X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the ServerSizzle—
Izm, placed on the grill, was being roasted to a golden brown.
The firepower to roast Izm was a strong-strong-strong-strong fire.
Pantheon fans didn’t join in due to their disposition, but public opinion among idol fans overall was not good. On top of that, even Izm anti-fans stepped up.
“Eun-ji, keep monitoring and submit reports on an hourly basis. Got it?”
“Pardon? On an hourly basis?”
Here, there was a person who got hit with a work bomb because of that.
It was Izm’s PR team new employee, Hong Eun-ji.
“Of course. If there are any unusual matters, report them verbally immediately.”
“Y-Yes.”
Even though she was busy, a bomb suddenly dropped on her days passed without any particular incidents.
Hong Eun-ji had watched the broadcast in real-time.
She was monitoring to create EXI PR materials, and since it was the first time she volunteered to take charge of a task, she had even received praise for being motivated.
She had been happily watching the music show even while working overtime.
– Uwaaa! Su-eon! Su-eon!
She was truly surprised to the point her eyes almost popped out.
– Eun-ji. Could you be a little quiet?
– Kwak Su-eon jumped onto the stage!
– What? Jumped onto the stage? You mean the choreography?
And the PR team staff who checked the situation all got expressions as if their eyes were going to pop out.
– Everyone who packed up, unpack.
– Aaaack!
From then on, it was an emergency duty system.
It was said that shouting continued to erupt from Director Jang Young-bae’s office after he returned from the music show.
‘Haa, getting off work is ruined.’
Eun-ji sniffled and opened her desk drawer.
Reaching through the jumbled office supplies and lifting the folder at the very bottom—
‘Sun-woo, give me some energy. You’re the Demon God.’
There, a photo of Pantheon was proudly attached.
‘Worship. Wor-wor-worship.’
Then Eun-ji put the folder down while reading the room.
It was so.
Pantheon’s fans were working secretly even in places where they couldn’t speak of it out loud.
In the current situation of being at odds with EXI, getting caught would obviously result in walking on eggshells, so she had no choice but to be careful.
After getting energy from the Demon God’s photo, Eun-ji bit into a chocolate bar and logged into the community.
Blinking her large, goldfish-like eyes, she read on.
First of all, stories about Kwak Su-eon flowed out.
└ Why did Su-eon do that?
└ He probably wasn’t in a normal state
└ Yeah yeah If you look when he came up on stage, his eyes were already a bit… (screencap) (gif)
└ It’s real? He looks really unwell. Can he continue activities?
“Right. He looked like he wasn’t in a good condition.”
For an incident caused by an individual, it was too shocking.
Therefore, Kwak Su-eon actually stepped aside from the main focus. The arrows ultimately headed toward Izm.
Due to Izm’s poor management.
└ So does that mean Izm didn’t know until Su-eon became like that?
└ The news said it was poor management, and that’s not wrong
└ Totally right. A large company didn’t even know that
└ Izm is weird lately
Public opinion moved past poor management and condemned Izm’s recent atmosphere.
“Ah. Does everyone know?”
Eun-ji, who was somewhat clumsy, joined the company without knowing the change in Izm’s atmosphere.
When she actually came in, it was quite chaotic after the inauguration of the new CEO.
Enough to be fully felt even by a new employee like Eun-ji.
Idol fans even reached the point that there was a structural problem in Izm.
What that structural problem was—
└ They put so much effort into EXI and neglected the members?
└ It’s not neglect, it’s abuse
└ Eh? What do you mean by abuse?
└ I know because an acquaintance is in the industry. They say Izm has been working the artists’ schedules way too excessively recently
“Huh? They know this too?”
Structural problem one, Izm’s murderous schedule.
└ Everyone knows idol schedules are murderous, right? Is it only Izm?
└ Someone came out to shield them lol But they said it. Recently.
└ Yeah yeah They say it’s severe after the CEO changed. Because it’s not just to the idols, the internal dissatisfaction is huge
└ This isn’t just an entertainment industry issue, it’s a workplace human rights issue
Idol fans were sharp.
Revealing the fact that it wasn’t just a generally excessive schedule, they even connected it to human rights.
And they mentioned the cause bringing about these problems.
Structural problem two, the system centered on the new CEO.
└ Why are they doing that? Did the new CEO get greedy for money?
└ They say it’s not even that. Apparently they don’t necessarily only do profitable things
└ Then?
