IJLMT 62

Chapter 62

“Director Yoo Hyun-jae, you must be extremely busy these days.”

“…Are you really going to call me that?”

“Of course. There’s a corporate hierarchy. Naturally, one should use the appropriate title.”

The one who said that was Director Jo Min-soo.

“Technically, I’m just doubling as a team leader. Just call me like before.”

“Oh, come on. What does ‘technically’ matter? What’s printed on the business card is what counts. And technically speaking, aren’t you the eye of the storm at our company? Should I just call you ‘Typhoon’?”

“You seem to be enjoying yourself. Your subordinate got promoted straight past you in just half a year.”

Jo Min-soo burst out laughing.

“A capable person rises, the company runs better, and by learning from him my own work goes smoothly. What’s not to enjoy?”

“…Your honorifics are creeping me out. We’re outside the building right now. Outside the company. Please, just talk casually.”

“I meant it sincerely.”

I still vividly remembered the Jo Min-soo I’d met right after he transferred from the MD department to Management. His blunt expression, rational way of handling work—and the concern and affection hidden beneath that bluntness. Hearing him speak formally to me just felt wrong.

After I begged him, Min-soo agreed to drop honorifics outside the office only.

“But still, this situation is kind of funny, Hyun-jae.”

“How so?”

“Aren’t you basically at the center of the whole ‘national pride’ frenzy right now?”

“Huh?”

National pride? Out of nowhere?

“Celebrities search their own names on portals all the time. You don’t have that urge?”

As he said that, Min-soo held out his phone.

[Why is the Japanese government walking on eggshells around Korea? A huge spark ignited by Yoo Hyun-jae]
[Yoo Hyun-jae even won over a conglomerate chairman—Japan’s entire entertainment industry shaken by Nova Girls]
[Japanese corporations on high alert over a girl group supported by Aaron Hersk]
[Yoo Hyun-jae at the center of promoting national prestige. Are the artists he manages shaking the world?]
[Direct comparison: Korea’s Nova Girls vs Japan’s Night Moth!]

“This is embarrassing. Doesn’t it sound kind of like North Korean news?”

“Those nationalist channels go crazy over Korea–Japan matchups. Once you frame it like that, everyone loses their mind. Akita praising you turned into an article, so now you’re basically Korea’s representative.”

“Is this really something you’d call a Korea–Japan showdown…?”

“SERF brought it on themselves by pulling the ‘Night Moth coming to Korea’ card to counter it.”

Getting attention was good, but I wondered if this kind of attention was really okay.

This wasn’t a Korea–Japan showdown. It was simply people who recognized Nova Girls’ value competing against those who didn’t. If anything, it was JM & Kamisumire vs SERF.

“Communities are going nuts too.”

Jo Min-soo switched the screen.

• How do you even compare a rock band and a girl group? Just enjoy both—stop forcing nationalism into it

• Is it real that the Japanese government isn’t sanctioning SERF at all? Nova Girls should crush them so they wake up

• Yoo Hyun-jae is seriously promoting national prestige, scrubbing out Korea’s filth and fighting shady Japanese companies

• Isn’t the nationalism being injected into Nova Girls a bit too much? Honestly, Night Moth sings better

• Are the genres even the same, you idiots? This is like pitting Mazinger Z against Yonggary

• Still, absolute vocal skill is a thing

• If Mazinger and Yonggary fought, who’d win?

“Wow. This is chaos.”

People pushing the Korea–Japan narrative. People angry that it isn’t one. People comparing Night Moth. People angry about the comparison. People angry about praising a Japanese group. People angry that others are angry about praising a Japanese group.

“It’s the same on the Japanese side.”

I searched too and ran everything through a translator. Different language, same content. People raging about Hallyu. People raging at those people, telling them to just listen first.

Nova Girls were Nova Girls. Night Moth were Night Moth. Why were people forcibly attaching nationality labels and fighting over it?

Well, that wasn’t something I could understand anyway.

