Producer with no Regrets - Chapter 791



Only Noblemtl

Episode 791

One house was located in a residential area of ​​Tokyo filled with small mansions and houses.

Since the housing land is narrow, most of the houses are built taller to secure living space. As I walked along the sharp three-story houses that I could see everywhere, I came across a mansion, which is a single-family home.

I entered my password on the old pad and entered the building.

3rd floor.

My father opened the front door without any burden as it was time for work. A dark, desolate, dark place with no lights on, a desolate sight that could hardly be called a house, greeted me.

“I’m back… … .”

One of them, who said that out of habit, had a quick meal of bread and jam.

She went into her room and collapsed on her bed. Then she picked up her phone and turned on iTube with gloomy eyes.

[Girls League]

One was watching the Girls’ League stage footage. Not just one, but dozens.

And I watched endless performances of Caius, Globe, Archive, and even the more senior acts Intimacy, Layered, and B.I.S.

As the sunset passed through the veranda and painted the living room crimson, a gloomy darkness grew beneath her eyes.

After a while, my father came home.

One of them got up weakly and went to greet his father.

“Dad’s here… … ?”

My father glanced at one, then gathered the shoes neatly and went into the room.

He said this briefly as he entered.

“Are you here?”

“huh…….”

The door closed before one could answer, so her answer echoed hollowly only in her mind.

After a while, the woman sat down across from her husband at the table.

It was a lunch box bought at a lunch box specialty store. While they were eating in silence, one of them squeezed out a container and asked.

“Did you see the broadcast?”

“What broadcast?”

“What kind of broadcast is this… … I’m on… … .”

“I don’t even know the title.”

She clenched her hands on the table. Her fingernails dug deep into the table and snapped with a snapping sound.

Her hand eventually became a fist.

“Dad gave me permission to sign the contract… … .”

“You don’t even care about college entrance exams? At this point, you’re probably already screwed. You’ll probably get into a decent public school. I hope you come to your senses there.”

“… … .”

My father had no appetite and left half of his lunch box empty.

One lunch box was about 1/10 empty.

“I went out and came back.”

The father left the house, leaving his daughter behind after a long time. Hana grabbed the lunch box and slowly lifted it up. She was about to throw it down, but she quietly placed it on the table.

All day long, I watched videos of K-pop idols on stage. They were people who had achieved one dream.

‘I wanted to be an idol.’

To be exact, I wanted to become a K-pop idol.

When I was in the upper grades of elementary school, K-pop was starting to go beyond the category of Hallyu and become a social phenomenon in its own right.

It was the third generation of K-pop.

Rather than Japanese idols who wear princess-like clothes and whisper sweet nothings on TV, I was drawn to K-pop idols who had stylish fashion and professional performances.

I admired it.

I really wanted to become a dancer, so I went to a dance academy. I also looked into auditions at entertainment agencies.

But it didn’t work.

One dream ended without even sprouting.

‘You’re going to Korea to become a trainee?’

My father objected for very reasonable reasons.

It was money.

How much money would it take to send someone overseas to live, and support their trainee life, which may or may not end at any time?

Food, clothing, shelter. Study. Leisure.

Just breathing costs money.

One asked his father several times.

‘If I become a trainee at a major entertainment agency, I can live in a dorm. Please let me learn singing and dancing more professionally. I will definitely pass.’

Even that was rejected.

The reason was that I didn’t want to spend money on something whose input was unclear.

As a father, it was absolutely unacceptable for his child to regularly devote 1/3 to 1/4 of his salary to a child’s one-time delusion.

‘Go study.’

My father rejected every single request I made dozens, if not hundreds, of times.

It didn’t end there, the father disparaged and belittled one dream.

‘100 out of 100 people will starve. When you get older, there’s no future. What’s the point of doing something like that?’

Even though Hana stopped nagging her father, his criticism did not end. It seemed as if he was trying to completely cut off Hana’s dream from its roots.

But one did not give up.

You may not be able to become a K-pop idol, but you can do something similar.

There are idols in Japan too, and the barrier to entry is much lower than that of K-pop idols.

Using the idols who went from underground idols to major debuts as a compass, one of them became an underground idol.

One thing I was proud of was my own courage and will to not give up even in difficult circumstances.

I told this news to a friend who used to go to dance school with me and dreamed of becoming an idol.

‘I’m going to try my best as an underground idol. It’ll be hard, but I think I’ll be able to do it if I work hard.’

The friend I thought would cheer me on didn’t hide his contempt.

‘So what, you compromised. You ran away by taking the easier route.’

One was speechless.

You ran away, you ran away?

‘If you’re going to give up because it’s a little difficult, then okay. It’s better.’

The guy drove one of them into being weak-willed.

