Chapter 25
In the rather dry and straightforwardly designed President’s office, Cheon Seonsu asked Cheon Aram.
“When do you think you’ll stop playing house?”
“Well, I suppose I’ll know once I try a bit more? I’ve really met some interesting people right now.”
In response to her answer, Cheon Seonsu let out a deep sigh and said,
“Just sell off the buildings and facilities quickly and come back to SS. Weren’t those buildings and facilities prepared to be sold off as a package deal in the first place? Wrap it up before the rumors start. The old men funding this are already starting to chatter. What you’re doing isn’t free; it’s all debt.”
“If I go back now, the succession plan I’ve carefully arranged will get shaken up again.”
“That so-called succession plan was already rattled by that brat Cheon Jong-hoon with just one outrageous act.”
Cheon Aram let out a slight chuckle before saying,
“In that case, I really shouldn’t go back.”
Cheon Seonsu glared at his daughter with a disgruntled expression. He spoke in a voice that reflected his irritation.
“If you start a company, it’s definitely going to fail. It’s impossible to attract competent talent that meets that ‘smell’ condition. All the ones flying high are greedy by nature.”
“But Grandpa managed it, right?”
“That was because he was someone special, and you’re not your father.”
“I plan to become special like him as well. Just like Grandpa Cheon Tae-cheon, who was called Hyeon Woong. That’s why I named the company TwoBear.”
Cheon Seonsu looked at her with disapproval and said,
“Well, at the very least, take your time and be extremely picky about your choices. Don’t gather mediocre people just by their smell. Otherwise, your failure will be spectacular.”
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of picking mediocre people.”
As she left the President’s office, she said,
“Thanks for the advice. Father.”
Cheon Seonsu muttered to himself while staring at the door Cheon Aram exited through.
“Just hope no weirdos stick around…”
Ultimately, he couldn’t express the concerns he wanted to as a father.
*
Cheon Aram still hadn’t thought of an effective way to fleece money from her pocket.
But she didn’t want to give up on the quest.
Thus, she wanted to reveal one piece of information that needed to be confirmed first.
“…So, the child I have to confirm is in this café?”
“Yes, that’s correct. They have an overwhelming appearance, so you’ll know who it is as soon as you see them.”
I led Cheon Aram to the café where Yoo Gaeul worked.
If Cheon Aram judged that Yoo Gaeul smelled bad, then the quest and recruitment would both become meaningless.
If the representative says no, is there any way around it?
Might as well just give up.
Therefore, confirming the “smell” was the first order of business.
“I’ll know right away. You’re talking about that girl with brown hair, right?”
“Yes, please go and take a whiff.”
Cheon Aram tilted her head and said,
“Feels weird that I’m going to smell something like a dog….”
“A dog? President Cheon is not some mere pet. Think of her as a public service drug detection dog!”
“…So, you’re still saying she’s a dog.”
Cheon Aram mumbled while lining up at the order counter to smell Yoo Gaeul.
I watched her with a bit of nervousness.
Personally, I thought the chances of Yoo Gaeul, who seemed to have a strong desire for money, not having a “smell” were slim.
But even so, a part of me hoped that she didn’t have one.
I had some lingering regrets.
Moments later, Cheon Aram approached me with the call bell, as if she had finished her spell.
“How did it smell?”
She asked with a satisfied smile.
“It didn’t!”
“…Not at all?”
“Well, it’s not that it didn’t smell at all; it was just so faint that it was practically nonexistent. I could live with that kid in the same house without any major issues.”
I felt a bit emotional. Finally, a talent had emerged that could overcome Cheon Aram’s picky sense of smell.
And it was somebody with top-tier skills, no less.
“So you want to recruit that kid?”
“Yes, that’s correct. I have a question regarding that.”
“Hmm? What kind of opinion does Team Leader Seon want that I’m curious about? When it comes to the recruitment, I’m fully ready to accept and support your opinion.”
“I think that support could end up being more significant than expected, that’s why I mentioned it.”
Cheon Aram smiled, intrigued by my words.
Her gaze reminded me of a snake as usual.
“Alright. Go ahead.”
I swallowed slightly to ease my tension before speaking.
“She says she needs money.”
“Hmm…. She still looks like a kid, doesn’t she?”
“It didn’t seem to be just personal reasons. It appeared to be tangled up with family issues.”
Yoo Gaeul tried hard to look mature with makeup, but she couldn’t completely conceal her youthful appearance.
She was probably around the age of a high school freshman to sophomore.
At that age, not going to school and juggling four part-time jobs didn’t seem like an action driven by personal desire.
It wasn’t the kind of wish you’d expect from a girl wanting to go on overseas trips or to attend fan signings of a popular boy group.
What Yoo Gaeul was undergoing now was a kind of sacrifice that chipped away at her life. There must be a motivation behind such a sacrifice.
“How much do you think it takes to raise a middle school child with dreams in art?”
And from what was said yesterday, it seemed that motivation stemmed from family influence.
“So what you’re saying, Team Leader Seon, is that to recruit that kid, you want us to fill in the financial gap?”
“That’s right. If money is a hindrance to her trainee life, then offering her money would solve it!”
“How much are we talking here?”
I realized I was about to mention an outrageous amount, but I opened my mouth anyway.
“One hundred million won.”
Cheon Aram let out a deep sigh.
“…Team Leader Seon. You know that amount isn’t exactly light, right?”
Why wouldn’t I know?
“I do. It’s ludicrously high for just one trainee.”
“SS spends around one hundred million won per trainee annually, so investing that kind of money isn’t completely absurd.”
Just by using SS as an example, I could see her confidence.
“Sure, I could justify it. If I create a proper team, I’d consider investing as well. I’ll work hard to persuade investors for that.”
