Chapter 281
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 281
WH Entertainment was currently dealing with a tiny, prickly thorn. It wasn't painful enough to cause a real injury, nor was it particularly itchy, but it was just annoying enough to be a constant distraction.
That thorn was none other than The Dawn, the idol group from the recently acquired Daepasung Entertainment.
The WH planning team had sent out several official notices, but the group seemed to have no intention of listening.
Unauthorized livestreams were still rampant. If there was any silver lining, it was that the fans' reactions weren't half bad.
[But seriously, it feels like everyone’s livestreaming skills have leveled up lately. Since The Dawn is doing it so much, it’s like the other WH kids have been let off the leash too.]
[The Dawn is the definition of true variety entertainers...]
That wasn't all.
As if to show off, they were aggressively churning out self-produced content. They were even digging up and releasing footage they had kept hidden deep in their cloud drives.
"Hmm."
Jeong Seon-ui, the leader of WH Entertainment’s Management Team, pressed her fingers against her throbbing temples as she scrolled through the reactions.
[The bullfrog that infiltrated WH...]
[True... our boys... they came up from a tiny agency, so they have no choice but to have tons of content like this...]
The biggest problem with The Dawn acting this way was the ripple effect that followed.
Ju Woo-seong had already started turning on livestreams whenever he felt like it, without the agency's permission.
Once a system collapsed, it was incredibly difficult to restore. It was clear that from now on, every time WH Entertainment tried to openly control their idols' livestreams, The Dawn’s name would be brought up.
It would be fine if everyone stayed out of trouble, but...
The elite way of doing things wasn't about cleaning up after an accident; it was about preventing the accident in the first place.
There was a reason why certain things were forbidden.
[This is insane. I never thought I’d see a 1-on-1 live with Ju Woo-seong and Lee Beom-hyun ㅠ Holy shit, Woo-seong is finally looking after Black Call members other than Chae Jeong-woo.]
└ [LOL but it’s so awkward, damn ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Can you believe they’re this awkward after all these years in the industry? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
└└ [The Bloys actually love it. They say it feels fresh, so it’s fine.]
[It was so cute when Black Call and The Dawn members walked into the wrong rooms and were like, 'Oh, I’m in the wrong place, sorry,' and then left.]
[Ju Woo-seong feels so much like an adult lately. Maybe it’s because he’s more relaxed... It looks like they’re taking good care of each other as seniors and juniors...]
[For some reason, both The Dawn and Ju Woo-seong are doing a lot of WH lives lately. Woo-seong especially didn't do many, so I’m so, so, so happy he’s loosened up.]
└ [Maybe he’s excited because his close friend is around ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Why don’t they just do a joint V-Live? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ But if they actually do it, I’ll die...]
WH had provided everything they promised and tried to stay out of the group's management as much as possible.
However, The Dawn turned on their livestreams almost every day, as if they refused to be bound by WH Entertainment’s basic rules.
In terms of future potential or projected revenue, they were certainly an attractive group.
‘But from a corporate perspective, they’re a nail sticking out.’
If one part goes crooked, the rest follows.
Perhaps that distortion could create new value.
If they were a growing startup, this would be something to welcome. But a company with a solid foundation would never look kindly upon such an unstable element.
‘And Seo Ho-yun is likely doing this on purpose.’
His face—always wearing a bright smile without a trace of awkwardness—only served to prove her theory.
For now, fan reactions were good, and they could let it slide, but the moment even a minor scandal broke out, The Dawn would be the first to be blamed.
"What on earth am I supposed to do with them...?"
Faced with a problem that had no easy solution, Jeong Seon-ui clutched her head and let out a deep sigh.
*
A few days later, as Jeong Seon-ui was leaving her office to find Seo Ho-yun, she ran right into him at the door.
"Hello."
As if he had been looking for her, Seo Ho-yun was holding two cups of coffee.
"Hard at work again today, I see."
"Ah, yes..."
Jeong Seon-ui took the cup he naturally offered with a look of hesitation and asked, "So, Mr. Seo Ho-yun. Did you hear from your manager about the livestreams?"
"Ah, you mean how the restrictions were lifted? I heard it was thanks to you, Team Leader Jeong. Thank you."
Seeing Seo Ho-yun offer his thanks with a sly smile made her stomach churn.
"Actually, I have something to say about that. You've heard the saying that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down, right?"
Seo Ho-yun didn't respond, his face still wearing that same smile. Jeong Seon-ui let out another deep sigh and continued.
"If you're planning to be an idol for more than just a day or two, you should learn to restrain yourself to a reasonable degree. ...I'm saying this sincerely for the sake of The Dawn."
"Got it."
I've never dealt with this type before.
Feeling her days-long headache intensifying, Jeong Seon-ui didn't want to continue the lecture and changed the subject.
"Also, I've checked the projected revenue for the first quarter..."
She knew The Dawn's popularity was rising by the day, but she hadn't realized it was to this extent.
"This will be officially communicated to Daepasung's management and planning teams as well, but regarding your trip to the U.S. next week to film self-produced content... I'm thinking of turning it into a broadcast program instead. We'll coordinate things so it can be scheduled for this summer or fall."
This was a money-maker.
Her instincts, honed over fifteen years at WH Entertainment, were screaming it.
Even if it wasn't on a major network, airing it on TV and promoting it on Nutube would cause a huge stir.
