Approaching Hidden Talents (2)
"I just sketched this roughly because it seemed like a few tweaks would make it way better."
"That's too good to call 'rough.' Did you study art?"
"Oh my gosh!"
"No, I've never taken lessons."
"I'll refine this design exactly as is. It suits you perfectly, Haesol-ssi. The mask alone could spark a huge buzz."
The artist's eyes sparkled like she'd struck gold in the most unexpected place.
"Ah! I should've taken a picture of this."
"Could you redraw it for us?"
"No problem at all."
In the end, the artists made a huge fuss and finally snapped photos of me drawing the mask.
With the mask and nickname finalized, the meeting wrapped up with instructions to contact them once the songs for rounds 2 and 3 were decided. Round 1 was a versus format, so the production team would assign the songs.
As I left the broadcasting station and walked through the lobby, murmurs rippled around me.
But I didn't pay much attention. This wasn't the first or second time.
"Looks like some big-shot celeb showed up over there."
"Let's hurry."
Running into them would just be a hassle. As the junior, I'd have to bow and greet first if it was a senior celeb. Better to avoid it.
Some seniors were fine with a quick nod, but others weren't.
Click-clack—
Crisp high-heel sounds echoed through the lobby. All eyes locked on one person.
These aren't the types to fawn over just any celeb.
Ignoring the stares on me, this place saw celebs pass through constantly, so it rarely drew this much attention.
Curious, I glanced over as I crossed the lobby.
A pure white dress. Her silky hair shimmered like the word "silk thread" was invented just for it. Sunglasses on, she strode by with elegant poise.
I got why everyone stared. It wasn't celeb status—it was sheer beauty. Like a living doll.
I wanted to look longer, but I was already heading to the parking lot.
New actress?
Her exotic vibe would stick in my memory.
Outside, I slipped on my glasses from my pocket to avoid drawing eyes.
I climbed into Manager Noona's car and headed to the dorm, oblivious to the woman in white stopping dead and staring right at me.
Or that I'd reunite with her sooner than expected.
"There might be even more talents we don't know about. We could push him harder—he's worth it."
"Does anyone not know our kids are talented? Nothing new there."
"Don't you think the company is wasting their potential by not recognizing it properly?"
"As a group, they're doing great already. What if pushing one too hard causes friction?"
Airplane's dedicated manager chief, Yuslha, had been shadowing Jin Haesol's schedules after the road manager flaked. Fed up, she called this meeting.
She couldn't stand our complacent handling letting such talent rot.
But her words didn't land well with the company staff.
"If others have talent, we'll push them too. But has any other kid shown new skills worth pushing? If they lack ability, that's on them—not our problem. This isn't high school; we're not hiding talents to keep the peace."
"That's not what I said."
"You just said pushing one would ruin relationships. Same thing."
"Let me say it again—that's not what I meant. Kang Jun and Haesol are killing it in acting, and the others have their solo schedules. What more push? What else can we even do? We're giving Airplane our all!"
"I've confirmed it's not enough. If I know it's not your best but you insist it is, what am I supposed to say?"
"……."
Silence fell over the meeting room.
It teetered on emotional outburst. Everyone had their side.
The dedicated team was proud of their support and results—her words hit like lightning.
But having seen Haesol's talents firsthand, Yuslha couldn't let it slide. Her gut screamed he'd blow up with focused push.
A rift formed between the Airplane team and Yuslha, hard to bridge.
"We can't just keep butting heads. We need to resolve this."
A staffer who'd watched spoke up. Everyone agreed.
They had to ease into it.
"What talent does Yuslha-ssi see in Haesol? What more do you want him doing? Honestly, casting him in that web drama was a solid push already."
"At first, did anyone expect much from Haesol in acting?"
"No."
"But look what he did. He acts as well as any pro now. That's the kid—overflowing talent. How much is going to waste? Imagine if people knew."
"……."
"Group growth is fine, but Haesol stands out anyway. Just push him—he's a sure thing."
"No one here doubts Haesol's potential. So what exactly do you want, Chief?"
"We brainstorm pushes together. But I have some ideas."
The company could slot him into shows easily.
But Airplane was exceeding plans—no need to burn image early.
Overworking kids just sped up public fatigue.
But Yuslha thought that didn't fit Haesol.
"You want to grind him on shows?"
"That's the core—more face time. But not limited types. Variety: cooking, singing, travel."
"Image burn?"
"Haesol's like an onion—layers even haters peel. How many know he draws?"
"…Draws?"
"I snapped this—check it out."
Staff gawked at the mask Haesol sketched at the station.
"Haesol drew this?"
"Yeah. Whipped it up in seconds. Tons of untapped talent. And you dedicated folks let it rot? Such a waste."
"……."
"……."
The team's faces shifted subtly. They got why she pushed.
"Next activities go overseas—why fuss domestic?"
"Do we ever slack domestic for overseas?"
"But arguing among ourselves is silly. Ask what he wants first. Even Pyongyang thanks can be skipped if he hates it."
"Then let's hear Haesol. He wants it."
She's sure he's holding back for the others, Yuslha thought dreamily.
If she'd known his talents, no idol path. Group hurts him. Solo? Massive fans.
"Curious what 'hidden talents' he's hiding."
Meanwhile, oblivious me grumbled at the sudden "come up" call.
Dorm to agency was close, but abrupt summons sucked.
Why? Drama shoot issue?
No reason given.
The web drama exploded early from weird noise marketing, but it faded.
Flash fans gone; left were steady viewers who liked it, true fans, and Airplane fans for me and Kang Jun.
Sad views dipped post-hype, but real fans kept spirits up. Shoots were fun.
Most expected flop anyway. This is success.
Drama success didn't sway me much. Proved our acting chops—that mattered.
Future gigs? This backs us. We're "proven actor idols" now.
"I'm here."
I opened the meeting room door casually; all eyes snapped to me.
"Haesol! Hey."
"Hey, noona."
"Haa~ Your face is working overtime today~"
"I like him best without makeup."
"That innocent vibe(?)."
"Come sit."
"Got your fave green grape ade since you were coming, noona special."
"Whoa, thanks."
My beloved green grape ade! The trek's annoyance melted.
Slurp—
Cool ade down, I eyed the staring staff.
"So, why'd you call me?"
"Yeah, we had a meeting today."
"Okay."
"Guess the topic."
"No clue."
"You."
"Me?"
"Yuslha Chief says you've got amazing hidden talents."
"Talents?"
True enough. But so what?
"And?"
"…Your reaction's weird. Real hidden stuff?"
"Not none."
"!!"
My blasé reply widened eyes. Overreactions, unlike usual.
I glanced at Manager Noona. She smirked triumphantly at them.
Realization hit: she's behind this.
What scheme now? Smells like hassle.