"What are you going to do if I show up in front of Sae-Ri? Huh? What are you going to do?!"

Now that she had dealt with the host bar issue, Yoon Ji-Hee was shouting with full confidence. However, I remembered everything about her from before I regressed.

'You quit host bars? Yeah right. Like a dog quitting shit.'

Before my regression, when Kim Dong-Soo found out that a reporter had started tailing Yoon Ji-Hee, he ordered her to cut off all her host bar boyfriends. Yoon Ji-Hee obediently agreed and followed his instructions. Nevertheless, she never cut ties with Raven, the one known as the "prince" of the host bar world.

Raven had once dreamed of debuting as an idol. He had delicate features, tanned skin, stood 185 centimeters tall, and had a way with words. Because of that, Yoon Ji-Hee even used a separate phone just to stay in contact with him.

Yet, it didn't take long for Kim Dong-Soo to find out. And he ordered me to clean up Raven. In the end, I met that guy Raven myself and persuaded him. I warned that if he didn't leave the country, Kim Dong-Soo would come find him personally next time. I told him I would cover his living expenses, so he should go and finish whatever studies he wanted to pursue.

Raven had heard about Kim Dong-Soo's reputation, so in the end, he agreed to leave for Hawaii.

Some time after that, I thought everything was over, but Yoon Ji-Hee secretly hired someone to track Raven down. Then she went straight at Kim Dong-Soo, refusing to back down. She said that if anything happened to Raven, she'd quit her career altogether.

At the time, Yoon Ji-Hee was bringing in more profit than even Golden Road's leader, Jang Eun-Yung. Eventually, Kim Dong-Soo had no choice but to compromise on one condition—that she would only meet Raven overseas.

After that, even after Golden Road disbanded and until the day Yoon Ji-Hee left the entertainment industry, she never once ended things with Raven.

Knowing all that, I asked Yoon Ji-Hee, "You really cut everything off?"

"Of course I did!"

I looked at her like she was ridiculous and said, "Raven. Or should I say, Cheol-Yong. Did you cut him off too?"

Yoon Ji-Hee flinched for a moment. But soon, she raised her voice angrily. "Yeah! Because of you, I ended things with Raven oppa too!"

At that moment, I took a phone out of my pocket and placed it on the table.

Tap.

Then, where Yoon Ji-Hee could clearly see, I started dialing a number.

[010-2777-XXXX]

Before pressing the call button, I asked once more, "You don't mind if I call and check, right?"

Yoon Ji-Hee's eyes widened. "How do you have a number that only he and I use...?"

'How? Because I met him myself before I regressed.'

"You don't need to worry about that. Let's just ask this Cheol-Yong guy whether it's really over or not."

Just as I was about to press the call button, Yoon Ji-Hee reached out to snatch my phone. "Don't call!"

I easily dodged her slow hand. Pulling the phone back, I gave Yoon Ji-Hee a warning as she stood there flustered.

"You asked what I'd do, right? Fine, I'll tell you. Every time you show up in front of Sae-Ri—no, in front of Cherry Blossom—I'll go find Kim Cheol-Yong. And what I do to him after that... you can imagine for yourself."

'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.'

If someone threatened or messed with the people I cared about, they had to be ready to be threatened the same way. I wasn't going to stand by like an idiot like before my regression and watch my artists get hurt.

Realizing that I wasn't bluffing, Yoon Ji-Hee's gaze slowly dropped. Then she lowered herself and began speaking politely. "I understand. I won't... ever show up in front of Sae-Ri again."

'Good. It worked.'

I nodded and said, "Right. And don't tell anyone you met me today."

"Okay."

"And take out your phone."

Yoon Ji-Hee hesitated. "Why my phone?"

"You came here planning to record something when you met them, didn't you?"

"That's..."

"I'm not going to give you a hard time, so just take it out. You just need to delete the file."

Yoon Ji-Hee fumbled for a moment before handing over her phone. As expected, the recording app was already on.

"I-I was going to tell you," Yoon Ji-Hee spoke hurriedly.

"Sure, I'll believe you. With Cheol-Yong involved, you wouldn't dare lie, right?"

Yoon Ji-Hee lowered her head. I took that moment to cleanly delete the recording file and handed the phone back.

"And this whole thing—was it your idea, or Director Hong Ah-Yoon's?"