One thing I wanted to refute was that it was impossible for a young child, who was at an age when he was very self-conscious, to mention his family circumstances.

That guy would go to Korea several times a year to audition, as if he was making fun of someone.

I took the plane as if I was taking a train.

Sometimes I stayed in Korea for a long time.

So, she left Japan to become a trainee.

‘what…….’

One thing that came to mind was something that had been taught to me since elementary school.

‘What is freedom and what is equality?’

A beautiful democratic society where people are free and equal, and where hard work is rewarded.

Anyone can succeed if they have the will. If you keep going without giving up, no matter how difficult it is, you will definitely achieve it someday.

The ideal world that mankind has finally achieved.

You should be grateful to your ancestors and elders who created this world, and you too should strive to maintain these noble values.

You understand?

‘I can’t even challenge what I want, so what the heck…?’

One of them was to stop listening to K-pop music as if running away, and not even search for K-pop on iTube.

But the day my friend became a trainee at a Korean entertainment agency, I broke that taboo and searched for K-pop idols on iTube.

The Girls’ League and Kaius.

The Japanese members, Rika and Erika.

‘i envy you.’

The family must be wealthy.

Even if you’re not rich, you probably have the financial means to send your children abroad for a few years.

The conditions for achieving a dream are not talent, effort, or will.

The first condition is to be born into a family that can pursue one’s dreams. If not, one has no choice but to live content with one’s means.

One could finally accept that this world was neither free nor equal to begin with.

“therefore…….”

After her father left, Hana turned off all the lights in the house and hid under the blanket.

“It’s not my fault… … .”

Her choice doesn’t matter.

From the moment she was born into this family, she was destined to never become a K-pop idol.

Yeah, fate.

That’s it.

‘I just lived in a different world!’

After failing the assignment, Rika’s words struck me hard in the heart.

The girl, who could not obtain a ticket to another world, could do nothing but curse fate.

The stage she had stood on with Rika the day before kept coming to mind and tormented her. The fact that it was a difference of fate, not choice, made her suffer even more.

* * *

“Thank you for your time, Kasei-san.”

One father, Manabu Kasei, answered with a slight bow.

Manabu seemed unfamiliar with the atmosphere of a high-class Japanese restaurant. He quickly scanned the room’s decorations with nervous, frowning eyes.

‘Aren’t you familiar with places like this? You’ve probably been living here for over 20 years as a working adult.’

Or maybe he just feels uncomfortable because he is being treated outside of work.

Seasonal dishes were served in courses, and the staff gave a brief explanation of each dish. Even before the first dish came out, there was some idle chatter between the two.

‘Wow, this is pretty difficult.’

Seongpil has already met the families of all the Bugbug members except Hana and Miyoko.

They treated everyone to fancy restaurant meals, praised each member endlessly, and developed a closeness that was hard to believe even though they only had one meal together.

‘The content that will be broadcast from now on may be distressing for families to watch… ‘

He also gave a little hint about it.

What Sungpil was aiming for was for the family to meet the members and praise them. The support and encouragement of the family would give the members another motivation.

‘by the way.’

One was a single-parent family. I don’t know the exact circumstances, but Manabu came out alone without saying anything.

Since we never talked about my wife when we first met, there must be some circumstances he can’t tell me about.

“Have you seen the broadcast?”

“I don’t see it.”

Manabu answered, nibbling his fried fish.

Seongpil asked back in surprise.

“You don’t see it?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“It’s not that there’s a problem, but… … The viewer ratings are quite high. Have you heard anything about it from people around you?”

“Why would you go around talking about your daughter as something to be proud of?”

“… … Aren’t you happy that your daughter is working as an idol?”

“yes.”

There wasn’t a moment of hesitation.

Seongpil also asked back immediately without any hesitation or confusion.

“This may be an awkward question, but why did you agree to appear on the show?”

“I don’t know what I would do if you didn’t do this. I’ve always been a kid who would say nonsense. I was very persistent. That’s why I said, do it yourself.”

“… … .”

The next dish came out.

Manabu didn’t seem to have any intention of becoming friendly with Seongpil or having a particularly productive conversation with him.

I kept my eyes glued to the bowl and focused solely on the food.

Seongpil smiled at such a manabu.

“Thank you, Mr. Kasei.”

Manabu raised his gaze.

“Your daughter is doing well. I am glad that we can invite her to this program. She has a good reputation among the staff. She is loved by everyone. But that’s too bad.”

“… … What are you talking about?”

“Because you haven’t been able to see your daughter’s performance. We recently moved to the evening time slot, so if you have time, it would be good to watch it. No, should I show it to you now?”

When Sungpil took out his phone, Manabu was taken aback. He took a sip of water and spoke as if he was dumbfounded.

