Chapter 192: Joyful Wrap-Up (1) |
In the music market overrun with idols, countless new artists and songs emerged overnight, and the competition to win fans' hearts seemed endless.
That's why it was so crucial not to lose the fans' attention even when pausing their activities.
This was especially true for Cherry Blossom who only had a fancafe and not an official fan club yet. A mere pause in activity after wrapping up the promotion for an album could lead fans to leave and support other idols.
Therefore, I planned a 'Thank You' event for the fans, but now Lee Gi-Cheol was trying to disrupt my plans.
As I entered the meeting room on the sixth floor, Lee Gi-Cheol was gathered with Kang Ji-Yung, talent agents, and team leads from Singer Divisions 1 and 2. Publicity Division Team Lead Sung Min-Suk and Choreography Team Lead Seong Eun-Soo were also present today.
The meeting started as soon as I sat down since I was the last to arrive.
Lee Gi-Cheol asked with an eager expression, "How is Cherry Blossom doing right now?"
Kang Ji-Yung responded, "We've wrapped up all the broadcasts and events, leaving just the weekend music shows."
Lee Gi-Cheol nodded and said, "Right, it’s time to wrap up their activities. Oh, and you mentioned the members aren't feeling well, huh? Send them to a hospital for a check-up once they're done."
Lee Gi-Cheol suggested in a stern voice, "Hey, I mean send them to a proper place like a university hospital. They're pillars of our company and they deserve better treatment!"
It was clear why Lee Gi-Cheol was suddenly taking care of Cherry Blossom—it was because the situation with Golden Road, another major revenue source for the company, was not great.
Golden Road had been breaking apart and acting recklessly ever since Eun Ji-Yoo left, leading to constant complaints from Japan.
For this reason, he was trying to improve relations with Cherry Blossom with the aim of getting them to debut in Japan.
I frowned and thought, 'Surely, Choi Man-Sik must have had a hand in this.'
But of course, neither Kang Ji-Yung nor Lee Dong-Min blinked an eye.
Lee Gi-Cheol then addressed Sung Min-Suk this time. "Team Lead Sung, how much budget have we set aside for this weekend's publicity efforts?"
"We’re thinking up to 50 million won," Sung Min-Suk answered.
"No way, that's not enough! Raise it to 100 million won. Have the whole publicity division treat the reporters to a good meal, and…you know what I mean, right?" said Lee Gi-Cheol who hesitated to complete his sentence.
Lee Gi-Cheol was trying to imply further entertainment. However, Lee Dong-Min objected this time.
"Um, Mr. Lee?" Lee Dong-Min spoke up.
"What is it?"
"Can't we just proceed with our original plan? Everything’s prepared and the budget has already been allocated."
Lee Gi-Cheol's face contorted with repeated opposition. "Look, Chief Lee. Even though it's only temporary, I'm still taking on the role of the president. Don’t you understand that?"
"Of course I do. How could I not? But I'm only suggesting this because there's a better way," Lee Dong-Min retorted.
Lee Dong-Min, once called the weakest director, now had a strong voice since Cherry Blossom was doing well.
"Why is everyone opposing me? Let's hear your plans then," Lee Gi-Cheol said.
Lee Dong-Min looked toward me and motioned for me to speak. "Team Lead Jung, why don't you report our plans instead?"
Lee Gi-Cheol's face twisted. "Team Lead Jung?"
Cha Sang-Jin from Singer Division 1 looked just as displeased.
I nodded politely and then brought up a PowerPoint file on the LCD screen in the meeting room.
"This week's stage is for their tenth consecutive number-one challenge. Reporters will write articles about it regardless of whether we pay them," I explained.
Lee Gi-Cheol muttered discontentedly. "Ahem. You never know."
But I simply ignored his comment and continued.
"I'm planning to provide headbands, light sticks, other merchandise, and packed lunches for the fans attending the music show for the finale. This will be a grand gesture of reverse gifting."
Cha Sang-Jin from Singer Division 1 challenged this idea. "Why would you do reverse gifting for the fans? It seems beneath us."
Having only dealt with stars prone to celebrity syndrome, Cha Sang-Jin didn’t realize the importance of fans. To him, fans were nothing more than ATMs.
"By reverse gifting, fans who post on Instargem will create additional advertising impact. Several of our fan club members are Instargem influencers with over 200,000 followers."
Despite my explanation, those from the Suhyaejong line were frowning. A few team leads and Lee Gi-Cheol continued to give negative comments despite my clear reasoning.
That's when Kang Ji-Yung made a decisive statement. "I fully agree with Team Lead Jung's suggestion. If you had objections, you should have mentioned them earlier. What is this last-minute opposition the day before the stage?"
