Chapter 471
Chapter 471
The meeting with Spacer was arranged the very next day, handled with lightning speed.
To be precise, I was meeting Kwon Hee-seung, who came as the representative for Spacer, in a conference room.
"Ohhh, Hee-seung! It’s been ages!"
"Aigoo, hyung-nim!"
I sat down, half-watching Keun Se-jin and Kwon Hee-seung make a fuss.
As if on cue, someone pulled out the chair next to mine and slid into the seat.
It was Cha Yu-jin.
He crossed his arms and whispered to me.
"Are we having lunch after this?"
Wait, why did you even come?
"If you were hungry, you should've just stayed at the dorm."
"I’m bored. I don't have any schedules."
"Hmm."
I suppose that was true.
Cha Yu-jin’s individual schedules had finished exceptionally early.
That was because... he had filmed everything for four days and three nights in one go.
As for how that was possible, the program he chose was none other than...
[Camping Diary: Our Story Grows]
...This one.
It was a public broadcast variety show where "troubled youths" with complicated backstories were gathered for a camping trip. Celebrities would appear as camp instructors to listen to their stories and help them grow emotionally.
As you might guess, these were the reactions when the show first launched:
It was torn to shreds for being a typical, outdated public broadcast idea.
Of course, once the lid was actually opened, it settled into a lukewarm, standard variety show and the controversy died down.
It was one of those shows featuring participants who were "ordinary people" only on the surface, telling exaggerated stories for promotion.
But then, word got out that Cha Yu-jin was appearing on this program.
Fans and the general public alike were confused about what he would even say.
However, on the day of the broadcast:
Cha Yu-jin appeared, using strict military speech.
No one saw it coming.
Of course, one might think that using such a tone clumsily would just look awkward and make him look like an easy target, but...
Having already experienced a military variety show in the system's virtual world, he was even proficient in using set military phrases...
The viewers and participants, unaware of that fact, were left bewildered.
Taking advantage of that opening, Cha Yu-jin began to handle the late-teenagers like a pro.
After the initial impact, he knew exactly when to soften up, listening intently and taking care of them, allowing them to grow attached to him.
Anyway, having seized control of the atmosphere with that unique tone, Cha Yu-jin navigated between strictness and kindness, humor and sincerity, handling any potential image controversies.
Furthermore, by creating a meme with the old-fashioned public broadcast style subtitles like "The Da-na-ka Instructor," he achieved incredible cost-effectiveness...
Did he calculate all of this?
The fact that it probably wasn't calculated made him even more impressive. I remembered what he said when he chose this show.
"..."
And now, that guy was sitting next to me, nodding with a grumpy face.
"And I have the right to hear this conversation directly. I am a member of the team."
Fine, whatever.
He had good instincts, so he might offer a good opinion with his split-second judgment. I decided to allow Cha Yu-jin’s participation.
Only then did Keun Se-jin and Kwon Hee-seung, who had finished their greetings, sit down in the conference room chairs with cheerful expressions.
Kwon Hee-seung’s eyes sparkled.
"Wow, so Moon-dae hyung is going to produce for us, Spacer? Whoa!"
Right. That was the reason I called him here.
"Before that, I need to confirm something."
"...Yes?"
I interlaced my fingers.
"Can you trust me?"
"...!"
"Even if we're under the same label, you know we're ultimately competitors. Aren't you suspicious that I might not give Spacer a plan that's purely beneficial and guaranteed to succeed?"
"..."
Gold 2, Kwon Hee-seung, fell silent.
As expected.
Unless he was a fool, he must have had his doubts.
The three of us from TeSTAR didn't rush him and waited patiently for his answer.
After a brief silence...
He gave an awkward laugh.
"Uh, no?"
"...!"
"But I mean, wouldn't everyone be like that, hyung-nim?"
Kwon Hee-seung chuckled.
He seemed... somewhat enlightened.
"Even when we were at T1... the employees must have made plans that benefited the company. So, it's not like we've ever received a plan that was purely good for us in the first place..."
He muttered to himself, then quickly gave a thumbs up.
