The traitor’s expression stiffened.

“If I let you listen to Taehee’s song and told you that I thought it would be a hit, you would have snatched the opportunity. Then you would have nonchalantly told me, ‘While I’m sorry, I can’t let an opportunity pass.’ Because you’re that kind of guy, right?”

There was no friendly, disciplined Choi Gunyoung. His face was splattered with displeasure and irritation. Wow, someone was looking at me like I was a bug, but to think that his gaze would make me this excited…

The traitor asked in an investigative manner,

“Which high school did you go to?”

I burst into laughter at his sudden question.

“Probably not the same one as you? Why? Was your talent in acting coy not as good as it is now? Well, if you were like this before, then it would send chills down my spine. It’s not like you were some promising sociopathic genius as a kid.”

When I said so while chuckling, the traitor’s gaze became even fiercer. He seemed like he would flip the table over if I provoked him a little more. Of course, I was hoping for that.

“Then what is it? Who did you hear about me from?”

“Are you the only quick-witted person in the world?”

The traitor revealed a twisted expression.

“I’m talented. My biggest hobby is, like you said, living with an outer appearance different from my inner self. But when the Neptune girls, the chief, team leader, and other company employees didn’t notice, you’re telling me that you figured it out? In such detail?”

He spoke about his black inner thoughts with his own mouth. The more he did so, the more enjoyable this conversation, if you could still call it that, became.

The traitor stared at me with narrowed eyes as though he was looking at my inner thoughts.

“Hmm, I don’t believe it. Unless you heard it from someone…”

It seemed he had some sort of idea.

I wanted to dig into his inner thoughts even further. Unlike other times, I felt like the shovel would go in deep this time around.

While he nonchalantly said that he was talented and how his façade was his hobby, it was clear that he was agitated inside. The fact that his nervousness came out through his expression and voice was proof.

“Why is it important who I heard it from? Why? Are you worried that if your true nature was completely exposed, there would be difficulties in continuing your hobby in this industry? You should have hidden it better. Once secrets are shared between two people, it’ll quickly be shared to three, four-”

“Who was it?”

The moment he cut me off in irritation and asked, a name suddenly crossed my mind. A name that made me uncomfortable along with the traitor for a while. I licked my dry lips.

Should I throw out some bait?

In this situation, I wouldn’t lose anything by trying, but if it worked…

“Simon Lee.”

“…!”

I could stumble across a big fish like this.

The traitor clenched his jaws. His momentarily wavering eyes became chaotic before he stared into empty space as though he would strangle Simon Lee immediately if he was there.

So, let’s see. Simon Lee knew his true nature.

I did suspect that there might be some scheme in the process of him persuading Simon Lee and getting one of his songs.

This was because, glossing over giving Neptune his song, he was too proactive when he said he would even help promote them on entertainment shows. That was why I carefully observed Simon Lee, but I didn’t have any traces or evidence to back it up.

Until now.

“… He’s much dumber than I thought.”

The traitor said, his teeth clenched.

“He desperately clung to me, telling me not to tell anyone, so I protected his dirty secret, yet he couldn’t control his own mouth, blabbering about me to others?”

At this point, I netted a whole boatful of fish.

He desperately clung to him, telling him not to tell anyone. Protected his dirty secret. This meant the traitor blackmailed Simon Lee with his weakness.

Even if I considered backstabbing me to be not so troublesome since I was his colleague, to blackmail someone like Simon Lee. This guy could go places. He wasn’t at the level of promising genius, he was already a fully-fledged sociopath.

The traitor stared at me with a twisted smile.

“You’re so talented. Simon Lee was probably careful because he had a lot to lose, how did you get him to speak? Did you get him wasted?”

“I am a little talented.”

“But I guess you couldn’t procure any evidence with your talent.”

His gleaming eyes narrowed like a snake’s.

“Anyone would have told a higher up already if they had proper proof. Yet they didn’t seem to know anything. Kim Hyunjo or the team leader.”

“Hmm, they don’t know yet.”

“Simon Lee will shut his mouth with a single phone call from me, and it’ll be difficult for others to completely believe what we say. As you know, I don’t look like someone who would do things like that.”

The traitor deliberately smiled brightly.

“Right. You don’t look like someone who would do things like that.”

“Sooner or later, I will leave this team. Concocting dirty rumors about you during that time is simple for me. Something like how you snatched away an idea I originally had or that I was constantly disregarded by you. Rumors like these spread quickly for famous people like you. It’s fun, isn’t it?”

His lips curled as though he was happy just thinking about it.

How astounding. He was unmatched in wicked childishness.

He was someone who would drive me crazy if he worked under me or act like he was chased out by me and forced to separate from Neptune if he left with my opposition.

During my stormy time in middle school, I didn’t see anyone with such a huge flaw in their character, yet to think that I would meet one after becoming an adult. The world was large, and there were tons of imbeciles.

“You will purposely alienate me to screw me over? Do you think I’ll just watch you?”

The traitor shrugged his shoulders at my words.

“I’m a poor fellow whose colleague got a promotion before me. The PR Team employee and even Kim Hyunjo, did you see the expressions they had when looking at me? I told you before, I’m skilled. With this advantage, I can definitely get others to listen to m-“

“Ah, an advantage? Like this?”

I fumbled through my pocket. The traitor’s gaze, which followed my hand, halted when he saw what I took out.

I showed off, humming, while checking my phone. A microphone was on the screen. The recording time kept increasing. When I pressed ‘stop’, it automatically saved as an audio file.

“Let’s see, did it record well?”

I clicked the file and moved the scroll bar to the end. The traitor’s unrivaled confession began to play. I pressed the share button and saved it to the cloud before saying,

“The audio’s quite decent. Smartphones these days are quite useful.”

“You-!”

The traitor jolted up from his seat. This time, I shrugged my shoulders.

“Why are you so surprised? Recording people is my hobby, didn’t you know?”

“You son of a bitch!”

“Why is it so exhilarating hearing you swear? But do you think calling me a ‘son of a bitch’ is enough? If I spread this audio file to the PR Team, chief, team leader, or should I just send a group message to the company communication network? Why? I could do that by accident.”

“Erase that right now!”

The traitor slammed the table hard, approached me, and held me up by my collar. Unconcerned, I smiled coolly because I liked how his angry face was filled with urgency without a trace of composure/

“Am I crazy to erase this? I already felt like I had eaten a box of sweet potatoes because of how the chief and team leader all complimented you, saying how you were a nice guy. If they hear this, they’ll probably fall holding the back of their necks. Do I need to prepare cheongshimhwan^{1} or something beforehand?”

“You asshole, seeing you act like this!”

“Stop looking and just hit me, you son of a bitch. It might be nice to end this with a punc-!”

Before I could finish, his fist smashed into me. I realized I was hit when my chin turned to the side. Damn it, I bit my tongue.

I used my entire strength to kick the traitor’s stomach. He was pushed back along with the table. The chair that was also pushed aside crashed onto the floor. His fiery glare landed on me.

“You fucking bastard!”

He menacingly rushed at me, grabbed my collar and raised his fist again.

Just then, a weird ‘knock, knock’ sound joined in.

It was the sound of something being hit hard. Something like a wall.

The edge of the blackout blinds that were covering a wall moved as though it was pushed out by something. Then a slender arm, which looked to be a woman’s, suddenly appeared. The arm raised the blinds.

The owner of the arm was Team Leader Park, who had a dumbfounded expression.

Beyond the clear glass door, Kim Hyunjo and the team 3 leader were looking at me.

The team 3 leader forced a smile and said,

“What a mess.”

^{1} medicine to help calm your nerves.