episode_0088

#88

“Let’s disband .”

“……….”

My body froze, unable to muster a response.

“As for the reason…… *giggle*…… You already know, don’t you, Manager Jeon?”

The reason was obvious.

They weren’t profitable.

At least the former CEO had some lingering affection since he was the one who raised them, giving them chances, but this new CEO had nothing like that.

“I’ve checked the accounting books, gone through all the settlement records, and read ’s entire activity history… Sure, they’re idols under my company, but they’re a complete failure.”

“……….”

“Their most recent fourth album sold around 40,000 copies. The music video views… barely surpassed a million only yesterday.”

That wasn’t particularly good. Especially compared to other girl groups.

Even that recent spike was thanks to their appearance on a music show last week.

Before that, album sales were below 30,000, and music video views hovered around 500,000.

Actually… the fancam footage of the members’ underwear exposure last week was on track to get even higher views. In less than a week, it was already nearing two million.

“Official fan club membership is in the 3,000s… and even half of those are inactive. That means they’ve quietly quit being fans. You know that, right, Manager Jeon?”

“……Yes.”

“The investment so far has been… massive, but the returns aren’t even half of it. Based on the settlement records, the deficit per member is over 500 million won. Combined, it’s 2.1 billion.”

“…….”

“That’s just the direct losses. If you include indirect investments, ’s total deficit is close to 4 billion won. Did you know that, Manager Jeon?”

I had a rough estimate in mind.

But hearing the actual numbers delivered a much harsher blow.

“Hmm~. I don’t know what the former CEO was thinking, letting them release up to a fourth album~. But *I* can’t. That’s it. It’s over.”

“……CEO-nim.”

“That said—I’m not firing you, Manager Jeon. I’ve heard plenty about how well you take care of the kids… *giggle*… So, here’s the thing.”

“……?”

The CEO clicked a few times, then turned his monitor toward me.

On the screen was a logo that looked hastily put together.

** **

*Hehe*… What do you think? It’s a new girl group we’re launching. Ah, Nobia is my name—working title for now. The logo turned out well, right?”

In other words.

He was going to pick out a few trainees and make his own girl group.

This must be… the true intention of this CEO, Nobia.

“Then what about ……?”

“Finish up promotions at an appropriate time and disband. You’ll stop managing and start taking care of the members as soon as they’re selected.”

“……That’s not what I meant. I wanted to ask what happens to the members.”

“Huh? Oh~ the members?”

The CEO looked at me with a disinterested expression.

“They’ll go home, obviously.”

“……….”

“Honestly~. If they had any conscience, they’d leave while people are still clapping for them. The company’s deficit is this bad. All the money spent on them… And lately, nicknames like ‘Underwear Exposure Idols’ and ‘Panty Dolls’ are floating around online. What the hell have they been doing?”

“That’s……”

“No, ’s official profile lists them as an innocent girl group, but if their nicknames are ‘Underwear Idols’ and ‘Exposure Dolls,’ their image is already ruined. I’m not from the entertainment industry, but even I can tell they’re done.”

“……….”

Of course, I don’t want them to have those nicknames either.

But until now… To protect , to prevent disbandment, they’ve done everything they could—without hesitation.

From Harin to Eunae, Sarang, and even Se-ah.

They all struggled desperately to keep from disbanding…

And now, it’s all ending so pointlessly in one stroke.

Then what was the point of all their efforts until now……?

“*Tsk*… Well, I’m not a complete devil. I feel a little bad dropping this on you right after meeting you for the first time, Manager Jeon……”

“…It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Right now, each member owes roughly 530 million won per person… But if we terminate their activities now, I’ll write it all off.”

“……Huh?”

That means.

He’s forgiving the girls’ debt.

“The former CEO made a mess of things, and I took over knowing all this was here. There’s no choice—the company will handle it and close the book on . We can’t have them walking out into society with 500 million won in debt, right?”

“……You’re right.”

“So let’s do as I said and wrap things up here with . Understood?”

Acting like the discussion was over, the CEO turned away from me and looked back at his monitor.

He was reviewing profiles of the company’s current trainees.

Most were middle or high school-aged, still fresh-faced kids.

“Oh~ *giggle*… This one’s good.”

Muttering to himself, he slowly scrolled through the profiles.

His eyes weren’t on anymore.

His mind… seemed made up.

