Episode 32
As the group looked on warmly, Roy jokingly spoke up.
"Wow, noona! We have to get paid every time!"
"Right? But Sejin gets everything for free for life."
When Hwan chimed in, Joo-ah looked at them with a look of disbelief.
"Seriously? You rich kids expect a small business owner like me to treat you all the time?"
"Hahaha! That’s fair enough!"
"Even I, her younger brother, don’t get stuff for free... What do you guys expect from her?"
At Joomin’s comment, Joo-ah quickly responded.
"Hey! I still have a long way to go to pay you back the money I borrowed. Wouldn’t it be better for this noona to work hard and pay you back fast? Or do you want me to go bankrupt handing things out and then shamelessly tell you I can’t pay you back?"
Joo-ah's playful tone made Joomin burst into laughter.
"Oh please! I don’t even need that money. Don’t worry about paying me back."
"Hey! That’s not how finances should work! Even with family, money matters should be clear! Just covering my study abroad expenses is more than enough. But I’m going to pay it all back anyway, so keep that in mind!"
"And you guys better listen up too! I know how much money you’re making, and so do a lot of other people. Do you have any idea how many scammers are out there these days? Don’t get suckered into some shady business deal just because someone says they have a great idea. If anything, buy a building! Or just leave the money in the bank. Got it?"
As Joo-ah got worked up while speaking, the members quickly nodded.
"Okay, noona. Calm down."
"Yeah, we’re not interested in any business stuff, so don’t worry."
"Why are we all like this today? Do we really look like the kind of people who’d fall for a scam?"
"Exactly… sigh."
As the members sighed, Joo-ah asked.
"Why? Did your CEO tell you to watch out for scammers too?"
"Yeah, he was worried we might get taken advantage of somewhere. He even told us to consult a lawyer if anything comes up…"
Hearing that, Joo-ah nodded.
"Yeah, that’s a good point. You’ve all been idols since you were young, so you haven’t really had experience with regular social life. There are so many stories in the news about celebrities getting scammed lately. So you all really do need to be careful. Got it?"
"By the way, did you go to the company today and meet with the CEO?"
"Yeah, noona. We just renewed our contracts."
"Already? Wow, that’s great news! Congratulations!"
"Thanks, noona!"
"Thank you!"
"Noona, we’re not too worried, but it has to stay a secret until tomorrow, okay?"
At Joomin’s words, Joo-ah nodded.
"Don’t worry. When have I ever gone around blabbing about you guys? There are still people who don’t even know I’m your sister."
"Hahaha, got it."
While Joo-ah and the members were chatting, Sejin asked Hajin for help to sit back down in the chair.
Then he picked up a fork and began tasting the cakes Joo-ah had brought.
"Waa~~! It’s delicious!"
At Sejin’s exclamation of delight, everyone turned to look.
His cheeks were puffed out, cream smeared around his mouth as he ate with gusto, making everyone burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!"
"Wow, Sejin! Is it that good?"
"Don’t eat it all yourself! Give uncles a bite too."
At Hwan’s words, Sejin quickly swallowed the cake in his mouth and looked up.
"Uncle, are you a baby? Can’t you eat by yourself?"
Everyone chuckled at that unexpected response.
"Ahahaha! Oh no, my stomach hurts from laughing!"
"Sejin’s got a point! Hwan, eat it yourself."
"Oh my, why does Sejin talk so well?"
"Wow, I can’t believe this… Am I really hearing that at my age?"
As Hwan lamented dramatically, the others laughed even louder.
After a long round of laughter, Hajin composed himself and gently scolded Sejin.
"Lee Sejin! Is that how you speak to uncle, hmm?"
Hajin’s slightly scolding tone made Sejin respond quickly.
"No, Uncle. It’s just that Hwan uncle asked me to feed him, so I said that! Why is a grown-up asking a kid to feed him?"
Feeling slightly wronged, Sejin pouted as Joo-ah stepped in to defend him.
"He’s right. Sejin’s got a point. Hwan, you’re in the wrong. You’re an adult, if you can’t feed the kid, at least don’t ask him to feed you. Lee Hwan, this one’s on you."
"Okay, okay! I admit I was wrong. Sejin, Uncle was just playing around because you’re so cute. Now go ahead and eat your cake. I won’t bother you anymore. And Hajin, come on, I was just joking around. Don’t scold Sejin, or I end up looking like the bad guy in the middle!"
"Fine, I get it."
Hajin gave a small chuckle, and just then, Sejin quickly grabbed his fork and scooped up a big bite of cake.
Then, he offered it to Hwan.
"Here! Uncle, say ah~ I’ll give it to you just this once, as a special treat."
Sejin’s words made Hwan grin as he leaned in and took the bite.
"Wow! It tastes even better because Sejin gave it to me. Thanks! Now you go ahead and eat without worrying about me."
"Okay!"
With the two reconciled, Sejin happily resumed digging into his cake.
Hajin, smiling at the scene, poured more juice into Sejin’s empty glass.
A short while later, Sejin, now completely full, leaned back against his chair as if collapsing from fullness.
Seeing that, Hwan, who was sitting next to him, patted Sejin’s round belly and asked worriedly,
"I let you eat as much as you wanted, but… isn’t your tummy sticking out a bit too much? Does your stomach hurt?"
Too full to even speak, Sejin just nodded.
Hajin checked on Sejin’s condition and spoke.
"It’s okay, hyung. He did eat a lot, but it’s not serious enough to worry about."
