Luca cleared his throat dramatically, then gestured toward the chairs.
"Alright, kiddos, take a seat. This one's a long-ass story," he said, waving them down like a chaotic professor. The trio and the Vampire Squad obeyed immediately. Once everyone was settled, Luca leaned forward, smirking.
Salazar began live-translating in Korean.
"This might shock you," Luca said, "but did you know that you three were basically the catalyst for Foca opening this place?"
Silence. Then three brains collectively blue-screened.
"우, 우리요? (U-us?)" August stammered, eyes huge.
"Yup. You three. Well—technically four, but one didn't show up."
The moment he mentioned Kang Ian, the whole room's mood nose-dived, so Luca scrambled to move on. "ANYWAY—point is, it all started with Tuesday over there."
He pointed at Tuesday, who immediately struck a pose like she was being photographed for a magazine cover.
"She's our survival show oracle. I mean, she has watched EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Korean, American, Japanese, Australian—girl's got subscriptions everywhere. So when Genesis Project came out? Naturally, she was right there from episode one. And poor Foca just happened to be with her that day. She basically kidnapped him into watching with her. And from that day on, it became their weekly ritual. A full-on slumber party."
Tuesday preened proudly.
"She devoured the drama, the edits, the rivalries. But Foca?" Luca snorted. "Foca only kept watching because of one thing: talent. That's it. Drama meant nothing to him."
Foca, seated quietly like a polite menace, added,
"I still can't stand scripted drama. The real kind? Sure, bearable. But the manufactured stuff? Ugh."
Luca nodded. "So. When the finale came around, Tuesday threw a whole damn party. She invited her survival-show-cult friends. Foca hates crowds, so he bailed and watched with me — his bestest friend and roommate."
Tuesday rolled her eyes but didn't deny it.
From there, Luca launched into the whole story — the final episode, their reactions, how Foca paced the living room calling them "insanely talented," the spark of inspiration that eventually led to Bread Music Entertainment being born. He kept everything accurate… except, of course, the part where Foca's family is old money rich with terrifying influence and enough connections to start an empire overnight.
By the time Luca finished…
The trio had absolutely fallen apart.
August was sobbing like someone stole his ice cream.
Ahn Jae cried quietly, shoulders trembling, tears sliding down without a sound.
Silas buried his face in his hands, shaking silently, the strongest emotional earthquake of his life.
Then August shot to his feet and bowed so deep his forehead nearly hit the floor.
"정… 정말… 정말… 고맙습니다…!(Th-thank y-you s-som-much!!)"
And he burst into fresh tears.
Ahn Jae followed. He actually knelt, bowing until his palms touched the ground. He couldn't say a single word — but the emotion radiating off him was louder than any sentence.
Silas quietly stood, bent into a perfect 90-degree bow, and stayed there. For minutes.
The room thickened with emotion — too pure, too grateful, too damn much.
Even Tuesday, glitter queen of the universe, felt her eyes sting.
"Ugh, y'all are ruining my makeup…" she said, sniffling as she dabbed at her tears with the back of her hand.
****
After a few minutes that felt like a solid hour, the room finally started to settle—emotion dripping off everyone but at least no longer flooding the floor.
The trio sat back down, still blotting their faces, annihilating two tissue boxes like they were enemies in a war.
A knock came at the door.
Whoever was outside didn't bother waiting for a reply and slowly stepped in.
In walked a petite woman with a neat bob cut and blunt bangs, thick black glasses framing her face. Honestly? She looked like Enda Mond's secret love child.
One arm was hooked around a thick stack of folders, the other carrying a tote bag stuffed with premium bottled water.
She took one look at the emotional battlefield inside and froze.
"Um… should I come back later?" she asked, voice tiny, like she was afraid she'd stepped into a cult ritual.
"No need, Elizabeth. You came at the perfect time. Kindly distribute the water," Foca said warmly.
Elizabeth placed the mountain of folders on the table, then moved around the room, handing out bottles like a hydration fairy.
"This is Elizabeth," Foca introduced. "Associate creative advisor, producer, and self-proclaimed everything and anything pop-group related expert."
The poor girl blushed so red she could've powered a lighthouse.
"And basically my personal assistant," Luca added—because of course he did.
The trio instinctively tried to stand and greet her, but she shot a hand up like a traffic cop.
"It's okay! Please stay seated," she said quickly, clearly overwhelmed by the attention.
So they bowed instead—polite, cute, and still sniffling.
Once she finished her task, Elizabeth slid into her seat.
Foca straightened, switching into full CEO mode.
"Now that we're all somewhat decent again, let's talk about what the company has planned for you three."
The boys straightened too, eyes wide.
"As promised, we will spare no expense or effort helping you shine. That has always been the goal—for every artist who puts their trust in us." His voice was steady, serious. "And I can confidently say this: the three of you are already guaranteed to debut."
"진짜로?(For real?)" they said together, shocked all over again.
"Yes. We plan on putting the three of you in a group."
Their jaws dropped.
"Although we're still unsure of the final member count. While we continue searching for the rest of your team, you will train, grow, and hone your craft. Understood?"
"Yes!" they echoed, voices steady and determined.
"We'll talk more once things reach their final stages. For now, your only job is improvement. And to help with that—" Foca motioned to the side, "—the Vampire Squad will be your managers."
Salazar stepped forward first. "I'll be managing August."
Iliyana added, "Ahn Jae is with me."
Seth nodded, "Silas will be with me."
Ahn Jae blinked at Iliyana.
"잠깐만… 우리 매니저가 따로 있다고? (Hold on… we have our own manager?)"
"Yup," she said with a wink—one that turned him the softest shade of pink.
"You've all had a long trip," Foca continued. "Vamp Squad, take them to their new home so they can rest. Discuss schedules later. You're all dismissed."
The trio bowed deeply—one last time—before following their new mangers out the door.
The room exhaled.
"Well, I'd say that went well," Luca said with a shit-eating grin.
And with that, they moved on to their next agenda.