Producer with no Regrets - Chapter 810



Only Noblemtl

Episode 810

Garo Enter’s finance team member Kwon Ah-in’s day is very busy. It feels even busier because it’s the end of the year.

What she’s doing now is interviewing artists. Specifically, it’s an interview with Kang Hyun, the leader of Waypercent.

Kang Hyun listened carefully to Kwon Ah In’s explanation, trying not to miss a single thing.

“To explain again, the total production cost is… … .”

Artists aren’t very interested in spending money when they first debut. Their priority is to become famous, and since they don’t know anything, they blindly trust the company.

But over time, companies become more sensitive to how much they charge artists.

Where did the production costs go, is there any money being wasted, or is the company lying to itself?

‘They are sensitive.’

Ongoing communication with these artists is also an important task for the finance team.

The company and the artist have a contractual relationship. That contract is made with money.

Maintaining and further developing trust between the two is also one of the roles of the finance team that holds the purse strings.

“You understand, right?”

After Kwon Ah-in finished explaining, Kang Hyun carefully checked the documents. He probably wouldn’t understand even half of them.

“If you have any questions, feel free to ask as many times as you want.”

Waypercent is an idol with an unfortunate past. They foolishly thought that the company would do well for them and they were active, but what the heck, they were ripping off all their money behind the scenes.

That’s why, even after entering Garo Enter, he often visited the finance team with an apologetic look on his face.

“That’s okay. I understand.”

“is it so?”

“Yes. Thank you for your time.”

“No, it’s my job. Fighting!”

“Huh? Ah, okay, fighting.”

After the interview, the two came out of the reception room.

As Kwon Ah-in returned to the office and was about to sit down, she noticed Han Gu-in watering a flower pot.

Although others may not know, Kwon Ah-in was sensitive to Han Gu-in’s changes. This may be because she had served him as her superior for a long time.

‘You feel good.’

It’s probably because Seongpil will be back soon. At this point, I even suspect that Seongpil might be Han Gu-in’s only friend (which is true).

‘Or is it your birthday soon?’

What would be a good gift to give?

He already had the opera Blu-ray that you gave him before. If you gave him records or something like that, he would probably have them all.

“Mr. Ain.”

After finishing pouring water, Han Gu-in sat down and called Kwon Ah-in. When Kwon Ah-in got up and tried to approach, Han Gu-in waved his hand to stop her.

“We should have sent you the first draft of the materials from Webex. Please reflect it in the final version.”

“All right.”

Yeah, that’s right.

Seongpil’s return means the Girls’ League is also returning.

The goal of every company is to earn more than it spends and distribute it in a way that satisfies employees, investors, and executives.

That’s why the finance team is the core of the company.

If we were to use a metaphor, we could say that she is a best friend who can even read her friend’s diary. And Kwon Ah-in, who can read her friend’s diary, is feeling lonely these days.

‘I wonder if the year-end bonus will be paid properly.’

Of course, Garo Enter’s welfare is considerably better than the companies my friends work at.

It might be rude to her friends to think about getting more money.

Kwon Ah-in also knows. However, it was disappointing that, despite the dazzling growth of Garo Enter on the outside, there were no particular benefits for the employees.

I feel like I’m becoming needlessly cynical, as I see the shadow of the glamorous entertainment industry.

‘Next year will be better. My job can’t fail… ‘

Materials sent from Webex.

Kwon Ah-in, who had been taking it in roughly, froze as if she had made eye contact with Medusa. No, only her eyes moved quickly.

It’s a feast of numbers written in black.

“… …Director Han.”

“Yes, Mr. Ain. Why are you doing that?”

The finance team tracks income and expenses and controls how much money is spent on projects.

On a small scale, you can check whether employees’ salaries are paid properly, and on a larger scale, you can even decide how much to increase employees’ salaries.

“Wouldn’t it be okay to set our year-end bonus at 500%?”

“yes?!”

* * *

Head of the Webex Idol Management Headquarters.

