Producer with no Regrets - Chapter 329



Only Noblemtl

Episode 329

Hong Gyu-heon took in the sight of the airplane flying in the distance.

It may seem small now, but it will soon approach with a noise loud enough to make your ears ring.

“That thing?”

“yes.”

Han Gu-in pinched the bridge of his nose as if he was about to cry.

It was our first proper reunion in three months, so it was not hard to understand his feelings.

“I wonder how much the members have grown… … .”

“It wasn’t even a few years since we were apart, so how can we grow up?”

Hong Gyu-heon took a deep breath through his nose.

The cool morning air reached my lungs. It felt new, like foreign air.

Unlike the emotional Han Gu-in, Hong Gyu-heon, who maintained a cynical attitude throughout, actually had a hard time suppressing his intense expectations.

“Arrived.”

The two headed to the terminal arrival hall.

Even though it was morning, there were a lot of people. I waited for them to return in the gaps between people.

The door opened and people who had just returned to Korea poured out.

Hong Gyu-heon easily found Seong-pil and the members of the Girls’ League.

It was the same for them too.

“Boss! Director Han!”

Seongpil ran over with a face full of joy.

“I’m back!”

“Welcome.”

Han Gu-in shook hands with Seong-pil.

He conveyed his joy with tightly clasped hands.

Han Gu-in, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, was no different from the old days. It was just that he couldn’t hold back his joy at being reunited, and his expression was full of energy like a volcano.

“You worked hard in an unfamiliar foreign country. Really, really… … .”

When Han Gu-in saw Seong-pil’s healthy leg, his tears almost burst out.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, why are you crying!”

Seongpil hugged Hanguin tightly and dragged him in front of the members, intending to make him shed more tears.

“Look at Minna (everyone)! It’s a German!”

“Wow, he really is German. He doesn’t look that different from a Japanese person.”

Han Gu-in laughed while crying.

Seongpil, who had been happily looking forward to the reunion between him and the members, now faced Hong Gyuheon.

The two explored each other for a moment as if they were meeting for the first time. And then, Seongpil spoke first with a small smile.

“Boss, didn’t you want to see me?”

Hong Gyu-heon made a circle with his index finger and thumb together.

It means that I wanted to see as much as the size of this circle.

Seongpil spoke as if he knew everything.

“I’m not fooled. You mean you missed me as much as everything else?”

“Dr. Hong Gyu-heon has become a real person.”

Hong Gyu-heon spread his arms.

The two people hugged.

“Welcome, Director Park.”

“I’m back.”

* * *

“It’s so nice to see you all!”

morning.

Manager Kim Soo-hee came to pick up the Girls’ League members at their dorm.

The members took turns shaking hands with her and expressed their joy.

And as everyone boarded the van, a professional look of tension appeared on Kim Soo-hee’s face.

“I’m leaving.”

Destination, horizontal enter.

Driver, professional road manager Kim Soo-hee.

The members went to work for the first time in a long while, driven by a Korean.

“Sister, do we have other schedules?”

“No. I haven’t heard anything yet.”

As the leader of the Snow White Girls’ League, she manages the members.

She was the first to hear about the group’s schedule, but she still had no proper information.

Because the Girls’ League rested on the day of return.

‘Director Park went straight to work this morning, right?’

Seongpil was worried about Baekseolha.

The cast came off, but I don’t think your leg is fully recovered. Wouldn’t it have been okay to rest for another day or so after coming back to Korea?

“When I get back, Director Park will tell you.”

“Manager.”

“Yeah, Arami, why?”

“There are male trainees joining our company?”

Kim Soo-hee’s expression hardened.

“Uh… … Well, that’s true… … .”

“How many people came?”

“Now it’s seven… … .”

“There are a lot!”

Rika was startled.

“You saved that much in just 3 months!”

“Uh, um, I auditioned in many different ways.”

“The next group will definitely have at least 7 members!”

“Maybe… that’s not it?”

“Uh, why is that?”

