I Became An Idol To Pay Off My Debt

“Haaam….”

I woke up on a somewhat unfamiliar bed and instinctively looked to my side.

But….

“Unnie…, Hmm…?”

Seo Yoo-jin, who had been by my side for the past year, was gone.

Of course, it made sense. This wasn’t the Rookies dormitory; it was a hotel arranged by Kang Hyung-man.

After leaving the Rookies dormitory with nowhere else to go, I had taken Kang Hyung-man’s advice and settled in for a long stay at a hotel.

In the past, just the cost of one night would make me shake in fear, but now it was no problem whatsoever.

And no wonder….

I was rich now.

I had heard rumors that A-list idols in South Korea made a ton of money, but I didn’t have high expectations.

Rookies was a project group with several agencies involved, so I thought there wouldn’t be much left for me after all the cuts.

“Uh, Director Jeong. Is this settlement money correct?”

“Yes, it should have come in today. Is there a problem?”

“Ah, no… Why is it so much….”

It turns out Rookies had achieved far greater success than I thought, and I received an astronomical settlement.

With my bank account looking healthy, my life felt more comfortable.

I looked out the window while sipping high-quality black tea that I previously would have never even tasted.

“Somehow,… I’m successful.”

I had suddenly become young and rich.

Of course, I couldn’t live a luxurious lifestyle like this for the rest of my life with the money I had in my account, but at least for the next few years, I could relax and enjoy.

“What should I do?”

Unlike before, I could now choose what I wanted to do.

What I wanted to do right now….

Only one thing came to mind.

Knock knock.

“Oh, are you already here?”

I put down my tea cup and opened the door at the sound of knocking.

As I opened the door….

“Ye-rin, are you ready?”

The ever-gruff Sang-gu greeted me.

“Yes, I’m all set to go.”

“Then let’s go.”

“Yep.”

In fact, Sang-gu, as one of the directors of Brotherhood Planning, didn’t have to do this road manager work anymore.

But he insisted on being my temporary manager because he felt anxious about leaving it to someone else.

“You might meet people in the elevator, so grab your sunglasses and hat.”

“Okay.”

So I casually went down to the parking lot with Sang-gu and hopped into a black sedan.

As soon as I got in the car, Sang-gu asked with his signature expressionless face.

“Ye-rin.”

“Yes?”

“It’s none of my business, but… are you really okay with this?”

“With what… ah.”

I immediately understood what Sang-gu was referring to.

A week ago.

I had declared to Kang Hyung-man as soon as I returned to Brotherhood Planning.

“I want to debut right away.”

That’s right.

Even though my life had become more comfortable and I had more money….

I wanted to stand on stage again and go to my fans.

That’s what I wanted most right now.

“Jumping straight into a debut is fine, but you’ve worked hard for a year, so taking a little break…”

Sang-gu seemed to want me to take it easy and rest a bit, but I shook my head firmly.

“No, I want to debut right away.”

“…Okay.”

Sang-gu chuckled at my resoluteness and started the car.

“Then let’s head to the Brotherhood Planning office. The president is waiting.”

Our destination was the Brotherhood Planning office, where Kang Hyung-man waited.

—

NAS Entertainment was a big company.

Not just idols, but with drama, movies, and related staff, the headquarters was always bustling.

In contrast, Brotherhood Planning?

Honestly, it would be embarrassing to even call it a small business; it was a startup.

Before I debuted in Rookies, the Brotherhood Planning office felt desolate, almost like our little hideout.

But….

“Welcome, Director Jo, Ye-rin!”

A lot had changed at Brotherhood Planning during the year I was active with Rookies.

To put it accurately, it now felt like a real company.

The structure was established, and instead of the usual goons I saw every day, there were now ordinary-looking staff.

“Ye-rin, let’s go. The boss… I mean, the president is in the meeting room.”

“Yes….”

The changes in Brotherhood Planning were truly astonishing.

As I was following Sang-gu, marveling at the changes, I suddenly heard.

“Oh?!”

“Is that… Ha Ye-rin sunbaenim?!”

“No way…!!”

“……?”

Somewhere, I heard reactions that sounded quite surprised at my presence.

Thinking they might be my fans, I turned my head to look….

“L-Look over here…!”

“H-Hello! Sunbae-nim!”

“Hello!!!! Sunbae-nim! I’m a fan!!”

“Ah…, yes. Hello….”

A bunch of girls with eager eyes bowed their heads and flushed red.

