Genius Manager Who Hears Voices - Chapter 69



Only Noblemtl

Episode 69

5 billion.

Heesung asked about the huge sum of 5 billion won that he would receive if the group made a successful debut, won first place on a music show, and entered the charts within the top 10.

Wouldn’t it be better to raise it yourself rather than giving 5 billion?

That would be the case, because Heesung thought that 5 billion was a huge amount of money and that he could raise any idol group with that amount of money.

With GEM Entertainment’s influence and power, achieving those three conditions didn’t seem that difficult.

But CEO Yoo Hyeong-seok thought differently.

First of all, it will take at least 7 more years for GEM Entertainment to launch its next boy group, and by then, the current members will be in their thirties.

The so-called thirty-year-old. This was something that could not be possible.

And the second one.

It means that you have to lose to get what you want.

A portion of the acquisition price had already been paid at the time of the contract, and that money was no longer recoverable.

So, it means that whether you give up or not, nothing will change.

Besides, the 5 billion won that he was going to give to Heesung was only a reward if he succeeded.

If Heesung fails to meet those three conditions, the money does not have to be paid.

Then what if, on the contrary, you succeed?

He thought that by then, the number 5 billion would be nothing.

It may take some time, but when they meet those conditions, they will already be a successful boy group, and from then on, all that’s left to do is keep growing.

The ripple effect of a successful boy group, the enormous profits they make not only domestically but also internationally. After hearing all of that, Heeseong couldn’t help but nod obediently.

It was so great that the number 5 billion really felt like nothing.

So, it was just the day before yesterday that I gathered my courage and decided to give it a try, and signed a contract with Seungik Joo.

Looking at Lee Seung-ho sitting in front of him, Hee-sung instinctively felt that something was seriously wrong.

“No way… … You’re a member here? Seungho Lee, you?”

“… … Hyung, it’s been a while. I heard that a new person was coming to take care of us, but I didn’t know it would be you… … . How have you been… …?”

“Ha, what is this? If Hee-won finds out, there’ll be chaos.”

It’s not that anything else, but Seungho Lee was my younger sister Heewon’s ex-boyfriend. Or more accurately, should I say he was my first love?

You might say that it doesn’t matter since it’s just a relationship when you don’t know anything, but this is a bit, the situation is complicated.

Even though it was a relationship during student days, it lasted for a whopping 5 years.

A case where we met in middle school and broke up in the third year of high school.

Of course, not only Heesung but also each other’s parents knew each other, and at that time, they were only envisioning a rosy future, talking about whether or not they would become in-laws.

Then, when the two, who were the same age, turned 19, Seungho Lee told Heewon that he was breaking up with her.

Lee Seung-ho, who had already been a trainee before, was selected for the debut group, but his agency told him to sort out all of his personal life.

Not only Hee-won, the person involved, but everyone else was shocked and saddened, but Hee-sung thought it was a good thing.

Anyway, once I debut and become successful, this relationship won’t last, and it’s obvious that my younger sibling will only be more hurt by that time.

Breaking up in similar circumstances and being notified of a one-sided breakup when only one party was doing well are two entirely different issues.

Even then, I tried to comfort my younger sibling by saying the same thing, but since I had no one to talk to, I was kicked out of the room and heard just one thing.

“Hey, T?! Don’t ever come into my room again!”

That’s how Hee-won spent her most important years of high school, her third year, in disappointment and pain, and ended up having to retake the college entrance exam. That was her bitter story.

After that, Heeseong also started his social life and we never mentioned it at home, so I completely forgot about it.

I couldn’t help but be dumbfounded when I met Seungho Lee again in such an unexpected situation.

“What happened? Didn’t you debut back then? I thought it was a pretty big company back then, but why are you here like this… .”

He clearly said that they were rookies whose contracts had not even dried yet.

So of course, I had an image in mind.

However, Seungho Lee already has debut experience.

Besides, he was asking how she was here, considering she was already quite old even for an idol.

Lee Seung-ho answered Hee-sung’s question with a bitter face.

“It disbanded right after our debut. We ran for five years, desperately trying to survive, but it all ended in one day. Just one word from the CEO, one decision.”

“What are you talking about? Tell me exactly.”

“We debuted as a six-member group, but half of them had accidents right after our debut, all for different reasons. After that, we had no choice but to halt our activities.”

“Accident? What kind of accident? Are you talking about a traffic accident or something?”

Lee Seung-ho shook his head.

“No, they were literally incidents. One was about drugs, one was about school violence, and another… … . Wow, it was just trash. I couldn’t understand how the team was formed like that.”

“There were three of those guys in one team? They all had past records?”

“Yes. The drug members were still going on since they were trainees. When I looked into it, I found out that there were more than one or two of them. They were the ones who were only circulating drugs within the company.”

Heeseong asked back, somewhat not understanding.

