Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 225

< 225. Taein's Claim >

“Since I’m an idol, I can put up with acting cute even when I’m not used to it, or imitating animals. But I can’t stand disappearing.”

Rembrary asked, surprised,

“Shouldn’t the order be reversed?”

Taein bristled for a moment but continued speaking, not getting sidetracked.

“I don’t want to be treated like I’m riding on the coattails of a member who gained fame through all sorts of controversies. And I hate that I can’t even deny it.”

“……”

Their eyes met. Taein sighed.

“I know you’ve been through a lot.”

He hesitated before confessing,

“But I can’t give up my life just because I feel sorry and grateful for your suffering.”

“!”

“You suffer the most? The public knows it all. You’re grateful for that, so you quietly stay behind? The public knows that too. Do you know what this means? You’ll become famous, and I’ll disappear.”

Hye-kyul covered her mouth with both hands, looking back and forth between Taein and Rembrary.

“If my only goal was to make a lot of money, I wouldn’t mind riding on your fame. But I became a singer because I wanted to become famous for my songs, my voice, my music.”

Taein’s words were surprisingly calm, and he didn’t sound like he was just lashing out in anger.

Taein paused, frowning as if organizing his thoughts. Jongwoo tried to interject, but Taein spoke again, one step ahead.

“But if we continue like this, I’ll never be more than a ‘useless vocalist overshadowed by the visual center.’ I hate that. I’d rather take my chances and face it head-on, whether it turns out good or bad.”

Rembrary remained silent. When Taein seemed to have finished, he asked,

“Are you saying you want to leave the agency altogether?”

“No, I just want to leave the Wild Animal group.”

Jongwoo was fuming behind them, his face red with anger. He had barely managed to get a solo song to number one, and now Taein was saying he wanted to leave right away. He seemed deeply displeased. But instead of cursing or scolding, Jongwoo suppressed his anger and tried to persuade Taein again.

“Taein, think about it again. I understand what you mean. Even when your parents or teachers compare you to the kid next door, you get angry. So, I can only imagine how angry you must be when the whole nation is comparing you to Woo Yeonwoo. They mock you all they want and then tell you to be grateful to Woo Yeonwoo. You might be grateful, but you’d also be pissed. Yeah. I understand that.”

“……”

“But Taein, cases where someone leaves a group and succeeds are extremely rare.”

Jongwoo didn’t rely on loyalty or friendship to persuade him. Instead, he approached it from a realistic perspective.

“Do you know how much the agency pushed for this number one? Do you know that the Wild Animal fans were in a bad mood and went all out to stream [repeatedly play a song to increase its chart ranking] this time?”

Taein answered calmly,

“I know.”

“Do you think the Wild Animal fans will support your solo activities if you abandon Wild Animal? Even if they do, among the fans who streamed this time… sigh. Since the situation is like this, I’ll be honest. Even Yeonwoo’s individual fans joined in. You know that too, right?”

“……I know.”

“But if you leave Wild Animal in the midst of all this, who among them will actively support you like they do now?”

Jongwoo watched Taein’s expression and continued,

“After Wild Animal’s activities are over. After you’ve sucked up all the sweetness. Break up with a smile. You can release a solo then, right? Isn’t that better in the long run?”

“The situation will be the same then. I was in Woo Yeonwoo’s group, and no one will be interested just because I release a solo, hyung [older brother or male friend]. You know that.”

However, Taein didn’t waver. Jongwoo tried to persuade him a few more times, but his will seemed firm. It wasn’t that he wanted to do a solo because he got number one this time, but it seemed like getting number one was the trigger for wanting to do a solo.

Jongwoo sighed. Just because Yeonwoo took all the fans and haters didn’t mean the other members didn’t get hate comments. If Yeonwoo received hate comments for his personality and character, the members other than Yeonwoo mainly received hate comments about their presence or usefulness.

When articles were uploaded, there were more than a few people who would giggle and say, ‘Who’s this no-name?’ without even knowing that what they were saying was a hate comment.

If Taein valued fame more than money, he might find that distressing. Jongwoo could understand that.

But no matter how he thought about it, there was no one who would benefit from Taein leaving the group now. Not Taein himself, nor the Wild Animal group.

However, Taein didn’t want to leave the group and succeed, but rather to stand on his own two feet after leaving the group. It seemed even more difficult to persuade him.

“Taein.”

“Hyung [older brother or male friend]. I didn’t just think about this yesterday or today.”

Jongwoo sighed and pressed his temples. He wondered if he should forcibly hold him back, but there was nothing more detrimental to a group than a member without motivation. As soon as he thought this, his head and stomach ached at the same time.

“First… I’ll discuss it with the agency. You also close your eyes and discuss it with your reason and logic.”

In the end, Jongwoo took a step back and asked the members as well.

“Until this is resolved, please refrain from talking about this matter.”

As Jongwoo left through the front door, the atmosphere became even colder. Keshi turned away as if she didn’t want to mix a single word and went into her room, and Jungseo crossed her arms and glared at Taein coldly.

Hye-kyul also went to the kitchen with a sulky face, looking disappointed.

Rembrary still gave a look to Sajangjae at the front door, making him chase after Jongwoo.

