Chapter 35
Chapter 35
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Project Girl Group?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I'd stayed out all night.
Even after banging Harang and giving Shin Jae-hyun a brutal enough thrashing that he wouldn't dare come near me again, I still felt this bitter emptiness gnawing at me.
To think I could be this ruthless.
Stealing other guys' women and snickering about it, feeding my desires off their humiliation.
Lately, it felt like I wasn't myself anymore.
Ever since I started getting sexual favors, it was like I'd just dipped my toes into the nightlife scene—I couldn't pull myself away from between women's legs.
It was so sweet, my hands kept wandering back. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't stop shaking my hips.
Had I completely fallen?
The pure me who just loved idols... he was gone now.
"Tch."
I clicked my tongue alone in pointless self-reflection.
I'd already indulged in everything there was to enjoy, and I had no intention of stopping—this was just hypocrisy.
I wanted talented idols to shine with their individuality and skills on our broadcasts.
I wanted to capture that radiant youth on screen and let viewers smile innocently at it.
Maybe that was our founding philosophy.
Idols who showed dreams and fantasies... though now, the ones stamped with my "seal" got priority.
"..."
But... but I'd been selective about who I slept with.
I only went after girls who the public would see and think, "That's why they become idols."
Harang and Sihyun from Rize—already proven talents who'd climbed to the top of the second tier.
Im Da-hyun, the adult idol who made men's blood boil.
And above all, Sua.
Next week, Ceria's music show appearance would air.
The communities would explode with reactions, everyone falling head over heels for that fresh charm they'd never seen before.
It wasn't some unfair deal.
I was just spotting the girls viewers would love and clearing the path for them... right?
As I rationalized my dirtied self, a song suddenly drifted into my ears.
It was a melody I'd grown completely used to by now.
A song I could listen to over and over and still crave more. Or more precisely, the voice singing it that I wanted to hear again.
Either way, like I was entranced, I followed the sound. And at the end of it was that black woman, as expected.
She was busking alone again today.
Bathed in moonlight, the singer glowed faintly—she was literally singing the night.
In this dim street, she looked like a single masterpiece painting.
"Your breath flowing on the wind..."
A woman who seemed cold and aloof, with a fatally alluring appearance, breathed life into the lyrics with her beautiful voice. It made me feel like I'd become a devotee.
Drawn out by this beautiful hymn into a nighttime worship, a thought suddenly struck me.
'I wish she'd come on our broadcast... and sing.'
If I were a producer, I'd have made her the main vocal for sure.
Hell, I even felt reluctant to let anyone else have her. And I wasn't even a producer...
Huh? Something was bubbling up in my mind for a second there.
But the song ended right then—it must've been the finale. I always felt this way, but ending on the last track left me swallowing my regrets.
Unaware of my inner thoughts, she quietly began packing up, elegant and dignified like a goddess of darkness.
She looked young... a student? But seeing her do this alone every day, she seemed like an adult.
Maybe around twenty at most.
Should I talk to her?
"Excuse me."
Without thinking, I acted on the impulse.
"Yes."
"...Are you an aspiring singer?"
"Yes."
"You sing really well. There was so much emotion in your voice—I couldn't tear myself away."
"Yes."
"..."
No thanks, just a slight nod as she finished packing her things.
Her speech matched her visible vibe—chilly as ice.
A way of talking that could freeze someone, but she probably didn't mean it; it was just her natural tone.
Anyway, aspiring singer meant no agency yet.
If she had one, they wouldn't let her busk on the street.
For some reason, I didn't want to let her go, so I spoke up again.
"No agency, it seems... You're too talented to waste away here. Could I get your number?"
"...?"
She tilted her head, giving me a frosty look.
"Ah, here's who I am."
I handed over my business card, clearly emblazoned with "NSS Station Director Kim Han-seo."
"..."
The card narrowed her eyes even more.
She probably thought some scammer made a fake card with shady intentions.
