Producer with no Regrets - Chapter 334



Only Noblemtl

Episode 334

“Sarah.”

When the door opened, it was Globe member Wisera who appeared. She flinched when she saw Sungpil, but soon bowed politely.

“Hello, team leader.”

When Wiserra raised her head again, she couldn’t even see a polite smile.

It had been several years since he had seen her in person, so she had changed a lot from what he remembered.

It was the atmosphere rather than the appearance that was like that.

‘It’s changed.’

Wisera was a bold middle school student who came up to Seoul from Mokpo with the intention of becoming an idol.

Even when she was away from her family, she never lost her smile.

To Wiserra, laughter was like clothing. It was something she always wore.

But the current her is not like that.

“Is Somin here? She said she was here.”

To Seongpil, it seemed as if Wisera had become weak. Not physically, but psychologically, she seemed to have lost all her energy.

He seemed like a person who had a hard time putting effort into even one smile, so he erased his expression.

“… … Oh, yeah. There is.”

I was momentarily dumbfounded at the sight of her change.

Seongpil called Yang Somin. But Yang Somin did not answer and did not come out to the front door.

It seemed like he was waiting for Wiserra to come in.

“… … Do you want to come in?”

“Excuse me.”

Wise entered Seongpil’s house without any hesitation.

She approached Yang So-min with threatening steps. Then she stood in front of Yang So-min, who was kneeling, and looked down at her with an imperious look.

“What are you?”

Seongpil’s steps became steadfast as he was about to enter the room. This was because he heard a cold voice that the old Wise Ra would never have been able to utter.

“What are you doing?”

“… … Sister, is PD-nim really angry?”

“If you were me, wouldn’t you be angry?”

He suddenly ran away from the company and didn’t contact me for a few days. The last time I contacted him was just a few hours ago.

“If you were in your right mind, you should have contacted the company instead of me. Are you still scared?”

“What did the PD say?”

“Okay, get up quickly.”

“Did you say anything to me?”

“Yang So-min, you… … .”

“Tell me.”

Wiserra’s expression became much more rigid than before.

She said simply, sweeping her hair up as if expressing anger.

“You didn’t say anything. Not to us, not to the people at work.”

“Nothing?”

“……uh.”

Yoon Sang-yeol didn’t say anything about Yang So-min. He just observed Globe’s practice for a while as usual, or locked himself in the studio and focused on producing.

“ha ha ha.”

Yang So-min laughed squeakily like a doll with a faulty circuit.

“Sister, what did I do wrong? Is that why PD Yoon hates me? Do you know what… ?”

“Okay, then. You’re the least skilled among us.”

“Sarah!”

Seongpil raised his voice at Wisera’s direct verbal abuse. However, Wisera did not stop and instead turned her venomous gaze towards Seongpil.

“Why? You told me not to do it? You told me to be friendly with you? But, Team Leader, you don’t have the right to say such things to me.”

Wise-ra bit her lips tightly shut as if she was about to burst into tears.

“You abandoned us… … .”

Abandoned.

With that choice of words, Sungpil was left with absolutely no room for objection.

‘Thrown it away?’

Yes, that’s right.

Seongpil threw away the globe.

I gave up on Success Enter.

‘For my dream.’

I have no regrets.

However, Seongpil felt uneasy as he looked at the byproduct of the future he had chosen.

It wasn’t just an uncomfortable feeling, it was an unspeakable feeling of depression that filled my stomach.

‘It has changed so much….’

Success Entertainment without Sungpil has changed like this. In Yoon Sangyeol’s kingdom, Globe was unable to find peace and was eating itself away.

You could tell just by looking at the changed appearance.

In her previous life, she had many difficult and sad experiences, but she always had a smile on her face.

‘Vice President, I’m really, really glad that I joined Success Entertainment. But about renewing my contract… … Hmm, if you manage me directly, I’ll think about it, hehe.’

After the end of the 7-year contract with Globe, I remembered the words of Wisera, who had spoken so frankly during an interview with Sungpil.

The appearance at that time and the current state of Wesera did not overlap at all.

“No, no, no.”

Wise wiped her eyes with the palm of her hand and erased the shaking from her voice.

“Team leader, you have your own life. You’re not our father, so it’s natural for you to go wherever the situation requires. I’m sorry for taking it out on you.”

“Sarah… … .”

She ignored Seongpil’s call and looked at Yang Somin again.

“The reason PD Yoon hates you is simple. It’s because you can’t meet his demands. Then you have to work harder or run away? Are you a child? A little kid?”

“But I… … .”

“If you’re going to be satisfied with just yourself, why do we have trainers and planners in our company? You should know that you’re happy.”

