The K-Pop Scandal - Chapter Two

The ballad on repeat helps Ahnjong and Ara to sleep in their tiny beds. They do not know it is their father's voice on the record. Dal Gong-Gi had lived a life that many would envy, but one he would not wish on even on his worst enemies. He had been grateful for the reality check that military service had given him. As much as he loved music, he could not bring himself to endorse the music industry anymore.

Not all entertainment companies were as bad as the one he had worked under, but he had seen the way it had treated women in the industry, and he wanted his daughters to have no part of it. He was the one that got Mini-Rose pregnant, but his fans had branded her as the witch among other unholy words. His band broke up not long after his public outburst. Strangers claim he’s ill and an unfit family man. Though how can one expect to be sane being a full-time pretender. Gong-Gi had watched countless celebrities crumble under pressure, yet the cycle of abuse continued.

As wonderful as his marriage to Mini-Rose was, knew it would soon be coming to an end. There was no smashing plates or exchange of fists that caused it. They had worked well together in business and in raising their children together, but they were going nowhere. As beautiful as Mini-Rose's small face and petite features were, he could not bring himself to look her in the eye. He could stare at his children all day despite the fact that they were both spitting images of their mother in every single way.

Like everything, all good things must come to an end. There was no need for words. They both did their best to keep everything together for the sake of the children, but it had to come out one way or another that they were going to split up. Text messages were not enough.

Gong-Gi rubbed his hands together before turning his music station off. “What a day!”

Rose, or Mini-Rose as everybody used to call her hands glued to her phone. He had no idea who would be texting her at 11:50, but he never asked. Maybe it was another man. If it was a charming prince she was smiling at on the screen, he felt no reason to be angry. It hurt that she loved somebody else, but then he reflected on how fast they got together five days after meeting at a conference. He hooked up with her whilst he was with another woman, who just happened to be their manager. It was nothing but karma served as a cold dish. One of his old bandmates used to say if somebody cheated on you, they will cheat on you. She looked up at him from the sofa with her legs sprawled out. She had never been so relaxed in years.

“I'm sorry, did you say something?”

“I don't mind sleeping on the couch,” Gong-Gi said, finishing his beer can. He took a seat by Rose's feet with quivering lips. He knew and she knew that the marriage was coming to an end, but neither was brave enough to initiate the divorce proceedings.

"Are you sure?" Rose became fixated on the can in his hands. "How many of those have you drunk tonight?"

"Just the one," he said. It was a lie he didn't have to tell her. He wondered if she found the cans from this morning. They both knew the minute Rose went to bed that he would be out at the convenience store splashing out on alcohol. She didn't even bother confronting him anymore. Rose knew all the hiding places, under the sofa, the overflowing bins by his little study area and his wardrobe. Gong-Gi had even tried and failed to hide the evidence by throwing his cans out the window and pretending it was a drunken man passing by.

Gong-Gi chuckled, trying to downplay the situation. "I know you love your bed." As much as he wanted to smile, he couldn't kiss her anymore, even though she was the best kisser on the whole damn planet.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to bed this time?" Rose stood up. "I think I can hear someone knocking."

Gong-Gi tip-toed towards the door, only to see an empty doorway. "There's nobody there."

"Well, I'm going to bed..." Rose dashed to one of the open doors with the unmade bed. "Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning."

"Get some sleep!" Rose demanded. "No more alcohol tonight! And don't even bother going to the bar or the convenience store. I think the reason we haven't talked about our divorce yet is that..."

"We're scared?"

Rose shook her head. "No! I think we can still work it out. You just need to stop drinking, then we can be happy again. We'll have more money too."

Gong-Gi ran to the fridge. He frowned when he opened the fridge to find that there was only one can left. "Can I at least have the last one?"

Rose sighed, folding her arms. "Fine," she scowled, pointing her fingers. "But that is the last one. After this one, no more! Good night!"

Ten minutes after Rose settled in bed, Gong-Gi heard footsteps. The footsteps seemed too heavy to belong to a child and he could hear Rose snoring away. Turning around, he saw a silhouette from the door window. "I wonder who that can be?"

The last person Gong-Gi expected at midnight was his former manager, Flo Glitz knocking at his front door. Not much had changed in Flo Glitz apart from the fact that her nose was half the size. Why couldn't she knock at a reasonable time?

Gong-Gi stumbled around the hallway with an empty can in his hand. His manners crashed with his head against the door. As the door was about to slam on Flo's face, she jabbed the door.

"What are you doing here?" Gong-Gi whispered. "It's so late."

Flo dragged him out of his apartment. "You're coming with me."

Gong-Gi pushed Flo Glitz away and went back into his apartment. "Why?"

"Don't question me," Flo Glitz pulled a gun out of her peacock feathered jacket. She aimed the trigger at his forehead. "You still belong to me."

"I don't understand." All he could do was stare at her. She had the face of an angel and the body of an anime pin-up girl. Her laughter only heightened Gong-Gi's anxieties. One wrong move could kill. "We broke up years ago. I'm not a pop star anymore."