“Did you hear what I said? I… … .”

“This is it.”

Seongpil played the video ‘Girls’ League X Bugbug Invasion! Hana’s performance collection’.

Manabu, who had been frowning, focused as if he had never hated it when he heard his daughter’s voice.

[I didn’t come here to be pitied! I came here to win!]

[Keu-heu, keu-heu, hee-heu… … .]

[Hey, you. What are you laughing at? Do you find what I’m saying funny?]

[to.]

[Please don’t fly too high… … . It’ll hurt too much when you fall… … .]

[Now I know that not being able to do something is not a reason to give up, but a reason to work harder! We are idols!]

[Okay, please take care of it?!]

The ten-minute-long mad movie ended. During this time, Manabu’s eyes never left the screen, and his expression did not change at all.

There were some changes.

It was snow.

“Your daughter is trying desperately in a place that Mr. Kasei doesn’t know about. She doesn’t know anything about the art of living on air, so what she shows on air is 100% real. She’s really desperate.”

Seongpil put the phone back where it had been placed in the middle of the table.

“You are doing your best, but it must be painful. It is not easy to be evaluated by millions of people. However, what allows you to endure is Hana’s unique will and courage, and the people who support you. If your family is included among those who support you, Hana will be able to work harder.”

“… … .”

“It’s okay even if it’s not a compliment. Something like, ‘I saw your broadcast. You worked hard’ is enough. Sometimes, just thinking that your family is watching gives you strength.”

The waiter who brought the next dish was confused because the food that had been brought just before had not decreased at all.

He skillfully hid his embarrassment and explained the dish. After he left, Manabu cautiously opened his mouth.

“Can one make a living doing this?”

“No one can answer that.”

“yes?”

“Responsibility is yours, and the results are not something you can leave up to someone else. You can’t trust promises that others make to you. If Mr. Kasei is worried about your daughter, what you should do is not to ask me for a definite answer about the future. You should either deny this hope like you have been doing so far, or support it differently than you have been doing so far.”

In words.

Seongpil said so.

“Words are priceless. However, to the person listening, those words can be worth a million dollars. To Hana right now, a word of encouragement from her father would be a million dollars. Even if it’s not sincere. If you can give your daughter the most expensive gift in the world with a word, why not tell a little lie? Please convey a message of encouragement to your daughter who is fighting fiercely on her own battlefield, even if it’s just for this moment.”

Manabu is against idol activities.

The reason was easy to guess.

It’s money. Since it’s such a big deal, Seongpil brought money as a metaphor.

“please.”

* * *

On his way home, Kasei Manabu stopped in front of a small tonkatsu shop in the neighborhood.

One of these stores has been around since I was a child.

When I took the tonkatsu home and returned, one of them had a big smile on his face.

‘Wow, Dad, you’re the best!’

My daughter doesn’t show me a single smile now, but she was different when she was little.

Manabu hesitated for a moment before calling the waiter through the window in the wall. Then he took out one of Hana’s favorite dishes and held it in his hand.

‘A word of encouragement is worth a million dollars.’

Do you even deserve to cheer for yourself?

Is it even possible to cheer for myself, who has crushed my daughter’s dreams because I didn’t want to admit my own incompetence?

At that moment, Manabu thought back to the dinner he had with his daughter that day. His daughter asked him if he had seen the broadcast, and he was disappointed when he said no.

‘Family support is precious, and… … .’

Manabu’s steps quickened. Even though he hadn’t yet met his daughter, cold sweat was running down his face.

As I stood in front of the house, my back was soaking wet even though it was winter. My heart was squeezing and I was in pain.

Manabu closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath. He was about to knock on the door.

“ah.”

Realizing that it was his own house, he hurriedly took out his key and slowly opened the door.

“I’m back… … .”

It was dark inside the house.

All that greeted me was pitch-black darkness.

‘Did one go out?’

I took off my shoes and walked into the hallway. I opened the living room door and turned on the light.

There is no sign of life.

Just in case, I opened one of the doors. There, on the bed, was a round object wrapped in a blanket.

“one.”

The blanket stirred. The round quilt slid away from the object covering it, revealing my daughter.

Through the light from the living room, Manabu could see his daughter’s figure, from her tear-stained face to her eyes filled with resentment.

“One, you’re crying… … why?”

One of them wrote down his impressions and replied like this.

“Because I’m daddy’s daughter.”

“……what?”

“Being my daddy’s daughter… … .”

One bit his lips hard and then screamed in a fit of convulsions.

“I cried because I regretted being born as my father’s daughter!”

Manabu’s vision became hazy, and soon the light began to scatter and fragment. As if to represent his mind, it fragmented, scattered, and disappeared.

Manabu’s heart was shattered.