Chapter 327
Chapter 327
[TeSTAR, Idol of the Year, Wins ToneA Artist of the Year]
[‘202X ToneA’ TeSTAR’s Grand Prize Journey]
[ToneA Grand Prize Acceptance Speech of Joy… TeSTAR: “We’re launching our own label!”]
At first, the news of the Grand Prize, the acceptance speech, and TeSTAR’s future prospects were widely reported across various articles.
I didn’t know for sure, but many reporters probably had their drafts nearly finished, just waiting to hit 'Enter' the moment the award was announced. After all, if the content is similar, the article that gets exposed first is more likely to get more views.
For the next hour or two, a flood of articles followed, mostly just transcribing and adding to what was said during the speech.
However, the true flavor of public opinion only began to develop after the awards ceremony ended.
[TeSTAR to Launch Independent Label: A New Attempt in T1’s K-POP Incubation Strategy?]
[T1’s New Independent K-POP Artist Label… TeSTAR Leads the Way]
This was the reaction to TeSTAR’s exceptional Grand Prize acceptance speech.
‘Why is a label being launched?’
In truth, separating into a specialized label for an artist wasn't a particularly rare occurrence anymore. However, there was a difference in how it was reported.
It wasn't announced as part of the company’s business plan; the singer had suddenly mentioned it directly during their acceptance speech. And they did it like a performance at an awards ceremony hosted by the parent company itself.
People interested in how the entertainment business works caught the scent as soon as they clicked on the articles. Moreover, the fans' reactions played a significant role.
These were people who had suffered a lot because of the company. Having won the Grand Prize and then hearing the news of the independent label, the fans exploded with joy.
As the furnace of enthusiasm and excitement covered the comments and posts, the general public—who weren't even fans—began to be influenced. They started thinking, ‘Oh? Is this a big deal?’
Thanks to that, a second wave of movement occurred. It was the stock market.
*
[What does everyone think about the news of TeSTAR’s independent label?]
Can we see this as good news for T1 Ent?
*
As the rumor that ‘T1 has a big plan’ became the dominant narrative, it was even reflected in the stock price to some extent. Then, several analytical posts were uploaded, treating it as a foregone conclusion.
[The Reason T1 Ent’s Stock Price Jumped?]
[What are the Benefits of an Independent Label? T1’s New Plan]
At this point, the parent company, T1, would be reluctant to announce that the TeSTAR independent label was ‘news to them.’ If they did, it could be interpreted as bad news and only cause unnecessary trouble.
And even if we did become independent, T1 wouldn't particularly lose anything. It would still be a subsidiary anyway.
In the end, the agency lost its biggest card to use when trying to coax, soothe, or threaten us.
‘The subtle threat of asking if we want to be on bad terms with T1 won’t work anymore.’
Thanks to that, things developed like this.
Three days after the acceptance speech.
“The company is asking if they can release an article saying, ‘Nothing has been concretely decided yet.’”
“Whoa.”
As expected.
Instead of taking a hardline stance, the company began to bow its head slightly and act moderately, asking for our opinion.
‘It worked.’
Now they must be ready to sit at the negotiating table voluntarily.
I nodded inwardly with satisfaction at Ryu Cheong-woo’s report.
Most of the members found it a bit absurd, but the general atmosphere was positive because those bastards were flustered enough to reach out for communication.
Bae Se-jin even gave a small thumbs-up and mouthed the words:
‘Good job…!’
“…….”
That was a comment fitting for the guy who was the first to hear and agree to this method. I gave him a lukewarm nod.
However, one member’s face turned red, and he began to huff.
“T-That’s a bit too much…!”
“…?”
It was Seon A-hyun. Suddenly?
He clenched his fists and even began to explain.
“Back then, they spoke so… so meanly to Moon-dae…!”
Ah. He meant the day of the awards ceremony.
That’s right. That day, they couldn't control themselves and even called me directly to say a few words.
‘I think they said I was being reckless, that I’d lost their trust, things like that.’
I had expected as much, and since it was just empty talk anyway, I just let it slide. Still, to avoid giving them any leverage in future negotiations, I made a gesture of apology, saying something like, ‘I understand you might be flustered. I’ll discuss it with you first next time.’
In the end, it was all just a predicted performance, but he must have been worried about it.
Seon A-hyun said, clenching his fists.
“M-Moon-dae apologized… but they won’t even apologize, and they’re trying to announce it as if M-Moon-dae lied… I don’t think that’s right.”
“I agree. The company is mean. They need a taste of justice!”
Cha Yu-jin agreed. He must have picked up that idiom after watching a dubbed hero movie recently.
Ryu Cheong-woo seemed to think for a moment before asking gently.
“Then what do you want to do?”
“I want us to protest. By, by a majority vote… W-Would that be okay??”
“No, I’m fine with it. Then I’ll put it to a vote.”
“…??”
Are you not going to ask me?
Just like that, the guys—excluding the party who actually got cursed at—held a majority vote and reached a conclusion.
The result was a clean 'yes.'
