Stealing the Team Leader
The comments scrolled by in a torrent as Cheon A-ram spoke.
“Doesn’t seem like they like her much?”
“When she says she’s confident she can beat every other contestant, it’s hard for their fans to take it positively. Considering that, this reaction is actually pretty mild.”
“…Even with the threats of Enstar terrorism?”
As Yeoreum clutched my collar and trembled slightly, as if a trauma had resurfaced, Gaeul gently took my hand that was slowly scrolling and said,
“Scroll down, keep going down! After the stage!”
I followed her instruction. The comments had quieted for a moment after the performance, only to explode again at a certain point—right after Gyeoul finished her stage.
The comments kept pouring in so fast it was impossible to read them all. Gyeoul’s genius combined with Kim Seonye’s character focus had clearly drawn everyone’s attention.
“Team Leader Sun, this is a positive reaction, right?”
“For a first broadcast, this level of explosive and positive response is more than we could have hoped for.”
“…Wow, she did it. Gyeoul!”
Lee Hyerin, who had taken out her smartphone to rewatch Gyeoul’s stage, lightly touched her nose and said,
“Honestly, it wasn’t that big of a deal, but as her so-called teacher, I’m getting a little emotional. I’m really grateful to Gyeoul. She did so well.”
“If you say it like that, as a business partner it feels a bit embarrassing. It’s like we didn’t earn our pay. I did give her tremendous vocal training, after all.”
“…Can’t you just let us feel moved for once?”
Even Seo Suyeon, who was usually expressionless, wore a faint smile while checking the comments. Then Cheon A-ram turned to me.
“You said Team Leader Sun did that arrangement, right?”
“Yes. It’s the same track I played for you back then.”
Recalling the first time she heard it, Cheon A-ram chuckled.
“…Honestly, when I first heard that track, I thought, ‘Isn’t this a bit excessive?’ After all, you separated the tracks to make ‘Dress Up’ stand out more and give it stronger individuality. Even though I’m not an expert, I knew that was a risky approach.”
Lee Hyerin and Song Yohan, who had reviewed the final version of Gyeoul’s stage, nodded. They had apparently thought the same.
“But now that I’m watching the video, I think I understand what intention Team Leader Sun had with that arrangement. It was all arranged for Gyeoul.”
“It was still a reckless attempt born from inexperience. Even so, the result turned out well enough that I asked for your approval, CEO. I’m glad I did.”
Even now, I still thought that forcing some mediocre arranger to work on it would have been worse than relying on the reward system. Judging from James Oh’s reaction, that seemed to be the case in reality too.
Gaeul, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, suddenly brightened and said to Cheon A-ram,
“Taeyang oppa is a musical genius! I wish he would produce our songs too!”
Cheon A-ram looked at her with a fond smile.
“Right. Thinking about it, even during the ‘Memories of Fallen Leaves and the Sea’ project, I felt Team Leader Sun’s instincts were extraordinary. …Want to formally learn and try it? Team Leader Sun? I’ll cover the equipment and training costs.”
“I’m truly grateful for the offer, but I must respectfully decline. I want our kids’ official albums to be handled by the best professionals, not someone like me.”
It was all thanks to the reward system. No joke—if I tried to produce an album without the reward, Two Bear would go under! Or I’d have to wait until the reward appeared again, which could take who knows how long.
“…Is that so? That’s a shame. Still, if you change your mind, let me know anytime.”
Once she finished, Lee Hyerin, who had been rewatching Gyeoul’s stage, spoke up.
“The more I watch it, the more perfectly constructed the stage feels. From song selection to arrangement to styling, the quality was so high I didn’t even notice at first—but all of this was influenced by Team Leader Sun, wasn’t it? That’s really impressive.”
“Right. Whoever the producer we hire for our official album is, they’re going to have to be on their toes. If they show even a hint of weakness, Team Leader Sun’s name will keep coming up.”
The praise was way too overblown. That aside, now that the topic of official album production had come up, I remembered I still hadn’t reported what happened during the busking session with Gaeul at lunch today.
“Ah, I forgot to mention. I got a promise for a song from Composer James Oh. He told me to contact him the moment we start working on our first album.”
Cheon A-ram asked with a stunned expression.
“…James Oh?”
“Yes, James Oh.”
“The same James Oh who even SS has to swallow their pride to request a collab with?”
“Yes, the same James Oh who’s currently a judge on Girl 100.”
I handed her the business card I’d received from him earlier as she stared at me in disbelief.
“…It’s real.”
“Ah, I saw him too. He seemed to have a very high opinion of Taeyang oppa.”
“If Gaeul says so, then it must be true. …Sorry. It’s not that I don’t trust Team Leader Sun, but James Oh is notoriously picky, so I had my doubts. Even back when I worked at SS, I tried to recruit him once and got burned.”
I understood why Cheon A-ram reacted that way. Even I, the person involved, still couldn’t believe it.
“…Well, there has to be a reason for it.”
“I understand. I never imagined he’d show that kind of goodwill either. He was probably impressed by Gaeul’s busking performance.”
Cheon A-ram shook her head.
“No. I’m sure Team Leader Sun’s influence played a part too. That’s the kind of person James Oh is, from what I know.”
She looked around the room and said,
“Our Team Leader Sun has successfully handled so many things this time. Can everyone give him a round of applause?”
Then Lee Hyerin, Song Yohan, and all the Two Bear staff and trainees clapped and cheered.
“Two Bear’s treasure!”
“Genius producer!”
“He’s handsome too!”
“Wait, objectively speaking, he’s not that handsome, is he?”
“…I absolutely cannot agree with that opinion.”
“Gaeul unni, he’s a teacher! A teacher!”
Amid the barrage of embarrassing praise and encouragement, I scratched my head awkwardly. Honestly, it felt good. It was as if all the work I’d done had been rewarded.
In the unprecedentedly harmonious atmosphere since the founding of Two Bear Entertainment, Gaeul suddenly spoke up as if she had just remembered something.
“Ah! By the way, Composer James Oh said he wants to scout Taeyang oppa. He even offered to double the salary.”
““……””
The warm atmosphere instantly turned ice cold.