Chapter 119: 2nd Competition: Business Meeting
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 119: 2nd Competition: Business Meeting
“Everyone ready? Starting the recording now!”
Lee Cheong-hyeon spoke as he operated his laptop.
At that, Jeong Seong-bin, who was sitting at the head of the table, opened his mouth.
“Today’s agenda, as shared beforehand, is ‘Item Planning for the Awangsil 2nd Competition.’ Everyone checked the notice, right?”
“Yes.”
The writers momentarily doubted their ears.
Agenda? Had there ever been an idol who referred to a meeting topic with that term?
For a split second, they felt like they had walked into a corporate strategy meeting rather than a filming set.
Even the PowerPoint projected before them—a stark white background with only the essential points—screamed "professional business meeting."
“We need to submit a spending request to buy props, so we should finalize the items today. I-wol Hyung, when is the deadline for the request?”
“If we mark it as urgent, it’ll be approved immediately, but it’s safer to get it in by the end of this week.”
“Should I file it like the one for the patches we bought for the Self-PR stage? If I can just copy and paste the content, I’ll handle it.”
Following the smooth discussion of the approval line between Jeong Seong-bin and Kim I-wol, Kang Gi-yeon raised his hand and spoke. He then scribbled something down in a black diary.
Only then did the production crew notice the diaries each member was holding.
The diaries, varying in shape and color, were all worn and stained from frequent use. They had assumed they were just props for atmosphere, but they were actually being used.
“So, the final candidates are ‘The Challenger’ and ‘The Celestial Scientist,’ these two?”
“Yes. Both items suit the song, so I think we should choose the one that aligns better with the planning intent.”
Kim I-wol, who had been listening to the conversation between Choi Je-ho and Jeong Seong-bin, chimed in.
“Wait. Before the planning intent, let’s look at the selling points first. Seong-bin, did you organize the suggestions we received?”
“Yes, I’ll pull it up.”
After Jeong Seong-bin fiddled with the mouse a few times, a new screen appeared on the projector.
It featured clear, concise explanations and attached photos that made the concepts easy to grasp at a glance.
Following that, the members began appealing their opinions on the two items.
“The keyword ‘Challenger’ might get a bit dull… since the context of ‘challenging for the win’ is similar to the 1st Competition’s theme of ‘dreaming of the win.’”
“Hyung has a point, but wouldn’t a narrative where six people unite to challenge a specific rival be distinct enough?”
“In that case, I think the planning intent should come first. We want to joyfully set a new goal, don’t we?”
As Park Ju-woo and Kang Gi-yeon exchanged words, Jeong Seong-bin reminded them of their core values…
“I get the scientist part, but specifically, what kind of scientist? There are mad scientists and research-obsessed nerds.”
“Hmm, let’s definitely fix this part. The vibe of the arrangement will change completely depending on the reference.”
“Considering the theme we want to show, I think it’s right to include a calm, intellectual feel. I’ll supplement the details on this separately.”
When Choi Je-ho and Lee Cheong-hyeon pointed out shortcomings, Kim I-wol proposed alternatives.
The exchange of opinions was seamless. It was the kind of dialogue impossible for those unaccustomed to such discussions.
It was amazing enough that everyone was focused on the fast-paced conversation, but Kim I-wol even checked to see if everyone was properly aligned in the process.
While Team 2 sat there feeling like they were eavesdropping on another department’s meeting, Spark’s meeting had already moved on to the scheduling phase.
“Ju-woo, can you compile the notes from today’s meeting?”
At Kim I-wol’s question, Park Ju-woo flipped to a monthly calendar page.
He then tapped the paper with the tip of his ballpoint pen.
“We’re going without any schedule arrangements, right…? I’ll send it over with only the choreography deadline left blank. Cheong-hyeon, the arrangement needs to be out before then. Can you do it?”
“Yeah. I’ll transcribe the recording file and hand it to Hyung later. I-wol Hyung, when can you develop the references by?”
“I’ll do it ASAP. Do I need to CC the A&R team when sharing the progress?”
“No. Just forward the final version once it’s confirmed.”
From Park Ju-woo to Lee Cheong-hyeon and then to Kim I-wol—the division of labor was perfect. The meeting concluded flawlessly.
“These guys… they’re actually good at their jobs…”
Someone from Team 2 muttered. No one disagreed.
The filming of the meeting ended smoothly.
While the production crew was packing up their equipment, I was putting the hidden branded products back in their original places when the writer spoke to me.
“I-wol, are you doing okay lately?”
“Me?”
“I mean Spark. There’s been… a lot of talk lately. Regarding Awangsil.”
Even if their preliminary research was lacking, it seemed they were keeping up with monitoring. Seeing how they were conducting sudden additional shoots and staying aware of viewer reactions.
It’s not like a broadcast team wouldn’t care about viewer reactions, but this reaction was more like…
She seems to feel guilty about the ‘evil editing.’
I didn’t really mind. It was true that the editing was more provocative than the original Awangsil, but at least so far, it was tame compared to other survival programs.
