Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Something that might be a bit cruel.
"Team Leader Park-ssi, do you not think so? You can't seem to answer."
"Ah."
Embarrassing, too.
Forcing an answer from Park Ju-yong, who is just bowing his head because he's too angry to speak.
Actually, that's the part that really hurts.
'Do more. More.'
If it were someone else, I would have felt bad for them.
"That's right. I... I will do my best."
"Good."
Seeing Park Ju-yong with a face like he ate shit, unable to do anything in front of the CEO, makes me feel strangely vindicated.
Or should I say, I got another taste of the sweetness of power.
'This is why people want to succeed, regardless of the money.'
I reflexively held back the corners of my mouth that kept trying to curl up and gave the kids a thumbs up, but then Cheon Tae-o opened his mouth again.
"Hmm. From what I see, I can only say this team is truly amazing. Does anyone happen to have a different opinion than mine?"
"No, sir."
"No, that's not right. It's a bit strange to ask like that. There might be those who have different opinions from me, so please briefly state what you each felt."
But looking at it this way, Cheon Tae-o is definitely not normal either.
To the point where I wonder if you have to be abnormal to succeed.
'Still, from my perspective, it's not bad.'
How I raised our kids.
I personally found them one by one, brought them in, fed them, put them to sleep, and fucked them.
[Huh?]
If I could hear even one more good word about the kids I raised with such care, what wouldn't I do?
"Uh. First of all, you can tell just by looking that the level of completion is clearly different from the kids who have come out so far."
"Yes. Please tell me in a bit more detail."
"Didn't I say earlier that it's good to find one's own color while imitating? This case seems to fit that exactly. It looks like they're imitating, but... should I say they are already showing their own unique charm?"
Right.
Our kids are bundles of charm.
"They're at a level where you could already call them pros. The level of completion is incomparable to other groups. Honestly, it's so delicate that it's embarrassing to point anything out, and there isn't a single mistake."
Even the vocal trainer.
"Actually, singing while dancing is absolutely not easy. There were no problems there either, and I was so surprised that the kids accurately caught which parts to put power into and which parts to relax."
Even the dance trainer.
Everyone is heaping nothing but praise on our kids.
"I can't even imagine how hard they must have practiced to pull this off."
Ha. I'm going crazy.
If someone else saw this, they'd ask if I'm really crazy.
It's not like I'm the one being praised directly.
But it feels better than being praised myself.
Is this why parents raise their children with such care?
At this rate, my shoulders are going to reach the sky.
[Are you coming to meet me?]
Are you telling me to die?
That was when it happened.
They say if you stay quiet, you're halfway there.
Unlike composer Kim Gi-bok, who is carefully watching our kids.
A pig that grows thorns if it doesn't open its mouth.
Choi Ho-cheol says.
"At that level, they must have been trainees for a really long time. Haven't they been trained here for at least 5 or 6 years? Considering that and the fact that the Oasis kids made mistakes, they both feel about the same. Personally, I don't care who I work with. I'm just saying."
Isn't this a real mood killer?
While everyone is heaping praise on our kids.
He mentions the Oasis kids, who were naturally being forgotten.
"......."
The Oasis kids are so embarrassed by this situation that they hurriedly bury their heads between their knees as if to hide.
This time, even Park Ju-yong, who is presumed to be on his side, looked dizzy.
A look that says, 'What the hell is that bastard saying all of a sudden?'
"I see."
Cheon Tae-o, who had been listening quietly, nodded nonchalantly and then made solid eye contact with me.
"Team Leader Kim-ssi, you must be happy."
"Yes?"
It wasn't me who answered, but Choi Ho-cheol.
"Hearing that those kids have already been trainees for 5 or 6 years."
"Excuse me?"
Is today a tour of reaction hotspots?
Seeing guys who would have been fine if they just stayed quiet open their mouths and make fools of themselves.
'It's delicious.'
It's delicious.
Aside from being funny, honestly, it feels good.
"As far as I know, even Hee-ju-yang, who joined the earliest, hasn't even been here for 6 months yet. Is that correct?"
Look at him asking back, when he's the one who would know better than anyone.
Cheon Tae-o was also a person with a really bad personality.
This time, too, the trainer answered instead of me.
"Yes. That's correct. It's only been about 3 months now, but when I first taught them, they weren't like that. Back then, they were people who were learning dance and singing for the first time."
"......."
Choi Ho-cheol quietly shut his mouth.
Honestly, he was so embarrassed and shocked that even his admiration vanished.
Because they had surpassed a decent level.
"It's not just Hee-ju. Da-young was also a kid who couldn't even do a proper split of more than 45 degrees at first."
Even now, it's not like she does an amazing split.
Honestly, she has acquired enough flexibility to smoothly handle basic choreography.
I don't know how much Da-young screamed and cursed for that.
I fucked her a lot to soothe the pain.
"Even though Min-seo liked dancing and singing, she was a kid who had never learned professionally before coming here."
At this point, it makes me wonder if the vocal trainer is my spokesperson, pointing out each of their charms again.
"Even though Se-ri did some trainee life elsewhere, setting that aside, she's an incredibly talented person."
"Hmm. I see."
It was all praise.
Truly, only praise continues endlessly.
"Thank you!"
The only one to brightly greet them in response was Gil Min-seo.
The rest of the kids are indifferent.
Seeing things like this, our kids are truly unique.
[To put it nicely, they're unique. To put it badly, hmm.]
"Each of their charms stands out, and they even harmonize without interfering with each other. Seeing it like this, I definitely feel it."
Cheon Tae-o's gaze quietly turns towards me.
