Chapter 40 - Do You Think You Can Do It?

“Snatch the Newstarz manager, what on earth are you talking about?”

To Seong Soo-ho's question, Seong Hae-won said, leaning her body against the Director's office sofa.

“There's a road manager who newly joined Haram Entertainment, and I hear the reason Newstarz changed like this is thanks to that manager.”

“What? Thanks to a road manager?”

“Yeah, I hear he's very capable.”

Seong Hae-won said with a laugh.

“I hear the reason PD Seo Dong-cheol started looking after Newstarz is also because of that manager. And that Trainer Tae Jong-soo was also persuaded by that manager to train Newstarz?”

“Really?”

Seong Soo-ho was lost in thought for a moment.

“If that's true, it's a bit tempting.”

“Right?”

“Yeah, just from your words, he sounds better than Team Leader Jeong.”

Seong Hae-won is merely an idol.

However, because she had learned about the entertainment industry by Seong Soo-ho's side since she was little, she possessed a more outstanding discerning eye than most team leaders.

If he's a person that Seong Hae-won is showing that much interest in, he must be worth it.

“Should I fire Team Leader Jeong and make that manager your team leader?”

“Aha, then that's great for me.”

If they can bring that manager over, they can deal a huge blow to Newstarz.

Then it will also work advantageously for Choux-pop in PD Seo Dong-cheol's new program.

Seong Soo-ho judged it to be so.

“What's that manager's name?”

“Baek Hyeon-woo.”

Seong Hae-won laughed, kicking her legs on the sofa.

“When I saw him last time, he was tall and handsome, too.”

***

“Fucking annoying...”

Joo Ga-hee frowned, looking at her phone on her dorm bed.

What was displayed on her phone screen right now was an anonymous internet community.

“Why is there so much talk about Newstarz...”

Everywhere she went, it was talk about Newstarz.

Even on message boards that had nothing to do with the entertainment industry, Newstarz fancams were being posted with titles like 'This Night-Bomb's Legend Performance'.

“She just made a mistake, what's so legendary about it.”

The fancam that was being posted with the title 'Legend Performance' was one that had filmed the scene of Kanade's mistake at the very end of the live performance.

She dropped the microphone from her hand, but narrowly snatched it back up and sang.

“She even fell and rolled in the middle. After that, she sang even though it wasn't her part.”

The way they quickly changed their formation centered on Kanade as if that was the plan from the beginning was also an eyesore.

It felt like they were emphasizing their teamwork, which made her feel nauseous.

However... in the comments, everyone was going wild.

— I saw it live and her shouting gave me goosebumps for real wow

— I thought Kanade was a one-trick pony who just did dumb stuff on variety shows... seems I was wrong

— If you watch the video of her playing tennis on Idol Weekly, you'll know, but Kanade's athletic reflexes are actually amazing. Her usual dazed act is all a concept

— I saw this and rolled once in the corner of my room and smashed my monitor

Idiots.

Joo Ga-hee cursed in her mind and clicked on another post.

It was a fancam of Laura smiling brightly and winking during her part.

— Wow, this is legendary

— Why is she so pretty

— How can she make a person this happy with just one wink

— She wasn't a kid who could make this kind of expression before, was there some kind of change of heart

Ah, so disgusting.

She felt like she could hear panting breaths, and it made her want to throw her phone.

She didn't want to see any more and tried to close the internet browser itself, but she accidentally clicked on another post.

–– Gravity, the force that always pulled me──𝅘𝅥𝅮

The fancam video auto-played, and the falsetto she had heard last time echoed.

In that moment, unable to bear it, Joo Ga-hee threw her phone.

— Opacity, there was nothing that I could see clearly──𝅘𝅥𝅮

However, the video didn't stop, and the sound of the song continued to be heard.

Joo Ga-hee threw her pillow and blanket on top of the phone to block the sound.

“I'm going crazy, for real...”

The strength drained from her whole body.

Joo Ga-hee lay down on the bed just like that.

“Why the hell is everyone stanning only Newstarz. Didn't they hire shills?”

Of course, Joo Ga-hee also knew.

Haram Entertainment is not a company that would hire shills to manipulate public opinion.

Joo Ga-hee herself was from Haram Entertainment, so she knew it better than anyone.

The reason Newstarz was getting such an enthusiastic response on the internet right now... was because Newstarz's performance was just that outstanding.

“No, I can't accept it...”

Until now, Joo Ga-hee had been thinking that escaping from Newstarz was the best thing she had ever done in her life.

Because thanks to that, she was able to debut with Choux-pop and become a popular idol.

There were many hard times while promoting as Choux-pop.

Whenever that happened, Joo Ga-hee would check on Newstarz's situation.

She was able to get comfort from seeing Newstarz fail to make it big and continue to enjoy only mediocre popularity.

But seeing a situation like now, where Newstarz is being evaluated as better than Choux-pop... her mental state was bound to shatter.

“How can this be? A group that had been flying at a low altitude for 3 years, why...”

At that moment, a man's face came to mind.