“……happiness?”

“Where else in our generation has there been a girl group this successful… …!”

Wise-ra glanced at Seongpil and changed the subject.

“How many girl groups have been this successful in history! This is just a miracle! You’re living in a miracle! Running away because things are a little difficult is an insult to other idols!”

“… … .”

“Somin, our Somin.”

Wiseora hugged Yang So-min and slowly lifted her up.

“Let’s go back. Let’s go back and work harder. We’ll help you. We’ll put in a good word for the PD, so let’s go back.”

Yang So-min followed Wise-ra weakly.

Passing by Seongpil, Yang So-min nodded without opening her mouth.

Wisera even personally put Yang So-min’s shoes on. And the moment she was about to leave Seong-pil’s house, Wisera spoke briefly.

“Congratulations, Team Leader. You’re producing idols yourself.”

Wiserra’s body leaned forward as if it was going to move.

But she paused for a moment, then turned around as if she had made up her mind and looked at Seongpil.

Seongpil was able to see Wisera’s smile for the first time in years. Still bright and beautiful, a treasure that brightens the world.

“I should have said this first. Congratulations. You may not believe it, but I am happy for you too. I am glad that you achieved your dream. But… … .”

I didn’t want to say that word, “weiser.”

Even now, my heart was telling me not to do it. But I just couldn’t bear it.

“It would have been better if you were with us.”

The door is closed.

Seongpil stood there blankly for a while.

I looked around the room with Wesera’s voice still in my head.

Traces of Yang So-min were seen.

The tablet on the bed still had pictures of Seongpil and Shin Areum floating around.

Seongpil picked up the tablet and looked at the photo. In the photo, Seongpil looked happy, beyond anyone’s doubt.

“… … .”

Seongpil pressed the back button to get out of the photo.

A list of thousands of photos stored in the gallery appeared.

Among them, the photos Seongpil took at the company outing were automatically saved.

For two days and one night, Yang So-min continued to look at the photos that were uploaded.

“… … .”

The moment he was about to unsynchronize the devices, a photo he didn’t recognize caught his eye.

It was a photo of Yang So-min taken in Seong-pil’s room.

She took a selfie with Sungpil’s military discharge photo in a framed desk on her desk.

Yang So-min’s shyly raised V sign and Seong-pil’s firm salute were in the same space.

As the time period of the two photos changes, Sungpil and Success Enter have become distant.

* * *

Yang So-min entered Yoon Sang-yeol’s studio.

It’s still a dry space.

A feast of sound equipment placed in a bleak manner.

Inside, Yoon Sang-yeol was sitting with his back to her. He didn’t even glance at Yang So-min when she came in.

As usual, I’m just looking at my laptop.

“sorry.”

Yang So-min apologized.

There was no answer.

A silence that seemed like it would kill a person wrapped around Yang So-min’s neck. After a minute like that, Yoon Sang-yeol finally opened his mouth.

“under.”

It was a laugh.

“Go out and practice.”

That was the end of it.

Yoon Sang-yeol knows that this is what hurts Yang So-min the most.

That a simple laugh can be much more damaging than verbally abusing her to try to hurt her pride or criticizing her for running away like a child.

Yoon Sang-yeol knew it all too well.

“… … PD-nim.”

Yang So-min didn’t go out.

If Yoon Sang-yeol had been watching her, he would have noticed the change in her.

Yang So-min’s previous fragile appearance was erased, and her eyes were filled with a creepy venom.

“Am I… … lacking?”

All I could hear was the mouse clicking.

“How much… is it lacking?”

The sound of keyboard tapping is back.

“How much more do I have to practice and how much better do I have to get until the PD is satisfied?”

A sigh came back, as if it contained all the irritation in the world.

Yoon Sang-yeol swiveled his chair to face Yang So-min. He stared at her leisurely, his hands clasped together.

Three minutes passed like that.

“I am…….”

Yoon Sang-yeol broke the silence.

“I am. I lived in a flower garden.”

“… … .”

“There were only flowers all around, blinding me. But they weren’t mine. I was a gardener. My job was to watch over the flowers and trim them so they would grow well. That’s why I wanted my own flower garden. My own flower garden where I could plant and grow them as I pleased.”

It refers to the time when I was at KS Entertainment.

Yang So-min understood his story in an instant.

“Well, I got it. My own flower garden. A flower garden where I can plant and trim as I please. I planted the seeds and waited. Can you imagine? The excitement of waiting for sprouts to come out of the ground. The thrill of when sprouts really do come out. Do you understand?”

And finally, the flower buds formed.

Seven lovely flower buds.

“But it doesn’t bleed.”