They looked a bit younger than me, so why were they here? And sunbae-nim?

Just as I was tilting my head, about to ask Sang-gu who they were….

“You guys! Get back to practicing!”

Dancer trainer Lee Ji-woo came up from the basement practice room.

“You all hurry up… huh? Ye-rin!”

“Ji-woo!”

I greeted Ji-woo cheerfully, and she returned the greeting, introducing me to the girls beside her.

“Ah, Ye-rin probably doesn’t know these girls yet. They are the new trainees at Brotherhood Planning.”

“Oh…. So, they are trainees.”

Of course, Brotherhood Planning wasn’t just my company; to survive in this tough entertainment industry, many affiliated entertainers were necessary.

As I nodded in understanding, Ji-woo got closer and whispered.

“They really look up to you. Say a word of encouragement.”

“……”

Somehow, the way the trainees looked at me was quite overwhelming. Perhaps they were only here because they recognized my name.

So, I awkwardly clenched my fist in front of the sparkling eyes of the trainees and cheered them on.

“Brotherhood Planning is a good company. If you work hard, you’ll be able to shine… Fighting!”

“Woohoo!”

“Ye-ye-rin sunbae-nim cheered us on…!”

“I’m a real fan! Thank you! Thank you…!”

After I played politician for a moment and shook hands with the trainees, I was finally able to take the elevator back up.

As soon as I got in the elevator, I asked Sang-gu secretly.

“Sang-gu oppa… are those trainees debuting with me?”

“They are hardworking kids, but they aren’t at your level. According to Ji-woo, they need another 2-3 years of practice.”

“Phew… that’s a relief.”

I was worried Brotherhood Planning was pulling a “small company” stunt, but thankfully, that didn’t seem to be the case.

I did want to re-debut soon, but I wanted to avoid playing the role of a big sister.

“So then, who will I debut with?”

“Well, we’ll decide that now.”

Ding.

The elevator stopped, and we got off on the 5th floor where the meeting room was located.

And as soon as we entered the meeting room… there was Kang Hyung-man waiting for me.

The president of Brotherhood Planning and my benefactor, Kang Hyung-man.

Even though I had met him several times over the past few days… every time we met, a smile crept onto my face.

“President, I’m back.”

“Ah, is that the greeting you’ve been saying every day?”

As I walked into the meeting room, Kang Hyung-man instinctively patted my head.

His face was filled with a smile just like mine.

“Good to see you.”

As I received his affectionate pat and smiled back at him, it felt like returning home after a long trip.

—

Me, Kang Hyung-man, and Sang-gu.

A modest meeting with just the three of us began.

“To be honest, Brotherhood Planning lacks many things.”

Kang Hyung-man calmly stated the current situation of Brotherhood Planning.

“Entertainment is certainly not an easy business. Even after a year,… Brotherhood Planning has not firmly established itself.”

“Ah….”

“We lack the technology, talent, and experience to start work right now.”

“Then what do we have at Brotherhood Planning right now?”

I asked, and Kang Hyung-man smiled gently and replied.

“Cash.”

“……”

“I can assure you. Our cash holdings at Brotherhood Planning are among the top five in Korea’s entertainment industry.”

…That’s the class of a former loan shark, huh?

Seeing Kang Hyung-man speak with such confidence, it seemed that there were no issues with capital.

‘So they have money, but lack everything else…’

You might say you could just buy that, but it’s not an easy task.

What Brotherhood Planning needed right now was experience and talent.

In other words, we needed to secure talent who have years of experience in the entertainment industry….

Even if we offered a lot of money, the chances of those talents coming to a startup like Brotherhood Planning were slim.

‘…If they’re not fools, they’d think their careers would go off track if they came to a small company.’

Unless they were idiots, no one would voluntarily come to such a small company….

“But recently, a famous producer expressed interest in our company.”

…Was I imagining things?

“Really?”

It seemed someone actually wanted to come to such an empty company.

“Who is it? Someone famous? Do I know them?”

“You know them, Ye-rin, and they are very famous. I’ve called them here, and… they should be arriving soon.”

Someone famous whom I knew?

I don’t know many producers!

Could it be……?

Click.

While I was guessing who it could be, I heard a door opening sound.

And then….

“Ah, am I late? I’m sorry.”

“No, please have a seat.”

…Turning around at the strangely familiar voice, I saw.

“Hello, Ye-rin.”

“……Amazing.”

It was the very face I had thought of smiling at me.

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