Producer with no Regrets - Chapter 563



Only Noblemtl

Episode 563

Han Gu-in looked carefully at the man in front of him.

He was a man of early age. I don’t know if it is right to use the modifier “elderly” when he is said to be 63 years old.

In a world where life expectancy has increased, it wouldn’t be strange to call people in their 60s “senior citizens.”

As if to prove it, the 63-year-old man, Kim Deok-pal, straightened his back and looked at Han Gu-in with shining eyes.

“Nice to meet you, Deokpal.”

“No. I am the one who is grateful that you called me.”

The meeting place was decided to be a cafe near his house, which Han Gu-in was considerate of.

It was not yet lunchtime. The cafe had just opened for business, so the atmosphere was quiet.

“first…….”

Han Gu-in pretended to look through his resume. His eyes were busy going back and forth between Kim Deok-pal and the resume.

‘Curry, there’s nothing to find fault with.’

If you’ve risen from a low-level employee to an executive, you’re already a legend among office workers.

I think that his interpersonal skills and work ability are far beyond those of the average person.

‘What’s important is this person’s mindset.’

He is said to have resigned from his executive position. I suspect the company recommended his resignation.

Even if you are an executive, you can’t sit in that position forever.

Since it is an entertainment industry where sensitivity is important, the old Kim Deok-pal may have been a difficult person to continue to hold onto.

‘Then why is this person trying to get a job again at a time when he should be watching his grandchildren’s talents?’

That too, in the small and medium-sized enterprise sector?

No, he didn’t want a cross-enter.

I was introduced to this by a headhunting company.

Why does he want to find a new job?

‘Do you need money?’

Are you willing to sell off your glorious youth and get a job just because you need money?

Han Gu-in is here to find out.

“ah.”

At that moment, Kim Deok-pal smiled and felt his left hand with his right. There was an old Rolex model produced in the 90s.

“It’s very old, isn’t it?”

He stroked his watch lovingly, his hands shaking slightly as if he had hydrocephalus.

“I bought it after I became a manager. I went to many couples’ gatherings with my wife, and I envied the fancy watches worn by other husbands. I was embarrassed that my husband’s clothes were not good enough, and I was embarrassed that my clothes were not good enough. Well… That’s why I bought it.”

The Korean was embarrassed.

I thought he was observing him carefully. But then Kim Deok-pal noticed Han Gu-in’s gaze.

“I… … am not extravagant. I don’t have enough money to spend on my children, and I can’t afford to buy a bunch of watches to put on my wrist. That’s why this is special.”

“I have it too.”

Han Gu-in lifted the sleeve of his jacket that covered his left wrist.

There was a Rolex that was produced in the early 10s.

When Kim Deok-pal smiled, Han Gu-in also smiled.

“I know this may be a rude question, but I have to ask you something.”

“You can ask me anything. I am in a sorry state.”

“Do you know how to use a computer?”

“Yes. That’s right, I can’t make flashy PPTs like the kids these days. Even the document format… … When I asked them to do it, they told me to make it pretty, but I can’t do that. I can only write at a certain level, haha.”

Kim Deok-pal smiled embarrassedly.

“Will that be a problem?”

“It depends on the job.”

Since then, Han Gu-in has persistently explored Kim Deok-pal’s career and abilities.

“Oh, I have a lot to say about that. Back then, in the 90s, there were a lot of people who didn’t know what software was… … .”

The man who heard the story kept smiling. But his heart was filled with regret.

‘This person was at the forefront of business in the 90s and early 00s.’

It’s so old.

From then on, his actions were closer to those of a manager. This means that he was not someone who took the initiative to carry out projects on the front lines, but someone who listened to explanations from subordinates and gave permission.

‘The kind of human being we desire is exactly… … .’

Han Gu-in stared blankly at Kim Deok-pal, who was reminiscing about his youth. His golden years were in his 40s.

‘Yes, this person is an office worker in his late 30s or 40s, at the peak of his career.’

The talent that Garo Enter is looking for is someone with skill, vision, drive, and sense. It is said that such abilities of office workers start to increase when they reach their 40s.

I wonder if Kim Deok-pal, who is in front of me, can embody the spirit of Garo Enter, which is a small to medium-sized business and a startup.

Do you have any knowledge about this industry in the first place?

‘Even if you don’t know, the personal networks and experiences this person has accumulated over the decades are something that money can’t buy.’

But can that experience be applied to idols? You won’t know until you try it yourself.

