The conference room was all dark and there was only one light on top of the ceiling, surrounding the center table. Each councilor was taking turns in parley, regarding the list that applies to all of the eminent figures.
"I've taken into consideration making new female groups while promoting Momoland," Lee Myung Jae stated.
"But that group hasn't even made a proper comeback since when? Six years ago? Let alone one member to shine, at least you know, Nancy. She's the one who stood out the most," Lee Kyung Bin thought.
"You're only saying that because you're also aiming for the same thing as I do," Lee Myung Jae muttered under his breath in irritation. "Copycat."
"I've decided that Ladies Code should become soloists and a trainee group will make their first debut by the following month," Lee Kyung Bin said.
"You're such a nudnik, but if I were you, I would terminate their contract instantly. Although, you may be quite right about Nancy," Lee Myung Jae sighed.
"Both of you are actually this dull-witted to even think that she can carry on the success for Momoland when there are some who are more exemplary than the others," Hwang U-ram remarked.
"Shut your trap. You think you know better when your current female groups are flopping because you all have been using the same structure, repetition and basic tunes like kids songs. Why don't you give Teddy Park the boot? That guy is becoming lackluster lately, so you should hire new producers," Lee Myung Jae huffed nastily.
"You're one to talk, eh? There's four groups in my agency that will have their biggest comebacks; FireBullet, Emglam, Twenty-1 and Popkon, whereas Baby Titans and Fortune will debut soon, so you should be careful with your words," Hwang U-ram warned icily, pointing his pen towards him.
"What about the three of you, vanguards? What are your propositions?" Lee Kyung Bin asked.
"We will have one male idol from Shimmer that will acquire great assets for our company," Lee Kyung-Soo said.
"Who could that be?"
"We'll let you know ahead of time. We don't want to ruin the surprise," Nam Noori noted.
"Alright, your call. For me, the girl groups will have various changes in terms of their clothing style, vocal lines, choreography and new concepts, so I'm selecting one male idol who will-" Min Sang-ook stated until he got interrupted in the middle of his sentence.
"Sir! We have an urgent situation!" A male voice panicked through the speakers.
"Here, here. What is it?" Min Sang-ook replied monotonously.
"One of the members named Yook Sunghoon from 2B has escaped!" He exclaimed in which the others were taken aback.
"What?! But how?! I thought you had put him into sedation!" Min Sang-ook barked as he became bewildered by looking up at the hologram screen lividly.
"I-I did, sir! I don't know how he woke up and he bolted out of the house. He used the gas bombs to put guards off into sleep. The dispatch couldn't catch up to him because of the sticky substance foisted on the van. It was bubble gum all over it," his deputy explained briefly.
Min Sang-ook shut his eyes closed in chagrin and interrogated slowly. "Alright, so where is he now? Do you know?"
His deputy made a long pause and began to answer timidly. "Um... Uh..."
"Well?!"
"Uhm, no S-sir..."
"Imbeciles!!! Haven't you ever listened to my orders?! If I ever hear another failed mission coming from you, you and the others will be dislodged for good. Do you understand?!" Min Sang-ook yelled indignantly, which made him squirm at the bombarding tone of his voice. The other CEOs continued to stare perceptively at his deputy on the screen without even countering back to what was notified. Still, they find it very mirthful since they can relate to their confederate.
"Y-yes, sir. It won't happen again," his deputy said.
"Better not. You don't want to lose your head over it. So go! Gather an intel and make sure Sunghoon doesn't get away this time," Min Sang-ook ordered.
"Yes, sir," he bowed his head and swiftly vanished, causing the hologram to go static.
"He's a very comical slapstick," Lee Kyung-soo chuckled.
"Tell me about it. He may lose his job because of his foolhardiness," Lee Myung Jae agreed.
"Ugh, I don't want to bring him up in our discussion. That moron should know that letting him out of sight would cause pandemonium in the city," Min Sang-ook massaged his temples and diverted the subject. "Now, can we resume our next objectives?"
"Right, we would be happy to oblige," Lee Kyung-soo said.
"We decided that a male idol from Shimmer is also going to acquire great assets for our company," Nam Noori said briefly.
"What if he fails?" Lee Myung Jae thought figuratively.
"Then, we oust him. It's always easy to find a new replacement," Han Mi-reu said.
"Very enthralling and I do comply with all of your preambles," Si-woo uttered as his lips began to smirk with his eyeglasses glinting in debauchery.
"And what about you? Care to share?" Lee Kyung-soo asked intrusively.
"I will, but your rebuttal seems to be boisterous and imperative. No matter, we shall proceed ahead because our volition is to continue our alliance with the elites. All idols must follow a strict diet, rules, and renew their contract every few years. My two choices are the first member from the Hyung line and the other one from the maknae line since they will be hecatomb to elevate the notoriety of K-East," Si-woo said.
