“A lawsuit?”

I asked again, hoping dearly that I had misheard.

“We’re thinking of suing. Both UA and Hong Unseop.”

However, my hearing turned out to be perfectly fine. My right hand holding the cup trembled.

“Why, how, no, wait a minute.”

Disputes between idols and their agencies had never been easy to resolve since ancient times.

It wasn’t unique to idols. Whenever labor issues arose between a company and its employees, frictions naturally followed. Companies considered employees who raised issues to be impertinent.

The moment an employee announced legal action, the company changed its tune. Whether they raised a legitimate issue or won the lawsuit, it was not easy for that employee to remain with the company after a legal dispute.

And yet they were going to do that willingly? Rookie idols who hadn’t even debuted for a year?

“You haven’t told the company already, have you?”

If he hadn’t brought it up yet, there was room to persuade Jeong Seongbin. I asked with a sliver of hope.

“We have.”

“What did you say?”

“That we’re considering legal action.”

This was the worst-case scenario. It would be one thing if they filed the lawsuit after finishing all the groundwork behind the scenes, but this way, it just gave the company time to prepare.

“Why did you do that?”

There was no way a guy like Jeong Seongbin, who knew the idol industry inside and out, would be unaware of this level of common sense. Nor was his judgment so clouded that he would act irrationally just because he was a little shaken.

“Before that, what about the members? We need to hear their opinions too.”

To appease Jeong Seongbin, I appealed to his conscience. Because Jeong Seongbin was a guy with an exceptional sense of responsibility towards the members.

“Everyone agreed. That’s why I brought it up.”

And the shock was doubled. You guys, read the labor dispute casebook by next week.

“First, sigh... Where do I even begin with this?”

While I was racking my brain, Jeong Seongbin cleared the empty porridge bowl. With him being so calm, I felt like I was the strange one.

“What aspect of UA do you want to raise an issue about?”

“Negligent management and abuse of affiliated artists.”

“Abuse?”

Jeong Seongbin uttered a frightening word with an indifferent face.

“A company employee injured an artist and put them in critical condition.”

“PD Yoo was fired, wasn’t he?”

“But a similar problem arose again. Because of Hong Unseop. You remember how we went on that physical variety show, ‘Challenge Life’, not long after your head injury, right?”

“That was after I had fully recovered.”

“Still, the company didn’t check if hyung was in a state to go, did they? Even knowing it was a physically demanding program. In the end, you traveled all night and even worked.”

Jeong Seongbin’s eyes darkened.

“They said they would reflect and reorganize, but this time an accident happened right inside the company. How can a relationship of mutual trust be maintained in this situation?”

“You’re right about that. But this isn’t the smartest method.”

“Still, I think it’s a necessary thing to do.”

Jeong Seongbin countered.

“Seongbin, companies are defensive. They don’t lose these kinds of fights easily.”

I could tell how much this weighed on him.

However, as the adult in this situation, I had to stop him now. The world isn’t easy, and the deeper you dig, the uglier the sides you see.

“Let’s say you’re lucky enough to win the lawsuit and terminate the contract. What are you going to do about activities in the meantime? You and Juu are adults now, and Cheonghyeon and Giyeon are high school students. Isn’t this the most important time for you guys? If you start a lawsuit, your feet will be tied for several years. You might lose your entire early 20s.”

The 1 year and 2 months hiatus had already had such a negative impact on Spark. After a lawsuit spanning several years, would their lifespan as idols even remain until they could find a company willing to re-sign all of them?

I bet not. In that process, a few would inevitably drop out. Keeping everyone united was harder than it sounded.

Jeong Seongbin was quiet for a long time. Then, he slowly opened his mouth.

“I figured you would worry about things like conditions or situations, hyung.”

Jeong Seongbin met my gaze.

“But to me, the members are the most important.”

“What?”

“Re-signing, hiatus... It’s not that I haven’t thought about it. I’ve heard a lot, and I researched a lot yesterday while you were hospitalized, hyung.”

“...”

“I know it won’t be easy. We might have a fleeting period of activity and then miss our golden age, just like you said, hyung. If we just stay quiet, we’ll probably walk away with minor damages at best.”

He knew all that. And yet, why on earth.

As if seeing right through my question, Jeong Seongbin answered.

“But hyung, if we lose even one person, what’s the point of all that?”

It was a statement as sharp as an awl.

“The reason you asked to change managers was the same, wasn’t it, hyung?”

“...”

“Because it’s too late after an accident happens. And that person was someone with a high probability of causing an accident. Even when the company staff suggested reconsidering, you pushed through, didn’t you?”

There was no flaw in Jeong Seongbin’s words. He continued speaking softly.

“I don’t want to see any more human casualties. I don’t want to leave any room for anxiety either. I want to focus solely on work in a stable environment, without major worries.”