The gazes of the others also followed the CEO as if it were natural and were fixed on me.
"The kids are amazing, but the ability of Team Leader Kim Hyun-woo, who found these kids and raised them to this point in 1 year... no, 3 months, is also admirable. As I said earlier, I should have promoted you to Team Leader a bit sooner."
I don't particularly want to be happy about praise from that bastard with the foul personality.
But I couldn't help but feel flustered.
To think I'm happy to be acknowledged by a guy like that.
Jeez.
"Well. Well, I was just lucky."
"Luck is also a skill. Hmm. It might not be too late even now. It's too late for Team Leader, but if it's the Chief position..."
At the word 'Chief', Park Ju-yong, who was dying next to me, lifted his head with a jerk and flinched.
That guy is really something.
Even in this situation, he's acting like that because he thinks I might become the Chief.
Consistent. So consistent.
But.
"Ah. That's alright."
Honestly, even now, as a Team Leader in name only, I'm not picking a team because there's no one I like.
I didn't think anything would change other than the salary if the Team Leader position changed to Chief.
Salary is important, but.
Right now, I'm busier raising my kids than worrying about money.
"You have no greed, Team Leader Kim-ssi."
Greed?
I have plenty of greed.
The kids, who were indifferent when they were being praised, now that I'm being praised...
Seeing them look so flustered, how could I not have greed?
"Oh. My."
Cheon Tae-o, who checked his watch belatedly, quietly stood up.
And then he asked the composers next to him.
"Come to think of it, today was supposed to be a meeting to introduce the kids to the composers. I had forgotten about that."
"Ah. That's fine. Because the stages were that amazing."
"Well. Hmm. Yes."
Unlike the humble Kim Gi-bok, looking at Choi Ho-cheol, who is still stiffening his expression as if something is not to his liking, strangely, I keep not liking him.
Of course, I know how foolish it is to act based on feelings in this industry.
But the uneasy feeling doesn't go away.
"What do you composers think?"
"Yes?"
"I'd like you to answer honestly. Which group would you two like to take charge of? For now, I think it would be okay to pair you up with the group you feel drawn to. Please don't feel burdened and tell me."
At Cheon Tae-o's question, which he asked while spinning the watch on his left wrist, Kim Gi-bok glanced at the Oasis kids.
Choi Ho-cheol cleared his throat and avoided Park Ju-yong's stinging gaze.
The first to open his mouth was Kim Gi-bok.
"I like the kids I just saw. The moment I saw the stage, I just thought I wanted to make a song for these people."
It was a clean answer.
At least when answering, without any additional words like feeling sorry for Oasis.
I like them. I want to do it.
'A type that seems passive, but is decisive when it comes to making a decision.'
Next was Choi Ho-cheol.
"Well, I like both groups. But as long as you have eyes, you can tell who is better. In that sense, I also want to work with those kids. Honestly, I'm confident too. You all know how many groups' songs I've made so far."
The person most surprised by Choi Ho-cheol's words was Park Ju-yong.
Lasers are going to shoot out of his eyes.
The expression of a sycophant with a knife in his back must look exactly like that.
Feels like I've watched a whole historical drama.
'Choi Ho-cheol is really arrogant, just like his image. Even after making some kind of deal with Park Ju-yong, once it looks like he'll be at a disadvantage and his mind changes, he betrays him immediately.'
I think he has the qualifications to be arrogant.
Because as that bastard said, there are not just one or two songs that are composed and written by him under the name Nampodong Nuclear Fist, uploaded to karaoke machines, and are still on the popularity charts.
"So both of you want to work with Team Leader Kim-ssi. Well. I think it would be okay to attach both of you to them. We aren't just going to release one album in the future, after all."
"CEO-nim!"
Including Park Ju-yong.
The Oasis kids, who were listening quietly, their self-esteem being chipped away, and looking like they were about to cry, were also shocked and jumped up.
"However, right now, because I am lacking, I can't push them that much."
This guy's ability to train people is no joke.
He really plays with people.
He says it elegantly, but.
It's a really fucked up thing to say.
Just with that, the Oasis kids were sighing in relief, thinking it was a blessing in disguise.
"Team Leader Kim-ssi."
"Ah. Yes."
"Since it has come to this. Team Leader Kim-ssi, you choose. Which of the two composers you will work with."
"Me?"
"Yes."
Cheon Tae-o is now playing with me too.
'Whew.'
Nampodong Nuclear Fist, whom everyone recognizes.
Trash personality.
Conversely, STB, who is recognized in the underground scene but is known for a maniacal feeling.
A name that no one would know if you actually asked people.
Even I don't know what kind of music this person makes yet.
What if they're obsessed with something weird and blow our precious opportunity on, like, swing or jazz or something?
Still, seeing him waiting for my answer quietly with both hands clasped in the middle, his personality is definitely a pass.
"I will bet everything I have to make the best song."
It's also a pass that when he wants to do something, he doesn't feel sorry for others or hesitate, but pushes forward.
"If it's my song, it's the kids' lifelong pension. I don't know about other things, but I have a firm grip on popularity."
Who should I choose between the two?
Fuck.
With this one choice, I could smash the steps I've worked so hard to climb.
It's so profound, so I'm in the middle of agonizing over it.
[Kim Gi-bok - Success Probability 97%]
[Choi Ho-cheol - Success Probability 3%]
Messages appear above the two composers' heads, just like when I checked the kids' grades.
Then there's no need to worry.
'As expected of God AI.'
It's been quiet lately.
As expected, Novel comes through when it matters.
"I will go with this person."
At my words, everyone's gaze became even more stinging.