Chapter 325
Chapter 325
K-POP. A neologism primarily referring to Korean idol music.
In truth, it wasn't a name coined domestically.
‘I think it started spreading through word of mouth abroad during the early days of the Hallyu wave.’
So, if the new mission was "Breaking a K-POP Record," there was a high probability that only records with international recognition would count, right?
To confirm this with the Status Window itself, I sent a text.
[I never thought of it that way, but I think you’re right. Oh my god.]
I hoped my question hadn't just updated the criteria when any obscure record might have sufficed before.
I closed my smartphone with a lingering sense of unease.
After returning to the dorm, I was currently sitting on my bed.
Was I going to sleep? No. I had to head to the practice room as soon as the final choreography for the special stage arrived. The end-of-year season wasn't exactly a forgiving time.
My roommate, who was also sitting on his own bed waiting, spoke up.
"If we have to break a record, we’ll eventually have to do better than all our predecessors."
"That’s right."
He had said he’d "think about it" since we were in the car, and it seemed he really had been agonizing over it. He truly was a diligent guy.
His next words were also very much in character.
"How about targeting a newly created evaluation category? It’s usually easier to set a record in a new field."
It was a realistic suggestion, coming from someone who had been a competitive athlete. I rested my chin on my hand.
"Let’s see. For starters, most records in the Asian region are..."
VTIC has swept them all. Dammit.
"Haha. Our seniors have been very active, haven't they?"
"Yes."
They really had. Number one for dozens of weeks, million-sellers, dome tours—they had already set every record there was to set.
While TeSTAR was focused on securing a foothold domestically, VTIC had further solidified their global presence... You could say they’d scraped the plate clean.
"South America is the same."
"Right."
Every region where the K-Pop market had already hit big had formidable records. Trying to break those by next summer was a reckless challenge with only one shot in the chamber.
And it wasn't just the records of our predecessors standing in the way.
"Everyone is still active right now. Their results are good, too."
On a global scale, there were quite a few groups besides VTIC performing better than TeSTAR.
Ryu Cheong-woo nodded, perhaps recalling the contents of a company briefing.
"Hmm, it is difficult. Even if we put in the maximum effort to create a great stage, there’s no guarantee the results will be good."
That was just how the entertainment industry worked.
"Timing and luck play a huge role."
"True. There are many similarities, but I think it’s a bit different from sports in that regard."
Ryu Cheong-woo gave a bitter smile.
"I challenged records during my time as an athlete, but being a celebrity isn't just about winning or losing... The fact that you have to win people's hearts makes it very complicated."
"I agree."
I nodded, and Ryu Cheong-woo seemed lost in thought.
The atmosphere was drifting into a deeper conversation than expected. It was probably better to lighten things up a bit.
I shifted the topic slightly.
"Hearing that makes me curious—what was the record you challenged back then?"
"Huh? Haha. It was nothing special, just something everyone tries for. The 'Triple Gold'—Asian Games, World Championships, and the Olympics. I wanted to be the youngest to achieve it. Just a kid’s dream."
"..."
Triple Gold?
I really didn't know what kind of industry Korean archery was.
‘How can he talk about gold medals like they’re just regional league titles?’
That ecosystem was truly beyond common sense.
"That’s amazing."
"Amazing? I failed. I wasn't even selected for the World Championships."
Ryu Cheong-woo grinned, looking a bit embarrassed.
"I did manage to snag one record for being the youngest at the Olympics, though."
"That’s still plenty amazing."
"Haha, it’ll probably be broken soon. A lot of young kids are making it into the main selections these days..."
"...!"
Wait. Something clicked in those words.
‘The youngest.’
A new path suddenly flashed through my mind.
‘...Right. That kind of approach is possible.’
Instead of simply aiming for the overall best performance, I could subdivide the record categories in a different direction.
Toward "categories that look prestigious" enough to be publicly recognized.
‘Good, I’ve got it.’
I should start by framing it this way. I nodded.
"Anyway, I’ll think more about your question. Sorry I couldn't give you anything useful right away."
"No, thank you. I think I’ve gained a hint."