Newstarz's new road manager, Baek Hyeon-woo.

According to what Team Leader Jeong Do-woon and Seong Hae-won were saying, the recent changes in Newstarz were entirely thanks to Baek Hyeon-woo.

“If only that manager wasn't here...”

The words Baek Hyeon-woo had said on the first day of the Night-Bomb Festival came to mind.

And also what he said after the stage on the second day, 'Thanks to you, everyone was able to work even harder than usual. Thank you.'

“Fucking annoying...”

Feeling as if her insides were turning over, Joo Ga-hee burned with hatred for Baek Hyeon-woo.

***

“Wow, number one in real-time!”

Haram Entertainment office.

At Park Yeong-ho's fuss, the other employees, including Baek Hyeon-woo, all stood up and checked the monitor.

“The new version of 'Gravity' hit number one on the real-time charts! And on several sites too!”

“Wow, for real?”

“This has never happened before, has it?”

Today, 'Gravity' was registered on the music sites.

It's the version newly recorded with the 5-member system, including Yoo Jeong-ah.

And that is what recorded number one on the music sites' real-time charts.

There were also sites where it didn't take first place due to differences in the aggregation method, but it was recording a high rank on those as well.

This is entirely the influence of the Night-Bomb Festival.

The fancam videos from the Night-Bomb Festival were uploaded to each community site, and the people who saw it in person also spread the word here and there.

However, because only the old version of 'Gravity' was on the music sites, everyone was waiting for when the new version would be uploaded.

It was the result of that accumulated anticipation exploding all at once.

“Team Leader, I heard that Newstarz has never gotten first place before... does this count as hitting number one?”

“Huh? No, this doesn't count.”

Park Yeong-ho shook his head at Baek Hyeon-woo's question.

“The number one that the jinx 'if you don't hit number one in 3 years, it's hard to hit number one after that' refers to number one on a music show.”

“A music show?”

“A music broadcast. The kind they do on the major networks.”

“Ah, so it's the major network rankings?”

“Yes, and among them, Music World, which is on HBS, is considered the best.”

'Music World' is HBS's flagship music program.

It has been broadcast every Friday evening for over 20 years.

“But are the major network music broadcasts that important these days?”

“They're important.”

Park Yeong-ho asserted without hesitation.

“Actually, appearing on a music show itself isn't that profitable. It costs millions of won every time you go on, but the appearance fee is the size of a rat's tail. And it's not like the viewership ratings are good either. Even 'Music World' has viewership ratings of less than 1%.”

“Not even 1%? Even though it's a major network?”

“These days, music broadcasts are idol-centric. But the young kids who like idols don't watch a lot of major network TV, do they?”

“Ah, I see.”

“Still, the music broadcast clips get replayed a ton. I guess it's because the quality of the videos that come from the major network TV is on a different level from live fancams.”

Then again, no matter how well you film a fancam, you probably can't catch up to what's filmed with a broadcasting station's cameras.

“Is number one on a music show important because of that kind of thing?”

“Ah, number one on a music show has a bit of a different meaning.”

Park Yeong-ho said in a serious voice.

“If you just hit number one on a music show once, the event appearance fee jumps up several times.”

“Appearance fee?”

“Imagine you're the person in charge of a company that organizes events, Assistant Manager Baek. If it's a singer who has hit number one on a major network music broadcast, don't you think you'd have to pay them more?”

“Ah…”

“In South Korea, when determining a singer's value, the title of 'number one on a music show' has a tremendous influence. Because it's the most credible indicator.”

The major network music broadcasts have existed for decades.

They are bound to have more credibility than YouTube views or music site rankings.

“You even start getting a lot of advertisement requests. As you get called to various places while receiving a lot of money, your name recognition rises, and it becomes easier to hit number one again next time... a virtuous cycle is created, and it also helps you have a long run as a singer.”

“So that's why they say you have to hit number one within 3 years.”

“Yes, there are exceptions, but that's generally how it is.”

If you don't hit number one on a music show, there's a limit to your income and other things.

Because it's also difficult to raise their name recognition, their popularity is bound to decline as time passes, and if that happens, in the end, they can no longer maintain the group.

Newstarz's 3rd debut anniversary is in a few months.

Can they hit number one before their 3rd anniversary?

“Since we're on the topic, shall we go observe 'Music World'?”

“Observe?”

“You haven't experienced a major network music show yet, Assistant Manager Baek. Prepare in advance for when Newstarz appears later.”

Park Yeong-ho said while checking the schedule.

“On Friday, Laura and Kanade have a variety show recording at HBS, right? I also have business at HBS that day, so let's go together and watch for a bit.”

“Is that okay?”

“It's not like we're taking up audience seats, I'll go and talk to them.”

Certainly, Baek Hyeon-woo doesn't know well how a major network music show works.

It would be good to prepare even a little on this occasion.

“Understood. Then I'll be in your care.”

“Yeah, let's go together on Friday.”

And so, the schedule to observe HBS's 'Music World' was set.

***

Friday morning.