I did study in my own way, but… … .

“Next, I’d like to ask about your understanding of this industry. How much do you know about idols?”

“I’m an idol. First of all, I… … .”

Han Gu-in thought that he had watched a few idol-related videos on iTube.

I’m not even sure if you know what iTube is.

“I read all the industry white papers every year.”

“… … The Industrial White Paper, you mean?”

The Korea Creative Content Agency publishes an industry white paper every year. It is posted free of charge so that everyone can see it.

This is a so-called information book that contains general information about the industry that year.

“I read the Content Industry White Paper, Broadcasting and Video Industry White Paper, Animation Industry White Paper, Character Industry White Paper, Comics Industry White Paper, Music Industry White Paper, and Game White Paper every year without fail.”

“wait a minute.”

The Korean thought he was lying.

The industry white papers run into hundreds of pages for each field. Even Koreans tend to only skim through the important statistical data in the music industry white papers.

But this person, Kim Deok-pal.

“You mean you read everything? That’s… … .”

“ah.”

Kim Deok-pal noticed what Han Gu-in was worried about.

“Of course, I only cover the superficial aspects. It would be arrogant to say that you ‘know’ just by reading that.”

“… … .”

That’s not what I meant.

“The reason I want to join Garo Enter is, of course, because I’m interested in idols. I’ve been reading industry white papers without fail for over a decade, and the growth of the Korean music market is truly astonishing. It’s to the point where I wonder how this is possible… … .”

Kim Deok-pal smiled shyly.

“If I ever get the chance, I would like to see the front line. Oh, it’s not just a matter of interest. If I can contribute to the development of the Korean music industry as a part of the industry, that would be great.”

“……then.”

The Korean asked as if testing him.

“What do you think is the most important market for idols?”

“Oh, that goes without saying, it’s Japan. Idols occupy less than 10% of the Japanese music market. That alone can even account for 50% of the Korean music industry. It’s a truly huge market. Fortunately, Japan is the country with the highest cultural similarity to Korea.”

Surprisingly, the country with the highest cultural similarity to South Korea is not North Korea, which shares the same language.

It’s Japan.

That may be why Japan is so tolerant of Korean culture.

“We’re lucky to have such a country right next door. Plus, the Girls’ League is particularly strong in Japan, so I think that’s a really good thing. The future is very bright.”

“……then.”

This time, Han Gu-in asked with a little anticipation.

“What do you think the Girls’ League should do from now on?”

Kim Deok-pal smiled warmly.

“I want to show you that through action. At Garo Enter.”

The Korean man burst into laughter.

‘Your skill at leading a conversation is extraordinary.’

If he were an ordinary person, he would proudly brag about his blueprint. But Kim Deok-pal is stimulating the interest of Koreans by blowing his chance to appeal to them.

And that strategy worked.

Han Gu-in became curious about what kind of person this old man was.

“It’s gold.”

A Korean person said.

“Words are silver and silence is gold. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt these words so closely.”

“I like that saying too. Speech is silver, but silence is golden.”

“Your pronunciation is good. Did you study it separately?”

“I got my MBA in the United States.”

“Yes? Me too!”

“Really? Could this be… … .”

They both said the name of the university at the same time. Then they smiled at each other.

“Senior!”

“Junior!”

Horizontal Enter, Formation of Academic Cartel!

* * *

“Is it true that the concert is the day after the Gayo Daejejeon?”

Ginger kept sighing as she looked at the schedule posted above the television.

The Kaius’ dorm was in the middle of a year-end cleaning. All the members worked together to clean up the dorm that had been dirty for a year.

“Aren’t you looking forward to it?”

Kim Min-ju responded while wiping the living room floor here and there with a mop.

“What are you talking about?”

“KS Entertainment Joint Concert.”

All artists under KS Entertainment have to hold a special event every year: a joint concert.

For fans of KS Entertainment, this event is a dream come true, with all of their seniors and juniors gathered together to hold a concert.

“What will the order be?”

The order of the joint concert is designed to avoid any hierarchy as much as possible.

Even if it’s popular, it can be placed in the beginning, and even if it’s not popular, it can be placed in the later stages. The basic policy is to shuffle the order in a zigzag manner.

It seemed like there was a benevolent intention to avoid creating unnecessary embarrassment among family members from the same company.

But, despite this, the first and the last are always meaningful.

“Why don’t you let us stand at the opening or closing ceremony?”

“The seniors are holding on, so I will do my best to support you.”

