Chapter 66

Chapter 66

When I arrived at the company, I was immediately dragged into the President’s office.

“Team Leader Seon! What crazy thing did you just do at Jinkang?”

“First of all, I think the assumption that I committed another crazy act is a bit biased…”

“Don’t talk about bias. It’s all Team Leader Seon’s karma. Think about everything you’ve done until now!”

“…I’m sorry.”

I didn’t want to live like this either. I just wanted to succeed comfortably.

Seeing me bow my head in repentance, Cheon Aram sighed and said, “You said this time that you and Soo-yeon would handle it. What kind of nonsense is it to crash into Jinkang right after saying that?”

I had an excuse.

“Well… it wasn’t me who crashed into them. It’s more accurate to say Jinkang crashed into me.”

If a tank collides with a person, it’s usually seen as the tank hitting the person.

“On my way home, dozens of suit guys suddenly surrounded me and said they wanted to meet the Chairman… I really didn’t want to see him, but I’m not capable enough to brush them off and go for a chase, so I was quietly abducted right to Chairman Jin Baek-ho.”

Maybe she agreed it was an unavoidable situation, as Cheon Aram clicked her tongue and said, “In the 21st century, you pulled that kind of stunt? Do those crazy guys have no lines?”

“Haha, at least they didn’t throw me in a drum and toss me into the sea, so I think it was still relatively gentle.”

“…”

“…I was joking.”

Seeing Cheon Aram’s reaction, it was clear my sense of humor was questionable.

With Gyeoul and Gaeul, every time I made a joke in this episode, the atmosphere crumbled. I realized how ruthless those guys were who laughed at my words in the last episode.

They must have been rolling on the floor laughing at my terrible sense of humor.

Thinking about it, there had to be some dirty ulterior motive behind their willingness to serve like that.

…But I hadn’t realized any of that in the previous episode?

The more I dug into it, the more reasonable the suspicion grew that my past self in the previous episode was utterly blindsided.

“Since I was dragged in like that, I thought it wasn’t good for TwoBear’s image to keep quiet.”

In reality, I was more like a silent volcano just waiting to erupt, but you know, it’s up to interpretation.

“So I tried to represent TwoBear’s stance and sincerity while showcasing a vision, and it seemed like it exceeded the minimum pass mark in Chairman Jin Baek-ho’s mind.”
In fact, looking back at his reaction at the time, it didn’t seem entirely convincing, but hey, I survived unscathed, so I guess I’m not in his bad books.

“President, I really did my best.”

“Yeah, I get it. From Team Leader Seon’s perspective, you did your best in a sudden situation.”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

“Honestly, I called you over to say something about rushing in alone, but since you had your reasons, I won’t press the issue. …Well then, since the whip isn’t needed, I guess just a carrot will do.”

“Huh? Carrot?”

“A staff member from Jinkang approached me.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Cheon Aram smiled slightly as she saw me tense up.

“They said they’d actively invest if the contract terms regarding Jin Yeoreum were written up and there were no deficiencies in her treatment. They were already planning to invest a lot, so I appreciated the offer.”

What’s with Jin Baek-ho? Acting like he’s not pleased, yet looking out for me?

If that’s the case, he could treat people a bit nicer.

Do you think I’d be grateful for this kind of thing?

“I mean, Team Leader Seon did a great job bringing in investment, so there should be some compensation. Remember the bonus criteria stated in the contract? I’ll give you something based on the upper tier there. How about changing your car?”

“Thank you! Chairman Jin Baek-ho!”

Cheon Aram manipulated her smartphone to show me a rough draft of the bonus amount, and my eyes went wide.

I was already excited about how to manage that money so that it would be said I handled it well.

Car? Nah, it’s definitely time for some investments.

“Oh, and this is something I was going to mention later in the meeting, but I’ll just let Team Leader Seon know early.”

“Yes, I’m all ears.”

With loyalty heightened to the limit thanks to financial therapy, I listened eagerly to Cheon Aram’s words.

“I was talking with a younger acquaintance, and when I told them I was creating a girl group, they asked if I had any thoughts on sending a trainee to a broadcast.”

“Sending a trainee who hasn’t even debuted to a broadcast?”

“What kind of broadcast?”

Cheon Aram smoothed her chin slightly as she responded.

“It’s an idol survival competition program called ‘Girl 100’. They compete among 100 trainees to select 11, and those kids will be active as a project girl group for a certain period.”

“…‘Girl 100’?”

“Yeah, it seems MNet is going all out with this project. There are over 50 participating agencies.”

That name was unforgettable.

After all, ‘Girl 100’ would later be embroiled in a vote manipulation scandal, resulting in the CP and PD serving prison time.

Cheon Aram obviously had no idea about my inner thoughts and said casually.

“I think it would be good to give it a shot, but what do you think, Team Leader Seon?”
“What does Team Leader Seon think?”

