Chapter 100
As I showcased Oh Jin-woo’s experience, credentials, and sampling recordings, Ban Seong-cheol exclaimed in admiration.
“…It’s definitely not an exaggeration to say he’s A-level.”
Like he was savoring a delicious meal, Ban Seong-cheol absentmindedly stroked his chin while looking at me with a sly smile.
“But there’s something lacking.”
I shrugged, as if inviting him to elaborate. Ban Seong-cheol seemed a bit offended by my attitude, his expression slightly twisted as he replied.
“I admit the performance is impressive, but there aren’t any officially released tracks, right? That means he hasn’t proven himself yet.”
“You might think that, but don’t worry. There’s a guarantee on that.”
“…A guarantee?”
It was a guarantee from none other than the industry’s top leader.
“His mentor is James Oh.”
“Wait, he learned from that James Oh?”
Ban Seong-cheol’s mouth dropped open, taken aback by an unexpected name.
“Yeah, he’s the friend James Oh recommended, but we, as a new company, thought he was too big for us, so we had to hold back tears and let him go.”
I made a genuinely disappointed face and responded.
“Still, I felt it was too precious to just give away, so I was thinking of introducing him to a capable agency that could appreciate Oh Jin-woo’s value. And that’s you.”
After hearing my words, Ban Seong-cheol examined Oh Jin-woo’s materials again with a serious expression. Nodding, he asked.
“You’re not going to introduce me to a talent like this without any strings attached, right? What do you want?”
Exactly. Seong-cheol, you’ve got some good instincts.
Choosing Flower wasn’t just about personal revenge.
Sure, it would be amusing to see Ban Seong-cheol and Flower suffer a trolling from the plagiarist composer Oh Jin-woo, but that wouldn’t be enough motivation for me to deal with the annoying negotiations with him.
However, if I could use this as an opportunity to get introduced to one of Flower’s talents, that would be a whole different ball game.
“Hey, there’s a person at your company named Park Miso, right? Could you introduce me to her?”
Ban Seong-cheol looked like he was trying to recall who Park Miso was, and when recognition hit him, his expression turned to one of surprise, as if he stumbled upon a jackpot.
It seemed like a pretty cheap favor to him.
And why wouldn’t it be? Current Park Miso was likely treated like a burden within Flower.
Without anyone knowing her true worth.
“…Park Miso? Ah! You mean that, uh… friend from the promotion team?”
Was he about to call a colleague an idiot? No matter how close to being a salary thief Park Miso was, that seemed out of line.
…Seems like he’s got some real character flaws there.
“Could I consider this a scouting proposal of sorts?”
“Exactly. Being a new company without many people, I’ve taken on some role in recruitment.”
“I’m in charge of the situation.”
At my declaration, Ban Seong-cheol chuckled nervously and said, “Haha, are you really going to be okay?”
“Uh, that’s more than enough.”
“Then I’ll arrange a meeting soon. Anyway, I have nothing else to do, so getting people together is easy.”
“Sounds good. Just remember, the sooner the better.”
“Is there any doubt? Thank you for this truly wonderful deal.”
Ban Seong-cheol bowed to me with a satisfied grin. He seemed quite happy with our arrangement.
“Thanks, sucker.”
*
A while later, I arrived at the restaurant where we were supposed to meet. This place felt more like a date spot than a place to scout talent, but hey, good is good. As long as it’s quiet, I’m fine.
Ban Seong-cheol said he had an important engagement in the evening and couldn’t accompany me. I didn’t know what that important thing was, but honestly, it was just as well.
Having Ban Seong-cheol around wouldn’t have helped at all. Plus, my mood improved just at the thought of his face disappearing from the scenario. It was for the best that he vanished from my life.
“Excuse me. Are you the guest with a reservation?”
“Yes, that’s right. I have a reservation under the name Seon Taeyang.”
“Ah, Seon Taeyang! Let me show you to your reserved table.”
I sat at the reserved table in the luxurious restaurant and checked my outfit again, just to make sure everything was in order.
Today was a very important day to scout Park Miso. Since my impression wasn’t exactly stellar, missing this opportunity would really suck. She was definitely someone worth considering.
“…She was an incredibly impressive woman.”
If I were the number one contributor to Flower Entertainment’s success, then Park Miso would be number two. Ban Seong-cheol, who was busy scheming behind the scenes to build up his track record, would probably rank around third place.
This wasn’t due to Ban Seong-cheol’s poor performance, but rather because Park Miso’s contributions were that significant.
The reason why Park Miso, who was overlooked as part of the promotion team, could accumulate such contributions was simple. She was a genius at manipulating public opinion in the idol industry. In that regard, she was simply unmatched.
Having been a former homebody and the president of the fan café for the boy group MilKids under Flower Entertainment, Park Miso got scouted to the promotion department through that connection.
However, contrary to the company’s expectations, she didn’t utilize her influence as a homebody or fan club president, and she struggled with even the basic tasks assigned to her in the promotion department, making one mistake after another. Her inadequacies spread throughout the entire department like wildfire, and before long, she became the company’s burden.
