Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: JOP Headquarters
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JOP's headquarters was in Tokyo.
It was a five-story building in Minato Ward, in a spot where you could get a great view of Tokyo Tower from the rooftop.
Considering Tokyo's sky-high real estate prices, the fact that JOP—a company not even in the idol business—could afford this said a lot about how much money they were raking in and the stature they held.
But for all that, the area around it was surprisingly quiet.
That made sense, though. JOP's main office was unique in that, aside from trainees, none of their affiliated artists ever set foot there.
Once JOP debuted a trainee or a street-scouted singer, they were immediately shifted to a subsidiary label for point-specific management.
It was all to respect each individual's musical style and let them pursue their sound to the end.
Even within those labels, they grouped artists with similar vibes together, but if someone wanted, they were encouraged to work out of their own personal studios.
This was all down to Datemura Shunz i's philosophy.
No matter how promising someone seemed money-wise, meddling too much would kill even that potential—it was his creed (though, of course, he'd rein them in if they veered too far off course).
In any case, that made JOP's headquarters a place where privacy was guaranteed without even trying.
That's where Yuin and Yeonwoo were headed.
Considering the distance, they landed at Haneda Airport instead of Narita, and JOP staff welcomed Yeonwoo, his grandmother, and his dad (Jiyeong couldn't make it due to work back home).
Not just one person—several of them.
“(Welcome.)”
“Huh? Kazuhiro?”
Heo Ok, who knew Japan better than anyone and led the way, spotted an elderly-looking man bowing at the front of the JOP staff and greeted him like an old acquaintance.
He recognized her too.
“[Hello, Professor. It's a pleasure to see you again.]”
“[I thought you'd retired, but you're still working under that old man?]”
“[What else would I do with myself? I bluffed my way into a high position so I could take it easy.]”
Maeda Kazuhiro was essentially JOP's number two.
When Datemura Shunz i first founded JOP—back when it was just a small agency, equivalent to a Korean entertainment company—he'd merged his own office into it, becoming a founding pillar that turned it into the massive entertainment giant handling both distribution and management.
“[Well, aren't you the big shot, coming all the way out here yourself.]”
“[Me, big shot next to you, Professor? Ah, and these two?]”
Following Maeda Kazuhiro's gaze, Heo Ok pointed to her son and grandson.
“[This big one's my son. And this kid's my grandson....]”
Before she could finish the introduction, he looked at Yeonwoo with shining eyes.
“[This is... Korea's Mozart!]”
Kazuhiro, who loved musical talent even more than Datemura Shunz i himself, dropped to one knee to meet Yeonwoo's eyes.
“Iroko... mannase yorokoshimasu.”
He greeted Yeonwoo personally in Korean. Yeonwoo smiled back and bowed from the waist.
“Konnichiwa. Boku wa Yeonwoo desu.”
Yeonwoo greeted him in the Japanese he'd prepared himself.
“[Ooh, great pronunciation. Excellent.]”
Truth be told, Yeonwoo had been exchanging steady messages with Himari and realized he needed Japanese.
It was only fair—if they spoke Korean to him, he should learn their language in return.
Surprisingly, Yeonwoo had a knack for languages.
To be precise, reading and writing might be tough, but hearing foreign words spoken made them stick fast, like memorizing music.
So Yeonwoo learned by watching Japanese lessons on YouTube and repeating them.
His ear for sound made picking up pronunciation and intonation a breeze.
He was at the level now where he could handle basic conversations.
“[Kneeling like that makes it look like you're hyping our kid up as some prodigy. Let's go before we draw a crowd.]”
At Heo Ok's words from behind, Kazuhiro stood up.
“[You're right. Airport's too exposed. Let's head out. We'll drive you.]”
Yeonwoo and his family climbed into the car JOP provided and crossed through Tokyo.
Heo Ok gazed at the familiar-yet-changed cityscape, realizing how much time had passed.
Meanwhile, Yeonwoo and Jihoon, visiting Tokyo for the first time, peered out the window in wonder.
“Dad, Fukuoka seemed big, but Tokyo's way bigger. There are so many more cars and people going by.”
“Guess that's what happens when it's the capital.”
“Is this your first time in Tokyo too, Dad?”
“Yeah, somehow it is.”
“What's good to eat here, Dad?”
Jihoon pondered Yeonwoo's question seriously.
Then he ventured,
“Since it's the capital... probably every Japanese flavor under the sun? Like Seoul—everything tasty's there.”
“Oh!! Yeah!!”
Heo Ok let a subtle smile slip at the innocent father-son exchange.
“Grandma, do you have a favorite food here?”
“Hmm... Hard to say. More like I loved the shop itself. A dingy little bar that made killer food. Wonder if it's still around?”
Heo Ok racked her memory.
Back then, places open till the deep wee hours were rare in Japan. At best, street stalls, and mostly just ramen.
