Chapter 199
Chapter 199
The "bomb" I planted went off a short while later, right in the middle of our encore concert practice while the behind-the-scenes cameras were rolling.
"Alright, to the right! Kick, and back to the side… Hyung, watch out!"
"…Ugh."
Bae Se-jin, his ears turning bright red after nearly tripping over his own feet, quickly readjusted his posture.
Even though his dance stat had risen to C, he was still struggling with the choreography, which had become even more eccentric in difficulty to match his improvement.
‘I’m not really one to talk, though.’
Just as I was thinking that I’d need to reorganize my own stats if I wanted to pull off the unit stage with Cha Yu-jin, a small commotion broke out behind the practice room door.
It sounded like people raising their voices.
‘They’re here.’
I had a feeling. But there was no need to act like I knew anything.
"What’s that?"
"Hmm?"
The cameras were tactfully shut off immediately. The noise was too loud to ignore.
The choreography had just finished its chorus and come to an end. The members finished their movements and stared at the door, half-bewildered and half-worried.
"W-who do you think is talking…?"
"…There shouldn't be anyone else here right now."
"Hold on."
Ryu Cheong-woo gave us a look and stood up to check the situation, but before he could, the door burst open. A man I didn't recognize barged into the practice room.
"…!"
He looked to be in his early to mid-thirties. Behind him, our First Manager followed, his face a disastrous shade of red and blue from sheer frustration.
Ignoring the First Manager, the stranger bowed to us and started handing out the takeout cups he was carrying.
"Ah~ Hello there, TeSTAR! Oh man, it’s great to meet you! Here, I brought these so you can have a drink and keep up the hard work during practice."
"Who are you??"
The man answered Cha Yu-jin’s blunt question—asked as he immediately snatched up a drink—with a clean smile.
"Ah, I’m the new manager starting today."
"Excuse me?"
Naturally, he overlapped with the image of the Management Office Chief’s cousin who had brought donuts the other day.
"Um, you’re a different person from the one we saw a few days ago~?"
"That guy will be working as your road manager from now on, and I’m the General Manager!"
General Manager.
In this context, it meant he was the Chief Manager.
It also meant that the First Manager, who had been our dedicated manager until now, had suddenly been saddled with a superior who just rolled in out of nowhere.
"With a schedule this busy, things only run properly if you have at least three dedicated staff members… Oh, don't you worry from now on. I’ll handle everything, so if you have any discomforts, just contact me directly!"
"Wait, I…"
The First Manager still looked dazed. I guess he hadn't been given any prior notice?
The man who had become the Chief Manager finally looked at the First Manager and spoke with a tone of feigned regret.
"Manager Kim, you must have had a hard time handling this all by yourself. From now on, let’s manage the artists' needs more systematically. We’ll even do daily checks on injuries and conditions by the hour."
He was basically announcing to everyone that the First Manager had been pushed out of the promotion line because he hadn't cared for the group properly.
Yes, that was the justification the Management Office Chief was going to push.
‘Artist-centered care!’
If I had stopped at just whispering in that guy's ear, the conflict between the Chief and the General Manager might have stayed as a simple 'senior group vs. junior group' dynamic.
Since the General Manager was pushing the juniors, the Chief would likely have just picked the remaining option—the seniors, TeSTAR—as his horse.
That could have led to a needlessly exhausting situation where both groups were used as pawins in a wasteful political game.
But if you throw one more variable into the mix, the story changes.
‘I whispered a little something to the junior group, too.’
That’s right.
As soon as we landed in the country, I contacted the second-place member of the junior group through our Second Manager.
—I’m sorry, senior. You gave me advice, but I couldn't do it properly…
—No. You achieved results. You persuaded them. Of course, it’s unfortunate that the company didn't budge on certain parts, and I’m sorry you’re struggling mentally.
—Yes… Ah, no, it couldn't be helped, and we actually caused trouble for you and your fans!
—We both took a hit. Hmm… but if it’s really hard for you, there is a way to talk to the Management Office.
