A Hundred Million Won? Of Course I'll Pay It
CEO Cheon A-ram brushed her hair back lightly as she spoke.
“Of course I have to pay it. After they showed me something like that? I may be picky, but I do have a conscience.”
She smiled faintly.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had to sell my face to those stench-ridden people… Should I buy some motion sickness medicine just in case?”
“I’m relieved. I was hoping those two would receive some proper compensation.”
Watching Seo Suyeon visibly relax, Cheon A-ram teased her playfully.
“But first, let’s check what Team Leader Seon prepared. It would be a shame to waste it after he went this far to set the stage.”
Seo Suyeon realized Cheon A-ram was about to stir up more trouble and frowned in disapproval.
“Do we really need to participate in this kind of noise marketing? I have my doubts about its effectiveness.”
“No one can be certain about that. …But it’s worth trying. Considering the quality of the first song, it should generate quite a big issue, don’t you think? They’re even filming over there.”
“…Instead of all this, why don’t we just pay the money directly?”
“No. I want to see it. I want to see what kind of picture Team Leader Seon is trying to paint.”
Having failed to persuade her, Seo Suyeon let out a small, resigned sigh.
“CEO Cheon. I’ve felt this for a while, but… don’t you have a slightly bad personality?”
Cheon A-ram smiled at her and replied.
“Not slightly. Very.”
The performance continued for over two hours, occasionally mixing in light communication with the audience. I kept a close eye on Gaeul’s vocal condition and eventually signaled to her that the next song would be the last.
Though her eyes showed clear regret, Gaeul accepted that it was time to end the performance. Having somehow taken on the role of daily MC while also handling vocals and guitar—essentially doing the work of three people—she announced the final chapter of the busking.
“It looks like it’s time for the last song.”
The moment Gaeul told the audience through the microphone that this would be the final piece, the crowd erupted in protest. Some begged for one more song, while others chanted for an encore. It was complete chaos.
“…Thank you. Truly, thank you so much. I will never forget this moment for the rest of my life.”
Gaeul’s voice grew slightly hoarse, as if her nose had stung from the overwhelming sight before her.
“I’ll give you the best song I can sing, so that everyone who stayed until the end feels it was worth it.”
As she pulled her mouth away from the microphone, she whispered to me.
“Team Leader Seon. For the last song, I want to do ‘Last Concert.’ Is that okay?”
“Of course. It’s the perfect finale.”
It was a masterpiece known as the signature song of Lee Seung-hyun, the legendary rock band frontman. It was a song that people of all ages here would recognize. Gaeul’s song selection sense was truly excellent.
Without hesitation, I began the intro to ‘Last Concert.’ As the gentle piano notes rang out, even Winter’s face brightened as she supported the intro with her guitar. The short-yet-feeling-endless intro soon ended, and Gaeul began to sing.
The song ended. But the crowd didn’t disperse. Instead, they cheered wildly and continued chanting for an encore. Gaeul stared at the scene, desperately trying to hold back the emotions surging within her.
I wanted to ask her again, right then.
“Gaeul.”
“…Yes, Team Leader Seon.”
“You like singing, don’t you?”
It was the question I hadn’t gotten a clear answer to back at the soup restaurant. Gaeul’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected question. And as if those words had been the trigger, the emotions she had been suppressing burst forth like an overinflated water balloon.
“…It’s not that I like it. I love it.”
Tears were streaming down her face.
“I really, really do. More than anyone else in this world!”
That was Gaeul’s pure, unfiltered sincerity. The main purpose of orchestrating all of this had been to draw out exactly those feelings.
Of course, I wasn’t satisfied with achieving just one goal.
“Then, would you like to become an idol with us? I’ll make sure you can sing on stages even more dazzling than this.”
“I want to! …But I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because if I chase after my dream like that, Gahyeon’s dream will completely collapse!”
I smiled bitterly.
“So in the end, it’s about money?”
“Yes. That’s right. It’s because of money. It’s because I don’t have any.”
“Then, if that money problem is solved, we can do this together, right?”
Gaeul lifted her head to look at my face and spoke weakly.
“If that could happen… I wouldn’t have any other wishes.”
Permission granted.
“Then please play along with me just a little longer.”
“Pardon?”
“Let’s earn some money.”
I shouted loudly.
“It seems like you’ve waited long enough, so please come out now. CEO.”
It was time to achieve the second objective.
The crowd parted like the Red Sea. And through that path, she appeared.
Beside her walked a woman with a neat bob cut and a crisp suit, following like a secretary. She was probably the Seo Suyeon that Cheon A-ram had mentioned.
I gave a brief nod of greeting to the colleague I would soon be working with, then turned to Cheon A-ram.
“How was the stage, CEO?”
“Hmm… Well, given my position, I can’t say I don’t want to nitpick. But I have to acknowledge what deserves acknowledging.”
Cheon A-ram clapped her hands loudly and said,
“It was excellent PR, Team Leader Seon.”
“Then you’ll accept it?”
“Well… shouldn’t I see how Team Leader Seon plans to wrap this up? There must be a reason you gathered this many people, right?”
“…If we go that far, even CEO Cheon will end up participating. Are you sure that’s okay?”
“Yeah. Even so, I need to see it.”
“Then I guess we have to.”
