Chapter 27
After completely settling the matter with Yeon Si-ho, Se-rang returned to the company with Secretary Cha.
Secretary Cha did not say a word after seeing Se-rang’s ominous aura, and Se-rang, lost in thought, did not open her mouth either.
She had underestimated the Yeon brothers too much. It was her mistake to expect those bastards to back off cleanly with one word from Chairman Yeon.
She thought they would at least know how to read Chairman Yeon’s mood. But these bastards were keeping Yeon Se-rang in check far more than she expected.
Personal feelings were probably mixed in too. It seemed the two Yeon brothers truly hated Se-rang to an extraordinary degree.
She did not know why, but she did not particularly want to know either. If she had been loved by bastards with such rotten personalities, that would have annoyed her even more.
Se-rang once again realized that enemies surrounded her on every side.
She had never thought it would be an easy path from the beginning, but every time she crossed one mountain, another mountain appeared, making her head ache.
She had to make <Cast the Future> succeed while also standing out within it, and she had to overcome the sabotage of Yeon Sae-byeok and Yeon Si-ho, who had already been walking on a smooth road, and defeat them.
That was not all. A tug-of-war with Baek Do-gyeong, a dangerous ally who might press a knife to her throat at any moment, also waited for her.
What am I even doing?
That thought suddenly crossed Se-rang’s mind.
Just what kind of suffering was this after entering someone else’s body?
“Director Yeon. We’ve arrived. You may get out.”
“…Secretary Cha.”
“Yes.”
“With your abilities, you could have gone to a much larger conglomerate. Why did you come here? Well, Imperial may be number one among entertainment companies, but its overall ranking in the business world is a little vague, isn’t it?”
At Se-rang’s question, Secretary Cha narrowed her eyes as though surprised, then soon laughed softly.
“Did I ask something funny?”
“No, not at all. I know you dislike hearing this, young lady, but… I simply thought that a Yeon really is a Yeon after all.”
“Me?” I’m actually not one on the inside at all. Se-rang grumbled inwardly.
“Yes. Chairman Yeon, whom I served first, then the two representatives, and now you, Director Yeon, have all asked the same question.”
“No, well, isn’t that a question any human would naturally have? You might wonder why such a valuable person came to such a shabby place.”
“But Representative Baek never asked that.”
That’s probably because that bastard seriously lacks humanity….Se-rang shuddered as she recalled Baek Do-gyeong smiling brightly even while trampling on her.
“Hm, anyway, to answer your question, it’s because I think there is no industry more devoid of dreams and hope than the entertainment industry, while at the same time, no industry can function without dreams and hope.”
“…….”
It was an accurate insight.
Se-rang was inwardly surprised that Secretary Cha said exactly what she had always thought.
The entertainment industry really was like that.
The dreams and hopes of young trainees. The dreams and hopes of rookies who barely managed to debut.
And the dreams and hopes of the countless members of the public and fans watching them.
That was what the entertainment industry fed on as it grew.
And the peak of that was the idol industry.
Se-rang had seen countless youths bloom and wither in the barren yet beautiful desert called the entertainment industry. Blooming once was not the end. Surviving to the very end was the true hardship of the entertainment industry.
…My kids were like that too.
With a sunken expression, Se-rang recalled the connections from her past.
In truth, Se-rang had deliberately avoided looking up the current situation of the artists who belonged to Undefeated, the entertainment company from when she was Kang Iwon. She had decided she would look for her idols after her situation became somewhat stable.
Even if she found them now, there was nothing she could do for them.
She had decided she would go find them only after firmly establishing her position within Imperial.
And when that time came, she intended to become a more dependable ally than any entertainment company.
But I can’t take it anymore.
She missed them too much. She felt like she would only feel better if she at least confirmed whether her kids were doing well.
Just checking on their current situation, only that.
She would not approach them.
Se-rang lifted her head with a gloomy expression. It infuriated her that she did not even have the power to protect those kids and could only watch them from afar.
If she brought them over now, they would obviously become targets for Yeon Sae-byeok and Yeon Si-ho right away. Baek Do-gyeong could not be trusted either.
There were too many enemies.
Se-rang pressed her temple as though exhausted.
If she had to be reborn anyway, couldn’t it have been in the body of a powerful person like Yeon Sae-byeok instead of this wastrel?
“Secretary Cha. Could you find the trainees I’m about to tell you?”
“All right, that’s enough. Let’s take a short break.”
“Yes!”
Meanwhile, Dowon, Taeha, and Yuhyun were sprawled across the practice room floor, completely exhausted and gasping for breath.
Since the choreography had not come out yet, they had been practicing singing while running.
“At least I’m glad you guys received training at major agencies. You all definitely have stamina, if nothing else.”
