Chapter 46: Golden Road and Park Eun-Bin (2)
Park Han-Cheol urgently sought assistance, but Han Myung-Ho expressed reluctance.
"Why are you being so difficult today? Didn’t you say your team is done with their stage performance?"
"Yes, but Mr. Lee specifically instructed us to wait here."
"Is that so? Then let me just borrow Yoon-Ho for a while."
Han Myung-Ho frowned. "Mr. Park, you do realize he's with the Actor Division 2, right?"
"Come on, you know I rarely seek this kind of favor. We’ll take good care of him and return him promptly.”
‘What does he mean he will take good care of me and return me? Am I an object or what?’
Nevertheless, even though Park Han-Cheol was in the Suhyaejong line, I couldn’t just stand by in such an emergency, especially when Golden Road’s Jang Eun-Yung and Petite More’s Park Eun-Bin might clash.
However, there was another reason I wanted to go to Singer Division 1—there was someone I wanted to meet there.
"I’ll be back soon, Mr. Han."
I grabbed my coat and quickly followed Park Han-Cheol.
***
Golden Road, the renowned five-member girl group from Singer Division 1, was a top-tier group which was often considered a formidable rival to Petite More. The members—Leader Jang Eun-Yung, Park Soo-Jin, Choi Myung-Eun, Jung Yi-Soo, and the youngest Yoon Ji-Hee—were all close in age. The eldest Jung Eun-Yung was 24 and the youngest Yoon Ji-Hee was 19.
Thanks to Park Han-Cheol handpicking only the most talented members, four other trainee teams within the company were disbanded. For this reason, the members didn’t have a strong bond due to the rush in forming the group. Not only were they thrust onto the stage without adequate time to get to know each other, but they also had to attend multiple events immediately upon gaining popularity.
Even now, the members sat separately in the waiting room without giving each other a single glance and stared at their own phones.
"What are you all doing? Get ready for the stage!"
Jang Eun-Yung raised her head at Park Han-Cheol’s command. Because she had been a trainee at various companies ever since she was 12, she was unfazed by most situations. Needless to say, her attitude was utterly notorious.
"Ugh, shut up! We'll move when the staff arrive. I'm already stressed out because of the car accident just now! Seriously!"
Her attitude toward Park Han-Cheol, who was likely around the same age as her father, was incredibly rude. However, Park Han-Cheol simply sighed and didn’t react much to her rudeness, almost as if he considered it a normal occurrence.
"Do you really have to talk like that all the time? Hey, Eun-Yung. Do you really think staff would come in this situation? We missed the rehearsal and we're running late. Get up already. You're going on stage without rehearsal."
"Jeez! I should've just switched agencies when ACE Entertainment offered me the opportunity for a solo debut!"
"You’re talking about Ace Entertainment again? I’m telling you, things would still be the same even if you had gone over to Ace Entertainment instead."
"Oh, whatever!"
As Eun-Yung stood up in a huff, the other members followed suit.
"Hold on, girls. Let's check your outfits before we leave."
Amidst the chaos, one person stood up to adjust Golden Road's outfits—Eun Ji-Yoo, the person whom I wanted to meet. She assumed the role of an elder sister, taking care of these unruly girls. I remembered sharing a bitter drink with her after Miso’s passing in my past life. Despite her busy life, taking care of Golden Road, she was one of the sunbaes who comforted me during those tough times when life was unbearable.
She left the Entertainment Industry for good when she got married, but I was always grateful for her consolation and reassurance that Miso’s death wasn’t my fault.
'Ji-Yoo noona. It’s really good to see you again.'
Seeing Eun Ji-Yoo right in front of me made my heart swell with emotions. However, the Eun Ji-Yoo in front of me now was only a deputy in her third year whom I wasn’t close to yet.
Eun Ji-Yoo finished checking Golden Road's outfits and asked in an apologetic tone. "Mr. Yoon-Ho, I know you must be busy, but thank you for coming. Could you please carry these shoes and follow us?"
"Sure, noona... Oh, I mean Ms. Eun."
Eun Ji-Yoo looked surprised for a moment at my slip but soon burst into laughter.
"Haha, calling me noona, huh? That's kind of nice."
"Sorry, I meant to say Ms. Eun. I apologize."
I had unintentionally addressed her like I used to in my past life but quickly corrected myself and picked up the five pairs of shoes for Golden Road. After all, taking care of the urgent matter at hand was the priority.
“Ms. Eun, I need to head out because I’m meeting up with one of the staff, so ensure everything is good and help the girls get on stage. Okay?”
