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Chapter – 01
15-year veteran idol manager
“Top actress Bae Jina confesses long-term domestic abuse… husband is an idol manager at OO Entertainment”
“Tomorrow’s Best MC Bae Jina files for divorce after husband’s infidelity and domestic violence”
“What the hell is this nonsense?”
I saw the article that afternoon.
A phone call from a close younger colleague who worked at the same company.
— “Hyung, check the portal site articles quickly. It’s blowing up right now.”
At his urgent tone, I casually checked—and it was all about me.
“…Bae Jina, Bae Jina… please pick up the phone.”
What is going on?
Domestic violence? Divorce lawsuit?
My wife, who always stayed in the studio whenever filming schedules were set, only met me on weekends.
“She’s been hard to reach lately…”
My hands trembled.
But no matter how urgently I called, all I heard was the ringing tone.
In the end…
I gave up trying to contact my wife and immediately called the CEO of Magu Entertainment.
A short ring.
Then his voice came through.
[Yeah, Hwi-eon.]
“Hyung, did you see the articles?”
[What article?]
“The one about Jina. I don’t understand what’s going on.”
His voice was still unsteady.
But the tone coming from the other end of the line was unusually calm.
[So you’ve found out now.]
“…What? Hyung, what are you talking about?”
The CEO of Magu Entertainment.
He was like family to me—we had spent 15 years together.
Or was that just my illusion?
[Divorce Jina. You’ll be receiving the divorce papers soon.]
“…Hyung?”
He was the one who introduced Jina to me.
The CEO I called “hyung.”
Early twenties back then.
I had taken a leave from university and worked part-time at Magu Entertainment to pay tuition.
Fifteen years ago, it was a one-man agency.
There weren’t enough staff for odd jobs, so he sometimes hired part-timers—and he was the one who first suggested I work with him, saying I was the most diligent.
That was how it began.
My connection with “hyung.”
The salary wasn’t much.
But for someone whose future was uncertain, it was a valuable opportunity.
What he proposed was being an idol manager.
He confidently said he would soon grow trainees and turn Magu Entertainment into a huge company.
“…Hyung?”
[What are you talking about.]
“…Jina’s been acting strange lately.”
I had only recently begun to suspect she might be cheating.
Of course, there had been signs for a long time.
I just didn’t want to face them.
“The Jina who adored our daughter… hasn’t even been coming home lately.”
[What does that have to do with me?]
Jina’s days as an unknown actress had been long.
She had done minor roles but never gained recognition, and eventually failed to renew her contract with her previous agency, moving to Magu Entertainment.
That’s where I first met her.
I believed office romance was absolutely out of the question, so I had no interest in her.
Ironically, it was CEO Choi Magu who connected us.
“I know you’ve been contacting Hyung a lot recently.”
[Hey, don’t accuse innocent people!]
He shouted angrily.
But the call didn’t end.
[Oh right, Hwi-eon.]
“….”
[You’re going to have to pay full damages for the losses you caused our company.]
Maybe I should have known.
That he was a ruthless person.
Even after 15 years by his side, there was one reason I never fully trusted him…
Because I had seen him betray countless people.
“Hyung… please don’t do this. You know our situation.”
[Why should I care about your situation?]
Should I cry?
Should I beg?
Or should I get angry?
I wanted to curse him out and hang up, but I couldn’t bring myself to say the words rising in my throat.
“How am I supposed to face my daughter, Song-i… please, I’m begging you.”
[Don’t worry about that.]
“…What?”
[I’ll take care of Song-i.]
“…What are you—”
[Wouldn’t it be better for her to grow up with a rich stepfather than a broke dad?]
“…Hyung, you don’t mean that seriously, right?”
[That’s enough. I’m hanging up.]
Click.
It felt like even my sanity was being cut off.
What could I do right now?
My daughter had gone on a language training program recently.
She was exceptionally talented academically.
She had been selected through a school program with a supervising teacher, but the cost was significant, making things difficult.
But then…
The CEO said he would cover all expenses.
Under the guise of personal connection.
“I need to call my daughter…”
With trembling hands, I called her.
The line rang—but she didn’t pick up.
Was all of this the CEO’s plan?
This time, I called the supervising teacher.
No answer again.
Ah…
Now I realized—the time difference.
It was probably early morning there.
Should I wait?
Until when?
I should have noticed earlier.
That he had already begun his moves one by one.
That I was already too late to handle it.
After that…
I never heard from my daughter again.
I should have realized this was only the beginning of ruin.
“Wife of famous actress revealed to have embezzled company funds for years”
“OO Entertainment 15-year manager involved in scandal with idol under his care…”
“Funds managed under the pretense of protection transferred into personal account…”
That was the kind of person he was.
The kind who, once deciding to ruin someone’s life, would immediately act on it.
The agency was already stable.
Thanks to a boy group formed five years ago, the company was overflowing with money.
It was never a fair fight from the beginning.
“It was just something the CEO asked me to take care of!”
Now they were even calling it a scandal with an idol trainee?
There was a trainee who couldn’t adapt, so the CEO had asked me to look after them more carefully.
But now they had secretly taken photos of the two of us together and were calling it a scandal.
“These damn bastards…”
[Dad… were you really that kind of person?]
[My friends all found out… what am I supposed to do now?]
My daughter’s only call sounded like accusation.
After that, divorce papers arrived.
My wife—who had no concern for our daughter’s future and was eager to start a new life with another man—never showed her face.
She left only one sentence.
[Sign it.]
[Then Song-i will be safe.]
Safe…
[Let me raise Song-i. Please.]
I didn’t want to give custody to that shameless woman.
Then the CEO sent a termination notice.
Along with an official certification letter.
He said it wouldn’t end simply—false embezzlement charges and other crimes were being stacked against me.
If only I hadn’t ignored it when I first noticed…
Could I have avoided this miserable future?
.
.
.
When I opened my eyes again, it was early morning.
Light was seeping through the curtains.
Had I drunk too much last night?
“…Ugh.”
I must have fallen asleep in the living room, but it felt soft.
“Dad! You’re late, hurry up and take me!”
“…Huh?”
Wait, that was my daughter’s voice.
I forced my eyes open.
And then…
I saw my daughter—smaller than I remembered.
“Sa, Song-i… why are you—”
She was definitely much taller before.
She was in high school.
But now…
The Song-i in front of me looked like she was only 11 years old.
“Dad, what’s wrong?”
She asked with a bright smile.
Panicked, I reached for my phone.
I needed to check the date immediately.
And then…
What I picked up was an old phone, the one I used before upgrading to a newer smartphone.
“20XX / Month / Day”
I had gone back five years.