"...? Really? Well, that’s a relief then."
His face said he had no idea where I could have possibly gotten a hint from, but Ryu Cheong-woo just laughed it off.
Just in case, I added one more thing.
"You don't have to worry; I’ll never consider anything that would harm TeSTAR’s collective interests."
"I never had such a worry... but alright."
Ryu Cheong-woo accepted it simply.
It was the same straightforwardness he’d shown when I previously said we "had to win the Grand Prize."
"..."
Come to think of it, this guy didn't even ask why I was asking these things in the end. He seemed to have guessed that it would be burdensome for me.
‘What a guy.’
It was the same in the car earlier. I had been uncharacteristically moved by the situation and ended up playing along with the emotional vibe...
But thinking about it now, I wondered how on earth he was making sense of this situation.
‘He seemed like the type who wouldn't believe in the supernatural at all.’
Isn't he the type who doesn't even acknowledge ghosts?
No matter how much groundwork had been laid before, isn't this situation too unrealistic to just brush off based on the trust he had in the "Park Moon-dae" he’d experienced?
‘It doesn't seem like he has an ulterior motive, though.’
I rubbed the back of my neck and eventually just sighed.
Whatever. Let's just ask.
"Hyung."
"Yeah?"
"About what we talked about in the car... I’m curious how you became so certain about my situation."
"..."
"Honestly, it must have seemed like nonsense."
The proposition that "Ryu Gun-woo and Park Moon-dae have swapped bodies."
Ryu Cheong-woo laughed awkwardly.
"Well, I actually tried to come up with other explanations... but they all had holes."
"..."
"At first, I wondered if the two of you had just influenced each other so much that you shared a lot, like you were one person. I even thought I should be careful about how I treated you because of that."
I recalled when he had suggested that I could "speak comfortably" to him.
‘So that was why.’
But his explanation didn't end there.
"But then I met 'Ryu Gun-woo' today... and that’s when I realized it wasn't that."
Ryu Cheong-woo concluded calmly.
"The two of you were very different. ...As if you had been swapped."
"..."
"And then, what you said during our hike last time came back to me, like a bolt of lightning."
—I was just... acting as myself.
Ryu Cheong-woo smiled.
"If I took those words literally, everything I’d been questioning fell perfectly into place. Cleanly."
"..."
"Your knowledge, your coping skills, your traumas. And the reactions of both you and Ryu Gun-woo in that moment."
Ryu Cheong-woo gave a wry smile.
"And... why you had been angry and avoiding me before... things like that."
"..."
"It all became so clear."
That damn Summer Package.
He had already factored in why I had a breakdown over the story of his car accident.
I remained silent, and Ryu Cheong-woo continued quietly.
"At the time, it was framed as if I was the one being understanding... but in reality, you were the one putting up with a lot from me, weren't you? I’m sorry."
"...No."
I managed to answer.
"It’s definitely something I should apologize for."
Ryu Cheong-woo laughed it off.
"I guess stubbornness runs in the family."
"..."
"Anyway, that’s how I found out. Of course, I still don't know the mechanics of it... but I don't really need to. It’s not like I have to hear every detail."
In the end, this guy... had used logic to exercise his instinctive judgment.
Since he was a naturally composed person, the overlapping circumstances had aligned well enough for things to flow smoothly to this point.
‘Besides, hearing it like this, there really was a lot of information available.’
Eventually, I ended up laughing too.
"It’s embarrassing that I keep getting explanations without being able to give a proper one myself. Thank you."
"I told you, it’s fine."
Ryu Cheong-woo grinned, but his expression soon changed as if he’d remembered something.
"Hmm, come to think of it, that wasn't the end of it."
"Yes?"
There was more?
"Actually... I unintentionally heard it directly."
Ryu Cheong-woo looked a bit sheepish.
"When you went out to take a call at the restaurant earlier, I was standing outside the door for a moment, trying to time my entrance..."
Wait.
"...So, by any chance."
"Yeah. That person called you 'Hyung' very naturally."
So that’s what sealed it.
As expected, my bad premonitions are never wrong. I see.
