Episode 6: [Exclusive] Girl Group Member’s Shocking Past Exposed!
Not all weirdos are created equal.
There are “insider” weirdos and “outsider” weirdos.
Insider weirdos bring fresh, unexpected energy that livens up the room.
Outsider weirdos, on the other hand, bulldoze through others’ feelings and vibes, sticking to their own world and breaking the flow of the moment.
But outsider weirdos aren’t all bad.
They often blurt out blunt truths or harsh words others hesitate to say, delivering a refreshing, cathartic zinger.
The effect is doubled when they take on condescending bosses or sneaky types.
Sure, the mood might turn icy, but it’s satisfying in its own way.
After two days of observation, I’ve concluded that Baek Jin-ah leans toward the outsider 4D type.
She’s the kind who has to say or do what she wants, no matter how out of place it is, or she won’t be satisfied.
Jin-ah, with unwavering confidence, unleashed her “my way” persona and landed a verbal jab on ChanceMaker’s head manager.
Thanks to her, the slightly stuffy waiting area turned into a penguin playground in an instant.
As Jin-ah, having said her piece, started walking back to us, ChanceMaker’s head manager asked in a frosty tone,
“What’s your name?”
But Jin-ah just sat down without a word.
Weirdo, but cool!
Then, ChanceMaker’s male road manager jumped in, throwing shade at me.
“Do they not teach manners at your company?”
Who’s he to talk about manners?
Knowing about Jung-hee’s impending scandal, I couldn’t help but let out a “Pfft!”
The scrawny road manager’s face darkened.
“What? Did I say something funny?”
“Sorry about that,” I said.
“Whether you’re doing well or not, don’t they teach idols basic manners from their trainee days? What makes you think you can act so rude? You’d think they’re chart-toppers or something. Oh wait, your group can’t even crack the top 100, right?”
Sigh…
He actually went there.
Jin-ah’s outburst wasn’t helping, and I was trying to stay quiet, but I couldn’t hold back anymore.
Keeping my cool as much as possible, I fired back.
“Thanks for the concern. But it seems like you’ve got bigger things to worry about than our artists. Feels a bit sentimental when the dog covered in crap calls out the one with a little dirt.”
“What did you say?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Both managers snapped back, clearly offended.
I glanced meaningfully at Jung-hee, ChanceMaker’s hidden time bomb, and continued.
“Seems like you’ve got a dog absolutely drenched in crap on your side…”
Jung-hee, who’d been glaring at me, quickly looked away.
That confirmed it—the video I saw wasn’t fake.
The head manager, finally kicking aside the last shred of courtesy, dove headfirst into an emotional showdown.
She clicked her tongue and threw out the taboo word.
“Wow, impressive. GraceOne’s doing well, so even the newbies are strutting around with puffed-up shoulders, huh?”
Oh, I love it. Bring it on.
If it’s a gutter fight, I’m not one to back down.
I countered with a vengeance.
“Then you might want to deflate those shoulders a bit. WhyNot’s washed up, and ChanceMaker’s about to get buried. Not just buried—obliterated.”
The husky-voiced head manager let out a witch-like cackle, patting her road manager’s shoulder while muttering loud enough for me to hear.
“Who would’ve thought we’d hear that from a Free Sense manager, of all people? And on his second day, no less.”
“No kidding. Looks like their company’s pretty much given up on them. Unbelievable…”
Seung-ah and Ah-hyun hung their heads, looking like scolded kids.
Troublemaker Jin-ah, completely uninterested in the situation, fiddled with her phone.
Stylist Yeon-jeong, who thought I was just a quiet guy, seemed shocked by my sudden combativeness.
The ChanceMaker members whispered and giggled among themselves.
Goddamn, this is infuriating.
Truth is, my family’s got a knack for picking fights.
Honed by 24 years of verbal sparring with my parents and sister, I decided to unleash my battle-hardened skills.
