Chapter 3
Before I realized it, I had arrived in front of the CEO’s office.
I lightly clenched my fist and knocked on the door.
Knock knock.
“I’m here.”
“Come in.”
A stern voice rang out from inside the office.
I carefully opened the door and stepped in.
The CEO raised the corners of his lips ever so slightly and stared straight at me.
His eyes seemed to say exactly one thing:
How should I break this bastard?
“Hello.”
“Hello? Do I look like someone who can greet you with ‘hello’ right now?”
The CEO shot back, frowning deeply.
If it had been before, I would’ve immediately bowed my head and apologized submissively. But since I’d already caused a stir, I had no intention of doing that anymore.
I didn’t want to bow my head to people who’d made me live in misery.
Without saying a word, I sat in the seat across from him. The CEO let out a scoff and shook his head.
“You’re seriously insane, huh?”
Maybe it’s because I already think I’ve lost my mind—his expression isn’t even fazing me anymore.
“Yeah. You must’ve lost your mind to pull that kind of stunt. Do you even realize what you’ve done? What were you thinking?”
“If I apologize, doesn’t that make me the one who’s entirely at fault? Then what were you thinking when you told me to do that apology broadcast?”
“What did you say?”
The faint smile on the CEO’s face vanished completely.
“You really wanna get kicked out?!”
I stayed silent.
To be honest, I didn’t want to stay in this agency for another day.
Looking back, I couldn’t understand why I tried so hard to cling onto this place back then.
The fear that I wouldn’t be able to continue as an idol if I left here…
That was probably the reason. But if I’d known what the future held, I would’ve given up on the dream of being an idol altogether.
“So you’re done being an idol now? Then what? Got any skills? What can you even do at your age? If you leave now, you’re just gonna be a useless freeloader living off your parents. The only reason I’ve kept you around this long is because I felt sorry for you.”
This was his specialty.
He always made it a point to trample on the trainees’ pride.
The manager used verbal abuse and coercion, while the CEO manipulated us with lines like, “You’ll have nothing if you leave this place.”
This was LM—the very model of textbook gaslighting.
“Then leave. You should be thankful I’m letting you go empty-handed. I’ll terminate your contract. Pack your stuff and get out of the dorm. Don’t expect a single cent from this month’s settlement. You’ve caused such a huge mess—we’ve got so much to clean up because of you. I should be charging you a penalty fee, but I’m letting it go. Got it?”
“Yes.”
The CEO’s forehead creased, probably surprised that I wasn’t begging or trembling in fear.
He was trying to threaten me with the penalty clause.
But I knew better.
I wasn’t the one who asked to terminate the contract—they were the ones telling me to leave. And LM never even upheld the contract terms during our time together. Even if they filed a lawsuit for breach of contract, it would be meaningless.
If former first-gen member Choi Junseong hadn’t exposed everything during the second-gen activities, I might still be in the dark too.
“You’re really leaving?”
“Yes.”
The CEO stood up.
I wondered for a second if he was about to get violent, but instead, he pulled out a sheet of paper from the drawer.
It looked like a contract.
“Sign here.”
He wasn’t going to give me much time, so I quickly skimmed the contents.
It was simple.
No public mention of the company.
The termination is due to the ‘employee’s fault,’ so no settlement money would be given.
A contract packed with clauses that only protected them.
Whatever. I don’t want to be tied to this place anymore. Let’s just sign and end it.
“Not gonna sign?”
The CEO said mockingly.
It felt like he was still trying to offer me a chance—urging me to beg for forgiveness.
“Can I borrow a pen? I rushed over right after the livestream and didn’t bring one.”
He pulled a fountain pen out of his jacket pocket and slammed it on the desk.
“Thanks.”
I picked it up and carefully signed my name on the signature line.
“There. All done.”
“Fine. You’re not part of the company anymore, so pack up and leave. If you end up jobless, you can always give me a call. Maybe I’ll take pity on you and hire you as a road manager or something.”
Absolutely vile to the very end.
“That won’t be necessary.”
I left the CEO’s office and caught a taxi back to the dorm.
It was a small apartment once shared by four people. One by one, the others had left, and now I was the only one using it.
Let’s just pack and go.
There wasn’t much to take.
All the daily necessities had been bought with company money, so all I really needed to pack were my clothes.
I shoved them into a suitcase and a large bag.
I hadn’t bought much anyway, so a backpack and a large suitcase were enough.
“Haah… I’m really leaving this place.”
One year with the first generation. Five more years with the second.
Six years in this dorm, all in all. It felt surreal.
No. Don’t get sentimental. Let’s just go home.
When I got to my house, I don’t know why, but tears started to fall.
Not wanting to show my family that side of me, I wiped my eyes with my sleeve before punching in the door code and stepping inside.
My family, all gathered in the living room, rushed to the entrance.
They had been waiting for me.
“Yoonsul!”
“Mom…”
My mom pulled me into a tight hug.
Even my usually teasing older sister was crying when she saw me.
No matter what, family is still family.
“Why didn’t you pick up your phone? Do you know how worried we were?”
“Sorry…”
My mom patted my back, and I felt the tears welling up again.
My throat tightened.
“Come inside first. We’ll talk in the living room.”
I nodded and brought my bags into the living room.
“Hey! Do you know how worried we were?! You could’ve at least answered the phone!”
My sister hit my back with her palm as she scolded me.
Normally, I’d argue and say, “Why’d you hit me?” But not today.
Because I could clearly feel how much she was worried about me.
“I didn’t see the calls. My mind was kind of… out of it.”
I hadn’t checked my phone once while taking the bus and then the taxi. That’s probably why my family was panicking.
“Enough. Just sit down.”
I sat on the sofa, with Mom and my sister on either side.
“Even Dad took half a day off because of you. So… what happened? You really left the company?”
I simply nodded in response.
“Good. What’s the point of staying in a place like that? Take some time off. Figure out what you really want to do. You’re still only twenty. You’ve got time.”
Her tone was blunt, but I could tell she was sincerely worried about me.
“She’s right. Just rest for now. Think it over slowly. You’re still young.”
“Okay…”
I’d never considered any dream other than becoming an idol, so I was scared about what I could do now.
I hate myself for still clinging to this idol dream after everything.
When I saw other idols being loved and admired, I always felt a pang of envy.
That’s why I worked so hard.
Because I wanted to be loved too.
But even now, I couldn’t bring myself to tell my family that I still wanted to be an idol.
“Did you eat?”
“No, not yet.”
“Then let’s start with a meal.”
After eating the meal Mom prepared and unpacking a bit, I laid down on the bed.
“Haah…”
A deep sigh escaped my lips.
Saying everything I wanted to during the livestream had lifted a huge weight off my chest, but still…
Will there be any agency willing to take me in?
Leaving LM was the right call.
If I’d stayed, I’d just be repeating a hopeless future.
But the problem is, my life as an idol is pretty much over now.
That’s why the CEO said what he did.
Twenty years old.
Just a newly minted adult.
It’s not too late to change paths in life.
But that logic doesn’t apply in the idol world.
The youngest idols debuting these days are just sixteen.
There are even teams where all the members are still minors.
That’s the reality of the idol industry—its shelf life is short.
Twenty… Such an awkward age.
It’ll be hard to even audition for another agency now.
It’s not like I have a clean image. There’s no reason for anyone to take a risk on me.
Even if they did, it would probably be some tiny company just using me to stir up a little noise…
