The CEO wasted no time answering my question.
“Penalty fee.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Just the cancellation fee hanging over your head is enormous. You think you can pay that off?”
“How… how much is it?”
With a practiced motion, the CEO pulled a contract from a neatly organized drawer.
“Read it.”
I hurriedly skimmed the penalty clause.
“Th-this is…”
“You see this part? If the contract’s broken due to a change of heart or if it’s your fault, you have to pay five times the penalty.”
Oh, I saw it all right…
The number was so outrageous I wanted to tear the contract to shreds then and there.
“Five times is absurd, isn’t it?”
“I warned you when we signed. Don’t you remember what you said? That you’d never back out, and if there was a breach, it’d be the company paying, not you.”
“……”
Damn it, Yeon Yu-jin.
What kind of cocky confidence made you say that bullshit?!
If it were just the base penalty, I might’ve scraped something together with the cash I had on hand…
But five times that? That was out of reach.
Swallowing my pride, I pleaded in a small voice.
“H-hey, CEO-nim…”
“What.”
“Could you… maybe lower the penalty fee?”
“You think that’s gonna happen?”
“…Didn’t think so. Aaaagh.”
Maybe I should’ve earned more hazard pay in my last life. Pointless regrets came flooding in.
Finally, in near defeat, I asked,
“…Why’s the penalty so high, anyway?”
“Because creating an idol group takes a lot of investment. And it’s not like we’re some mega entertainment company. Do you think it’s easy to scrap an idol group we poured all that ambition into? I even invested some of my own personal funds.”
I had no idea raising one idol cost this much.
The money pouch I’d dragged out of my vault with such pride now looked pitiful.
I tried clinging to my last shred of hope.
“But I’m just the sub-vocal and sub-rapper. It’s not like I’m irreplaceable, right?”
“The key to Secreti is the relationship between Espers and Guides. If you drop out, do you think it’ll be easy to find another aspiring Guide idol?”
“…Is it… hard?”
“Of course it’s hard. These days, fewer and fewer people are awakening as Espers or Guides. And even if they do, the government snatches up anyone A-rank or above, offering ridiculously high salaries.”
“Just how much are we talking about…?”
In response, the CEO pulled up the most recent salary statistics for government-affiliated special ability users.
“Holy crap.”
How many zeros is that?!
Even accounting for two decades of inflation, the numbers were insane.
Still reeling from the unfairness of it all, I stared at the sheet like it had personally insulted me—only for the CEO to drop an even bigger bomb.
“Even non-A-ranks can sometimes get scouted through special recruitment if they apply. So being an idol? It’s not an appealing job for most Espers. Grueling schedules, no privacy… and don’t even get me started on the years of trainee life.”
“……”
“Why bother with all that when you can become a Esper influencer on social media or a NewTube creator and rake in money faster? Even being recruited into a private guild as a full-time member pays more than enough. And if you’re A-rank like the others—it’s a no-brainer.”
Then came the kicker.
According to her, awakening as a superpowered individual these days was like winning the lottery.
“D-rank Guides like you are a dime a dozen. Most end up going down other paths. But even so, Guides are still rarer than Espers, so you’re relatively in demand.”
“…Do they pay well?”
“They do. You’ll easily out-earn most mid-sized company employees. And if word gets out that your guiding is effective? Scout offers start pouring in. In the world of special ability users, rank isn’t everything—matching rate matters, too.”
“…Damn.”
So to sum it up…
Yeon Yu-jin and this group are a total anomaly.
Come to think of it, I had been confused when I first woke up in Yeon Yu-jin’s body.
Why would Espers and Guides want to become idols in the first place?
“…The other members are all A-rank. Why’d they want to debut as idols?”
“You really did lose your memory, huh? You even forgot why your own team members debuted?”
“I don’t know. So tell me.”
They say if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.
Even if we weren’t going to be best buddies, it made sense to learn about the Espers I’d be working with as their Guide.
I asked directly, and the CEO, looking mildly exasperated, still answered dutifully.