“I feel bad for the people fighting, but for us, this is great.”

“Right?”

Jo Min-soo and I smiled at each other. Communities always fight—out of anger, or just for fun. If there’s nothing to fight about, they’ll argue over whether a spear is stronger than a sword. But right now, nearly every community was fighting over Nova Girls. That alone proved how much attention both Korea and Japan were giving them.

Still, there was a small discomfort lingering in my chest.

I just hope it doesn’t turn into outright Korea–Japan hostility…

That evening, however, something happened that completely changed the direction of the conflict.

@YoruChouEL

• Yes! I finally got a ticket transfer! Flying to Korea to watch a legendary stage live, zoom~

? ?????
? Aren’t you preparing for a Korea concert?
? You’re an idol from a rival company—are you allowed to tweet this? Didn’t two ARARE members get chewed out for less?

Night Moth’s vocalist, Eru, had uploaded a proof shot holding a Nova Girls showcase ticket. To the concerned comments, Eru replied:

@YoruChouEL

• I’ll stay in Korea afterward to continue preparing.

• I’m just going to see a group I like. What’s the problem?

***

CBS reporter Yoon Seo-hoon felt something strange.

How should he describe it? He was covering separate incidents, yet it felt like someone’s will was threading through all of them.

The world was chaotic. Or maybe it had always been chaotic, and it was only becoming visible now. In times like these, the Tracking the Case team couldn’t stay still.

Yoon Seo-hoon was deeply interested in this case. Everyone talked about how dirty and messed up the world was, but there were vague gaps in how—and why—this particular mess had been resolved.

The team barely managed to arrange an interview with PD Na Seok-hoon. Though he had carried out vote manipulation, he couldn’t avoid responsibility—but since Yoo Hyun-jae had exposed it before any tangible harm occurred, and Na had actively reported KBC leadership on social media, it didn’t look like he’d face severe punishment.

Na Seok-hoon was at home, not detained. Surprisingly, he looked relaxed.

After exchanging formalities, Seo-hoon asked:

“So, PD Na, did you feel reluctant about the vote manipulation from the start?”

“Of course! How could I not care about a program I planned myself? A battle royale of legendary singers—I wanted to see that run properly…”

“Then why did you go through with it?”

“I was scared. Do you know how solid the director line was? If you crossed them, you wouldn’t just be finished at KBC—every kind of retaliation would come at you.”

“I see. Retaliation…”

Something about that bothered Seo-hoon.

“But after the broadcast, you uploaded footage of the rigged voting site and actively blew the whistle. If you were that afraid, why the sudden courage?”

Inside, Seo-hoon suspected:

Is this guy pretending to be a victim when he’s actually part of the same group?

But the answer surprised him.

“Well… I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this…”

“Were you silenced by someone?”

“No, nothing like that. No one told me not to talk. And at this point, it probably doesn’t matter.”

“What do you mean?”

“Director Yoo Hyun-jae from JM helped me with everything. That’s why I could find the courage.”

“…What?”

Yoo Hyun-jae’s name appeared constantly in the media lately—the man acknowledged by Akita Shinichi of Kamisumire, the man who revived Nova Girls, the man who confronted Park Bong-won, a former pawn of Pale Moon, the fearless man who kicked away a rigged ballot box.

That was as much as the press knew.

“How did he say he would help you?”

“He said I wouldn’t take the fall. That I’d receive punishment strictly proportional to my fault. That KBC and Hanwoon Daily would never be able to retaliate.”

“……”

“When he kicked the ballot box and exploded in anger, I thought I’d never seen someone so terrifying. But thinking about it… there’s no one more upright than him. He immediately considered the pressure I’d been under, and he’s still checking on me. Asking if anyone’s threatening me again. He could’ve used me like a chess piece and discarded me… but he didn’t. He’s an incredible man.”

Na Seok-hoon spoke as if describing a saint.

“Wait—hold on.”

Seo-hoon stumbled over his words. This wasn’t where he expected the story to go.

