Producer with no Regrets - Chapter 814



Only Noblemtl

Episode 814. Main Character (In My World) (5)

“What is the target of the Girls’ League?”

Album of the Year.

Artist of the Year Award.

Song of the Year.

“This is Song of the Year.”

It’s also the award that KARA received last year. It’s almost the only award that a girl group can aim for.

Each award has a judges’ score of 20% to 40% at each awards ceremony.

If not, chart rankings would soon become the criteria for awards, so there would be no need to hold an awards ceremony.

“The purpose of the awards ceremony is the same in every country: to promote the development of the industry.”

A best-selling product has a corresponding value. But selling a lot isn’t everything.

Rather, products that sell well can undermine the health of the industry.

Movies that have surpassed 10 million viewers have their own merits and entertainment, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are good movies.

“We can’t predict the judges’ scores, so I’ll leave that out and tell you.”

Girls’ League is aiming for Song of the Year.

The reason is simple.

Because the hurdles for the Album of the Year and Artist of the Year awards are high.

The hurdle is album sales, which are counted as a high percentage of the score.

“For example, if the Artist of the Year award reflects album sales by 30%… … .”

The artist who sells the most albums that year is awarded a perfect score of 30 points.

And then we score the sales of other artists based on that artist.

Girls’ League’s ‘Song for People’ sold 1 million copies.

So if a group that sold 3 million copies is the top group of the year, Girls’ League’s album score would be 10 points.

You start off with a 20 point deficit from the beginning. This gap is even bigger on the album.

“So, the award that the girl group Girls’ League can aim for is Song of the Year when the judges’ scores are excluded. That’s where the 8% I mentioned comes from.”

The Girls’ League has an 8% chance of winning the grand prize.

Why would that be? It must be a probability that came from careful calculations, as expected of Seongpil.

“Let’s just say, there are 12 songs that will be number one on the monthly charts for each of the twelve months. So if you divide 100% by 12, you get roughly 8%.”

Hong Gyu-heon was so dumbfounded that he almost fainted.

Did he despair after hearing such elementary school student-like calculations?

“Then Hyomin, the love emergency rescue worker belonging to the pirate group under Garo Enter, is also our competitor?”

As Min Kyung-seop said, Woo Hyo-min is also a unique solo musician who has ranked first on the monthly charts. She is also a competitor of the Girls’ League… … It is not wrong.

“On the surface, it may seem so. But here, a miraculous logic unfolds that raises the Girls’ League’s chances of winning by 50%. The HPT Music Awards’ judging criteria is that only the song award is based on domestic music source scores, overseas music source scores, music video views, and album sales, which together account for 60%.”

“Album sales… … are you looking at that too?”

“Yes. The logic is that albums with good music will sell well. The same applies to album sales. They also look at music source scores.”

It’s the same logic as adding streaming and music downloads to album sales on the Billboard charts.

“The Girls’ League has a perfect score here.”

This is the music video score.

‘Song for People’ surpassed 70 million views in just 24 hours after its release. The upward trend continued for 6 months, surpassing 300 million views, and will surpass 400 million views next year.

“10 points.”

The Girls’ League filled 10 points.

“The following is the album sales score. This is… … a 3. It’s about 1/3 of a full 10, so I’m giving it a low score of 3.”

The Girls’ League scored 13 points.

“There are overseas and domestic music source scores left, but it’s hard to know exactly. So I roughly calculated it using the most used app globally… … .”

I think it’s about 9 points.

“Isn’t Girls’ League number one? Didn’t their music do really well? I heard they even made it to Billboard’s Global TOP 10.”

Hong Gyu-heon asked with a look of bewilderment.

Who else is more popular globally than Girls’ Generation?

Of course, Hong Gyu-heon lives in Korea, so he doesn’t know about foreign atmospheres. But don’t overseas K-pop fandoms follow the tendencies of Korean fandoms in a similar way?

“Yes, full marks are for a boy group.”

In Korea, boy groups are treated like leftover rice. If you’re not a K-pop fan, there are many cases where you don’t even know their names.

