Producer with no Regrets - Chapter 360



Only Noblemtl

Episode 360

Samuel Kim, a male trainee at Garo Enter, had just received some shocking news.

“The concert ticket is 100,000… … ?”

“Oh, isn’t that usually the case?”

Unlike Samuel Kim, who was acting all flustered, the other trainee sitting next to him just calmly drank water.

‘100,000 won?’

That’s the amount of money you’d need to work a dozen hours at minimum wage. The ticket you get for that amount of money only provides about two hours of entertainment.

Although Samuel Kim is aiming to become an idol, I thought it was a deal that was not profitable at all.

He thought that a concert ticket costing only 30,000 won was expensive.

“This is a big deal… … .”

“what?”

Kim Samuel shook his head as if it was nothing and then focused on practicing again.

10 p.m. Kim Samuel left the company and returned to the daycare center. Even on the way there, his anxious mind did not calm down easily.

‘100,000 won… is too expensive… .’

A while ago, Maria Kim quietly shared news that the Girls’ League was holding a concert.

It probably means that she wants to go to the concert. However, Maria Kim knew her brother’s situation very well, so she didn’t really think that he would buy tickets.

It was just a remark made with childlike innocence, hoping for a miracle to happen.

Kim Samuel looked up the ticket price, thinking, “Well, if it’s around 30,000 won… “, and oh my goodness. The ticket price is said to be over 100,000 won.

“Brother.”

As soon as he returned to the orphanage, Maria Kim welcomed him. Samuel Kim forced himself to open his tired eyes and smiled.

He said, stroking his brother’s head, who was hugging him tightly.

“Maria, come to think of it, I haven’t been able to buy any clothes lately.”

“Clothes? Oh, that’s okay. We have uniforms.”

“Let’s go shopping this weekend.”

Kim Maria was delighted by the gift that suddenly appeared. However, Kim Samuel’s heart, watching it, was still dark.

Since I couldn’t buy my little brother something he liked, I wanted to atone for it by buying him clothes that were much cheaper than the regular price.

‘If you have money, if you have money… … .’

I could buy my little brother anything he wants.

That day, Kim Samuel had a hard time falling asleep. Instead, his mind was filled with memories of when he met Hong Gyu-heon.

‘Saving money until my younger sibling graduates from high school?’

Kim Samuel refused Hong Kyu-heon’s offer to become a trainee, citing that reason.

My younger brother said he wanted to let me live a normal life.

Hong Gyu-heon said to him.

‘Then, if I give you that money, will you come as a trainee?’

Kim Samuel’s eyes were bulging out, he couldn’t breathe properly, and his heart was pounding so hard that he thought he might faint.

Hong Gyu-heon said.

‘It’s not free. Assuming you’re chosen as a debut group, if you fail as an idol, I’ll compensate you based on the amount of time you’ve put in.’

This was exactly the same proposal that Sungpil had made to Jang Hayang, although Samuel Kim had no way of knowing.

Anyway, the effect was unbelievably good.

Kim Samuel didn’t cry like Jang Ha-yang did when he heard Sung Pil’s proposal.

Instead, the golden light in his eyes and the money piled high up on the ceiling were fixed on him, and he unconsciously answered ‘yes’.

‘You want me to practice dancing, singing, and acting for 2-3 years and achieve results? Get selected as a debut group? No, it’s not me who’s paying to learn those things, it’s the company that’s paying for them?’

I don’t know where he would use his singing, dancing, and acting if he couldn’t become an idol, but for Kim Samuel, the offer felt similar to getting into college on a full scholarship.

Even if you are selected as a debut group and debut as an idol but don’t do well, they even give you money.

‘This must be done.’

Kim Samuel’s heart said so. And he stared blankly at Hong Gyu-heon sitting in front of him, and made a resolution again.

‘Even if they ask me to do something a little strange… … I have to do it.’

Maria, wait. My brother will earn a lot of money. Don’t worry and find your happiness.

When Samuel Kim finished his reminiscence, his troubled mind calmed down and he was able to fall asleep.

Over the weekend, the siblings went out together.

“Brother, let’s go here.”

Oddly enough, Maria Kim had already chosen the store she wanted to go to.

Since it was located in a fairly busy area, Samuel Kim gave warning in advance.

“Maria, the price is… … .”

“I’ll buy it for exactly 20,000 won!”

“… … You can spend about 30 thousand won.”

The two took the subway and arrived at their destination.

It was the Abaibi Seoul branch.

“Welcome, this is Abybee.”

