This Could Be Useful

In the president's office, with its deliberately dry and almost austere design, Cheon Seonsu asked his daughter, "How long do you plan on playing this little house game?"

"I'm not sure. I suppose I'll know once I keep at it. I've met someone truly interesting right now."

At her answer, Cheon Seonsu let out a heavy sigh before speaking again. "Sell the building and all the equipment quickly and come back to SS. You prepared that building and equipment to sell the whole package in the first place. Clean it up before rumors start spreading. The old men funding you are already talking. What you're doing isn't free. It's all debt."

"If I return now, the succession structure I've carefully arranged will only destabilize again."

"That damn succession structure was already shattered by one insane stunt from that bastard Cheon Jonghun."

Cheon A-ram let out a small laugh before replying, "Then I definitely shouldn't go back."

Cheon Seonsu stared at his daughter with a sullen gaze. In a voice thick with that same displeasure, he said, "If you build a company, it will fail. It's impossible to recruit talented people who satisfy that 'scent' condition of yours. The ones who soar are all driven by greed—that's why they're exceptional."

"But Grandfather succeeded, didn't he?"

"He was special. You're not your father."

"I plan to become special too. Just like Grandfather Cheon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Tae-cheon, the one they called Hyeon-ung. That's also why I named the company Two Bear Entertainment—the second bear."

Cheon Seonsu looked at her determination with clear disapproval. "Then at the very least, be extremely selective with your people, even if it takes time. Don't just gather mediocre ones based on scent alone. Otherwise, when it fails, it will fail spectacularly."

"Don't worry. I have no intention of choosing half-hearted people either."

As she left the office, she added, "Thank you for the advice, Father."

Staring at the door Cheon A-ram had walked through, Cheon Seonsu muttered words no one else could hear. "I just hope no strange bastards latch onto her."

In the end, the worries he wanted to convey as her father remained unspoken.

I still hadn't come up with an effective way to empty Cheon A-ram's pockets. That didn't mean I was willing to give up on the quest, though. So first, I decided to confirm one critical piece of information.

"...So the kid I need to check is at this café?"

"Yes. She has an overwhelming appearance, so you'll know exactly who she is the moment you see her."

I led Cheon A-ram into the café where Yoo Gaeul worked. If Cheon A-ram judged that she had a stench, both the quest and the recruitment would become completely meaningless. There was no point if the CEO herself said no. I'd have to give up. That's why confirming the scent took absolute priority.

"I can tell right away. You mean the brown-haired girl, right?"

"Correct. Please go smell her."

Cheon A-ram tilted her head. "This makes me feel like some kind of scent-sniffing dog... It's a little unpleasant."

"A sniffing dog? President Cheon, you're hardly a pet. Think of yourself as a drug-detection dog serving the public good!"

"...Still calling me a dog, I see."

Even while grumbling, Cheon A-ram got in line at the counter to catch Yoo Gaeul's scent. I watched with a trace of tension.

Personally, I thought the odds were low that Yoo Gaeul—who seemed to possess a strong desire for money—wouldn't have a stench. Yet some lingering hope remained that she might be clean.

A short while later, Cheon A-ram returned holding a pager, apparently finished with her order.

"How was the scent?" I asked.

She smiled, looking satisfied. "It didn't come through."

"...Not at all?"

"It's not completely absent, so I'd say it's almost nonexistent. At most, it's negligible. I wouldn't have any major issues living in the same house as her."

I felt a slight surge of emotion. At last, a talent had appeared who could overcome Cheon A-ram's strict nose. And she came equipped with world-class potential on top of it.

"You want to recruit her, don't you?"

"Yes. I'd like to ask for your opinion on that matter."

"Hmm? I wonder what opinion Team Leader Seon wants from me. I intend to actively accept and support your views on recruitment."

"I'm bringing this up because the support required might end up being larger than expected."

Cheon A-ram smiled with clear interest. Her eyes carried that familiar venomous-snake glint.

"All right. Let's hear it."

I swallowed to ease the tension and began. "She says she needs money."

"Hmm... She still looks like a child. Already?"

"It doesn't seem to be purely personal circumstances. It looked like she's caught up in a family issue."

Yoo Gaeul tried hard to appear mature with her makeup, but she couldn't completely hide her actual age. She was probably between her first and second year of high school. For a girl that age to skip school and work four different part-time jobs didn't seem like something driven by normal teenage desires—like wanting to go on an overseas trip or attend a popular boy group's fan signing event. The labor she was enduring felt closer to a life-eroding sacrifice. There had to be a motive strong enough to force that kind of burden on her.

And from what she'd said yesterday, that motive seemed tied to her family.

"So what you're saying, Team Leader Seon, is that we'll need to cover the shortfall and give her money if we want to recruit her?"

"That's correct. If money is the obstacle preventing her from becoming a trainee, then providing it should solve the problem."

"How much?"

I opened my mouth, fully aware I was about to name an absurd amount. "One hundred million won."

Cheon A-ram let out a deep sigh. "...Team Leader Seon. You do realize that's not exactly pocket change, right?"

Of course I knew. "I understand. It's an outrageous sum to spend on a single trainee."

"SS has spent one hundred million won per trainee per year before, so investing that much isn't entirely unreasonable."

The fact that she could casually cite SS—an entity operating on an entirely different scale—as an example showed the scope of her boldness.

"We can afford it. If we build a proper team, I'm willing to invest. I'll put real effort into persuading the investors as well."

Yes. It was an investment.

"But what you're suggesting right now isn't investing in a trainee. It's simply giving her the money, isn't it?"