That’s right. It was all about ‘investing.’
“But what Team Leader Seon is talking about right now isn’t an investment for a trainee; you mean to just give them money, right?”
The gap between investing and gifting was as vast as the sky and earth.
There was.
But still, I couldn’t help but agree.
“That’s right.”
Cheon Aram said with a pure look of curiosity.
“Is there really an investor willing to pay money so easily?”
Even while raising doubts about my own words, I spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Because there’s talent worth that.”
“Well, if Team Leader Seon finds them so charming, then they must have talent. They might even be a genius. I trust Team Leader Seon’s judgment, so I won’t doubt this point.”
I bowed my head in appreciation of her faith.
“It’s an honor.”
Cheon Aram shook her head as if to say those words were unnecessary and continued speaking.
“The fact that they hardly give off any greed despite being desperate for money is a great value. They won’t bring any scandals in terms of character.”
Yoo Gaeul was indeed a good talent.
As I judged, she recognized that too.
“But if you’re asking whether that’s worth one hundred million won, then as the CEO of Two Bear Entertainment, I have to say.”
Her firm voice split the space between us.
“That’s a rip-off.”
Cheon Aram’s eyes glowed ominously.
“I don’t think there’s one talent in the world that’s irreplaceable. Doesn’t that kid have any spare?”
That was the only part I could be confident about.
“It may not be two, but there are about four talents like them in Korea. Yoo Gaeul is a vocalist that transcends the word genius. If given sufficient support, she will make a name for herself in the world.”
Yoo Gaeul will undoubtedly deliver value that exceeds one won.
“…That’s an absurdly high evaluation. If that’s the case, she really must be amazing.”
Cheon Aram was impressed but didn’t lose her sense of duty.
“Do you really think there are only four kids with a talent one level below her?”
“That’s not true.”
If a vocal potential is A+ instead of S, there were quite a few candidates. The next kid I was going to meet was also below average compared to Gaeul, but their vocal was A+.
“Then go find and recruit those kids. Not ones asking for work from the trainee stage.”
I almost nodded at that moment.
That’s what made me decide to give up on Yoo Gaeul.
“Funding the entertainment industry is basically akin to gambling. Just because you create a perfect product doesn’t guarantee success. Conversely, making a slightly inferior product doesn’t mean failure either.”
Yoo Gaeul will definitely succeed.
But it doesn’t mean that those who aren’t Yoo Gaeul can’t succeed either.
In the first place, there are hardly any cases of bringing in trainees with money.
There are already plenty of aspiring idols around.
There’s a typical contract signing fee, but it’s more like pocket money.
“We’re taking risks and jumping into the game. But Team Leader Seon doesn’t seem to see that risk.”
If we could minimize the risk, we should.
And Yoo Gaeul’s risk was too big.
“Above all, what we are preparing is a girl group, right? Not a solo artist.”
Cheon Aram declared.
“But if you keep showing this kind of attitude from now on, I think I’ll be seen as someone requiring a value of one hundred million won every time Team Leader Seon is looking for trainees. Is that okay?”
“I think this might be a problem. Is this really okay?”
Despite giving a clear warning, Cheon Aram showed no signs of anger or irritation.
All that could be seen was a single, clear line.
But it was assumed that if that line were crossed, the snake known as Cheon Aram would start to bare its fangs.
I realized that the playful look Cheon Aram had shown me before was actually filled with intense goodwill.
That was the look she gave to others outside her line.
A chill of fear ran down my spine.
It made me wonder if she had truly experienced anything like being part of the mafia.
But I didn’t back down.
“I’ll bet my entire first-year salary.”
I decided to be brazen about it.
Just like before my return when I pledged to live selfishly,
“If one day that kid is deemed not worth it, just bill me for the money.”
This was a fail-proof bet.
My unwavering conviction was that Yoo Gaeul would definitely succeed.
Even if they handed her a third-rate ballad that was well past its prime, she would make it work.
In the end, if I managed to recruit Yoo Gaeul, I would only gain from this.
I could snatch both the rewards and success from this quest.
The risks Cheon Aram had to bear were none of my concern.
What mattered to me was my success, not TwoBear Entertainment’s profits.
“Team Leader Seon, do you fully understand what that means? This isn’t just a simple wager. The moment one side wins, the power dynamics will shift. I’ll either become the boss, or you’ll be a half-slave… Even if I lose or win, I’ll still be at a financial advantage, but is that really a healthy relationship?”
“I appreciate your consideration, but all I can put on the line is my future.”
Cheon Aram locked eyes with me.
I met her gaze as well.
In the silence that the café’s bustle couldn’t erase, Cheon Aram spoke as if she had conceded.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. I want to get along well with you, Team Leader… not to be stuck in some terrifying debt situation.”
She worried that our relationship would drastically change.
Then, with a refreshing laugh as if the pressure up until now had all been a joke, she said,
“So I’ll have to decline, Team Leader. We have plenty of time. Take it slow. Find another kid.”
*
Cheon Aram rejected my offer.
I wasn’t hurt. She was just making a rational decision as a businesswoman.
In fact, I felt a bit relieved. She seemed more like a pragmatic person than an idealist caught up in humanistic ideals.
At least it didn’t seem like Cheon Aram would make an irrational choice that would lead the company to ruin.
So, unless I could prove something new, persuading her seemed distant.
The scale tilted towards the decision to give up on Yoo Gaeul.
Yet, there was a sense of regret nestled in my heart.
With a feeling of frustration, I clicked on the rewards window.
In the rewards window, only a rather useless “Finger Jukebox” remained, which seemed only useful for a talent show.
As I looked at that, I started to have all sorts of random thoughts like, “Maybe I should try a weekend side job.”
But then a thought struck my mind like a bolt of lightning.
…I could actually use this!
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