That’s why people say that boy groups are losing popularity. If they continue like this, they’ll all fail and only the bones will remain. But the people who make them can’t be unaware of that fact.

The boy group didn’t fail.

It’s just that the target has changed.

Korea accounts for 10% of the entire K-pop pie. And that change first occurred in boy groups, and producers immediately turned their eyes overseas.

“Global listenership and streaming counts are similar for boy groups and girl groups.”

Another way to put this is this:

Boy groups sell several times more albums than girl groups, yet get similar streaming numbers.

In Korea and the public, boy groups are still overwhelmingly superior to girl groups in terms of commercial viability and expandability.

“The main characters are the top 2 4th generation boy groups, so I’m not sure who will get full marks, but it’s definitely not Girls’ League that got full marks. So 9 points.”

The Girls’ League scored 22 points.

“And the last indicator is the domestic music source score. I don’t know yet because the domestic music streaming platform hasn’t released the cumulative score, but Girls’ Union will probably get close to a perfect score. It could even get a perfect score.”

Seongpil said coolly that the Girls’ League could be perfect.

“So roughly 51 points.”

“Oh, Director Park. Can I ask how you came to that decision when the streaming cumulative figures haven’t come out yet?”

Hong Gyu-heon’s attitude was very cautious. This was because he couldn’t forget what Seong-pil had said earlier, “If you divide 100 by 12, you get roughly 8%.”

If the results are just a rough calculation of numbers, then even if he can use hypnosis, there is no way he won’t be disappointed.

“The PR team kept a record of the chart ranking changes and compared the records with other groups. We gave points for each ranking to make comparisons easier.”

“ah…….”

“It’s hard to say that it’s completely reliable because it’s just a simple score conversion, but it has some validity.”

And through this research process, Sungpil came up with an artist who had accumulated enough points to compete with the Girls’ League.

“An artist who can stand up to the Girls’ League… … .”

Min Kyung-seop lowered his head gloomily.

“It’s Hyomin. In the end, it was a tragedy of fratricide… … .”

“No, even though Hyomin’s digital score is high, her music video and album sales aren’t that good… … You like Project For You, so you really rate Hyomin highly?”

“Then, okay… … .”

Hong Gyu-heon sighed deeply like a general about to face a decisive battle.

“In the end, the only ones who can stand in the way of the Girls’ League are those guys.”

A rival who was born together with the Girls’ League, has been fighting with them continuously, and must decide the winner through the final war.

It’s an obvious conclusion.

Because they are both girl groups, they have high recognition in Korea, have similar album sales, and are also the only ones that can compete with them in terms of global success.

“Good. It really feels like the final chapter. If we receive the grand prize there, it will be a huge event for our children and the people.”

“Isn’t that Caius?”

“Huh? Then who are you?”

“It’s ‘layered.’”

They are the third generation girl group from SMS Entertainment.

One of the pinnacles of the previous generation.

He is a senior in the group archive.

“The music video released this spring has 250 million views. The total album sales have also exceeded 800,000 copies by the end of the year. Needless to say, the song was a huge hit and ranked first on the monthly charts.”

“… … .”

Layered?

He is an enemy without shortcomings.

No, they are seniors that the Girls’ League would call enemies. To compete for the grand prize on the same stage as them would be an honor beyond a simple competition.

Since their debut, they have never lost the title of music powerhouse, and they have broken through the filter heading to the 4th generation and achieved rapid quantitative growth.

Layered has won over 10 awards from all award ceremonies combined.

They also have a number one song on the annual charts.

Yes, they are a group that is impressive as an enemy on the path to the final victory of the Girls’ League… … .

“Then, what about Caius?”

Seongpil smiled.

A bitter taste lingered in my mouth.

“It’s similar to the Girls’ League, but it’s a little bit lower. No matter how many times you score… … Even considering the margin of error… … .”

This year’s Song of the Year award is not something to be pitted against Girls’ League or Layered.

Hong Gyu-heon felt all the strength leave his body.

“Not even an enemy… … ?”

“I told you.”

He said he was going to invite KS Entertainment to the stage and beat them up like dogs.

