944 A Degree Holder
K-Pop truly wasn't as sparkly as it seed.
Behind the glittery life of the idols, there lay shadows that few, and sotis none, dared to speak
of.
The weight restrictions felt like a constant battle. Every grain of rice mattered under the unforgiving scrutiny of caras and fans alike.
"What happened to her?"
"She let herself go."
"Why is an idol not taking care of his self-image?"
Aside from that, backhanded complints haunted them, too.
"You look so healthy!"
"I love how confident you are despite your body."
Unsolicited comnts were sothing they had to live with.
Aside from that, personality beca a commodity, carefully crafted by the agencies that molded their
careers.
Be mysterious.
Be apologetic.
Be who you are not.
Normalcy beca a distant dream. Privacy dissolved everyone in the industry, and you are expected to act like it was okay. Even mundane activities were controlled, from friendships to dating, and every move was choreographed to maintain an illusion of unattainable perfection.
But perhaps the darkest truth lay in how they were treated as commodities, not people. So idols whispered of the price they paid for stardom. Allegations of exploitation and even abuse echoed in hushed conversations backstage. The lure of fa drew predators who saw idols as re objects, their dreams and dignity stripped away in exchange for a fleeting shot at stardom.
June knew too well the weight of expectations and the suffocating grip of contracts. Behind the smiles and synchronized dances, his heart carried the stories of those who felt trapped, who believed they had no choice but to endure.
That was the reality of K-pop.
That was the status quo.
However, just because it was normal does not an it was right.
And June wanted to start fixing that.
At first, he hesitated to share the information with Lena. However, how else was he going to prove his trustworthiness to her?
Moreover, June felt that these topics weren't talked about a lot in the idol industry. It had beco a taboo, even if, most of the ti, it wasn't the idol's fault. He wanted to inspire others to not be ashad of what they had gone through.
"We don't have to watch it, you know?" Lena softly asked as another news channel reported on the incident. However, this particular one talked about what June went through as a trainee.
Lena observed him and couldn't understand how he could casually watch how they narrated his trauma on live television.
anwhile, June watched with a small smile. He couldn't believe he had gone through all of that! This guy was actually really tough. If he had occupied his body when all of that happened, then he would be a criminal by now!
Lena sighed and decided to take matters into her own hands. She grabbed the remote and turned it off.
June looked at her with raised eyebrows. "What was that?" he chuckled. "We should watch it more. That anchor was really diving deep into the report. They must have been paid by Lei. Anyway, your phone is blasting with notifications. Don't you want to answer those?"
Lena shook her head while massaging her temples. "I'll deal with it later!"
"I think it's safe to say you're telling the truth?
June shrugged. "What did I tell you?"
Lena clicked her tongue. "I know. No need to rub it in my face!
"So, what are you planning on doing now?" June asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Lena paused for a while before answering. "Well, I guess it's ti to take Kim Young Do out of the company-similar to Mr. Ong, I know he has done a lot for Phoenix Entertainnt, but the company would be taking a hit if we keep him there.
June nodded. "Who are you going to replace him with?"
"No idea yet," Lena said.
"It's not soone from the Phoenix board of directors, right?"
Lena frowned. "Of course, it would be from there. Who else am I going to appoint except from my employees?"
"Then, you would fail all over again, June said.
Lena sighed. "What now?"
"Did you know that Lei used to work in Phoenix?"
Lena almost fell out of the beanbag. As soone who has to oversee her empire, I found it impossible to know all of her employees! So, this was new to her.
"He did?" she exclaid.
"Yup" June answered. "He's been plotting this for a long ti!"
"However, he couldn't get Phoenix, so he decided to target Azure instead. With Azure under his na, he also wants to take over Phoenix. That's how big his dream had gotten."
"I don't understand; she muttered. "Why is he doing this?"
"Is there an explanation for the things we want on this earth? Why do you want all the skins in a ga? To brag? Why do you want to keep your dad's empire? Just because you miss him? So things we can't let go of just because we can't."
"It's human nature to always want sothing more!"
"That's the reason why corruption, wars, and miserablity happen!"
Lena pursed her lips. How could he say such things nonchalantly?
"Bring soone from outside-one that has a relatively clean past!
"One that isn't from a rich family or from an empire!
"One that would protect his artists because he, too, wanted to be one in the past."
"Oh, and did I ntion that he has a college degree?"
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