Lee Gi-Cheol retorted in a sharp voice, "Director Kang! Are you serious? You're just going with what the junior team lead wants?"
"Yes. It was that junior team lead who had brought Cherry Blossom this far. Shouldn't it be the management's job to help to ensure a proper wrap-up?" Kang Ji-Yung barked back.
"What? What did you say?" Lee Gi-Cheol replied in shock.
Kang Ji-Yung looked at me. "Team Lead Jung, proceed as planned. I can cover the costs from the discretionary budget I control if necessary."
Despite Lee Gi-Cheol's pressure, Kang Ji-Yung was unflappable and didn't even blink an eye.
Thanks to her, the discussion continued without changes to my plan.
As Cherry Blossom grew in popularity and Golden Road faded, Kang Ji-Yung's words carried more weight than before. Indeed, the popularity of the celebrities directly influenced a talent agent’s power in this industry.
Eventually, the flustered Lee Gi-Cheol clammed up.
From that point on, Lee Dong-Min led the meeting. As the meeting was about to end, Han Myung-Ho requested to speak.
With Kang Ji-Yung's nod, Han Myung-Ho addressed Seong Eun-Soo, the choreography team lead.
"Team Lead Seong, Cherry Blossom needs the rehearsal studio for their farewell stage. Can you free it up for a while?"
Seong Eun-Soo had held a grudge since choreographer Park Seon-Nyeo was hired and constantly disrupted Cherry Blossom’s rehearsals.
At that time, Cherry Blossom had to shuttle between an aerobics class and a small theater for their practices. This was Han Myung-Ho’s moment for subtle revenge.
At that moment, Seong Eun-Soo’s face turned pale. "Wh-what time do you need it?"
"Oh, I don't know. Probably for the foreseeable future?" Han Myung-Ho replied with a smirk.
Seeing Han Myung-Ho's smirk annoyed Seong Eun-Soo, causing her face to turn red with anger. However, this was not just simple revenge.
Having priority over the largest rehearsal studio was a form of power within the singers’ division.
At Hoop Entertainment, debuted idols and those preparing for debut usually used the main studio. Trainees assessed their own status by which studio they used—whether they would debut or remain trainees indefinitely.
The problem was that Seong Eun-Soo had been playing games with the young trainees, knowing how desperate they were better than anyone.
If they obeyed, they were able to use Studio 1. Otherwise, they were relegated to Studio 3.
But that could no longer happen under our watch.
Suddenly stripped of her influence, Seong Eun-Soo trembled and struggled to respond. "I-I will make sure that Studio 1 is available from today…"
That's when Han Myung-Ho burst into hearty laughter. "Ha ha ha. Oh, I'm sorry. I feel so bad."
But Han Myung-Ho didn't look sorry at all.
With that, the meeting concluded.
Now, I needed to check the gifts for Cherry Blossom's fans one last time. Ensuring Cherry Blossom had a graceful exit from the last stage was also my responsibility as their talent agent.
Besides, my planned event held one more hidden purpose.
***
On the night before the weekend music show, I headed to the second basement level to check Bang Seon-Woo and Jang Ye-Bin's progress on Cherry Blossom’s upcoming song.
However, I couldn’t enter the studio since the recording session was in full swing.
"Why won't these people go home..." I muttered to myself.
I sat in a chair in front of Studio 1, waiting for Bang Seon-Woo's recording session to end.
The next track was already fully prepared in advance. Currently, Bang Seon-Woo was enhancing the quality of the song through arrangement work.
Cherry Blossom's next tracks were a hook song titled 'HIT ME UP!', a pop ballad titled 'Summer Snowflakes,' and a dance song titled 'First Feeling.'
Among them, 'Summer Snowflakes' and 'First Feeling' were hit songs plagiarized by Epil.K in my past life which catapulted Girlfriends7 to stardom.
They were number one for four and three weeks respectively. That's why I pushed for 'Summer Snowflakes' as the title track. If Bang Seon-Woo finished the arrangement, I believed it could achieve more than just four weeks at number one.
However, I postponed deciding on the title track after hearing the song 'HIT ME UP!', which I hadn't heard before in my past life.
The moment I heard it, everyone in the studio and all the staff of Singer Division 2 unanimously exclaimed, 'This is going to be a hit!'
So the final decision was delayed until after the arrangement work for 'HIT ME UP!' currently playing in the studio was completed. About ten minutes later, the work paused momentarily.
Not knowing when Bang Seon-Woo would resume, I abruptly opened the door and entered Studio 1.
"Oh? Yoon-Ho hyung. When did you get here?" Bang Seon-Woo asked.
"Seon-Woo, wouldn't it be alright to finish the arrangement now?" I replied.