—The Management Office??
—The Management Office is in charge of group care. If you explain things calmly, wouldn't they represent your interests?
And then I told him this:
‘What’s already planned can’t be helped, but you could at least say that it’s too hard and you’d prefer not to be linked with the senior group in the future.’
Since the junior had already successfully used my advice once, he was bound to try it.
—…Thank you! I’ll try when I get the chance.
He seemed like the proactive type, so I’m sure he followed through.
Now, a flash of a common vision would have appeared to the Management Office Chief.
‘The General Manager is ignoring the artists’ will!’
‘The incompetent General Manager is trying to take credit by overworking artists who are capable of self-producing!’
It must have been a slogan he absolutely loved.
If you refine that into more official language, you get what we just heard.
‘Let’s focus on the artists (instead of the General Manager)!’
Of course, the Chief didn't actually give a damn about "artist care."
What mattered was that he had seized that justification to get the upper hand over the General Manager.
The AR team, who were favorable toward TeSTAR, and the production and marketing teams, who were being ground to dust trying to repackage concepts that were already finished, would likely jump on this bandwagon.
‘Then it truly becomes a faction.’
And it seemed to have been quite effective.
Seeing as the management staff—the very symbol of "artist care"—had been structurally reorganized like this immediately.
The Chief Manager, the symbol of this change, tapped the First Manager on the shoulder and continued.
"Since the three of us are now a dedicated team, how about we grab a quick drink today and talk things over?"
"…Uh, yeah. Sure."
The First Manager finally surrendered with a sour expression.
It seemed he had finally realized, once his head cooled down, that throwing a fit wouldn't do him any good.
‘You reap what you sow.’
I watched the scene with satisfaction.
I could practically see the current state of the company behind it.
‘I hope you all keep checking each other and tearing each other apart.’
Was I worried that the parachute Chief would suppress the General Manager, take over the company, and do whatever he wanted?
No, not at all.
‘That guy is incompetent.’
I just needed to make the higher-ups, who were desperate to establish their own achievements and legacies in this entertainment business, exhaust all their energy fighting among themselves.
In the meantime, the group could take the lead in driving our work forward, while the working-level staff could focus on doing their jobs properly.
"Well then, good luck with practice! See you all again soon!"
"Yes!"
"Take care!"
The Chief Manager left after handing out his number and telling us to "feel free to contact him anytime."
Only then did the First Manager start using his brain.
"…Guys, isn't that guy a bit uncomfortable? Barging in like that out of nowhere."
He was asking us to take his side.
Keun Se-jin replied with a bright smile.
"Eh, it’s our first time meeting him, so it’s natural to feel a bit awkward! But he seems to care about us a lot, so I’m actually looking forward to it! I’m grateful, too."
"The shake is delicious!"
Cha Yu-jin shook his drink next to him.
In the end, the First Manager left the practice room looking like he was swallowing a string of curses.
‘Stupid bastard.’
I clicked my tongue.
The kids aren't idiots; they realized long ago that Ryu Cheong-woo was doing more work than you.
Though some might not have realized whether that was actually fair or not.
"Ah!"
A guy like Kim Rae-bin, who just let out an exclamation, probably didn't know—
"Now I understand!"
"…?!"
I stopped thinking at the perfectly timed remark.
Kim Rae-bin continued with an admiring expression.
"It’s thanks to what Moon-dae hyung said in the recording studio that this situation…"
"Wait."
He was bringing this up right in front of seven staff members.
No, more importantly…
‘This guy understood the situation?’
I was highly skeptical. But Kim Rae-bin was persistent.
"Oh, what did Moon-dae say?"
"Yes! Thanks to Moon-dae hyung publicly sharing the hardships and mental distress the group has faced, it seems the company has given us good feedback!"
"……."
"Ooh, really? Did Moon-dae say he was~ really struggling?"
"Yes! He even asked me about it. Through this opportunity, I felt that only by clearly expressing such difficult situations can the other party's reaction change."
