Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: The First Corporal Crazy for Girl Groups
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I went to the dorm to pick up the members.
For a company dinner, they were all dressed up with makeup like proper celebrities. Who wears a skirt to a company dinner?
Seol-ah's outfit stood out more than Yi-na's and Seul-bi's, who had styled themselves in jeans. Dressed in a bright, oversized shirt, a tennis skirt, and crew socks, Seol-ah looked decidedly younger than her age.
She looked pretty, but... I wondered if she was overcompensating, revealing her complex about wanting to look younger.
Of course, I might be the only one who feels this way.
“Hehehe, meat, meat! Beef.”
“Unni, stop it. I'm going to get sick of it before we even eat.”
Yi-na grumbled at Seul-bi's exaggerated yet seemingly genuine reaction.
“You really need to make a lot of money. How can a girl be so obsessed with food?”
Even Seol-ah, who rarely spoke, chimed in.
“Anyone would think I'm the only pig here. You and Yi-na eat a ton too.”
Even without any music, Seul-bi's head was swaying from side to side, doing neck isolations.
We arrived at our destination.
In a spacious parking lot, a massive three-story building was topped with large pig and cow characters giving a thumbs-up.
“…Wow, it's huge. Is the first floor a butcher shop and the rest a restaurant?”
“…Wait, isn't this that place?”
Seol-ah said in response to Seul-bi's awe.
“What place?”
“You know, the 'knife-wielder' investor that Team Leader Park mentioned.”
“Ah!”
The civilians we saw at the audition. 'Knife-wielder'... were they really loan sharks?
Another vehicle, a Carnival Hi-Limousine, pulled into the parking lot. It was the car the Isa-nim used.
“Good evening!”
As the Isa-nim stepped out of the car, the Answer members gave a sharp, disciplined greeting.
“Right.”
The Isa-nim gave a chic nod, acknowledging their greeting.
Drrrk.
The van door slid open, and the male trainees poured out. Spotting me, the boys swarmed over and gave an equally sharp greeting.
“Good evening!”
The members looked surprised, glancing back and forth between me and the male trainees.
They probably knew about the hazing—or the taming of a mild-mannered platoon leader—that often happened between new road managers and trainees.
Only after greeting me did the trainees greet their seniors, the members of Answer. The girls seemed quite surprised by how respectful the trainees were to me.
“Has our Oppa already earned their respect?”
“Based on what?”
“What are you talking about? Oppa is good at his job.”
“I'm not saying he's bad. I'm just asking if he's even had time to show them anything.”
Hearing Seul-bi and Yi-na's whispers wasn't half bad.
“Go on up ahead.”
“Yes, Isa-nim!”
The trainees headed toward the restaurant with light steps, some with their arms around each other's shoulders.
Perhaps because they were just as tired of their restrictive diets as the girls were, the boys seemed incredibly excited for beef.
“Does anyone want to follow Team Leader Park?”
The members flinched at the Isa-nim's blunt question. It wouldn't hurt her to be a little warmer. She was acting just like a scary senior Unni trying to enforce discipline.
“No!”
“Good choice. Let's go up.”
The Isa-nim glanced briefly at me before leading the way. She, too, seemed to find the male trainees' deference toward me curious.
“Sung-hoon was a bit prickly, wasn't he?”
“…He was, a little, at first.”
“He's like that at first, but he's a good kid once you get to know him. You did well.”
The Isa-nim comforted me based on her assumption. I actually felt a little bad, wondering if I had been the one who was too harsh because of my bad first impression.
“It was a good experience for you. We don't normally send just a road manager to a live broadcast, but I never expected a team leader to backstab us like that.”
“It was interesting in its own way. But why the sudden company-wide dinner? It's so abrupt, and it's not even that early.”
“…Just focus on enjoying the meat.”
The Isa-nim looked displeased as she answered. This was clearly a dinner she didn't want to attend.
