Pemika walked out of the studio, followed by all five members of the band, visibly furious.
"What does this mean? This isn't what we agreed on, is it? We already talked about this—we all agreed we'd go to Korea together!" Thame started angrily. Pemika turned to him and replied calmly.
"I did talk to them, but they didn't agree. So I had to revert to the original agreement, which is this."
"But everything we've been doing was to make sure it wouldn't come to this!" June argued.
"They didn't want the whole band. What did they say to you? Did you even talk to them for real?" Dylan nearly lunged at Pemika, but Thame held him back.
Pemika folded her arms, looking each of them in the eyes.
"Do I really need to say what they criticized about the other members?"
"Go ahead. Say it, so we'll know whether you actually spoke to them or not," Nano challenged her. Pemika swept her gaze across the remaining members one by one.
"June, your voice isn't strong enough, and your visual isn't there yet. Nano, your dancing is good, but the rest doesn't make the cut. Pepper, you're not good enough to be an all-rounder. And Dylan, you lack the intensity to command the stage."
"Those are your own words!" Pepper retorted.
"You can ask anyone else if you like. I spoke to them for you. I gave you the chance to prove yourselves, but you simply didn't do well enough."
"Then why did you tell us we'd all go together?" Thame yelled.
"Because I needed to state the truth to the media without causing an uproar. I won't allow another behind-the-scenes incident like before," she said, addressing all five members. "I admit, what you've done is incredible. I'll keep Mars together, but I'll only take Thame, just like before. The four of you can stay together—if you want to, that is."
Pemika turned to leave, but Thame stopped her.
"I'm not going!"
Pemika turned back and smirked condescendingly.
"Are you going to break the contract and take on the debt just to stay with your bandmates, like you did before?"
Her words made June scowl, and Dylan, Nano, and Pepper were shocked, having never heard about this before.
"What do you mean?" Nano asked.
"You didn't know, did you? Thame already tried to save all of you once by shouldering all the debt himself. And now you're still trying to hold him back and make him do it all over again?"
"This is my issue. It has nothing to do with anyone else!" Thame shouted defensively, not wanting his friends to know.
"But I think everyone needs to know. Thame shouldn't have to pay for anyone else or do anything for anyone else like he did before. And you shouldn't expect him to keep doing it," Pemika said coldly. "If you're truly his friends, you should stop holding back his future."
"You have no right to talk about my friends like this!" Thame shouted.
"Then I'll talk directly to you. The truth is, you initially chose to go. You signed that contract with your own hand before you suddenly changed your mind and pulled your friends into it. Wanner shouldn't have to suffer because of your indecisiveness. We've already negotiated with the international company."
Thame hadn't thought about it that way and was taken aback, realizing the damage he had caused to the company.
"I've given you all plenty of time to be together. Now, it's time for you to grow up and look forward. Staying together isn't helping anyone move forward. Letting your friend pursue greater opportunities, however, is what will help this industry grow." She looked at the remaining four members. "If you can't go, don't hold your friend back."
The five members of Mars were left speechless as Pemika walked away to speak with Mick.
"Mick, make sure everything goes according to the original plan. Thame should be separated. Send him to a hotel or back to his parents' house. They, along with his friends, know what's best for him."
"Understood," Mick replied.
It was Po.
Po followed Pemika to a quiet part of the Wanner building. It was late at night, so the area wasn't bustling like it was during the day.
"You lied to me. You told me that if I broke up with him, Mars would be able to go together as a full group," Po started, showing no fear. Pemika remained calm and met his gaze without flinching.
"My primary responsibility is to protect the company's interests. So I'll do whatever it takes to benefit the company. And the truth is, even if I hadn't said anything, you would've broken up with him anyway. I had to make sure Thame was spotless before sending him off."
"You talk like he has no heart or feelings. Do you even realize that you're making them cry?!" Po's voice trembled. He knew everyone was shattered by this, especially Thame. "I always thought you were a leader who cared about and understood these kids. That's what everyone says about you. You spent years nurturing them, only to destroy them like this?"
"I didn't nurture them to destroy them," Pemika said firmly, meeting Po's eyes. "I nurtured them so they could grow strong." She turned her gaze outside. "In your eyes, I may seem heartless. But let me ask you, what is the most important thing about everyone's dreams?"
Po followed her gaze and saw the idol trainees she was watching.
"Since the days when they were trainees, every one of them wrote on their applications that they wanted to succeed, to become famous, to be part of this or that top band, to become number one in the industry. And now, as someone who helped create them, I see that the success they want is right in front of them. Don't I have the right to hand them that dream?"
She turned back to face Po.
"Sure, over time, things might have changed a little. But I believe that deep down, everyone knows why they joined this industry in the first place. You included."
She tapped the ID card hanging on Po's chest, which bore the title "DIRECTOR."
"Take a moment to think carefully. Why did you join Wanner? And today, what you've received from me—the word 'director' on your ID card—isn't that exactly what you wanted from me?"
Pemika locked eyes with Po.
"Compared to everything you, Thame, and the band have done for me, and everything I've given all of you today—do I still seem cruel?"
She let go of his ID card, her gaze steady, like someone who had seen far more of the world.
"Today, everyone is still hurting because it's not what they expected," Pemika said, her smile softer than ever. "But just wait. In the days to come, what's heading their way—and yours—will be the thing they realize is what they were truly searching for all along."
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