Aiming straight at Jung-hee, who was acting all innocent to hide her past, I fired off a shot like an MK14.
“Jung-hee-ssi, I heard you were quite the star in Gangwon Province. Really famous, huh?”
Her forced smile froze awkwardly.
The two managers turned to Jung-hee, their faces screaming, ‘What’s he talking about?’
It seems the company has no clue about her past.
It wouldn’t make sense for them to keep her as a member if they knew.
The head manager’s gaze shifted back to me, her eyes demanding a clear explanation.
There are two things that piss people off the most.
One is cutting off mid-sentence, and the second is…
“That’s all I’ll say.”
With that, I shut my mouth like a frozen clam.
Too proud to ask me directly, the head manager turned to Jung-hee, grilling her.
“Do you know this guy?”
“No, I don’t. I just met him today.”
“Then what’s he talking about? What’s this about you being famous in Gangwon?”
“I-I don’t know either.”
“Hey, what are you trying to pull here?” the male road manager demanded.
I replied primly,
“I said she was famous in Gangwon.”
“Yeah, but what does that mean?”
“She was famous. What more explanation do you need? Famous is famous…”
“Cut the word games. You think this is a joke?”
“Why are you coming at me when the person in question is right there? Ask her directly.”
“Man… your attitude’s something else. We’ll probably cross paths often in this industry, so what’s your deal? I’m saying this as someone who’s been around longer, but don’t go making enemies for no reason. Even if you’re a newbie, there’s a limit to how much people will let slide.”
“If you’re stirring this up over some rumor, we won’t sit quietly either.”
These guys are something else.
I’ve never seen anyone who picks at others’ wounds with a sound mind.
They started this mess, and now they’re whining because I clapped back a bit? It’s enough to make you sick of human nature.
I knew girl groups sometimes had petty rivalries, but I didn’t expect managers to egg it on.
I reminded them of something they seemed to have forgotten.
“You’re the ones who picked a fight first.”
“Us? What fight?”
“You were meddling in our company’s business.”
“Your choice of words sure knows how to get under people’s skin, kid.”
“I don’t know what I did wrong.”
“Now you’re playing dumb?”
“Then tell me. I’m a newbie, so I genuinely don’t know. What did I do wrong?”
Sigh…
The male manager let out a frustrated breath.
Just then, Team Leader Jeon Min-yong returned to the waiting area after talking with the staff.
Still heated, he didn’t even have time to assess the situation before laying into ChanceMaker’s head manager.
“Look, if you’re going to change the performance order, shouldn’t you at least ask us first? Just telling the staff like it’s a done deal is straight-up disrespectful.”
“We didn’t ‘tell’ them anything. We asked if they could adjust because we have another schedule.”
“Are you the only ones with a schedule?”
“If it’s a no, just say so. Why get so worked up?”
“How am I supposed to not get worked up? Put yourself in our shoes. Anyway, we’re not switching.”
“Fine, whatever. Let’s drop it in front of the kids.”
I thought it was over.
But the male road manager, watching with a sour expression, sparked round two by throwing shade at Jeon.
“Hyung, you might want to train your newbie better.”
“What? Which newbie?”
Oh, so they already know each other.
He gestured at me with his chin and continued.
“He started working yesterday, and he’s already a bit sloppy.”
“What happened?”
The road manager glanced at Baek Jin-ah with a tattletale vibe.
“The members too…”
“Spit it out. What happened?”
“Not a big deal, but…”
Jeon cut him off and turned to me.
“Hyun-jong-ssi, you tell me.”
I didn’t exactly do anything wrong, but it felt awkward to explain.
How do I even phrase this?
As I hesitated, Baek Jin-ah jumped in, confessing outright.
“I was rude.”
I thought she just acted on impulse, but seeing her own up to it, maybe she’s not that thoughtless.
“What? Rude to who?”
“To their head manager.”
“Why?”
“Just… her voice annoyed me?”