“They all had their own reasons. Ho-yeon and Tae-boem? They purely wanted to become singers. Si-yoon? He wanted to escape his strict, suffocating family. And Yoon-chae? He thought it sounded fun. Rich kid and all.”
“…Seo Yoon-chae comes from money?”
“Yeah. Said everything came too easily because of his family, so he wanted a challenge. Though, judging from his attitude these days, I don’t think he’s thrilled to be here anymore.”
Yeon Yu-jin barely had an inheritance to speak of. Practically an orphan with nothing.
As I trembled with frustration over the sheer difference in circumstances, the CEO took back the contract and added,
“Now do you get it? If you can’t pay the penalty, you’ve got no choice but to stay.”
***
Wow…
In the end, I left the CEO’s office with nothing to show for it.
I expected some kind of penalty, sure. But I really thought I could afford it…
What a joke.
Sadly, after twenty years sitting in a vault, my money hadn’t appreciated—the cost of living had risen way more.
What used to be a pretty hefty hazard bonus was now barely pocket change.
“I’m screwed.”
I collapsed into a random chair in some corner of the company building.
“…What the hell do I do now?”
I have to get out of here.
I need to leave, find Hyun Je-ha, and only then can I start tracking down the bastard who killed me…
But with everything blocked from the very start, I felt completely stuck.
[Oh no, your mental’s totally shattered, huh. What now~]
Potato sprawled across the top of my head with what could only be described as mock sympathy.
Why the hell does this damn potato bastard love sitting on my head so much?
I was irritated, but too drained to even respond.
What do I even do now…?
At this rate, that whole dangerous vault trip was for nothing.
I was sitting there in a blank haze when someone approached me.
“Well, well. If it isn’t Yeon Yu-jin?”
“…Who?”
I looked up to see a guy with golden hair that practically sparkled, his bright green eyes gleaming with an obnoxious smile.
“You don’t recognize me?”
“Nope. Who are you?”
I answered flatly, and his smile faltered for a second before quickly snapping back on.
Ugh. I know that kind of face.
The kind that acts all sweet and friendly, but underneath is twisted as hell.
Those guys? They almost always died in combat with monsters. Nobody wanted to cover their backs.
“I’m Seo Yoon-chae. Same team as you—Secreti.”
“Oh.”
Only after he introduced himself did I remember.
I did recall a guy with annoyingly bright blond hair among the members I first woke up with.
“Sorry. I lost my memory, so I don’t know the other members very well.”
“Clearly. You’ve been casually dropping banmal at me when I’m your senior.”
Seo Yoon-chae snorted through his nose. Instantly obnoxious.
What’s this guy’s problem?
He was obviously here to pick a fight. The way he radiated ‘I look down on you’ was anything but subtle.
“You didn’t even want to talk to us before you lost your memory.”
“…I didn’t?”
“Nope. Said you didn’t want to mix with the likes of us.”
So, Yeon Yu-jin didn’t get along with this guy either.
Well, since we’re here, I might as well dig for info, huh?
It’s not like I can quit anymore. Might as well collect whatever intel I can on Yeon Yu-jin from this guy.
Not the kind of stuff you’d find online—something more personal.
“What happened between me and the other members before I lost my memory?”
“Why should I tell you? Didn’t you just try to quit earlier? Why bother explaining anything to someone with one foot already out the door?”
Tch.
Who is this smug little shit?
Every word out of his mouth was laced with hostility, no matter how friendly his smile looked. He was clearly pissed off and not hiding it.
“…I can’t quit. I don’t have the money for the penalty.”
“Oh really?”
His green eyes curved sweetly—too sweetly, like he was delighted.
“You think I’m some pushover?” I snapped.
Seo Yoon-chae nodded without hesitation.
“Obviously.”
“…Why the hell do you hate me so much?”
“Isn’t it obvious? You’re beneath me.”
“…What?”
This bastard—he’s a rank elitist, isn’t he?!
