Chapter 61 – Interlude (4)
We took our seats in the audience, biting into snacks until it was almost time for work.
I couldn’t stop drinking, but as long as there were snacks and drinks, I was fine.
By the time Tia bought the apple candy, her appearance on SNS was already confirmed, so she wouldn’t have to worry.
The student council seemed to want to kick us out somehow, but they couldn’t fight against the investigative agency.
Originally, university festivals were meant to be enjoyed by outsiders as they wished.
Besides, we were also turning a blind eye to the many transgressions that were going on in real time at this festival.
‘I don’t care about the little things. Take only one big one.’
“I, senior. Isn’t the student council going to file a complaint later?”
Alice, who was called a senior by the Hunter Department students who were forming a kind of square, smiled.
As she traveled with me, she gained her own know-how.
“Where are you going to put your complaint?”
“That, that’s right, put it in the association, right?”
“Our special unit has no complaints window. How do you deal with complaints every time criminals are caught and put in?”
In the first place, the Hunter Association itself is not an institution that accepts complaints very well.
The Hunter Association has a very short history and is notorious for being very independent and unfriendly because it is far from other government departments.
In order to control hunters with strong power, you must have this level of authority.
I asked Seo Ji-yu, sipping Fanta next to the very happy Tia.
“Hey, cheater.”
“Yes, the embezzlement swindler colonel.”
“Did you say you embezzled directly from the festival? Was it the student council? It didn’t look like that.”
“It was the accountant. The student council also needed someone who could do the job well.”
“Then, how do you usually embezzle at festivals?”
At festivals like this, cash transactions are basically the best way to embezzle, but…
Most of the stores that run taverns can barely make ends meet.
Although the S generation festival is quite famous, it is not to the extent that there are overflowing outside guests.
Seo Ji-yu confidently responded to my words.
“Usually, a performance event like that is the main event.”
“Are you talking about celebrity invitations?”
“Yes. For indie bands, it’s almost free no matter how many groups you call, so you don’t have to worry too much. But famous singers perform for 20 minutes and get 40 million won. In 20 minutes, they sing about 3 or 4 songs.”
While listening to Seo Ji-yu’s explanation, I looked over the pamphlet for her performance today.
As the era is the era, most of the celebrities who appear are hunter celebrities.
Seeing that there are a lot of names I can recognize, I think I spent a lot of money.
“Alice, come on.”
“What?”
“Among the performers, do you know any of the cast members? It’s fine at least roughly.”
“Ah, these kids belong to our guild. Shall we ask?”
A group of hunters approached from afar so that Alice was afraid to point out the name of the pamphlet.
The performers who were supposed to participate in today’s performance found Alice and came to greet her.
Even though Alice’s career was a bit short, she was treated as a senior since she was an S-rank hunter belonging to the same guild.
“Hey, Senior Alice. Why are you here? Did you come to see us by any chance?”
It was a rather mysterious sight to see a celebrity who looked at least five years older than Alice politely greeted her.
Alice pretended not to see me laughing and she asked them quietly.
“I stopped by while working. I’m sorry to ask you this question… How much did everyone get here?”
“Ah. I’m sorry for the same guild. I should have received about 2,000?”
“Wow, that’s a lot. I’m 1,500.”
“We also have 2,000.”
I called 3 teams, but it is already 5,500.
It is understandable that Seo Ji-yu expressed it as the main of the festival.
Among these universities, it is said that there are many cases where more than 30% of the festival budget is spent on inviting celebrities.
After thanking Alice, I continued to ask Seo Ji-yu.
“It’s definitely a high performance fee.”
“Isn’t it? Even the strongest hasn’t come yet.”
“But you pay for your appearance fee out of tuition anyway? How are you embezzling with that?”
When I asked a key question, Seo Ji-yu laughed evilly.
“It’s good because it’s tuition.”
“What?”
“Anyway, the recruitment cost comes out of the festival budget, so there’s nothing to regret. That’s why we should pay generously for the recruitment cost and get a rebate instead. We get 2,000 or 4,000 per event, so won’t we give a rebate?”
