Chapter 13 — Enemies Meet on a Narrow Bridge
Well, a dog wouldn’t hurt a person.
A person would.
The bruise on her forearm meant she had tried to block Nam Wonsu’s beating.
My plan to prevent both the puppy’s death and the dating violence was simple.
There was no way I could arrogantly ignore the information those messages had given me.
And even if there had been no message, no normal person would simply stand by and watch something like this happen.
So I had to make Nam Wonsu stop this horrible behavior.
The problem was that he wasn’t someone you could reason with.
There had been a time when I got into a physical argument with him over his habit of hitting trainees.
Back then, he had said,
“Born delinquents only become proper people after getting beaten.”
I had briefly considered whether I should help him become a proper person too.
But personally, I believed people were still people even without being beaten.
After that incident, I had simply given up on talking to Nam Wonsu.
Reasoning with him was impossible.
If I reported him to Ji Cheonwoo, Nam Wonsu would probably get fired, and Yeo Eunju would no longer have any reason to stay involved with him.
That would end the forced relationship.
But that still wouldn’t make Shongshong and Yeo Eunju completely safe.
There was a very high chance it would simply turn into a classic stalking case.
The best option was to have him thrown in prison and isolated from society.
They said enemies always meet on a narrow bridge.
Good.
I’d gladly push him off it.
But how?
While I was thinking about possible methods, the radio broadcast ended.
Yeo Eunju and Serin came out of the recording studio together.
Yeo Eunju, who had looked pale earlier, now seemed to have gotten her color back.
She could even control her complexion at will.
As expected of a natural-born actress.
“Good work today.”
“Yes, Manager. Serin sings unbelievably well. The response from the audience was no joke.”
From what I could tell, the producers seemed extremely satisfied too.
I had heard that the ratings for the broadcast two days ago had been very high.
Since they had promoted this appearance yesterday, today’s numbers would probably be even higher.
Thanks to Serin, I was feeling even more confident.
But broadcast success was one thing.
Whether I chose to go through legal channels against Nam Wonsu or wage a media war against Pantheon as a whole, the first thing I needed to do was convince Yeo Eunju.
If the whole world found out that she had dated someone like Nam Wonsu, the social fallout would be enormous.
From what I had heard, the two of them were also dating in secret.
Neither Nam Wonsu nor Yeo Eunju wanted the relationship to become public.
I couldn’t keep letting her get beaten, so the sooner I acted, the better.
“By the way, Yeo Eunju. Are you heading home now?”
“Yes? I suppose so. I don’t have any schedules besides the radio right now.”
“If you’re not busy, could you spare me a little time? There’s something important I need to tell you.”
Yeo Eunju tilted her head slightly, then led me back to the waiting room.
“What did you want to talk about?”
Yeo Eunju asked after several seconds of silence.
I couldn’t fail to persuade her here.
If I wanted to destroy Nam Wonsu through legal means, I first had to shatter whatever illusion she still had about him and help her stand on her own.
“I’m planning to report Nam Wonsu from Pantheon.”
“What?”
Yeo Eunju looked startled at the sudden mention of his name.
“Before I do that, I thought I should at least inform his girlfriend first.”
Yeo Eunju’s pupils trembled.
I could mention their relationship.
But if I immediately brought up the physical abuse, she would probably become extremely defensive.
“How did you…?”
“You know I used to work at Pantheon, right? I spent eight years at the same company. You really think I wouldn’t know something like that? I actually know much more than you think. Would you like to hear it?”
I didn’t give her time to answer.
“You first met Nam Wonsu when you were struggling because you had no schedules, right?”
“Yes? Ah… yes. That’s right. He helped me a lot.”
It seemed she still felt deeply grateful to Nam Wonsu for helping her when she was at her lowest.
But I had to tell her the truth.
“Other than getting you recurring broadcast appearances, he hasn’t really done much for you, has he? Your schedules haven’t increased that much either.”
“No. But my popularity has been dropping over time too.”
“And your relationship is a secret.”
Yeo Eunju’s expression changed.
“…He said that was for my sake. And I don’t really want people to know either.”
“If you told him you were fine with going public, do you think Nam Wonsu would agree?”
“That’s…”
I continued listing the signs that any celebrity trapped in a forced relationship would have noticed.
At first, Yeo Eunju answered back as if everything was obvious.
But as my questions continued, she gradually lost more and more things to say.