“It’s not yet time for Garo Enter, but the Girls’ League is definitely… … .”

Seongpil spoke as if he was making a promise.

“It will pass.”

This event is simply a reaffirmation that the Girls’ League’s target is on the same level as Caius.

And we will show everyone next year that we have overcome Caius.

Our producing season 4.

The ultimate album that will bring the world to its knees.

“Boss, the time has finally come.”

Seongpil finally achieves it.

“The Girls’ League will become the best idols.”

* * *

“Visaaaaaaaang!”

A border alert has been issued at Iim Enter.

The scariest situation for any company is when investors come to the company.

The investor of Eum Enter is Garo Enter. However, that does not mean that Hong Gyu-heon will come in person.

This means that Seongpil, who is the general producing director of Garo Enter and an outside director of Ieum Enter, is coming.

“Make it as clean as possible as quickly as possible!”

CEO Kim Myeong-un was running around and harassing his employees.

The interiors that were usually left in a somewhat sloppy state regained their original colors, and the Americano cups that had been piled up in the corner of the table went into the corn trash can.

Employees, regardless of whether they were new or senior, cleaned every corner of the company with dustpans and mops.

“you!”

The managers, under Kim Myung-woon’s orders, kicked open the practice room door and barged in. The young boys who had been imitating the cat meme they had seen in Clark stood up in surprise.

“Be careful how you speak, because someone really great is coming! You must never use words like ‘어쩌티비’ while walking down the hallway! Always be polite, okay?!”

“Isn’t that a word they don’t use anymore?”

“Don’t talk back to me like that!”

“Who is coming?”

“Park Sung-pil!”

With those words, the trainees froze.

Who is Park Sung-pil? If you are interested in the idol world, this is a name you cannot help but know.

He is a legend in the production world who created a girl group from an unknown small business and made it compete with KARA. And that’s not all? Every group he touches becomes a huge hit.

People called him by many nicknames.

The god of producing.

It’s you again, GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)… … .

X-shin (obtained because of the incident in ‘Stop Shining Solo’ where he dumped Hasul and went to work. A derogatory term used by the people when they don’t like the Girls’ League management).

KS Enter Spy (obtained from a video of Shortz participating in the KS ‘Nectar’ Challenge).

The world was full of titles that glorified his achievements.

“Min-gyu, you supervise the kids well. Got it?”

“yes!”

Min-gyu, the oldest among the trainees, took command.

“Oh, I’m practicing because you might come here to see me. I’m trying to make it look as difficult as possible!”

“Yes, yes!”

Even after the cleanup was over, CEO Kim Myeong-un continued to check to see if there were any areas that were lacking.

There was a time when Seongpil and Kim Myeongun were close friends who talked to each other without formality. How did their relationship change like this?

Kim Myeong-un realized anew how time had changed. A life where he had to bow his head in shame to his younger brother, even to a brother who had been no better than him in the past…

‘What is that?’

Park Sung-pil is a god.

That was the first principle that no one could refute.

We tried to provide maximum convenience to Ieum Enter, let them use Garo Enter’s infrastructure to their heart’s content to make up for Ieum Enter’s lacking promotional network, and let Garo Enter take on some of the difficult aspects of company management.

His good deeds have not stopped even recently.

The HPT Music Awards has scheduled a special stage for Woo Hyo-min and Shin A-reum.

The theme of the project was to show the harmony between seniors and juniors, that is, chemistry at the company level.

What this means is that it doesn’t necessarily have to be Woo Hyo-min.

‘Seo, Sungpil. There’s also Chaotic Energy and Way Percent, which are better than Hyomin. No, it’s better to share the stage with Chaotic Energy, who are direct juniors of the Girls’ League… ‘

‘I like Hyomin.’

‘Oh, thank you… … .’

When he first received this offer, Kim Myeong-un was so embarrassed that he didn’t know what to do. If Seong-pil had told him to do it, he would have called him hyung and used polite language from that day on.

If you treat me just a little better, I might even be able to swear that I’ll die on the same day as you, under the curse of the Peach Garden Oath.

Such a Seongpil came to Ieum Enter.

