The Next Project (4)
"All right, take a short break and then we'll go again!"
Inside one of the practice rooms at JYB Entertainment, Baek Junyeong was hard at work coaching the company's trainees, same as always.
He was the CEO, a first-rate artist in his own right, and a trainer who personally taught the trainees. In every sense that mattered, Baek Junyeong was indispensable to JYB Entertainment.
Even so, for all his versatile gifts on the music side, he carried a heavy worry of his own.
Baek Junyeong looked over at the members of Hongryeon, clustered together and chatting happily among themselves. Every one of those kids was a raw gem he could take real pride in. But the entertainment industry was a place where even kids that distinctive struggled to break through.
That was why Baek Junyeong had poured money into the program Choice 30, put Hongryeon on it, and tried to pull the public's attention their way. Thanks to the kids giving everything they had, the results had been decent right up through the middle stages.
The problem was that Hongryeon's final ranking had, frustratingly, stopped at third place.
Choice 30 was structured so that only the team that took first place got the full spotlight — a merciless setup. For the team that finished third, the only real benefit was a modest handful of new fans. Nothing else meaningfully changed.
In other words, the investment in this round of Choice 30 had been a failure.
On top of that, the company had been failing to keep producing groups that scored major hits, so JYB's finances were in rough shape. Internally, people had even started muttering that if things kept going like this, they might drop from one of the Big Five agencies to one of the Big Four.
Baek Junyeong let out a long breath.
Yeah. Unless he found a real way out, that talk would become reality soon enough.
Work myself to death if I have to.
As the company's CEO — and for the kids who followed him — finding a breakthrough somehow was the duty he'd been given.
"J-Junyeong!"
Just then, Kim Hangyeol — head of JYB Entertainment's First Division and Baek Junyeong's manager — came rushing in to find him.
"Hmm? Manager Kim? Why the frantic sprint?"
"Big news! Studio NMIX wants a meeting with you!"
"Studio NMIX? Why would a drama production company that's been doing so well lately suddenly want to see me?"
"I don't know the details either. But whoever requested the meeting on their end seems very set on seeing you in person."
"Aigoo, why is this old man so long-winded today? So who is it already!"
"Curious? Well, of course you should be. Writer 927 is the one who asked for the meeting."
At Kim Hangyeol's words, Baek Junyeong's eyes went wide.
Writer 927?
As the head of an entertainment agency that had to stay on top of every trend, how could he not know that name? A monster of a writer who had scored an unprecedented smash hit with his very first work and built stories a full tier above every drama that had aired before. On top of that, his face, real name, and age were all completely unknown, so all kinds of rumors were circulating. Some said he was a highly advanced AI. Others said he was a retired screenwriter, or a side account of a currently active one.
What was certain was that the flawless mystique — something no one had pulled off before — only made people more obsessed with him.
"Wait… why would he want to see me…?"
The real reason Baek Junyeong was this stunned was that he was a fan of Writer 927 himself.
A friend whose hobby was watching dramas had told him Welcome to Cafe Violet was a Michelin three-star-level must-watch, so he'd put it on. Of course he knew that friend had never actually set foot in a Michelin three-star restaurant — but he'd been curious enough about the hype to give it a try.
And the verdict? It was just… fun. Honestly, there was no better way to put it than that.
So Baek Junyeong's chest was already swelling with grandeur at the thought of meeting the veiled Writer 927 face-to-face.
"Manager Kim, please send a reply right away. I'd like the date set as soon as possible."
"Oh, I figured you'd accept for sure, so I already locked it in for tomorrow."
"???"
"What? You're a fan of Writer 927, aren't you?"
"I mean, I am a fan, but… don't I have a lecture scheduled at Hana Arts High School tomorrow?"
"Obviously I canceled it. The students would rather know what Writer 927 is going to talk about with you than sit through a lecture from the CEO of a sinking agency, don't you think?"
"Oh……"
"Makes sense, right?"
Haha. Makes sense, my ass.
With a First Division head like this, no wonder the company was in this state. Still, Baek Junyeong was privately shedding tears of joy over the one-man show his subordinate had just pulled off.
"Whoa…… this place is pretty grand."
"Yes. Definitely has that flashy entertainment-agency look."
I visited JYB Entertainment headquarters with PD Na. Their side had sent a positive reply, so the meeting had been scheduled much sooner than I'd expected.
Stepping through the main entrance, I saw a lot of young faces overall — exactly what you'd expect from an entertainment agency. While I was looking around with interest, a woman who looked like a staff member came over from the reception desk.
"May I ask what brings you here?"
"We were told that if we say we're here for a meeting with CEO Baek Junyeong, someone will show us in."
