Chapter 358
Chapter 358
It was late May, a time when TeSTAR had become an indisputable, top-tier group both at home and abroad, leaving no room for criticism.
What did their direct junior, Mirinae—or more accurately, Park Min-ha, the de facto leader of Mirinae—think of TeSTAR?
‘What do I think? I just think of them as seniors.’
In truth, she hadn't seen much of them lately. Even at the company, their paths rarely crossed because the label had created separate zones for them.
However, there was one thing.
‘…Must be nice! I’m so jealous!’
While she felt a twinge of resentment that TeSTAR had managed to slip out from under the General Manager’s thumb on their own, there was no better role model to envy.
…And there was one specific senior member who had contributed significantly to her thinking that way.
‘…Announcing the independent label at the awards ceremony before anyone else could… That must have been intentional, right?’
Indeed.
It was none other than Park Moon-dae, TeSTAR’s main vocalist and the one in charge of being the "soft-and-squishy apple-rice-cake puppy."
Park Min-ha let out an internal scream.
‘Puppy, my foot!’
The man who manipulated the company, who was beyond extraordinary—bordering on uncanny—who always seemed to be in the right place at the right time even if you couldn't tell what he was thinking… That person?
“…….”
‘Listing it out like that, he really is a natural-born idol in a way.’
Regardless, he was terrifying.
Thanks to him, she’d been breaking into cold sweats trying to restrain her members from attempting to "get close" to their successful seniors.
‘Interactions with the opposite sex are poison for idols! What if my girls get sent away because of it?!’
Yet, she couldn't understand how such a scary person could look so utterly harmless the moment the cameras started rolling.
‘…In reality, he has a bit of an unapproachable aura.’
Years of self-management and (though Park Min-ha didn't know it) stat investments had given Park Moon-dae an aura that screamed "professional celebrity."
Even so, seeing how well the "friendly puppy" image suited him in videos was almost chilling.
He was truly someone to emulate.
‘…He’s amazing. Seriously.’
Naturally, she found herself making a vow.
‘When our contract renewal season comes, we’re going to do it right too!’
She would protect this group by handling things sharply and never letting them be taken advantage of…!
But just as she was lost in those thoughts, the man himself called her.
And his opening line was incredibly ominous.
“…….”
The moment she heard those words, all sorts of possible bad endings flashed through Park Min-ha’s mind.
What? What is it?
‘W-What is he thinking…?’
As a result, a generic answer popped out of her like a programmed robot.
“I have the same worries as everyone else! But I’m satisfied with my life right now, being able to meet the fans as an idol like this…”
Park Moon-dae didn't interrupt; he listened to her entire explanation.
Because of that, her repertoire of professional, "socially acceptable" answers quickly ran dry.
‘Agh!’
The pressure to say something more intensified.
‘Oh, please!’
We aren't close enough to be sharing our worries, Senior!
Fortunately, Park Moon-dae gave her a hint just before she ran out of breath.
“……W-When you say different, what kind of things are you referring to…?”
“The company?”
Park Moon-dae stated calmly.
“Ah.”
If it was about that…
Park Min-ha opened her mouth almost like a reflex.
It was a problem she had truly been agonizing over, and she had a lot of pent-up frustration.
Though she would later regret it, thinking, ‘I’ve been baited,’ it wasn't a trap. It was actually a stepping stone for a proposal that would benefit Mirinae as well.
Of course, it was also true that Park Moon-dae had baited her.
“I see.”
I organized the information I’d gathered from Park Min-ha’s detailed explanation of Mirinae’s current situation and the subtle hints about the new rookie group.
First of all, Mirinae’s current position was…
‘Awkward.’
They were stagnating.
Since she had some sense, she had glossed over things instead of badmouthing the company, but she seemed aware that the momentum and buzz they’d had at debut had died down significantly.
It made sense. If the company kept making music aimed at the overseas market and focused promotions there, their connection with the domestic public would naturally weaken.
‘But the fandom is still solid.’
Since their self-produced content was good and the quality of their promotional capital was high, they had a steady influx of new fans.
‘So they’ve fallen into that pattern.’
In short, while their digital chart performance had weakened due to a drop in public interest, they had become a fandom-oriented idol group whose physical album sales were still rising.
‘At this level, they’ve settled in as a successful idol group regardless.’
However, it must be frustrating for them because they could become a top-tier group if they could just land one big hit with the general public, yet the company kept aiming only for the US.
In the midst of that, the new girl group from Young-rin’s company debuted.
And they started hitting it big.
What she meant was this:
‘They feel threatened because their positions overlap.’
Trendy girl idols with global recognition, especially in the West.
Two groups with similar images.
The problem wasn't just that their images overlapped in the US market; it was that their selling points in Korea were becoming blurred as well.
And usually, the more impactful latecomer naturally takes over the spot.
So, perhaps now—before the hype completely shifts to that rookie girl group—is the perfect time.
I crossed my arms, holding my smartphone between my shoulder and ear.
‘…It’s not bad.’
Mirinae had the top-tier image they’d built up and strong album sales.
The rookie girl group, Powty, had weak physical sales for now but strong overseas digital performance, and their domestic digital charts were rising based on that buzz.
They each had their strengths and weaknesses.
‘It’s a perfect match, which makes it easier to set the stage.’
There’s nothing more entertaining than watching two groups in similar positions go back and forth.
I reached a conclusion. However, there was one more hurdle to clear.
‘Since it’s someone else’s business.’