Taein looked at the atmosphere and situation he had created with a mixture of guilt and determination. Then, as Sajangjae left, he approached Hye-kyul, who was standing in front of the refrigerator.

Hye-kyul was taking out a pre-made salad when she discovered Taein standing behind her and smiled awkwardly.

“Why?”

“You know too, right? That you’re the most ambiguous.”

“!”

“Even if we consider Keshi, your position is really ambiguous. If you’re not all about making money, you should think about how to make a living.”

Hye-kyul held the transparent salad box in her hand, blankly watching Taein walk away after saying everything he wanted to say.

* * *

Due to Taein’s sudden declaration, an emergency meeting was held at LLL Entertainment.

Taein said that he had no presence in Wild Animal, but even if he had no presence, there was no way that his departure would have no impact.

“Wild Animal has five members. If even one person is missing, the vacancy will be clearly felt.”

CEO Lim placed candy and cigarettes side by side on his desk and said firmly in a subdued voice.

One of the employees carefully raised his hand and asked,

“Should we prepare a group album now? If we practice and prepare together, and see the fans who support Wild Animal, maybe his mind will change a little?”

CEO Lim flatly refused.

“Yeonwoo can’t do activities right now. Are you saying we should force him to participate when he’s mentally broken?”

“Then, should we go with the four of them without Yeonwoo…?”

An employee who had been listening quietly answered from the side.

“Rumor explosion.”

The employee next to him nodded and added,

“Besides, if the song’s performance isn’t as good as before because Yeonwoo is missing, Taein will want to leave even more. Saying he’s still riding on Yeonwoo’s coattails.”

The manager of another supporting actor who was watching the situation clicked his tongue.

“It seems like his self-esteem has decreased.”

CEO Lim sighed and closed his eyes. It was difficult to prepare a group album in the current situation. However, if he really let Taein go, he was worried that the fans who liked ‘Wild Animal’ would be disappointed.

“What should we do…….”

* * *

Rembrary was eating pudding alone in his room, pondering over what Taein had said. Like Taein himself claimed, it certainly didn’t seem like words he had spat out in anger. It seemed like he had thought about it a lot before speaking.

However, Rembrary didn’t know much about the ecosystem of idol groups, so it was difficult for him to add any opinions on this.

In the end, as soon as he finished eating a pudding, Rembrary asked Jongwoo in a text message.

[Can I consult with Senior Woosil about this matter?]

Jongwoo sent a reply not long after, as if he had his phone close by.

[ㅇㅇ]

[Really?]

Although he asked, Rembrary repeatedly asked because he thought he would naturally say no since he had been asked to refrain from speaking. However, Jongwoo gave the same answer this time as well.

[It’s okay. Seon Woosil has a tight lip.]

That senior… his forte isn’t just Photoshop. Rembrary thought to himself and sent a text message to Seon Woosil.

[Senior >ㅅ< I want to consult with you about interpersonal relationships. Are you busy?] Seon Woosil also sent a reply right away, as if he was free. [What's wrong?] [One of the members said they want to leave. >ㅅ<] Shortly after. Instead of a text message, a phone call came. Rembrary quickly pressed the call button and put the phone to his ear. "Why are you even calling?" [Why are you glossing over such a huge thing as an interpersonal relationship? Besides, what's with that happy-to-death emoticon in the midst of all this?] "If you look at it broadly, it's an interpersonal relationship. A colleague problem. I put in the emoticon for image management." Seon Woosil's sigh could be heard over the receiver. [I don't know how you want to manage your image. If you put that emoticon in those words, you just look like a psychopath?] "What's a psychopath?" [What's wrong with you? Why does your member suddenly want to leave?] Rembrary conveyed Taein's words as he remembered them. Without adding or subtracting anything. Seon Woosil listened attentively to what Rembrary was saying without interrupting. "...That's the situation." Finally, Rembrary stopped explaining and asked Seon Woosil. "What do you think, senior? What do you think is the best thing to do?" Seon Woosil, who he thought would scold him for being cowardly and disloyal, clicked his tongue unexpectedly. [That's the disadvantage of a group. Solo is the best after all. Don't you have any thoughts of going solo?] "Does that mean Taein should go solo too?" [Not that. But if he's stubbornly wanting to leave, wouldn't it be useless to consult with me? Even if the governor of Pyongyang doesn't want to, he won't do it [an idiom meaning someone is extremely stubborn].] * * * The next day. Taein was still insisting on leaving the group, LLL hadn't made a decision, and an awkward and subtle atmosphere was floating among the members. Hye-kyul was fiddling with her phone when she shouted, "헐! [a Korean exclamation of surprise]" with a surprised expression. "Crazy! An article about our discord just came out!" As soon as those words were finished, the members who were doing their own things nearby gathered around Hye-kyul. "Discord?" "Is it about Taein?" Hye-kyul searched the article thoroughly with her phone and answered. "It's not like Taein's name came out. It only says Wild Animal member. One person wants to leave the team alone, and discord is suspected." Keshi put her hands on her hips and fumed. "We're not close, but we're not on bad terms! Why is there suddenly talk of discord? No, who the hell leaked this news to the press?" < 225. Taein's Claim > End