“Yes, Mr. Park.”
‘What a joke. Everyone knows that he’s just going out to have a smoke.’
The reason I came to help Singer Division 1, despite knowing Park Han-Cheol was only looking for someone to dump his tasks to, was because I knew Eun Ji-Yoo wouldn’t be able to handle everything alone.
"Let's go, everyone."
Eun Ji-Yoo led the way with the Golden Road members following closely behind. It was still chaos outside the waiting room, with staff running around in a rush.
The current time was 6:35 PM. No matter how many times I looked at the planner, the event on the planner remained. In just five minutes, Jang Eun-Yung of Golden Road and Park Eun-Bin of Petite More would inadvertently clash on their way backstage, simply because their shoulders brushed against each other as they stepped towards the stage.
But I could prevent the clash by simply making sure they don’t run into each other. I was determined to get Golden Road to take a different path to the backstage.
"Ms. Eun, there's a faster way over there."
When I stopped Eun Ji-Yoo, she tilted her head in wonder. “Oh, is that so?”
“Yes. If we turn right there, we can arrive sooner and...”
However, before I could finish my sentence, Jang Eun-Yung urgently interrupted. “Ji-Yoo unnie, give me a moment. I need to use the washroom real quick.”
She rushed off to the washroom, presumably because of her sensitive stomach. As she dashed into the washroom before we could respond, we ended up waiting for her in front of the washroom.
"Seriously, she's always like this. She always has stomach issues."
Park Soo-Jin complained and looked at Eun Ji-Yoo.
"Unnie, can't we just go ahead without her?"
"Well, that's... what if Eun-Yung gets lost on the way?"
Eun Ji-Yoo’s concern was reasonable. Given the layout of the temporary stage was more complicated than that of KBC’s broadcasting station, getting lost was a real possibility.
"Then what? How long do we wait?"
As the youngest Yoon Ji-Hee joined the rest in complaining, Eun Ji-Yoo looked evidently perplexed.
"Ms. Eun, go ahead with the rest of the girls. I’ll bring Miss Jang Eun-Yung as soon as she’s out."
"Really? Are you sure?"
“Yes. Don’t worry, I’m familiar with this place.”
I was familiar with the area after taking Cherry Blossom to their stage earlier. After nodding and saying she trusted me, Eun Ji-Yoo led the other four members of Golden Road on the path I suggested.
Then, I checked the planner again while waiting for Eun-Yung outside the restroom.
[Everyday V10]
[Date: January 12, 2020]
-06:40 PM (Report) Clash between Golden Road and Petite More during KBC Live Music Stage.
“The event is still here.”
I planned to lead Jang Eun-Yung via a different path to avoid meeting Park Eun-Bin once she got out of the washroom. After all, ensuring they do not run into each other was the best outcome.
“Jang Eun-Yung, you better thank me for this.”
Some time had passed but Eun-young still hadn’t come out of the washroom.
“What’s taking her so long?”
The current time was 6:39 PM, just one minute before the event was supposed to occur. I thought the clash could be avoided if she stayed inside the washroom like this. However, I turned on a recording app just in case.
Tick Tock Tick Tock.
Time continued to pass but there was no sign of Jang Eun-Yung or Park Eun-Bin anywhere.
"What’s going on?"
[Current Time: 6:40 PM]
It was now 6:40 PM but the planner's event remained unchanged.
"Could it be that the event won't happen?"
At that moment, a commotion erupted from the women's washroom with Jang Eun-Yung's sharp voice clashing against that of another woman.
"Ahhhh! What are you doing!?"
"What? What did you just say to your sunbae?"
‘The location changed.’
Instead of backstage, the conflict had shifted to the washroom.
"Hey! Are you crazy? How dare you talk like that to your sunbae!"
"Sunbae? You're younger than me! Let go! Ahhh!"
"Let go first, you bitch!"
I could hear the fight resonating through the area.
"Seriously. A premonition never fails... Or should I say, the planner's event will always happen?"
The only difference was the location of the clash, which was now in the washroom instead of the backstage. It seemed like the two were having a physical fight. However, I was stuck outside as I couldn’t enter the women’s washroom.
"What are you doing here, Yoon-Ho?"
Amidst the commotion, Cherry Blossom's talent agent, Lee Ju-Yung, appeared.
"Ms. Lee, you came at the perfect time! Jang Eun-Yung and Park Eun-Bin are fighting inside. Could you please break it up? Hurry!"
“Oh, okay!”