Yoon Ji-Hee looked flustered. "D-Director Hong Ah-Yoon?"

"Don't try so hard. You're a terrible actress. And I already know enough, so just tell me."

Yoon Ji-Hee let out a long sigh before answering, "Yes. That's right. Ms. Hong told us to clean up our past first. And to bring back recordings too... She said that's the only way we'd get accepted onto Idol Once Again..."

I couldn't help but sigh at how pathetic it was. "Fine. I get it." I stood up and spoke to Yoon Ji-Hee. "I'm going to meet the other members now, so don't call them and tell them you met me. You're not exactly on good terms with each other anyway, right?"

"...Okay."

"Good. And let's not ever see each other again."

"...Yes. sir."

Leaving behind a completely deflated Yoon Ji-Hee, I calmly walked out of Cafe Tree Village.

'All right, Golden Road. Let's see your faces again after all this time.'

***

I met the remaining three Golden Road members—excluding their leader, Jang Eun-Yung—one after another at nearby cafés. And from each of them, I got a promise that they would never approach our girls again.

When I returned to the meeting room, Chief Lee Dong-Min and the Cherry Blossom members were all watching me anxiously.

"It turns out Hong Ah-Yoon put them up to it. They were trying to clean up their past."

At that moment, Lee Dong-Min couldn't hold back his anger and looked like he was about to storm out of the company. "I'm going to go deal with those—"

The staff in the room hurriedly stopped him. "Please calm down, Mr. Lee!"

"Let go! How dare they try to use our girls to clean themselves up! There's laundry that washes clean and laundry that doesn't! And what are our girls, soap? Detergent? Huh?! I said let go!"

Everyone had to grab onto Lee Dong-Min to hold him back as he shouted.

After a moment, out of breath, Lee Dong-Min dropped back into his seat.

Thud.

"Huff... huff... So what are we going to do now?"

"I made sure they won't even think about pulling something like this again, so you don't need to worry."

"Really?"

"Yes. And..." I looked at the Cherry Blossom members and said, "If you run into Golden Road from now on, don't go out of your way to acknowledge them. Just give a brief nod. They won't approach you either. Just treat them like strangers."

At that moment, Woo Yeon-Hee's eyes sparkled. She looked like she had caught on that there were things I hadn't told them. Still, being as perceptive as she was, she didn't ask and simply replied calmly.

"Okay. We'll make sure not to get into any unnecessary confrontations."

Just then, Sae-Ri suddenly clenched her fists and spoke. "I don't care even if they try something. I'm not going to just sit back anymore!"

Yang Eun-Bi, standing next to her, let out a scoff. "You used to run away every time you saw the Golden Road sunbaes, and now you're saying you won't just sit back?"

"Of course! I'm not the same Sae-Ri I used to be!"

Yoo Eun-Ah tilted her head curiously. "What are you going to do if they pick a fight with you, Sae-Ri?"

Flinch.

She clearly hadn't expected the question and hesitated. Then, as if she had found an answer, Sae-Ri broke into a bright smile and looked at me. "I'll just call Yoon-Ho oppa!"

Yang Eun-Bi snorted as if she expected that answer. "If it all comes back to Yoon-Ho oppa anyway, just call him from the start. And if it doesn't feel right, just avoid them. You little kid."

Yang Eun-Bi patted Sae-Ri's head, saying she was still immature.

Sae-Ri flailed her arms. "I told you not to call me a kid! Geez!"

Grab.

Thast's when Yang Eun-Bi caught both of Sae-Ri's flailing hands. "You're still not there yet, kid."

"Ugh! Someday I'll get my revenge!"

"When? In about 30 years?"

"Thirty won't be enough. Maybe 60 years!"

'Sae-Ri. You'd be seventy-seven by then.'

Yang Eun-Bi let out a small laugh. "I'll still be going strong by then."

"Then 70 years!"

At this rate, Sae-Ri would never get her revenge. Still, thanks to Yang Eun-Bi and Sae-Ri playfully bickering, the atmosphere lightened a bit.

Even Lee Dong-Min's expression softened slightly as he spoke. "Well, if Golden Road isn't going to pull anything else, that's a relief. But did Jang Eun-Yung contact anyone? She's the most cunning one."