"Really? That’s a relief."
Once Sejin had finished his dessert, the group began gathering their things to head home.
"You guys heading out now?"
"Yeah, time to get going. But noona, is it okay for you to be away from the kitchen this long?"
"It’s fine. I came out after finishing all the orders. Besides, there are other people working in the kitchen, not just me."
"That’s good. I’m glad the restaurant is doing well."
At Joomin’s comment, Joo-ah patted her younger brother on the back.
"Of course! It should be going well, you helped me out, didn’t you? Don’t worry about me. Just try to visit Mom and Dad once in a while. I think they miss you."
"Yeah… I know. It’s just a bit hard now that they’ve moved to the countryside."
"Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve seen them too. Just call them on video chat once in a while so they can at least see your face."
"Alright. I’ll do that."
"Good. Take care, and see you next time."
As the siblings said their goodbyes, the other members, who had already packed up, came over to say farewell to Joo-ah as well.
"Noona, thank you for the delicious food. We’ll come again next time."
"I’m glad you enjoyed it. Don’t worry about paying today, this is my treat to celebrate your contract renewal!"
Joo-ah raised one hand in the air as she made her cheerful declaration.
"But earlier you said you still owe Joomin money! Should you really be treating us?"
"Yeah, we ate a lot today. It must have cost quite a bit…"
"We’ll just pay. We appreciate the thought though."
But Joo-ah shook her head firmly.
"It’s fine! I’m your noona, if I can’t even do this much for my younger brothers, what kind of sister would I be? It’s a special occasion, so I want to treat you. I’ll definitely charge you next time, so don’t worry and just go today!"
With her firm tone, the members eventually gave in and thanked her.
"Alright then. Thank you so much."
"Noona! Thanks to you, we ate really well!"
"Thank you very much!"
Sejin chimed in, making Joo-ah laugh as she bent down to pat his head.
"That’s right. Didn’t I say earlier? Sejin gets to eat for free forever. So anytime you want something, just come visit me, okay?"
"Yes~ thank you~!"
"Good. Take care and see you next time."
After saying their goodbyes, the group took Sejin and quietly slipped out of the room.
Before things could get chaotic, the members bowed to the restaurant customers and quickly made their way to the parking lot.
Once they got in the car, Minsu started driving.
"Ugh, I’m so full I’m getting sleepy…"
"Me too."
Maybe it was because they were so full and relaxed, but everyone was quiet.
A few dozen minutes later, the members arrived back at their dorm, where Bbokdol came rushing out to greet them excitedly.
After feeding Bbokdol some snacks and playing with him a little, the members headed to their own rooms to get some rest.
The day ended peacefully.
And the next day, Ain Entertainment released the official press announcement about B-One's contract renewal.
[B-One! Re-signs as a full group!]
[Ain Entertainment announces B-One’s contract renewal…]
[B-One signs a 3-year contract! What about the contract fee?]
[Idol group B-One, now shareholders!]
While entertainment news was flooded with stories of B-One’s contract renewal, what drew the most attention was the announcement that B-One had become major shareholders.
[Group B-One becomes a major shareholder of Ain Entertainment!]
Today, Ain Entertainment officially announced the news of the idol group B-One renewing their contract.
For fans who had been worried that the group might disband due to the delay in the renewal announcement, this was nothing short of a miracle.
There had been speculation among entertainment insiders that, like other idol groups, the members might transfer to different agencies.
One unnamed source revealed that a major entertainment company, whose name alone everyone would recognize, had offered B-One’s members a substantial signing bonus.
In the midst of these rumors, Ain Entertainment made an official announcement this morning that all B-One members had re-signed.
The terms of the contract: a 3-year renewal, not with a signing bonus, but with company shares, meaning B-One members were now listed as major shareholders in Ain Entertainment.
This kind of contract structure, being paid in company shares, is extremely rare, and industry insiders saw it as a sign that Ain Entertainment was doing everything it could to retain B-One.
Although Ain Entertainment is not publicly listed, it is still one of the strongest financially among mid-sized agencies.
While there hasn’t yet been an official statement from the members, it’s widely assumed that they all greatly benefited from this deal.
—OMG~~ Amazing!!!
—Finally! We’ve been waiting for this renewal!!
—Kya! Congrats oppas~
—Our oppas are now shareholders, lol
—As expected of CEO Kang!!
—Hopefully this quiets down all the false rumors and hate.
—The whole disbandment talk was just chaos.
—People who aren’t even real fans acting all concerned... Ugh!
The fan café exploded with cheers and messages of celebration after news of B-One’s renewal broke.
Whenever an idol group’s contract period nears its end, rumors start flying and things get noisy from all sides.
While some groups manage to renew as a whole, the process is rarely smooth.
And even when things go relatively well, it’s common for some groups to disband or for members to split up and sign with different agencies.
Even when members say they’ll continue group activities, if they end up under different agencies, aligning schedules becomes difficult. Eventually, it all fizzles out, and disbandment follows more often than not.
That’s why, when no news came about B-One’s renewal, fans were secretly suffering with worry.
To make things worse, fans of other groups mocked the situation, saying things like, "You’re going to disband too, just wait." The stress on B-One’s fans had reached its peak.
So when the unexpected news broke that all B-One members had re-signed as a complete group, fans couldn't help but scream with joy and go wild with excitement.
While fans everywhere were celebrating, a cheer of joy also echoed from an office in Mapo...
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