A massive butcher shop came into view, with a large meat display case right in the center. The spacious area, from the imported meat section to the Hanwoo beef section, was bustling with customers.
From beautifully marbled Hanwoo beef to fresh, light-pink pork belly. Many customers were selecting their cuts to take upstairs or home.
“That'll be 357,000 won.”
It was a staggering amount, but the customers paid without batting an eye. Suddenly, I started seeing the customers in the store as walking money.
Just how much do they make in a day?
Many eyes in the shop turned to us. It was impossible not to notice the members and the Isa-nim, who stood out from the regular crowd.
A man who looked like a manager, dressed in a white shirt and dress pants, approached us.
“Please head up to the third floor. You're all even more beautiful in person.”
“Thank you.”
After the Isa-nim's brief thanks, we took the elevator to the third floor. Even before the doors opened, an unsettling feeling crept over me as I heard sounds coming through a microphone. It wasn't even 7 PM yet.
Swoosh.
The doors opened, and the savory aroma of charcoal-grilled meat hit us. Half of the third floor was filled with company employees sitting in small groups at floor-seating tables.
“It's floor seating.”
“Whoa~ We would've been in big trouble if we came here right after a performance.”
“Who even has floor seating these days... They should switch to chairs.”
Even Seol-ah, who rarely complained, muttered her dissatisfaction. Was it because she was wearing a skirt?
I took off my outer shirt and held it in my hand.
“Aigoo, the stars of the show have arrived! A round of applause!”
The investor who looked like a corner store owner, the one I saw at the audition, pointed at us, and the employees who were already there clapped awkwardly. It seemed like almost everyone was present, except for Kim Sung-hoon's group, 'Dope Scale,' who had a schedule.
What in the world is going on?
“…This looks like a morning soccer club for middle-aged men.”
“Unni, have you ever been to a morning soccer club?”
“No.”
“Then how would you know?”
“There's such a thing as indirect experience.”
Seul-bi and Yi-na whispered with fed-up expressions, and the Isa-nim and Seol-ah wore the same look.
“Hey! Come on over here.”
The investor waved at us.
“Who is he talking to? Answer?”
“I don't know.”
The Isa-nim gave a wry smile and moved toward the spot where CEO Park Jae-yong was waving.
“Go ahead. I'll go sit down first.”
At my words, the members walked toward him.
“Manager Min-jun, you come too.”
“?”
Why me?
And how does that guy know my name?
Does he remember me from the audition?
Come to think of it, including the office staff and the road managers who don't even have their own desks, there were fewer than twenty employees. It was a small enough number to memorize if one had even a slight interest.
I joined the members who were waiting for me and walked forward. The onlookers and our group were equally clueless about what was happening.
With us standing beside him, the man who was supposedly the majority shareholder readjusted his grip on the microphone.
“I should probably introduce myself first... Ahem. Hm!”
His eyes were fixed on CEO Park Jae-yong. As if realizing what the man wanted, CEO Park Jae-yong scratched the back of his head and stood up.
The time it took for him to get down from the floor seating, put on his shoes, and come to the front felt excruciatingly long...
CEO Park Jae-yong lowered his posture and took the microphone.
“Check, check! Testing one...”
The CEO's testing seemed to be a habit. How was this a dinner for an entertainment company? My chest felt tight.
“…Our company has gone through some tough times recently. The projects we ambitiously prepared were all ruined by the interference of certain forces, and even today, there was an incident...”
Classic TMI.
Why is he rambling on when he's just supposed to be making an introduction? Anyway, it seems CEO Park Jae-yong thinks Gyeon Sang-jin is to blame for all the project failures.
“During such a difficult time, our very own Chairman Gu In-gyeom made a significant investment in our company. On behalf of all our employees, as the CEO and executive producer, I would like to express my gratitude.”
Clap, clap, clap.
The employees' murmuring was louder than the applause. It seemed many of them hadn't been aware of the company's internal situation.
A very pleased-looking Chairman Gu In-gyeom took the microphone.
