Chapter 15 - The Best Method
“Hearing the story, it seems she's a really skilled person.”
A table set up outside the convenience store.
Seo Na-eun, who was sitting in her seat, nodded after hearing the general story.
“But her personality is dark and blunt, right?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“Then it does seem like it will be difficult. Director Choi Tae-hyung is someone who is very firm in his own judgment.”
After Seo Na-eun glanced at Baek Hyeon-woo for a moment, she opened her mouth again.
“And... even if that Yoo Jeong-ah-ssi transforms her image as much as possible, it might be difficult for her to debut in the new girl group being made this time.”
“Why is that?”
“It's very difficult for a small company like ours to find a skilled trainee like Yoo Jeong-ah-ssi. But... when you make a girl group, the balance has to be right.”
Balance?
“If only one person's skills are too good, or their looks are too outstanding, or they're too popular... then the group can't function well.”
“Ah… I understand what you mean.”
Within any group, if only one specific person is outstanding, it's easy for discord to arise.
In a group like a girl group, where the members' unity is considered important, this would be even more so.
Even if they made a new group that included Yoo Jeong-ah, if the skill gap between her and the other members was too large, the group wouldn't be able to function properly.
“Actually, we Newstarz also had a problem because of this.”
“You had a problem?”
Seo Na-eun nodded with a bitter expression.
“We were originally a 5-member group.”
“Ah, come to think of it...”
He had seen a story like that when he was researching Newstarz on the internet.
Newstarz was originally being prepared as a 5-member group, but one member left right before their debut, so they ended up debuting as a 4-member group.
“Ah, talking about that traitor is suddenly making me angry.”
Laura, who was next to them, grumbled.
“Honestly, that traitor was number one among us in both singing and dancing. She was famous since her trainee days, so she had a lot of fans even before her debut.”
“……”
“Well, from our perspective, it was a situation that made us a little jealous. Still, we didn't ostracize her or anything because of that, you know? But she kept trying to receive special treatment just for herself.”
Laura's voice was filled with a lot of ill feelings toward the former member.
“Because the company didn't treat her as well as she wanted, she ended up making a huge scene and left. The company was completely turned upside down back then, and if things had gone wrong, all of us could have failed to debut.”
“I didn't know there had been such severe trouble.”
Could it be that the reason the Newstarz members are awkward with each other is also an aftereffect of the conflict back then?
“Honestly, the reason we Newstarz couldn't make it big when we debuted was because of that.”
“Laura, that's a bit...”
“Don't you think so too, Na-eun unnie? We had prepared everything to be active as a 5-member group, but when that kid suddenly left, everything became a complete mess. On top of that, that traitor's fans spread all sorts of rumors on every online community, so we suffered tremendous damage.”
At Laura's words, Seo Na-eun's expression darkened.
From Newstarz's perspective, it seemed to be a rather painful past.
“That person who left, what is she doing now?”
“What do you think she's doing?”
Laura let out a sigh.
“She went to DP Entertainment. She's doing well as the main vocalist of their flagship girl group, so she's more successful than us.”
“To DP Entertainment...”
DP Entertainment was the place Yoo Jeong-ah had been affiliated with.
To think she went there, of all places.
“That traitor is doing so well, but we... ugh, it's so frustrating.”
Laura chugged her zero-calorie drink as if trying to calm her frustrated insides.
“Honestly, it's not really a situation where we can be worrying about Yoo Jeong-ah. Since our situation right now isn't optimistic at all either.”
Laura lamented as such.
“To put it bluntly, Newstarz's popularity is mediocre. It's been almost 3 years since our debut, and we haven't won first place on a music show even once.”
“Laura, that kind of talk...”
“Honestly, aren't you worried too, unnie? They say if you don't hit number one within 3 years of your debut, you'll keep not getting number one after that and eventually disband.”
“That's not always the case. There are clear exceptions.”
“Anyway, some kind of change is needed.”
Despite Seo Na-eun's attempts to stop her, Laura continued to speak.
“The recent fancam video gained popularity and we became a fleeting topic, but that won't continue. We need a decisive moment that will allow us to blow up.”
“……”
In fact, Baek Hyeon-woo was also having similar worries.
He had been continuously thinking about what Newstarz should do to gain more popularity.
However, he had yet to come up with any groundbreaking ideas.
