Episode 1

“This bastard is acting up again.”

I waved my hand roughly and closed the quest window.

The management system that suddenly appeared one day, promising to make me the best manager, seemed to want me to become a despicable person.

It gave me quests to frame junior managers as the cause of incidents and get rid of them, or to sow discord between agencies and their entertainers to poach the entertainers—actions that threw away conscience like it was nothing.

I couldn’t tell if these were the quests of a manager or an industrial spy…

I ignored most of those immoral quests.

To succeed at work and be recognized for my competence, it was enough to complete a few quests that didn’t compromise my morals.

Of course, it was clear that following all the quests would lead to more success and higher status.

But I didn’t want to become a person who sold their conscience.

I wanted to become a better person.

That’s right. I wanted to be a good person.

I didn’t want to be a saint who demonstrated a level of self-sacrifice worthy of a biography.

The kind of good person I wanted to be was more like a kind neighbor.

The kind of person everyone would gladly welcome.

The world isn’t something you live in alone.

As you live, you inevitably form connections with people.

In those relationships, I wanted to remain a good person rather than a selfish one.

So, I didn’t turn away from friends in difficult times.

I didn’t hesitate to roll up my sleeves and consider a friend’s crisis as my own.

I wasn’t afraid to share my time, money, and opportunities.

Living like that, I started to be regarded as a well-connected person in the management industry.

I received calls to have a drink every day.

People assured me that if there was anything they could help with, I should always let them know.

I was satisfied.

I was proud of my choices and dedication.

I considered the vast network of connections I had built to be my greatest asset, more than the money and position I had accumulated.

Then, one day, a controversy arose over an unfair contract between my company, Flower Entertainment, and its artists.

The artists, who had shared a meal with me, asked for my help.

In response, the system gave me a quest to side with the company and oust the trainees who rebelled.

But I ignored that demand and acted like a good person.

I united the artists’ rights and helped with the legal battle.

However, the legal battle, which was expected to be resolved quickly, dragged on.

As the settlement prolonged, the artists began to feel the threat to their livelihood.

While pondering what method to take for them, Ban Seongcheol, who had competed and clashed opinions with me for over ten years at Flower Entertainment, made a suggestion.

“Taeyang, I’ve clashed with you in various ways up until now, but this time, I agree with your thoughts.”

Ban Seongcheol spoke more seriously than ever.

“The current company has crossed the line. They are completely ignoring the duties of a person. Right now, you are the only one who can protect those kids.”

“…Are you screwing with me?”

“Not this time, bastard. Have you ever seen me mess with the kids’ livelihoods?”

That was true. Ban Seongcheol cared for the kids.

He was an idiot who got sued for sexual harassment because he smelled the tracksuits of trainees out of excessive love.

“And this is something only you can do! So, take the kids and become independent. If they can at least attend events, making money won’t be a problem. I’ll help with the cleanup and persuading the kids as much as I can.”

Having gathered internal information about Flower Entertainment, I accepted his proposal.

Because, as Ban Seongcheol said, there was no one else to be on those kids’ side but me.

I took the artists who had nowhere to go after rebelling against the company and started a new company.

Every acquaintance who knew the situation supported and encouraged me.

It felt like the world was cheering me on.

That’s how I stepped into the wild world of the entertainment industry.

Flower Entertainment’s dirty tricks were very blatant.

They prevented the artists I brought out from appearing on broadcasts and excluded them from event arrangements.

Still, I trusted my connections.

If I had the strength of those connections, who said to call whenever I needed help, overcoming this crisis wouldn’t be difficult.

That was the beginning of the downfall.

Even Mint, the singer I discovered and raised to success.

PD Kim Hansu, who had fallen into company politics but survived with my help.

Composer Oh Jinwoo, who could prevent plagiarism allegations with my help.

They all turned away from me.

There were various excuses.

They couldn’t get permission from their superiors.

It’s a busy time right now.

The other party held a grudge against them too.

But there was only one real reason.

I was no longer a helpful person.

“Do these guys know I have their weaknesses?”

I still had the materials I obtained as rewards for the quests.

I thought about just giving up and blowing it all up.

But I worried about the kids who would have to endure the aftermath with me.

I had people to protect.

Yeah, what did the kids do wrong…? I had to endure it.

To endure the harsh reality, I poured alcohol into my empty stomach.

“Oppa, why are you drinking alone at this time?”

“Oh, Seri? I shouldn’t be doing this at the company; I showed you a bad side. I’ll clean it up right away.”

Seri sighed lightly and spoke.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s not a big deal…”

I couldn’t hold it in and let out the anger that was stabbing my chest.

I ranted about the acquaintances who sang about repaying kindness all turned away.

I knew, as a CEO, I shouldn’t do that, but I complained because Seri had always treated me warmly.

She was like a sister who always trusted and followed me, so I felt at ease.

“Oppa, so what do you want me to say?”

So Seri’s next words were a reaction I didn’t expect at all.

“Do you want me to defend you and take your side? Or do you want me to curse them out with you, saying they are bad guys?”

“…Seri?”

“Aha, you want me to comfort you, saying you did nothing wrong?”

“No… Seri. I don’t want that… Sorry. You must be having a hard time, too, and I ended up complaining.”

Seri must have been enduring, too, and I showed her my weak side.

Let’s comfort the hardworking leader.

“I’ll work harder. Please forgive me.”

“Haa… you’re still saying that?”

Seri spoke while brushing her hair, as if frustrated.