“...Even if it means souring relations with the company?”

“I’m the leader. I have to take responsibility for the members.”

And then, Jeong Seongbin smiled brightly.

“So, I hope you’ll review this matter positively, hyung.”

Positively... huh.

From UA’s perspective, they wouldn’t want to terminate the contract with Spark right now. They might have to cough up more than the money Spark had earned for them, now that Spark had just started making money.

For this reason alone, UA, however resentful, wouldn’t be able to kick Spark out for the time being.

At most, they might reduce Spark’s budget or let them fend for themselves—but Spark had already been running on a tight budget. And they had experience handling almost everything themselves. Reducing the budget further here wouldn’t be a big blow.

Besides, what happened between Hong Unseop and me hadn’t been made public. It seemed Jeong Seongbin was holding it back as a negotiating card, but if this blew up, UA would be branded a truly problematic agency.

Sparklers wouldn’t be the only ones attacking them. How many singers were under UA?

Some of them were established singers. If an internal safety issue caused a scandal, those artists had enough clout and seniority to leave the agency.

In a situation where even rumors of financial problems made an agency undesirable, if it was an agency where “terror” frequently occurred... no one would want to come.

‘There is some room for positive negotiation.’

A sigh escaped me. After all that talk, Jeong Seongbin finally looked up at me, as if gauging my reaction.

When I see things like this, what should I say? It’s truly fascinating.

How some people’s minds only revolve around the company’s interests, while others act for the sake of the people.

And sometimes, the latter presents the best direction.

“Still, the company really picked a good leader.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t you think?”

At my words, Jeong Seongbin’s eyes widened. He must have thought I was just joking around.

“I agree with suing Hong Unseop. But let’s try to talk with UA to see if there’s room for negotiation with them.”

“Are you talking about the possibility of a settlement?”

“Before that, let’s see if UA is willing to negotiate with us even before a lawsuit is filed. We’re just changing the order with the lawsuit. By any chance, do you have a draft of a settlement proposal?”

“Yes. I do, but...”

“Let’s present that as a negotiation proposal first. Can you bring it for a moment?”

“Just a moment. For now, please sleep, and let’s talk again when you’re feeling better, hyung.”

“I’ve only been sleeping since yesterday. Bring it. Let’s read it together.”

At my words, Jeong Seongbin quickly ran to the living room and brought a bundle of papers. The papers were densely packed with writing that had been erased and rewritten various times.

“Want me to organize it first?”

“It’s fine. First, let’s categorize the nature of the demands. Instead of vaguely grouping them as ‘welfare,’ clearly show what we want, like ‘personal safety,’ ‘health management.’ There won’t be that many categories.”

After that, we spent the dawn cursing Hong Unseop, talking about how the company was also preparing a claim for damages against Hong Unseop, and clearly refining the sentences of the negotiation proposal. Not long after I finally sent Jeong Seongbin to bed, the sun began to rise outside the window.

The UA office was in an absolute state of emergency. This was because after Kim Iwol collapsed, Spark expressed their intention to not shy away from a lawsuit.

Until making this contact, Spark had not communicated with anyone from the company. Choi Jeho had exclusively handled Kim Iwol’s pickup, and the other members hadn’t left the dorm. That alone was enough to convey that the members were serious.

Spark agreed to talk the day after Kim Iwol was discharged. Jeong Seongbin and Choi Jeho visited the office as representatives, asking if they were willing to have a conversation before any legal battle.

CEO Yoon Hyunjoo and Min Jukyung seriously read through the negotiation proposal that Jeong Seongbin handed them with both hands.

The proposal was easy to read but specific. The demands listed were beyond the level typically applied in the industry, a groundbreaking line that could be considered unprecedented in the entertainment industry until now.

However, it was UA that had to concede. Just by not exposing this situation, Spark was giving UA a chance.

Having already experienced the fandom’s wrath once, the company needed to approach this issue cautiously.

After a brief review, Yoon Hyunjoo closed the papers and said.

“We’ll review it this week and contact you. Would it be best ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) to contact you directly, Seongbin?”

“I would appreciate that.”

Jeong Seongbin nodded.

Jeong Seongbin, who had once come to Yoon Hyunjoo for advice for Kim Iwol’s sake, was now negotiating with the company for the members. Yoon Hyunjoo couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt about that.

Just as Choi Jeho was about to rise, thinking the meeting was over, Min Jukyung stopped him.

“If you’re going to use the practice room, I’ll make sure the staff don’t go that way. So...”

“It’s fine.”

Choi Jeho answered drily.

“We rented a practice room. We’ll use that for the time being.”

Choi Jeho and Jeong Seongbin bowed and left the meeting room.

Yoon Hyunjoo was accustomed to dealing with people, but for the first time in a while, he felt completely drained of energy.