Seon A-hyun said firmly.
“Let’s… protest…!”
“…….”
I nodded reluctantly.
“Sure… I appreciate it.”
“N-No…! Um, Moon-dae, what do you want to say?”
What do I want to say?
Looking around, everyone was implicitly expressing their intention to follow my opinion. It meant they were keeping their mouths shut and looking at me.
If that’s the case.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Then should we just say it as it is?”
“Huh?”
“What you just said.”
There was no need to add anything more. I drafted an honest reply that reflected Seon A-hyun’s position exactly.
To summarize it simply, it went like this:
In short, it was: ‘Stop messing around and give us the plan already, you punks.’
“T-Then I’ll send it like this…!”
“Okay~~”
“I think it captures the disappointment we felt quite well! You’re amazing!”
Amidst the members’ cheers, Seon A-hyun ended up delivering that content to the company’s management.
Then, Keun Se-jin leaned toward me and whispered.
“It won’t work, right?”
“It won’t.”
There was no way the agency would suddenly snap out of it after seeing that and say, “We’re sorry! We’ll proceed with the label independence immediately!”
It would only make them feel bad and more anxious.
‘They’re pissed because nothing is going their way.’
In the meantime, they have to soothe us, which makes them even angrier. And since they have to soothe us, they can’t even subtly show their anger by neglecting our care.
They were suddenly in a position where they were the underdog in every aspect. A dead end where they couldn't move rashly in any direction.
I smirked.
“But usually, mistakes happen in situations like this.”
“…….”
Keun Se-jin stared at me silently for a moment, then patted my back.
“Moon-dae, let’s stay TeSTAR for a long time. No, we’re TeSTAR for life. You know that, right?”
“Whatever.”
I just chuckled.
The feeling of being recognized was quite nice. And being able to comfortably say ‘sure’ to those words was also quite pleasant.
And if things went according to plan, it would get even better.
A few days later, as expected, the agency made a huge mistake. They got into a fight with the headquarters of T1 Ent, their direct parent company.
*
The agency, unable to persuade either the parent company or TeSTAR, lost the power to state its position independently.
However, they couldn't just dawdle without making a statement. This was because the fans had started to chime in.
It felt like they would send protest trucks to the agency at any moment if they continued to procrastinate.
Well, and looking at it now, the fact that I was the one who announced it seemed to have played a part in increasing the buzz among fans.
It seemed like the people who talk nonsense behind the scenes were speculating quite a bit about ‘why Park Moon-dae was the one to say it.’
These comments were mostly criticized by the mainstream opinion, which viewed them as ‘malicious antis twisting the fact that Moon-dae was excited to give the speech,’ but controversy always increases the amount of mentions.
Moreover, even these negative comments were based on the premise that ‘TeSTAR’s label will be enormous,’ so naturally, everyone who heard the news came to think that way.
‘It’s the kind of business buzz you can’t buy with money.’
So, in the end, T1 Ent itself took the bait.
[T1 Proposes a New Vision for K-POP: “Starting with the Launch of a Specialized Artist Label”]
They were the ones who released the article first.
In effect, it was a declaration that they had absolutely no intention of helping T1 Stars procrastinate to avoid letting TeSTAR go.
And did our agency’s management give up after seeing this?
No. From what I heard, they lost their minds and sent some kind of hardline position statement to the parent company.
‘It was a stupid decision.’
Normally, they wouldn't have done such a thing unless they were fools, but because they had been immersed in this contract issue for days, they made a momentary lapse in judgment.
That position statement, which hadn't even been properly reviewed, went to the parent company…
The agency’s management was thoroughly marked as ‘disrespectful’ by the high-ranking officials at T1 regarding this matter.
The result?
“…So, if things go well, we’ll probably become independent early next year.”
What else? A declaration of surrender.
The guy on the video call screen of my smartphone widened his eyes.
Since he had been so curious about the situation after the acceptance speech at the last awards ceremony, I was satisfying his curiosity.
I was originally going to just call him, but I decided to do a video call to check on his condition as well.
‘Fortunately, there are no other signs yet.’
He was receiving his training well and seemed healthy.
I smirked. Come to think of it, every time I did something to avoid the members, I ended up coming out here.
And actually, a video call on a palm-sized screen like this could just be done in the room, but I had just come out here out of habit.
“It’s fine. The house is expensive, so they’ve blocked the drafts well even here.”
“Yeah.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
Keun-dal, who was using ‘Ryu Gun-woo’s’ body, began to pour out his thoughts, and I listened to him in silence.
It was then.
I felt a presence beside me.
Slide.
“Park Moon-dae, a call came from the company..!”
“Yes?”
When I turned my head, I saw Bae Se-jin hurriedly opening the balcony door and coming in with a smartphone in his hand.
‘What?’
A call from the company?
I tried to take out one of the earphones I was wearing to talk to him, but Bae Se-jin moved first.
He suddenly started pointing at my smartphone.
“…?”
“Uh… Uh-uh??”
As if he had recognized someone.
“…….”
Wait, no way.