“Oppa, do you think all people like you and want to be close to you? No. They all saw you as a pushover and just took advantage of you.”

I would have definitely rebutted this before.

But now, it was something I couldn’t deny.

But I still had something to say.

“That might be true, but still, Seri, you stayed with me even in my difficult moments.”

That’s right. Seri stayed with me even in my tough times.

That was the reason I could still muster strength.

“Stayed with you? Ha… I came to talk about that.”

Seri handed over a file.

“What’s this?”

“Can’t you read? It’s a contract, isn’t it?”

The document was a transfer contract to return to Flower Entertainment.

Since we rebelled, it would be hard to get good treatment. I wondered if it was a good choice.

“…How about the other members? Did they all agree?”

“They didn’t want to see your face, so I decided to represent them. It’s not just my decision; we discussed it enough among ourselves and reached this conclusion.”

…I see. Moa, Rancy, and Hawon all had the same opinion.

“Don’t make things complicated, and just let us go. If you’re really looking out for us, not being hypocritical.”

Seri left the CEO’s office after saying that.

I couldn’t say anything or stop her and just let her go.

I couldn’t even touch the poured drink and just sat there blankly.

Seri’s words asking me to be let go if I wasn’t being hypocritical echoed in my ears.

Since the kids had already left my hands, I thought about giving up everything and blowing it all up with Flower Entertainment.

But in the end, I pulled myself together.

“Yeah, if there’s a lifeboat, those who can survive should survive.”

Of course, surviving with a lifeboat is different from enduring the waves of the vast ocean.

So, if I really cared about the kids, there was one thing I had to do.

I called Seongcheol, who helped with the independence.

“Seongcheol, I’m sorry. You must be busy.”

“Yeah, Taeyang. What’s up?”

“You probably already know since the contract is out, but the kids decided to return… It’s going to be hard to adapt since they left on bad terms and are coming back.”

“…That’s right. The company will see them as traitors.”

“Yeah. So the company might hold a grudge and just spin them around at events or force them into low-level schedules.”

Flower Entertainment was definitely capable of that.

“Of course, it’s a money-making business, so it’s possible, but we can still keep our human decency.”

“…”

“You’re the only one I can trust to mediate well.”

“Pfft…”

As soon as I finished speaking, Ban Seongcheol laughed like crazy, to the point that the phone was ringing.

In the decade or so I’ve known him, it was the first time I’d seen him laugh so hard.

“Hey, are you really an idiot?”

“…What?”

“You said I’m the only trustworthy person? Haha. Do you know who blocked your music shows and made composers not give you songs when you said that?”

“…Was it you?!”

“Yeah, man! I did it to get recognition from the company after sending you away. Haha. Thanks to you, I’m getting a nice promotion.”

Ban Seongcheol said in a refreshing voice.

“*Phew… *That feels good. Do you know how annoying it was every time you said we should keep our human decency? Do you know how much it pissed me off every time you pretended to be a good person?”

“…”

“Is that something a businessman should say? You should have gone down a long time ago!”

This bastard.

“Every time you started something, it strangely worked out, and you, a high school graduate, caught up with the results others achieved through blood and sweat. Do you know how disgusting it was to see that?”

“…I didn’t know you thought like that. We fought, but didn’t we get along in our own way?”

“You saw me holding back and bowing down as a joke. I guess I acted really well.”

Rage and resentment welled up in my chest.

I barely swallowed it and spoke calmly.

I wanted to hear just one word that he would take care of the Grace members.

No, I had to hear it. Otherwise, I felt like I would blow everything up.

“Seongcheol, still. You didn’t have to go this far, right?”

“This far?”

“If you didn’t want to see me, once I went independent, I would have been out of sight. You could have just stayed out of my way instead of sabotaging me. You were bound to get the promotion since I left anyway.”

“Oh, that could be… But there’s no reason not to do it, right? It’s so satisfying!”

Only Seongcheol’s laughter echoed in my small office.

“Thanks for all the hypocrisy!”

The call ended, and the beeping machine sound echoed lowly.

I felt nauseous.

I checked my smartphone.

There was no contact.

Three months ago, my smartphone rang nonstop.

In the cramped office, I was alone.

Pretending to be strong and holding it in with all my might, it burst out.

“Sob… Sob.”

Anger towards Seongcheol surged, but it wasn’t incomprehensible.

In the world, isn’t it possible for at least one person to dislike me without reason?

Wishing for everyone to like me is actually a crazy desire.

But you know what?

Just as one person in the world could dislike me without reason.

Couldn’t at least one person truly care for me?

Seongcheol was in a high position, and Flower Entertainment was a big company, but it didn’t have the powerful influence to dominate the entire entertainment industry.

They could ask other agencies, entertainers, composers, and producers to boycott my company.

However, the most they could offer in return would be a few song contracts, promises of entertainer appearances, or even an implicit promise to maintain good relations.

It could negatively impact their position, but if they wanted to ignore it, they could.

But no one ignored that level of loss and helped me.

Not a single one.

I tried to hold back, thinking it was disgraceful, but I couldn’t stop the tears.

I felt very foolish.

My naive and tail-wagging behavior while being a pushover looked so stupid.

My pathetic, sobbing-alone look was pitiful even to me.

“Shit… Shit. Sob.”

The desire to be a good person felt really foolish.

I wanted to do it again.

Just once, if I had one more chance, I could be the most selfish person.

No matter how scummy the quests the management system demanded, I could follow them all.

At that moment, when I had lost everything, one quest came to me.

It was the opportunity I had longed for.