Chapter 94
In fact, since I was thinking of going to see him anyway, it wasn’t surprising.
A little while ago, after Sol joined as a producer.
The five of us put our heads together and started brainstorming the group concept.
It wasn’t easy.
Each of the five of us had slightly different ideas for the concept.
“Girl’s hip-hop with a long history is the truth. It gives off an independent and confident vibe.”
“Kitsch high-teen, teen crush is the trendiest concept these days! I want to do it in a very sophisticated way, leading the trend. Unique and something that can only be done at this age! Nowadays, there’s a century-end retro feel trending as well!”
“I’d like to focus on pop, but not fixate on one specific concept. Personally, I think any concept can succeed if the songs are good.”
“A conceptual, dark fantasy feel would be nice. I want to try a strong concept. It would be cool if it had a warrior feel too… It would be great if we had tight choreography.”
Honestly, at first, I felt overwhelmed thinking about how to form a group with such diverse ideas.
I was the only one keeping neutral.
After the four of them argued enthusiastically, it always ended like this.
“So, Cheong-cheong, what do you think?!”
“I don’t know, you idiots.”
Don’t ask for my opinion now after fighting so passionately without me.
Honestly, there were countless moments when I was really annoyed.
They didn’t look like it, but they were all very stubborn.
What was especially surprising was that Seo Baek-young, who usually conceded to others, didn’t back down this time.
“I don’t like passive and delicate… that kind of concept.”
Fortunately, all five of us agreed on this point.
We didn’t step out of the dorm for a week except for schedules.
In the end, we reached a consensus.
“Is this the conclusion you guys came to?”
We immediately submitted the plan to Sol.
After all, he was our producer, and it was a task Sol had assigned.
“Let me see.”
Sol looked at our proposal for a long time.
The world view we created, each member’s direction, and the overall vision for the group.
Everything was in the tablet PC in Sol’s hands.
We even gathered reference images we drew and took ourselves.
“Hmm…”
The members watched Sol’s expression anxiously.
But only I remained calm.
Why, you ask?
“Guys.”
“Yes?!”
“Really…”
I was confident.
“It’s the best?”
Very confident.
“I’m really touched.”
Sol looked very dumbfounded.
Well, it was an unbelievable quality for something put together by rookies.
…Of course, I wasn’t a rookie…
“Do you like it?!”
“I don’t just like it. Honestly, I’d want to steal this concept for us.”
This was the highest praise.
I was confident too.
Do you know how hard it was to do this group project with these newborn giraffes?
Honestly, it was a million times harder than making a solo album.
“Wow.”
“Oh no…”
“…We wouldn’t really do that.”
I really started to feel embarrassed by Yeon Juhong and Kim Geum.
“So, can we proceed with this?”
Ryu Bo-ra got to the point.
“You want to start with this, right?”
Sol pointed to one screen.
It was the first schedule of the grand plan.
“Yes.”
And we needed this for our concept to gain credibility with the public and fans.
The problem was.
“It’s going to cost a lot.”
That was it.
Just looking at the roughly drawn synopsis, the scale was enormous.
Even I thought it would quickly break the billion mark.
“If we do everything you’re saying, 10 billion won will be a joke…”
“We, we are asking for a lot…”
Seo Baek-young quickly became dispirited.
No. Don’t be discouraged.
“I heard the seniors had that much investment when they debuted.”
Colors has a lot of money.
Of course, I considered their circumstances when submitting the proposal.
In my previous life’s agency, they wouldn’t have spent so much on rookies.
But Colors is different.
“Cheong, you know quite a bit?”
Sol smiled and nodded.
“That’s right. Actually, the company would have considered this amount.”
Colors isn’t just any big company.
It’s one of the top companies in the country, and the previous idols didn’t just succeed—they hit it big.
They wouldn’t save money for a girl group being released after a long time.
“But there’s a problem.”
“?”
Here comes the main issue.
“Director Kim won’t invest that much in a concept that’s not his idea.”
…Yes.
This was what kept bothering me.
If it were Director Kim’s idea, it would have already passed, and we’d be shooting.
But the concept he wanted was excessively provocative, quite different from ours.
Where do you think Kim Ryeo-yu’s obsession with the sexy concept came from?
It came from Director Kim.
“What should we do?”
“Hmm.”
Sol thought for a moment and put down the tablet PC.
“Guys. Are you really confident about this?”
I turned around.
Are you confident?
Everyone nodded.
There wasn’t a hint of doubt or anxiety in their eyes.
Considering they were full of anxiety throughout the musical, it was a tremendous improvement.
Or maybe they were just confident about this.
“Yes.”
I answered on behalf of the members.
At times like this, I felt like a leader.
Of course, it felt a bit like being a group leader forced upon by a fossil-class senior, but still.
“Then let’s try to make a deal with Director Kim with this.”
***
And so.
We came face to face.
“I saw the proposal Sol sent.”
Director Kim chuckled and put down a stack of papers.
He seemed to have printed them all out to read.
“Let’s get straight to the point since there’s no benefit in wasting each other’s time.”
Director Kim crossed his legs and looked at us.
“It’s not good.”
His face was full of sneers.