As soon as we entered, the clerks stationed here and there on the spacious first floor spoke in one voice.

Kim Samuel and Kim Maria flinched at the unfamiliar hospitality. For a moment, Kim Maria wandered around with a combative look in her eyes.

Kim Samuel slowly followed behind his younger brother.

But my sister had a strange feeling. She only checked the price tag rather than the appearance of the clothes.

“Maria, you can take your time.”

“Yeah.”

Maria Kim answered vaguely and chose clothes within 10 minutes of entering the store.

It was a 20,900 won waffle knit with a ‘20% discount’ tag on it.

“Can I try it on?”

“Huh? Oh, I’ll try it on!”

Maria Kim came out of the locker room changing clothes at an astonishing speed.

The size was a little big, but considering that Maria Kim was still growing, it was okay.

“I’ll do this.”

“Can I not look at it anymore?”

Samuel Kim seemed like a careless spender, so he asked Maria Kim to look at more clothes several times. But she just shook her head and kept repeating, “I like this.”

Eventually, Samuel Kim went to the checkout counter holding the waffle knit.

“Thank you, oppa.”

The corners of Samuel Kim’s mouth went up in a happy tone as he heard his younger brother’s thanks from behind.

I took out 20,000 won from my wallet and stared at the waffle knit on the counter for about 20 seconds.

The staff is not moving.

Kim Samuel looked up, wondering if he had done something wrong, and saw the female employee blankly staring at him.

“It’s a calculation.”

“Oh, yes, yes.”

The female employee blushed and moved her hands busily as if the words ‘calculation’ were some kind of ‘I love you’.

Then he glanced at Kim Samuel.

Kim Samuel just lowered his gaze slightly.

“Shall I throw away the receipt?”

“No. Please put it in.”

“Yes, yes. Uh, I… … .”

Just as the employee was about to say something, Maria Kim came up to the counter on tiptoe.

“Excuse me, that’s it, application… … .”

“Huh? Oh, oh, yes, I’m applying.”

The clerk handed me a small piece of paper and a pen.

“Please go over there and write it down.”

Leaving behind the regretful gaze of the employee, Samuel Kim and Maria Kim headed to the corner of the checkout counter.

Maria Kim put down her pen and filled in the paper little by little. Her hands were trembling.

“Maria, what is that? Is it like mileage accrual?”

As I was thinking that my younger brother had grown up to be truly wise, Maria Kim spoke in a trembling voice.

“If you spend over 20,000 won here, you can apply for the Girls’ League concert. It’s an event.”

“……uh?”

“If you apply and win, you can get a ticket… … .”

Kim Samuel had a hard time explaining how he was feeling at the moment. He didn’t even know what to say to his younger brother.

Maria Kim filled in each letter on the paper, her pen shaking violently. Like the monks who carved the Tripitaka Koreana, she put her heart and soul into each letter.

There was a sound of something hard being placed behind him. Kim Samuel looked and saw that the employee had placed a transparent application box on the counter.

There were already numerous entries piled up in that application box.

Maria Kim’s entry ticket will be one of the dozens or hundreds of tickets.

“Oh, oppa, is this okay?”

Kim Samuel took the paper and read it through.

There were no mistakes in writing.

Kim Samuel looked at his brother with a sorrowful face across the paper. Only then was Kim Samuel able to express how he felt.

My heart is breaking.

‘100,000 won is a lot of money.’

The money will be used for Kim Maria’s future.

It could be part of your tuition.

You can also use it when hanging out with your college friends.

It will be the funds or living expenses when living alone.

This is money for Maria Kim to live a normal and happier life in the future.

‘however…….’

What’s the use of all that?

There is something that Maria Kim is desperately wishing for. It’s just 100,000 won. Samuel Kim could just work harder and earn it.

“Okay, it’s done.”

When her brother confirmed it, Maria Kim’s expression brightened. Maria Kim carefully put the application form in the application box and prayed with her palms together.

The only thing I learned from the parents who abandoned me.

It was a prayer to God.

Kim Maria wished for happiness in the way she had learned from the human who had abandoned her.

Beside him, Samuel Kim quietly stroked his younger brother’s head.

* * *

[Not a lonely Soviet room]

[‘Jang Han-ha Yang’ invited ‘Kim Samuel’ and ‘Kim Maria’.]

[Samuel Kim: Hello, please take care of me.]

[Kim Maria: Hello!]

[Beauty Beauty: Welcome]

[Kim Samuel: I came here because of Chae Hyun’s introduction. I’m not a fan of Girls’ League. My younger sister is a fan.]