“Hey, didn’t you hear what producer Kang Dong-hyun said? He said we are the symbol of modern KS Entertainment!”

“Democracy.”

Erica, who had come closer without her knowing, tapped Kim Min-joo’s forehead with her palm.

“Director Jeong Ho-hwan always says, ‘Everyone at KS Entertainment is a family that eats from the same pot, so there’s no such thing as rank or anything.’ Saying that someone is the best and places them somewhere is something that undermines the unity of the company.”

“Who is all under our feet? Can’t you just get some honor? You do something serious.”

“Thoughts become words, and words become habits. I just said that because I wanted our Minju to become a better person. Our Minju… … .”

“Ah, don’t come near me!”

Kim Min-ju reached out to Erica, who was trying to hug her, and stopped her.

Erica was wearing a white apron, and it was covered in grease, which seemed to prove how combative her kitchen cleaning was.

“Who are you going to hug like that?”

“Then what if I take it off?”

Erica untied the apron strings with a seductive gesture. Inside the apron was a white T-shirt that had been turned into a rag while cleaning the laundry room earlier.

“It smells fishy. Go change your clothes and come back.”

“What is it? The black pants that Erika unnie wore.”

“huh?”

“I thought you were only wearing an apron and not pants.”

Erica was wearing dolphin pants. The loose apron covered the entire upper part of her thighs.

“That can’t be true.”

“I thought it was a bit too much, but it’s disappointing.”

“What’s disappointing?”

“I thought he had the boldness to be our leader, but I guess not.”

“Do I own it?”

The three of them finished cleaning their assigned areas.

It seemed like Jin So-yu hadn’t finished cleaning the shower room that she was in charge of… or maybe she hadn’t finished it yet, or was doing something else, or whatever, she hadn’t come into the living room.

The three of them lay down in the living room, feeling tired.

The heater wind was moderately warm.

“If it’s the Gayo Daejejeon… … .”

Kim Min-ju opened her mouth.

On December 31st, Kaius will appear on a broadcast that marks the end of the year. Many idols do this, but this year will be even more special.

Because KARA is at the top of all girl groups of the current generation.

This year’s music festival could be seen as a stage where K-pop is truly the only one.

“The Girls’ League will come too.”

Then Kim Min-ju burst into laughter.

“Want to make a bet on viewer ratings? Which time slot will have higher viewer ratings, ours or Girls’ League? Or iTube fancams?”

“What is that?”

Erica laughed too.

“Us.”

I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve been so confident in victory.

‘IWY’ completely changed the status of KAWS. It put them on a throne that will never be broken.

I was anxious during ‘Time’ and ‘Nectar’.

It felt like if we made even the slightest mistake, we would be overtaken by other groups.

In fact, I lost to someone like that, either Woo Hyo-min or Woo Hyo, and Globe. Because of that, I failed to enter the Hall of Fame and got beaten by the Girls’ League for three weeks in a row.

“It’s us, it’s just us.”

But now all those worries are gone.

Album sales, music rankings.

This is a record that will not be broken for the next two or three years. KS Entertainment did not give incentives to all its employees for nothing.

KS Enter proved with KARA that they are still the icons of K-pop.

“Thank goodness. It’s a great ending. Isn’t the Gayo Daejejeon the biggest stage in Korea?”

“Well, that’s not it. It’s ambiguous.”

Japanese Erika answered.

Kim Min-ju immediately responded in disbelief.

“Who are you? What do you know?”

“I’ve also been a K-pop idol for 3 years.”

Although many popular artists appear at the Korea Music Festival, its status is not that high.

Wouldn’t it be better if the HPT Music Awards were better?

The reason why the Gayo Daejejeon was such an important stage was because it was a time when television had established its power as a legacy media.

This was a time when the power of broadcasting stations was absolute.

In the past, broadcasting stations bullied entertainment agencies, right? Now, it’s acceptable for entertainment agencies to bully broadcasting stations.

Actually, if that happens, it won’t end well for either of them… … Anyway, the broadcasting station’s power has been greatly weakened. Its sales aren’t even 1/20 of KS Entertainment’s.

“It’s a program that is only symbolic rather than practical.”

Even if only the symbolism remains, that symbolism is important.

“On the last stage of the year, let’s prove it.”

Let everyone know that Caius has reached the pinnacle of immobility.

“To other groups, to the Girls’ League… … .”

“You secretly care a lot about them, don’t you?”

Erica blushed at Kim Min-joo’s question.