Baek Hyeon-woo and Park Yeong-ho took Laura and Kanade in the car and headed to the HBS broadcasting station.

“You see that crowd of people gathered in front of the building over there?”

“Yes, there seems to be several dozen people.”

Park Yeong-ho said, pointing to the people gathered on the roadside.

“They're here to watch the 'Music World' performers go in. HBS has them get out at the outdoor parking lot and walk into the public hall.”

“They walk? Instead of going straight up from the underground parking lot?”

“Yeah, it's commonly called the 'arrival route'.”

Just then, several male idols could be seen walking with their managers.

The fans screamed and cheered, and reporters also mixed in among the fans and set off camera flashes.

“We used to arrive like that too.”

“You're passing by in your personal clothes, not stage outfits, so you have to pay a lot of attention to your clothes...”

Laura and Kanade each said a word from the back seat.

He thought that the major network music shows were indeed different in some way.

“Today, we're not going to the public hall but to the main building, so we can just go to the underground parking lot over there.”

“Yes, understood.”

After parking in the underground parking lot, they went up to the main building and headed to the studio where today's recording was.

Today, Laura and Kanade were scheduled to appear as guests on a certain variety program.

“Oh, Team Leader Park, it looks like you hit the jackpot at Night-Bomb this time? Your efforts have paid off.”

“PD-nim, I didn't do much. Assistant Manager Baek here played a big role.”

“Hello. I'm Baek Hyeon-woo.”

Baek Hyeon-woo watched the recording while exchanging greetings with the HBS people along with Park Yeong-ho.

Laura and Kanade showed off their bubbly sides, making use of their individual personalities.

“It's funny how Laura scolds Kanade whenever she says nonsense.”

“Yeah, maybe it's because they've gotten closer that this side of them is coming out. It seems like it would be good to promote that combination in variety shows.”

The HBS PDs also showed a good reaction, and the recording ended successfully.

“It's about time for the 'Music World' pre-recording... what do you guys want to do?”

“We'll watch for a bit before we go. We don't have anything else to do today.”

As Laura retorted that way to Park Yeong-ho's question, Kanade flinched.

“Uh, I was planning on going back and playing games today...”

“So it's true you have nothing to do. You go observe too before you leave.”

“Aargh...”

As Laura glared at her, Kanade's shoulders drooped.

In the end, the four of them headed together to the public hall where the 'Music World' pre-recording was taking place.

“Assistant Manager Baek, I have someone I need to greet, so I'll be back in a bit, just wait here.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“This is a place where the audience can't come in, so just relax.”

Park Yeong-ho left, and Baek Hyeon-woo came to be waiting with Laura and Kanade.

Perhaps because it was close to the singers' waiting rooms, managers passed by frequently.

“Hyeon-woo oppa.”

“What?”

“Oppa, do you think we can get number one on a music show?”

Laura abruptly asked that question.

“There aren't many months left until our 3rd anniversary... do you think it's possible in that time?”

“We have to make it possible.”

“I knew you'd say that.”

Laura laughed for a moment at Baek Hyeon-woo's answer.

“It's difficult with an old song like 'Gravity'. A new song has to come out.”

“A new song...”

‘Gravity’ is a song that was made on the premise of having Joo Ga-hee as the main vocalist.

So... a new song that fits the current Newstarz, with Yoo Jeong-ah as the main vocalist, must come out.

“Team Leader Park is preparing it with the A&R Team Leader right now... but I don't know if a good song will come out.”

“The A&R team decides what kind of song to do, right?”

“Yes, after planning which direction to go in, they talk to the composer…”

As they were having that conversation.

A bubbly voice was heard from behind them.

“Oh my, look who it is.”

Today is the day they film 'Music World'.

He hadn't thought that Choux-pop might be appearing.

Choux-pop's leader Seong Hae-won, whom he had met last time, was smiling and waving at Baek Hyeon-woo.

“Why are those things here?”

Next to Seong Hae-won was also Joo Ga-hee, who was contorting her face, showing all of her displeasure.

And another person... a middle-aged man with an angular face was with them.

“Assistant Manager Baek Hyeon-woo?”

“Yes, that's right.”

As he answered the middle-aged man's question, he strode closer.

His build was large and he was wearing a high-end suit, so a sense of pressure was felt.

“This is who I am.”

DP Entertainment, Planning Division 2, Director Seong Soo-ho.

It was written like that on the business card.

It seemed he was a director-level manager like Choi Tae-hyung.

“Assistant Manager Baek.”

Before Baek Hyeon-woo, who had received the business card, could say anything, Seong Soo-ho asked.

“Do you have any thoughts of coming to DP Entertainment? I'd like you to take charge of Choux-pop.”

It was a sudden, catch-you-off-guard proposal.

The only one who wasn't surprised by Seong Soo-ho's remark was Seong Hae-won.

Baek Hyeon-woo looked intently at Seong Soo-ho with his mouth shut, Laura's mouth fell wide open, Kanade's eyes went round... and finally, Joo Ga-hee made an expression as if the sky were falling.