No matter how long you wait, no matter how much love you give and watch over it, no matter how much effort you put into polishing it.

“It won’t bloom. It’s just a flower bud. Now, do you understand that?”

Yang So-min’s gaze had already turned to the floor. Yoon Sang-yeol didn’t dare scold her for not looking at him even though he was talking.

Instead, he continued his story.

“It feels like the flower bud I’ve been waiting for hasn’t bloomed. Even just a little bit, really just a little bit, I feel good. Do you understand?”

“… … .”

“That’s right. You wouldn’t understand. If you did, you wouldn’t have run away.”

Yoon Sang-yeol pointed toward the door.

“Go out. Homework check is this evening.”

Yang So-min left the studio.

Yoon Sang-yeol enjoyed the peace that had returned and devoted himself to his work.

It took several hours of listening to reports from visiting staff, meeting with the production team, reviewing documents, and working on composing songs.

The alarm went off so I checked my phone.

[Yang So-min’s homework check]

Yoon Sang-yeol put his cell phone in his pocket and finally got up from his chair.

I dragged my aching body out of the studio.

Unexpectedly, distracting thoughts arose.

‘Am I weird?’

Yoon Sang-yeol is not stupid. He knew that Globe was hostile to him.

However, I didn’t think my behavior was strange.

Yoon Sang-yeol recalled when he first met Yang So-min.

‘Oh, hello! I’m Yang So-min! My dream, that is, my goal, is to become the best idol in the world!’

I will become the best in the world.

The moment he heard those words, Yoon Sang-yeol felt as if a refreshing breeze had blown through him.

He is sure of one thing.

The truth is that only a very small number of people in the world have ever heard the words, “I will become the best in the world,” spoken out loud in their lives.

How many times in a normal person’s life does he or she get the chance to meet someone who declares, “I will become the best in the world”?

Maybe it will never happen.

‘Am I weird?’

A feeling of wanting to help a human being who confidently declares that he will become the best in the world.

‘Is it that strange?’

Yoon Sang-yeol made up his mind then.

Let’s keep this feeling forever.

That is probably the most noble sentiment a producer can have.

“Let’s get started.”

Yoon Sang-yeol, who came to the practice room, said.

Yang So-min started performing.

Yoon Sang-yeol was absorbed in his thoughts while watching her performance from beginning to end.

‘Your goal is to be the best in the world?’

‘Yes, yes!’

‘Yeah, the best in the world… … Hehe.’

‘Are you, a bit, overstepping your bounds… …?’

Yang So-min was a flower bud.

But it doesn’t bloom easily.

So, Yoon Sang-yeol made a decision.

I will forcefully grasp the bud, pull it apart, and reveal the fragrant petals it has been hiding so well.

I will force it to rip and make it bleed.

‘No, that’s off topic. That’s what will happen.’

‘Oh, thank you!’

Yang So-min finished her performance.

“Okay, that’s the end. Thank you for watching.”

I can see the flower petals.

Although the leaves were torn and damaged by being forcibly pulled apart, the gorgeous colors of the leaves were slowly revealing themselves through the unsightly green buds.

It’s only a little bit visible now, but it’s revealed.

Yoon Sang-yeol nodded slightly and left the practice room.

All distracting thoughts also disappeared.

‘I’m not weird.’

The strange thing is that there are people who just stare at flower buds that may or may not bloom at any time.

* * *

Horizontal Enter conference room.

Seongpil, Son Hyebin, Lee Yui, and the members of Girls’ League waited for Jo Jinman to arrive.

It was the first official concert-related meeting held by the Girls’ League since returning to the country.

“Is everyone okay after the company outing?”

When Seongpil asked, the members laughed without saying a word.

“I slept as soon as I got back.”

“I think Seol-ha would do that.”

“I, it wasn’t just me who slept, we all slept together… … .”

It seems like everyone was quite tired.

If you drink to the point where you fall asleep while sitting still, you can’t possibly be in good condition.

“That must have been fun. I wanted to go too.”

“Ms. Yui, you shouldn’t say things like that just to avoid embarrassment. It could come back to bite you later.”

“Really. I couldn’t help it because it was my friend’s wedding.”

“Let’s definitely go together next time.”

As if it wasn’t a lie that she wanted to go, Lee Yui agreed with excitement.

“Did you do something like bragging about your talents? I really wanted to see that. What did Director Park do?”

“I didn’t brag about my long-term goals.”

“Huh? Then what did you do?”

“It’s a drinking game.”

“Drinking game… … .”

Lee Yu-i seemed to have a hard time imagining it.

It’s hard to imagine a scene where Sungpil and Hyebin Son, both in their mid-30s, are playing a drinking game just by hearing it.