Lee Ju-Yung rushed into the restroom. Soon, I could hear her trying to stop Jang Eun-Yung and Park Eun-Bin.
"Both of you, stop it! There are people outside, you know?"
"She won’t let go of me!"
"Get your hands off me! I'll sue you if you scratch my face!"
As their rivalry had intensified recently, this explosion of tensions between Golden Road and Petite More seemed inevitable.
"I said let go!"
"You let go first!"
Lee Ju-Yung managed to pull them out of the washroom but they were still grabbing each other's hair tightly.
Then, Sung Ji-Hyuk, the team lead who managed Petite More under Ma Dong-Pal, rushed over. He walked past me and grabbed Lee Ju-Yung's wrist.
"Hey! What are you doing? Let go of Eun-Bin!"
"Uh, there seems to be a misunderstanding here. I'm trying to separate them, not attack her!"
However, Sung Ji-Hyuk seemed to be more focused on pushing Jang Eun-Yung away rather than stopping the fight.
‘He’s trying to protect his singer amidst this chaos, huh?’
I quickly stepped out and grabbed his wrist.
"W-what are you doing? L-let go!"
"This isn't right. Keep your hands off our agency’s singer and go worry about stopping Miss Park Eun-Bin instead."
Although I did not approve of Eun-Yung's behavior, I simply couldn’t let her be assaulted.
At that moment, Park Eun-Bin and my eyes met.
"What? It’s you again?"
‘Surprise, surprise. She’s speaking informally again.’
"Miss Park Eun-Bin, watch your language. I'm not your friend. And Miss Jang Eun-Yung, let go of her hair."
"Not until she lets go!"
But I had to remain calm because everything was being recorded.
"Please, we can talk this out. Although this is a temporary stage, we're still in a broadcasting station. The PD will be furious if he finds out about this."
I tried to de-escalate the situation using a calm and diplomatic tone. Although Jang Eun-Yung was being a brat, I had to prove that at least the talent agent of Hoop Entertainment tried to resolve the issue.
Suddenly, Lee Ju-Yung mimicked my approach, as if she had caught on to my intention.
"Yes, let's talk this out. So please, let go of each other, you two. Jang Eun-Yung, please listen to me!"
"But this is unfair! Park Eun-Bin grabbed my hair first! I was just washing my hands at the sink but she cursed at me and told me to piss off!"
Eun-Yung stomped her foot in frustration but my focus was on demonstrating that our agency was trying to resolve the conflict.
"Miss Jang Eun-Yung, I understand you're upset. But still, please let go of her so we can talk this out."
I made sure my voice was loud and clear for the recording.
On the other hand, Sung Ji-Hyuk failed to share the same intentions as me and proceeded to hurl insults at Jang Eun-Yung.
"Fuck, this uneducated brat. How dare you grab your sunbae's hair? Jang Eun-Yung. Are you a thug or something?"
‘Did he just curse at our singer?’
His words were harsh but I kept my composure and responded calmly.
"Please don't insult our singer. And Miss Jang Eun-Yung, let go of Miss Park Eun-Bin first. Please!"
Jang Eun-Yung grumbled but finally let go of Park Eun-Bin’s hair first. Only then did Park Eun-Bin also lower her hands.
Park Eun-Bin glared fiercely at Jang Eun-Yung. "Fuck you, bitch. I won't let you off!"
‘Yikes. The situation is tense.’
After listening to their recount of what happened, it turned out that Park Eun-Bin was the one who initiated the physical altercation. Apparently, there was only one functioning sink in the washroom and Jang Eun-Yung happened to be using it when Park Eun-Bin came out of the cubicle and tried to force her way in with insults and aggression. Jang Eun-Yung explained that when she refused to move away, Park Eun-Bin grabbed her hair.
"Of course you should move when your sunbae needs to use it. How dare you talk back to me?" Park Eun-Bin insisted, still acting as if she did nothing wrong.
‘How can she be so brazen?’
With the recording complete, my job was to hand over the evidence to the staff.
"Enough of this. Let's move on. Miss Eun-Yung, everyone's waiting. We need to go."
Jang Eun-Yung shot me a venomous look. "Aren't you supposed to be on my side?"
‘No? Why should I?’
Her expectation was misplaced, particularly considering how she had treated me in my past life. If anything, I was being generous considering everything that she had done to me in my past life. After all, many talent agents had suffered because of Golden Road's rude attitude.
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind.
"Unbelievable. What a day this has turned out to be."
New novel 𝓬hapters are published on (f)reeweb(n)ovel.com