“Then how much do you get in kickbacks?”
“At least 10%. If you get rebates from other places besides concerts, you’ll quickly collect around 2,000.”
“I thought it was no joke to say that you’re an idiot if you can’t pick up a car while serving as student council president…”
While listening, I suddenly felt thirsty and emptied the paper cup.
Tia, who was holding a plastic bottle politely next to me, refilled my cup as soon as it was empty.
“It’s a premium area here, and since we’re receiving extra money… The technique is more advanced than before. I should have done that a little too long ago.”
“It’s no use trying to track the bankbook, right?”
“Of course. Who gets the rebate by bankbook? It’s always cash.”
“How about hitting the scene?”
“The kickback should have been received a long time ago.”
Alice overheard our conversation and she was started.
“Wait, our guild couldn’t give you something like that, right?”
“Are you 100% sure?”
“Don’t you know how much Winter Kingdom’s market cap is? The entertainment business is a very small part of our guild. And anyway, the Hunter celebrity side is tightly held by one other company, so there’s plenty of work even if you don ‘t get kickbacks. It’s okay even if you don’t go to university festivals like this. Hey.”
I heard and saw it.
The situation has changed a lot from the past, when arrogant and mischievous gangsters snooped around the entertainment industry.
Of course, despite this, unfortunate incidents such as the Lee Jae-han incident occurred, but…
That too was several years ago.
Even if the entertainment industry has improved a little during that time, it’s not too strange.
“Besides, didn’t we catch Lee Jae-han and wipe out the other line as well?”
“Right.”
Sergeyudo soon nodded at Alice’s words.
“It’s no longer an environment where you can receive rebates. Almost all of the Hunter entertainers who can be invited to the event are affiliated with the two major agencies.”
“Two major agencies? One must be Winter Kingdom’s company, and what is the other?”
“You know. Shin Soi belongs to…”
“Oh, there?”
If Shinso, a victim of the Big Bada Lee Jae-han incident, is still vivid in her memory of her.
I suddenly started to get very anxious.
The student council at S University is like bullies who tried to accuse Hunter students.
There’s no way that those third-class scumbags gave up right away just because they couldn’t get kickbacks.
It must have been monetized in a different way.
Selling premium seats can be seen as part of that, but the scale is too small.
Even if you charge 10,000 won per person in that small space and fill it up, you won’t get 300.
“Then how the hell are you going to embezzle?”
“Well, it’s time for the performance soon…”
“Wait a minute. Other celebrities haven’t arrived yet. The only ones who have arrived are those from Winter Kingdom.”
“What?”
I barely noticed what Lee Seo-woo pointed out.
Surely, it’s too late.
No matter how expensive the body is, it should have arrived by now.
So that we would be afraid to be suspicious.
Notifications started from the student council.
[Ah, Mirei, who was supposed to participate in today’s event, said that she was inevitably unable to participate due to a car accident… I hope the fans can rest assured that there are no serious injuries as it was a minor car accident .]
“Huh? Mirei isn’t coming?”
“No, even after selling tickets, what?!”
“Yeah, but all the other celebrities came…”
“It can’t be helped if it’s a car accident.”
Mirei is the celebrity that was supposed to be the main character of today’s event.
While the audience who had gathered around the stage early in the day was buzzing.
We looked at each other’s faces in an accident with such exquisite timing.
“Wait. Where does Mirei belong?”
“She’s It’s the same guild as Shinsou.”
“I’ll have to make a phone call.”
When I called the guild and gave my name, the receptionist turned the phone back in a panic.
Before long, it was none other than Shin So-i who answered my call.
It seems that he thought he was calling from the big sea, so he contacted him.
Shinsoi greeted with a calm voice.
[Hello, Detective. Long time no see.]
“Mr. Shinsoi. At that time, there were a lot of rude people.”
[No. Thanks to the investigator’s words and Yeriel’s encouragement, I was able to gain courage. In fact, there was nothing seriously wrong.]