“I see you’re aiming for the rookie award. Debuting at the end of this year, releasing two albums next year.”
I neither confirmed nor denied it.
It was true that we were aiming for the rookie award.
“But you need to know this.”
What?
For the first time, I felt an odd sense of unease.
Director Kim looked far more confident than we expected.
“Soon, our company will be divided into three labels.”
“…!”
Everyone’s eyes widened.
I was also taken aback.
In my previous life, Colors was divided into three labels too.
It was something I knew.
But… that wasn’t supposed to happen for at least another five years.
“CEO Hong will lead one label directly, Director Sung, who currently manages All Colors and Burn Ash, will lead another, and….”
I didn’t need to hear the rest.
“My label.”
“But I heard this is just a trial operation and not an official split yet.”
At that moment, Seo Baek-young spoke up.
Seo Baek-young seemed to know something.
…Let’s ask later why she didn’t share this information.
“Yes. This time, each of us will produce and market a group separately. And we will get to keep the groups based on the revenue rankings.”
This is not good.
“We will decide based on the total revenue from the fourth quarter to the third quarter of next year.”
This is very bad.
“We will produce as many albums as you want. We need to maximize short-term profits. We’ll also make the repackaged album and album specifications very diverse.”
Our expressions hardened instantly.
We were planning to be active, but even so, that’s…
How is this different from thinking of fans as ATMs?
Even in games, inducing excessive spending only leads to resentment.
It might bring in a lot of revenue in the short term.
But in the long term, it’s the worst route for the group’s lifespan.
We absolutely couldn’t accept it.
“And it’s not just about sales, it’s about net profit as well.”
In short, he wants to invest less and earn more.
He’s saying he wants to run it on a low budget in a roundabout way.
Annoyance surged.
“There will be shareholder opposition. It’s not for the long-term benefit of the company, but for short-term-”
“There will be. But humans tend to be blinded by short-term gains.”
Director Kim’s face was now completely expressionless, devoid of any emotion.
“And who said I’m only going for short-term profits? I will prove my capability by making short-term profits with you and then receive the artists I want to make long-term plans.”
…!
In other words, he plans to use us as disposable cash cows.
He wants to slaughter the goose that lays golden eggs.
I was getting so incredulous that it was hard to contain my anger.
Hold it in.
“You’re seriously mistaken about something.”
Director Kim’s eyes gleamed with confidence.
“When launching an idol, it’s not about ‘who’ the idol is that matters. It’s ‘who’ makes the idol. As long as you have good songs, planning, and capital, launching an idol is no big deal. This industry is overflowing with talent.”
Hold it in.
“Frankly, if we hold a public audition now and debut five new members, do you think they wouldn’t be as successful as you?”
Hold it in.
“I don’t know what makes you think you can present this proposal to me. I’ve been in this industry for 30 years. You’ve barely been here for a month? Know your place.”
Hold… it in?
“If you’re scared, just die.”
“!”
I touched my mouth unconsciously.
I wondered if my thoughts had escaped my mouth without me realizing it.
But I wasn’t the one who said that.
“That’s one of my favorite lines.”
It was Ryu Bo-ra.
Ryu Bo-ra smiled brightly with an angelic face.
“Director Kim. If you’re so much better than us, why are you hesitating?”
“Ryu Bo-ra.”
Kim Geum looked at Ryu Bo-ra with anxious eyes and held her hand.
But Ryu Bo-ra’s eyes never left Director Kim.
“Bo-ra, you’ve become quite… sharp, haven’t you?”
Director Kim seemed momentarily taken aback but quickly regained his poker face.
“What am I hesitating about? I’m not hesitating at-”
“Let’s make a bet.”
“!”
This time it was me.
Thanks to Ryu Bo-ra, who relieved my frustration, I could regain my composure.
The other members seemed to feel the same.
“We understand Director Kim’s point well. You want to use us to make a quick buck and then discard us. Regardless of our intentions.”
“It’s not as harsh as that. I just want to maximize the company’s profit.”
“But.”
Sure, Director Kim can control our albums and activities.
But
“What if we take turns flopping, won’t it put a significant crack in your grand plan? And what if we decide to leave one by one, what then?”
No matter how powerful Director Kim is.
He can’t control people.
Am I crazy?
If it weren’t for the mission, I’d sue immediately.
“You wouldn’t-”
“They’re all rich kids here. Except me. You know that, right?”
I could feel the members’ stares.
It’s a bluff, guys.
A bluff.
“I’m the only one here who might not be able to let go because of livelihood. But honestly, I’d rather choose to starve to death.”
I could feel the members’ pupils shaking madly.
It’s a bluff.
Please stay still.
“I’m sure you’ve heard everything from Producer Sol. We’re confident about this proposal. We’re very confident about the promotion at the top of the proposal.”
“……”
“We’ll make our debut album a success. From start to finish. We’ll plan it ourselves and succeed.”
Director Kim laughed as if he found it absurd.
“Do you expect me to approve based on such ridiculous threats?”
“If we fail, we’ll do the rest of the activities as you say.”
“…!”
Finally, genuine interest flickered in Director Kim’s eyes.
“Make your choice.”