“There will be trainees who fail.”

Rika’s thoughts paused for a moment.

“falling……?”

If you think about it, it’s only natural.

It is rare for the first trainee chosen to make it to the debut group.

Wasn’t that the case with KS Enter too?

Someone who had been a trainee for 8 years was eliminated, and Ginger, who had been a trainee for less than a year, became a member of KARS.

That’s just how trainees are.

‘Yeah, so we were special.’

The Girls’ League’s initial members were soon to debut.

Now that I hear about it, they were trying to keep the initial costs down in order to keep the group going for as long as possible.

However, the standard for idol production is to select the debut group from among as many trainees as possible.

“Then, is there a trainee named Yuuta?”

“I don’t know.”

“He said he’d be coming in soon… …!”

“Excuse me, Rika.”

Kim Soo-hee answered firmly.

“I’m just a roadie, so I don’t know about that.”

Even if you know, you can’t say anything.

As Min Kyung-seop, the head of the management team, strongly urged, even the smallest information exchange should not take place between the girls’ federation and the male trainees.

‘I heard that it was the same at Success Entertainment too.’

They say love blooms even on the battlefield.

There’s no way a planning company wouldn’t do that.

Isn’t this a place where children in their prime gather? They are all handsome men and women.

“… …Is that so?”

Rika was slightly taken aback.

Arriving at Garo Enter, the members stood in front of the entrance for a while.

It wasn’t to feel the scent of my hometown that I hadn’t felt in three months.

“What was the password?”

“48… … It’s true that it started with 4.”

“I’ll try!”

“Hey, that’s not true. If you make this mistake a few times, isn’t it like the bulkhead will come down or something?”

The reason they couldn’t get in was simply because they had forgotten their password.

At that moment, the door opened wide and a man I had never seen before appeared.

“Oh, thank you… … .”

Baek Seol-ha bowed her head as a representative and greeted them.

The man who appeared looked to be in his 20s or 30s. He opened his eyes wide when he saw the Girls’ League, then bowed his head without being too much.

“Hello. Wow, this is your first time seeing them in person? Wow, wow, the real Girls’ League. Oh, sorry. This is Shin Jun-seong from the Rookie Development Team. Nice to meet you.”

“nice to meet you.”

The members glanced back as they went inside.

Shin Jun-seong is waving his arms with great tension, as if he intends to see the members off until they disappear.

“A new talent development team has been created.”

I heard that the number of employees at Garo Enter has increased, but I never thought I would see a glimpse of it as soon as I entered.

Although he was a stranger, I strangely didn’t feel reluctant because he was a member of the same Garo Enter family.

Joara looked back one last time. Shin Junseong was still waving his arms.

“Teacher, that person was part of the new development team, right?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Is that person a vocalist? A dancer? Or just a planner?”

How does Snow White know that?

“I don’t know?”

“Mom, I don’t know… … .”

“Tsutup, they say that experts can sense each other’s energy. If even you, the master, can’t feel it, then that person’s level must be quite high.”

“… … .”

What kind of image does Baek Seol-ha have in Jo Ara’s head?

‘Are you just kidding? The term ‘climax…’ is also like that.’

Baek Seol-ha knows that it is a word that makes her feel embarrassed, so she continues to use it.

Anyway, it’s a new development team.

‘Soohyun also wanted to be an idol. Did she come to Garo Enter?’

Maybe it’s already inside this building.

The way up to the second floor.

“uh?”

The members were shocked as if they had seen a ghost.

Because someone was coming down from the third floor, which was always closed and had no traffic.

He was a fairly young man, in his late teens. He was walking down the stairs, drinking water, when he saw the Girls’ League and stopped dead in his tracks.

“excuse me…….”

As Baek Seol-ha opened her mouth, he clutched the water bottle tightly as if he was going to crush it and hurriedly ran up to the third floor.

“… … What, are we some kind of monsters?”

Joara seemed genuinely hurt.