"No, I'm not a weirdo. Let me prove it more solidly... Ah, look at this."
This time, I pulled out my employee ID for confirmation.
"...Hmm."
"It's real, I swear."
"Okay, but why the number?"
"Your voice is too good to be out here on the street. I've got a project in the works, and I think you might have a shot at it."
"..."
It was an idea that had just popped into my head.
But the impression was so vivid, I planned to push it through with my authority.
I was doing all this because I thought it'd be fun if she joined in.
"If you still can't believe me, come visit the station sometime. I'll prove I'm the director."
"NSS Station Director...? For real?"
"Yes. Idol-specialized broadcaster. You must know it at your age."
"...Yeah. Now that you mention it, I think I've seen your photo... In an article."
Still a suspicious glint in her eyes, but she seemed half-convinced now.
"Looks like I've earned some trust, so can I ask for your number and name one more time?"
"Hmm..."
"Nothing to lose, right? I'm not asking you to come with me now."
"..."
She hesitated briefly, then spoke.
"Ah-yul. Min Ah-yul."
"Ah-yul, huh. Pretty name."
"Here's my number... I'll enter it."
"Haha, thanks."
Her number popped up on my phone.
Ah-yul seemed embarrassed and unfamiliar with the situation; as soon as she finished, she bowed quickly and scurried off like a rabbit.
Cold one minute, then showing this cute side.
With Ah-yul's number in hand, I headed home looking forward to tomorrow.
"Secretary Shin! Secretary Shin!"
Monday morning at the office, I called for Secretary Shin right away.
"Yes, I'm here. What's up?"
"Call a morning meeting in 30 minutes! Just the managers from operations, planning, marketing, etc.! Oh, and the PDs too!"
"Got it."
Sensing the fire in my eyes, Secretary Shin hurried back to her office and fired off the notices.
"Meeting's all set. But why the sudden rush?"
"Secretary Shin! You'll be going on field trips with me a lot this week, so keep that in mind."
"Ooh."
"?"
I didn't know why she was pleased, but at least no resistance to fieldwork—good.
I gathered everyone in the conference room and got straight to announcements.
With a decent PPT to back it up.
"Thanks, everyone, for answering your clueless director's call first thing in the morning. I'm here to introduce a program I'm unilaterally planning and producing this time, and to get your advice."
The words alone drew applause. Everyone nodded eagerly, full of anticipation.
We hadn't even started, but the director himself was brimming with enthusiasm.
Though the idea was flashy, it was really just a proven hit from before.
"Think about it: don't we air every idol show out there? Like it's our exclusive turf. So all the agencies focus on us. On the flip side, how about we squeeze in and start our own entertainment subsidiary? Not some paper company—we'd properly manage, train, and debut kids."
Set up an entertainment label under our network and launch our own groups.
Not exactly groundbreaking or rare.
Big conglomerates always spun off subsidiaries for synergy.
"Um, Director? Won't the industry push back hard? If we create, raise, and air them, some agencies might go bankrupt..."
"Ah, I skipped ahead. Not stealing jobs from agencies. Here, this is it."
I flipped the PPT slide.
There was the answer to why we were starting an entertainment label.
"A survival show...?"
"Yes, nothing groundbreaking, but it's a genre that's always pulled ratings—even before our station launched. Now that we're monopolizing idol content, isn't it rude to viewers not to do an idol survival?"
Then An PD, who'd been smirking knowingly, raised his hand.
He'd already caught my drift and was just amplifying it for the room.
"So, the survivors debut under our new subsidiary entertainment label? As a project girl group. They'd get insane pushes from our network, and agencies would salivate, sending their kids to compete. Right?"
"Spot on, An PD."
"Voting by viewers, of course?"
"Yes. But not 100% viewer votes."
"Then what?"
"Selection with a 30% expert opinion safeguard to prevent disasters."
Of course, that expert was me.