Conditions for Becoming a Kind Idol Leader - Episode 9

After sending the Zero One members out and even dispatching the lower-level staff back to their own posts, only a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠small handful of people remained in the conference room, including the CEO, the head of A&R, the choreographer, and the producer.

They were the key players who had been there since Double D Entertainment was little more than a tiny company.

CEO Kwon Dae-do scratched at his forehead and gave a low hum.

"Hmm... It definitely is different from usual."

"It is. Still, that isn't a bad thing."

"Of course not. It's much better. Director Nam, you know this too. I've never seen Go Young-in talk that long when there's no camera on him."

"I don't think you're the only one who thinks that, sir."

The head of the presentation, Director Nam Ki-hyuk, nodded quietly in agreement, and Huang Nabi, the choreographer who had been listening, quickly chimed in as well.

"Right! I was honestly so shocked when Young-in said he wanted to try doing their own music that I nearly passed out. It was the first time I'd ever seen him push his own opinion like that, wasn't it?"

"You guys have no idea how surprised I was when Manager Do Sa-jin came running in saying Go Young-in wasn't answering his phone."

With a face full of flustered disbelief, Kwon Dae-do recalled Zero One's manager, who had been holding up his phone and looking utterly at a loss. As if missing a call was some kind of catastrophe.

But if it was Go Young-in, the story changed a little.

"It's nothing, but hearing it for real is still surprising."

"Of course it's surprising. Double D's Kant woke up thirty minutes late. What did you expect? From before debut until now, that kid had spent over ten years waking up at 4 a.m. without fail unless he'd pulled an all-nighter for practice, and he'd always check in at 4:20. Huh?"

As though some revolution had taken place inside his chest, Kwon Dae-do muttered to himself and rolled a pen between his fingers.

Director Nam gave him a long look, a silent warning against the fidgeting that was making the room feel even more restless.

"Manager Do said he nearly called an ambulance because he thought Young-in had collapsed."

"If I hadn't ordered it myself, he probably would've sprinted straight to the dorm the moment the missed call came through."

"What? Really? Young-in was the one who always came to the practice room on time no matter what, even when he was sick."

Huang Nabi, taken aback by Kwon Dae-do's joke, frowned and asked back.

She had watched Go Young-in since his trainee days, so it didn't sound like a simple joke to her.

"Young-in's always been diligent since he was little."

The eyes of the young Go Young-in she had met with Kang Ba-da were still vivid in Huang Nabi's memory.

Back then, his expression had looked so helpless that she had expected him to give up within a few days.

"Aigoo—don't even start. Still, it's lucky he had the looks, the talent, and the skill to back it up. What if he'd worked himself to the bone like that and still had nothing going for him, so he couldn't grow any further?"

It was a cruel thing to say, but it was true. In an industry where people bloomed and withered overnight, talent was practically a blessing from heaven.

Of course, Go Young-in's talent had been built on the foundation of countless failures.

"And what else. That whole thing... the kid's usually a bit... "

Kwon Dae-do rubbed his head, groaning as he tried to think of the right word.

To most people, Go Young-in came across as the type who was easy to deal with—someone blandly agreeable, the kind who never argued and just did what he was told.

But those who had watched him closely for a long time knew there was more to him than that.

Go Young-in always gave off the faint sense that something about him was slightly off.

That wasn't to say he was fake or bad.

It wasn't obvious enough to call theatrical, but if one had to put it into words, he sometimes looked like an empty shell.

Listening to Kwon Dae-do, Director Nam tossed out a remark.

"He's oddly lacking in energy."

"Exactly! That's it! He's got no spark."

"And yet he doesn't exactly look unmotivated."

"Who knows? Even when I tell him to explain himself, all he ever says is that he's fine. He always looks strangely wilted."

"That is true, but..."

Huang Nabi, who had been listening, cut into the conversation with a worried tone.

"Was it really right to make Young-in the leader?"

"What are we supposed to do now that it's already done?"

Kwon Dae-do leaned back in his chair and spoke with detached ease.

"And among those kids, if you judge purely by ability, Go Young-in is the best by far. That kid's a genius."