└ They say no one knows. It’s up to the CEO’s heart
A system of the CEO, by the CEO, but unknown for what.
“Wow. They really know everything.”
Eun-ji greatly admired the idol fans’ intelligence-gathering ability.
A new employee also has ears to hear.
It was said that there was no one in the company right now who could guess the CEO’s true intentions.
Director Jang Young-bae moves like his limbs, but they said he is literally just limbs.
Not only the new CEO’s vision but even his work style cannot be grasped.
Just that he doesn’t show himself much?
The public opinion criticizing the CEO didn’t become a topic for long because information was so lacking.
So they returned to criticizing the company itself.
It was about how Izm, which held structural problems, was handling the follow-up measures.
└ There’s no article saying they apologized to Pantheon, right?
└ Yeah yeah No articles and no words from the company. Nothing came out from Origin or Izm
└ Don’t tell me they’re trying to bury it?
└ Ah…
└ Because they have a bad relationship with Origin too…
└ Still, isn’t that wrong? It’s only because Pantheon did the later stage well, otherwise it would have been a complete nuisance
└ Sorry to interrupt. Try appreciating Pantheon’s stage video and Ji-ho’s fancam. You’ll fall in love
└ I’m already appreciating it
└ lololol
└ Anyway Izm is weird this time. They used to be on the better side at handling things before
└ Seeing them try to cover this up makes it scarier
Leaving aside the other follow-up measures from Izm, the lack of any apology to Origin provoked tremendous criticism from idol fans.
The structure of a small-to-medium agency not receiving an apology even after being wronged by a large agency felt close to home for everyone.
└ f*ck… It reminds me of when my main bias got hit by Izm. It wasn’t to this extent, but we suffered a lot then
└ Izm is too much these days. Seems like it’s not just one or two groups getting hit?
The company Izm was antagonizing wasn’t only Origin.
The fans of other groups or companies who had been suffering damage knowingly or unknowingly ended up pouring out condemnation at this opportunity.
Along with the thought that public opinion was too bad, Eun-ji also felt that it couldn’t be helped but be bad.
“I should report this, right?”
“Eun-ji, stop talking to yourself and work.”
“Ah, yes.”
Receiving a warning, Eun-ji shut her mouth.
While doing so, she ended up forgetting what she was going to report.
She naturally returned to monitoring.
“Hiiik. This is big trouble.”
In this situation, the Izm fans, who should be Izm’s reliable allies, were showing unusual signs.
└ Wreaths… We should prepare them, right?
└ How long has it been since this happened? Condolence wreaths for kids who just debuted
└ LED trucks should go too
└ It was weird since Agon’s Ex. To blow the mentality of an EXI member who just debuted this time. I don’t think we should stay still
It is a miscalculation to think that just because they are fans of an entertainment company, they will agree with everything the company does.
Rather, there were areas where fans were stricter.
It seemed this incident had entered such an area.
In the long history of idol fangirling, there were various methods to raise complaints to the company.
Recently, condolence wreaths and electronic display board trucks were the trend.
Lining up condolence wreaths on the way to work at the company, and displaying the complaints on the truck’s electronic display board.
Eun-ji looked out the window.
Will wreaths and trucks appear there.
No, that’s not the problem, is this company okay. It seems it has gone bad?
“Should I change jobs?”
“Eun-ji, what did you say?”
“Heek, it’s nothing! It’s nothing!”
Eun-ji stood up, startled.
Even changing jobs has its time.
Now is not the time. There are already many items she has impulsively bought. There are even clothes whose deliveries haven’t arrived yet.
“Right, I should quickly report this—”
She stood up and looked for her senior, but he wasn’t visible.
“Where did he go in that short time?”
Thinking her senior might be in the break room, Eun-ji headed that way and saw the coffee machine. Suddenly craving coffee, she brewed a cup and calmly savored the aroma—
“Ah, report!”
Realizing why she came here, Eun-ji shouted to herself again.
However.
“Report?”
Someone next to her repeated those words.
“Oh my! Someone was here?”
“I’ve been here since earlier.”
A male employee in his mid-to-late 30s was staring blankly at Eun-ji.
“What kind of report is it?”
An attitude asking nonchalantly.
Since it wasn’t something to hide anyway, Eun-ji also talked about what kind of report it was.
If there was something slightly unusual, it was that as she spoke, she ended up talking very specifically.
And if there was something very unusual, it was that she even brought up thoughts of changing jobs as a joke to an employee she was seeing for the first time.