“If you debuted together, you must have spent a lot of time together, right? And no one around you knew about it?”

“Just because we’re a debut group doesn’t mean we’re all close. The debut group is literally made up of members who have received good reviews. In reality, we only spent about a year together before our debut.”

“Hmm, since three of the members had such incidents, it was only natural that their activities would be suspended. The other members’ images would have suffered as well.”

Lee Seung-ho nodded his head.

“So, they called us in and told us that they wouldn’t return our deposit and that we should each go our separate ways. They said they would take the deposit they gave us as a penalty for our breach of contract from the other three members and apologized.”

“Who is that agency president?”

“Yes. Even so, I must have spent a lot of money while I was a trainee, and thinking back now, it was really an incredible consideration. If not, I would have spent the entire 7 years there. I wouldn’t have even dreamed of debuting again.”

“Hmm. So you came out then and stayed here the whole time? And then you got another chance to debut?”

As he asked that, Heesung looked at the other members sitting next to Seungho Lee.

It was because I was worried that these friends here might have similar stories to Seungho Lee.

Then, apart from money, the burden becomes very heavy.

‘I wonder if I did this for nothing… … In a way, it’s like their lives depend on me.’

“No. It hasn’t been that long since we came here. Not just me, but all of these guys here too. When we came here, it had already been acquired by GEM Entertainment.”

“You say it hasn’t been that long since you came here? Then what have you been doing since then?”

“Well… … I went to auditions and participated in competition programs on TV, as an individual trainee without an agency. And during that time, I studied music a lot on my own.”

“Studying music? Are you talking about composing and writing lyrics?”

“Yes. As I got older, I started to feel anxious because it seemed like it would be harder and harder to debut as an idol. So I thought I should create something of my own. Since then, I have continued to work on such projects on my own.”

“Hmm.”

I wonder why not.

The last time I saw him, he had already been a trainee for 5 years, and 5 more years have passed since then, so he’s been pouring over 10 years into this.

But since he couldn’t see the light, it was only natural that he would feel anxious.

I thought that maybe he was trying to do something with the mindset of grabbing at straws.

“Let’s start with introductions. You’ve heard the general situation, right?”

The members nodded simultaneously at Heesung’s question.

“It’s unfortunate for you, but the contract was originally going to be canceled due to changes in the company’s circumstances. It was literally like the acquisition itself never happened. Then GEM decided to give us another chance.”

“Yes, the head of the headquarters came yesterday and said that from now on, a capable manager will take care of us properly, and that our fate depends on that person.”

“Ah, no, no. If you say that, I won’t even be able to start? I don’t know if you know, but I’ve been in this business for less than a year. In terms of experience, I’m way behind you guys. But what about fate?”

“They say that in the professional world, results speak for themselves. Manager… … Oh, can I call you hyung? You’ve already done a lot of work, hyung.”

“Oh, really? You must be the oldest here. Judging from the way you speak, it’s quite extraordinary.”

“He’s the youngest among the four of us.”

Hee-sung couldn’t help but smack his lips at those words.

These days, kids can’t tell age.

“I’ll introduce you in order. Lee Seung-ho, Kang Min-chang, Song Sun-woo, Lee Do-geun. The age order is also this. I’m the oldest. It hasn’t been decided yet what position each of us will take. As soon as we signed the contract, the CEO said so… … .”

As soon as Seungho Lee introduced himself, the members all bowed to Heeseong.

At that moment, something strange occurred to Heesung and he asked.

“But are there only four members? Don’t boy groups usually start with at least five members? Or even more. I don’t think I’ve ever seen four.”

“You said you would pick more, but there was no progress. And that’s how this happened.”

“Then you’re not prepared at all for your debut? If you haven’t even properly formed a member lineup, then there probably won’t be any songs or anything… …?”

I asked, thinking, “Surely not.” I hoped so.

But the answer I got back, as expected, disappoints me.

“Yes, actually, we’ve been practicing amongst ourselves… … for the past several months.”

“I was practicing the song that Seungho hyung made. I did the vocals like that and danced to other seniors’ songs… … .”

In this way, Heesung heard about the process from Seungho Lee and the members without any omission.

And the answer was one.

‘I’m screwed.’

Nothing was prepared.

In short, it meant that from now on, Heesung had to personally handle all producing.

It’s the debut song, the debut stage, the music video, and even the debut schedule.

It was a very important mission for Heesung.

“Well… … How about you guys take a break for a week? Buy some delicious food with this?”

Heesung takes out a card from his wallet and hands it to the members.

Right now, my mind was going blank and I felt like I needed to run away.

“My flight is almost here, hahaha. You can eat whatever you want with this. I’ll make all the plans in one week, the week I’ll be in America! Okay?”

The members shouted “okay” with faces full of anticipation at those words.

Only Heesung was okay with it.