[Lee Dohee’s Contract Released … TOPEAST: “External Leak Impossible, It’s Fake]
─(Today’s Entertainment Online Issue Team) Regarding idol Lee Dohee’s contract and the artists’ clauses circulating online, Lee Dohee’s agency, TOPEAST Entertainment, dismissed them as “a fake made by netizens”...
Jeong Sohyeon was looking at the article that had gone up when she returned to the conference room.
“The rebuttal articles are going up for now, so it should calm down soon.”
“Yes, in any case, there’s no one who can prove the contract details except us.”
“We’re also asking the reporters to take the articles down amicably.”
The company executives were each reporting on the current situation, but none of it really reached Jeong Sohyeon’s ears.
‘The girls...’
Because she was thinking about the members.
“Asking? Shut up and tell the reporters right now. If they don’t take them down, we’ll see them in court.”
Even so, her uncle Kim Widong’s growl came through loud and clear.
“Do they think we’re playing house?”
Even if he wasn’t raising his voice and showing his anger in front of the executives, the emotions he was forcibly holding down stabbed into her ears.
“Forget that. It’s that bastard Mun Gyuchul, isn’t it? The bastard who started this whole mess.”
“Well... we can’t conclude that. For now, there are several people who would know the detailed clauses of Dohee’s contract.”
As Manager Han said, all the executives here knew the details.
First, Manager Han had reviewed every contract while handling work related to the stock listing.
CEO Kim Widong, Director Jeong Sohyeon, and Division Head Lee Jeonghye had personally handled Dohee’s contract when she joined the company.
And even a few employees who had since moved to other companies knew.
Among them, the representative ones were Kim Jinwoo, who had been casting team leader at the time and had cast Dohee.
“And probably... judging by the fact that he took an external advisory position at LE Entertainment. Yes, circumstantially, I think we should assume that’s the case. Though we can’t blindly conclude it.”
And Division Head Mun Gyuchul, who had left the company not long ago.
“Can’t we sue him?”
“Since we don’t have evidence... However, because of legal restrictions, they won’t be able to present evidence proving whether the contract clauses are genuine either, so it will be easy to refute the issue.”
“Yes, we may not be able to sanction them, but fortunately—”
“Fortunately? ...For-tu-nately?”
Division Head Lee Jeonghye closed her mouth at the CEO’s low mutter.
“......”
“Yeah, times really have changed.”
As if he could not hold back any longer, the CEO put a cigarette between his lips.
“In the old days, they couldn’t act recklessly because of bastards from the underworld, like gangsters. We wouldn’t have gone all the way to the law over something this small.”
He exhaled a large cloud of cigarette smoke, as if trying to quickly rein in the anger that had risen to the brim.
“We pushed and pushed to eradicate rotten old practices, and now only punks are left. That’s the dilemma, really. Back in my day, they’d be afraid of becoming guests who never returned...”
─Knock, knock, knock.
Then a knock sounded at the conference room door.
“Yeah, come in.”
“Dohee just arrived...”
“Is that so...?”
The CEO immediately stubbed out the cigarette he had only taken one puff of.
Then he opened the window and sprayed deodorizer all over his body.
“The baby shouldn’t smell cigarettes...”
Then, saying he was bothered by the smell of smoke, he left the conference room altogether and went to greet her himself.
“I’ll... go meet Dohee separately with the CEO.”
Jeong Sohyeon bowed to the remaining executives, then followed after her uncle.
Her uncle’s back looked quite worried.
“Oh my... our Dohee is here!”
It was the same when they met her.
As if she might fly away in the wind, as if she might break if he let go.
A cautious expression and cautious gestures.
In truth, the leaked contract was entirely the company’s fault, so he was probably even more so.
“Ah, hello, CEO.”
Separate from that, Dohee herself looked calm.
“Oh dear... You must be tired, right? It must have been hard coming back after the photoshoot. You must have been really startled by that sudden article.”
“Ah... I wasn’t startled. I’m just a little tired... but I think that’s just because it hasn’t been long since the time difference changed.”
“Still, it’s late at night. How could you not be tired? Making you come all the way to the company building when you’re busy, really...”
Her uncle began speaking in an embarrassed tone, sounding regretful.
“For now, the company and the legal team are doing their best to sort it out, so it’ll be wrapped up very soon. The rebuttal article went out quickly too, and the articles are being taken down.”
“Ah, I saw that on the way here too.”
But Dohee, nodding, continued to smile in a way that did not fit the situation.
“But honestly, I don’t really have any thoughts about it. Well, things like this can happen.”
“Really?”
Her uncle began laughing heartily, without reading the room.
“As expected, you’re so bold! If Dohee had been born a man, you would’ve been a real man among men!”
Ignoring her uncle, Jeong Sohyeon quickly took Dohee’s hand.
“CEO, Dohee must be tired too, so I think she should go back to the dorm and rest for now.”
Her hand was cold, as if she suffered from poor circulation.
And it was drenched in sweat.
“Ah~ right, right. You should hurry back and rest.”
On the other hand, Dohee’s face looked exactly as usual, as if nothing was wrong.
“Huh? I’m really fine, though.”
Jeong Sohyeon’s throat grew dry.
Because she wondered if Dohee was not truly unbothered, but simply used to it.
“I’ll hurry and take you back.”