“Don’t talk like that.”
I got to the point, apologizing for the verbal abuse I had belatedly said to her.
“By the way, have you heard that Mirei, a member of the same guild, got into a car accident?”
[Yes? It can’t be. If it’s Mirei, is it right next to me?]
“…”
I finally realized roughly what had happened.
The management of the S generation festival did not even invite Mirei from the beginning.
After hitting the advertisement, they said that they were absent due to a car accident, and then, when interest in them cooled down, they must have been thinking of consuming the recruitment cost.
Mirei is a top-notch hunter celebrity whose appearance fee starts at 4,000, so even a little bit of it is a big profit.
‘You didn’t even pay the recruitment fee from the beginning. Even if they got caught later, they would have thought of ignoring it as a mistake by the person in charge.’
The techniques are very poor, but since I’m a college student anyway, I can’t ask for too much.
I explained everything to Mirei and Shinsoi and asked for their cooperation.
Fortunately, as soon as Mirei heard the news, the road went wild, and rather she showed her enthusiasm for her, saying that she wanted to ask for it from her side of her.
“Thank you. Then please wait a little bit.”
“T-Team. Can’t you investigate us civilians?”
When Lee Seo-woo urgently tried to stop him, I nodded without hesitation.
“I can’t. So I won’t investigate.”
“Yes?”
“You should have done better when I followed the rules. I’d rather have a formal investigation…”
Those who prefer this expedient know that only they are proud.
They know that other people are stupid and lazy and do not do the same as they do.
I decided to betray those expectations.
“Blanche.”
[Yep!]
I whispered softly and the screen flickered behind the student members who were calming the crowd.
In the brightly lit screen, Mirei and Shinsoi were sitting side by side and waving.
“Wow, waaaaagh!”
“What is it? Turn it off right now!”
“It doesn’t turn off! The screen doesn’t even go up!”
With the stage set broken, Mirei calmly said goodbye and conveyed the truth.
[Hello everyone. S Dae Festival, are you enjoying it? But it’s strange. I’ve never been in a car accident, and I’ve never been invited to an S-dae festival…]
“Wait. What are you talking about again?”
“You weren’t in a car accident?”
“Mirey… Wasn’t coming? Did you lie?”
Most of those who purchased premium tickets were fans who had been aiming for celebrities from the beginning.
Realizing that they had been caught, they became angry without hesitation.
“Get those bastards! They’re scammers!”
“Give me the ticket back!”
“You said you didn’t call a famous celebrity even after collecting a special membership fee?”
“Let’s kick out the student council! Impeachment! Impeachment!”
By the time the student council’s tyranny was so severe, even the students who couldn’t stand it any longer began to stand up.
Hunter Faculty students rushed toward me.
One of them, the president of the society, asked me without shame.
“Detective! Please catch them! They were caught embezzlement.”
“Special Forces can’t arrest civilians.”
“Yes? That, that…”
Damn!
Next moment. I hit the president’s ears.
Even after being beaten, he didn’t know why, so he just stood there in a daze.
“Is this your university or mine?”
“That, like that…”
“This is the S team that you chose! Whether you endure it even if it’s dirty and shameful, drop out if you’re twisted, or change it to your own hands… You have to choose for yourself. No one is responsible for your choices!”
Only then did the students of the Hunter Faculty, who realized the true spirit of college students, stand up with their fists clenched.
Moments later, the stage where the members of the student council had gathered began to burn with Molotov cocktails.
They desperately begged for help, but there was no reciprocation.
“Marine Corps!
“They’ve already run away!”
“Take those swindlers down!”
Having completed our mission, we left the campus feeling lighter.
The campus, where Molotov cocktails were flying around and counterattacks by Marine Corps comrades, seemed much more familiar than before.
“It’s a bit like a university now. I think S University still has hope.”
“Where the hell are you looking?”
“Master, it’s like a real festival now!”
Excited by the chaotic atmosphere, Tia held my hand and danced excitedly.
I started working late by hanging out with him moderately.