I felt a throbbing in the back of my head at the realization of the situation I’d feared, but I soon let it go.
‘Anyway, it worked out well.’
It was a blessing in disguise. I looked at Ryu Cheong-woo anew.
And I blurted out.
"I look forward to working with you."
"Haha, likewise."
And just like that, I had gained an ally with whom I didn't need to hide my identity.
Not long after, the door burst open, and the other guys poked their heads in.
"Everyone~ the choreography is here~!"
It was time to practice again.
"Really? Just a second."
Ryu Cheong-woo immediately stood up and added to me.
"Let’s keep talking about that K-POP record story when we get back."
"Okay."
I felt like I could handle the thinking on my own now, but since I wasn't going to act alone, I had to keep the conversation going anyway.
So I nodded obediently, but the reaction actually came from someone else after Ryu Cheong-woo left.
Keun Se-jin, that is.
"Mundae-Mundae, what’s this about a K-POP record?"
"We were discussing what our next goal should be."
It was a productive thought that anyone would expect from a leader.
"Oh~ Now that you’re roommates with Cheong-woo hyung, you two seem to have gotten really close?"
Keun Se-jin grinned. Then he intentionally pretended to cry.
"Sniff, sniff. You two went out to play by yourselves earlier, and Se-jin’s feeling so left out..."
How did this sharp bastard know we went out when we left secretly?
"You were on the phone with a variety show MC then, so what are you talking about?"
"Hey, if our main vocal and best friend Mundae calls, I’d hang up immediately and run~!"
He said it with a straight face, without even blinking.
I was about to swat his back, but I paused at a sudden thought.
‘...Come to think of it, I told this guy I’d tell him about my situation if I ever could.’
...But Ryu Cheong-woo found out first.
"..."
"Mundae?"
Should I voluntarily explain it to this guy out of a sense of fairness?
But the thing was... I didn't know if it was okay to just come out and say it when I hadn't been caught. The risk was too high.
It wasn't like I could just restart if I failed to convince him after telling him directly.
Besides, the moment I confessed, this guy’s personality would demand to hear everything from A to Z.
Thinking about explaining all that to someone who wouldn't even know what a Status Window was—regardless of whether he believed me or not—I was worried I might die of embarrassment.
I was silent for a moment, then suppressed a sigh and spoke.
"...Then let’s go out together sometime when we have the chance."
Still, I should try to tell him if the opportunity arose. If Ryu Cheong-woo knew and this guy didn't, things would look weird the moment I made a slip of the tongue later.
"...! Mundae finally wants to leave the house! Great, great~ I’ll look into it!"
No, you idiot.
Keun Se-jin chuckled and patted my back, but I groaned inwardly as I followed the members out the front door.
‘My to-do list has grown...’
Namely, how to explain this unrealistic situation to that guy.
‘I’ll decide that later while gauging the situation.’
I set that thought aside for now and brought back my original concern.
‘So, to make breaking a K-POP record—the mission goal—a bit easier...’
It boiled down to those two.
Then, a place where the market is large and public recognition is high enough for the category to seem authoritative even if subdivided, and where there’s still a piece of the pie left for us to take...
I unconsciously muttered one of the expected answers.
"The US."
"Are we going to America??"
"No."
It’s just a candidate.
"Uuuu..."
Cha Yu-jin, who had reacted like lightning, slumped his shoulders and climbed into the car past me. But it couldn't be helped.
‘There are countless cases of failing after entering the US.’
There was something else that had to come first.
‘Analysis.’
I would pull all the data on which market would be advantageous for TeSTAR, build a method, and then enter.
I would never do something as reckless as slamming my head against the US market without a plan.
And to do that... I needed to be able to manipulate the planning and activity schedules more to my liking.
I cracked my neck.
‘The time has come.’
I recalled the contract terms I had renewed with the General Manager.
—If TeSTAR wins a Grand Prize at an annual awards ceremony within the following years, the company will provide full support for the establishment of a new independent label for TeSTAR.
We had already won the Grand Prize.
Which meant it was time to create an independent label for TeSTAR.