"But why haven't you debuted?"
The Heavenly Demon, sensing his chance, asked while sprawling out on my bed.
I sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing the back of my neck as I replied.
"I was supposed to debut at first. But I was… too bad at dancing and singing."
"I see."
"I was going to leave the company, but the CEO suggested I become a manager instead. So I've been handling the kids since their trainee days. For the past eight years."
This was the first time I'd told this story to anyone else.
Until now, I'd deliberately kept it hidden.
If word got out that I'd originally been a Nine Great Sects trainee,
Every time I made a mistake as a manager, people would say it was due to feelings of inferiority, envy, jealousy.
Even in the best light, I'd just get pity votes.
The Heavenly Demon let out a bored sigh, his expression indifferent.
"How dull. I was hoping to dig into the CEO through you."
"The CEO?"
"This Seat also needs to know if that Mount Zhongnan Sect bastard was telling the truth."
The Heavenly Demon sat up as he continued.
"If he really summoned This Seat, then surely he can send me back."
So he does want to go back?
Now that I thought about it, there was no reason he wouldn't from his perspective.
Maybe even debuting as an idol was for the sake of returning…
…No matter how I thought about it, debuting as an idol didn't seem like it would get him back to the Central Plains.
"You seemed to be doing well here… but you want to go back."
"Of course."
"The Beggar Clan kids will be disappointed."
It felt a bit regrettable knowing the Heavenly Demon was thinking of leaving.
With rumors already swirling that he was a Chinese member, if he suddenly vanished, he might go down in idol history as the worst flopped member.
But the Heavenly Demon raised one eyebrow as if wondering what nonsense I was spouting.
"Even if I find out how, I'm not planning to leave right away."
"Huh?"
"This Seat's lifespan is longer than an idol's."
"…You're going to keep being an idol?"
"Should I abandon those mongrels and go?"
Why are you so serious about idol activities?
But if he wasn't leaving right away, maybe I could subtly probe the CEO about whether he summoned him?
"Why not just ask the CEO directly…?"
"If that bastard truly summoned This Seat, he wouldn't be in his right mind."
So now it was a given that the CEO had fallen into qi deviation.
The Heavenly Demon stared at me intently before suddenly asking,
"How much do you know about This Seat?"
"Huh?"
"The Heavenly Demon. How much do you know about that?"
"…The supreme being from murim novels, right?"
"Skip the cheeky remarks."
"The fake god that cultists worship."
"Right, that's correct. This Seat is a god."
He only hears what he wants to hear, huh?
"Then, what do you think it would take to summon a being like This Seat?"
"…Human sacrifice, mass slaughter?"
The Heavenly Demon furrowed his brow.
"What kind of thinking is that? Does This Seat seem like some evil spirit to you?"
"No, you're the one who said it."
"I?"
"Isn't the Heavenly Demon an evil god?"
"…This Seat is merely a being who reached the divine realm at the pinnacle of demonic arts. I don't accept human sacrifices."
I felt relieved at those words.
Deep down, I'd worried that the missing ex-members, out of contact, might have been used as sacrifices to summon him.
That's what I'd been thinking.
The Heavenly Demon glanced at me before adding,
"I still don't know what they did to summon This Seat, but anyone who summons a being of This Seat's caliber must have gone mad."
"Gone mad?"
"Do you think a human without a scrap of inner energy could come into contact with This Seat's presence and survive unscathed?"
The CEO had been acting strangely these past few days, but not to the point of seeming insane.
No… come to think of it, the CEO was already a bit off from the start, so it was hard to tell.
"That bastard took the risk of summoning me because he wants something."
"Wants something…?"
"At the very least, it wasn't something trivial like an idol debut. Now that he's mad, if he realizes This Seat wants to return, he'll do anything to stop me."
"If he really did summon you, yeah."
"So This Seat plans to play dumb for a while, no matter what that bastard does. The more off-guard he is, the easier it is to read his intentions."
"Oh, so even that smartphone addiction act was to fool the CEO?"
"..."
Guess not.
The Heavenly Demon crossed his arms and haughtily lifted his chin.
"Manager, do you know why This Seat is telling you all this?"
"…To help you return to the Central Plains?"
"Correct. You're pretty quick on the uptake."
I thought for a moment.
I wanted the Heavenly Demon to return to his original world too.
If he stayed in this world even after finishing his idol activities, who knew what might happen.
He was well-behaved now and claimed not to be an evil god,
But to me, both the CEO and the Heavenly Demon were equally suspicious.
The CEO who summoned him and was playing innocent,
Or the Heavenly Demon who wanted to drag me in instead of just dealing with the CEO himself.
Neither had a shred of trustworthiness.
But if I had to trust one,
I chose the Heavenly Demon.
Unlike the CEO, who'd been blatantly pushing only the Heavenly Demon since he appeared,
The Heavenly Demon seemed genuinely serious about idol work, even if he didn't know much yet.
At least while he was an idol, he didn't seem like he'd harm me or the kids.
I carefully chose my words before slowly speaking.
"…I'll help. But in return."
"But?"
"I want you to help me too, Heavenly Demon."
The Heavenly Demon smirked, one corner of his mouth curling up in disdain.
"You dare try to bargain with This Seat?"
"I want to know what happened to the ex-members who left."
The Heavenly Demon's smirk faded slightly.