In front of him was the representative of ‘Invasion Enter’, trembling and signing the contract.

As the CEO of Bugbug’s agency, he has decided to hand over 51% of his shares to Webex right now. The profit he gets from this is the investment.

In effect, Invasion Entertainment became a subsidiary of Webex.

“Okay, it’s over.”

The legal team member next to the two men closely examined the stamps on the documents. Finally, when he nodded, the head of the headquarters smiled brightly and held out his hand.

The representative shook his hand and bowed as if he was embarrassed.

“Please take care of me, sir.”

“I, I am the one who needs to be treated well.”

“The employees I mentioned will be assigned to Invasion Entertainment within the next week. The relocation must be completed within this week.”

“Yes, yes. Is there any possibility?”

In the first place, there is nothing worth taking to the new building.

Invasion Entertainment was just a small building in the basement. Even if we took everything out of that small space, it wouldn’t even fill half of the new building.

The representative sipped the cold tea like a cat and watched the director’s expression.

“If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”

“Ah, ah, yes. That’s right, isn’t Bugbug going to the HPT Music Awards…?”

“Yes.”

“Then, are there any plans for advancing into Korea or something like that…?”

Why would an agency representative ask an investor such a question?

The reason is that Webex deploys a large number of its employees to Invasion Enter under the guise of consulting.

Invasion Enter is essentially under Webex’s control. So, it is only Webex that will determine Bugbug’s future strategy.

“haha.”

The chief let out a dry laugh.

“Reverse entry from Japan to Korea is impossible. There has been no case since the globalization of K-pop. And there has been no case before, as far as I know.”

“Ah, yes, I guess so… … .”

I had a brief but sweet dream.

“But it’s not meaningless, right? It’s the HPT Music Awards, the first of its kind to be held in Japan. It’s the biggest awards ceremony and joint concert in the K-pop scene. Isn’t BugBug elected as the representative?”

The ripple effects in Japan cannot be ignored either.

“Please make it the most splendid and wonderful stage.”

“Okay, I will. I will definitely do that.”

Idols are making a comeback from Japan to Korea.

This is clearly an unprecedented case.

Still, going to an event like the HPT Music Awards gave me a small glimmer of hope.

‘But I need to know my subject.’

This is tantamount to an indirect declaration that Webex will push Bugbug with all its might.

Isn’t that right? Because Bugbug has taken over that important position, beating out Estas, which we created ourselves.

However, contrary to the representative’s thoughts, it was not because of Webex’s enthusiastic support that Bugbug went to the HPT Music Awards.

Because it was related to the Girls’ League. That was the whole reason. No, it would be more appropriate to say it was because it was related to Garo Enter.

“thank you.”

The representative expressed his gratitude to the director.

For nurturing an underground idol who didn’t even know if the sun would rise tomorrow. And for giving him the huge opportunity of appearing at the HPT Music Awards.

And this gratitude was given more weight to the latter.

The chief smiled and waved his hand.

‘You have nothing to thank me for.’

This was requested by HPT Media, which has ties to Garo Enter, and Sisyphus, the organizer of the HPT Music Awards.

If you dig all the way to the top of that request, you’ll find the president of Garo Enter.

Bugbug’s appearance is a show planned by the president of Garo Entertainment, and Bugbug is just a pawn to complete the president’s plan.

Even so, it was a really good person’s long-term horse. The head of the headquarters truly thought that this representative was a lucky person.

“Phew.”

The CEO came out of the conference room after finishing the contract, his back soaked with sweat. He glanced at the yellow envelope in his arms and confirmed that the contract was there. This time, he let out a sigh of relief.

“Miyoko.”

The representative called Miyoko, who was waiting at the door. She put her arm on the railing and looked down, then turned to the representative a beat later.

The representative still hasn’t gotten used to Miyoko’s appearance.

It was as if the lively atmosphere of the past had disappeared, and now it was rare to see myself smiling.

It was like that after the ‘Girls’ League X Bugbug Invasion!’. Although she wondered if she had done something wrong, Miyoko had become a little colder towards everyone in general.