“Every performance, broadcast, and advertisement Nam Wonsu brought you after you started dating him was an opportunity that should have gone to Pantheon’s idols.”
I continued.
“Just like company celebrities can’t freely take personal jobs on the side, Pantheon managers aren’t allowed to privately sell schedules either. Of course, you trusted Nam Wonsu, but in reality, you’ve been taking opportunities away from Pantheon’s artists and trainees this whole time.”
I explained how Nam Wonsu had probably gone around selling schedules and delivering them to her.
I also explained why entertainment agencies hated managers who worked like that.
Yeo Eunju’s expression completely collapsed.
She could no longer hide her shock.
“You’re saying I stole those opportunities? He told me they were completely separate from Pantheon’s schedules…”
“There’s no way they were separate. And to be precise, you weren’t the one who stole them. Nam Wonsu was. That’s exactly why I’m planning to report him.”
Yeo Eunju went completely silent.
She looked so devastated that, for a moment, she seemed to be thinking about making an extreme choice.
Not suicide.
Completely retiring from the entertainment industry.
Then Serin, who had been listening beside us, could no longer hold back.
“And no matter how good he is at finding schedules, you can’t stay with someone who hits you!”
Yeo Eunju flinched like a thief who had just been caught red-handed.
Nice, Serin.
I had been itching to say the same thing.
But hearing it from Serin was probably ten times better than hearing it from me.
Yeo Eunju took a moment to steady her breathing before continuing.
Now that it was clear we already knew everything, there was no point hiding it anymore.
“…But why are you getting involved, Do Junhyeok? You’re not even part of Pantheon anymore.”
“Because I’m a fan of yours.”
I looked straight at her.
“Yeo Eunju, you can become far more successful through your own strength. You don’t need to stay attached to a cancer like Nam Wonsu.”
“Hahaha…”
Yeo Eunju laughed bitterly.
“I can’t get back up by myself. Not without his help.”
“That’s absolutely not true. Before you got sick, you became the first idol ever chosen as a regular cast member for a musical.”
“You should know this better than anyone, Manager. There are plenty of people who are talented but still never become successful.”
I had no response to that.
Blue Moon was the perfect example.
Talented, but unable to become successful.
“Earlier, I asked whether you only had recurring schedules, right? Normally, you should have more than that.”
I continued.
“Nam Wonsu isn’t particularly capable as a manager, and he also has no reason to give you more schedules than that.”
“Why?”
“Because if he gave you too much work, you wouldn’t have time to keep meeting him.”
Yeo Eunju’s pupils shook again.
But she turned her head away and shook it.
“Still, saying he’s incompetent is going a little too far. He discovered and raised Victory while working at Pantheon, which is a major agency.”
He discovered and raised Victory?
My blood almost boiled backward.
Victory had never been intended as a long-term project in the first place.
The company had planned to build the group around the handsome trainee Wonwoo, then mix in several less-skilled trainees just to fill out the numbers.
They would release one album, then leave the group sitting around without spending another cent on them.
Apparently, someone had been willing to pay money in exchange for a debut spot.
And the person who handled all of that behind my back while I was still a rookie was Nam Wonsu.
Even though Cha Hoon, Yoonbin, and Jicheon had received high scores during Victory’s selection process, Nam Wonsu excluded them from the debut lineup.
Back then, I was full of passion.
The moment I discovered what had happened, I posted their evaluation sheets directly on the company bulletin board.
The trainees became furious when they learned that the debut members had already been decided beforehand.
As the situation grew bigger, President Ji Cheonwoo personally stepped in and completely overturned the Victory project.
Because of that incident, Victory temporarily became one of Ji Cheonwoo’s favored groups.
It was also the reason I was able to become Victory’s team manager in my very first year.
So that bastard Wonwoo should have repaid my kindness with gratitude, not drugs.
Victory had been a disaster right from the debut process.
Did anyone really think Nam Wonsu hadn’t caused problems throughout those eight years of promotion?
There had even been a time when he caused a black mark in the group’s history by throwing a fit and demanding that members who couldn’t act film some ridiculous home-video-style production.
I told Yeo Eunju everything.
“Nam Wonsu wasn’t even part of the planning process that created the current Victory. In fact, when he was in charge, it was supposed to be a one- or two-year project. I overturned that plan and pushed the group all the way to where it is now.”