"…You're still feeling guilty about that?"
"I was their manager until they left. I helped them debut, and I even tried to stop them from quitting."
"Even if something happened to them, it's got nothing to do with you."
"I know. But I was the adult among us. I need to find out what happened."
"And then?"
"If necessary, I'll take responsibility."
The Heavenly Demon's brow furrowed even more.
He looked like he couldn't comprehend it.
But I didn't need his understanding.
I continued quietly.
"The woman who was with Shin Tae-eul is named Yoo Ah-mi."
"Judging by the name, she must've been from the Emei Sect."
"Ah-mi wasn't that quiet normally."
"Is that so."
"She used to be as loud as Jaha."
The Heavenly Demon's eyes widened slightly.
"…As talkative as that Huashan Sect brat?"
"Yes."
"Then… that's extremely suspicious."
Even though he hadn't known Jaha long, it was apparently enough for him to grasp just how talkative she was.
The Heavenly Demon stroked his chin thoughtfully before asking,
"You think the Emei Sect girl was silenced, right?"
"Yes."
"And you believe that's connected to the CEO?"
"Yes."
"Understood."
"…Understood meaning?"
"Let's test the CEO."
I got that much, but the addition was odd.
"In an idol-like way."
"Huh?"
What are you planning now?
* * *
The Heavenly Demon, qi deviation in his head, gathered the CEO and the Nine Great Sects together and declared,
"CEO, I want to release an album."
It was hard to believe this was something an agency artist said to their CEO.
"An album?"
"Yeah."
The Heavenly Demon's logic for suddenly wanting to drop an album was as follows.
The CEO was sharp and would notice anything off otherwise.
If they put on a stage with a meaningful message, even Shin Tae-eul, who'd gone into hiding, would reach out again.
Plus, he couldn't neglect his idol activities.
'So why are you so serious about being an idol…?'
Only Jaha, who lived without a care, immediately cheered.
"I'm for it! We've been buzzing about a full album lately anyway. A comeback right away would make the Beggar Clan kids happy, right, CEO?"
The CEO smiled warmly at Jaha and replied.
"Yes, it's not difficult at all. It was a secret, but we've been working on tracks for a full album too."
"We're dropping a full album this time?!"
Their last comeback, "Heart of Adamantine", was mini album number 8.
The one before was mini 7, so a full album would be almost a year later.
A quick side glance showed even Alliance Leader and Taiji looking thrilled at the news.
Nahani… I had no idea what she was thinking.
Namgoong Jun seemed troubled for some reason.
The CEO chatted with Jaha for a bit before tilting his head curiously and asking the Heavenly Demon,
"But Heavenly Demon, have you come up with a concept you want?"
"Do I need one?"
"So you don't have one? Then why bring up an album all of a sudden…?"
The CEO looked like he'd sensed something off.
The Heavenly Demon was right.
You could fool ghosts, but not the CEO.
At that moment, the Heavenly Demon blurted out,
"No. Actually, I do."
"Oh, you do? What concept are you thinking of?"
"I want a popular concept."
"A popular concept?"
"Who's the most popular among you?"
At the mention of popularity, Jaha jumped up like a button had been pressed.
"Hyung!! Don't ask stuff like that, I'm sensitive about rankings!!"
"Wasn't it you, Huashan Sect?"
"Ah, do I seem super popular? Hehe, I'm popular too, but Nahani's the most."
Jaha acts sensitive, but he's so easy to handle.
The Heavenly Demon glanced at Nahani at Jaha's words, then nodded.
"Then let's go with the White Nahani concept."
"...? What's the White Nahani concept?"
The Heavenly Demon replied with a straight face.
"The monk concept."
"…Huh?"
"Play the wooden fish too."
"Play what?"
"Recite sutras as well."
"You're joking, right?"
"And make it decadent."
"...???"
While Jaha floundered in confusion, trying to imagine the concept, the CEO spoke up with a worried look.
"Heavenly Demon, everything else is fine, but… we haven't prepared for a decadent concept, so no fitting songs."
Among monk, wooden fish, sutras, and decadent, the one an idol couldn't do was decadent? Unbelievable.
The CEO must've been willing to try the wooden fish and sutras.
Then the Heavenly Demon declared arrogantly,
"This Seat will make the song."
"Huh?"
First I'd heard of it.
Jaha looked shocked too, asking,
"Hyung, you can make songs too?!"
"Self-produced is the trend, right?"
No… is he just spouting whatever comes to mind?
But the CEO, seeming to have some idea, stroked his chin in thought.
"Murim novel protagonists are often skilled in song and dance… So that's possible. Now that I think about it, you did choreograph before...."
After mumbling to convince himself, the CEO said brightly,
"Great! If that's what you want, Heavenly Demon, I'll do my best to produce it."
"No. CEO, you just pay."
The Heavenly Demon pointed a long, elegant finger at me.
"The manager over there will handle production."
I need to beg the Heavenly Demon to consult me before pulling stunts like this once we're out.
As the CEO's gaze toward me turned peculiar, Jaha looked aghast.
"Hyung, who calls a person a maggot!"
"Oh. Did This Seat say maggot? This Seat's a foreigner, so I don't know what maggot means."
"This hyung always pulls the foreigner card when it suits him."
Can I really trust this guy?
Suddenly, my anxiety spiked.
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