“President, this isn’t just a poisoned chalice, you know?”

*

“Well, for now, I’ll take it that everyone’s positive about participating in ‘Girl 100.’”

“…Um, Team Leader Seon hasn’t shared their opinion yet?”

“Now that you mention it, you’ve been oddly quiet this time, Team Leader. Did you have something else in mind? Feel free to speak up.”

I dodged the question for the moment.

“No, I also think ‘Girl 100’ could bring great publicity.”

“Really? That’s a relief. Well then, let’s wrap up today’s meeting.”

As Cheon Aram was about to leave, she suddenly turned to me as if she just remembered something.

“Oh, Team Leader, please think about which of the three we should send and let me know. I’ll ask the two trainers to help you.”

“Sure, I’ll do that.”

“Yes, I’ll do as Miss Cheon wishes.”

“…”

And just like that, the meeting came to a close.

Everyone but me was in favor of participating in ‘Girl 100.’

Honestly, given the title, program format, investment amount, and planning intent, opposing participation would be quite abnormal.

Especially from our agency, TwoBear, which was at the bottom of the barrel.

Of course, joining a project girl group within the top 11 would complicate the debut timing, but even considering that, the rewards from ‘Girl 100’ were just too sweet.

The problem was that I was the only one who knew it was a rotten fruit.

The risks associated with voting manipulation were significant.

While I had somewhat gained the company’s trust, it wasn’t impossible to block things if I pushed back. However, opposing without logic would seriously damage my credibility.

That’s why I couldn’t actively speak up during the meeting.

It was frustrating.

Deep in thought, I looked out the window at the kids practicing.

The children were sweating profusely, moving under Lee Hyerin’s instructions.

They were all shining gems showcasing their dazzling talents.

If it weren’t for the voting manipulation, I believed anyone among them could definitely make it into the top 11. They had that level of talent.

While I had those thoughts, a quest window popped up.

[It’s time to prove your talent. Make sure one of the trainees from TwoBear receives an A-Class rating in the first impression test of ‘Girl 100.’]

[Reward – Memory of Potential]

A-Class? …Ah, that.

‘Girl 100’ conducts a first impression test at the start to provide introductions and growth narratives for the trainees, grading them from A to F.

It’s just a first impression test, so it won’t affect the final entry, but it’s crucial for determining early focus.

The view counts for those videos can range from 3 million to 7 million.

Out of that, the A score is awarded only to 11 participants. Essentially, it’s like being in the top 11.
It was a score granted only to the worthy. Essentially, it’s rank 11.

Considering that there are 11 candidates to achieve this, it was definitely not easy.

But I thought it would be a piece of cake for our trainees.

The real issue is that vote manipulation nonsense.

Ah, should I catch this or let it go?

While watching the kids practice through the window, I continued my inner turmoil.

In the midst of my deep thinking, a lightning thought struck me.

Wait, all I need is to not be in the top 11 at the final episode, right?

Through Girl 100, it wasn’t just the ones debuting in the project group that made the headlines.

In fact, there were even more talked-about eliminated contestants than the main ones among them.

Because fans of those eliminated actively raised objections, an investigation started too.

If one of those kids becomes an exceptional eliminated contestant, I’m sure of it.

You’d gain notoriety while also getting the moral high ground of being just a simple victim.

This isn’t something I should be mulling over, huh?

Anyway, the ones making it into 11 are already confirmed, so all I have to do is show a good performance.

However, Cheon Aram seemed to have quite strong connections, so a behind-the-scenes deal might come up.

What I need to do is block that and avoid the Demonic Editing from the Girl 100 production team.

Gaining confidence, I opened the training room and walked in.

“Brother Taeyang?”

“Teacher Taeyang?”

“You’re here, Team Leader Seon.”

The girls dancing suddenly reacted to my appearance, with Jin Yeoreum impressively showing no change in her dance moves even while responding.

“Mr. Sun! Are you here to observe the class? I’m more than willing to cooperate, so feel free to watch.”

I thanked him and plopped down on the floor.

Seeing me, the motivated kids seemed even more passionate about their training than usual.

I carefully checked my status window’s current abilities while watching the kids.

About an hour went by.

After the training ended, I called over one kid.

“What’s up? Teacher Taeyang? Another late night? Sounds really fun… ah, but you might want to call Older Sister Gaeul instead…”

“It’s not a late night; it’s a business trip.”

“A business trip?”

Seeing Gyeoul tilt her head in confusion, I was reassured once more.

If I had to pick one, sending Gyeoul would be the right choice.

“Are you ready to join a survival program where 100 trainees compete?”

“Me?”

Gyeoul trembled with her hands and eyes.

“Not Older Sister Gaeul or Yeoreum, but me?”

“Yeah, you.”

Gyeoul broke into a cold sweat and said,

“… Can I run away?”

Will that even work?

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