Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: A New Beginning
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The audition I’d spent nearly two months preparing for was over.
Should I take a day off and just laze around? I considered it, but for someone with a limited time, every single day was precious.
In the end, I finished busking today as well.
The money I'd been steadily saving had already surpassed 4 million won. With about 5 million won, I could set up a C-grade workspace capable of running professional music composition software.
Now I had to prepare for the possibility of not getting into JD Enter. I couldn't just sit around with my mouth open, waiting to be fed, when the outcome was uncertain.
First, I'd get the equipment and upload samples and songs to the cloud. Then, I'd get contacted by A&R teams searching the cloud for songs that fit their artists. From there, I'd find a way forward by connecting with an agency that reached out.
This was my backup plan.
Suddenly, I wondered if I was living too gloomily, perhaps because of my past life's environment and the memory of my death.
“Let's be more positive!”
If I was wallowing in depression, I wouldn't be able to compose.
Nothing beats spending money for a change of pace.
Let's get a decent laptop first.
Spending money is always fun. Of course, that was probably thanks to the confidence that I could keep earning it.
♪♬
I hummed an unknown melody while weighing the cost-effectiveness of different options. Forcing myself to hum actually made me feel better.
*Bzzzt. Bzzzt. Bzzzt.*
An unknown number popped up.
A blue light, even more vivid than the one I saw when the audition call came, shimmered.
“Hello?”
-Is this Min-jun?
The voice of a self-assured woman.
It was Director Lee Sun from JD Enter.
“Hello, Director Lee Sun!”
A member of a girl group that had debuted when I was in elementary school and was popular until I was in high school. A long-dormant fanboy feeling, one I hadn't felt at the audition, erupted within me.
-You recognize me just by my voice?
She should have been pleased, but Director Lee Sun's voice remained calm.
“I was a fan.”
-It's a three-month internship. Are you interested?
“Of course! I'll prove myself within three months.”
-...Aren't you a little too excited for an internship?
Director Lee Sun's voice was cynical, but it sounded positive to me.
[Achievement Unlocked: ‘Another Step Forward’]
To celebrate you joining the company, a new trait will be added.
Reward: Trait ‘Sixth Sense (B)’
Your intuition is greatly enhanced, allowing you to choose better options in moments of crisis. You can also see the 'Status' of others' stats.
A thrill shot through me as my plan fell into place.
* * *
The dim light of dawn.
My scheduled time was 7 AM, but I arrived at 5 AM. It was partly to create a diligent image, but also because I was curious about how the company operated.
“I'm the intern who's supposed to start today.”
“...Not a trainee?”
The security guard looked me up and down before speaking with a baffled expression.
“I wasn't told anything. Did you mix up trainee and intern?”
“I'm an intern. Director Lee Sun…”
I was about to ask him to check, but she couldn't possibly be at work already.
The security guard was eyeing me with suspicion. I discreetly showed him my call history with Director Lee Sun and decided to just wait.
Still, waiting wasn't entirely boring. It was quite interesting to watch the trainees arrive. I focused on each one, examining their stats and star potential.
None of them exuded a brilliant aura like Lee Yoo-ah, but there were many kids with hidden talents.
I felt a sense of satisfaction thinking about producing custom-tailored work for them in the future. I'm the one who will recognize and unearth your talents. Remember my face well.
I was observing the sixth trainee when a white Carnival van stopped in front of the underground parking garage entrance.
*Whirr.*
The driver's side window rolled down, revealing Director Lee Sun's face. Was it a prejudice of mine to think she'd drive a nicer car?
“Good morning!”
The security guard and I greeted her at the same time.
“Yes, hello. Min-jun, why are you here so early?”
Her tone seemed stiff, but it was subtly favorable.
“To get a preview of the company.”
“What's there to preview? I'm going to park, so wait a bit.”
“Should I park it for you?”
“Don't overdo it.”
With a smirk, Director Lee Sun drove into the underground garage.
Back when she was an active girl group member, Director Lee Sun had a sexy yet sharp image. Seeing her in person, she had an easygoing charm.
I checked my watch; it wasn't even 6 AM yet.
“Does she always come in this early?”
“She seems to do this once or twice a week.”
The security guard said, his expression having softened.
Soon, Director Lee Sun beckoned from the building entrance, and the guard didn't stop me from going in.
I followed her as she coolly led the way. Director Lee Sun looked flawless, as if she'd just come from the salon.
What time did she even start getting ready?
I could sense her meticulous self-management.
SJ Enter was overflowing with money and had plans to build a huge headquarters. In comparison, it was no exaggeration to say that the interior of JD Enter, which was just renting space in someone else's building, was shabby.
“Coming from SJ, it must look a bit run-down, huh?”
Director Lee Sun's question was as if she'd read my mind.
“It's more fun to start from a monthly rental and work your way up to a penthouse.”
Director Lee Sun's expression twisted strangely.
“...You're twenty-one, but you talk like an old man.”
[Lee Sun's favorability and trust have increased.]
Huh? She just spoke in a blunt tone, didn't she? It was fascinating to know the true feelings of others, which differed from their outward appearance.
We took a small elevator that would have been cramped with three people up to the third floor. Past the hallway, in an open-plan office that took up half the floor, were two people who looked like trainees.
One of them was Lee Yoo-ah.
The audition results couldn't be out yet.
Lee Yoo-ah was filled with a vitality that was incomparable to before. When she spotted me, a strange light flickered in her eyes.
“Good morning, Isa-nim.”
“Yeah. Thanks for coming in early.”
The two trainees bowed with very happy expressions and left the office.
“Min-jun Seonbae-nim, thank you for last time.”
I was going to pretend I didn't know Lee Yoo-ah, but she surprisingly spoke to me first. The vibe she gave off seemed subtly different from before.