It was understandable that he felt bad because as soon as he saw someone, he ran away, almost like a four-legged animal, using the stairs.

“don’t mind.”

Shin A-reum comforted Jo A-ra by patting her shoulder.

“This isn’t the first time something like this has happened.”

“It wasn’t me who ran away because of you, was it?”

“Huh, if he didn’t run away after seeing your face, Kyungseop oppa would have notified the male trainees separately.”

“what?”

“Don’t even talk to us. If you don’t, we’ll kick you out. Even at Success Entertainment, men and women are separated like that. If you get caught, you’ll be punished.”

“… … But, it really exists.”

The future juniors of the Girls’ League were really inside Garo Enter.

“Hey guys, it’s been a while!”

Min Kyung-seop was already waiting in the practice room.

He expressed his joy by giving each member a light hug. The members were also delighted to see him after a long time.

“Honey, how long are you going to gain weight?”

“How much did you gain, Ara… … .”

“It looks like your new sister-in-law is taking good care of you. But if you want to look good in a tuxedo, you need to take care of yourself.”

Min Kyung-seop looked at his body gloomily. He thought he didn’t show any signs of weight gain, but it seems he really has gained weight.

If other people say that too.

“I’ll tell you my schedule going forward.”

“Director Park won’t do it for you?”

“My brother has a meeting.”

“Isn’t the executive meeting on Monday?”

“Ara knows our company very well.”

“How much is the jjambbap?”

“Well, I just came back from Japan, so even if I do it every day, it won’t be enough. Anyway, the most important thing is the concert.”

All the playfulness disappeared from the members’ eyes.

The task given to them after returning from the big event of their Japanese debut.

Concert.

“There aren’t many confirmed countries. Japan, the US, Taiwan, Indonesia.”

These were countries that most members could understand.

“Chile…….”

“Chile?!”

But there was a country that was absolutely incomprehensible. It wasn’t even under consideration, it was confirmed.

“Hey, can we have a concert in Chile…? K-pop in Chile…?”

“Huh? No, I don’t know the details, but I heard you can do it? Maybe not a lot, maybe about 1,000 seats?”

Somewhere around 1,000 seats.

The fact that Girls’ League’s music reached a country on the other side of the globe was touching in a way that wasn’t related to things like album sales.

“That’s the confirmed one. Other countries will be added in the future.”

“question!”

“Yeah, Rika.”

“Why isn’t there China?”

Isn’t China a big country?

There are quite a few groups that consume K-pop.

However, it was not included in the Girls’ League’s concert plans.

“Hey Rika, did you fall asleep during class?”

“Hey, what happened? Director Park hates China?! That’s racism!”

Min Kyung-seop laughed in vain and began to explain.

“We can’t do it because of the Han Han Restrictions.”

“Ah, Hanhanryeong… … .”

Rika began to vividly remember the music history class she had taken from Seongpil.

The conflict that led to the deployment of strategic weapons resulted in massive regulatory retaliation from China.

Because of this, K-pop lost the huge market of China.

However, that actually became an opportunity for K-pop to turn its eyes to the world, and served as a stepping stone for K-pop to become global.

Rika’s eyes burned with passion.

“Our role is crucial! The Girls’ League must become the modern-day Scorpions and break down ideological barriers!”

“The Scorpions are still active.”

“Then you’re the second Scorpions!”

“Oh, you’re so bold? The second Scorpions. Can you do that?”

“Because dreams have to be high!”

Min Kyung-seop just laughed.

To be dubbed the second Scorpions, they would need to sell over 10 million copies of a single.

‘No, the standards are different because the era has changed from albums to music.’

If one song gets streamed over 2 or 3 billion times, can they be called the next Scorpions?

If that happens, Min Kyung-seop and all of the board members of Garo Entertainment will have nothing more to wish for.

If we just list the Girls’ League, Garo Enter will be in the top 30 in terms of market capitalization among Korean companies.

Min Kyung-seop finished his happy imagination and began explaining again.