"Ah! Guests of the CEO? Please follow me."
Once PD Na explained the situation, the staff member led the way. The place we arrived at was JYB's executive office.
When we opened the door and looked inside, the man whose face I'd seen on Choice 30 was sitting there bouncing his leg. As we stepped into the room, our eyes met naturally, and he came toward us with a bright smile.
"You're from Studio NMIX?"
"Huh? Well, yes, we are."
"Wow! I never thought I'd actually get to see Writer 927 in the flesh! I've been keeping up with the dramas. It's a genuine honor to meet you!"
"……?"
Mm. To be precise, he had walked up to PD Na standing next to me. Clearly, the idea that I might be Writer 927 had never even crossed his mind.
"But this boy is……"
CEO Baek Junyeong looked at me with an expression that said, Why is some middle-school-looking kid here?
Heh. Asking pretty fast, aren't we.
"Ah… CEO Baek Junyeong. I'm sorry, but I'm Na Yeongjin, PD of Studio NMIX Planning and Production Team One."
"What?! Then where is the real Writer 927……?"
Baek Junyeong's face said he couldn't quite process what PD Na had just told him. He even hurried out into the hallway to look, but of course there was no one else to be found. Which left, from CEO Baek Junyeong's perspective, only one remaining possibility: me.
"…For real?"
"Yes! For real."
To his baffled question, I just answered with a sunny smile. He still seemed to think it was a lie, of course — but no such luck.
"Hah… so this is actually real. I think I roughly get why you went with the mystique concept."
With PD Na's additional explanation, CEO Baek Junyeong finally accepted that I was Writer 927. It took about ten minutes for him to get there. The shock must have been considerable.
Fair enough. Believing outright that the monster writer who had pulled twenty-five-percent ratings from his first work was a fifteen-year-old middle schooler was a bit much to swallow on the spot.
"Thank you for believing me. Since we've introduced ourselves, shall we get straight to the point?"
"The point…?"
"Yes. The reason I requested this meeting with you is related to that point."
Before diving into the main topic, I handed Baek Junyeong the script for the drama I'd planned.
A student with overwhelming vocal talent who is equally overwhelming at being unable to dance. Another who dances brilliantly but has been branded a problem kid after getting tangled in a violence incident. Another crushed by inferiority in the face of geniuses' gifts. Youths with fatal flaws for anyone hoping to become a star enroll at Cheongryong Arts High and begin a reckless challenge to make it.
They keep getting knocked down. They keep falling. And still they get back up. When they finally overcome their own weaknesses and find conviction in themselves—
Fly High.
Just like the title, they will soar high toward the stars, and before long the laughter of those who mocked their dreams will turn into cheers and applause.
That was a rough synopsis of the drama's story.
"What do you think? I believe this drama could become a source of hope for people who've given up on their dreams in the middle of a busy society."
"……"
I said that to Baek Junyeong after he'd finished reading the script. But his reaction was… strange?
His hands and body seemed to be trembling oddly, and from behind the script covering his face I thought I could hear something like a sob.
Wait a second……
"Are you… crying?"
"Th-there's no way! I'm just so moved by the story that my eyes are watering, that's all!"
"……?"
Isn't that the same thing?
Mm. Being a music person, he really does seem to have a lot of emotion to spare.
Anyway. The fact that he'd been moved meant he'd developed interest — and affection — for the drama I'd planned. That alone meant I was halfway there.
"This is where the real point starts. I want to cast idols from JYB as actors in this drama."
"What?! You want to use our kids as actors in this drama?"
"You've got it exactly right. This drama is unusual in that it needs dance and vocal skill more than acting ability. And it would be good publicity for JYB as well — not a bad offer, is it?"
"Yes. From our side it's obviously welcome news, but… there's one thing I'm curious about. Why specifically JYB? I feel like any of the other Big Five agencies would jump at this proposal."
CEO Baek Junyeong looked at me with a puzzled expression. A fair question. If the goal was simply casting idols, I could have approached somewhere other than JYB. Idols appearing in a drama was itself unprecedented, which would generate enormous buzz — for better or worse. And with my track record of major success already established, most places would have made a bold call without hesitation.
But……
"Dance, singing, composition, and most importantly, passion for music. The all-rounder entertainment talent who has all of that was at JYB."
"Oh, someone that incredible is at our company? Who is it?"
I kindly extended a finger and pointed straight at CEO Baek Junyeong.
"……Me?"
"Yes. And at the same time, you'll also be the one playing Teacher Jin Deokchun — one of the lead characters in Fly High."
"Huh?"
"Hmm?"
CEO Baek Junyeong stared at me blankly, as if he'd lost the ability to speak. Had I just said something strange?