What should I do?

Honestly, the CEO’s offer isn’t bad.

I keep my job managing a new girl group.

The girls get their 500-million-won debts erased.

But their idol careers end… and they return to being ordinary civilians.

“……CEO-nim.”

“Yes?”

“What if… they continued?”

At the word “continued,” the CEO gave me a sharp side-eye.

His gaze practically screamed, *Are you stupid?*

Despite looking like a total otaku, even I instinctively flinched under that stare.

“Then what…? They’ll have to keep carrying that debt until it’s repaid. But we can’t invest in them anymore—we’ve got another girl group to build. They’ll just work endlessly with no pay. You okay with that?”

“……….”

In short, keep paying off the debt as cash cows for the new girl group.

With no guarantee they’d even succeed.

“……I heard you’ve spent six years raising those kids. I get this isn’t an easy decision, so take time to discuss it with the members. I need to go check on the trainees now.”

Translation: *Get lost.*

“……Understood.”

*

Leaving the CEO’s office, I made a call right away.

[*Dialing—Sarang♡Forever*]

…First, I need to change this contact name.

To *motherfucker*.

He swore he’d stop the CEO change.

Used that as an excuse to take Sarang out… and even went as far as having sex for over four hours.

Yet ultimately failed to stop the takeover. Worthless bastard.

Han Myung-soo, department head at Nara Investment Securities.

“……Why isn’t he picking up?”

After a long dial tone, the call suddenly switched.

*“The subscriber you have called is currently unavailable. Please leave a message after the—”*

I hung up immediately.

A text came through right after.

[In a meeting. Urgent?]

…Of fucking course. Stockbrokers.

I replied that it was urgent, and soon enough, the call came through.

“…Yes, Han Myung-soo speaking.”

Hearing his voice again made irritation flare up.

The bastard who had quasi-prostitution-level sex with Sarang.

But now… I had to swallow it.

“……Yes. This is Jeon Ho-gu, manager of .”

“Ah, Manager Jeon. Long time. How have you been?”

*How have I been*…?

“……There’s something I need to discuss.”

“Ah~ Got it. Actually, I planned to reach out myself—perfect timing.”

His relaxed tone only pissed me off more.

“Our company’s CEO…… What happened?”

“Manager Jeon, well, that’s……”

“You *promised*—in exchange for backing our CEO—”

“Manager Jeon. Calm down. Hear me out first.”

*Calm down*? Unthinkable.

But I forced myself to hold back.

“……Fine.”

“First… Frankly, your CEO got hunted by corporate raiders. I assumed it was a personal stake—not a leveraged buyout—but their methods were identical.”

“……What do you mean?”

“*Sigh*… To put it simply… Yesterday, your CEO sold all his shares and relinquished control. Not through the market—likely an off-market deal. The buyer was someone I mentioned before……”

“Nobia. Right? That name?”

“You know already? Yes. That person. He already owned a significant stake, but your CEO handed over everything. Whether it was for money or some leverage, I don’t know……”

It couldn’t have been money.

The former CEO… wasn’t that kind of person.

“Anyway… My position was to profit while they fought, but with one side surrendering, our shares became meaningless. Nobia—he’s the new CEO now, right? He already held over 70% of the shares. There was no room to intervene……”

Meaning.

Sarang’s escort dates… even the sex.

All of it—utterly meaningless.

“We were in trouble too. Bought shares inflated on speculation… Looked like they’d turn to scrap paper overnight. But Nobia reached out to major shareholders—offered to buy us out too.”

“……What? Why?”

“No idea. Could’ve been consolidating control… But 70% was already enough. Still, for us, better than losing it all. He paid well, so we sold immediately.”

“So CEO Nobia’s stake is now……”

“Near 80%, probably.”

…Effectively a privately held company now.

“Check the stock today? After losing buy momentum, it crashed hard. Hit the daily lower limit at opening—no signs of recovery. A share was 8,000 won before, peaked at 25,000… Now just correcting back.”

“So you’re saying……”

“Nobia took on billions in losses just to acquire your company. Why? No clue.”

Han Myung-soo said it was a mystery.

But I had a guess.

The image of Nobia scrolling through trainee profiles surfaced again.

I’ve seen that expression countless times before.

“*Giggle*……”

The face of an otaku obsessed with idols.

And now, Nobia had complete control over our company.