, Do Yuda didn’t really blend well with them. Since SU Entertainment was focused on putting effort into the groups they were preparing in-house, without needing to increase recognition through external programs, there was no need to forcefully hold onto a trainee who didn’t fit the concept and wanted to go to another group.
‘Should I … call this a release?’3
Apart from that, it seemed they tried to hold on to me, but in my case, Choi Jeokhyeon’s company chose to pay a large penalty fee and terminate my contract.
“I’m going to go have a man-to-man talk. Speak sincerely, it’ll definitely get through.”
There was still no news from Nagi Zen. Honestly, I was a bit worried. Zen was still a little clumsy with Korean, and the head of his agency didn’t exactly seem like the sanest person, but I decided to wait for an update for now.
The problem was Lee Danbi.
Lee Danbi’s agency currently didn’t have the resources to produce a proper boy group, and despite Lee Danbi still lacking the skills for a solo career, it seemed they were set on clinging to him until the end.
‘The other members are fine. They have a vision for the remainder of their contract. But this, this is just a pointless power struggle.’
At this rate, Lee Danbi would have just wasted his time once Pantheion’s activities were over. However, Choi Jeokhyeon showed no particular reaction to Lee Danbi’s contract. Watching that, I slowly realized that the ominous feeling I’d had from the start was coming true, and I gritted my teeth.
‘…Choi Jeokhyeon doesn’t feel it’s worth the penalty fee to bring Lee Danbi in. He’s not as profitable compared to the other members.’
As funny as it might sound to say this, from his perspective, that penalty probably didn’t seem much to him. Even so, there were a number of reasons I could guess why he wasn’t willing to resolve it right away.
First off, I want to prioritize Lee Danbi’s life above all else, but that was my viewpoint alone, not something Choi Jeokhyeon should take into account.
‘Business isn’t a charity.’
If the owner had taken on this kind of uncompensated loss even once, it would have just repeated with other members in the future. And naturally, the company couldn’t have survived that way. I also didn’t want Choi Jeokhyeon to make such unconditional sacrifices.
‘Maybe he’s trying to draw a clear line from the start.’
But that didn’t mean he was completely rejecting or ignoring Lee Danbi. If it had been like usual, he would have said he didn’t like it a long time ago, but instead, he just remained silent, neither saying he would sign a contract with Lee Danbi nor that he wouldn’t.
‘What on earth is he thinking?’
It was never easy to read Choi Jeokhyeon’s intentions.
I let out a deep sigh as I looked at Choi Jeokhyeon, who was leisurely drinking coffee while sitting comfortably on the sofa in front of me, and reluctantly opened my mouth.
“So…….”
Bzzz. Bzzz.
But just as I began to speak, a call came in from Lee Chise. Seeing Choi Jeokhyeon slowly close and open his eyes, signaling it was okay to take it, I answered the call.
“Why.”
“Hyung, are you able to contact Inchan right now? I told him to keep checking in regularly before I left because I was feeling uneasy, but he hasn’t even checked his messages since earlier.”
“…You can’t reach him?”
“Aside from Inchan, we’re all out for our schedule right now, but something feels off about the managers.”
“…….”
“They keep glancing at us and trying to check their phones, so I think something’s going on. Plus, Nam Yihwon wasn’t supposed to have anything scheduled today, but suddenly there’s this last-minute urgent shoot.”
I asked, clenching my fists at the sudden sense of foreboding, “Kang Hyukwoo?!”
“He’s not at the company. When I asked the manager, it felt like they were all avoiding giving me an answer.”
As soon as I heard the answer, I jumped up from my seat. But Choi Jeokhyeon, who had been listening to the whole conversation beside me, just smiled and poured more coffee into my empty cup.
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Translator’s Corner:
This is also the reason why, traditionally, the first “underage” idols were usually the ones that really talented. For example, Krystal f(X), Taemin SHINee, Hyuna Sunmi Wonder Girls, all debuted at 14 years old. Their age isn’t ideal at all to debut, but the agency didn’t want to gamble by not debuting them, who knows if they’re going to quit the agency?, so they debuted them not to lose them.
Meanwhile nowadays agency just debuted minors because they want to exploit them more easily since minors don’t know any better. ↩︎
The same also true for Yeri’s case in Red Velvet. Red Velvet already debuted as 4 members group in 2014, albeit the debut was rushed. Yeri was originally part of the debut team for SM Next Girlgroup (after Red Velvet), along with the well-known SMNGG members at that time (Herin, Ningning, Yiyang, Koeun, Lami, Hina, etc). My speculation is, the SMNGG concept back then was supposed to be the fresh, innocent type (maybe similiar to NewJeans?) but then Lee Sooman wanted to create KWANGYA, so the current trainees didn’t fit. That’s why the actual SMNGG after that (aespa) has completely opposite image of the original lineup of SMROOKIES. Anyway, since the debut team was disbanded, the trainees left back then (Herin tried her luck on Idol School, but Mnet rigged the whole show, so yeah), and Yeri (the supposed to be center) was added to Red Velvet.
If you compare this to the survival show group … most of IOI and Wanna One members went back to their original agency after disbandment. The exception was Somi, who left JYP NGG debut team (ITZY) and joined YG to become a soloist. Most IOI girls debuted as girlgroup since their company already have a debut team. Wanna One, on the other hand, mostly debuted as solo, except for Daehwi and Woojin who debuted as AB6IX with the Brand New Music PD101 team, and Bae Jinyoung who debuted as CIX (honestly CIX is such a good group, it’s a crime they failed to hit big). Almost all of their groups failed though, and now almost everyone moved to acting industry (Sejeong, Yoojung, Sohye, Nayoung, Doyeon, Jieqiong, Mina, Chaeyeon for IOI). Wanna One actor line quite promising too with Hwang Minhyun (Alchemy of Souls, Study Group) and Park Jihoon (Weak Hero Class), and I think it’s just about time until Ong Seongwu rose to the succesful actor too. In IZ*ONE, half of them moved to new agency. I used to expect Eunbi and Chaewon will debut together, but Eunbi stays as soloist in Woolim, meanwhile Chaewon moved to Source Music (IZ*ONE was really really succesful back then, so the penalty fee paid must be quite huge …. and in addition to Sakura, they also tried to recruit Minju too … BTS really makes a lot of money).
Now that’s left is ZB1 … my bet now is Ricky, Zhang Hao, Gyuvin, Yujin will debut as Yuehua boygroup. Yuehua might not big in Korea, but their resources in China is really huge, so it wouldn’t be a bad choice. I doubt Yuehua would let go of them either. The rest of members probably will receive numerous love calls. I bet Sung Hanbin would receive pretty expensive offers … that man has the potential to be the new IT Boy … and they need to send Kim Jiwoong back to acting industry, the mainstream acting industry needs his face?????
Okay that’s long TMI. Maybe I should end the lockdown, maybe …. (I don’t really want to, it’s not like there’s any increase in people who commented if I did asdjfghjkl)
Thank you eggiess and DragoM for the lighsticks!
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