Newstarz, who had lost their main vocalist and debuted with an incomplete 4-member lineup, then failed to get a chance to rebound and had continuously remained in a mediocre position.
What kind of change was needed to alter that future?
“Wait.”
Right at that moment.
An idea popped into Baek Hyeon-woo's head.
“Yes, that's right...”
“Huh?”
“Why couldn't I think of that?”
At the sight of Baek Hyeon-woo talking to himself, Seo Na-eun's and Laura's eyes widened.
“Manager-nim, what's wrong?”
“An idea came to me.”
The things Laura had lamented became a hint.
Thanks to that, he was able to resolve the things he had been worrying about.
“The problems we're currently worrying about... there is a way to solve them all at once.”
“Yes?”
The problem is that to do this, the matter will become tremendously large.
It will become a matter on a much larger scale than debuting Yoo Jeong-ah as a member of the new girl group.
But Baek Hyeon-woo wanted to give it a try.
Because he had decided to walk the path of a manager in earnest.
Not satisfied with the role of a driver or an errand boy... he wanted to do true management that could pull the celebrities he was in charge of to a higher place.
‘To proceed as I think, I have to persuade many people. Among them, I'll have to persuade that person first.’
Baek Hyeon-woo thought of one person's face.
The face of the idol who enjoyed the most popularity among the Newstarz members... the one with the tall, handsome looks.
***
A filming studio in the downtown area.
As Newstarz's main vocalist, Kim So-yeong, finished her magazine photoshoot, Baek Hyeon-woo handed her a 330ml bottle of water.
“You worked hard on the shoot, So-yeong-ssi.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Kim So-yeong is the tallest among the Newstarz members.
She is also active as a model, featuring her distinct facial features and slender figure.
Thanks to her strong gaze and confident atmosphere, she is also considered to be in charge of Newstarz's girl crush concept.
However, in private, she had a gentle and polite personality, giving her a reverse charm.
“We still have some time left, what should we do? Shall we rest somewhere for a bit before going?”
“No. I'll just go straight to the academy. It's better to arrive early.”
Today, Baek Hyeon-woo's task was to stick to Kim So-yeong and act as her driver.
After finishing the magazine photoshoot, he was scheduled to take her to a music academy.
This was because she had to receive a lesson from a vocal trainer.
'Still, she looks a bit tired.’
Baek Hyeon-woo sneakily checked Kim So-yeong's status window.
––––––––
[Kim So-yeong]
Vocal: B
Dance: B
Visual: S
Potential: A
Body Condition: 70%
Mental Condition: 70%
––––––––
From what he had observed so far, a message saying 'slightly lowered' appears if the condition stat falls below 70%, and 'severely lowered' if it falls below 50%.
Therefore, you could say that Kim So-yeong's Body Condition and Mental Condition were currently in a precarious state.
“Understood. Then let's head to the parking lot.”
Her condition will probably improve if she rests in the car.
Thinking that, he had Kim So-yeong get in the car.
However, while driving on the road, he looked in the rearview mirror and saw that Kim So-yeong's complexion was gradually getting worse.
Perhaps because she was tired, she seemed to be getting slightly carsick.
Taking advantage of a moment when the road was congested, he turned his head to the backseat, and sure enough, her Body Condition stat on the status window was dropping.
‘Her Body Condition has dropped below 60%. I shouldn't let her receive vocal training in this state.’
Judging it to be so, Baek Hyeon-woo opened his mouth.
“So-yeong-ssi, it would be better to rest a bit before we go after all.”
“Huh?”
Baek Hyeon-woo turned on the left blinker.
And he entered the roadside park visible ahead.
It was a park attached to the main road that drivers used like a rest area.
“I'll take responsibility and get you there without being late. So let's get some fresh air outside.”
“Ah…”
When he parked the car in the parking lot and said that, Kim So-yeong hesitated for a moment before nodding her head.
“Yes, I understand. Thank you.”
The roadside park was near the Han River, so the breeze was cool.
Kim So-yeong got out of the car, got some air while walking on the park's trail, then sat on a bench to rest.
“Phew...”
Kim So-yeong, who was letting out a long breath, turned her gaze to Baek Hyeon-woo, who was waiting a short distance away.
“Um, Manager-nim.”