Because the male employee continued the conversation so comfortably, and she didn’t feel the age gap. It felt like conversing with a friend of her own age.
“Hahaha. If you work in PR, you’ll see cases like this often? What will you do if you think about changing jobs already?”
“Really? What should I do? I get startled easily.”
“Haha. If you’re going to change jobs, do it to Origin. Because it seems things will go well there in the future.”
“Ehehe, should I?”
Origin, where the Pantheon is located.
If it’s Pantheon’s company Origin, there’s nothing better.
“Because Izm will have many changes in the future too. Enough that humans might not be able to endure it, haha.”
“?”
Before Eun-ji could ask what kind of changes, the male employee stood up.
He waved his hand at Eun-ji while heading toward the break room door.
“Heok! Heok!”
Panting heavily, a bearded man appeared at the doorway.
Eun-ji could also recognize that he was Director Jang Young-bae.
Behind him, several employees were visible.
Director Jang Young-bae spoke to the male employee with an urgent face.
“Why are you here? Did you have a good business trip?”
Honorifics?
Eun-ji had a question pop up in her mind.
“I was looking around inside the company.”
“Pardon? Did you not hear? Right now EXI is….”
“Yes, an interesting thing happened. It’s very good.”
“…….”
Why is it very good?
Jang Young-bae seemed to be at a loss for words.
Only after a moment did he speak in a suppressed voice.
“Let us go up, CEO-nim.”
“Shall we.”
And the CEO and Jang Young-bae left the break room doorway.
Walking at the very back, the CEO slyly waved his hand at Eun-ji one more time and disappeared.
– CEO-nim, first of all we should expel Su-eon. And EXI will conclude their activities…
– Yes, well, do that however you like.
Such a conversation was heard from the hallway.
“…CEO-nim?”
Eun-ji sat blankly, then drank the rest of the coffee in her hand in one sip.
So, I just met the company CEO and talked about changing jobs—
Is the reason I can’t recall the CEO’s face I just saw because I’m too shocked?
Sniff, Eun-ji sniffled and quietly muttered to herself.
“Should I really change jobs.”
She had forgotten about the report long ago.
***
“Guys! Finally! We won!”
When Pantheon finished their schedule and entered the dorm, the CEO ran over with his arms spread wide.
The members had also checked the reactions of idol fans in the van, so they could understand why the CEO was acting like that.
“I decline. I know your joy, but step away.”
Understanding is understanding, and declining is declining.
The Demon God loathed things like the CEO’s hugs.
“Sun-woo, on a day like today, try being embraced in this CEO’s arms!”
When the Demon God applied an ankle sweep, the CEO rolled on the floor.
Roll, roll, the rolling CEO immediately jumped up and hugged Yoon-seo.
“Lovely thing!”
“Uuuugh— Euehh—”
The joy of the CEO and Team Leader Oh Dae-ho, who had suffered all sorts of sorrow from Izm all this while, was that much beyond words.
Oh Dae-ho also stood next to the CEO with a bright face.
“I thought it was a bit pitiful that the friend named Su-eon got expelled, but suddenly his past actions were exhumed and brought to light. He did all sorts of things?”
As Izm’s protection disappeared, past actions that made one wonder how he debuted as an idol were coming up one after another.
“Well, it must be so. This body knew it.”
The act of accepting an evil spirit is not something an ordinary person can do. It is only possible when an evil mind is filled beyond the limit.
“Huh? How did you know?”
Since he couldn’t truthfully explain.
“What do you mean how did I know. I can know just by looking.”
It was the Demon God explaining with another truth.
“Um, well. Let’s just say that.”
“Let’s just say that? I will not forgive your disrespect.”
After issuing a firm and strict warning, the Demon God looked at the CEO who had separated from Yoon-seo and hugged Ji-ho.
“Ugh, Sun-woo. Please detach the CEO-nim.”
“Ji-ho, build up the muscle strength to detach him yourself.”
“…….”
“CEO, detach yourself and look at me.”
At the Demon God’s words, the CEO became curious and let go of Ji-ho.
“In the end, Sun-woo Hyung detaches him with words.”
“But that’s because he wants to say what he wants to say.”
Lightly ignoring Yoon-seo and Ji-ho’s conversation.
The Demon God looked at the CEO sternly.
“Are you saying you are so happy that you are showing such disgraceful behavior?”
“D-Disgraceful behavior?”