“What?”
Nope.
She is thoughtless.
Why does she just blurt out the core of it, skipping all context?
I had no choice but to step in.
“Team Leader, that’s not what happened…”
“Go on, tell me.”
“I’ll stick to the facts, leaving out my personal feelings.”
“Okay.”
They asked for our chair.
I said no.
They asked about my experience and pried into our company’s affairs.
I said I didn’t know.
Baek Jin-ah told their head manager to be quiet, putting her finger to her lips.
They brought up our group’s manners and mocked Free Sense’s chart performance.
I got pissed and took a shot at ChanceMaker’s Jung-hee.
Team Leader Jeon, listening quietly until now, asked with a weary expression, “What did you say?”
“I just… said she was famous in Gangwon.”
“Famous in a good way or a bad way?”
“…A bad way… But I didn’t go into details.”
“Is that some rumor you heard, or do you have proof?”
I couldn’t answer right away.
I had proof, but how could I explain it?
As I scratched my eyebrow, Jeon sighed and nodded, as if he’d gotten the gist.
Based on how he’s acted these past two days, I expected him to tell me to apologize first since both sides were at fault.
But instead, he said,
“We didn’t do anything wrong.”
Then he turned to ChanceMaker’s road manager, raising his voice.
“Hey, who are you to criticize our people’s manners?”
“No, hyung, that’s not what I meant…”
“What do you mean, ‘not what you meant’?”
Whoa, I nearly jumped out of my skin.
Jeon’s booming voice was like a lion’s roar, shaking everyone.
Both ChanceMaker and Free Sense froze, and even the tough-looking head manager flinched, shrinking like a startled girl.
Jeon’s roar continued.
“Why are you lecturing our people? You think you’re hot stuff just because you’re doing well lately?”
“Hyung… why are you saying it like that?”
“If you’re going to play that game, have you guys hit number one on the charts? You’re acting all high and mighty without even a single chart-topper!”
Did she feel the need to assert herself?
The head manager tilted her chin up and replied childishly.
“Being in the top 50 is different from not charting at all.”
“What? So you’re saying groups that don’t chart should just shut up?”
“No, I’m just saying since you brought up chart performance…”
“You’re the ones who brought up charts first!”
“Why do you keep yelling? You think we’re just taking this because we’re pushovers?”
“Sigh… I’m done. I’m so done. Maybe I need to leave this industry to avoid this nonsense…”
Jeon muttered like he’d just downed a few bottles of soju, his face reflecting the weariness of life’s trials.
Just when it seemed the storm had passed—
Yawn.
Baek Jin-ah let out a massive, lion-like yawn, as if she’d just eaten a feast and was ready for a nap, mumbling dryly.
“I’m suddenly starving. Pikachu katsu.”
This girl is actually insane.
Kwon Ah-hyun belatedly covered her mouth, but all eyes were already locked on the weirdo.
“Haha…”
“What is wrong with her?”
Just as another storm was brewing—
Both ChanceMaker managers’ phones rang simultaneously.
Checking the callers, they turned away from each other to answer.
“Yes, Team Leader.”
“Hello? Yes, Reporter-nim. Of course, I remember you. How have you been?”
Their professional smiles turned ashen mid-call.
Their gazes shifted to Jung-hee.
“What? What do you mean… right now?”
“Uh… we’ll need to confirm on our end…”
Before they could even finish their calls, a staff member entered the waiting area.
His awkward, hesitant expression screamed “mid-level guy tasked with delivering bad news.”
He glanced at the two managers on their phones.
“Oh, you’re on calls…”
Could it be…?
I quickly pulled out my phone and checked the internet.
Searching ChanceMaker brought up a breaking news article at the top.
It had been posted just seconds ago.
[Exclusive] ChanceMaker’s Jung-hee, Shocking Past Exposed!*
Whoa, I thought it’d take at least a month, but it’s already out…?