I had expected the stage to turn out well, but it seemed things wouldn’t go easily. In that case, I would have to show her. The pinnacle of the ten years of aggro I had cultivated while raising a C-rank agency called Flower all the way to A-rank within its weight class.
Gaeul grabbed the standing microphone in front of her and spoke.
“The person standing here is the CEO of our Two Bear Entertainment. And the child who has been handling vocals, guitar, and MC duties in the band is a trainee hoping to join Two Bear.”
Character establishment.
“This busking was our final test for Two Bear. Proving her talent in front of all of you.”
And storytelling.
In the completely shifted atmosphere, Cheon A-ram frowned and said,
“Isn’t this a bit unfair? You’re turning me into the villain.”
“It was the only role left. And it’s also an unparalleled PR opportunity for Two Bear Entertainment. You know how rare it is for a new agency to get a chance to make its name known in front of such a large crowd, right?”
If she couldn’t accept even this, she should quit being a CEO. I had no intention of sharing my fate with someone like that.
“It’s also consideration for you, CEO, since you can smell the stench when people gather. We should wrap this up quickly and move somewhere less crowded.”
“If you were thinking that, you shouldn’t have called me here in the first place.”
“As the CEO of an entertainment agency, you’ll have to deal with things like this often in the future. Think of it as a practice run.”
“…Team Leader Seon, now that I look at you again, you really do have a bad personality.”
“The sweat smell doesn’t come for no reason.”
We both chuckled softly. There was a part of us that shared the same sense of humor. But the laughter lasted only a moment. This wasn’t a place where such smiles belonged.
In the end, I was an employee ignoring the CEO’s wishes and pushing my own agenda, and Cheon A-ram was the CEO who had to stop an employee challenging her authority. This conversation would establish our future relationship.
“True. If someone can’t even attempt an opportunity like this for a startup, they shouldn’t be talking about running a business. …Alright. Shall we give it a try?”
She looked at me with a provocative smile and said,
“I’ll trust that your preparations are sufficient.”
Then Cheon A-ram detached the microphone from the stand I was holding and lifted it in her hand. Her movements were so natural it was clear she had done this many times before.
But the crowd’s reaction was icy. The people who had been completely enchanted by the genius vocalist named Gaeul couldn’t understand Cheon A-ram for hesitating to pay that amount for such talent. Raw backlash followed.
“I understand how you all feel. After all, I’m also one of the people who watched this stage.”
Cheon A-ram spoke skillfully, as if she were used to situations like this.
“As one fan, I can say with certainty that Yoo Gaeul is worth far more than that amount. …However, as a businesswoman and the representative of Two Bear Entertainment, my thoughts are different.”
She skillfully steered the atmosphere in her favor.
“On average, how much money does it take to run one girl group?”
At the sudden question, the crowd began to murmur. Cheon A-ram gave them just enough time for the question to sink in before answering it herself, before boredom could set in.
“Three hundred million won over two years.”
At the concrete figure, the audience stirred noticeably.
“And if we pay Gaeul a hundred million, that means taking a third of that budget. That’s the kind of money a hundred million won represents.”
It was a violent analogy. The three hundred million was close to just the activity expenses—lodging, meals, styling, music videos, and so on. Even the amount Cheon A-ram had invested in the company building alone far exceeded that. But I couldn’t point that out. I hadn’t come here to engage in a battle of facts or hate speech with Cheon A-ram. Nor should I.
“As businesspeople, do you think it’s right to pay that kind of amount to Gaeul here?”
The crowd murmured. Once they heard the actual investment costs, the weight of a hundred million felt much more real. Of course, some would still think the money should be paid, but in the atmosphere Cheon A-ram had created, no one could say it out loud.
“Speaking as a businesswoman, I believe that expense is excessive. That doesn’t mean I think Gaeul here lacks the value. Not at all.”
Cheon A-ram’s voice rang out with persuasive power.
“When you consider the completed form of a girl group that could go up to twelve members, we cannot spend that much on a single trainee. Especially now, when we haven’t even decided on the final number or the concept.”
Simply gathering an audience, shaping public opinion, and showing off her talent seemed slightly insufficient. The opponent was a businesswoman. In the end, we had to overcome the logic of money.
I knew that. That’s why I had prepared a card to persuade this troublesome CEO. From here on, it was time for provocation.
“Suyeon.”
I spoke to Seo Suyeon, who was standing protectively beside Cheon A-ram.
“Could you draw some aggro for a moment?”
“…Aggro?”
“It’s a bit too personal to say in front of the audience. Just hold the mic and say anything so the sound doesn’t carry.”
“Wait, how am I supposed to—”
I didn’t wait for her answer and tossed the microphone Cheon A-ram had been holding. Seo Suyeon caught it reflexively, squeezed her eyes shut, and began introducing her career in accounting. She boasted an impressive resume—graduating from one of the world’s top universities and being scouted by a leading investment firm—but the crowd remained lukewarm, jeering at her to get on with the audition story.
Then, sweating coldly in panic, she shouted as if to make sure everyone remembered it.
“With a career like mine! I will now use this intermission to share tax evasion tips that won’t get you caught by the law!”
The jeering crowd fell silent.
“If you don’t get caught, it’s tax saving! If you do get caught, it’s tax evasion! I will now freely share this simple truth with all of you!”
…It was excellent aggro.