Chapter 28
He looked around at the trainees one by one as if to memorize their faces.
The guy who was kicked out of the agency said to everyone, “Don’t put your everything into this industry. Don’t get too comfortable here.”
He started to cry before adding, “Before it is too late, you all need to get out.”
And with that, he limped out of the room. The other trainees remained speechless. There was no more practice that night.
***
The next day, Kiwook and Hyojun were called to the CEO’s room.
“Kiwook and Hyojun. The boss wants to see you.”
The manager, who was the CEO’s right man and had a horrendous reputation, had said this to them. It was rumored that this manager took care of all the dirty business for the CEO. The others secretly nicknamed him the ‘Rodent.’
Unfortunately, because the Rodent was favored by the CEO, the trainees had no choice but to tolerate his actions. He was known for his violent manner and abusive jokes.
And when the Rodent used his kind voice, like right now, it was a very bad sign. After Kiwook and Hyojun left, the other trainees gossiped amongst themselves.
“I guess the Lady chose those two to be her next boyfriends.”
“Which means that those two will be debuting soon as a male duo. Dammit… They are the newest trainees here, yet they get to make it before us…”
One of the male trainees angrily threw his towel onto the floor and sat down. He looked devastated.
30 minutes later, Hyojun and Kiwook came back with expectant faces. When the other trainees stared at them, the two hesitated before bowing deeply.
“As of today, we are no longer this agency’s trainees. We have quit. It was nice knowing you all.”
Leaving the shocked trainees behind, Hyojun and Kiwook left without looking back. 10 minutes later, the Rodent came in red-faced and angry. He started throwing things against the wall, including the water cooler, cups, and a mirror. He glared at the trainees, screamed at them, then left the room.
After that day, the Rodent was never seen again in the agency.
The trainee’s guesses were correct. It was true that Kiwook and Hyojun were called to the CEO’s room because the Lady had fallen in love with them. She saw the two recently and she strongly recommended to the CEO that they should debut. The CEO couldn’t refuse her as usual, so he called Hyojun and Kiwook to the office.
In the room, the CEO and the Lady asked the boys if they wanted to request anything with the offer of a future debut. The first thing Hyojun asked for was the CEO to fire the Rodent. He told them in detail what kind of man the Rodent was and what he had been doing to the trainees.
It was a shock to the Lady to find out that such horrible things were going on in the agency. She may have abused her power to attract the male trainees, but she was not a violent, heartless woman. In fact, she genuinely wanted to make the agency a huge success, so hearing about the Rodent made her angry. It was especially infuriating for her because Hyojun explained how Rodent’s behavior made many talented trainees leave the agency.
The Lady started to scream at the CEO for his stupidity. The CEO called for the Rodent and confirmed the stories with him. When the Rodent couldn’t deny the facts, the CEO fired him on the spot.
The Lady was so angry that she left the room without asking for Kiwook and Hyojun. When she was gone, Kiwook handed the CEO their contract termination papers. On them, they listed all the things the agency did against their original contract. The papers also included the list of costs Kiwook and Hyojun incurred as the trainees including the lesson fees and the practice room rentals.
Kiwook stated, “Based on our calculations, we each owe you 2,500 dollars. Would it be ok if we transfer you the money by the end of next month? We think it makes sense since our deposits are paid at the end of the month.”
Kiwook and Hyojun were very organized and logical about their explanation. The details on the termination papers they wrote were flawless. The CEO shook his head and ordered his assistant to bring him the boys’ contracts.
He shredded them into pieces and replied, “There is no need for you to pay me back anything. Your contracts are no longer valid. Let’s make sure we never meet each other again.”
When the CEO finished his sentence, Hyojun took out his cell phone and showed it to him.
“We recorded this entire conversation. Recordings like this can’t be used in legal court, but we can still use it as evidence.”
The CEO stared at them in shock. Hyojun and Kiwook left the room quietly and outside, they high-fived each other.
***
After leaving their first agency, Hyojun and Kiwook took their time to get ready for their debut. They met Hyunsuk, who also worked as one of the trainees in the first agency, and they met Jiwoo through Hyunsuk. Three years after the four became friends, they finally started to audition as a group. For every audition, they made sure to wear their masks.
It wasn’t hard for them to find a new agency for themselves. This time, however, they made sure to be meticulous and picky before signing their contracts. All of them had gone through unpleasant experiences as trainees, so they had learned their lessons early.
When their current agency CEO saw them in masks, he thought it was ridiculous, but after watching them perform, he had no choice but to hire them. The group’s vocals and dances were already amazing by the time they auditioned. In fact, the CEO wanted to debut them immediately, but The M insisted on waiting another year. They wanted more professional training, and also they wanted to debut after they were legally adults.
The CEO had no reason to refuse their request when all they were asking was to get better before entering this competitive field.
The members improved greatly and quickly; all the teachers had nothing but good words about them.
The only mistake the CEO made was choosing the wrong stylist. He should’ve been more objective when hiring someone, but he, like many men, was easily persuaded by the woman he was dating.
Of course at the time, there was no way of knowing that a small decision was going to create such a big problem later on.