“Of course. Just answer the question.”
“Ugh. I think it’s about time your way of speaking was fixed. Anyway, I’m happy, I’m happy. I’m happy in many ways.”
The activity itself is successful.
In the process, they showed their nemesis who’s boss.
“The fact that you guys and EXI promoted at the same time. To this CEO, it was the same as a company-versus-company fight.”
Oh Dae-ho nodded vigorously from the side.
“The CEO-nim’s words are right. Even when it was a close match right before the stage, the CEO-nim and I were bewildered. But to even win. It’s because of the unexpected incident of the intrusion, but even poor management is a company’s capability, isn’t it.”
“Even if there was no intrusion, we would have won.”
“Right, that’s it.”
The Demon God closed his eyes for a moment.
He recalled the members who burst into tears the moment they won 1st place today, and the fans.
Naturally, the agency people were also just as happy.
“Hmph, I shall let you continue to experience it in the future. I promise.”
““Sun-woo!!””
The CEO and Team Leader shouted simultaneously, filled with deep emotion.
Our Sun-woo ruthlessly tramples over us who are older, but he’s still a good kid.
“Yes, let’s just keep going like this.”
“Because you are doing really well.”
The two spoke with warm smiles.
“Put away such weak words!!”
“Huh?”
“?!”
As expected, the Demon God is the Demon God.
Whenever the atmosphere was about to soften with emotion, he revealed his true colors.
Tae-young, who had been watching from the side, explained with a slight smile.
“CEO-nim, Sun-woo says he wants to hold a solo concert.”
“What? A solo con?”
Because they poured all their power into the regular album, they couldn’t even picture a solo concert.
There was also the aspect that they could only decide after seeing the album’s response.
“Indeed. Having made the 1st regular album a success, is it not time to rally the fans once again.”
After speaking, the Demon God glanced behind his back.
Chains of restriction invisible to humans.
There are still many left. He hadn’t even counted how many lines there were.
He absorbed the spiritual energy of the evil spirit Deprivation and unexpectedly snapped one chain line, but the path to go is still far.
Expansion, expansion, expansion.
Gathering believers to grow the religious order.
Gathering fans to expand the fan club.
The method the Demon God thought of to do so was—
“Holding a festival of blood.”
“Blood?”
“Ah, no, I mean a solo concert.”
“Ah.”
If they held something like a festival of blood here, there would be an uproar.
“Anyway, shouldn’t there be a massive event that can rally the fans.”
Hearing this far, the CEO and Team Leader also finally got serious expressions.
“Sun-woo is definitely a born idol.”
“That’s right. He is always pondering the path to take as an idol.”
“No. It is not born.”
“Strangely, he can be humble sometimes too, right?”
“Why is that? He’s not like that to us.”
However, putting away their impressions on his humility.
“It’s a good idea, Sun-woo.”
“Ohh! Then are we executing it. Next week? Is around next week fine?”
“…….”
The Team Leader explained in detail.
Considering realistic reasons like venue rental, announcements to fans, and practice,
Even if it’s really, really fast, it would be 3 months later.
“To think it takes that long. Incompetent CEO and Team Leader.”
“Ugh. Just as I was praising his humility.”
“Because he is originally good at putting others down.”
The CEO caught his breath for a moment and spoke.
“We will calmly prepare for the solo con. So after you guys finish your follow-up schedules, go somewhere.”
““Where?””
Not only the Demon God but all of Pantheon listened closely.
“Jeju Island.”
““What kind of shoot is it?””
Then, the CEO smiled slyly.
“No, this is my gift.”
From the regular album preparation to the conclusion of activities.
At the end of this arduous yet successful journey—
“Go on a vacation all together.”
A rest prepared by the CEO for Pantheon.
2 nights and 3 days on an island where the sky and sea are beautiful.
““Waaaaah!!!!””
Tae-young, Yoon-seo, Ha-gyeom, and Ji-ho let out shouts.
The CEO smiled warmly at the members’ joyful reaction and looked at the Demon God.
“Vacation? Why go on a vacation all together?”
“?”
The existence who had been lofty alone had rarely played together with anyone….
Loving this chapter? You'll be hooked on The Moon Reflected In The Water! Click to explore more!
Read : The Moon Reflected In The Water
If You Notice any translation issues or inconsistency in names, genders, or POV etc? Let us know here in the comments or on our Discord server, and we’ll fix it in current and future chapters. Thanks for helping us to improve! 🙂