Kwon Dae-do recalled the day he had first met Go Young-in together with Kang Ba-da, who was now the team leader.

The boy had looked older than his age, with a face like some little old man, but his skills had been even more striking than that.

Singing, dancing—everything.

On top of that, his instincts were outstanding from the start, so he wasn't just good at performing pre-made songs or choreography; he had talent in the realm of instinctive hearing, movement, and creation as well.

Because of that, they had been unsure at first which direction to push him in.

They had made him try everything, and he had managed it all flawlessly, without leaving anything out, which had only made them more astonished.

It had been a reminder of how unfair the world could be, but from Kwon Dae-do's perspective, it had been a reason to welcome him with both arms.

After all, he was their artist.

It was a good thing I made sure to give Team Leader Kang Ba-da a bigger incentive.

"Finding someone that capable in so many different areas is hard enough as it is."

"I know ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that. I'm the one who's watched Young-in dance and sing up close all this time, aren't I? But a leader isn't chosen based only on idol skills. I'm worried, that's all."

Huang Nabi didn't think Go Young-in was incapable of being a leader. It was just that, even if he didn't say so, it didn't seem like he wanted that kind of role.

"When it comes to leadership and social skills, Cheon Sa-yoon is definitely better."

A leader had to take care of the members, yes, but he also had to keep communicating constantly with the company and serve as the bridge between the team and the staff.

Considering all that, Nam Ki-hyuk thought Cheon Sa-yoon was the more natural fit for a leader.

If Kwon Dae-do hadn't pushed so hard, Cheon Sa-yoon might have ended up as Zero One's leader instead.

"You think so too, Director? Young-in has kind of been indifferent to the people around him since he was young and all..."

Strictly speaking, Nam Ki-hyuk preferred Cheon Sa-yoon because of communication with the company, but he didn't correct Huang Nabi's misunderstanding.

It wasn't wrong, and he found it somewhat relatable.

"Anyway, looking at them like that, I still don't understand how he got close to Jae-ho. And bringing Se-bin in too, and then..."

"Go Young-in really did gather the kids together amazingly well."

Kwon Dae-do agreed with Huang Nabi's light, joking remark.

Not every member had started as a trainee, so that couldn't be said of all of them, but still, that was true for a few.

He didn't know the details, but he assumed there had been some kind of discussion among themselves.

"That's true. They're all diligent, so they're easy to teach!"

"Even so, it doesn't quite connect to leadership, does it—"

"Ah, I already handed it over, so what are we supposed to do? Pull it back now? Huh? They'll manage on their own. They're not difficult kids to handle. Don't say any more! That's it, done!"

Director Nam sighed at Kwon Dae-do's attitude.

Clearly bored with the topic, the way he cut off what he didn't want to hear was very much like him.

In any case, this wasn't the important issue right now.

It was obvious how much Kang Ba-da cared about him, so I can't exactly ignore it.

Honestly... I was the only one working hard to convince him and ended up looking like a fool.

Whether Go Young-in had intended it or not, that subtle change had successfully shifted Kwon Dae-do's mind.

Director Nam gave the proposal a light shake, as if confirming it one more time.

"Yes. Then we'll proceed according to the original plan."

"That's right. Of course we will. It's the first time he himself has said he wants to try something first. It's not even a difficult thing, and he's finally saying he wants to put their own story into music. Of course we have to listen. So he finally said it, huh? Man, I was seriously worried that none of those kids would ever say something like that until their contracts ended. I kept wondering when they'd ask to make their own music."

Good! Great! I don't need to spoon-feed them anymore. Hahaha!

Kwon Dae-do laughed heartily, visibly relieved.

"You could've just said what you wanted from the start."

"That's not the same thing! What's the same about being forced by someone else and doing it because you're drawn to it?"

Kwon Dae-do banged a clenched fist on the table and continued his impassioned speech.

Director Nam didn't add anything else. He had only brought it up, and he understood what Kwon Dae-do meant.

"Oh? Jae-ho, huh. Good for him. That must've made your heart jump a little."

Baek ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Geon, the producer at Double D Entertainment, exclaimed in amusement.

In fact, the reason the song had come up this time was because Baek Geon had happened to stumble upon a song Pyo Jae-ho had worked on before.