In a cautious voice different from her usual image, Kim So-yeong asked.
“You've been giving massages and things to Na-eun and Laura, right?”
“Yes, that's correct.”
“Could I ask you for that as well?”
Kim So-yeong bowed her head with an apologetic expression.
“My shoulders feel a bit stiff for some reason...”
“If that's the case, I'll take a look for you.”
As it was, that part was also being displayed on the status window right now.
However...
“But I don't think I need to touch your shoulders directly.”
“Huh?”
Baek Hyeon-woo approached Kim So-yeong.
And he extended his hand toward Kim So-yeong's neck... to be precise, to the side area of her neck.
“The reason your shoulder hurts right now is because this part of your neck is not in a good state.”
“What do you mean... Ah!”
As he gently pressed the side of her neck, Kim So-yeong's eyes widened.
“Wh-Why is there a tingling sensation down to my shoulder and arm for some reason... Haaargh!”
“That's because it's an area where a nerve passes through.”
Saying that, Baek Hyeon-woo checked the status window once more.
Currently, the message [* Pain is occurring due to a problem with the scalene muscles in the head and neck.] was being displayed on the status window.
“There is a neck muscle here called the scalene muscle, and this is what needs to be released for your shoulder to loosen up.”
The scalene muscles are muscles located on the side of the neck, a bit of a distance from the shoulder area where Kim So-yeong is currently feeling pain.
However, a problem with the scalene muscles can also cause pain in the shoulder area, and this is because the nerve that goes down to the shoulder passes between the scalene muscles.
In cases like this, even if the patient complains of shoulder pain, you shouldn't massage the shoulder.
You have to release the scalene muscles, which are the real cause of the pain.
“Agh, agh, haaargh…!”
Where did her usual confident and strong-looking image go?
Kim So-yeong, on the verge of tears, flailed her long arms and legs.
It's a side of her she could never show to her fans.
“How do you feel now?”
“Huh...?”
However, as Baek Hyeon-woo took his hands off her neck.
Kim So-yeong's face brightened up.
“Oh, my shoulder feels incredibly refreshed!”
“That's because the nerve going down to your shoulder is no longer being pressed.”
She had probably tensed her neck while filming, causing fatigue to build up in her scalene muscles.
That probably became activated while riding in the car, pressing on the nerve.
As a result of directly applying pressure to the scalene muscles and relieving the nerve compression, the pain in her shoulder had disappeared.
However, it was too early to be relieved.
“So-yeong-ssi, wouldn't it be better to just postpone the lesson?”
Her Body Condition on the status window was still around 70%.
Seeing that it didn't recover much even after the scalene muscle problem was resolved, it seemed she was in a state of purely accumulated fatigue.
If she overexerted herself here, there was a high possibility her condition would drop significantly.
“I'll contact the academy. How about we ask them to schedule another date?”
“No, I can't do that.”
However, Kim So-yeong shook her head.
“This is an important time for Newstarz. Right now, when Na-eun's fancam video has become a hot topic and the attention on us has risen, is our chance to make a comeback.”
Feeling the wind blowing from the Han River, Kim So-yeong said in a stiff voice.
“So... as the main vocalist, I have to work even harder.”
Kim So-yeong is Newstarz's main vocalist.
But originally, Kim So-yeong's position was not main vocalist.
Because the member who was scheduled to be the main vocalist suddenly left, Kim So-yeong, who had the most outstanding vocal volume among the four remaining, ended up taking the main vocalist position.
As you can tell from her Vocal being only a B on the status window, Kim So-yeong's singing ability is not particularly outstanding.
You could say it was on the lacking side for climbing into the top tier of the idol industry.
“Honestly, it's because I'm Newstarz's biggest weak link.”
The sight of Kim So-yeong speaking with a dejected expression was a far cry from the cool and confident image that fans thought of.
An idol with a tough exterior but a soft interior, who had unintentionally taken on a crucial role and suffered under heavy pressure for a long time.
That was Kim So-yeong.
“So-yeong-ssi.”
Looking at that Kim So-yeong.
Baek Hyeon-woo slowly opened his mouth.
Because the time had come to propose what he had thought of while talking at the convenience store a few days ago.
The girl group Newstarz, who had been continuously stuck in a mediocre position.
The best method to change that fate.
“There is one proposal I would like to make.”