"Isn't that just how society works! We do things while hoping for mutual benefit!"
"...Is that so?"
"Of course!"
I see.
It was a realistic perception worthy of someone who made money through stocks as soon as he returned to the past.
"And seeing hyung say it like this actually makes me feel better. Are you going to tell us everything—what's risky for us and what's good for you?"
"I should."
Rather than keeping quiet and having variables pop up later, it’s cleaner to disclose everything and have him agree to it himself.
If I told him everything and he still chose it, he couldn't complain later.
It feels like an insurance policy, though.
I was thinking a bit bitterly when...
"Wow."
"...?"
Why are you marveling and sighing?
"Phew... Hyung, that right there is the top 1% conscience of the world. You should be proud!"
"..."
"Wow, hyung... are you actually a saint pretending not to be one?"
"Right? Moon-dae is kind of like that."
No, I'm not.
"Exactly. There's actually no benefit for hyung, but you're helping our group and even worrying about things like that..."
Actually, this company is my system... No, let's stop there.
I pressed my temples and spoke.
"...Anyway, let's start the discussion."
"Kuu, yes!"
Kwon Hee-seung nodded. His face showed a mix of anticipation and tension regarding what strategy would come out.
Keun Se-jin spoke up with a friendly smile.
"Hee-seung~ You know the rookie group from Wonder Hall that debuted recently, right? Iter!"
"Yes, yes."
Kwon Hee-seung’s face briefly flickered with various guesses, perhaps knowing the controversies surrounding them...
But his expression went blank at the next words.
"Those friends are going to be a huge help for our Spacer promotion!"
"...?!"
To be precise, it meant we would make them be a help.
And a few dozen minutes later.
"..."
Kwon Hee-seung sat dazed in the conference room, looking as if he had been hit by a storm. His eyes were out of focus.
It seemed the shock was quite severe.
"You can take your time to think about it and give me an answer."
"No... I mean,"
Kwon Hee-seung swallowed hard.
"Will this actually work?!"
"I told you because it will."
"R-Right... If hyung says so, it will."
To that extent?
Kwon Hee-seung began to stare down at the conference room table with a serious face.
Just when I thought he was about to start counting the patterns on the wood...
Vrrrrt.
"Ah, I need to take this call for a second."
"Go ahead."
Kwon Hee-seung’s smartphone rang, and he stood up, closed the door, and left the conference room.
Click.
"..."
After a brief silence, I spoke.
"Did he make that call himself?"
"No. It looked like a real incoming call."
"Hmm."
I thought he was going to consult with his members immediately.
Actually, I had intended to invite a few more Spacer members to this meeting, but Kwon Hee-seung himself said he would come alone first, which was unexpected.
"Is that person the leader?"
"Spacer? They don't have a leader system, but Hee-seung was rank 1 and he's the center, so his role is significant."
"Oh."
Why are you looking at me? You're the center.
Anyway, I tapped on the table for a moment before standing up at the right time.
By now, he should be finishing up his call.
"I'm going to the restroom for a bit."
"Okay."
I carefully stepped out of the conference room for a private word with Kwon Hee-seung.
Click.
However, the moment I closed the door, I realized Kwon Hee-seung’s voice was echoing softly in the hallway.
He was still on the phone.
"Yeah, hey! Ah, I'm telling you, our song this time is really good. Trust me! Hyung, you really have a talent for composing, so why are you worried!"
"..."
"If we just get good promotion, we'll hit the charts. Now that the company is good too, we'll do even better. ...Yeah. Good luck with the work."
He spoke in a soothing tone and then ended the call.
He let out a short sigh... and then his eyes met mine.
"Oh, um. Hyung-nim,"
He seemed flustered.
...Sigh.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to overhear."
"I figured as much... Ahem."
Kwon Hee-seung seemed embarrassed and dragged his words, unlike his usual self.
Damn it.
I suppressed a sigh and spoke again.
"...The team atmosphere seems good."
"It is."
Kwon Hee-seung leaned against the wall and sighed.
