Devil’s Music

In the dead of night, with no one around.

Lynn, who had stayed alone in the office, called the CEO of YDN Entertainment.

The other party, unaware of the circumstances, made Lynn wait even after speaking with his secretary, and finally answered the phone with a relaxed voice.

“Ah, yes, this is Changhan Kim of YDN Entertainment. You said you’re Director Son Lynn from Fantagio?”

“Yes, I’m Son Lynn from Fantagio. CEO Kim Changhan.”

“Ah, I see. I heard a bit about it from Team Manager Lee. Well, how are you handling things like this? Kay has a public image to maintain, but I’ll make sure the kids keep quiet.”

“Will you do that?”

“Ah, of course. We need to help each other out in this industry. What you do to others will come back to you, haha.”

“I agree, CEO.”

“Yes, I have.”

“Good, good, that makes things quicker. Then, I’ll wait for the kids to be ready.”

“Shouldn’t I meet with you first before seeing the singers?”

“Ah? Oh, would you like that? When will you come? I’m a bit busy, so I need to check my schedule.”

Ding.

While using the office phone for the call, he glanced at his personal phone when it chimed, intending to check it later, but Lynn's words made him unable to ignore it any longer.

“I’ve sent a text to your personal phone. Please check it.”

“What? How did you know my personal phone number… Well, it seems you sent a schedule. Alright, I’ll check it and call you back.”

“Okay, I understand.”

After hanging up, Changhan Kim picked up his phone. The text was a video, and after a lengthy download of about ten seconds, the video started.

As he was taking out a cigarette from the pack to smoke, Changhan Kim dropped the cigarette from his fingers upon seeing Soojin performing alone in the video.

After watching the one-minute-long video, he hastily replayed it from start to finish, then crumpled his cigarette pack in frustration.

“Damn it!! You were so confident there were no CCTV cameras! Secretary Choi, connect me with Team Manager Lee right now!”

Resting his elbows on the desk and running his fingers through his hair, Changhan Kim began to shout and started smashing things on the table.

“Damn it!! Damn you, you wretch! I told you to handle it properly!”

Crash! Clang!

Unable to just knock things off the table, he also smashed the glass of a cabinet with a golf club. Secretary Choi, trembling with a wireless phone in hand by the door, was too scared to open it.

When things seemed a bit calmer, and the door was opened, Changhan Kim, whose eyes had turned red, had thrown off his tie and undone three buttons of his white shirt, leaning on the golf club to catch his breath. Secretary Choi nervously offered the phone.

“Si, Sir… Team Manager Lee is on the line…”

“Give it here!”

Snatching the phone from Secretary Choi, Changhan Kim immediately yelled into it.

“You fool! You were so confident, and look at this mess now, what? What happened? This idiot doesn’t even know the situation and is laughing off somewhere, you and your whole team are fired! Listen to the explanation from someone else, you fool!”

Without waiting for a reply, Changhan Kim threw the phone against the wall. The phone shattered into pieces upon impact, but his anger was not yet appeased. Muttering to himself, he found one last cigarette about to break and lit it.

Sitting back in his desk chair, he finished smoking the cigarette while Secretary Choi watched nervously from a corner. Not bothering to use an ashtray, Changhan Kim flicked the cigarette butt onto the floor and shouted.

“Connect me with Director Son Lynn of Fantagio again.”

“Yes, yes! Right away, Sir!”

Secretary Choi hurried out, and in less than 20 seconds, the intercom buzzed.

“The connection is ready, Sir.”

“Got it.”

Spitting on the floor, Changhan Kim took a breath and answered the phone.

“This is Changhan Kim.”

“I know.”

“Um… I’ve seen the video you sent. It seems our child made a mistake.”

“Is that so?”

“I will send the child to apologize formally.”

“Yes.”

“I regret that we had to discuss such an unfortunate matter. Let’s hope to meet again another time.”

“Are you just going to hang up?”

“…Do you have anything else to say?”

“It’s 2 PM Korean time now. If you book a flight from Incheon Airport to the U.S. now, you can arrive in Manhattan by tomorrow morning.”

“What? You want

me to go there myself now?”

“The press conference is tomorrow at noon. If you can’t arrive by then, this video will be released worldwide. Let’s end the call now.”

The call was abruptly disconnected, leaving Changhan Kim staring at the receiver as he started slamming it on the table.

“Damn it!! Damn!! Damn!!!”

He slammed the receiver against the table until it broke. Then, he stormed out of the CEO’s office.

“Secretary Choi! Book a flight to New York immediately, and have a car ready. I’m heading over now!”

As Changhan Kim shouted, a visibly shaken Secretary Choi picked up the phone to book a flight ticket but was interrupted by another call.

“Yes, this is YDN Entertainment.”

“This is Director Son Lynn from Fantagio.”

“Oh, Director… At the moment, the CEO is…”

“I don’t need to speak with the CEO. Bring the original contracts of Yoonjeong from Black Girls and Jinyeon from B to C when you visit New York.”

