Aren studied the room. It was shabby, not suitable for an idol to be living in.
There was no other room other than this one; only a bathroom and a kitchen slab made the room livable.
There was a single bed, table, chair, beanbag, and television in the room. Other than that, nothing of value was present.
"What's going on?" Aren was confused. "How is an idol living in such poor conditions?"
Aren remembered the idol Aren Frost. Since they both shared the same name, many people made jokes about this topic.
Aren Frost was among the popular idols, almost at the top of the industry; however, that was two years ago.
His group — Ventage — was amongst the most popular groups in the country.
They were loved by the fans.
Ventage had five members, and Aren was the youngest.
But the group disbanded a year ago.
Aren only knew this much about this topic, so he decided to research.
He picked up the tablet and opened it. It had a face lock, so it wasn't an issue.
As soon as he searched about Ventage, a flood of articles filled the page.
He clicked on, 'Why did Ventage disband? Find the full story.'
Aren read the full article and murmured, "So that's why the group disbanded."
The agency behind Ventage — Blackshore Management — said:
"The group Ventage will be disbanded because the members have been unable to work together due to a certain member. The members complained that this member doesn't cooperate and cannot keep up with the choreos and vocals."
Under this article, the comments were full of hatred.
[It is because of Aren Frost! All the members of the group already hinted at him.]
[I always found him condescending, but now I straight up hate him!]
[Don't disband Ventage! Just kick Aren out!]
[Why does the group have to suffer just because of one fool?]
Aren sighed and clicked on another article recommended to him.
It was titled- 'Where are the Ventage members? Find out.'
Aren read the article, and about him, there was only one thing mentioned at the bottom.
"Nobody knows, and nobody cares."
"That's brutal," Aren couldn't help but comment.
As for the others, they had ventured into different fields.
Two of them joined acting. One ventured into fashion, and the eldest of them went to the television show industry to become a host.
All of them remained signed with Blackshore Management; only Aren was let go.
"But still, he should have a lot of money from his idol days, right?" Aren muttered in confusion.
He immediately opened the banking app, but it asked for a password.
He checked the notes app, and there all his passwords had been written.
"Looks like he also had a habit of forgetting passwords." Aren muttered with a faint smile.
Aren checked his balance and saw only two hundred thousand Siera in balance.
"What? Only two hundred thousand Siera?"
Aren couldn't believe his eyes.
"An idol should have way more, at least twenty-five million, with how popular Ventage had been at their prime."
Two hundred thousand Siera was enough for a common family of five to live off of for four years; however, for an idol, this much should be pocket change.
He immediately went into the passbook and checked his transaction history.
Then he understood the situation.
Aren had received two million Siera from Blackshore Management when the group disbanded. He lent one million to his father and then another seven hundred thousand.
"So he lived off one hundred thousand Siera for a whole year, while his father took 1.7 million for himself?"
Aren immediately called his father's number.
"Hello?" The voice came from the speaker.
"I have called to ask you about the money I sent you this past year," Aren said flatly. "Where did you spend it?"
"Didn't I tell you this when I asked for it?" His father's voice came annoyed.
"Please tell me again."
"Sigh." His father's sigh was long. "Aren, you are not old enough to ask your father about where he spends money." His voice was demanding and stern.
"What?" Aren was confused for a moment. "But isn't it my money?"
"Your money?" His father's voice instantly rose in volume. "What about the money I used to raise you?"
"Huh?" Aren couldn't comprehend that answer.
"No amount of money can amount to what a father goes through to raise his child."
Aren found his words laughable, but he wasn't finished.
"Even if you give me a hundred million, it still won't repay what I have done for you!"
"Fuck!" Aren cursed. "Hey old man, are you senile?"
"What? How dare you talk to me like that?" His father yelled.
"I asked you about my money." Aren yelled similarly to his father. "I want it back!"
"You unfilial son!" His father said through gritted teeth. "Don't ever show your face to me!"
He ended the call.
"What?" Aren was dumbfounded as he stared at the phone's screen.
For a few moments, he closed his eyes and didn't speak.
After calming down, he pondered,
'So this Idol doesn't have money, is not even popular, and has a toxic father on top?'
'So what do I do now? I should think about my revenge.'
'He is the owner of Titan Crest Entertainment, the top agency in the country. I cannot even meet him with this body."
"Moreover, killing him would be too soft, too merciful, and too easy." He uttered through gritted teeth. "I want to see despair on his face before he dies, like he did to me. I will also take everything from him. His power, his company, his loved ones, everything!"