Episode 28. Workplace Harassment (2)
‘So this is how you carefully eliminate anything that could be used against you?’
It wasn’t even funny. Then shouldn’t he just behave properly himself?
When I meekly held out my phone, Jang Junhu snatched it from my hands.
‘It’s useless anyway.’
The photos of the break room entrance had already been deleted before I even entered the break room.
Those photos had already fulfilled their purpose by alerting me to the situation.
Whether intentional or not, I had no intention of using anything with illegal elements, no matter what benefits followed.
The system seemed to share my intention. Because the moment I deleted all the photos, this notification popped up.
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[SYSTEM] Penalties are waived for ‘Eul’ in accordance with compliance with ‘Professional Ethics.’
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Unlike ‘Tasks,’ which granted rewards upon completion but carried no penalties for failure, ‘Professional Ethics’ seemed to impose punishment only when not observed.
‘I guess it means don’t use shortcuts and act properly.’
For someone like me, who suffered from pangs of conscience if I didn’t even follow Hanpyeong Industries’ absurd company rules, I thought it was a useless rule, but…
After that, Jang Junhu held onto my phone and rummaged through it for quite a while.
“Hey, take it.”
“Yes, thank you!”
And when nothing in particular came up, he returned it with an uneasy expression.
“But Senior.”
Following the rules was one thing.
“Did Seongbin perhaps do something that deserved a severe scolding from you?”
Pointing out wrongs was a different matter.
Where does an ajusshi pushing forty get off chewing out a kid who hasn’t even dried the blood on his head?
Perhaps my words sounded unpleasant to him as well, because Jang Junhu’s eyebrows twitched.
“What do you mean by that?”
“From what could be seen outside, it looked like Seongbin was being scolded by you, Senior.”
“Hyung, that’s not it……!”
This time, Jeong Seongbin, his face pale as a sheet, grabbed my arm.
Jang Junhu spoke with a smile.
“He’s saying it’s not like that. Don’t go around talking carelessly.”
“Isn’t it you who should be careful about your behavior in public, Senior?”
“What?”
What I had said was that it *looked* like Jeong Seongbin was being scolded by him.
If Jang Junhu had simply said, ‘Did it look like that? That wasn’t the situation, I should be more careful,’ it would have been the end of it.
‘He’s the one who flew off the handle and made the situation a foregone conclusion.’
The speed at which he shot himself in the foot was top-tier.
That man didn’t seem capable of being a wise person.
Expecting humanity from someone who acted like this was laughable anyway.
“Your intention may not have been that, but if others see it wrong and misunderstand, it’s rather unpleasant, isn’t it?”
“Are you lecturing me right now?”
“No. I was seriously contemplating it.”
Looking at Jang Junhu, who seemed to be trying to pressure me, I suppressed a laugh.
Was he seriously trying to create an intimidating atmosphere that had zero effect on me, someone tempered by Department Head Nam?
Unfortunately, he was ten years too early.
“I was contemplating whether it’s acceptable to be at an agency that confiscates and inspects passing people’s phones without even being caught scolding a trainee.”
Of course, I had no intention of leaving. Rather, if they told me to leave, I would be the one groveling and admitting fault.
‘But the current situation is unconditionally unfavorable to Jang Junhu.’
If I were a trainee who had spent years grinding away at UA like Jeong Seongbin, I would have had no choice but to bow down to Jang Junhu.
After all, he was a great senior in the industry, and we were family eating from the same pot at the same agency.
The more one had to lose, the more one had to yield before those with power.
But I was a trainee who knew nothing and had just entered the agency.
Meaning I was closer to outside society than the entertainment industry—a newbie who had nothing externally to lose even if Jang Junhu exerted outside pressure right now.
‘Unless he wants to trend over an issue like the downfall of a famous singer who tried to bury a trainee in the industry for whistleblowing their shameful secret……’
A whistleblower’s report was bound to be constantly doubted for its authenticity and evidence.
And I could sufficiently prove that I was actually affiliated with UA with just a single contract.
That was the reason I could act like a clear-eyed newcomer whose sense for reading the room had completely died.
Someone who would rummage through a stranger’s phone and even destroy evidence wouldn’t be completely unable to use his head.
Besides, he was ten years older than me. He was at an age where he should have seen his share of mud-slinging fights several times over.
“Ha, f*ck…….”
Jang Junhu let out a hollow laugh and muttered.
He seemed to have reached the conclusion that there was nothing good for him in winning against me here.
He had probably even predicted the public reaction if he chewed me out for the crime of hurting his feelings and I exposed everything.
≫ Is it a fact that JJH power-harassed a trainee at UA?
└ Yeah, it’s a fact. The one who exposed it provided verification too.
└ But judging from just the post, saying it’s power harassment is a bit…… Putting it in neutral gear for now.
└ F*ck these fence-sitters, can’t they just split themselves in half and throw one to each side? If they’re gonna spout neutral gear bullshit all the time, it’d be easier if they just divided their brains in two beforehand.
≫ Who even is JJH?
Is this post only talking about JJH?
└ There’s a singer who briefly blew up and immediately became a has-been lol
└ Creepy old man to kids who are just preparing to debut ㅠㅠ
This too was a moderate reaction that could only come out when I hadn’t debuted.
If I had debuted, there would be more talk like, ‘It’s noise marketing,’ or, ‘He was rude to his senior,’ but such assumptions meant nothing to Jang Junhu, who was thinking I could leave UA at any time.
In the end, Jang Junhu left the break room after only telling me to watch my mouth. He slammed the door so hard I wondered if the latch might have broken.
“Hyung…… are you okay?”
Jeong Seongbin, who had been caught between me and Jang Junhu like a crushed can, asked while crouching.