It was exceptionally generous treatment for WH Entertainment, but Seo Ho-yun’s expression didn't change much.
"Oh, wow. Thank you."
"..."
He’s really infuriating.
Jeong Seon-ui pressed her palms against her aching forehead at the thought of having to deal with The Dawn in the future and turned back into her office.
* * *
‘Jeong Seon-ui is surprisingly kind.’
It was thanks to Team Leader Jeong, but it seemed we had moved past the livestream issue without as much friction as I expected.
I made my way to the practice room. When I called Ju Woo-seong a while ago, he just told me he was practicing and to find him myself before hanging up.
When I arrived at the place he usually frequented, I saw him lying spread-eagled on the floor, drenched in sweat.
"The houseguest is here?"
Ju Woo-seong’s voice was thick with heavy breathing.
"You've really moved up in the world. Moving from that crappy building all the way into our company."
"And who was the one who used to show up at that crappy building every single day?"
"I don't know. I think I heard it was someone handsome and hot."
I responded to his nonsense with a click of my tongue and sat on the sofa.
I ran into him occasionally within the company, but it was usually just a quick greeting in passing.
Judging by the feedback he sent via text, it seemed he had come to our concert, but since we hadn't actually met, it had been quite a while since we’d spoken face-to-face.
"You guys are a hot topic lately. Is it because you have so much content? People are saying a lot of good things."
"Since when did you care about public reaction?"
"Even if I didn't care, how can I help it when I hear it everywhere?"
Ju Woo-seong sat up and roughly wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve, mockingly imitating my tone.
I threw the drink I had bought earlier at him to tell him to shut up.
Annoyingly, he pulled out his phone with his right hand while catching the bottle perfectly with his left.
"Being a 'hot topic' means we're popular."
"...Look at that mental strength."
I just twitched an eyebrow and flicked my hand to pull up my stats in the corner of my vision.
[Seo Ho-yun
The stubbornly tenacious lead vocal of The Dawn.
Singing: A+
Dancing: A-
Variety: S-
Acting: A-
Charm: S-
???: ???]
Looking at my stats now, I wouldn't fall behind anywhere.
"How's our company? Anything uncomfortable?"
I shifted my gaze toward Ju Woo-seong.
Immediately, his stats popped up.
[Ju Woo-seong
Our sucker—no, our very, very, very kind Woo-seong...
Where else could you find such a good friend?
Singing: A+
Dancing: EX0
Variety: A+
Acting: C
Charm: EX-
???: ???]
‘Shit.’
Even considering that his Charm stat had risen in proportion to his recognition, these stats were cheating.
‘Does this even make sense?’
As I stared blankly at his stats with a cold expression, Ju Woo-seong flinched and took a step back.
"...Why? What? Why? Why are you making that face again?"
"..."
"What are you plotting now? Are our staff giving you a hard time?"
No, you're the problem.
However, he had helped me out quite a bit, and I couldn't bring myself to tell such a sucker that he was the problem to his face. I just let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through my hair.
"No, it's nothing like that."
And then.
"We're going to California next week for an IRIX stage and to give the kids some training..."
Since we were going to California anyway, there was no real need to mention it.
The moment Ju Woo-seong returned from California as an EX-rank was still a shocking memory I couldn't forget.
"Well, I heard that you, Ju Woo-seong, went there after getting information from people in the company..."
"Seo Ho-yun, you're rambling."
"Want to come with us?"
The answer I expected was obvious.
Are you crazy? Have you lost it? What are you talking about?
I calmly waited for his response.
However.
"Sure."
Ju Woo-seong accepted my offer without a moment's hesitation.
"...'Sure'?"
"I said I'll go, you punk."
This wasn't the answer I wanted.
If he had rejected me, I was planning to nag him until I found out who he had practiced with.
"...What about your schedule?"
"My solo promotions are over, and it's the off-season, so I'm completely free. The other members went to their hometowns."
I tried to understand his thought process for a moment.
But I just couldn't wrap my head around it.
"Why are you really doing this to me?"
Ju Woo-seong’s eyebrows slanted.
"Me? 'You'? Where did your respect for your senior go, you brat?"
"Just answer me."
"And stop dropping the honorifics."
"Squeak, squeak."
"Are you a mouse? A rat?"
Ju Woo-seong, his face turning bright red as if his anger had reached its limit, jumped up from his seat. When I covered my ears because his yapping was too loud, his infuriated voice grew even louder.
"Agh! I said I'd help you nicely, and you're still complaining!!"
"That's why I'm asking why you're helping so nicely!"
"Hey, I can hear your brain gears grinding from here."
He let out a rough, exasperated breath.
"You made me curious. You made me wonder why you're so obsessed with being an idol."
Ju Woo-seong looked me straight in the eye, holding his half-empty drink bottle.
"Then you have to take responsibility."
Adding that, he snatched up his bag and screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Don't you dare get on the same plane as me. You bastard!"
And with that, he stormed out of the practice room.
Left alone, I stared at the door that had slammed shut in disbelief.
"I really can't figure him out."
Is he going through puberty or something?
At twenty-seven, isn't it a bit late for puberty?
‘Whatever.’
It is what it is.
If Ju Woo-seong was willing to help of his own accord, I didn't want to waste any more energy thinking about it.
I roughly re-wrapped the bandages on my feet and stood up to head back to the dorm.
"Finally, I can do something for my kids."
Off to California.