“Anyway, you guys should completely learn the concert setlist by then.”

A total of 20 songs.

The number of songs each person is responsible for is probably around 10.

A concert is an event that can be considered a performance only if it can be seen as a whole.

“There are a lot of new choreography and performances to learn. The songs on the album also have to be perfected vocally. It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be hard, but… … .”

Min Kyung-seop said with confidence.

“Can you do it?”

“yes!”

The members united and shouted.

Immediately, everyone felt a sense of nostalgia and longing. A sense of unity that came every time they prepared an album.

A bond that has always pushed them to higher levels and taken them to places they could not have gone alone.

I felt confident that I could do it this time too.

“If you’ve done a concert, you’re a real idol, a real musician. You’ve already stepped onto every stage that an idol should stand on. Fighting!”

After Min Kyung-seop finished explaining, Baek Seol-ha extended her hand forward.

The members placed their hands on hers.

The slogan came out as if it were natural.

“Throwback… … !”

“for a moment!”

“Ahhhh… … ?

Min Kyung-seop stopped them.

“Just preparing for the concert will be exhausting, but there are other things to do.”

This was something that Min Kyung-seop actively pushed for. As the head of the management team, he passionately appealed to the directors that these things had to be done.

‘Even though it will take up quite a bit of time and energy.’

Min Kyung-seop cleared his throat and deliberately raised his tension.

“You guys have been getting a lot of offers to appear on variety shows and radio shows!”

“Yes? Why?”

“Seolha, don’t you have any idea how famous you are now?”

“Um, well, it’s been about 8 months since I’ve been active in Korea… … .”

They are on the verge of achieving the longest hiatus in Girls’ League history. Since they haven’t shown their faces in Korea during that time, it’s hard to accept the explanation that their popularity has increased so much.

“First of all, it’s thanks to ‘Newasa’. You beat that guy named Seiko and won, right?”

“Oh, that… … . It’s a Japanese broadcast, but is it known in Korea?”

“It’s known because it’s a Japanese broadcast! Because I beat one of the most famous singers in Japan on a Japanese broadcast!”

Only then did the members get the hang of it.

After winning ‘New Asa’, they were invited to all kinds of broadcasts, magazine interviews, and local big events in Japan.

At that time, I thought, ‘We became famous thanks to Newasa.’

Yes, I felt deep down that I had become famous.

For the first time since becoming an idol, I was able to truly experience the feeling of receiving an overwhelming amount of attention.

I thought this was the life of a real star.

“if…….”

Has the fame in Japan spread to Korea?

Min Kyung-seop answered ‘no’ to that question.

“I heard about your Japan story too. You said you became so famous that your eyes popped out. It’s not that much. It’s not that much, but you’re getting enough attention. The broadcasting station just kept asking when you were coming back.”

Min Kyung-seop gave the members a list of entertainment shows they had been asked to appear on.

Their eyes popped out wide.

“This, this, everything… … ?”

“okay.”

It contains all the prime time entertainment programs from most broadcasting stations.

It’s hard to believe that in a place like this, the Girls’ League can choose to appear wherever they want.

“I won the contest… … .”

“That’s not all, Hayang.”

Jang Ha-yang pointed to himself with a question mark.

“Your appearance at the ‘Fukuyo Hidaka’ fashion show also became a hot topic.”

To be exact, it became a hot topic because I went out with Jin So-yu.

The fact that a Korean was in charge of the opening ceremony of a luxury Japanese brand fashion show definitely attracted public attention.

Koreans, idols, and two of them at the same time.

“The victory at ‘Newasa’ and Hayang’s fashion show. These two things were the first to get reactions on the internet. And that was relayed to the media.”

The trend of legacy media losing its power due to the rise of new media has now become a visible phenomenon that even the general public can feel.

It became common for snobbish television networks to import Internet memes, jokes, and trends.

The fame of the Girls’ League this time also came about thanks to that trend.