“Hello, sir.”

“Uh uh… … .”

Kim Myung-woon greeted him at the entrance. There were other employees behind Kim Myung-woon, so Kim Myung-woon had a hard time deciding on his tone of speech.

Should I speak comfortably as usual, or should I speak formally? Seongpil said to speak comfortably anytime, anywhere… … .

“Director Park, welcome. I will take you inside.”

“Representative, why are you like this? It’s so disappointing.”

“I’m kidding haha!”

When Kim Myeong-un smiled brightly, the employees also smiled along. He stuck close to Seong-pil, as if guiding or assisting him.

His attitude has changed recently.

After putting Woo Hyo-min at number one on the monthly charts this year, Garo Enter’s subsequent moves were so groundbreaking that they were eye-popping to industry insiders.

‘I overcame all external interference and succeeded in creating Waypercent and Chaotic Energy.’

It wasn’t even a nuisance. It was an attempt to cut off Garo Enter’s limbs.

And that’s not all.

In Japan, it was an unprecedented success. Usually, activities in Japan end in a few lines of news articles, but this time it was different.

During the two months that the Girls’ League was active in Japan, news continued to flow into Korea.

Bugbug, Samurai Girls, etc.

The fact that news of global activities, which would normally be difficult for non-fans to know, reached the Korean public was enough to give an idea of ​​the influence of Girls’ League.

‘No, it must be the power of horizontal enter.’

Garo Enter is what ‘made it known’. Half of the credit goes to Sungpil, who led the activities of the Girls’ League in Japan.

As great as all the success leading up to this point has been, the real greatness has yet to begin.

Kim Myung-woon, no.

Everyone in the entertainment industry knows.

The true purpose of Garo Enter, and how vigorously we have been moving forward toward that purpose.

‘A leap forward to become a large-scale planning company following listing… … .’

Kim Myeong-un reached that conclusion through Garo Enter and Seong-pil’s actions.

That was the reason why Kim Myeong-un became polite to Seong-pil.

His drive and ability to achieve this painting in just one year, and the power he will have in the future.

Seongpil will become a true producing god.

‘Once Garo Enter establishes the system, how much benefit will Hyomin receive? … .’

No, that’s an optimistic expectation.

After making the leap to become a major entertainment company, Garo Entertainment was extremely busy for several months, or even years.

How much attention can you give to Yim Enter? Since it is a fish that has already been caught, you can let it run its business as it pleases and focus on strengthening its internal structure.

There is a possibility that Iim Enter will be left out for a while. So, in order to prevent such a future, Kim Myeong-woon had no choice but to be even more passionate about Seong-pil.

“I’m not that knowledgeable about cars, but I bought an expensive car to give to you when you come. I’ll buy you a drink.”

It was a change of attitude that was almost cowardly. However, Kim Myeong-un had no clouds in his heart.

Rather, it was incredibly reassuring to be on the same boat as Seongpil. I even felt proud that my shadow had expanded by being in his shadow.

I was grateful that I was in the picture he was drawing.

“Thank you. But first, would it be okay if I watch Areum and Hyomin practice?”

“Oh, right. That’s why I came. Let’s go.”

Shin Areum went directly to Ieum Enter and practiced with Woo Hyo-min. Sometimes Woo Hyo-min went to Garo Enter, or the two practiced in separate practice rooms.

Today, the location was just Iim Enter.

The moment Kim Myeong-woon grabbed the doorknob to open the door to the practice room where the two were, Seong-pil stopped him.

“I’ll just watch from here.”

Sungpil watched the two practicing through the small window in the practice room door. The two were dancing to Woo Hyo-min’s hit song, ‘Call Me Sultanly.’

One of the reasons why Kim Myung-woon was grateful to Sung-pil was that he chose Woo Hyo-min’s song instead of Girls’ League’s song as the special stage song.

However, what Kim Myeong-woon was worried about was the possibility that Woo Hyo-min’s skills would not keep up with Shin A-reum’s.

‘Because Areum is a genius.’

I felt it since the beginning of Project For You. Shin A-reum has skills that are on a different level from other children.