With Flo Glitz, it had always been her way or the highway. Hearing the sound of Flo's fingertips rubbing against the trigger was like walking the plank. She whipped him loads of times before he graduated as an idol. Nightmares triggered by Flo Glitz, tearing his ligaments so he could perform splits on stage never left him.

Gong-Gi considered himself one of the lucky ones. Flo Glitz had never pulled a gun to his head. At least, until now.

"Of course you don't understand," Flo said, tilting her head. "You clearly don't understand anything. You owe me money!"

He squinted. "Eh? How do I owe you money?" The last thing he needed was more debt.

"You broke the rules!"

"I'm not in the band anymore, it doesn't matter."

Flo cackled. "It matters to me. You know you weren’t allowed girlfriends. I made an exception for you when we started dating, and you still cheated on me. That's against the rules. All your other bandmates from VALENTINE COOKIE returned from their military service except you. To top it all off, you had the nerve to start a family and not pay your fees."

"I worked eighteen hours a day with little pay," Gong-Gi snapped. A part of him wondered if it was wise to backchat an armed woman. When Flo's hands moved towards the handle, Gong-Gi could see that the gun was a toy. The famous manager of Flo Glitz Entertainment would never let herself be seen carrying a weapon in public. "I owe you nothing."

"I will shoot."

"Go ahead," Gong-Gi smiled, remembering the toy gun she used to carry around. "I bet it's just water in there." Flo jolted back as water sprouted in Gong-Gi's face. For a few moments, the two stared at each other in silence.

"How did you know it was a toy?"

Confiscating the weapon, Gong-Gi knocked on the hollow plastic. His fingers rubbed against the heart-shaped logo. "Your friend Fanny Bru has a brand of toys."

Flo's face sank with a sullen stare. With her hands on her hips, she glared at Gong-Gi with disdain. "It still hasn't changed the fact that you breached your contract, now you have two choices..."

Gong-Gi tossed the gun by Flo's feet. "I don't have time for this. Can we discuss this in the morning?"

Flo shook her head. "You know me. When I want something, I want it now."

"...Fine," Gong-Gi muttered. "What do you want?"

"You owe me ten billion won."

"I don't have that money." Gong-Gi was the lead singer of VALENTINE COOKIE, but only earned a fraction of the money that the band made. They had moderate success, not as big as BTS, Blackpink or SHINee, but enough to be recognised in the street. By the time Gong-Gi had finished his military service, VALENTINE COOKIE had dissolved.

"Then you'll have to come back and work for me."

"Why do you want me?" Gong-Gi questioned Flo's desire to have him back in the music industry. "I'm thirty. It's not my type of music anymore. And I have a family to look after."

Flo shrugged her shoulders. "You're full of excuses. I'm sure your family doesn't want to be burdened with your debts..."

He couldn't stand the thought of his wife and kids having to live with the burden of billions being owned by him. They deserved better. At times where he questioned his ability as a husband, father and man. Alcohol was his crutch. "Are you trying to reform VALENTINE COOKIE?"

"Hell no," Flo replied, waving her hands in the air. "The last two records were disasters. And nobody wants them. You're gonna be in a new band called Taegong." Looking down at her platinum heels, she picked up her toy gun. "Anyway, we're wasting time! We've got a plane to catch in the morning."

"Huh?" Gong-Gi didn't have the money or the documents to travel. He had lost his passport ages ago, and he was happy about it. He had seen the world once, he didn't need to see it again. After being a slave to the music industry, a peaceful life with his family was all he ever wanted.

"I got your passport here. I even renewed it for you," Flo explained. "You have another five years on your contract. So you should really come with me."

"Aren't you going to give me a chance to say goodbye to my family?"

Flo grabbed Gong-Gi's arm and dragged him to the elevator. “Don't worry, they're going to read all about it in the newspaper tomorrow."

"WHAT?"

"As I said, you are property of Flo Glitz Entertainment. You've been a very naughty boy, so you deserve to be punished."

"You know that what you are doing is kidnapping, right?"

She shrugged her shoulders again. "I don't care. I am above the law. My husband is an outstanding lawyer and my brother is a politician. You’ve got no leg to stand on."

Her unpredictable nature excited him back in the day. He couldn’t believe that he loved the woman once upon a neon city. "You can at least tell me where we're going?"

"We're going to Italy to film our music video."

"Don't we need to learn the song first?" Everything Flo had done made no sense. How was he meant to learn a song and dance routine without preparing?

"We can learn it on the plane."

Gong-Gi had no words to say. It hurt being unable to say goodbye to his loved ones. They're gonna assume that he just got up and left. All the stupid mistakes he had made as a teenager came back to haunt him. Why did he pursue such an impossible life of fortune and fame without acknowledging the dark side? When the elevator doors opened, he saw three black limousines with a hoard of bodyguards blocking the flashing cameras and incoherent crowds.