Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Cherry Entertainment, a Small-Time Company
<Exclusive) Zenith.Z's Rua transfers to DJP under the largest contract in history…… New group yet to be decided>
<Free Agent Jiwoo shocks everyone by re-signing with Red Girls... "I want to succeed together with my teammates">
<DJP recruits Akira, formerly of Japan's AKV... Are they beginning to build a super team?>
<"Former DX, FOXX, Tears One" Misha returns to DX after breaking a one-year hiatus…. How large was the signing bonus?>
<Lypia releases all members except main vocalist Jea….. Call-up or rebuilding through free agency?>
<BDSM dismisses founder and CEO Baek Seungman... Espera, with everyone except Lee Serin having re-signed, will they abandon their difficult concept?>
<Reckla, two-time Grammy-winning European legendary vocalist, signs with Tears One's second team……."I want to make the best music">
<ANGELS' Jo Eunha, embroiled in school bullying controversy, terminates contract with agency BEEHIVE……. ANGELS to remain a five-member group for the time being>
"Wow... the transfer market is a complete mess again this year."
A heavy black smartphone was tossed onto a table piled high with stacks of documents.
Fortunately, the precariously swaying mountain of papers did not come crashing down.
A fierce-looking middle-aged man with a cigarette hanging from his mouth leaned his chair back and yawned.
With his naturally vicious appearance, he looked at first glance like a loan shark, or at best a gangster.
Surprisingly enough, this man was actually the CEO of an entertainment agency.
In other words, my boss.
"DJP is really sharpening their knives. If they're talking about building the greatest super team ever, they'll be pouring money into S-ranks. The kids we can sell are ambiguous B-ranks at best, maybe B+ if we're being generous... Should we enter the market near the end?"
"Why? I think it'd be better to sell before the big contracts start exploding. How many entertainment companies can go head-on against DJP throwing mountains of cash at S-ranks? BDSM is in chaos after kicking out their founder, YangGang is under prosecution investigation, and BEEHIVE locked everyone into two-year contracts last year, so they won't even enter the market this year."
"It's the opposite."
"How so?"
"Where do you think DJP is poaching those S-ranks from? Cash-rich major agencies. The big companies are already bleeding themselves dry protecting their starters. Do you think they'll have room to take in B-rank prospects from a small company like us?"
"Hmm."
"And when the big companies burn money to keep their S-ranks, the people pushed out from beneath them flood the market. Then the prices of small-company B-rank prospects drop even further. If we go in now, people will just think we're desperate."
"So we wait?"
"Until the end of the market. Somebody always gets desperate. A company that misses out on a key member. A debut group with a hole in the lineup. A company that changes concepts and ruins its member balance. In places like that, even B-ranks become valuable."
"Heh heh. That's right. Since we can't clash head-on with the major agencies anyway, let's target a niche market."
"Still, if BEEHIVE offers a high enough price, it might be better to move them today. They've had a lot of success with our kids. And if we're going to debut those four from the building next door in the second half of the year, we'll need a lot of money."
"Speaking of money, I think we need to reconsider our employee benefits..."
"The moment you remove the draft beer machine, I quit."
"Just kidding. If I want to keep PD Lee here long enough for him to die in this company, I should at least provide that much."
"I'm joking too. Where else can you work while drinking draft beer during office hours?"
"Since we're talking about it, want a drink?"
"Sounds good. I'll pour us two."
My name is Lee Jongwoo.
Twenty-eight years old.
General Manager and Chief Producer of Cherry Entertainment.
It sounds impressive when phrased like that, but in reality I'm just a salaried employee at a tiny company with seven staff members, too small to even properly call a small business.
Don't ask why a business administration graduate ended up joining an entertainment company.
I still don't know why this man who looks like a gangster hired me either.
What I do know is that no matter how much of a Seoul National University graduate I am, this is the only place willing to pay nearly a hundred million won a year to a guy with a 2.6 GPA.
"PD Lee, what do you want for snacks?"
"Do we have any beef jerky left, CEO?"
"Beef jerky it is!"
And this was also the only place where I could drink beer with the CEO during work hours.
In many ways, it was the perfect workplace.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers~"
The current time was 9:30 in the morning.
People drinking alcohol at this hour usually fell into one of three categories.
An unemployed bum.
A soldier on leave.
Or an employee of a suspiciously wealthy small entertainment company.
I was the third.