"But honestly... not everyone is as hardworking as you hyungs, you know? I think our season of Idol Inc. was a really unique one."
"..."
Perhaps because he had been caught in an embarrassing conversation, he decided to just speak his mind, or maybe it was unintentional, but he continued.
"Hmm, so I've imagined what it would have been like if I had debuted then... Anyway, I did make it to the finals too."
Ah.
I realized what he was thinking of at that moment.
It wasn't just the entire final episode.
The calling of the final member.
My 1st place benefit.
— As the 1st place winner, participant Park Moon-dae has the authority to designate one person among the 14 participants who made it to the final ranking ceremony to debut with the team!
And I... had passed that choice to the viewers.
To minimize the backlash as much as possible.
— The participant I have chosen is... the 7th place participant chosen by the Shareholders.
But in truth, among the participants who were left behind without being called as TeSTAR members, he was the one I had the deepest friendship with as a teammate.
Gold 2. Kwon Hee-seung.
There was no way he hadn't hoped for it in that moment.
If it still came to mind even now, more than five years later.
And it's not like TeSTAR just did 'okay'; they were incredibly successful.
However, his conversation didn't turn into a lament.
"But the more I imagine it, the more I realize. I think I like my current team after all. Sigh... I've grown too attached to them."
"..."
"The hyung I was just talking to on the phone lacks a lot of confidence, but he's a really fun person. He makes good songs too... but our digital chart results haven't been that great lately."
Objectively, Spacer was a group that had settled in quite well.
Their public recognition had naturally declined since the survival show, and their digital chart performance had dropped. However, their album sales had steadily increased, and they had secured stable international popularity.
But people always compare themselves relatively, and who would be the easiest target for Spacer to be compared to?
TeSTAR.
They must have heard such comparisons more than once or twice from a company that wasn't even particularly good at its job.
But the guy in front of me just shrugged and said:
"So, please take good care of us, hyung-nim! I'll have to listen to the other members' opinions and get back to you... but for now, I've concluded that I definitely want to take on the challenge!"
"..."
"We have to prove that Spacer is a group with a bright future ahead!"
"...Right."
"You only live once! No, we... ahem, have one more chance, anyway."
"..."
I let out a small chuckle. Then I looked away from Kwon Hee-seung, who was winking at me.
The popup that had been there since the moment we met was still visible.
[[Re-confirming 'Fragment of ■■■' Holder]]
Would you like to absorb 'Fragment of ■■■ (1 / 4)' for 'Company Use'?
※ This will take some time.
"..."
Well, I was using him to clear out that rookie group anyway.
I had intended to extract it to upgrade the company system function regardless, but it didn't seem necessary to go as far as telling him about mission failures and making him feel indebted.
So... this wasn't bad either.
Without a word, I silently responded to the status window.
Yes.
Then, the popup began to glow.
"...!"
"Then, shall we head back into the conference room?"
It seemed invisible to Kwon Hee-seung’s eyes, as he didn't show much reaction... but a cluster of light extending from the popup wrapped around him once.
And the moment it smoothly returned to the popup:
[['Fragment of ■■■ (1 / 4)' Retrieval Complete!]]
The content of the popup seemed to change, and soon all popups disappeared, replaced by a new one made of very simple lines.
[['Company Use' Updating]]
Is that it?
I thought there might be some reaction in my body, but that didn't seem to be the case.
Instead, just as I was about to examine that popup more closely...
BANG!
"...!!"
"W-What?"
The conference room door suddenly flew open.
It was Keun Se-jin, his face deathly pale.
He shouted.
"Call someone!"
What?
"Yu-jin collapsed. Call someone!"
"...!!"
I immediately looked inside the conference room.
There, I saw Cha Yu-jin collapsed under his chair.
"..."
Why?
"Park Moon-dae!"
"Yeah."
I moved my feet immediately. Calling someone from the company and getting to the emergency room was the fastest way.
But even as I ran, I thought:
What the hell is going on?
Beside me, the system window didn't disappear and continued to follow me.
[['Company Use' Updating]]