episode_0030

#30

“The… president?”

“…Yes. It could be a merger or acquisition, or there are other possibilities… But since it’s a situation where someone is aggressively buying up shares, the intention might be to swallow up the agency.”

“…Then what happens?”

“We can’t predict that. Only that person knows their true intentions. But… I’m worried about .”

A department head from a major corporation wore a solemn, troubled expression.

“If they take control of the company and restructure operations, could be in danger. I really wish this didn’t have to be said, but there’s even a risk of disbandment.”

Gulp.

Disbandment. At that word, my fists trembled violently.

I was desperately struggling to prevent that very outcome, but…

“Isn’t there any way to stop it?”

“…It’s difficult on an individual level. A company originally valued at just under 15 billion won has now reached 40 billion, and the share buyouts are still ongoing. Considering the stakes, the financial power behind this is enormous. Right now, whether it’s just one individual or another company using them as a front, we’d need at least billions in cash just to counter it. …It won’t be easy.”

Only then did a sudden realization strike me.

*‘There’s a group buying up shares in the company…’* *‘The president needs a large sum of money right now…’*

Those were the words Baek Pansu and Deputy Manager Bura had said to Eun-chae last Sunday.

Now, the pieces finally fell into place—why the president had been urgently needing cash all this time.

And right now, to secure that cash, Eun-chae was…

Even still, the reality was that we were falling short, leaving us in crisis.

“There are about two other possible methods…”

“Other methods? What are they?”

“First… must succeed. If generates meaningful profits, the new CEO won’t recklessly disband them. Simple, but certain.”

“I… see.”

“And the other one… This is something I should personally discuss with the president before moving forward, but… Manager Shim. Are you alright with this?”

He glanced at me.

His gaze… I couldn’t quite read it. It seemed about half sincere.

Given that he worked in securities, he naturally had to consider his own interests. I assumed the other half was tied to that.

Regardless of his true motives, if this could help the president—and by extension, —even slightly, it was worth exploring.

At the very least, he wouldn’t harm .

From my perspective, where mattered more than the president, there was no reason to refuse.

“Understood. I’ll speak to the president.”

“No, Manager Shim. You focus on . I’ll handle contacting the president.”

“…Ah. You’ll do that?”

“Yes. But before that, I wanted to hear your honest thoughts.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Manager Shim. Are you prepared to do whatever it takes to protect ?”

The question felt familiar—as if I’d heard it before.

Of course, my answer remained the same now as it had back then.

“Yes. Absolutely.”

*

“ , fighting!”

The girls chanted their cheer before stepping onto the stage.

Though it was just a rehearsal, not the actual broadcast, everything—from outfits to the dance—had to mirror the real performance.

It was their first music show in a while, and their faces showed nervousness, but once on stage, all traces vanished, replaced by the polished moves of a veteran fourth-gen idol.

“Hello! This is ’s Harin!” “Hello! This is ’s Eun-chae!” “……This is Sarang!” “……This is Sea!”

Each member loudly announced their name, bowing politely.

While their styling matched the broadcast outfits, they wore large name tags pinned to their chests and backs—standard practice for staff to track positions. After all, broadcast crews couldn’t possibly memorize every idol’s name and face.

From the waist down, they wore the same skirts they’d perform in on air.

…And as per the contract, they weren’t wearing safety shorts.

The girls had protested immediately, even suspecting I’d insisted on them wearing certain lingerie, but there was nothing they could do.

At least the skirts weren’t overly flimsy, and the performance would be edited for broadcast—so except for Eun-chae, the others eventually accepted it.

But.

Anyone who saw them from below the stage would never have accepted it.

As their manager, I watched from the front row of the audience seats, directly beneath the stage—and even I was shocked by what I saw.

……It was all plainly visible.

Even stepping slightly forward exposed everything. The stage was… much higher than expected.

From where I stood, I could even identify the color of each girl’s panties.

