IKC C8

Chapter 8

My trembling legs gave out and I collapsed. Before I hit the ground, Seong Sehan hoisted me onto his back.

“This won’t do. We’re going to the hospital.”

“N-no! I’m not hurt… really, I’m fine!”

Even as I refused firmly, he didn’t budge. Breaking into a run, he barked out words in panic:

“The manager-hyung is waiting at the entrance. We’ll go straight to the ER. No—should I just call an ambulance? Hey, Lee Taegyeong! Don’t pass out, you hear me? Stay with me!”

His frantic panic actually helped clear my head. The narrow, dark path leading from the apartment entrance worried me—he might stumble while running with me on his back.

“Sehan! Just… wait, put me down first. Hey, stop for a second!”

When he ignored me, I grabbed handfuls of his perfectly styled hair and yanked.

“Ow, ow! Hey!”

“I told you I’m fine, why don’t you ever listen?”

Finally staggering to a halt, he let me down.

“Let me check your legs—here… are they okay?”

I pressed along his thighs and calves. He flinched at my sudden touches.

“L-Lee Taegyeong, w-what the hell are you doing?”

“Your legs. Does anything hurt?”

“…No?”

Judging from how strong he’d run, he really was fine. Then I grabbed both his arms.

“And your arms? Any pain? Try moving them.”

“…Why are you suddenly obsessed with my arms and legs?”

Though he seemed unharmed, my heart wouldn’t slow down. After thoroughly checking his limbs, I finally retreated a step.

“Sehan, promise me. If anything hurts, you call me immediately. Got it?”

“…Hm.”

He stared at me, eyebrows drawn low, an expression unreadable.

“And if I do, what will you do about it?”

“I’ll run to you. Right away.”

He smirked, then half-covered his mouth as though pretending to think, poorly hiding the laugh slipping out. My gut churned with frustration.

“Seong Sehan, I’m not joking. If your arms or legs hurt, tell me at once.”

“Well… since you’re asking, fine, I’ll do it.”

This wasn’t a laughing matter. Sehan—you could actually die. And I was supposed to prevent that… yet he was still acting like this.

“Lee Taegyeong, if you’re hurt, you’d better call me right away too. Understand?”

“Sehan.”

I brushed dirt from his knees, where he’d gotten them dirty carrying me, and looked straight into his eyes.

“I’ve been thinking. Nothing’s more precious than health. Forget everything else—living long and staying healthy is the real definition of success! So take care of yourself, okay? And… hey, quit it!”

Sehan grabbed my head, twisting it this way and that, making me stumble.

“What the hell are you doing!”

“Hm. No fever. So why are you acting like this? You hiding something from me? If you are, you’ll regret it—I will wring it out of you.”

His strength was overwhelming—I had to struggle just to tear free.

“I’m not hiding anything!”

I barely had energy left for more bickering.

“By the way, Sehan. I think we might just be able to debut with an album this spring.”

As soon as I said it, my chest ached tight.

His eyes flew open, then a radiant smile lit his face, joy unrestrained.

“Finally!”

He looked up at the sky for a few moments before fixing me with a daring grin.

“Now life’s about to get interesting.”

Early the next morning, I was summoned by Deputy Director Kim Hyungseok.

I’d expected it—but not that Head of A&R, Jang Joomi, would also be waiting beside him, face stone cold.

“Taegyeong—did you really say you wanted to leave the company yesterday?”

Both stood side by side with Geonwoo-hyung, the three of them staring down coldly at me. My shoulders hunched instinctively, like a criminal about to face judgment.

“When did you start thinking that?”

Head Jang Joomi was the one who had scouted and nurtured Seol Yeeun, the pillar of our company.

Yeeun noona was my idol—the solo singer I revered, the reason I’d joined Global Entertainment in the first place. I’d been proud that someone like her admired my voice.

“Let me be honest with you, Team Leader.”

But if Global kept throwing our debut behind everyone else, I couldn’t revere this place anymore.

“I’m twenty now. The debut album promised to us is a year overdue. How much longer am I supposed to just wait?”

