episode_0073

#73

The next day.

The girls returning to the dorm were all visibly drained.

Eunchae’s eyes were sunken, looking utterly exhausted. Sarang was walking oddly. Though Harin must have rested properly yesterday, her expression was still grim.

I had some idea of what might have happened to each of them, but I didn’t press for details. There wasn’t time today to dig into it all.

Today marked Sepia’s first regional event since starting promotions for their fourth album. It’s a local event held at a beach in South Chungcheong Province… Not a major one, but still a good opportunity for us. The performance fee aside, every extra stage means more exposure to the public—that’s just as important.

“Unnie! Are you done washing up?” “Coming out now!”

Perhaps the girls had pushed yesterday’s events to the back of their minds, because they were back to their usual selves, busily preparing. I already had the car ready.

But there was still one person who hadn’t arrived.

“Sigh….”

I checked my phone impatiently. I clearly told her to be back by 10 AM at the latest.

[Se-ah – 7 missed calls]

She wasn’t picking up, no matter how many times I tried. This… Could she have gotten into some kind of accident? She said she was just hanging out with friends.

I checked both Se-ah’s main and backup Instagram accounts, but there hadn’t been any new stories posted since yesterday. Normally, she overshares even the weirdest stuff—I’ve had to beg her to think before posting. Yet now, nothing for over 24 hours?

This was suspicious.

“…Still no answer from Se-ah?” Harin, fresh out of the shower, furrowed her brows slightly. “Yeah, not since earlier. She didn’t reach out to you yesterday, did she?” “No.” “I see…”

Harin’s tone felt oddly cold.

“Did Se-ah ever mention who she was with or where she was going?” “No. She just said she was hanging out with friends…” “Which friends?” “Middle school friends, I think?” “Really…?”

I had no idea who they might be. Damn… If only there were some kind of clue.

*Buzz*

Just then, my phone rang. Was it Se-ah?

But no.

[PR Team – Manager Kim]

It was the company. I steadied myself and answered.

“Yes, Manager Kim.” “Manager Jeon? Oh, where are you right now?” “At the girls’ dorm.” “Uh… Could you step somewhere private for a moment?”

Somewhere private? What was this about?

I gestured to Harin that I’d be in the car before stepping outside. “Alright, go ahead.” “Is Se-ah from Sepia with you at the dorm right now?”

Se-ah? From the company? This was unsettling.

“No. She hasn’t been in contact since leaving yesterday.” “I see… That figures.” “Do you know something?” “Well… Manager Jeon, I think you need to come to the office.” “The office? We have a regional event today—” “It’s urgent. Get here quickly.”

The PR team knew about today’s schedule. For them to call me in regardless… Whatever this was, it must be serious.

“Understood. I’ll be there.”

I hung up and immediately got in the car. I’d have to leave the girls with Road and have them prepare at the shop for now.

But damn… What the hell is happening?

Unable to shake my unease, I headed for the company.

*

The office was chaotic when I arrived. As soon as I stepped in, staff members glanced my way before quickly looking away.

“Ah, Manager Jeon. Over here.”

I followed Manager Kim’s gesture to a small meeting room. The moment I entered, he shut the door behind me.

“…What’s going on?” “Just take a look at this first.”

He turned a computer screen toward me. An email was open.

“……This is—” “Blackmail.”

Attached was a video clip. And in it——

“……Se-ah.”

Se-ah was pressed against a man’s shoulder, linking arms as they entered a hotel. The footage was grainy—likely taken from a distance—but there was no mistaking it was her.

“That’s not all.”

Moments later, more men trailed inside the hotel behind Se-ah and the first man. It was obvious they were all part of the same group.

“They’re… them, right? The ones who just blew up recently.” “Yes. Exactly… Gold Sun.”

Vibrantly dyed hair, half-unbuttoned shirts, painfully thin frames. Their tattoos and piercings—never shown on broadcasts—were on full display here.

Gold Sun has seven members. The men in the video? Also seven.

Which meant… Se-ah had walked into a hotel with their entire group? And whoever recorded this…

“Check the email further down.”

Manager Kim scrolled, revealing what looked like a code at the bottom. “What’s this?” “A cryptocurrency wallet. Bitcoin, or something like that.”

Below it was written: *10BTC*. Fuck. I don’t deal with crypto, so I don’t know the exact exchange rate, but I could tell just from looking—this was an insane amount of money.

“We did a quick estimate—it’s upwards of ₩300 million.” “300 million…”

The sender’s intent was obvious. Pay up, and they’d erase—or hand over—the video. Not common, but I’d heard rumors of cases like this. I never imagined it’d happen to us so abruptly.

“Manager Jeon! Is Manager Jeon here?!”

The door slammed open as another man barged in. A disheveled, middle-aged executive in a wrinkled suit.

“Vice President Jo.” “Manager Jeon—what the hell is this? Is this real?”

Vice President Jo stormed in and jabbed the screen accusingly. “We can’t be completely certain—” “Certain?! When there’s clear footage like this?! Where’s Se-ah? Huh?!” “Well… She hasn’t responded—” “What kind of management is this?!”

He finally exploded. Even Manager Kim flinched beside me. Damn it… I don’t even know what’s going on.

“…Apologies.” “*Sigh* Of all times for this to blow up—when the CEO isn’t even here.” “…He’s unavailable?” “Just—that’s not the point right now!”

But it *was* important. The CEO’s judgment would be ultimate in this situation. Vice President Jo… was useless—just a figurehead here through connections. But with the CEO gone, decision-making fell to him. What now?

He dragged a hand down his face before snapping orders at Manager Kim. “First, tighten security—no leaks to reporters. Nobody in the company discusses this. Got it?” “Y-yes, sir.” “Manager Kim, start checking if any media outlets have caught wind of this. Fast. If this video surfaces online, issue DMCA takedowns immediately.” “Right!”

Manager Kim rushed out like his life depended on it. “Manager Jeon. What do we do?” “……” “*Sigh* A scandal with regular civilians would’ve been bad enough. But why *Gold Sun* of all people? Huh?” “……” “Who knows if this blackmailer sent copies to Gold Sun’s agency too… This is a disaster. If news breaks that *every member of a top-tier male idol group* entered a hotel with a lone female idol—goddammit, this’ll overturn the entire industry!”

It was unprecedented. Romances or scandals between idols happened occasionally… But *one idol entering a hotel with seven male idols*? The headlines alone would be enough to send the media into a frenzy.

And the bigger issue? It was *Gold Sun*. A group under a major agency, with an enormous, rabid fanbase.

If this blew up, a mid-tier company like ours could easily be scapegoated and crushed in the fallout. Smaller idols are fragile—even baseless scandals can sink them overnight.

At the very least, we needed to confirm the facts with Se-ah…

*Buzz. Buzz.*

My phone rang again. I pulled it out immediately.

[Se-ah]

Stepping aside, I answered. “Where are you?” “……Oppa.”

Something was off about her voice. She sounded on the verge of tears.

“Oppa…… I…” “Calm down. Where are you right now?” “I… I’m at a hotel room.” “Got it. Stay on the line—I’m coming.” “Oppa… Hurry. Please.” “Just hold on.”

Noticing Vice President Jo mouthing *“Se-ah?”*, I nodded. I wasted no time leaving the office and speeding toward the car.

The image of Se-ah walking into that hotel with Gold Sun wouldn’t leave my mind.

What the hell… What exactly happened yesterday…?