The gap has widened beyond comparison to the time of the project.

The Girls’ League has been aiming to create idols who can perform live, and has delivered intense live performances on almost every stage.

As time went by, the momentum that Shin A-reum radiated was overwhelming.

In comparison, Woo Hyo-min has mainly performed simple and kitschy dances suitable for the shorts platform rather than focusing on dance performances.

‘The part I’ve been working on is vocals.’

‘Call Me Sultan Lee’ is Woo Hyo Min’s song, but if the two were to stand on the same stage, Shin A Reum would stand out visually.

It was the same even then.

They are both dancing the same dance, but Shin A-reum stands out more.

Kim Myeong-un made excuses like a thief whose feet had become numb.

“Hyomin is adjusting to Arum.”

“no.”

“huh?”

“Aram is adjusting to Hyomin.”

Is Shin A-reum adjusting to Woo Hyo-min?

Kim Myeong-woon looked at him as if asking a question, not understanding. However, Seong-pil only smiled proudly without answering.

“Araumi too… … is starting to develop her own lines. They don’t blend in right away.”

“Isn’t that something everyone has?”

“It wasn’t A-reum. Following the original was A-reum’s pride and her path of pursuit. But now, she’s become quite accustomed to it.”

Like an artist with his own personality.

“So, Arami is trying to match the original author, Hyomin.”

“Ugh… … .”

Kim Myeong-un couldn’t figure out what was going on in Seong-pil’s story.

Shin A-reum is not dancing to the original song, but is approaching the original song. Is it good to go through such hardships? Was she originally following the original song too well?

It’s so ambiguous that I can’t tell what’s what.

“Representative.”

“Uh, yeah.”

“This special stage is the gunshot of the beginning.”

KS Enter was also assigned a special stage with the same theme as Garo Enter.

Shin A-reum and Woo Hyo-min’s stage symbolically visualizes the conflict between the two companies.

As the generals of each camp break out of formation and engage in short-term skirmishes at the start of a war, Shin A-reum and Woo Hyo-min advance to the forefront of the battlefield.

“And, as a start, there is nothing lacking. It’s great. It was right to plan the stage with Hyomin.”

Kim Myeong-un still didn’t understand what Seong-pil said, but he knew that he had been praised by him.

“Me too, thank you.”

Thank you for making Arami and Hyomin’s stage a success.

Colleagues from Project For You who had been apart for a long time finally met on the same stage.

The two seen through the window finished their practice and sat back to back. The two of them were drinking water and smiling as if they were talking about something so interesting.

“They are not seniors and juniors, and they are not big names in the same company, but they have walked the same path.”

We ran the same path and had to part ways, but we met again as we each grew into adults in our own places.

The two will melt into each other like eyes that embrace and become one, recreating the emotion from 5 years ago. The finale of Project For You, the memories of Woo Hyo-min and Shin A-reum embracing each other and shedding tears.

The history that Garo Enter will present is friendship.

* * *

“Practice is over.”

Park Su-ryeon stretched out her body and staggered toward the bag in the corner. She put on her padding first and then, without even looking at her junior, she spoke to him while carrying the bag.

“It’s okay. I can go out like this.”

“Aren’t you going to check the video?”

Park Su-ryeon walked straight to the door.

“I know without even looking. You did well.”

“Let’s practice a little more.”

Park Soo-ryeon stopped walking and looked back. Her junior, Erica, who hadn’t even wiped off her sweat, was glaring at her.

“hmm.”

Park Su-ryeon thought for a moment and then said this.

“Sorry, I have an appointment.”

“Your boyfriend?”

“We broke up.”

“Then what promise?”

“Do I have to tell you that? You’re my manager?”

“The awards ceremony is coming up soon. I want to practice a little more.”

Park Soo-ryeon saw herself in Erica from the past. An enterprising child who wanted to know more and practice more.

Aida is someone who hasn’t given up hope yet.

It’s a world of difference from the self that has given up.

It’s shining, it’s twinkling.

“What song will we perform on the special stage?”

“Portrait in You.”

This is B.I.S’s biggest hit song and the song that won them the grand prize, ‘Song of the Year’.