I needed the consent of the person involved.
I waited, offering appropriate responses to Park Min-ha’s words, and spoke up again as she was finishing.
“Yes. Thank you for letting me know. And I have one more question.”
I asked slowly.
“Even if things get a bit noisy, would you prefer it if more people took an interest in your group’s activities?”
She probably knew what I meant by "noisy."
‘It means getting hate.’
Naturally, when buzz decreases, so does the hate.
I was asking if she preferred the current stable situation over the pain of having her brain battered by absurd rumors about her speech, hand gestures, plastic surgery, or past photos.
‘It wouldn't be strange for someone who went through <Idol Inc.> to have trauma.’
I waited.
But after a moment, a firm voice came through the phone.
Good. She has guts.
I finalized the conclusion I had reached with satisfaction.
“Then, is it alright if the company proceeds with that?”
Like this.
Starting the very next day, articles began pouring onto the front pages of the entertainment sections.
[Rookie Powty’s Unstoppable Global Success… ‘Breaking All Girl Group Records’?]
[Powty Surpasses Mirinae’s ‘Blue Rain’ to Take #1 in ‘Search Index’]
[Mirinae Announces Comeback, Are They Conscious of the ‘Monster Rookies’?]
The articles ranged from blatant mentions to subtle hints, but the tone was ultimately the same.
‘Didn't Powty beat Mirinae as soon as they debuted?’
The content was filled with subtle predictions of Powty’s dominance.
And naturally, the expected reactions began to surface.
All sorts of extreme outcries.
However, there was one thing in common.
Everyone naturally believed that Young-rin’s company had spearheaded these promotional articles.
Using media play to target a senior artist with a similar position is a traditional and effective way to increase recognition.
Of course, Young-rin’s company wasn't stupid; they were likely planning to release similar press releases soon anyway, and I had confirmed that was the case.
When our company staff contacted the media outlets, they said the agency had already promised to send over promotional material.
That made things easy.
the staff member had said, sounding a bit excited.
So…
‘This is helping them.’
I nodded.
It was a kind of charitable act.
I just beat them to the punch and helped out with the media play they were going to do anyway. From their company’s perspective, they should be grateful.
Well, the target they were planning to snipe probably wasn't Mirinae, but TeSTAR… but what did we care?
I scrolled down my smartphone screen.
Articles were being picked up everywhere, and a commotion was brewing.
“The buzz volume is good.”
Mirinae’s fans might be a bit tired, but being hot is better for consumption than having your mentions die out and stagnate.
A rival is good for motivation.
‘And Mirinae is coming back soon.’
It would be great if this translated into domestic buzz.
She had sounded confident.
I chuckled and tossed my phone aside.
Now, all I had to do was wait for Mirinae to make their comeback and for the results to simmer.
‘By the time it’s ripe, the company will naturally put out some press releases about our records… The mission results should pop up within two weeks at the earliest.’
Then, as long as nothing unexpected happened, I would pass this hurdle.
‘Clean.’
I stretched lightly and stood up.
“Ah.”
There was one more thing to take care of. Until the results came out, TeSTAR needed to maintain a solo lead with an image completely unrelated to those two.
An independent activity that would help with that… something that generated buzz while also being refreshing.
What could it be?
‘A successful solo variety show.’
Coincidentally, those variety show producers who had made us sell hotteok in the US had contacted us again.
The timing was perfect.
“Hello~”
“Good afternoon!”
“Oh, TeSTAR! Please, have a seat! My goodness!”
A few days later, we were called into a meeting for a new variety show.
“If you look at the title first…”
Looking at the presentation materials, they even had a logo ready.
<The Grandson of That House>
I could already tell from the naming sense.
‘The setup is going to be a mess.’
The feeling that they were going to pull some nonsense was so strong that it was actually better.
A few familiar writers explained with excited faces.
“You’ll go down to the countryside, do some simple cooking, tend to a vegetable garden… We’ve prepared something truly healing.”
“Ahaha. Okay!”
It’s definitely a trap. The members looked at each other and nodded.
‘What is it?’
‘I think they’re going to make us do endurance training.’
‘That makes sense.’
Are we going to get into debt in the countryside and have to board a fishing boat this time?
But the writers were persistent.
“Ah, this time! It’s absolutely not a bait-and-switch! You’ll just have some fun with mini-games… but it’s definitely not like that.”
Sure. Let’s pretend to fall for it.
“Really?”
“Yes!”
The writer nodded vigorously. But before we could smile and nod back, the writer added one more thing.
With eyes burning with a sense of injustice.
“You can even sue us if it’s not, really!”
“…….”
Sue?
A bewildered smile appeared on Ryu Cheong-woo’s face. The others looked the same.
‘Hey, I think they’re serious.’
Are they really trying to make a simple healing program to soothe the hearts of exhausted modern people?
“Since you’re idols, we can tie it in with your professional skills to give it a meaningful feel! You can perform for the residents…”
Kim Rae-bin was impressed.
“…! That sounds like a truly meaningful opportunity!”
“Hmm, you’re right. The intent is good.”
Bae Se-jin was flipping through the materials again with a relieved expression, and Seon A-hyun was taking notes.
Everyone was in a peaceful mood.
“…Yes.”
And then I looked at Keun Se-jin.
He was desperately maintaining a polite smile, but the moment our eyes met, his eyes twitched.
‘Yeah.’
We’re in trouble.
‘Healing, my ass.’
These producers have completely lost their sense of entertainment.