[Jang Han-ha: Why are you saying that?]

[Maria Kim: Please take good care of me, sisters!]

[Beauty: I am a 28 year old man.]

[Jang Han-ha: Samuel, stop talking nonsense. That guy is not a weird person.]

[Kim Samuel: When I]

[Beauty: haha;]

[Kim Maria: So, except for Areum Areum, you are all older sisters?]

[Baek Soo-hyun: Oh, f*ck~~~~~]

[Kim Maria: ??????]

[Maria Kim: Your name is the same as Su-hyeon from For You 2, lol]

[Baek Soo-hyun: Yes]

[Not ketchup: That guy is the real him lol]

[Kim Maria: ???????????????????????????]

[Baek Soo-hyun: Oh, f*ck~~~~~~]

[Baek Soo-hyun: I’m sorry Samuel, I won’t curse, stop sending messages]

[Jang Han-ha: Then let’s get to the main topic. The topic for this week is the Soviet Union, which is not lonely.]

[(Girls League Concert Promotion Poster)]

[Jang Han-ha: In the end, it’s the ticketing that wins!]

* * *

Ticketing time is approaching.

The executives of Garo Enter gathered in a conference room and decided to check the situation in real time.

About an hour left.

“Director Park, stop shaking your legs.”

Despite Hong Gyu-heon’s warning, Seong-pil continued shaking his legs for a few more seconds, then suddenly stood up as if he couldn’t stand it anymore. He paced around the conference room.

“I’m dying of rage.”

Son Hye-bin, who was watching an ASMR video on her phone, said irritably. The video of sand being groped around flowed meaninglessly on Son Hye-bin’s retina.

“Will it sell out?”

Seongpil brought up the question he had been holding back on.

Suddenly the air became heavy.

Son Hye-bin put her phone down on the table and walked briskly towards Seong-pil. Seong-pil, as expected, cowered in fear.

“I just asked, I just asked!”

“… … Phew.”

Son Hye-bin returned to her seat without saying anything and devoted herself to watching a meaningless ASMR video.

At that time, Min Kyung-seop deliberately spoke cheerfully to lighten the mood.

“If you do that, what’s the point? You said you only wanted to invite fans, but you didn’t even give out invitations.”

Performance planning companies and organizers survey performance demand in advance and hand out invitations when they think they won’t be able to fill all the seats.

The calculation was that it was better to suffer losses by issuing too many invitations than to have fewer seats.

Because somehow we have to fill the seats and make the show look like a success.

However, the Girls’ League’s Seoul concert was not like that. Considering the collaboration with Abybee, only a few invitations to the event were distributed to them.

“Still, it’s because you have faith, right?”

Min Kyung-seop’s question made everyone’s attention turn to Seong Pil.

Seongpil held the table tightly with a serious expression on his face.

“……brother?”

“I don’t know! If I knew that, I would be a god!”

“… … .”

“Oh, what should I do? If the concert hall is about 1/3 empty and the kids see that! Oh, my mind is going to break! What should I do?”

“Brother, take care of your mental health.”

It is difficult for an idol from a small or medium-sized agency to sell out a concert hall with thousands of seats.

It’s a different battle from album sales. You can order an album with a few clicks on the Internet, but concerts require time and a lot of money.

This means that the loyalty of the fandom must be guaranteed.

Has the Girls’ League secured that much loyalty in Korea?

‘If you think that one out of 100 people who bought the album will be loyal enough to come to the concert… … .’

No, that’s too tight a guess.

Even if you sell 100,000 copies of an album, it means you can only mobilize 1,000 people.

I don’t know.

I don’t know any of it.

“Well, even so. 3,000 seats… … can’t we sell them out? Even if it takes a few days… … .”

Even if a singer is well-known to everyone on television, it is difficult to sell out a concert hall with thousands of seats.

Even though they have advantages that idols don’t have, the general public, even if they aren’t fans, will buy tickets to a concert by a regular singer with the thought, “Should I go?”

But that rarely happens to idols.

You have to rely solely on the fandom.

“Even though we have a lot of overseas fans, the total sales of our regular albums are almost 200,000 copies so far! If we sold that many, we would have 3,000 seats… … .”

“Hey, I can’t listen to this anymore.”

Son Hye-bin calmed down Seong-pil with physical force.

Seongpil was rather grateful for that. He felt like he would really go crazy if he stayed still.

So, the ticketing time slowly but surely approached.

* * *

“Oh my, this is ridiculous.”

Surprisingly, Team Leader 1 did not join his friend in starting his shopping mall business.