The gap between investment and outright gifting was as vast as the distance between heaven and earth. Still, I could only nod. "That's correct."

Cheon A-ram spoke with genuine curiosity. "Do you really think there are investors who would willingly hand over money like that?"

Even while doubting my own words, I answered as if it were obvious. "It's because she possesses that level of talent."

"Yes, she must have talent if she captivated you so completely. She might even be a genius. I trust your eye, so I won't doubt that part."

I bowed my head at her trust. "I'm honored."

Cheon A-ram shook her head as if that wasn't necessary and continued. "The fact that she barely has any scent is also a tremendous asset. Needing money desperately yet possessing almost no greed is a good thing. It means she won't cause scandals with her character."

Yoo Gaeul was a good find. Just as I had judged, Cheon A-ram acknowledged it too.

"However, if you ask me whether she has 'one hundred million won worth of value' as the CEO of Two Bear Entertainment, I'll answer clearly."

Her decisive voice cut through ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the space between us. "That's overpriced."

Cheon A-ram's eyes gleamed with a cunning light. "There is no such thing as a talent with no replacement. Does that girl have no spare?"

This was the one area where I could speak with confidence. "Not just one or two. In Korea, there are only about four talents on her level. Yoo Gaeul is a vocalist who transcends the word genius. With proper support, she will leave her name on the world stage."

Yoo Gaeul would deliver more than one hundred million won in value.

"...That's an incredibly high evaluation. If what you say is true, she really is extraordinary."

Even while impressed, Cheon A-ram didn't forget her responsibilities. "Do you think there are only four talents one level below her as well?"

"No, that's not the case."

If her vocal ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠potential was A+ instead of S, there were quite a few candidates. The next child I planned to approach had lower overall stats than Gaeul but still possessed A+ vocal talent.

"Then go find those children and hire them. Don't recruit someone who demands money before they've even begun trainee life."

I almost nodded in that moment. That was exactly the logic that had led me to decide to give up on Yoo Gaeul.

"Putting money into the entertainment industry is essentially gambling. Creating a perfect product doesn't guarantee success. Conversely, producing something slightly lower in grade doesn't guarantee failure either."

Yoo Gaeul would definitely succeed. But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her absence wouldn't mean we couldn't succeed at all. In the first place, it was extremely rare to pay trainees upfront. There were already countless aspiring idols willing to work without such incentives. The usual signing bonuses were little more than allowance money.

"We're the ones jumping into the ring while carrying the risk. Yet it seems like you aren't considering that risk at all, Team Leader Seon."

If the risk could be reduced, it should be. And Yoo Gaeul's risk was simply too great.

"Above all, what we're preparing is a girl group. Not a solo artist."

Cheon A-ram declared firmly, "If you show this kind of attitude from the start, I'll have no choice but to assume that every trainee you find from now on will come with a price tag of around one hundred million won. Is that okay with you?"

Even as she issued a clear warning, Cheon A-ram displayed no anger or irritation. All I could see was a single, distinct line. I had a feeling that if I crossed it, the snake named Cheon A-ram would finally bare her fangs.

I realized then that the playful, mouse-like gaze she usually showed me had been filled with tremendous goodwill. This was the look she gave to outsiders. A chill ran down my spine, accompanied by genuine fear. I even wondered if she had real experience with mafia-like work.

But I didn't back down.

"I'll bet my first year's salary."

I decided to be shameless. Just like right before my regression, when I'd vowed to live selfishly.

"If later you decide that girl wasn't worth it, deduct the money from me."

This was a bet that couldn't fail. My conviction that Yoo Gaeul would definitely succeed was unshakable. Even if I handed her a third-rate ballad past its prime and debuted her, that girl would succeed without question. If I recruited Yoo Gaeul, I would only stand to gain. I could seize both the quest reward and success.

The risk Cheon A-ram would have to bear wasn't my concern. What mattered was my success—not Two Bear Entertainment's profit.

"Team Leader Seon, do you fully understand what that statement means? This isn't a simple payment. The moment one side wins, the power dynamic will completely shift. Either I become a figurehead CEO, or you become half a slave. ...For me, I win financially whether I lose or win, but can that really be called a healthy relationship?"

"I appreciate your consideration, but the only thing I have to wager is my future."

Cheon A-ram stared into my eyes. I met her gaze without flinching. In the silence that even the café's bustle couldn't erase, she finally spoke as if conceding.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. I want to get along well with you, Team Leader Seon. Not through some frightening thing like a debtor-creditor relationship."

She was worried our relationship would shift to an extreme. Then, as if the pressure she'd applied until now had all been a joke, she laughed brightly and said, "So my answer is no, Team Leader Seon. We have plenty of time. There's no need to rush. Look for another child."

I'd been rejected by Cheon A-ram. Strangely, I wasn't disappointed. She had simply made a rational decision as a businesswoman. In fact, I felt somewhat relieved. It confirmed she wasn't an idealist who would throw everything away for humanism. At the very least, it seemed unlikely that Cheon A-ram would make an irrational choice that would destroy the company.

Therefore, persuading her would be nearly impossible unless I could prove something new. The scales in my mind tilted toward giving up on Yoo Gaeul. Yet a corner of my heart still held onto regret.

Feeling frustrated, I clicked on the reward window.

Only that single reward—something that seemed useful only for talent shows—remained inside the window. As I looked at it and entertained trivial thoughts like Maybe I should pick up some weekend session work, one idea shot through my mind like an electric current.

...This could be useful.