This is also a song that Jung Ho-hwan often says is the greatest achievement of his life.

It is a true masterpiece that once held the title of the most streamed K-pop song overseas.

“That’s right, it’s our song. It’s a song by B.I.S. I think I’ve performed it on stage a thousand times. If you count it, it’s not a thousand times, but if you add it up with the number of times we practiced, it’s probably about that many times. Do you know what I mean?”

Park Soo-ryeon can wake up from her sleep and dance and sing ‘Portrait in You’ with her eyes closed.

“But this is the first time that just the two of us are performing. The composition has changed, and in my opinion, I think we can improve the level of perfection… … .”

“No, this is the end.”

It is the highest point that can be reached.

“If you feel inadequate, then it’s you who is inadequate. I am perfect. If you want to practice, practice alone.”

“I practice more. I haven’t been able to harmonize much because of my solo debut and Samurai Girls. Also, my senior often skips practice.”

“Are you blaming me?”

Park Soo-ryeon smiled and approached Erica. She reached out her hand. She didn’t mean to hit her. She placed her hand on the cute junior’s head and stroked it gently.

“Erika, I understand you’re anxious. But what can you do when everything is really over?”

“That must be because your standards are low. You have nothing more to achieve and no hope of achieving anything, so you’re just doing it half-heartedly. Not me. I’m desperate. Please, practice with me more.”

Park Su-ryeon closed her eyes tightly and let out a sigh.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear what you just said. You’ll think I was just complaining because I was anxious. But Erica, don’t think I’m doing this because I’m annoying. I am.”

BIS. One of the pinnacles of an era.

“I think it’s more than enough and more than enough now. This is okay. This is the recognition of someone who has lived as an idol for twice as long. It’s great. So… … .”

“therefore.”

A different emotion appeared in Erica’s eyes than before. It was a direct and raw anger that she would never show to her senior.

“Please say something like that after we sell about a million albums.”

“……what?”

“You were lamenting in the break room before. After Caius won the grand prize. You wanted to be like Darkest, but you couldn’t. You felt like debuting with B.I.S. was a job scam. Do you know why? It’s because you, the leader of B.I.S., are so sloppy and don’t put your heart into everything. Since you don’t do things like Darkest, it’s natural that you won’t succeed like Darkest.”

Erica pushed Park Soo-ryun like a storm. She poured out her words desperately and desperately, as if she was being chased by a ghost.

“It’s embarrassing to compare it to the contemporary ‘Layered’ and ‘Intimacy’. There’s no desire to improve, no desire to change the situation, and no will to look at the situation straight. It might be over for you, my senior, but it’s not for me. What do you mean? Are you great? Living my time as an idol? So you’re saying it’s okay? Seriously, I can only sigh. It’s obvious. It’s the first principle of morality. If you want to give advice to others, you have to be in that position yourself. So.”

Erica drove the wedge in.

“That’s enough. It’s okay. If you want to say something like that, if you want to act like a senior, sell at least 1 million copies before you say anything. Do you understand?”

Senior and junior.

A special stage showing the company’s history.

The history that KS Entertainment will show seems to be one of discord.

“Go.”

Erica turned her back on Park Soo-ryeon.

I didn’t think she would stay and continue practicing anyway. It would be strange if she stayed after being hit so hard.

I was just angry.

I always didn’t like her because she was sloppy with everything and often skipped practice. All she said was, “This is good enough,” and to Erica, she looked like a middle-aged office worker who had given up on her career.

He feels disgusted at how different he is from himself and the other members of Kaius.

They are not finished yet. They must fight fiercely and win on every battlefield. Otherwise… … .

“… … ?”

There was no sound from behind.

Park Su-ryeon didn’t sigh, click her tongue, turn around and walk away, or get angry.

It’s just standing still.

Erica turned her head and looked at Park Soo-ryeon, and her heart sank.

“Sorry…….”

A teardrop flows down Park Soo-ryeon’s cheek. Her moist eyes are looking at Erica, but she is not looking at Erica.

“I’m sorry I failed… … .”