He couldn’t give up his dozen-plus years of experience as a manager and decided to stay at KS Entertainment. And then he found himself in another absurd situation.

“Hehehe, please.”

Team Leader 1 said, “The worst enemy I’ve ever met,” as Ginger acted cute.

There were other members of Caius behind them. As Erica said, she felt guilty about sending Ginger alone.

Even so, Kim Min-ju and Jin So-yu had fat faces.

“Smile.”

As Erica spoke, Kim Min-ju and Jin So-yu slowly lost their sullen expressions. They did not smile as Erica had ordered, but it seemed as if they were maintaining their pride.

“Ha, okay, okay. I’ll do it.”

“Thank you so much!”

Ginger liked it so much she almost started dancing.

Their request was this: that the management team help secure tickets for the Girls’ League concert.

Following the instructions of Team Leader 1, the idle managers logged onto the concert ticket reservation website. They also prepared to make duplicate reservations with their cell phones nearby.

“But even if you guys did it, it would be okay. Well, you probably wouldn’t be able to get a good seat, though.”

Team leader 1 logged onto the reservation site with a dry face.

“It’s rare for girl group concerts to sell out. It’s even harder if they’re not from a big entertainment company and it’s their first concert.”

“Please, center row C!”

“That’s a bit difficult.”

It was the best spot to see the idols. There must have been dozens or hundreds of people aiming for that spot.

“I don’t know if you’ll get a good seat, but I’ll definitely get you a ticket.”

Team leader 1 logged onto the performance ticket reservation site and checked the exact time.

About 20 minutes left.

After refreshing the page a few times, the site was still running smoothly. This was proof that not many people were accessing the site.

‘How did I end up doing ticketing for another company’s group?’

Team Leader 1 was self-deprecating, but he wasn’t reluctant. While waiting, he had a light chat with the members of Caius.

No one was nervous.

* * *

The Girls’ League members sat in a circle in the practice room, looking at their phones.

Ticketing will begin in 10 minutes.

“So… … .”

Rika memorized the ticketing order again.

“Are you taking pictures of the time and seat?”

“Yeah. Since payment comes later here, let’s focus on getting a seat first.”

The Girls’ League was preparing to get the challenge and tickets to send to the members of KAIST. By the way, Rika decided to send them to Jeong Ho-hwan.

“Well, will a lot of people come?”

Joara said calmly.

Although he had an attitude that he didn’t care whether many people came or not, he wasn’t that at peace inside. He was just hiding his anxiety.

“Ara-chan, wake up! At the live yesterday, they said that all the citizens came to the concert! We might not be able to get tickets!”

“Wow, you said there were thousands of people coming? It’ll probably sell out in a minute.”

“So you have to come to your senses!”

“You were fooled.”

“Sonna (like that)!”

Common sense tells you that not all the people who came to Rika’s live broadcast would come to the concert.

Among them, maybe a few dozen, or at most two or three hundred will come.

“The people do not deceive Atasi (me)!”

At that moment, all the lies she had experienced while doing the V Live came to mind.

Isn’t there a ghost behind you?

Who’s watching outside the window?

Did you see the article about Seol Ha’s dating scandal that just came out?

“Ah, inside, the people, inside me… … .”

“It’s broken.”

Joara rested her chin on her hand and still looked at her phone with a dull look in her eyes.

“There are 3 minutes left.”

As Shin A-reum said that, tension finally began to build.

Except for Rika, who was burning with the thought of getting a ticket from the beginning, everyone else was focused on their phones.

I didn’t expect such a mythical situation where it would sell out in one minute. Even if it did sell out, I think it would take a few hours.

Then there is no need to be so nervous or put in so much effort.

“Kim Min-ju, her seat is… … .”

Shin A-reum chose the seat in the very corner.

Even if you go to the concert, it’s a place where you won’t be able to see the members properly.

Shin A-reum giggled and moved her fingers to a slightly better spot.

‘By now, it will be easy to get tickets, and Kim Min-ju will be somewhat satisfied.’

……no.

Should I choose a place a little closer to the stage?

Shin A-reum’s fingers moved slightly more.

‘Let’s do it here.’

It was a place that could be said to be the exact center of the audience.

The seats are moderately close and moderately far.

“One minute.”

Jang Ha-yang said resolutely.

She was in child’s pose in yoga, with her phone on the floor.

He was so focused on his phone that his forehead almost touched the screen.

“T, twenty seconds.”

Baek Seol-ha stuttered in nervousness.

Shin Areum said with a small smile.

“Teacher, calm down.”