“Are you saying Manager Yoo Hyun-jae threatened KBC and Hanwoon Daily? Does he really have that kind of power?”

What kind of power would that even require? KBC belonged to the Kang Kyung-soo Scholarship Foundation, deeply tied to political power. Hanwoon Daily was a historic newspaper with long-suspected Japanese connections—money laundered through layered paper companies.

Yoo Hyun-jae was just a manager. No political or corporate backing.

So how did he land a punch on KBC and Hanwoon?

It sounded like nonsense—but in reality, both outlets had been hit. Baekje Daily threw the punch, but no one knew who led the investigation.

“How did you take it when he said that? Didn’t it sound unrealistic? Did you just go along because you had no other option?”

Na Seok-hoon looked at Seo-hoon as if that thought had never crossed his mind.

“Unrealistic? If you meet him in person, you won’t say that. He caught the vote rigging from a single glance. His words carry weight.”

“From a glance alone? Nothing else?”

“You’ll understand if you meet him yourself.”

“….”

This felt eerily familiar. Seo-hoon recalled interviewing supporters of politician Heo Ju-young—people who believed he could levitate and cure illness just by making eye contact.

Was this the same thing?

But this time, there seemed to be evidence.

Next, Seo-hoon went to the prison. He barely secured an interview with Park Bong-won to learn what led to his altercation with Yoo Hyun-jae in a park restroom.

The moment Yoo Hyun-jae was mentioned, Park Bong-won’s lips trembled.

“That man… he’s not normal.”

“You mean his guts or physical ability? You attacked him because of Im Yu-joo, correct?”

Park bowed his head.

“It’s not that simple.”

“Then what is it?”

“…You have to meet him yourself. I can’t put it into words. That feeling—like he sees straight through to the bottom of you. He’s terrifying. He knew everything we’d hidden.”

Knew everything?

Then maybe this wasn’t just another story of Yoo Hyun-jae bravely standing up.

“Didn’t you deal with plenty of scary people? Like Seol In-cheol of the Seongsin faction?”

“Compare things properly. It’s a different dimension. That fear… that overwhelming fear—you people wouldn’t understand!”

At this point, Seo-hoon was utterly confused. How deeply was Yoo Hyun-jae involved in all of this? He didn’t seem like a bad person—but that wasn’t what Seo-hoon really wanted to know.

What kind of person is he?

One called him the most upright man alive. Another called him the most terrifying.

A terrifying paragon? What even was that?

I really want to know… Yoo Hyun-jae.

***

Night Moth’s vocalist Eru—real name Hidaka Shiori—pulled her cap low as she entered Jangchung Gymnasium.

The stage JM and Kamisumire planned… what’s really different about it?

Pretending to be a Nova Girls fan on SNS had been half a lie. She felt neither like nor dislike—she was just tired of the noise.

Shiori recalled articles mentioning Akita Shinichi and Yoo Hyun-jae.

• Yoo Hyun-jae is wise and logical; SERF’s demands were self-centered and strategically flawed

• Both Kamisumire and JM strive to understand and respect their artists’ appeal

That was why she wanted to see the stage herself.

Respect the artist? Isn’t that just talk? What matters is success.

Shiori knew SERF was controlling and forceful. She’d played in underground live houses since her second year of high school before being recruited by SERF.

She was excited at first. After that—it was just work. Wearing men’s clothing for “cool concepts,” posing stiffly for photo shoots, being told what concept to compose under even while writing her own songs.

She accepted it. That’s what success required.

But then—

• There was no misunderstanding in negotiations with SERF. They said dumplings should be eaten with soy sauce; we simply didn’t agree.

That was what she wanted to confirm.

Are you really different from us?

As entry finished and the announcement rang out—

“Ah?”

The entire gym went dark. Only one light remained—white, star-like, shining at the center of the stage.

• Even when I want to collapse, I keep walking. I’ll live as my heart desires.

The singing came from the audience.