Her turnaround began when Flower debuted the girl group “Secret Mission.” As soon as Secret Mission debuted, Park Miso began to use the connections and information she had painstakingly built up through years of idol fandom, seizing control of various communities.
Using the connections and information amassed from years of idol fandom, she took over various communities.
She transformed a small incident involving the Secret Mission into a hot post that circulated through all communities, cleverly twisting public opinion around the controversies surrounding the Secret Mission, dragging it into a chaotic brawl, and even collecting spicy hate comments from critics to file complaints and bring about a sympathy movement for the Secret Mission.
Moreover, she captured scenes from the members’ variety show filming or their daily communication broadcasts, refining them into meme-worthy content, ensuring that no one was oblivious to the Secret Mission.
Throughout this process, there had never been any criticism about back advertising or manipulating public opinion. Not even once.
That’s right. She is the queen of virality.
In the previous episode, I marveled at her miraculous talent and asked her why she had been hiding such abilities.
“Since Team Leader Seon is asking, I’ll be honest. I didn’t hide my abilities; it was more like I couldn’t. When I joined Flower, that fan-driven enthusiasm just vanished.”
“Your enthusiasm?”
“Honestly, when I entered this company and saw the Milkids from an employee’s perspective, I was hugely disappointed. Knowing how dogs usually behave, my previous excitement faded away. That enthusiasm just disappeared. The motivation to work vanished. Why should I glorify these kids? I found myself questioning that. So, forcing myself to do things I didn’t want to do turned me into the company’s burden. As I faced more criticism, my motivation plummeted.”
“So, what changed your mind?”
“This time, the kids from Secret Mission debuted under Flower. Seeing them reignited that spark.”
“The enthusiasm you mentioned before.”
“Yes, the fan heart, as I call it.”
If Park Miso can make the idols she needs to promote win over that fan heart, she becomes their sharpest shield.
She would simply smash any enemies that dared to touch the group with that shield. More overwhelmingly than anyone else.
Of course, without motivation, just forcing it wouldn’t unleash her abilities, making Park Miso not the easiest talent to utilize. Just when “Secret Mission” retired after their contract ended, she ironically returned to being the burden once again.
To make use of her, the idols under the company must fulfill her fan heart. And I was confident about that.
Kids named Gyeoul, Gaeul, and Yeoreum will be more charming than any idol in the world. Even Park Miso could become a fan in an instant.
This was an objective judgment from me, who had held the title of a manager that wasn’t just the Executive Director but also had previous experience.
With these thoughts in mind, a woman approached me while I was sitting in a chair.
“…Are you Team Leader Seon Taeyang?”
It was a familiar voice. It must be the promised Park Miso.
Looks like I’m stuck with Park Miso.
“Yes, that’s right. I’m Seon Taeyang from TwoBear… huh?”
…Who is this?
Standing before me was a woman in a luxurious red off-the-shoulder dress.
I’ve never seen anyone like her in my life.
But the voice was Park Miso’s?
Feeling confused, I asked,
“Are you Park Miso?”
“…Yes, I’m Park Miso, currently working at Flower. Is something wrong with my outfit?”
“Oh, um, no. It’s just that you look so beautiful I was momentarily stunned.”
Park Miso blushed slightly and lowered her head as she spoke.
“Thank you.”
In the previous episode, she insisted on wearing a baggy hoodie and thick-rimmed glasses every day, looking like she just rolled out of bed at work, so I didn’t recognize her at all.
It’s not that my eyesight was bad; the difference between the previous episode’s Miso, who looked like a jobless neighbor, and the current fully styled Miso was just too stark.
…So this is what happens when a person decides to dress up.
“I apologize. You look so beautiful that I must have overstepped.”
“You don’t need to worry. I was actually feeling good about it. …And you look great too, Taeyang.”
I was concerned that my gaze checking her out might make her uncomfortable, but given Miso’s gracious response, it seemed she was willing to let it slide.
Get it together, buddy. Do you know how important it is to recruit Park Miso?
I steadied my mind and did my best to appear friendly and lighten the mood.
It seemed my efforts were paying off; the atmosphere between us had softened considerably.
Whenever I cracked a little joke, she burst into laughter, and we found common ground on office life and the entertainment industry.
Our delight in tasty dishes led to some really enjoyable conversations.
It was very nice.
Thinking that she had developed a sufficiently positive attitude towards me, I decided it was time to get to the point.
“The reason I asked you to meet today is that I’d like to work with you at TwoBear. I hope you’ll join us in the success we aim to achieve.”
I spoke as sincerely as I could, trying to ensure my words didn’t come off as empty flattery.
“….”
But Park Miso’s reaction was oddly strange. She was blushing and looked flustered, almost as if she was confused.
“If my proposal made you uncomfortable…”
“No, it’s not that…”
Park Miso’s cheeks turned bright red, and she muttered,
“Wasn’t this a blind date?”
“…”
What in the world?
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