Sure, it was still kinda like that now, but there was one spot that stood out with its variety of snacks and meals.
“Let's check it out later!!”
“Yeah, let's do that.”
By the time their light chat wrapped up, they'd arrived at headquarters.
“[Right this way. Inside....]”
“[Shunz i's waiting, huh.]”
Heo Ok said as she eyed the building. She recalled that before her retirement, Shunz i's JOP hadn't been this grand.
“[Ooh! Jade, and our Yeonwoo too!]”
Just as Heo Ok was about to step forward, thinking how much he'd grown, a massive grandpa figure—Shunz i—emerged from the entrance.
“Grandpa Shunz i!”
Yeonwoo bolted straight to him and hugged.
Shunz i effortlessly scooped him up with one arm.
“[Ho ho, you've shot up. Kids grow like weeds when you're not looking, huh?]”
“[Yeonwoo now elementary student!]”
“[Ooh, your Japanese has improved. You get what I'm saying?]”
“[A little!]”
Shunz i burst into a hearty laugh.
“[Yeonwoo, Japanese won't get you far. Learn English instead.]”
“[Grandpa, you're Japanese—can you say that?]”
“[This place is done for. Underground idols this, artistry that—they're just squeezing cash out of gimmicks. Movies, songs—all flops.]”
Yeonwoo tilted his head at Shunz i's rapid-fire words, not fully catching them.
“[Teaching a kid bad stuff. Enough—inside?]”
“[Hmph, you old bat... I mean, Yeonwoo's grandma. Fine, let's go.]”
Shunz i led Yeonwoo and family inside.
The interior was nothing special.
If you didn't know it was JOP HQ, you'd mistake it for any ordinary Japanese office.
“[Here's the recording studio.]”
Same with the studios.
Like a factory, rooms lined the corridors left and right, with stark, utilitarian interiors—only the bare essentials.
“[What do you think?]”
“[Plain?]”
“[Yeah, this place is.]”
Shunz i stated it matter-of-factly.
Yeonwoo asked him,
“[Trainees?]”
“[Trainees? They're down in the basement practice rooms.]”
“[Basement?]”
At Yeonwoo's question, Shunz i grinned and led them downstairs.
Heo Ok walked beside him.
“[Bad taste. Sticking trainees underground.]”
“[That's hardly bad taste. Undebuted chicks gotta toughen up in the dark. Builds the killer instinct.]”
“[Old-school thinking.]”
“[What can ya do? I'm an old-school guy.]”
Down in the basement, Heo Ok was speechless.
Just one window—in the break room, and tiny, barely letting in light. No windows or even clocks in any practice room.
The trainees stood in the largest one, perfectly aligned like soldiers.
Young kids, boys and girls alike. Heo Ok shot Shunz i a scornful look.
“[Total bad taste.]”
“Kyahahaha!!”
“[But should we reveal Yuin's identity to these kids?]”
They'd wandered in casually, without mentioning who Yuin was yet.
To pick trainees here, though, they'd need to disclose it.
Shunz i shook his head.
“[Just showing them in person for now. We'll judge debuts from video.]”
Heo Ok nodded.
Meanwhile, Yeonwoo had given the trainees a quick once-over.
His expression clouded a bit as he scanned them.
Not many blue fairies here.
Still, too early to judge.
They might be buds hiding their fairies tight inside.
Video would tell.
As Yeonwoo thought that, Shunz i dismissed the kids and brought them back up to his top-floor office.
A lavish interior—worlds apart from the basement, offices, and studios—greeted them.
Heo Ok glared at Shunz i again.
“[What, Japanese evil lord cosplay?]”
Shunz i laughed it off.
“[Shall we watch some trainee videos? Everyone sit.]”
Spotting Jihoon, Shunz i switched to English.
“[Ah, Jihoon, feel free to handle personal work at the desk over there.]”
“[Sure, thanks.]”
As Jihoon settled at Shunz i's desk to check his phone, a massive TV in front of the sofa fired up per Shunz i's signal.
“[First kid up. By the way, the basement's live-feed is streaming to this TV right now.]”
Yeonwoo and Heo Ok nodded and watched.
Downstairs, at the trainer's cue, a boy stood straight and began to sing.
Soon, blue fairies flowed out.
Yeonwoo watched him intently.
-Arigatou gozaimashita!!
The boy finished, bowed 90 degrees, and stepped back. Shunz i turned to Yeonwoo.
“[Yeonwoo, what do you think of that one?]”
Shunz i peeked at Yeonwoo's face to read him—and flinched.
Gone was the innocent Yeonwoo; in his place was a sharp-eyed kid mirroring Jade the Black Widow.
It overlapped with the old days—her fierce gaze when she'd heard his awkward early jazz guitar.
‘Not great. Bottom tier, that guitar of yours.’
“Not great.”
Shunz i felt chills at the spitting image of her back then—姿势 and words alike.