“What? Oh, you mean the originals?”

“Yes, bring the originals. Goodbye.”

“Wait, Director!!!”

Secretary Choi cried out as Changhan Kim, now wearing a tie and suit, asked from the door.

“What now?”

Secretary Choi spoke in a meek voice.

“She asked for the original contracts of Miss Yoonjeong and Miss Jinyeon…”

“And why is that… Damn it! Get them ready!”

“Yes, yes! Right away, Sir.”

...

New York JFK Airport.

At 9:25 AM, Yoo Yong-wook, who had been waiting for Changhan Kim to arrive from Korea, was slapped across the face by Kim in the crowded airport and fell down.

Crack!!!

Passersby stared in surprise, but Yong-wook quickly got up and stood at attention, having been informed of the situation through a call with Secretary Choi. Even if it meant being fired, Yong-wook, who had to continue his career in the entertainment industry in Korea, showed that he was willing to endure and grovel if necessary.

"You bastard, look what you’ve done to me!"

As he spoke, his appearance was far from neat. His eyes were red, possibly from not sleeping on the plane, and his hair was unkempt, which was not his usual style.

Standing next to Yong-wook, who was looking around with attentive eyes, Soo-jin, who had been observing, bowed her head deeply and couldn't continue speaking. After glaring at the two for a moment, Changhan Kim shouted ahead.

"Where's the car!"

"Right, right this way!"

The three of them, who had moved directly to Fantagio, were granted permission to enter and headed to the fifth floor.

Upon reaching the fifth floor, which Lynn had not yet arrived at, they were led to the reception room by Clara, who then brought them tea as she looked back and forth at the three.

"The Director will arrive soon. Please wait a moment."

Before she could finish, the elevator on the fifth floor opened, and Lynn, dressed in a blue suit, black skirt, and white blouse, stepped out clicking her heels and without looking at the three, placed her handbag on the desk and started checking the documents.

Upon noticing them as Changhan Kim cleared his throat, Lynn, with a relaxed expression, came over, sat down across the sofa, and extended her hand.

"Did you bring the contracts?"

Changhan Kim took out the contracts of Yoonjeong and Jinyeon from his briefcase and handed them over.

"Ahem... here they are."

Lynn checked the contracts with an expressionless face, then suddenly tore them up. The three, startled by her sudden action, gaped as Lynn held the torn contracts and said,

"Tearing up the contract doesn't end the agreement. The reason I tore them up in front of you is to signify that you have two hours to complete the legal nullification of this agreement."

This was not previously discussed, so Team Manager Lee cautiously asked,

"Um… Director, what do you mean by that?"

"It means to terminate the contracts with Yoonjeong and Jinyeon from YDN Entertainment. And of course, package the termination reason nicely for the press."

As Team Manager Lee was about to ask more, Changhan Kim, a seasoned veteran, raised his hand to stop him and said,

"Let's do that. Now, let's talk about compensation. What shall we give you? Would money suffice?"

Lynn smirked and looked pointedly at Changhan Kim.

"How much do you propose to compensate for Kay's damaged image in monetary terms?"

Changhan Kim rolled his eyes, trying to calculate, but the image of Kay was not something that could be converted into money.

Even if it were possible, his company couldn't afford the settlement even if it went bankrupt.

"Um… well, we have our circumstances too... I can handle up to a billion won myself... anything more than that would be difficult..."

Lynn threw the torn contracts on the table with a cold smile.

"A billion? Have you forgotten who I am, and where you are? A billion for damaging Kay's image?"

Indeed, Fantagio had never lost a legal battle since Lynn took control. The firm, having contracted with the most expensive law firm, could shut down YDN the very next day if they chose.

"Um… Director Son Lynn. We have our circumstances too... let’s settle this amicably."

As Lynn glared at Soo-jin, the latter cringed and bowed her head.

"Settle this amicably?"

Only then did Changhan Kim realize how formidable Lynn was. He sighed deeply, and as he glanced at the dumbfounded Yong-wook, he slowly moved aside from the sofa.

Lynn continued to glare at Soo-jin, and as Changhan Kim stood up, Yong-wook awkwardly stood next to him.

Thud.

Changhan Kim knelt down, and Yong-wook and Soo-jin watched in shock. Not stopping there, Changhan bowed deeply, pressing his forehead to the floor.

"I apologize! I apologize! I am sincerely sorry, please spare our company. We have over fifty artists. We can’t just leave them out on the streets."

As Changhan bowed his head, Yong-wook quickly knelt beside him and bowed deeply.

However, Lynn continued to glare at Soo

-jin, ignoring the others. As Lynn glared at her, a hesitant Soo-jin crumpled to her knees.

Her tight business skirt tore, exposing her thighs, but kneeling Soo-jin could only cry and whisper,

"I’m sorry... sob."

>

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