Deputy Director Kim clicked his tongue, exasperated.

“So what—you planning to jump ship to another agency?”

Though small, his presence radiated charisma. He looked down on me like I was utterly hopeless, and for a moment I faltered.

“I’ll think about that slowly.”

“Taegyeong! What the hell are you doing…?”

My hard resolve left Geonwoo-hyung pale as chalk.

“Can you even deal with the fallout if you go this route? Apologize immediately—say you’ll work hard to prepare for the debut properly!”

His face kept flushing red then blanching white with panic, but with both the director and head glaring icily at me, I couldn’t even comfort him.

“Taegyeong, the album’s coming out before July anyway. Why make trouble? This isn’t like you.”

Head Jang’s words were a lie. Our album wouldn’t drop until October.

Honestly—July or October, what did it matter? If the debut song itself didn’t change, nothing about our situation would.

I dropped my hands calmly onto the table, leaned into my chair. It might’ve looked arrogant, but maybe then they’d actually listen to what I said.

“If we don’t debut before April, then it’s meaningless. Like I said yesterday—I’ll give up on debuting under Global.”

“Taegyeong…!”

Geonwoo-hyung’s lips trembled.

“Lee Taegyeong! Where did you even learn to act like this?”

Deputy Director Kim hurled his pen at the table, shaking his head in disbelief.

“You’re out of the debut lineup. And when your trainee contract ends in September, don’t even dream of joining another agency. Consider that final.”

Geonwoo-hyung looked shocked out of his wits. Team Leader Jang only studied me in silence.

I clenched, forcing myself not to shake, though it felt like my heart had plummeted straight to the floor.

“Sir, then formally…”

Hands shaking under the table, I gripped them together tight. My palms were damp with sweat.

The atmosphere in the room had grown heavy as iron when Deputy Kim’s glare stabbed into me, Team Leader Jang’s brows furrowed.

“I want to formally request contract termination.”

“…Ha! You’ve got to be kidding.”

Kim burst out laughing—it was just that absurd to him. I turned instead to Jang, her serious face unreadable.

“The reason our debut album’s been delayed over a year is because the company abandoned us.”

An exaggeration—but a necessary card to play.

“…What?”

“What are you saying?”

Their voices burst sharp with shock, but I pushed on calmly.

“While our album was delayed, we couldn’t even get proper vocal lessons. The choreographers focused all their energy on the girl group debut team, leaving us sidelined. You knew that.”

“Do you even realize what you’re saying? This company’s biggest priority is the boy group debut lineup—”

“And on top of that, our manager, Sungwook-hyung, constantly hurled verbal abuse and even objects at me.”

I added the last blow. Harsh, but true.

Deputy Kim leaned forward, face twisting like thunder. His expression loomed close enough to swallow me.

“Lee Taegyeong—you realize the seriousness of what you’re saying? Can you take responsibility?”

As someone who already knew the future—I would take responsibility. For our team’s success. I had to.

If only—someone, anyone—would take my side.

I forced a calm face, though inside, my fragile heart trembled painfully.

“He never directly punched me—but as a habit, he threw things at me. Once, he even threw a phone. That time Seong Sehan jumped in, and he got hit hard in my place.”

I froze. The moment Seong Sehan’s name left my mouth, it was like a light switched on.

Of course. I had someone who would always be my strongest ally.

The director and team leader’s faces drained pale. I straightened my spine. My chest eased.

“He bled a lot from his forehead that time…”

And there—since Sehan’s name entered the conversation, they could hardly hide their unease. For someone like him, even a minor cough became headline news. And now, I had weaponized his name in this debate.

“We even got a doctor’s certificate from the hospital and video footage of the wound. As for verbal abuse, Sehan recorded it multiple times. Back then, he was so furious he wanted to sue the company, and I barely calmed him down.”

The entire room froze like ice, waiting for someone to dare speak first.

I turned to Geonwoo-hyung, whose face had fallen into despair.

“If this contract isn’t terminated, I’ll gather all the evidence of the unfair treatment I’ve endured and hire a lawyer.”