If someone recorded a fancam here… it’d spark outrage for its explicitness before even being flagged for exposure.

“Take 1, starting!”

As the music began, the girls moved on cue, launching into the choreography.

Midway through, at the climax, came the dance break they’d practiced—high-energy moves for a normally innocent group, mixing in a touch of allure.

With every spin or jump, their skirts flared, revealing everything.

The tight fits showed even their silhouettes when they turned.

Crew members nearby gaped in disbelief.

“Holy crap. ’s insane.” “…They’re really not wearing safety shorts, right? I’m not seeing things?” “They’ll have them on during the actual broadcast, right? No way they’d ruin their own show.” “When we film later, stick to upper-body shots. Minimize full-body angles.” “…They must really be desperate for clout. Sick bastards.” “Seriously. Who does that to kids?” “Fancams are gonna leak for sure… Ugh. I want no part of this.”

Then, someone nudged another staffer and pointed at me.

When our eyes met, they awkwardly coughed and scattered.

Even as they walked away, I caught their glances—filled with scorn… pity… disdain.

I clenched my teeth.

I endured watching the girls flash their underwear to countless people.

I endured the murmurs behind my back.

Because I had to protect .

If the ad revenue from this could safeguard even a little—

That alone made every humiliation and shame worth bearing.

I believed the girls… felt the same.

Like Harin had. Like Eun-chae had.

For , we all had to endure a little more.

Because standing here was my—our—dream.

“…That was ! Thank you!”

*

In the end, they wore those outfits through the actual broadcast recording.

Fan reactions ended up being surprisingly positive, with none of the gossip from the crew.

No one openly disrupted the show by yelling about seeing under their skirts.

Still, every fan recording fancams or watching from the front row had seen everything—they just stayed quiet.

Panties and silhouettes glimpsed when skirts rode up during hip swings.

Triangles flashing into view during jumps.

Underwear exposed at certain angles with every bend or twist.

Even when crossing their legs or adjusting positions, nothing was left hidden.

Even those without cameras pulled out their phones, snapping away.

How far those clips would spread was uncertain… Officially, none of them would surface, but—

They’d circulate silently, under the radar.

Post-performance, we regrouped in the waiting room.

“Good work today!” “Good job, everyone!”

The girls cheered briefly, exchanging high-fives.

We weren’t leaving yet—later, during the awards segment, they’d return to the stage. Since we were scheduled early, there was still time to kill.

“How’s the response so far…?” Harin asked anxiously.

After performances, I’d usually compile reactions from forums, SNS, and NyuTube to read aloud.

“Hold on. I’ll read them as they come.” “Ooh! Can’t wait!” “Please let it not be bad…!”

Sarang and Sea gripped their hands, staring at me intently.

But Eun-chae… stood slightly apart, eyes fixed on the floor.

Her expression was one of guilt—as if she’d committed some grave sin.

I read out the reactions from my phone one by one.

“* ’s new song is decent. Fits their image nicely.*” “Woohoo!” “Next one?” “*Going straight to streaming this lol. Had no idea they even released something.*” “See? The promo was nonexistent.” “*The choreo’s way more intense than expected. Especi——*”

I choked mid-sentence. “Especially… what?” “Ah, never mind. That’s it for now.”

I couldn’t bring myself to read the rest.

– *They’re blatantly showing panties lol* – *Wait, fr? Those are panties?* – *Harin: pink / Eun-chae: blue / Sarang: white / Sea: black* – *Did they forget safety shorts or just not wear them?* – *Where can I see ’s exposure? Didn’t catch it on air.* – *Ofc they edited it for broadcast lol even NyuTube’s deleting fancams on sight* – *Posted pics on fan cafe and got insta-banned ㅋㅋ* – *If they banned you, it’s def panties* – *Someone please send me pics* – *DM me.* – *Selling full set of exposure fancams per member*

Only then did the gravity of what we’d done truly sink in.