"Wow~"
"……Hmm."
Good grief.
So, this guy had grasped the very basic structure.
‘TeSTAR made it clear they were struggling. → The company paid more attention to group care!’
That was his algorithm.
It was a theory that was way off the mark, but the members with similar levels of interpersonal logic started reacting first.
Specifically, to the part about me struggling a lot.
"M-Moon-dae-ya……."
"…So that’s what happened."
It wasn't.
"Thank you for always teaching me."
You shouldn't be feeling proud of this either.
Meanwhile, Keun Se-jin was grinning and clapping his hands.
"You’re right, wow, things worked out well thanks to Moon-dae~ So cool~"
This bastard is doing this on purpose. It’s low-key annoying.
…But his next words had some bite to them.
"Still, let’s not overdo it. Moon-dae Moon-dae, we have mouths too, you know? Share things with us, not just Rae-bin~"
"……!"
"He’s right, Moon-dae."
Ryu Cheong-woo nodded, meeting my eyes.
"We’re a group. There are seven of us; if we talk it over, we might find even better solutions."
"……."
Given my track record, it seemed the sharper members had realized I had intentionally leaked those words.
And I wouldn't deny it.
It was a fairly reasonable point.
‘Was I too hasty?’
Because it’s so much faster and more comfortable to handle things on my own, I keep overlooking the fact that these actions affect the entire group.
Since they are all affected, they certainly had the right to be consulted.
‘From now on… it’ll be fine to proceed after talking to them.’
We see each other every day anyway; it’s not like it would take that much time.
I nodded.
"Yes. You’re right."
"Exactly!"
Ryu Cheong-woo added a joking remark.
"We have parts where we complement each other, which is why the fans—I mean, the 'shareholders'—picked us like this, right?"
"I’m smart!"
"Cha Yu-jin has no official intelligence test results. That is a subjective opinion…."
"I’m smarter than Kim Rae-bin."
"Really? Then should we do a psychological test for our content later? What was it, let’s do the MBTI officially, too."
"I like it!"
"I believe it will be very interesting content!"
The argument fizzled out in an instant.
‘He’s not the leader for nothing.’
I looked at Ryu Cheong-woo anew.
As my identity as a member of this group solidified, my empirical resistance toward this guy had definitely decreased.
‘Hmm, he’s alright.’
I inwardly admitted that things had finally returned to their previous level.
Beside me, Seon A-hyun was nodding vigorously, his eyes sparkling.
"T-then from now on… if things are hard, let’s definitely… discuss it a lot together…!"
"Sure."
The atmosphere in the practice room was warm.
Practice resumed shortly after, leaving behind the staff members who were silently weeping because they hadn't been able to catch that moment on camera.
*
A few days later.
"Oh."
In Mirinae’s finally released title track music video, all traces of the "Magical Boy" concept had been completely scrubbed away.
—Up until the rough cut, there was a short video inserted as a cutscene in the middle!! I was so worried, but it’s really thanks to you, senior! Thank you!
Through the manager, a one-sided message of gratitude arrived from the junior, who sounded like he wanted to give me a full deep bow.
‘Clean.’
The articles that the agency had been subtly pushing to link Mirinae with TeSTAR had also vanished from the main pages.
TeSTAR’s fans also let it slide for now, saying "T1 being T1," since there was no more unpleasant bait.
This was because all attention had shifted toward the news of the encore concert unit stages.
—Crazy, a Cha Go-young and Moon-deng-deng unit? They came to set the K-pop standards straight. If I don't see this, I'll die.
Seeing reactions like this made me feel like I needed to prepare even more thoroughly.
"Wahaha!"
Looking at Cha Yu-jin rolling around on the bed next to mine, I called it out internally for the first time in a while.
‘Status Window.’
However, the one I checked first wasn't mine.
It was Cha Yu-jin’s status window.
‘I’ll check one more time before the unit stage is finalized and complete the countermeasure.’
Let’s see how that guy’s already monster-like stats have changed.