Chapter 67
Chapter 67
The sudden appearance of the baseball club concept was all because of the General Manager.
Apparently, he had rejected the original concept brought in by the working-level staff just yesterday evening.
"The General Manager wanted to steer the worldview toward something like an animated movie. He said if it’s a school-based cartoon, it has to be sports, so, well, the baseball club was decided."
For the record, the original concept was retro.
‘Isn’t it a bit of a stretch to force that into a school-related worldview too?’
Still, at least that would have somewhat suited a disco track.
Disco and a baseball club… it was neither here nor there. A total mess.
Knowing this, the staff kept rambling only about the song.
They had clearly let the bit about the General Manager slip out of frustration, but now they were obviously regretting it.
"The timeline was a bit tight, but we think the song turned out really well."
"Ah, yes."
Come to think of it, I had heard this song somewhere before. It was originally the debut song for the winners of Idol Inc. as well. Though the arrangement was slightly different and it didn't have lyrics yet.
"We’d like you all to… come up with a concept that isn't too far removed from this youthful, student style."
"Yes. We’ll do our best."
"If it’s not working out, it’s fine to just pick a song and give it to us!"
"Ah… okay."
"Don't worry too much, just let us know as soon as possible~"
‘They don’t have high expectations.’
I could only feel the desperation of office workers just trying to hit a deadline.
‘There really isn't much time left.’
If things got even more urgent, the company would likely just use "TeSTAR’s participation" for marketing and handle everything themselves.
As for how an album prepared in such a frantic rush would turn out… Hmmm, the outlook wasn't exactly promising.
"Thank you!"
The atmosphere among the members as they left the meeting was awkward.
Everyone instinctively felt it. The chances of their debut activities getting rave reviews were slim to none.
Ryu Cheong-woo spoke up.
"…Shall we try to do as much as we can?"
"Let's do it."
"Let's ask to use a practice room or something!"
Surprisingly, the consensus was to produce a result quickly, even if it meant staying up all night.
These guys, who hadn't forgotten the habit of running themselves ragged during the audition, were used to producing results first and worrying later.
"Guys, wait a second!"
Watching the manager hurriedly contact the reality show production crew, I felt a strong premonition.
‘I can kiss sleeping more than five hours goodbye for a while.’
The chaotic forced march to put together a debut in under a month had just begun.
The workspace, where reality show cameras had been hastily installed, was in the basement of a building near the company.
‘I heard they don't even have spare studios or choreography practice rooms in the company building yet.’
It was a management agency that lacked any semblance of a system, both mentally and physically.
"Hello~"
"We’re starting work now!"
After giving the cameras a decent reaction, the discussion began immediately.
"Let's choose between Number 2 and Number 7. Majority vote first?"
"Yes!"
The one I wanted to push was Number 7.
The result was 4 to 3.
"Then, Number 2?"
"Okay~"
Number 2 was the winner.
‘…This makes things difficult.’
The ones who voted for Number 2 were Ryu Cheong-woo, Keun Se-jin, Seon A-hyun, and Lee Se-jin.
"Since the company's song is an upbeat disco track, I thought it would be better for our side to choose a song that’s easier to listen to."
"A medium-tempo track like Number 2 is easy on the ears. It has that poignant, youthful feel, right? I think it would work well with a school concept too."
"I-I also… voted for Number 2."
To summarize, they were mindful of the company's song and had considered the school concept.
‘Hmm.’
I wanted to try and persuade them, but since they had jumped straight to a majority vote, the timing to speak up was awkward. If I looked like I couldn't accept the result, my persuasion would lose its edge.
‘Should I try bringing it up again in a bit?’
And a short while later, the timing arrived in the form of news that wasn't welcome at all.
"Huh? Whoa!"
"Ah…."
While looking at my smartphone for a moment during dinner, I saw this article pop up.
[The June Comeback War: From VTIC to Cha Dolce]
The article summarized the singers making a comeback next month, in June.