"Ah, CEO. I already finished preparing the materials for the BEEHIVE meeting, so you can just take them as they are."
"I looked them over last night. By the way, PD Lee, what's your work schedule today?"
"My work schedule? Analyze the transfer market, organize any important information, and submit a report before I leave."
"So you're saying you'll spend the day drinking beer while watching girl group fancams, playing games on your laptop, then leave work right on time."
"My goodness, how did you know?"
"It's obvious. Let me add one more important task. A serious discussion with the CEO."
"With a beer mug in each hand?"
"Exactly."
It was a joke we always made.
I'd been working here for three years, and there wasn't a single person in the company who didn't know that November, when the transfer market first opened, was the least busy month of the year.
The giant corporations handling contracts worth tens or hundreds of billions were busy.
A small company like ours that raised prospects and sold them had practically nothing to do at this time of year.
To the point that you could openly sleep all day on the folding bed in the corner of the office and nobody would say a thing—
Knock knock.
"President Park, may I come in?"
Ah.
Well, except for one person.
"Oh, Secretary Shin."
"President, are you slacking off with PD Lee again?"
".....We were discussing work."
"While drinking beer? Sure you were. PD Lee, aren't you working? Do you have any idea how little time is left until our kids debut?"
Shin Seoa.
President Park Hoseong's secretary.
From her crisply ironed suit to her neatly tied-back hair, she looked like the textbook image of a successful career woman.
She was beautiful, but her sharp features matched an equally forceful and rigid personality, making her someone everyone in the company feared.
Including President Park.
"President Park, I've prepared the prospect list you requested. You have a meeting with BEEHIVE CEO Bang Suhyeon at one o'clock today, and at five-thirty you need to hold a discussion session with our trainees. PD Lee, you're attending as well. Since you're supposed to be working, I'll be confiscating those beer mugs."
"Can I have just one more sip?"
"Absolutely not. And both of you, go put on proper suits. Why are you wearing hoodies in the office?"
"We have a casual dress code..."
"Quiet. Go change."
"Secretary Shin, I'm the CEO."
"I know. That's why it's an even bigger problem."
As Shin Seoa snatched away the beer mugs and turned sharply to leave, President Park smacked his lips regretfully. Once the door closed, he gave a thumbs-up.
"Our Secretary Shin is really good at her job. We've got plenty of people who provide money and plenty of lazy artists who get paid and eventually produce results, but we've only got one discipline officer like her."
"The fact that you needed such a long explanation tells me that's how you usually see me."
"You get results despite being lazy. That's good enough. I like lazy geniuses."
"I'm not a genius."
"Then you're just lazy."
"That's true."
Several hours later.
After changing into sharply tailored suits and standing in front of a massive building in the middle of Yeouido, the two men who had been making stupid jokes in the break room earlier were nowhere to be found.
In their place stood two respectable-looking businessmen.
The power of a suit was truly incredible.
Especially for someone like President Park, who normally wandered somewhere between gangster and CEO.
It was practically a disguise.
The place we had arrived at was the headquarters of BEEHIVE, currently the most successful entertainment company in South Korea.
"Wow..."
It was tall.
Ridiculously, unnecessarily tall.
The lobby ceiling was high.
The employees' noses were high.
Even the elevators moved fast.
No matter how many times I came here, I could never get used to it.
Cherry Entertainment's office building was honestly too embarrassing to even call a headquarters—a rented four-story building.
Meanwhile, selling just one floor of this lobby could probably buy our company three times over.
"Every time I see this place, it pisses me off."
President Park muttered through gritted teeth.
"Watch your expression, sir."
"I am. This is me smiling."
"PD Lee Jongwoo, you're a talent I want every time I see you. How about coming over to our company? I'll give you exactly three times whatever President Park is paying."
The moment we entered the conference room, a pig immediately tried to recruit me.
It was Bang Suhyeon, the head of BEEHIVE.
President Park let out a disbelieving snort.
"Seriously? You're trying to poach talent right in front of another CEO? President Bang, you have no professional ethics."
"Haha, what's the problem? This industry is all about stealing talent and getting your own talent stolen. So, what do you think, PD Lee?"
I grinned and shook the hand Bang Suhyeon extended.
"If you let me openly play League of Legends during work hours and install a draft beer machine in the break room, I'll bring my resume tomorrow, Senior."
"Hahaha! You've still got that silver tongue, Junior."
That's right.
