While Kim Chunyong and Do Jae Chan were cautiously probing each other, weaving their different dreams to achieve their respective goals, another conversation was happening in a sedan heading toward Incheon.
“Go to Terminal 1, meet with the two people, then check where the hotel reservation is. Once that’s confirmed, book a ticket to Qingdao for the day after Targeting Star’s live broadcast ends.”
“Yes, yes. But… Director Shin.”
As Shin Ki Ho’s rapid-fire orders came out, the secretary, nodding along quietly, hesitated before speaking cautiously.
“Um, if you don’t mind… May I ask something?”
When Shin Ki Ho nodded, granting permission to ask, the secretary’s eyes flickered nervously and spoke softly.
“Why are you, um, getting rid of Logan?”
“…….”
At the secretary’s question, Shin Ki Ho’s hand, which had been flipping through documents, came to a halt.
‘Did I ask something I shouldn’t have?’
Despite the secretary’s nervousness, the secretary thought of how to phrase the next question. The secretary couldn’t help it—this was something that had always piqued Secretary Choi’s curiosity while assisting Shin Ki Ho.
Most of Shin Ki Ho’s close aides in the company believed the reason for Logan’s departure was that he “didn’t align with the vision Director Shin was pursuing.”
But if you looked closely, that explanation was full of contradictions.
What kind of vision didn’t align?
Logan’s position didn’t overlap with Liu Wei, whom Director Shin was heavily backing.
Moreover, if a trainee as talented in producing as Logan debuted, it would benefit the company as well.
“I’m sure you have your reasons, but… he’s a talented trainee. Now that his departure is imminent, well, I’m just curious. If it’s something I don’t need to know, I apologize.”
The secretary nervously switched lanes with clammy hands, glancing in the side mirror to check Director Shin’s face in the back seat.
Surprisingly, Shin Ki Ho didn’t look angry.
He tapped the documents with his fingertips and slowly opened his mouth.
“You’re right. Logan Lee is talented. A trainee like him would certainly help the group if he debuted.”
“Yes, so why…?”
“You can think of it as being because of the people we’re going to meet now.”
Shin Ki Ho deflected the follow-up question by rolling down the window, frowning slightly.
It was exactly as he said.
The reason Logan had to leave wasn’t Logan himself but his parents.
To be precise, it was his family background.
“Director Shin, I’ve compiled the profiles of the individual trainees.”
It all started with the background checks he had quietly conducted on the individual trainees, just in case.
And as Shin Ki Ho read each line under the name “Logan Lee,” his face hardened with every word.
The Chinese investors brought in by Targeting Star had chosen to invest because they wanted an idol group where they could exert their influence.
“What? An investor’s son? …With connections to Wall Street?”
But now, in this program, there was a trainee who could wield immense influence in the Anglo-American sphere.
Because Music Days had been in charge of the individual trainee recruitment, Shin Ki Ho only realized the situation after the filming of the original song stage and when he finally received the profiles.
It was obvious what kind of backlash would come if the Chinese investors found out about this.
The only silver lining was that Logan’s participation wasn’t prompted by his parents.
“My goodness, Logan is in Korea right now?”
“I was just calling to confirm… but you weren’t aware of this?”
“No, he’s supposed to be at a boarding school, preparing for university entrance exams!”
It was a frantic international call to the U.S. that saved Shin Ki Ho.
Logan’s parents, who had only heard from Logan’s grandmother that he was “studying hard in the school dorm,” were utterly shocked by Shin Ki Ho’s call.
Their son, who was supposed to be quietly taking his A-level exams and aiming for Oxford, was in Korea?
And not just that, he was aspiring to be a K-pop idol?
Out of nowhere, from our prestigious financial family?
“…We’ll be in touch again.”
Since these people had never considered such a situation, it was only natural that they would want to fix it immediately.
‘There were some minor bumps, but at this rate, we’ll be able to make Logan exit without any further external issues.’
Everything was falling back into place.
The only thing still bothering Shin Ki Ho was…
“They say Liu Wei’s attitude during filming hasn’t been great.”
“Liu Wei?”
“Yes. Apparently, he was on his phone during the entire mission shoot….”
“What was he watching?”
“Apparently, it was a video of another trainee from Targeting Star.”
Liu Wei, who was supposed to be the avatar for the Chinese investors, had been distracted.
Despite being in a position where he should be more desperate than anyone to survive, Liu Wei seemed fixated on some odd trainee, displaying strange behavior.
The trainee in question appeared to be Kim Chunyong, based on what had been mentioned before, but Shin Ki Ho couldn’t comprehend the reasoning behind it.
There was no reason for competition, so why?
“…Tsk.”
As Shin Ki Ho watched the lights of Incheon Airport drawing closer, he lowered the car window even further and clicked his gun-shaped lighter.
“I’ll deal with it after Logan’s exit. What a reckless brat.”
And as he lit the end of his cigarette, Shin Ki Ho had no idea.
That the time he was waiting for, “after Logan’s exit,” would never come.
YOU ARE READING
TMMIB!
Aléatoire**Story not mine** Title: The Malicious Member is Back! Nicknamed the worst malicious member in idol history, called 'Trash-Rex.' Stage name Rex, real name Kim Chunyong. As he was urgently arrested, with only the entertainment world waiting for him...