And among them, under the "Scheduled for the second week of June" section, was VTIC.
Our scheduled date was right around then.
‘Shit.’
This meant that one of the few artists capable of crushing TeSTAR's first-week debut performance—even with the momentum of Idol Inc.—was debuting at the exact same time.
"If the article is right… our promotion week will overlap exactly with VTIC sunbaenims."
Keun Se-jin, having finished his quick calculations, muttered to himself.
"…At least we can get their autographs."
"U-Umm…."
The members made awkward noises and forced bitter smiles.
If the schedule was fixed like this, it was practically a death sentence for winning first place on public broadcast music shows.
Furthermore, seeing how the company had been acting so far, I could see how this would play out.
‘Given how high that General Manager is on his own supply, he’ll probably spout some nonsense about having a chance against VTIC. Even if the staff tries to persuade him, they might only push it back by a week at most.’
Even in the best-case scenario, we’d be up against VTIC’s second week. We were still outclassed in terms of sheer size.
‘Their last album’s total sales definitely exceeded 1.8 million copies.’
This meant we needed to pull off a perfect title track just to even see a glimpse of first place.
‘I can’t let this chance to avoid sudden death slip away so pointlessly.’
Now was the time to speak.
"…Wait a moment."
I immediately shifted gears.
"I’m sorry for bringing this up when we already reached an agreement, but no matter how much I think about it, I want to push for Number 7."
"Huh?"
The members were startled.
‘…?’
I thought they’d be annoyed that I was dragging out a finished conversation, but the vibe was a bit different.
"Wh-Why?"
"Oh, this is the first time I’ve seen Moondae like this. Are you getting emotional?"
"He must have really liked Demo Number 7."
"Did the prospect of promoting alongside VTIC sunbaenims trigger Moondae’s awakening?"
"……."
These guys are just sitting there being fascinated.
Say whatever you want. I have to do Number 7 regardless.
"Um, Moondae-ya. I know it’s a shame, but it’s hard to overturn a conclusion that’s already been made. It was a majority vote, and we don't have much time."
Ryu Cheong-woo chuckled at the other members but tried to wrap up the situation immediately.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
Just imagining how angry I’d be waiting for the next album if we missed first place by a hair made my head ache.
‘Besides, if our momentum drops and we fail to get first place on the next album too, I’ll really be in a sudden death crisis.’
"Give me just five minutes. I want to at least try to persuade you."
"…R-Really?"
"Moondae is going this far?"
"This is strange!"
Unintentionally, the members started buzzing instead.
‘…Just what exactly did you guys think of Park Moon-dae?’
Regardless, creating a stir was a good opening. I quickly organized the situation.
‘If it’s going to come down to a majority vote anyway, I only need to win over one person who’s easy to persuade. The score was 4 to 3.’
"First of all, Keun Se-jin… and Cheong-woo hyung, you chose Number 2 because of the ease of the concept, right?"
"Ah, that’s true."
"Yeah."
The two nodded readily. It meant they were at least willing to listen.
If I went over five minutes, Ryu Cheong-woo would likely shut it down again, so I had to develop my points quickly.
"Setting aside the concept and just objectively comparing the songs, Number 7 was good too, right?"
"I liked Number 7 a bit more. But isn't that not enough?"
Keun Se-jin replied immediately.
‘Got him.’
"Because it doesn't match the company's title track?"
"Exactly."
"Then what if we change the company's track?"
"…??!"
In an instant, the members collectively grew noisy.
"Hyung, that’s a bit…."
"It’s impossible!"
"…There’s no way they’ll let us."
"But I do want to change it."
"Wait."
Ryu Cheong-woo took control of the conversation again.
"Moondae-ya. Think about it. Even if we set aside the company's song, Number 7 itself isn't a song that fits 'school' or 'youth'… things like that."
"That’s correct."
Kim Rae-bin, who had chosen Number 7 himself, nodded dejectedly.