"No. Jang Eun-Yung... didn't reach out to anyone separately."

"I see." Nodding, Lee Dong-Min turned to Cherry Blossom. "Then could you all step out for a moment? I think we need to discuss something among ourselves."

"Yes, Mr. Lee."

Woo Yeon-Hee gave a polite bow and led the others out.

Thud.

As the door closed and the girls disappeared, Lee Dong-Min's expression changed. "Everyone, pay attention for a moment."

As all eyes turned to him, he spoke with a hardened look. "I have no intention of letting this slide, what Director Hong Ah-Yoon pulled this time. Do you all agree?"

Team Lead Han Myung-Ho and Assistant Manager Lee Joo-Yung immediately agreed, their voices filled with anger.

"Absolutely! Their filthy scandals could've dragged down our girls' image for no reason!"

"If photos of them with Golden Road had come out, their past scandals would've been brought up again. This was completely intentional."

Lee Dong-Min nodded. "Right. Director Hong Ah-Yoon keeps poking at us Hoop Entertainment, so we can't just sit here and take it. If anyone has a good idea, speak up."

From that point on, all kinds of ideas started pouring out. However, most of them were conventional responses and nothing came up that could land a decisive blow.

Then Lee Dong-Min looked at me. "Chief Jung, don't you have anything?"

'Why wouldn't I?'

Of course I had a simple and effective way to put Hong Ah-Yoon in a very uncomfortable position.

***

At the Director's office in HK Entertainment, Hong Ah-Yoon was on the phone with Yoon Ji-Hee, wearing a faintly amused expression.

-It failed. Sae-Ri didn't come out. A talent agent showed up instead.

"Who? Jung Yoon-Ho?"

-No, not Jung Yoon-Ho. Ji-Yoo unnie came out.

"Team Lead Eun Ji-Yoo?"

-Yes.

"Then what about the recording? Did you get it?"

-She told me to take out my phone the moment she saw me, so I couldn't record anything.

"Fine. Got it."

Click.

The moment Hong Ah-Yoon ended the call, Jang Eun-Yung, who had been sitting on the sofa across from her, quickly bowed her head. "Ms. Hong, please forgive them."

Before calling Yoon Ji-Hee, she had already spoken to all the Golden Road members, and every one of them claimed that Team Lead Eun Ji-Yoo had shown up instead of Cherry Blossom. That meant all four of them had lied.

Hong Ah-Yoon scoffed. "Forgive them? Why should I forgive them? I can work with someone who's got a bad attitude, but I don't work with liars."

Right then, Hong Ah-Yoon's phone vibrated.

Buzz.

"Hold on. Let me take this first."

Hong Ah-Yoon checked her phone. It was PD Choi Go-Bong from KNET. She wondered why he was calling just a day before the broadcast of Idol Once Again.

Tilting her head slightly, Hong Ah-Yoon answered, "Hello?"

-Director Hong! What the hell do you think you're doing right now?!

"Why are you suddenly so angry?"

-An HK Entertainment interview just got published on Weekly Star, and you're playing dumb? I told you over and over to keep things confidential! And HK Entertainment goes and drops an article first?!

A sense of dread hit Hong Ah-Yoon, and she shouted urgently, "Wait! Just give me a second!"

Hong Ah-Yoon quickly pulled up the entertainment news section on her phone. And there it was—an article under HK Entertainment's name, sitting at number one.

[(Breaking) First reveal of KNET Idol Once Again cast. "All Golden Road members participating in the audition." Confirmed by an insider at HK Entertainment!]

-News has come in that all members of Golden Road will be participating in the audition for Idol Once Again.

Hoop Entertainment has also confirmed that as of yesterday, all contracts with Golden Road have been terminated.

Meanwhile, a high-ranking official from HK Entertainment hinted that PD Choi Go-Bong personally selected the cast.

(Comments)

-No way, Golden Road on Idol Once Again? Thought they were done for.

-Wow, that's insane. They're really coming out?

-If Golden Road is the first reveal, the rest of the lineup must be crazy too.

-But can they even go on TV without apologizing for their scandal?

-They'll probably do an apology broadcast on their personal channels.

-Watch them cry their eyes out and try to clean up their image lol. Still, they've got skills, so it might work.

...