“Now let’s go say hello to the boss.”

“yes.”

Miyoko looked down the railing again.

The representative approached her and looked down, wondering what was going on. He saw the Girls’ League members gathered in the hall on the first floor.

Sitting on a chair placed around a decorative pillar, it seemed as if he was waiting for someone.

“It’s the Girls’ League. You’re still here. Are you saying you wanted to say hello?”

Miyoko glanced at the Girls’ League once and shook her head.

“No, sir?”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Will things be okay for us from now on?”

“Are you okay… … ?”

“One is missing.”

“Oh, that.”

The representative laughed hollowly and looked around to see if anyone was listening.

“Surprisingly, there was no impact. I don’t know how to say this, but one of the members wasn’t that popular to begin with. Of course, he was active on TV shows… … .”

The same goes for other members.

In particular, Miyoko’s performance stood out. Just like in the previous Bugbug, she maintained her position as the most popular member even after the broadcast.

“The new fandom is also somewhat accepting of one’s withdrawal. Oh, that’s not it.”

Those who like one probably wouldn’t have become a BugBug fandom at all.

In the first place, the only thing Invasion Enter was aware of was the Bugbug fan community that was formed after the broadcast.

And even though the BugBug fandom has suffered one departure, it is currently the largest among Japanese idols due to the popularity of the show.

“Anyway, if you do well from now on, things will definitely go well. It’ll be harder to fail from now on, right?”

“……is it so.”

“Rather than that, I have to worry about the upcoming event. I mean, the HPT Music Awards. I have to practice hard and impress Korean fans. It will also be broadcast in Japan, so I have to work even harder.”

“I know. I’m talking about the Girls’ League.”

“……huh?”

Are you a member of the Girls’ League?

Bugbug also stands on a solo stage… … .

“I have to work hard.”

Bugbug’s role is to promote someone else. She was said to be a hanger-on for the Girls’ League, but that’s not all.

Bugbug is the most certain sign of the producer Seongpil’s ability.

If you think about it even a little, you’ll understand that they’re not invited because they’re really good.

“I’m repaying the favor.”

Of course I have to work hard.

* * *

A busy downtown area lined with buildings.

The Girls’ League was featured on a huge outdoor billboard that didn’t look small even from a distance.

Because of its size and clear picture quality, it immediately catches the eyes of those passing by. In the lower left corner, a small caption reads, “Girls’ League Song for People.”

Even though it’s quite a distance away, the sound is audible.

“Hana-chan, we need to install the speakers quickly.”

“Oh, yes!”

One of them took the speaker out of the car and carefully placed it on the ground. The senior I met at the academy looked up at the gloomy sky and cried.

“It looks like it’s going to snow.”

“Oh, it’s not raining so it’s okay, right?”

The senior looked at one of them as if he was dumbfounded.

“If snow touches the speaker, it will melt and turn into water! Snow is water after all!”

“Oh, really?!”

One of them was embarrassed that his skills were revealed, so he just laughed. Then, he used the knowledge he had learned from his senior to connect the speakers and amplifier.

One of them enrolled in a dance academy called ‘Red One’. There, he was lucky enough to form a busking dance team with like-minded colleagues.

I guess the recognition I gained from ‘Girls’ League X Bugbug Invasion!’ helped. Because everyone approached me first even though I couldn’t even make eye contact with people.

One of them, who was busy installing equipment, turned his attention back to the outdoor billboard.

The Girls’ League’s music video was gone, and an unknown handsome actor was spraying perfume everywhere.

“Do you like the Girls’ League? Oh, of course you do.”

The senior put his mouth to one of my ears as if he was going to tell me a secret.

“Have you actually been to this academy with the Girls’ League?”

“Really? Oh, is that where you went when Mentor Rika was preparing to become an idol?”

The senior burst out laughing at Hana’s tone. Hana didn’t know what he did wrong, so he just said something like, ‘Huh? Uh-huh?’