“Oh, that’s right.”

Son Hye-bin looked at Baek Seol-ha with a sly smile. Baek Seol-ha felt an inexplicable sense of crisis, but smiled back at her.

“Seolha, what happened?”

“What is it?”

“You told me when you put Hayang to sleep. Hayang said she was curious about what a kiss felt like, so you said you’d tell her later.”

“Ah, ah, that… … .”

Of course, it was just a remark made to put Jang Ha-yang to sleep. There was no way he would really do that.

“That’s right.”

Jang Ha-yang’s tone was serious.

“Can you teach me now?”

“uh?!”

“My sister told me to tell you. I’m curious. Please teach me.”

As Jang Ha-yang slowly approached, Baek Seol-ha stepped back, trembling.

Joara blocked the gap between them.

“Unnie Hayang, I told you to control your jokes. If you keep doing that, it’ll be difficult.”

“Are you kidding me?”

Snow White, urgent roommate replacement request!

“Sister.”

“why?”

“Do women have more skinship than men? There’s that tendency. If you’re really close, you can even kiss?”

“Is that possible? Make some sense.”

“Then how far do you go? Is it to the extent of holding hands?”

“hmm…….”

Son Hye-bin looked at Baek Seol-ha blankly and answered cheerfully.

“How much do you have to squeeze your butt?”

“You can’t do that either!”

Snow White, urgent request for replacement of superiors!

“But I heard that Yui went to college in France?”

Shin Areum asked.

“Yeah. It’s more of a vocational school than a university. Paris Fashion Guild School.”

“Don’t you greet people with a kiss in France? So you just kiss and get kissed by guys?”

“It’s not a kiss on the cheek, it’s in the air. And it’s not a kiss, it’s a cheek bump.”

“Ah… … I’m a little disappointed.”

“What did you expect?”

“Team Leader. In France, can we greet a guy with a kiss on the cheek? It’s the culture there, so it’s okay?”

“If you want to kiss my cheek, you have to meet me and have three consecutive interviews.”

“Eight!”

Rika kissed Shin A-reum’s cheek.

Shin A-reum was startled and wiped the saliva from Rika’s cheek with her palm.

“Rika, do you want to die?!”

“We need to set a precedent so the CEO can’t say anything later! We need to get used to French culture in advance!”

“Rika, you will have three separate interviews with me later.”

“Sonna (that kind of)!”

Son Hye-bin felt a sense of alienation as she watched Seong-pil bickering with Rika.

‘He’s acting a bit forced today.’

Did something happen?

Or is it to liven up the atmosphere as it is the first official concert meeting in history?

At that moment, the conference room door opened wide and Atlas CEO Jinman Cho came in.

“The League of Struggle and Liberation Girls is victorious! We will conquer the world with our concerts! Long live the Soviet Union!”

“… … .”

“Hello, everyone.”

Jo Jin-man sat across from Seong-pil.

“Since it was our first meeting, I tried to liven up the mood a bit.”

The Atlas employee following Jo Jin-man bowed in embarrassment.

Jo Jin-man regained his usual calm demeanor as he took out documents from his briefcase… … .

“But my heart is not forced! Starting with this concert, in the future, we will go to the Dome in Japan! The Olympic Stadium in Korea! The stadium in the United States! Wembley in England! We will carve the name of the Girls’ League all over the world!”

“Wow, woooo!”

Rika raised her arms high to make Jo Jin-man feel less embarrassed.

The shame became Rika’s since no one responded.

But Jo Jin-man didn’t care and just smiled and handed over the materials he had prepared.

“This is the final concert setlist that is really …

“… … How many times has it been revised?”

“I really want to answer your question, Areum, but I can’t. I think it will be revised in the future… … . I just hope this is the last time.”

Jo Jin-man’s gaze changed.

He shed all traces of his playfulness and radiated professionalism in all directions.

“The first thing I want to discuss is the costumes rather than the stage direction… .”

“Just a moment!”

Baek Seol-ha interrupted Jo Jin-man. She barely managed to speak, holding the paper Jo Jin-man had handed out with trembling hands.

“Is this real? In the opening… … .”

[Opening Medley

No – Tingle – Arabesque]

“Hey, you’re doing these three in a row? How long is the break between each?”

“I don’t think there will be any break time. I would like you to do three stages in a row.”

“Just doing these alone is hard, hard, hard… .”

Snow White couldn’t even speak properly.

“It’s hard, this is… … .”

“……ah.”

Jo Jin-man nodded as if he had only just realized it.

“I misspoke.”

The members breathed a sigh of relief.

“There is no break. You have to do three stages in a row.”

The members were astonished.