* * *
The irregular light and shadows of the streetlamps crossed the car window several times.
─♬♪♬
And inside Jeong Sohyeon’s car, gentle classical piano music was playing, the kind Dohee seemed likely to enjoy.
The peace inside the car had nothing to do with the day’s commotion.
When Jeong Sohyeon glanced sideways for a moment, Dohee’s hand was moving lightly and naturally along with the piano melody.
As if she were playing it.
“Dohee.”
“Yes?”
“If... you ever want to rest, or need a vacation, tell me anytime. I can’t give you every day off, but if we adjust things, we can make enough time.”
“Ah, yes. But my home is close, so I’m okay. Chiyo unnie might want to go to Japan, though...”
When she had asked about Dohee, Dohee talked about Chiyo.
“Yeah, we should give Chiyo a vacation too.”
Dohee’s delicate fingers were still moving back and forth out of habit, as if pressing piano keys.
So even though Jeong Sohyeon knew her own title was director of TOPEAST, she could not help but ask.
“Dohee...”
Whether she regretted becoming an idol.
“Do you not have any thoughts of continuing piano?”
“...All of a sudden?”
Jeong Sohyeon paused for a moment, wondering if she had brought it up poorly, then corrected herself.
“You don’t have to answer. It’s just, you won the grand prize even last year, so I wondered if it felt like a waste.”
Only then did Dohee’s fingers stop playing for a moment.
Without any unnecessary verbal filler, Dohee quietly gazed out the window by herself, then answered around the time the traffic light changed.
“I... still think right now is the best. Right now.”
“I see.”
Jeong Sohyeon took the wheel again at the green light.
“Yeah. I’m glad.”
The peaceful drive continued again.
Before long, the car entered the underground parking lot of the apartment complex.
“Let’s get out.”
Jeong Sohyeon stopped the car and turned off the engine.
“It’s been a while, so Teacher should go up to the dorm too.”
Inside the car, there was silence without the engine sound or the classical music.
But soon, from somewhere, a scraping—scraping sound began.
“Dohee?”
Jeong Sohyeon, who had been about to get out of the car, turned her head at the unnatural sensation.
The parking lot lights were somewhat dim.
Under the faint glow, once the music had stopped, Dohee’s fingers...
“Director, could I maybe just go up by myself today? It’s nothing, just. Today, for some reason, just...”
Instead of playing, were compulsively scratching down at the car seat, as if tearing at it.
“I just want to talk with the unnies separately. Yes.”
* * *
The elevator felt suffocating.
“My stamina’s gotten worse.”
So I trudged up the stairs.
Two more floors and I’d be at the dorm.
My heart was pounding a little.
“It shouldn’t be pounding just, just from this.”
One more floor now.
“Should I do more cardio?”
Calmly, I stepped on the final stair and stood in front of the dorm door.
“Ah, right. I lost the bet this morning, so I was supposed to buy ice cream from the convenience store...”
I loosened the strength in the hand I had placed on the door lock.
Then I lowered my head.
The cold iron door cooled my forehead.
‘I should go in.’
I’d have to say something.
What was the point of being here?
‘I should go in...’
So I immediately unlocked the front door.
And then...
“Dohee, you’re here~?”
A warm voice I hadn’t expected reached my ears.
Naeun unnie, wearing an apron, came from the kitchen to the entrance.
“Aigoo, our youngest must have had a hard day today. If you were worried about me, I’m really completely fine. I’m more worried that you had a hard time, Dohee...”
Without warning, unnie hugged me and patted me as she pleased.
“...What do you mean? I’m not tired at all.”
“Sure, sure.”
Then I saw Chiyo unnie wandering between the kitchen and the living room with some kind of pot in her hands.
“Ugh, would Gae Dohee hurry up and get here already.”
For a moment I was dazed by the atmosphere, which was hardly different from usual. Then Naeun unnie pointed at Chiyo unnie and even patted my butt.
“You haven’t eaten dinner, right? You must be hungry. Let’s hurry and eat.”
I was taken by Naeun unnie’s hand and led all the way to the kitchen.
Only then was I able to confirm it.
“Ahh! The mangnae has a rotten personality, but she’s too capable, that’s the problem.”
Chiyo unnie’s laughter was, just as I usually did.
“Rotten mangnae.”
Simply her own way of trying to laugh it off lightly.
However, just for today, the cold atmosphere inside the dorm had not disappeared at all.
Uah unnie was not even looking at me.
“Unnie, I’m not hungry.”
Uah unnie abruptly rose from her seat like that.
“I’m going out for a bit.”
Then she ran straight out.
At the sudden temperature difference that had unfolded in an instant, I felt a little... flustered.
So I could not even stop her, and after following Uah unnie with my eyes as she went toward the entrance,
this time I looked at Seoyun unnie, who was sitting calmly at the dining table.
“Uh, unnie.”
I had meant to call her quietly like usual, but without realizing it, my voice trembled a little.
No, rather than trembled, it felt choked.
“Go after Uah. She says she isn’t coming back to the dorm today, so you have to bring her back.”
But Seoyun unnie kept her gaze fixed on her rice bowl and merely avoided my eyes.
“Just, with me... just... just talk to me later. Later.”
Something in my chest ached sharply.
It was a complicated emotion I was feeling for the first time in this life.