“Do you still call me mentor?”

“Ah, ahh… … . Later on, I want to call you ‘senpai’… … .”

“You’re secretly a natural. Anyway, it wasn’t Rika who went, but Ara came once for a daily class. She said she came with a guy.”

“Is that your boyfriend?!”

“That’s not it. I heard that he’s a company employee? He’ll probably stay on our academy channel. He said he stayed because he danced well.”

One of them was curious about Joara’s boyfriend (or not), so he immediately went to the academy’s iTube channel. It was a large channel with millions of subscribers.

There was also a video of the results of the general class in the playlist, and I kept digging through it until I finally found it.

It was a face that no one could not recognize.

“Producer… … .”

Sungpil is dancing to C.A.C.E.’s ‘Addicted’. He’s dancing it really well.

This is not at the level of an ordinary person. It must have been a lot of hard work and practice. Ordinary passion can never reach this level.

‘The Girls’ League is in the hands of this producer… … .’

It was born from the hands of a producer who was passionate enough to teach himself K-pop dance.

“There’s also this. I heard that Yuu-chan from Chaotic Energy also went here. Isn’t there some kind of mysterious aura that creates K-pop idols? So Hana-chan too… … Ah.”

The senior’s face turned pale.

“It’s snowing! Fold up your gear!”

Among the colleagues who were panicking and folding up their busking equipment, one of them was holding his phone tightly in his arms.

Dreaming of the day when I can call the Girls’ League ‘senior’ and the day when I can call Sungpil ‘producer’ again.

* * *

The Girls’ League members were waiting for Seongpil to come out in the hall on the first floor of Webex.

The lingering feeling of the end of a long, long Japanese activity… … I was just tired more than anything.

Even though they had been living in Japan for a long time, the fact that they were in a foreign land did not change, so fatigue had accumulated without them even realizing it.

“Rika, how have you been in Korea? Did you not even want to eat your hometown food?”

Rika leaned toward Joara. She rested her cheek on Joara’s shoulder and closed her eyes calmly.

“If Ara-chan is here, I can be anywhere, anytime… … .”

“Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I kissed you.”

“Eek?!”

“I guess I’m pretty crazy too.”

“Ara-chan is slutty!”

“You know what?”

Jang Ha-yang, who had been absentmindedly standing there, joined in the conversation as if he had come across a good idea.

Joara immediately became alert. She showed her palm to Jang Ha-yang as if she was calming down a growling puppy.

“Sister Hayang, act like a lady. If you don’t want to be controlled by your jokes again.”

“Hahaha, I was just going to say some TMI.”

“Tell me.”

Chief Justice Jo Ara crossed her arms and watched Jang Ha-yang closely. Jang Ha-yang straightened his posture like a Rakugo (Japanese rhetorical art) master on stage.

“Most people have sexual fantasies, right?”

Joara glanced at Baekseolha.

“Why are you looking at me?!”

“No, I heard a sound coming from your side.”

“I don’t have any fantasies! I’m just ordinary!”

Jang Ha-yang shed tears of joy.

“If only I could go back to before I saw my sister’s tablet… … .”

“I too… … .”

Jang Ha-yang’s story continued with Rika being put in a headlock by Baek Seol-ha.

“One of the fantasies of homosexuals is falling in love with a heterosexual. No, it’s closer to succeeding in seduction.”

“… … So?”

“When I heard what Araga said, it suddenly occurred to me. So you finally fell for Rika… … something like that?”

“… … .”

“… … .”

“… … So, teacher, what’s wrong with the tablet?”

“You’re not even responding anymore… … ?”

“Da, Dasukete (Save me)… … .”

“Seriously, teacher.”

Shin Areum asked Baek Seol-ha questions like a curious student.

“Do you really feel like watching that over and over again? Is that possible for a human being?”

“No, this is all a conspiracy! If A-reum treats me like that, then who am I supposed to trust and live with! It was just a novel, a novel! A normal romance novel!”

“Oh, I see… … .”