Bang Seon-Woo, wearing a stretched-out orange T-shirt, scratched his head. "Well, that's..."
At that moment, Jang Ye-Bin, who was seated beside him, shook her head. "We're just getting started. Seon-Woo here is a perfectionist, so it'll be a while before he's done."
"Then when do you think it'll be finished? I want to let the girls hear it."
Bang Seon-Woo scratched his head again. "Well... I'm not sure..."
Although Bang Seon-Woo was tender-hearted, he was relentless when it came to music.
"Alright. Let's talk again once it's finished," I said.
Bang Seon-Woo nodded in relief. "Okay, hyung!"
I was certain that a better song would emerge once Bang Seon-Woo's worries were over.
"But when's the last time you went home?"
"I go home every day now. Ran-Hee noona takes me to and from work."
"Then why are you dressed like that?" I asked as I scanned him from head to toe.
"Oh, these are my working clothes. I compose better in them for some reason," Bang Seon-Woo scratched his head and replied.
When Bang Seon-Woo pointed to the neck of his stretched T-shirt, Jang Ye-Bin giggled beside him and added, "Apparently, the stretched neck makes his soul feel free,"
'What nonsense. It's probably because it's the clothes he wears at home in his room,' I remarked inwardly.
Bang Seon-Woo glared at Jang Ye-Bin. "What about you, noona? You don’t wash your hair when you work..."
"Hey! Do you have a death wish? Who says that I don't wash my hair!? I shower every day!"
As Bang Seon-Woo revealed Jang Ye-Bin's secret, her face turned bright red.
'I mean, it's normal for people to have one superstition or another. She doesn't wash her hair? So what? She's among the industry's finest, after all,' I thought.
I mediated between the two, who kept fighting and dissing each other.
At that moment, Sae-Ri's boisterous voice echoed through the basement studio corridor. "Seon-Woo oppa! I'm here!"
Soon after, I heard the sounds of the Cherry Blossom members approaching.
'Why are they here at this hour? They should be preparing for the last music broadcast early tomorrow morning,' I wondered.
Sae-Ri burst through the studio door. "Oh? You're here too, Yoon-Ho oppa? Weren't you busy today? What are you doing here?"
"Things ended earlier than I expected," I replied.
Sae Ri remarked, "As expected~ so competent. In that spirit, Sae-hi~."
Sae-Ri raised both hands for a double high-five and quickly approached me. I too raised my hands to return the high-five. But just then. Sae-Ri suddenly stopped in her tracks.
She abruptly stretched her neck forward and buried her face in my chest, sniffing. Then she clutched her nose with a frown. "Ew. Smells like alcohol. You drank, didn't you, Yoon-Ho oppa?"
Indeed, I had a drink with dinner accompanied by pork belly. Though it was just one shot, Sae-Ri remarkably caught the scent.
'But I even sprayed Febreze. Doesn't she smell the pork belly though?' I thought to myself.
I gently pushed away Sae-Ri's small head sniffing at my chest.
But Sae-Ri cleverly noticed that I had eaten pork belly as well. "Huh? Did you eat pork belly too? Wow, Yoon-Ho oppa. This is betrayal. Total betrayal! You know that, right?"
Due to the greasiness of pork belly often causing stomach troubles, it was strictly off Cherry Blossom's menu during their activities. They mainly had proteins like boiled eggs and chicken breasts, and only occasionally had beef bulgogi.
Thanks to this, Sae-Ri approached me with her hands on her hips in protest. "We get boring proteins and you get to eat delicious pork belly? Don't you think that's a bit too mean, Yoon-Ho oppa? I'm going to tell the other unnies about this!"
"Fine, fine. There's not long until your activities end. I promise to buy you all the pork belly as much as you want once your activities are over. I'll buy you a pork belly or five-layer belly[1] if you want," I coaxed her.
Only then did Sae-Ri's face lighten up. "Really? Then it's a promise! You absolutely can't forget to treat us until we're so stuffed that we can't eat any more, okay?"
"Yes, it's a promise."
Finally, Sae-Ri's face brightened.
In the meantime, the rest of the Cherry Blossom members entered the studio.
"Oh? You were here too, oppa?"
The visibly exhausted members of Cherry Blossom seemed surprised to see me as they walked in with slumped shoulders.
The time was now 11 p.m. They should be resting at the dormitory, considering they had to go to their last music broadcast tomorrow.
I looked at them and asked, "Why are you all here and not sleeping? You should be resting since we have a schedule tomorrow."
At that moment, Sae-Ri suddenly started to say something completely unexpected.
1. pork belly with skin ☜
Ristretto's Thoughts
Sae-Ri needs to chill