“What wouldn’t be okay about me?”
“That’s a relief. ……Um, did you say the manager called for me?”
“Ah. I lied about that to get into the break room.”
“Huh?”
“More importantly, Seongbin.”
“……Yes.”
“Don’t you think we have something to talk about with us?”
At my words, Jeong Seongbin hesitated, then nodded.
It was the second assembly since the fiery clash of wills between Choi Jeho and Gang Giyeon.
* * *
Even Jeong Seongbin himself thought he hadn’t been this kind of person from the start.
Because he had always had a gift for working hard and never giving up.
He was certain that the time he spent working hard would someday become his asset.
So the years of trainee life hadn’t been difficult at all.
Until he met such a difficult senior.
‘A trainee?’
‘He is, but he’s been singing for a long time too, and he’s really good. Even Euni acknowledged him.’
‘Hyung, don’t I have enough standing to receive a song with a trainee’s guide?’
Was it a problem that someone as inexperienced and green as himself was put in charge of a guide for someone who had already debuted?
Or was his skill truly so lacking that it was embarrassing to show others?
‘Hey. You recorded like this and nobody in A&R said anything?’
‘I’ve been listening to your guide, you know? But your voice isn’t exactly a commercial tone. It gets tiresome the more you listen.’
‘You’re supposed to be the main vocal when they form your group? If you’re the main, isn’t your team going to flop?’
Whatever the reason was. And before even knowing what it was.
Every time Jeong Seongbin ran into Jang Junhu in the hallway, in the lobby, he had to listen to criticism disguised as honest advice that an industry senior wouldn’t just give to anyone.
Such words generally weren’t any help. They only left scars on the listener.
To Jeong Seongbin too, Jang Junhu’s reproach was little different from a dagger.
Unfortunately, Jeong Seongbin’s attitude of being respectful to elders, humble, and not neglecting self-censorship only looked like an easy mark to Jang Junhu.
Teasing became mockery, mockery became criticism, and criticism turned into profanity—it didn’t take long.
Low monthly evaluation rankings. Feedback that took the form of praise but couldn’t hide its disappointment.
Most of all, he himself, who hadn’t produced results for several years, was proving that Jang Junhu’s words were true.
When it became a foregone conclusion that Jang Junhu would pick faults in every little thing after specifically assigning the guide to Jeong Seongbin and him finishing the recording.
Jeong Seongbin thought he had truly become an incompetent person.
‘If I just keep doing what I’ve done until now, the day will come when I’m recognized. Really.’
Until an unaffected colleague who had just arrived and had no need to care for him said the words he most wanted to hear.
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Silence flowed in the practice room. Only Jeong Seongbin, his nose tip red, occasionally let out small sighs.
The first emotion that came after hearing the whole story was guilt.
It was that he had been happy to go record the guide for Jang Junhu’s song, thinking of it as gaining experience, without knowing Jang Junhu was human trash.
What came next was anger.
A few years ago, Jeong Seongbin had been just a middle schooler.
He took out the spite he couldn’t vent over several years on a kid twenty years younger than him?
It was something that couldn’t be tolerated and didn’t need to be understood.
By this point, nothing but all sorts of vulgar curses came to mind.
‘This f*cking bastard…….’
There are things people do and things they don’t.
Even I, who had to put in twenty hours of overtime every month because of Spark, was sharing joys and sorrows with these kids—so who the hell did he think he was making such a fuss?
Screw watching my mouth, I just wanted to say, ‘Excuse me. Is Mr. Jang Junhu here?’ and then set fire to our surroundings asking if he was still human after doing that.
Choi Jeho beside me was already spewing curses.
“F*ck, isn’t that crazy bastard out of his mind?”
“I’m just as angry, but let’s not curse in front of the kids.”
Since it wasn’t Jeong Seongbin’s fault, if we two elders just vented our anger every which way, we would only make the younger ones watch our temper.
I suppressed my anger and asked Jeong Seongbin.
“Seongbin, how would you want this matter resolved?”
If Jeong Seongbin wanted an apology, I was prepared to post exposés until that bastard’s face was pixelated on every news portal. I was confident in dirty, persistent fighting.
However, Jeong Seongbin seemed to want everything buried quietly.
“With that senior…… I don’t want to interact with him more than I do now. Even if it’s for resolving this.”
“Okay. Still, I don’t think continuing to do things with that person is a good choice. Do you agree on this point?”
“……Yes.”
“Then let’s at least move in pairs inside the company. When leaving, Giyeon, please keep an eye on things a little.”
“Yes.”
“And if you hear any nonsense from anywhere, tell at least two members. Got it?”
After that, the strategy meeting to separate Jeong Seongbin and Jang Junhu continued.
“What if he asks you to guide again? I heard they’ve been leaving it to trainees to settle things conveniently within the company.”
“I’ll practice until my throat bursts and go out myself.”
I raised my hand and volunteered in response to Lee Cheonghyeon’s worry.
I figured bleeding from my own throat would be better than driving these guys into a pit.
Thus, after finishing a full 30-minute meeting.
“Finally, Seongbin, there are just two things I’d like you to do.”
“Yes…… yes.”
“One is to never think that you’re lacking.”
I spoke while looking at Jeong Seongbin’s face, which still bore its youthful innocence, seeming like he couldn’t bring himself to say harsh words even if asked.
It was the face of a boy who had rarely dared to meet my eyes, terrified his pent-up anguish might come flooding out.
“When you feel a bit better later, bring me everything that could serve as evidence of that bastard treating you badly.”
That f*cker. Was he trying to steal away a capable recruit like this?
Right now we haven’t achieved anything so we can’t take revenge, but.
I’ll show him how dirty and squalid the black-hearted resolve of a working adult trying to protect promising sprouts can be.