The CEO Handed Over Full Authority – Could I Turn Kim Si-a into the Top?
The CEO's voice, carried over from the phone, was warm yet sharp enough to send a chill straight down my spine. I broke out in a cold sweat despite the summer heat.
*'Stay calm... just pretend you didn't hear it.'*
No way. Even if I did, what could the hyung really do if I pushed back?
There's a reason they say "better to be overcomplied than underappreciated." Peace of mind.
I set the spoon down with a quiet clink and spoke in my most collected tone.
"I’m afraid I don’t quite follow what you mean, Director Kim."
"Aigoo~ What are you pretending not to understand? You did that on purpose yesterday, right?"
The guy was straightforward.
He was the type people called "too gullible" for, yet he had never once been labeled incompetent.
*Well... maybe trusting people too much is a kind of incompetence.*
*'Not quite.'*
The ones who swindle others aren’t the victims. You can’t blame the one who gets swindled.
Right. That was the truth. It had to be.
*'So, hyung... I’m sorry. Maybe I really am the bad guy after all.'*
I looked straight into his eyes with a perfectly natural smile and lied without hesitation.
"Of course not. Why would I ever do something like that?"
"Haah~ This is weird. It doesn’t make any sense logically.
How can someone as big as you be swayed by a little bastard like Director Kim? Do you actually think this is reasonable?"
"Director Kim may seem small, but his power is no joke."
"Puhahaha~ That just proves how unreasonable it is. Are you telling me it’s not true?"
"I’m telling you the truth. I have no reason to lie."
Even with my confident reply, the CEO’s eyes still looked doubtful.
"Yeah? If you say so, I’ll believe it. No choice.
But don’t do that in the future. I hate seeing my staff getting hurt."
"Yes, hyung... I mean, CEO!"
"Just call me hyung, okay? Why do you keep saying hyung, or CEO?
Just call me normally! You’re not supposed to worry about that so we can all work smoothly and get things done faster."
He was still the same.
Still starving for affection, still warm-hearted.
That was exactly why I liked him.
I gave him a slightly emotional look, and he chuckled as he raised his glass.
"What are you being emotional about? This was all to squeeze every last drop of effort out of you for me."
"That's how it should be. We have to work our asses off and make our company strong."
"Puhahaha~ I’ve never heard anything more ridiculous in a year. A new hire turning our company around? Sounds great."
I was actually serious about growing the company... but this hyung just laughed it off like it was a joke.
I was worried.
Should I cross that line and test him a little?
Or keep working quietly and secretly like now?
"Oh, and rookie."
"Yes."
"Since I won the bet, tell me one wish. This is your prize for coming here. Consider it void."
The bet about guessing the initial album sales for Grace... he definitely meant that.
What was I supposed to do? Just hold out a little longer... just one more time?
He was already drunk and kept pushing me to cross the line.
"It's fine. My wish is simply to have a drink with you like this."
"Aigoo~ No fun. What kind of wish is that? Say something already... like buying me a building?"
"Really? If I say it, will you actually grant it?"
"Of course! I’m the kind of guy who always keeps his promises!"
Because he was a little drunk, he kept spilling promises he probably wouldn’t keep.
But the moment I answered, he froze with a startled look and set his glass down.
"Then I’ll ask. I’d like to manage Kim Si-a actress. I’d like to handle everything from managing her to caring for her, even image making."
"Wh-what...?"
"From acting roles to image-making... I want to take full responsibility."
"Yo, wait a second!"
"That's obviously impossible."
- He froze, eyes locked on me.
He was in a real dilemma.
*'Look at this kid...'
A brand-new manager, only a week in, daring to ask for full authority over an actress.
But Director Kim wasn’t just some nobody. He had already pulled off something crazy with Grace’s album sales.
He seemed to have guts, and judging by how much Kim Si-a wanted him, he must have skills too.
The way he nailed every recording deadline showed he was detail-oriented.
*'This is going to be fun.'*
The CEO asked me in a serious tone, as if he hadn’t been drinking at all.
"You... do you even know what you’re saying?"
"Of course. Would I have brought it up if I didn’t know?"
That line dismissed every manager working hard right now.
Well... it was harsh.
But I had no sympathy for them right now.
"Really? You think it’s possible?"
"It’s impossible. I only said it because you asked for a wish."
"Yeah? Just words, then?"
"Not at all. I believe I can do it. But company rules and discipline come first..."
- Bang!
He slammed the table and cut me off.
"Stop! Stop! So you’re confident, huh?"
"...Yes."
As expected, the hyung was exactly the same.
Whenever something interesting came up, he had to dig deeper until he got answers.
Rules and discipline? They meant nothing to him.
*'If he cared about that, he’d have started his own company.'*
He started this company for fun and freedom.
A bold new hire was throwing rules in his face.
That was what had struck a nerve.
"Yo, yo~ Then let’s make the bet again."
"The bet... you mean the one I won?"
"Yeah. I’ll hand over full authority. But can you turn Kim Si-a into the top?"
"I can. I can at least lift Sa-rang up to the same level."
"Ku-kukukuku! Yo~ Good! Perfect. A real man needs that kind of guts!"
"What should the stake be? I only have my name on the line..."