It wasn't like they were bleeping out random words to manufacture a fight. There was no way we would have joined a show like this without expecting at least this much.
“I’m fine.”
I smiled brightly.
I almost said thank you for worrying, but I held back. While humility is a virtue in Korean society, living too much as a ‘yes-man’ makes you an easy target.
“Though I didn’t expect we’d be mentioned this much from the very beginning.”
“We didn’t expect it to be this intense either. The amount of talk this time has been unusually high.”
She said something I couldn't just let slide.
I also felt there were too many posts attacking Spark over trivial things.
I tried not to pay too much attention to it, thinking I might just be being paranoid.
But to hear that an expert felt the same way…
This meant it might not be natural for these nitpicking posts to be popping up like this.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Usually—is it okay to say this?—you need someone with a lot of ‘haters’ to generate buzz, right? But we don’t have anyone like that on our show yet. So the current reaction is a bit unexpected.”
Since we live in an era where a single issue can make a program stumble, modern variety shows tend to vet everything they can before casting. Things like school records and such.
They must have filtered the contestants and picked rookies with clean backgrounds, so they seemed surprised that things got noisy so quickly.
“Don’t go telling anyone I said this. Okay?”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
Was it the System that created this situation, or a human?
I hoped it was the System. That way, I could put it to rest with a few ridiculous, embarrassing tasks.
“Seong-bin, what do you think of this design?”
“It’s pretty. Are we all using these?”
“No way. Do you know what the ‘flower language’ of identical, characterless outfits is?”
“There’s a flower language for that?”
“Of course. It means ‘insincerity.’ Memorize it.”
I added two pairs of elegant eyeglass frames that passed Jeong Seong-bin’s aesthetic test to the shopping cart. Looking at them, they were so vintage they almost looked like spectacles from a century ago.
“Hyung, you selected two. I think you need to cancel one.”
“I have to buy both. I’m going to try splitting one in half to see if it works as a monocle, and if it doesn’t look good, we’ll use the intact one.”
“Is that okay? You said we didn’t have a budget last time…”
“It’s fine because my part-time pay came in.”
When I said I was looking for a part-time job, the manager actually arranged a clerical assistant gig at UA for me.
Since then, whenever I had time, I helped organize raw data or update the HR system. And two days ago, the sweet, long-awaited salary was deposited.
I had been seriously worried that if I had to sell more stocks, I’d just have to send them out in rags. The timing was perfect.
As I breathed a sigh of relief, Jeong Seong-bin looked horrified.
“Hyung, are you using your own money?!”
“Yeah. We saved enough during the Self-PR and up until now, but we don’t know what variables will pop up during the finals. I want to save what I can.”
“But this isn’t right. I’ll talk to the company right now…”
“It’s money I got for filing papers at UA anyway. In the grand scheme of things, it’s the same as coming from the company.”
He said he’d talk to the company, but Jeong Seong-bin likely knew it himself. It would be hard to squeeze more money out of them.
Especially since this stage required a lot of help from the production team, it was better to keep our mouths shut regarding other expenses.
“I’ll buy the cheapest ones that don’t look tacky, so don’t feel too bad. More importantly, how about these suspenders?”
“They’re cute. You said you’d coordinate them with shirts?”
“Yeah. You all have white shirts, right?”
“Some members might not.”
“What? You guys are out here in the professional world and you don’t even own a single white shirt?”
What a ridiculous situation. Now I had to buy clothes too.
I clutched my head and searched for men’s clothing stores.
Just as I was about to change the sorting from ‘Popularity’ to ‘Price,’ Jeong Seong-bin grabbed my wrist.
“Hyung, wait.”
“Why?”
“I think I can get the clothes.”
Jeong Seong-bin spoke with grim determination. I was almost moved by his reliable leader persona, but I couldn't commit the unconscionable act of raiding a high schooler’s wallet.
“Shirts aren’t that expensive. They’re basic items, so if I buy them, anyone can wear—”
“It’s not that. There’s someone at my house who’s obsessed with buying clothes. He probably has dozens of shirts like this.”
“You don’t mean Jeong Seong-jun?”
At the name of his younger brother, the one who had made those burst dumplings, Jeong Seong-bin let out a hollow laugh. It was a laugh filled with many meanings.
“He seems to love clothes, so don’t force it. The members all have different builds anyway, so I’ll have to buy a few.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. He’s the type who doesn’t care about the fit. He’ll have almost everything.”
“So Jeong Seong-jun is a fashionista.”
“He has plenty of clothes he’s bought and never even worn… and he wears my clothes all the time too. He even put a hole in one recently.”
“Ah, those pants with the holes in the ankles? That was Jeong Seong-jun’s work?”
No wonder. I had wondered why someone as neat as Jeong Seong-bin had come in with ventilation holes in his ankles.
“Go ahead with tomorrow’s practice without me. I’m going to raid his closet.”
Jeong Seong-bin said those terrifying words with a bright, sunny smile. It looked like he was planning a thorough revenge for his pants.