Seeing potential in the unfinished track, Baek Geon had persuaded Pyo Jae-ho to bring it to the CEO, and this was the result of their work.

"Honestly, I was really nervous earlier. If it hadn't ended like this, he would've just pushed forward however he wanted, right? If the CEO had insisted on this kind of upbeat song with that sort of atmosphere, that brat Jae-ho would've probably just said, 'Take my music out and use something else' based on his personality."

"He really is the type who won't compromise one inch on his own music."

"Exactly, right? Anyway, for someone that young, isn't he pretty usable? I could tell there was something there a long time ago, so if things worked out, I was thinking of training him up as a producer, and then he goes and says he wants to be an idol instead."

"His melodies are so good I can't even talk about them without my mouth drying out, and he's got talent for arranging too... Tsk. But what good does that do?"

It was true that Kwon Dae-do was the type to get too deeply invested in his own invented worldview, but in truth, the bigger issue was that Zero One lacked storytelling overall, so he had focused more on their lore to make up for it.

Just look at Go Young-in: he might not realize it himself, but he had never once asserted his own opinion, and the other members were the same, usually acting as if they didn't care either way.

So if you suddenly told kids like that to put their own stories into music, who on earth would do it properly?

"Look at Pyo Jae-ho too. He can make music, but he'd never in a million years put his own story into it."

Oh, that's true, isn't it? Maybe this was a good chance to develop these guys' talent after all.

What idol these days doesn't make their own music? Zero One was finally getting a chance to have that kind of title attached to them.

Their worldbuilding was a little, really just a little, disappointing, but since they weren't abandoning it altogether and waiting any longer was becoming a limit of its own, he'd planned to change things somehow.

"It might be interesting to divide up the roles one by one. We haven't even added lyrics yet, so maybe I should have one of them handle that."

If they worked together, they'd get along better and build trust, too.

Kwon Dae-do wanted Zero One to become a team that didn't end as a mere business arrangement, but one the members could actually lean on one another through.

By now, they're probably talking among themselves too. Still, if they're alone together, it must be pretty noisy, right?

The Zero One Kwon Dae-do knew was a group made up of quiet, well-behaved kids overall.

They weren't the sort to cause trouble, so they would probably have some productive discussion and end up helping each other out.

At that young age, in an industry as cold as this, if they couldn't even trust the people around them, who could they trust?

Honestly. How did he gather such a bunch of good kids? This is all a blessing, really~

Kwon Dae-do hummed to himself, thinking he had quite the eye for people.

If he had known Zero One's real personalities—and if he had known what was happening outside right now—he would never have thought such a thing.

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"Shut the fuck up already, you disgusting bastard."

"Maybe you've got a rag in your mouth. If you keep calling people bastard every time you open it, how do you think the bastard listening feels?"

"Compared to the crap you pull, is a dirty mouth really such a big deal?"

"Sure, if you say so. Must be nice having a filthy mouth."

Cheon Sa-yoon ended the line with a deliberately mild expression, as if muttering to himself.

Of course, for something muttered to himself, he said it loud enough for everyone to hear—and the content was anything but mild.

Hahaha.

So Cheon Sa-yoon wasn't the only problem. These bastards were all a problem. Every last ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one of them was a problem!

Mediation, my ass. It was a total clusterfuck.

Go Young-in stared blankly at the scene of chaos, looking like a man whose soul had left his body.

Even with the flickering status window blocking part of his vision, his ears were perfectly intact, so whether he wanted to or not, he could clearly tell what kind of situation he was looking at.

At Cheon Sa-yoon's provocation, Kyeon In-woo looked ready to smack him any second.

Meanwhile, Pyo Jae-ho said nothing, and Lim Se-bin wore a blatantly disgusted expression, dragging his chair away as if he wanted nothing to do with either of them.

This is a company, you insane bastards...

In the end, Go Young-in dropped his gaze to the tabletop because he no longer had the strength to keep watching.

I can't do this. You son of a bitch system. What am I supposed to do with a bunch of idiots like this...

To trace back how things had gone so disastrously wrong, he would have to go back at least thirty minutes.

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