“You’re saying he wasn’t the one who raised Victory…?”
“Yes. After I overturned the Victory project once, he wasn’t even allowed to participate in the evaluations anymore.”
Yeo Eunju shook her head as if completely confused.
If Nam Wonsu hadn’t been involved, she might have achieved even greater success.
She had endured his violence because she had been deceived into believing she needed him.
And now she was learning that not only had she unknowingly taken opportunities from other celebrities, but even the work she had received had been built on Nam Wonsu’s deception.
The shock must have been enormous.
If I compared it to real estate, Pantheon was a fraudulent listing.
And Yeo Eunju had rented a basement apartment where sewage regularly flowed back up through the pipes.
Serin quietly joined in.
“I respect you, sunbae.”
That was all she said.
Then she tightly closed her mouth.
Yeo Eunju, who had been staring blankly into space with a confused expression, turned toward Serin.
It was only a tiny smile, but for the first time since our conversation began, Yeo Eunju smiled.
“I didn’t get to watch Manager Do from Victory’s debut days, but I believe he played a huge role in Victory’s success.”
Serin continued.
“We spent years after debut performing underground without anyone knowing us, but Manager got us onto a national television broadcast in just one month. When he first saw us, he told us something.”
She smiled faintly.
“He said we could make it.”
“That’s right. You girls have talent and star quality. You’ll become successful somehow.”
“Yeo Eunju sunbae is the same, isn’t she? You’ve even reached the top once before.”
Serin looked directly at her.
“Nam Wonsu? You can become successful without someone as incompetent as him.”
Serin had touched an emotional area I couldn’t easily reach.
What could be more encouraging than support from a beautiful junior who genuinely admired you?
Yeo Eunju lowered her gaze.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve been involved with Pantheon artists quite a lot. Since Nam Wonsu works at Pantheon, I thought it was only natural…”
Her voice grew quieter.
“But the truth is, I’ve been deliberately ignoring it this whole time. Because I believed what he brought me was helping me a lot.”
She let out a slow breath.
“In the end, I’m an accomplice too.”
Yeo Eunju inhaled deeply, looking as if she had made a decision.
“Then… even so, I think I should at least talk to him first.”
“What? Ah…”
Apparently, nothing ever resolved itself in the easiest possible way.
Fine.
I had another idea.
“All right. You can do that.”
I looked at her seriously.
“I assume you’ve also prepared yourself to be beaten even worse by Nam Wonsu after that conversation?”
“…”
“If he’s willing to hit a person, do you really think he wouldn’t hit a dog?”
That conversation she wanted to have would probably be the one that happened on August 8th.
The moment I mentioned Shongshong, Yeo Eunju shook her head.
“He should still have some sense. He’s never touched Shongshong before.”
“Can you really be certain that just because he never did it before, he won’t do it this time?”
Of course she couldn’t.
Yeo Eunju knew too.
If she caught Nam Wonsu off guard by resisting him, the violence that came back at her might be worse than anything before.
She had probably never once resisted him until now.
After a long silence, she finally asked,
“…Then what do you think I should do?”
I had already been waiting ten minutes for Yeo Eunju’s manager in the broadcasting station parking lot.
For now, I had agreed to take Shongshong in order to at least prevent the future where the dog died.
She was entrusting her beloved puppy to someone she had only known for a short time.
Of course, Serin had strongly supported the decision because she had previously worked at a pet shop.
Still, this was meaningful.
It was Yeo Eunju’s first active step against Nam Wonsu’s violence.
At first, I had offered to go and pick Shongshong up myself.
But Yeo Eunju told me that Nam Wonsu waited for her almost every day inside Hannam-dong Premium Hill, so it would be dangerous for me to approach the apartment personally.
Instead, she would ask the “incompetent” manager Nam Wonsu had introduced to her to bring Shongshong down to the parking lot.
Then I could pick the dog up from there.
Soon, an old sedan entered the parking lot.
It was a 2003 SM3, the kind of car you rarely saw in Seoul anymore.
I stood in front of the pillar in the area we had agreed on.
The car smoothly pulled up in front of me and stopped.
“Shongshong?”
This felt like some kind of drug deal.
When the driver’s door opened slightly, I quietly said the name of the “item” being exchanged.
But the response that came back was completely unexpected.
“…Huh? Team Leader Do Junhyeok…? What are you doing here?”