Even at Vocal Trainer Juwon’s praise that was not quite praise, the three of them could not feel happy.
After all, they had not been praised for their singing skills, but for their stamina.
“I was especially worried about Dowon because your trainee period was short. But it’s a relief you have stamina, at least.”
“Thank you…!”
“But with a face like that, you started really late as a trainee. If you’re twenty now, that means you started at nineteen.”
“Haha, that’s right….”
Dowon scratched the back of his head awkwardly. If someone said they began pursuing a path at nineteen, most people would think that was early, but that common sense did not apply in the entertainment industry.
Especially not in the idol industry.
If someone became an idol trainee at nineteen, everyone considered it extremely late.
Taeha and Yuhyun also seemed to have been curious about that point, so they looked at Dowon silently, but Dowon did not open his mouth easily.
“Taeha has been a trainee for almost eight years. It really is time for you to debut now. Yuhyun… how long did you say you trained?”
“I also… trained for eight years.”
At the words “eight years,” everyone except Taeha looked at Yuhyun in surprise.
Yuhyun’s face flushed, as though embarrassed.
“I’m sorry. My skills are still very lacking for someone who trained for eight years….”
“No, no. That’s not it…. I just thought you must have endured for a very long time.” Trainer Juwon laughed and glossed it over. In truth, that was exactly what she thought.
At that moment.
“Oh my, Teacher!”
Se-rang appeared, wearing a sky-blue suit with leopard-print sunglasses pushed up onto her head.
She held plenty of salad boxes in both hands.
It was a look the original Kang Iwon would never have worn. Kang Iwon always dressed so she would not stand out.
But Yeon Se-rang was different.
After entering Se-rang’s body, Iwon thought about which aspects of Yeon Se-rang she would take and which she would discard.
Her unbearably rude side? Discard it. Her habit of speaking down to everyone around her? Discard that too.
But her confident and arrogant image had to remain. Producer Kang Iwon also had that kind of side to begin with, so it was not difficult.
Iwon knew she had an arrogant personality.
Of course, her arrogance came from skill, not from money like Yeon Se-rang’s.
Well, others would find it hard to tell the difference anyway, so she decided to let that pass.
And Iwon decided to create Se-rang’s image the same way she created the images of trainees and artists.
To do that, she concluded that it would be effective to bring over Yeon Se-rang’s look to some extent.
She discarded everything that involved exposure like before, but dressing a little flashy was not a bad thing.
“I’m making a surprise visit. I hope I’m not interrupting. Hahaha.”
“Ah, Director. You may come anytime, of course. Especially if it’s you. Hahaha.”
The two adults exchanged an awkward business conversation. Trainer Juwon immediately sensed that it was time for her to step out and left the practice room.
Once Trainer Juwon left, the three trainees sat upright with strict discipline and looked up at Se-rang.
Seeing three kids with so much tension in their eyes made Se-rang laugh, and she chuckled.
“Relax. Did I come here to hit you? I came to feed you.”
“…!”
“Though it’s salad, of course. Still, I packed it from a place that’s supposedly famous, so eat well.”
“Yes!”
At Se-rang’s words, the three moved in perfect order and started putting salad into their mouths.
“How’s practice? Manageable?”
“…….”
“…Yes!”
It’s oddly irritating that only Dowon answered. Se-rang nodded despite feeling dumbfounded.
Of course it must be hard.
“Eat slowly. After you finish, a rather difficult course will be waiting for you.”
“?!”
The three trainees looked up at Se-rang with eyes asking how things could possibly get even harder from here.
Se-rang smiled faintly.
“You’ll know when we get there.”
“This place….” Taeha murmured as he stepped through the door.
Se-rang lightly tapped Taeha’s shoulder.
“You recognized it right away. That’s right. It’s my studio. This is where all your song work will happen.”
“…!”
“Wow!” Dowon’s face instantly began to sparkle.
Hm. When a handsome guy’s eyes sparkle, the entire studio seems to shine. Se-rang wiped away the sweat trickling down.
“That’s the recording booth.”
Se-rang’s studio was wide and well-equipped enough to put most popular producers to shame. That was only natural, since it was a studio built by pouring capital into it.
Seriously, Yeon Se-rang is pathetic for living like such a wastrel despite having this kind of capital. Se-rang, no, Iwon, sighed inwardly before turning back to the trainees. “If you’re ready, each of you can go in there one by one.”
“Pardon?”
“G-go in… the recording booth?”
“Then you’d go into the recording booth. Where else is there to go in here?” Se-rang stared strangely at the trembling young men. “Starting now, each of you will try singing our song.”
And with an utterly casual face, she dropped that bombshell.