There were only three people at the director level in HK Entertainment. They were President Pi Sang-Deuk, Vice President Ha Ill-Kwon, and Hong Ah-Yoon herself. They had planned a large surprise announcement event to match tomorrow's broadcast, so there was no way she would sabotage it herself.

"Mr. Choi! It's not me! Why would I do an interview like that? And you know President Pi and Vice President Ha aren't involved in this side of things!"

-You're really... not?

"I'm telling you, we absolutely didn't. Not a chance."

-Then where did it leak from?

"I'm sorry. I'll look into it right away and get back to you."

Choi Go-Bong let out a heavy breath.

-No, forget it. It's already out, and digging into it will just make things messier. We need to fix it first. Let's just make this article false.

"What?"

-Let's cut Golden Road entirely. That solves it. The lineup is already strong, so we don't need them badly enough to regret it.

Hong Ah-Yoon clenched her teeth. Even if today's attempt had failed, Golden Road was still a useful card. And she had already spent a considerable amount of money on the members' parents to pull them out in time for the contract termination. Still, Hong Ah-Yoon knew there was nothing to gain from clashing with Choi Go-Bong, so she eventually nodded.

"Fine. But not Eun-Yung."

-...Well, keeping one should be fine. And get to the company quickly. Let's start a strategy meeting.

"Yes. I'll be there soon."

Click.

The call ended, and Jang Eun-Yung, still acting as the leader, clung to Hong Ah-Yoon. "Ms. Hong, you promised that if we did as you said, we'd all get to appear in the audition!"

Hong Ah-Yoon glared sharply. "If you keep being a nuisance, I'll cut you out too. So shut your mouth."

Her tone was so cold that Jang Eun-Yung immediately fell silent. She had spoken up as the leader, but there was no real loyalty between them.

"The others will get a chance to rebuild by signing with HK Entertainment after the broadcast ends. So tell them to keep their mouths shut for now. Got it?"

"...Yes, Ms. Hong."

A moment later, as Hong Ah-Yoon stepped out of the office, she began grinding her teeth.

'Jung Yoon-Ho. You vicious bastard. Just fall flat on your face at least once!'

Right then, the tip of Hong Ah-Yoon's high heel caught on the floor, and she lost her balance.

Thud.

Hong Ah-Yoon staggered, barely catching herself against the wall in the hallway. She had just cursed Jung Yoon-Ho to fall, and nearly fell herself.

'Damn it. Damn it!'

For some reason, it felt like her luck had turned for the worse today.

***

Choi Go-Bong, the producer of Idol Once Again, denied that all Golden Road members would be appearing, calling the report false. And from that moment on, a joint media push by HK Entertainment and KNET began.

[KNET Idol Once Again premieres tonight at 10 p.m.!]

[PD Choi Go-Bong: "We will create a festival where you can meet the greatest star idols everyone knows."]

[The producers set the stage, but forming the ultimate superstar team is entirely up to the viewers.]

[PD Choi Go-Bong: "The reason S Company's audition program took first place was because I wasn't there." When the tiger's away, the fox becomes king?]

[Guess the idols appearing on Idol Once Again! Total of 30 participants. Luxurious prizes for anyone who guesses at least three correctly.]

...

After what seemed like two straight days of pouring money into media coverage, the earlier article about Golden Road's appearance was completely buried. Now, the entertainment section was filled with KNET and Choi Go-Bong's name. Because of that, tension filled the Ilsan set of Project I.O.A, which was preparing for its first live broadcast.

The current time was 7:50 p.m.. Outside the set, a long line of selected audience members had gathered to watch the live recording. However, even they were busy looking at KNET's articles, trying to guess which idols would appear.

On social media, everyone was talking about Idol Once Again.

PD Ji Yung-Sik let out a sigh. "As expected of PD Choi Go-Bong. His media play is no joke."

Indeed, that was Choi Go-Bong's specialty. Nevertheless, we had prepared for this too.

"Don't worry. We've made thorough preparations for the media battle as well," I said.

Ji Yung-Sik asked with a worried expression, "Do you think we can win?"

I answered without the slightest hesitation. "Yes. We'll definitely win."

After saying that, I called Lee Dong-Min, who was standing in front of the performance hall set. "Mr. Lee, let's begin."

-Okay!

At that moment, the weapon that Hoop Entertainment and I had prepared began to move.