He looked genuinely happy as he thought it over.
Why wouldn’t he?
The company was growing, the excitement was fading, and fun was disappearing.
But now a new hire had dropped an interesting bomb.
It was only natural to be thrilled.
"Good. You’re staking your name. If you succeed for real, I’ll do whatever you want for a year!"
"Great. Let’s do that. How long should the period be?"
"One year! One year it is. But!"
With that declaration, his eyes turned ice-cold.
"Understood, CEO."
"Instead of losing your life, you’ll be bound to this company for life. Still want to go ahead?"
Being bound to the company for life...
That was exactly what I had wished for.
I held out my glass with a confident smile.
"Of course."
"Man’s words."
"Cross the gold."
We clinked glasses and sealed the bet.
And a few days later, that bet brought a storm to JS Entertainment.
*
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*
JS Entertainment’s structure was simple.
There was the Actress 1 Room, housing the top leads – Lee Sa-rang and the rising star Kim Si-a.
Then the Actress 2 Room, where one mid-tier female actress and one male actor were paired.
And the newly established Singer 1 Room for Crack’s debut.
"CEO, what do you think of this? Why move Si-a to the Singer 1 Room...?"
Team Leader Jung Man-sik.
The CEO found him annoying lately.
He had hired a department-head-level manager for the company, but he kept inserting lines and disrupting the atmosphere.
But cutting him off would be wasteful of his connections in China.
"For example, focus and concentration. Let’s focus on Sa-rang in the Actress 1 Room.
Same for the second room. It might be a bit tight with Si-a joining now... what do you think, Director Park?"
Director Park Tae-ho, who looked easy-going, just laughed.
"Well, our kids are really hyped lately. Honestly, I don’t have the bandwidth to take care of Kim Si-a too."
"Is that so? Then what about the singer team? Can you handle Kim Si-a?"
"CEO, we’re in a tough spot. You know how different the actress side is from ours."
"Ha... Then what do we do, Director Jung? It seems best to leave Si-a in the first room as you said."
The CEO’s face, which had been smiling brightly at the news of Si-a’s move, crumpled the instant he heard it.
"Ah... I guess, as the CEO said, focus and concentration is the way..."
Hey, Director Jung, you’re giving it away too clearly.
Laughter escaped me.
His obvious favoritism toward only Sa-rang...
"Oh! Then this is perfect~"
The CEO clapped his hands as if a brilliant idea had just struck, drawing everyone’s attention.
"Hey, rookie!"
"Yes, CEO."
"Move to the singer room with me and take care of our Si-a~ Right?"
Even then, no one thought much of it.
Just a normal actress manager moving to the singer room with one actress.
But the moment the CEO spoke, they all froze.
"Rookie... take full responsibility for managing and caring for Si-a. I’ll hand over full authority."
In the CEO’s office, an icy silence fell.
No one could even speak.
It wasn’t even a year-in yet. Handing full authority to a rookie manager after only a week?
In the entire entertainment industry, this was unheard of.
"CEO... what is this!"
"It’s not. CEO! There are other managers! Why...?"
Instant objections exploded.
But the CEO just grinned and tossed their own words right back at them.
"Director Park, you said the second room has no capacity, right?"
"True, but still..."
"The singer team is completely different, right?"
"No, CEO..."
"The actress team has no issue..."
Director Jung Man-sik didn’t care about Kim Si-a’s future or the company’s future at all.
He only cared about piling everything on Sa-rang and making a quick buck.
No, rather than that, he actively supported this stupid decision.
"Everyone, even if you don’t have the capacity, giving a new hire a chance isn’t a bad idea."
"But this... no connections, no proven ability..."
"Yo, Director Park! The CEO said so!"
"Director Jung, still..."
Looking at the two directors, it seemed Jung was on the CEO’s side, but he wasn’t.
The bastard was clearly betting on my failure.
If I really took care of Si-a, it would hurt me and the CEO...
Giving both of us a blow.
Of course, his own line and Sa-rang’s would only be able to focus on her.
His shady smile was obvious to me.
"I’ll check with the manager’s association... or promote one of the staff in the actress team instead.
That would be better than giving Si-a to this new hire."
But for Director Park, who truly worried about Si-a’s future, this was absolutely impossible.
And the CEO knew exactly what that look meant.
"Director Park, I appreciate your concern."
"...Then do as I say, CEO."
"However, Director Park... the actress herself wants to do it? Hahaha, interesting...
A kid who’s only been here a week is the most trustworthy in the company."
...
Everyone’s faces flushed red in that moment.
Among the people present, not a single one had gotten closer to her than this one-week rookie.
That meant... they had all lost to this rookie manager here.
The CEO was no different.
*'As expected, this guy is interesting.'*
When Kim Si-a had said she trusted him, even the CEO had looked stunned.
No, honestly, he was a little surprised.
He had always thought Kim Si-a was cold and distant.
He had never imagined she could smile so brightly.
"Everyone, let’s settle it like this. The actress herself wants it...
The support team should provide whatever is needed, and rookie, pick one staff member."
The CEO’s bitter words fell.
They could only blush and stay silent...
Only Director Jung Man-sik smiled brightly, clearly thinking of his own plans.