“Si, si-nu (lord, die), atasi si-nu (I’m dying)… … .”

“hello.”

Baek Seol-ha quickly released Rika’s neck. The members all stood up and bowed their heads briefly to the person they were greeting.

Jang Ha-yang stepped forward to greet her.

“Tomoe.”

“Hello, sister.”

Tomoe called Jang Ha-yang with a clear pronunciation of ‘Sister’ (Korean).

“Are you going back now?”

“Yeah. I’m waiting for Director Park.”

“I see.”

Tomoe fiddled with the strings of the guitar case on her shoulder. She was carrying two of them.

She lowered her gaze, filled with mysterious emotions. Her eyes, which had been resting on Jang Ha-yang’s feet, soon turned straight to Jang Ha-yang’s eyes.

“Would you like to take this?”

Tomoe took one of her guitar cases off and placed it on the floor.

When I opened the vertical case, the electric guitar she used in ‘Ayumu’s Jukebox’ was revealed.

“… … This? Other?”

“yes.”

“why?”

“I hope you’ll accept it, sister.”

Baek Seol-ha got excited and hit Shin A-reum’s shoulder hard. Shin A-reum also watched the situation unfold with her eyes sparkling like stars.

Is the fantasy that Jang Ha-yang spoke of coming true?

“This is expensive. I can’t accept it.”

“Please return it to me later. When you’ve used it and are tired of it, give it back to me.”

“But I can’t play the guitar.”

“You play bass too. You’ll learn guitar in no time.”

“… … Is this a parting gift?”

“haha…….”

Tomoe scratched her flushed cheek and smiled.

“Sealing… something like that.”

“seal?”

“I want to write when I have the qualifications. It’s like, I don’t think I should write yet. Haha, I’m really disorganized… … ?”

“okay.”

Jang Ha-yang received a guitar from Tomoe.

“Anyway, you want me to accept it, right? If that’s what you want, then I will.”

“Oh, thank you… … .”

Tomoe stared at the guitar with sad eyes.

“That’s the first guitar I bought with the money I earned. It costs over a million yen. It’s definitely a good guitar, but strangely, it doesn’t feel good in my hand and the sound isn’t good.”

“Are you passing on defective products?”

Tomoe shook her head.

“The defective product is on my side.”

“Ah, that’s what I mean… … There’s no need to say it like that… … .”

“Anyway, I think I wanted to decorate myself with something shiny. I filled my surroundings with things that didn’t suit me at the time… … .”

“It was great!”

It was Rika who shouted.

“It was great on ‘Ayumu’s Jukebox’! It was a great performance!”

“… … .”

Tomoe closed her eyes and nodded slowly. When she opened them again, a look of regret was overwhelming her.

“It was great, but I think that was it. I was too motivated. I didn’t believe in my own singing. The luxurious sessions, the arrangements that would make the live performances burn, the flashy decorations, the expensive equipment. Those things just made the original song blurry.”

I was trying to break the mold. I was trying to surpass the original by throwing in something flashy.

The more this happened, the more the aura of the original became blurred, and the sincerity it preached lost its luster.

I realize this now, but it seems like what was needed was a reenactment.

“I need more of the strength to believe in myself when I made that song, the faith that doesn’t deny my past self.”

So what we should pursue is not excellence, but repetition.

“I want to get that guitar when I become qualified. In the meantime, I hope it will be loved by a good owner.”

“Okay, I’ll make it pretty. Can I borrow it? Seol-ha here plays the guitar well.”

“Even the guitar will be happy when it is in the hands of such a cute person.”

“Ah? Okay, thank you… … .”

“Then let’s go.”

“That guitar.”

Jang Ha-yang pointed to the guitar case left on Tomoe’s shoulder.

“That was it then?”

“Yes. I’ve been using it, and Director Park tuned it for me. It’s cheap and old, but it sounds good.”

“… … Work hard.”

“Thank you, sis. See you from above.”

“wait a minute.”

This time, it was Joara who caught Tomoe.