"And how are you going to do that exactly?" Lee Kyung-soo queried.
Si-woo starts to scoff and grin mischievously, thinking about the person that he has in his mind. "It begins with the help of my secret spy and my new accomplice, of course..."
"Sir, the ritual is now ready," he reminded shortly.
"Shall we?" Si-woo asked his companions.
"I don't see why not," Lee Kyung-soo shrugged, whereas the other CEOs started to become satisfied. All of them stood up from their chairs and headed out.
...
The lamp post was flickering on and off as the electricity zapped out of consumption where the cool air had filtered through the midst of the Lotte World that was closed temporarily as a mandate. Bryan and his friends had quickened their pace, including the members, entering the back doors without making noises of their footsteps tiptoeing against the stainless steel floor plates and ramps.
They passed by the prohibited area cautiously and made sure that there were no security guards or police patrolling around the sections. Taeyun and Min-Jun were the first ones to give them a thumbs up to signal that the coasts are clear. With that, everyone else breathed out sighs of relief, relaxing their postures.
"Phew. I thought we were about to get caught, just by sneaking in here," Hwan said.
"It's not even considered a trespass, so chill," Ava noted.
"I don't think we should be laying low. We have to find that impostor," Joon-wo reminded them.
"Which way did she go?" Sally asked.
"I don't know, but it says in my GPS that she's somewhere at the center-right," Bryan responded.
"I checked and it says that she's inside the Mirror Maze," Jaesang said.
"Mine says French Revolution coaster," Ryung uttered.
"No. She's in the Magic Island," Jiyoo corrected.
"But how come she's in the Underland?" Bryan raised his eyebrows uncommonly.
"Okay, you know what? It's better we should scatter to know where she is exactly and then we inform each other. Though, we need to lure her in," Taeyun prescribed succinctly.
"And by what? Food-and-drink bait? She's not a freaking animal," Jiyoo pointed out.
"That's not what I'm hinting at," he replied.
"So what are you pertaining to, then? Hmm?" Jiyoo retorted.
"Something that she likes," Taeyun said.
"Isn't Lotte World her interest? Sheesh, this amusement park is not enough for her. How oblivious," Joon-wo commented with a pique tone of his voice.
"Hey, don't deride her if you don't know her. That is why we are willing to figure out what her identity is. We all agreed upon it and we must not fail," he stated.
"You sound too confident with that answer," Joon-wo said indifferently.
"Oh, am I?" Taeyun faced him offhandedly as the two of them were glowering with one another.
"You-"
"Hyungs... Let's not come into a squabble," Jaesang muttered as he felt the rigidity that was surfacing between them.
The phone buzzed off Min-Jun's jacket and read the notification. "Prime just recently announced our next performances will be held live in-person."
"When?" Ryung asked.
"There are no details further yet, so we should discuss it with them," he clarified.
Ryung grumbled a little, then demurred. "They can't go on making decisions for us. This is bullshit."
"Another meeting? No way, we've already filed our vacation and this is what they're going to give us?" Hwan said.
"It'll be fine. They haven't scheduled the dates, but I do understand the frustration though," Min-Jun countered.
"Didn't you guys already confirm it with your manager?" Sally thought.
"No, they never notified us," Min-Jun said.
"I see..." she murmured.
"Alright, let's split up!" Bryan asserted as the rest of his friends nodded in unison and began to walk.
Taeyun glanced keenly at Joon-wo, who was absent-minded and clutching his knuckles below his sides. He wasn't distraught by their early dustup. What he was mostly concerned about is that his Hyung is gazing at the route of the fountain, fretting tacitly to himself.
In a split second, a fuzzy sound was clamoring through the megaphone speakers harshly, causing them to cover their ears and hunched their shoulders.
"Hey, this is an important message to all the citizens and netizens of Seoul that there is going to be an uprising that will take place on April 17 by next spring. A despoliation has already been predetermined. I know you won't believe me now, but sooner or later, you will thank us someday once you start listening to this. You will not like what you will see when they decide to make the changes for you and for me. Whatever they are, do not concede to them. This is your last warning," a deep male voice spoke, then cut off the line of a hissing sound and a beep tone, much to the others' perturbation.
"Is that true?" Hwan wondered.
"Who on earth was that?" Ava asked strangely.
"Could it be...?" Sally trailed off of her words faintly.
"Guys, let's not get distracted. We must focus right now, okay?!" Bryan called out hastily.
"It's already past 3:00 am, so we may as well start maneuvering," Taeyun advised as the others had agreed and all at once, they separated to go to the differential point of compass.