Bang Suhyeon and I had attended the same university and studied in the same department.
There was quite a gap between our graduating years, but once alumni, always alumni.
We were also on friendly terms thanks to successfully transferring several of our prospects to BEEHIVE in the past.
"Your prospects looked pretty promising this time. I wanted to maintain a good relationship with Cherry Entertainment, so I offered a big number right away without bothering with negotiations. What do you think?"
"Wow, we'd be extremely grateful for that."
"Haha. In return, whenever you find good prospects in the future, you send them to us first, alright?"
"Of course."
The meeting proceeded in a warm atmosphere.
President Bang reviewed the data we had presented on our new prospects with great interest, then casually offered an unusually high transfer fee and finalized the recruitment.
Calling it a negotiation felt almost embarrassing.
President Bang had money.
President Park liked money.
The two of them made surprisingly good business partners.
"How about just selling Cherry Entertainment to us entirely, President Park?"
"Come on now. DJP and BDSM have both been sniffing around too, and I've barely managed to fend them off. Not yet. Let's talk again when our company's value goes up even more."
With the two CEOs exchanging jokes, the successful transfer negotiation came to an end.
As we left the BEEHIVE building and headed toward the parking lot, President Park's expression immediately crumpled.
"Agh, damn it... Every time I see that bastard's face I get annoyed. His company used to be an even worse dump than ours, then the people under him exploded globally and now he's sitting on top of the world. I wish I could sit between two famous streamer sisters too—"
"Will you shut up already!"
"Argh!"
I drove my elbow into President Park's side.
"Watch your mouth in front of someone else's headquarters. You're embarrassing."
"Oww...! Hey, isn't hitting your boss insubordination? Seriously..."
Rubbing his stomach resentfully, President Park soon let out a deep sigh.
"This won't do. Looking at him gave me depression, so I can't work anymore. The transfer deal went well, so I'm going out for drinks. You handle the meeting with the kids."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"You're seriously running away instead of meeting your own trainees?"
Whoosh.
Just as some harsh words were about to leave my mouth, President Park tossed a shining golden piece of plastic into my arms.
A corporate card.
"Use that to buy the kids some meat today. Spend whatever's left on your own drinks."
Catching the corporate card with both hands, I immediately put on a smile and bowed ninety degrees.
"Please travel safely, sir. You're feeling depressed, so don't overdo it."
"Look at this bastard. He's only polite when money's involved..."
Watching President Park walk away while clicking his tongue, I happily turned toward our practice room.
It was time to face the biggest headaches in our company.
Creak—
"Guys, I'm ba—"
The moment I opened the underground practice room door, the smell of e-cigarette vapor hit me.
"Yusia, are you vaping ag—"
"Why is this crazy Jap bitch starting shit again?! It's not even a real cigarette!"
"Then go smoke it outside, you damn psycho!"
Rolling around on the floor while violently pulling each other's hair and screaming obscenities were Yusia and Miyazaki Nana, currently engaged in their 6,974th wrestling match of the season.
Yusia.
A future idol with the fiercest eyes in South Korea.
On stage, she looked like she could devour the camera.
Off stage, she looked like she could devour people.
Miyazaki Nana.
A girl who flew to Korea from Japan without any plans, spent her days knocking on agency doors, then ended up sitting in our company's parking lot after giving up.
I brought her in because she looked like a pitiful stray cat.
If I hadn't, my blood pressure would probably be much lower today.
"G-guys, please stop fighting..."
The 175-centimeter giant crouched in the corner, covering her ears and trembling while on the verge of tears, was Yoon Taeri, the team's only model student.
She was tall, but her heart was small.
Her singing was clean.
Her pitch was stable.
Her personality was kind.
The problem was that one kind person wasn't enough to manage this hellscape.
And that blonde girl shining in the corner...
What was she doing now?
"Hey, Stella! Why are you taking pictures of your armpits?"
"I'm posting them online to get a popular post. Korean guys go crazy for white girls' armpits."
"I told you to stop hanging around online communities! Why is an American girl addicted to Korean internet forums in the first place?!"
Stella Jackson.
A beautiful blonde with blue eyes from Texas.
Visually, she looked like someone who belonged in a high school movie.
In reality, she was a bizarre lifeform whose brain had been completely soaked in Korean internet communities.
Pressing a hand against my forehead, I let out my third deep sigh of the day.
The future of our agency, as you can see...
Was completely hopeless.