“Hello, everyone. I am Gu In-gyeom. This is my first time greeting you all. To all of you who will bring infinite glory to the company's future development...”
This Chairman Gu was just as long-winded as CEO Park. Why were they both so eager to give speeches?
“I arranged this gathering to get to know all of you and also to welcome Manager Min-jun, who joined us recently. Thank you all for attending on such short notice...”
My welcoming party?
“But! As if timed perfectly, some great news has come up. I recently picked up a hobby of searching for videos of our company's... what was it... uh... let's just say singers. I've been watching videos of our artists, and the Answer members...”
The Answer members?
I was dumbfounded by the continuous absurdity.
“Everyone, take out your phones and open 'Tube'.”
A murmur of discontent spread, but everyone took out their phones.
“And search for 'The First Corporal Crazy for Girl Groups'.”
“?”
A chill ran down my spine. I quickly joined in on the search.
“…No way. A million views?”
As Yi-na muttered, the video of Answer and me at the military performance popped up on the screen.
To some, not even a million views might seem laughable, but for the members, who had only been going downhill since their initial peak of fame, it was an incredibly amazing and welcome number.
After all, the reality for most girl groups that fade into obscurity is that they have to be satisfied with a few thousand views on their fancams, let alone tens of thousands.
'The First Corporal Crazy for Girl Groups.'
It showed me dancing as if possessed alongside the members, with the soldiers cheering like crazy. I had danced shamelessly on stage, but seeing myself on video made my face burn.
I suddenly remembered telling Ro-si, 'Singers are actors too. You have to be shameless.'
I looked so serious it was a comedy in itself.
The clip of Seol-ah breaking into laughter and stopping her choreography was the perfect finishing touch. I was the most serious person on stage, and that's what made it even funnier.
“Pfft!”
“She messed up the choreography because she was laughing.”
Laughter erupted, starting with the members and spreading to the employees sitting at the floor tables.
Chairman Gu In-gyeom had a very pleased expression as he watched everyone's reactions. The nouveau riche-looking chairman seemed incredibly proud of himself for becoming the owner of an entertainment agency, regardless of its profitability.
In the part where I went down from the stage to mess with the division commander, a clip from our rehearsal was shown instead.
Of course, they wouldn't show a scene of breaking military discipline.
While everyone was focused on the video, I scrolled down. As cringey as it was, I was more curious about the public's reaction.
-I served in Gangwon Province. Girl group military performances are a blessing. Doesn't matter if they're not famous singers. Even a dance team showing up is enough to make you lose your mind.
-Ahhh, only those who've served know this feeling.
⤷I haven't served and I get it lol
-The girls are pretty, but the song is weird.
-It takes talent to make fresh-faced girls seem greasy. As expected of J-Dragon.
⤷I think it's fine? The song is so-so if you listen closely.
⤷That's the thing, the song is okay, but it's a mismatch. This kind of song is perfect for Savage Girls.
⤷That's why they haven't made it big yet. Why does JD stick to the same concept every time?
⤷Didn't you know? It's J-Dragon's greed.
-This is why we're crawling with spies, military discipline is a joke. If you're a soldier, you should be practicing your bayonet skills instead of dancing.
⤷Wow, okay boomer.
⤷When's the last time they even did bayonet training? What a throwback.
⤷Look at this guy being all serious. Are soldiers not human? And what's with the grammar? lol
⤷Probably a troll. Definitely someone who hasn't served. People who've been in the army don't diss soldiers like that.
-If you look closely, the girls' visuals and vocals are top-tier. Not sure about this one, but if they get a good song, they could have a hit.
-But who's that soldier? Looks like part of the act, but he's kinda handsome.
It wasn't the kind of buzz that would make the song climb back up the charts, but it was definitely a positive atmosphere.
I never imagined my appearance would become such a hot topic. With this, we could at least build some anticipation for their next song.
Is it finally time for the members of Answer to shine?