“Uh, yeah?”

“I told you, you can get it anywhere. Just try pressing here and there, and if that doesn’t work, you can get it in a corner.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Look, like this.”

Shin Areum tapped the seat.

“Then… … huh?”

Shin A-reum panicked and quickly pressed for a different seat.

The sound of people tapping on their cell phone screens filled the practice room. Everyone was repeating the same actions.

And after about a minute, everyone looked at each other in confusion.

“You guys too… … like this?”

Snow White showed her cell phone.

[The seat has already been selected.]

* * *

“That’s ridiculous.”

Team leader 1 muttered.

Eight people, including Kaius, took on the challenge of getting tickets.

But not a single one.

Not a single one.

“The only thing that came up was ‘Lee Seon-jwa’… …?”

All that greeted me was the words, ‘Your seat has already been selected.’

The blue circles representing empty seats, commonly called green grapes, disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Now all that was visible was a dull black color indicating that it was sold out.

“Everyone, they all failed? All of them?”

The managers nodded.

Team Leader 1 turned his stiff neck and looked at the members of Caius.

Ginger was crying.

“Ha, I told you I could do it… … .”

“… … .”

Team leader 1 looked at his team members.

The team members were glaring at the team leader who had made Ginger cry as if they were going to kill him.

Team leader gulped and said.

“Should I park?”

He slowly lowered his forehead to the floor.

* * *

“Someone.”

Han Gu-in spoke in a questioning tone.

“I think you said that we should choose ‘Olympic Hall’ as a safe choice. Even though I said that we should choose ‘Olympic Handball Stadium’… … .”

Son Hye-bin, who had been blankly staring, knelt on the floor and prepared to bury her head in the floor.

She looked at Seongpil, who was carrying the same sin as her, the sin of failing to predict demand.

Seongpil was looking at the tablet with foggy, cloudy eyes, and then suddenly he hit his head with a lively expression.

“Hehehe!”

“Are you trying to just let it slide?”

Seongpil buried his head next to Son Hyebin.

Han Gu-in smiled in satisfaction after seeing the two apologize. However, the smile did not last long. If he had been a little more courageous, he would have benefited a lot. Because of that regret, he could not fully enjoy the situation.

Hong Gyu-heon opened his mouth on behalf of Han Gu-in.

“Come on, what’s wrong with you all? Isn’t this a good thing? Director Son and Director Park, lift your heads.”

Well, it would have been better if they had chosen a handball stadium with a capacity of 5,000 from the beginning.

“Let’s start with congratulations.”

Hong Gyu-heon took out an expensive drink with a sincere smile. It was a celebratory drink, or a drink prepared to drink and die while feeling pessimistic about life.

Fortunately, I was able to use it as a congratulatory drink.

“Then let’s have a toast… … .”

At that moment, Seongpil’s cell phone rang loudly. Seongpil asked for everyone’s understanding and then answered the phone.

It was Jo Jin-man.

“Congratulations, Mr. Cho… … .”

[We need to secure an additional performance immediately! For the next day! Please make a decision quickly! We need to contact the venue!]

“Additional performances?”

[Yes! If it sells out this quickly, additional performances are possible! If we reuse the stages we built for the Seoul performances, the margins will go up a lot!]

That is, once you prepare a performance, the more you do, the more you benefit.

[The next day’s performance was also quick… … !]

Seongpil’s mind became dizzy. His head calculated whether the members could handle the two-day performance.

And the calculations are done.

“Sir, President Cho… … .”

“I heard that too. Is it possible?”

“it’s possible.”

“Catch it.”

Thanks to Jo Jin-man’s efforts, the Girls’ League was able to perform an additional performance at Olympic Hall on the second day.

And on the next day’s ticketing.

[Also, I think we can schedule another additional performance!]

As with the first one, seats were selling out at an absurd rate.

Garo Enter also approved the performance on the third day.

Fortunately, the third day’s performance sold out in a fairly long span of an hour.

When the executives of Garo Enter heard the news, they looked at Seongpil without hesitation.

Seongpil slowly got up and extended his hand to Son Hyebin. Son Hyebin took his hand.

“Sister.”

“Yeah, Seongpil.”

“Should I hit it?”

“of course.”

Two directors were slammed to the floor for choosing Olympic Hall as a safe haven.

Hong Gyu-heon muttered happily as he enjoyed the unrealistic sight and situation.

“I could have taken Jamsil Gymnasium (capacity 10,000 people)… … .”

It seems that the Girls’ League has succeeded to the point of overturning all previous common sense.