“You know the match, right? The results are coming out today. Do you know the results?”

The other members were shocked as if Jo Ara had touched a taboo.

They are waiting for Seongpil. And they are waiting for the news that Seongpil will bring.

Tomoe took her phone out of her pocket with a loose grip. There was no contact from Misato.

“I don’t know. I’m not really interested.”

So Tomoe left the Girls’ League.

Shin A-reum muttered as she watched her walk away.

“In the end, that guy was always number one on the charts.”

“But what did you say to your sister? You kept talking about self-reflection or something.”

“I don’t know. But it must have been important to Tomoe.”

“Atashi (I) understand.”

Everyone looked at Rika. Rika squinted her eyes arrogantly and shook her head.

“I feel defeated by my artistry and am entering a closed-door training. I don’t know what to do with this talent anymore… … .”

“Oh, okay. What should I eat when I go to Korea?”

“I want to eat pork belly rice bowl.”

“Our producing season 4 will bring a storm of blood to the hearts of many artists. Everyone will despair at my overwhelming talent, hehe… … .”

“The old man will do that anyway.”

“Since the album producer appointed by Atashi (me) is the director, it’s the same as me making it!”

“The name artistry is depressing.”

Shin A-reum sat on her chair with her buttocks stretched out and let out a sigh toward the ceiling.

“It’s the end of the year… … .”

What kind of food should I cook and eat with the team leader this year?

“Why, is it an age where you’re afraid of just growing older without doing anything?”

“Don’t talk about age.”

“Huh? Did you really get scratched?”

Shin A-reum moved her eyes towards Baek Seol-ha several times. Jo A-ra noticed right away and changed the subject.

“It’s really pitiful that people don’t change even as they age. We grow, don’t we?”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

Snow White became depressed.

“But then when will the real results come out?”

Rika looked towards the president’s office on the top floor of the Webex building where Seongpil was.

* * *

In front of the president’s office.

Seongpil waited for someone to come out of the door. According to other employees, Misato was called to the president’s office first.

Himura was next.

‘Which one is called first is NO? Or is it YES?’

I’ll wait here to hear back as quickly as possible and share the results with everyone.

But when I thought that a story I didn’t know about was going on beyond the thin door, my heart started to sink.

‘The reason the director’s story is so long is because he rejected me?’

Is Rihito trying his best to comfort his disappointed son? Or is Himura throwing a tantrum at his father?

They all seem plausible, so it’s hard to make a judgment.

More than that, why didn’t Misato, who heard the story first, react at all?

‘Well, Chief Misato isn’t the type of person to make fun of people.’

Just before Seongpil started chewing his fingernails, the door opened and Himura appeared.

“Sir, what… … !”

Seongpil’s mouth was tightly shut.

It was because of Himura’s expression. His eyes were wet and rippling.

“Ah, Director… … .”

Himura looked at Seongpil and his face distorted as if he was about to burst into tears that he had been barely holding back.

He bit his lips hard and placed his hands on his knees. Himura let out several heavy sighs and slowly walked towards Seongpil.

“Director… … .”

Himura finally let out a sob. The short sobs made him feel the emotional power he was using to suppress his emotions.

Seongpil comforted him and patted his back.

“It’s okay. It’s okay.”

I haven’t tried so lightly that I’d regret it.

He cries because he fought so fiercely that he has no regrets. What Himura is shedding are probably tears of resentment.

I had been unable to sleep for about two months without drinking alcohol as a reaction to stress. It was such a long time that I couldn’t maintain my sanity without outside help.

But if the answer is no, there is no way to express your heartache other than crying.

Seongpil roughly rubbed his back.

“You have worked hard enough and more than enough. The Girls’ League… … .”

“I got it… … .”

“yes?”

“I got it, the theme song, I got it… …!”

“… … Ugh.”

I haven’t tried so lightly that I’d regret it.

Seongpil cried because he had fought so fiercely that he had no regrets.

“Thank you for your hard work, Director. Really, really… … .”

It was a hard fight, and it was won.