"Number 7 is a Deep House track. Furthermore, because the riff melody was made with a kalimba, it’s somewhat dreamlike… it’s hard to bring out a theme like 'youth.' If we remove that part through arrangement, the song will lose its charm."
I shook my head.
"We can keep it and still bring out that concept."
"……!"
I voiced the plan I had been secretly formulating while the company was talking about the concept.
And the members fell silent.
"……."
‘They look like they think it’s plausible.’
Kim Rae-bin had a dazed expression, as if he was already creating something in his head.
"No, well… it’s a good idea, but."
Ryu Cheong-woo spoke with difficulty.
"I don't know if the company people will be persuaded. There’s too little time."
"……."
I couldn't help but think about that. Naturally, they’d be worried about the General Manager, who wouldn't listen to reason.
‘I really didn't want to say this.’
I swallowed hard.
What else could I do?
I just had to cater to the General Manager's taste.
"…I’ll make a PPT."
"……!"
"By tomorrow morning."
"…!!"
What other way was there but to show effort and passion?
‘Is this where the value of attending university finally pays off?’
I swallowed a sigh.
That day, Park Moon-dae stayed up all night at the dorm. And the other members couldn't sleep either.
Their conscience and loyalty wouldn't let them sleep while leaving all the work to the person who spoke up.
Thanks to that, it turned into a scene where everyone was making the presentation materials together.
"What do I need to look for?"
"I’ll write this part."
"This image is great! It fits perfectly!"
However, the person who proposed the all-night PPT production wasn't exactly pleased.
‘Too many cooks will spoil the broth.’
Park Moon-dae had intended to just show them the finished product in the morning and get feedback.
To begin with, the help of twenty-somethings who had rarely made presentation materials wasn't particularly necessary for the task.
‘Kim Rae-bin was doing okay with the data research, but I’m not bad at it either, so it doesn't matter.’
Furthermore, there was a bit of a calculated move.
‘…They won't be able to overturn this and say they want to do Number 2 after going through all this.’
The intention was to silence the minority who had voted for Number 2 using a sense of debt.
Seon A-hyun was a prime example. He was a member who had chosen Song Number 2 purely because it was his taste.
"M-Moondae-ya. D-Do you want to drink this?"
However, Seon A-hyun was instead straining himself to help complete the PPT.
He was far too passionate to just say he was staying awake out of a guilty conscience.
"……?"
Park Moon-dae felt a sense of dissonance and eventually asked.
"Are you going to be okay? We’re making this to push for Number 7 in the end."
Seon A-hyun nodded vigorously.
"Y-You thought about it a lot before deciding. N-Number 2… well, w-we can do it next time!"
"Um… thanks."
"Y-Yeah, n-no! W-We’re all doing it together…!"
"……."
‘Why has it turned into a situation where I’m the one feeling a sense of debt?’
Park Moon-dae decided to treat Seon A-hyun a bit more kindly.
"Where did Cha Yu-jin go?"
"He’s sleeping in the kitchen~"
Regardless, the night passed smoothly.
And then, the morning sun rose.
"Good morning."
Park Moon-dae and the members entered the company's morning meeting carrying the PPT.
"You’re overflowing with passion."
"Thank you."
The General Manager, who didn't know the contents of the presentation yet, was favorable, saying he liked their speed and attitude.
To begin with, they weren't unknown rookies with an uncertain future, but a group that would become the goose that laid the golden eggs, so his favor was natural.
And five minutes later.
The General Manager became extremely flustered.
"General Manager, I heard that the baseball club concept was created by taking references from animated movies."
"That’s right."
"Certainly, when it comes to school-related cartoons, sports series seem to be the trend."
"Mhm, mhm."
"And there is one more genre that is just as much of a steady seller as sports in school-related cartoons."
"Oh~ what is it?"
Park Moon-dae flipped the PPT slide.
A magic wand filled the screen.
"It’s the Magical Girl genre."
"……?!"
The meeting room was plunged into a whirlwind of confusion.