Did she regain her confidence?
“You two know each other?”
“Yes. He lent me his guitar at the audition…”
Lee Yoo-ah trailed off, hiding the rest of her sentence.
After bowing to Director Lee Sun once more, the two took the stairs instead of the elevator.
Cleaning the office was a task trainees were desperate to do. Those two, having made an impression on Director Lee Sun today, would probably think they were incredibly lucky.
We walked past a dozen or so desks to a partitioned area. The fact that a director was sharing office space with regular employees starkly revealed JD's poor financial situation.
Who would think this was the office of an entertainment agency?
But only ten people?
Are there really only ten employees?
The number of staff was far too low compared to the number of artists and trainees.
Even accounting for the absence of road managers and MDs that could be outsourced, considering the need for chief managers and production managers to handle schedules, PR, and contracts, plus the A&R team and general office staff, the number was clearly absurdly small.
“Sit.”
“Okay.”
In contrast to the gloomy office, Director Lee Sun's desk was neat and full of cute props.
In particular, a photo in a central frame, taken with her group members during their prime, brought back faint memories of when my parents were alive.
‘She sings well and is pretty, but she seems a bit sharp-tongued.’
That was my mother's old assessment of Lee Sun when she was an idol.
Mom, she seems like a much better person than that.
I chuckled as if I were talking to my mother.
“Isn't it rude to stare so intently and then chuckle?”
Director Lee Sun said as she took off her high-heeled pumps and switched to slippers.
“I'm sorry. It's just that my parents were still alive back when that photo was taken.”
“!”
It was only for a moment, but a ripple passed through the director's eyes.
“Want some coffee?”
The director shot up and walked toward the coffee machine. Director Lee Sun, who tried to maintain a poker face on the outside, was clearly a warm person.
“If you're offering, Isa-nim, I'd drink poison.”
“You really overdo it sometimes.”
The joke slipped out unconsciously. But it seemed Director Lee Sun secretly liked it.
*Whirrr.*
While the coffee machine was running, she tilted her head back, staring at the ceiling. Was she trying to hold back her tears?
The fragrant aroma of coffee soon filled the small office. As expected, when she brought the coffee over, her eyes were still slightly moist.
She's pitying me.
“Thank you, I'll enjoy it.”
“Yeah.”
After taking a small sip of coffee from her mug, she spoke.
“You applied knowing how grueling a manager's job is, right?”
For some reason, I didn't mind Director Lee Sun's informal speech.
It felt friendly, not like she was looking down on me.
“Yes. I assume it starts at minimum wage.”
“Good that you know... If you were in the debut team, you must've had a designated manager, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then I don't need to explain much. We don't have any openings for road managers right now.”
“Yes. That's why I auditioned. You can use me as a gopher.”
“Right. Good mindset.”
We drank our coffee in an awkward silence for a moment.
“Ask if you have any questions.”
“...I recognize the three of you who were at the judges' table, but the other two...”
“...*Huuu*.”
Director Lee Sun let out a huge sigh and leaned back in her chair. She was clearly pissed off.
Director Lee Sun looked up and checked again to see if anyone was beyond the partition.
“Min-jun, what do you think was the CEO's biggest mistake?”
An unexpected question, but there must be a connection.
“The reckless overseas expansion…”
“Right. He ran three teams into the ground.”
In the past, CEO Park Jae-yong had pushed forward with all his might, convinced that K-pop would succeed outside of Asia, and had suffered huge losses.
“Still, thanks to those efforts, curiosity about K-pop grew, and I think many of the junior artists who expanded abroad afterward benefited from it. He made a huge contribution on a national level, too.”
Director Lee Sun sighed again and spoke.
“The bear does all the tricks.”
It seemed Director Lee Sun also had a lot of pent-up feelings about CEO Park Jae-yong.
“We got investors.”
“Ah… I see.”
No wonder they didn't look like they were from the industry. People who suddenly became big shots and invested in the entertainment industry for personal reasons, ignoring profitability.
“Still, they're the majority shareholders, so be sure to greet them properly. Though they don't come to the office often.”
“Understood.”
Director Lee Sun looked at her watch and spoke.
“...We still have some time. If you're done, shall we take a look around?”
“Yes.”
Director Lee Sun put her heels back on. She instantly grew taller, exuding charisma once again.
We went down to the second floor where the practice rooms were located. Director Lee Sun kindly showed me around.
“This is the vocal practice room.”
It was called a "vocal practice room," which was a grand term for what were just two tiny booths, each with only a small tablet PC, a pair of headphones, and a microphone.
A perfect place to get claustrophobia.
Unlike SJ, it seemed there was no in-house vocal trainer.
“Do they go to an academy for vocal training?”
Director Lee Sun looked at me as if wondering how I knew.
“...Yeah. If we call them to the company, we have to pay their travel expenses, which scale with their prestige, or the training sessions get shorter.”
“I see.”
“Around debut time, the CEO sometimes trains them himself.”
“...The CEO himself?”
Director Lee Sun walked on without another word. She stopped by the dance floor and watched the trainees as she spoke.
“Over there are the male trainees, Permeate. Here are the female trainees, ASMR.”
Those were the names of the two separate dance practice rooms.
“...The names are... quite catchy…”
“Just say they're sleazy. Everyone thinks so.”
*Squeak, squeak.*
About seven girls were dancing joyfully, as if lost in the music, but instead of music, the room was filled with the squeaking sound of their shoe soles.
“Chae-ron, Ro-si.”
Director Lee Sun opened the door and called out two names.
“Yes, Isa-nim!”
Two girls took out their earphones and ran over to Director Lee Sun.
But...
The girl called Ro-si... she looked somehow familiar.