“Not really.”

“I won’t be attending the Girls’ League Music Festival.”

The living room door opened and Jin So-yu appeared, wearing a bathrobe. Kim Min-ju stuck out her tongue at the sight of her.

“It’s so toxic. Did you shower right after cleaning?”

“Because I decided to be the first.”

“What do you mean?”

Ginger suddenly sat up from where she had been lying.

“The Girls’ League isn’t coming out?”

“It’s on Twitter. The Girls’ League schedule account.”

Ginger took out her phone and logged into the account that Jinsoyu had told her about. The Girls’ League’s schedule was listed in an orderly manner by month.

It seemed like it was a fan-run account, not an account run by Garo Enter.

[December 31

[Gayo Daejejeon pre-recording]

“Really?”

And underneath it was written another letter.

Erica’s eyes lit up when she read that.

“Okay, Ginger, just a sec. Let me get on the phone.”

Erica picked up the phone and read the text again.

“Sonna (that kind of)… … .”

What stage do American pop stars consider the most glorious?

It’s the Super Bowl halftime show.

The dream game of American football, America’s national sport. Appearing on the halftime stage there is every pop star’s dream.

One pop star, who was given a small amount of money for stage production, even used his own money to create a 7 billion won stage.

Every American artist has a vision of themselves performing at the halftime show.

So, where is the dream stage for Japanese musicians?

[December 31

[Live broadcast of the Kohaku Uta Gassen]

Red and White Song Battle.

Even in Japan, where the influence of television media has weakened significantly, this is a national program with a 40% viewership rating.

The world’s largest program with 50 million concurrent viewers.

Its nickname is ‘Japan’s Super Bowl Halftime Show’.

Appearing in the ‘Kōhaku Uta Gassen’ itself becomes a career that will never be erased from a musician’s life.

“Usodesho (That’s a lie)… … .”

Japan is the world’s second largest music industry.

The Girls’ League will be appearing at the biggest festival in Japan.

If the Girls’ League really appears in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen, then no one in Japan who doesn’t know the Girls’ League will disappear.

All Japanese people will know the name Girls’ League.

“You’re abandoning the Gayo Daejejeon and going to the Kohaku Uta Gassen? Isn’t that treason?”

Japanese Erika ignored Chinese Ginger’s pointless joke. Perhaps she was able to joke because she didn’t know the weight of the name “Kōhaku Uta Gassen.”

Erica was so shocked that she couldn’t say anything.

* * *

“Now Japan feels like Busan or Daegu.”

It was the first thing Shin A-reum said after seeing the Japanese scenery for a long time.

This airport, the atmosphere of this airport, the atmosphere of this Japanese airport. I’m so used to it now that I feel like I’m attending a local event.

“If you go by plane, it takes about the same time as the train to Busan. But it’s overseas. Aren’t you a little excited or something?”

Shin A-reum didn’t show any particular expression in response to Seong-pil’s question.

Jang Ha-yang was like that too. When I first set foot on Japanese soil, I was very excited because it was my first time going abroad.

“Isn’t everyone so relaxed!”

Rika couldn’t stand to watch anymore and got angry.

“Have you forgotten why we came to Japan! Teacher! Sister! It’s okay to make a fuss!”

“Didn’t you come to film the Japanese version of Gayo Daejejeon?”

“That’s not all!”

Rika was hurt by Shin A-reum’s answer and clung to Seong-pil.

“Director, I think Arami is trying to hurt me on purpose! Please scold her!”

“Hey, are you afraid that the team leader will fall for your wicked trick and scold me?”

“Tseuup, Ah-reum, speak nicely.”

“… … .”

“Oh, Director Park, Areum’s eyes are scary! I don’t know what will happen to me while I sleep tonight! We have to evacuate to the Director’s dorm!”

“okay.”

“Really?!”

“Not that one.”

Just before leaving the arrival hall, Seongpil turned around and looked at the members.

“Rika is right. You have to make more noise. No matter what, you guys are leaving… … .”

Seongpil smiled and turned around to go forward again. The automatic door opened. Soon, a blinding flash of light came upon them.

“Shojo Renmeda (It’s the Girls’ League)!”

There were reporters with big cameras, fans with big cameras, and a lot of people with cameras.

Besides that, people were busy taking pictures of the Girls’ League behind Sungpil with their phones.

The welcome seemed much warmer than before.

“You guys are going to the Kōhaku Uta Gassen.”

Girls’ League enters Japan.