“I don’t know if you guys saw this, but this is your nickname right now?”

National Federation of Patriots.

“Wow!”

“Right? Isn’t it weird? But what idol group in the world has ever had the word ‘nationalism’ written in their name! When you guys beat Seiko, I stood up right away and sang the 4th verse of the national anthem. Seriously! You guys are really amazing!”

“Ah, Team Leader Min! Director Han said that patriotism is an ideology created to easily control humans… …!”

“I want to be dominated! If you guys can be this proud, I’ll be dominated dozens of times!”

Shin A-reum glanced at Rika and held back her laughter.

The nickname of the group that includes Japanese people is the National Federation of Patriots. It is a nickname they earned by beating a famous Japanese singer and standing in a famous Japanese brand’s fashion show.

How does Rica feel?

“There’s nothing you can do! Drink as much as you want!”

I guess he doesn’t think much about it.

Global citizen Rika has long since overcome her patriotism.

Only patriotism remains.

“It’ll be pretty tiring to go to all the places that have been suggested. But I still want you to go.”

“What did Director Park say?”

“They said that we should practice for the concert for about a week and then decide for ourselves how much we can endure. And that we can go out as long as we don’t get in the way.”

Min Kyung-seop wanted to be on every broadcast.

In his opinion, concerts are a commodity.

Since ancient times, didn’t you need promotion to sell a product? Numerous television broadcasts would be sufficient promotion.

Although the members said that all broadcasts were ‘offers’, there were many that Min Kyung-seop personally brought about.

In his opinion, now is the time to row.

“Then you’re not going to decide now?”

“Yes. You can decide slowly. But I want you to know this one thing. I’m telling you now.”

“What is it?”

Min Kyung-seop spread his arms exaggeratedly.

“It’s the world of the Girls’ League now!”

They say that the third year is when an idol group stands at the crossroads of success and failure?

However, the Girls’ League has already succeeded.

Once you’re on the path to success, you don’t have to worry about falling anymore.

“You’ve worked hard, kids. All that’s left to do is keep going!”

Management Team Leader, Min Kyung-seop.

He was sincerely grateful to Seongpil.

I am truly grateful to you for taking me out of Success Entertainment and entrusting me with the Girls’ League, and for letting me experience this emotion.

“Then now… … .”

Baek Seol-ha also stretched out her hand in excitement. The members clapped their hands together, and this time they chanted a slogan.

“Throwback… … !”

“for a moment!”

“Ahhhh… …?”

“Team Leader Min, what have you been doing since a while ago! Why do you keep interrupting our slogan?”

“I have something else to tell you. The company outing.”

“A company outing?”

“We’re going to go on a company trip together for one night and two days.”

Min Kyung-seop showed off his excitement, but the members didn’t respond very well.

The Girls’ League’s question machine, Joara, raised her hand.

“Yeah, Araya, ask me anything!”

“You said you’re busy, but can we go out and play? You said you can’t go on variety shows or radio shows because of concert practice.”

“It’s important to play while playing.”

“Do I have to go?”

Min Kyung-seop knelt down and clung to the members.

“Kids, please go… …! If you guys don’t go, there won’t even be 10 people who will go… …!”

Shin A-reum was speechless.

“Brother, our company now has over 20 employees? So how come there aren’t more than 10 people attending the company outing?”

“……autonomy.”

“yes?”

“Weekends, participation is voluntary, so let’s do it like this… … .”

They all said they wouldn’t go.

“The 90s generation is here! They really are here! The generation that values ​​work-life balance more than a sense of belonging to a company has arrived!”

“… … Then who is going?”

“The president, this photo, me and Ji-eum.”

“It’s just a staff outing.”

“My words!”

All the members laughed together.

And the Girls’ League’s question machine, Joara, raised her hand again.

“Where are you going?”

“Choose between the sea and the mountains.”

“The answer is already out there!”

Rika declared, sternly and solemnly, yet cheerfully at the same time.

“Summer is the sea!”