Chapter 24 - Because I'm a Full-Time Employee
CEO Baek Yeon-ah.
As she, Baek Hyeon-woo's aunt and the head of Haram Entertainment, entered the practice room, Yoo Jeong-ah made a surprised expression.
“H-How come the CEO-nim is...?”
“She was watching everything.”
Baek Hyeon-woo explained to Yoo Jeong-ah in a calm voice.
“I was filming you singing and dancing to 'Gravity' on my phone and sending it, Jeong-ah-ssi.”
“……!”
That's right.
Baek Hyeon-woo wasn't just recording Yoo Jeong-ah.
He was streaming it in real time while filming.
“H-How come...”
“Because I wanted you to relax as much as possible and display your true skills, Jeong-ah-ssi.”
What if Baek Yeon-ah had been watching directly in front of Yoo Jeong-ah?
Yoo Jeong-ah would have been conscious of Baek Yeon-ah's gaze and been overcome with tension.
That was not what Baek Hyeon-woo wanted.
“I wanted to show you singing and dancing comfortably with the tension gone from your shoulders, Jeong-ah-ssi. I'm sorry for not telling you beforehand.”
“Ah, no, you don't have to be sorry...”
In front of the still-flustered Yoo Jeong-ah, Baek Hyeon-woo turned his gaze to Baek Yeon-ah.
“CEO-nim, what did you think?”
“Phew…”
At Baek Hyeon-woo's question, Baek Yeon-ah let out a long sigh.
“I could imagine it in my head.”
“Imagine?”
“When Newstarz first debuted... what it would have been like if you had been a member, Yoo Jeong-ah-ssi.”
Baek Yeon-ah still remembers.
The sight of Newstarz going on stage for the first time and singing 'Gravity'.
The debut stage, which they went on after losing their unshakable main vocalist, was something that fell far short of what Baek Yeon-ah had expected.
They had been practicing as a 5-member system the whole time, but it was suddenly changed to a 4-member system, so there was no way their coordination would be right.
The debut stage of the first idol that Baek Yeon-ah had poured her heart and soul into fostering ended with such a disastrous result.
What if Yoo Jeong-ah had been there at that time?
If she had empowered the song with the outstanding vocal ability she just showed, and allowed them to showcase the performance of a complete 5-member group... Newstarz's debut stage would have been very different.
“Yoo Jeong-ah-ssi.”
“C-CEO-nim.”
Looking at the clearly nervous Yoo Jeong-ah, Baek Yeon-ah smiled.
Certainly, her expression is still stiff. But it's true that it's much better than at the audition.
She didn't know what kind of magic Baek Hyeon-woo had used... but if they continue to improve little by little like this, she might become a wonderful idol who can smile naturally anytime, anywhere.
Baek Yeon-ah decided to judge it that way.
“The fifth member of Newstarz, can you do it?”
“……!”
Yoo Jeong-ah's eyes widened.
“We're going to newly record 'Gravity' as a new version. We'll release the song as a 5-member version with you, Yoo Jeong-ah-ssi, as the main vocalist, and until a new song is made, you'll promote mainly with the 5-member version of 'Gravity'.”
“……!”
“Your role is important, Yoo Jeong-ah-ssi. You have to work really hard, can you do it?”
At Baek Yeon-ah's words, Yoo Jeong-ah urgently looked at Baek Hyeon-woo.
Towards Yoo Jeong-ah, who had an expression as if it still hadn't sunk in, Baek Hyeon-woo smiled.
“Jeong-ah-ssi, you can do well, right?”
“……!”
Yoo Jeong-ah held her breath.
And after looking at Baek Yeon-ah with trembling eyes, she bowed deeply from the waist.
“I-I will work hard!”
The moment it was decided that Yoo Jeong-ah would join Newstarz.
Clatter!
The Newstarz members, who had been peeking from outside, came flooding into the practice room.
It wasn't just Baek Yeon-ah who had been watching the stream.
The four existing members of Newstarz had also been watching everything with bated breath.
“Ah…”
Seo Na-eun, Kim So-yeong, Laura, and Kanade all looked at Yoo Jeong-ah with awkward expressions.
Of course, it was the same for Yoo Jeong-ah.
“Jeong-ah-ssi, this is today's task.”
Baek Yeon-ah spoke to Yoo Jeong-ah in a gentle voice.
“Exchange greetings with the colleagues you will be with from now on.”
“Ah, M-Manager-nim…”
“Then we'll be going now. Talk comfortably and then disperse on your own.”
“……!”
After letting the members have their own time like that, Baek Hyeon-woo left the practice room with Baek Yeon-ah.
“Will they be able to get close?”
“It won't be easy. The original four weren't that close to begin with, were they?”
Baek Yeon-ah's question, Baek Hyeon-woo answered calmly.
“However, if the members who were so awkward with each other can get close and unite, that alone will create a narrative.”
“A narrative... that's right.”
“If we can let people know about that through a variety program, Newstarz will be able to receive much more love.”
There has to be ups and downs for it to be fun,
if the kids who were awkward with each other despite having spent nearly 3 years together can grow into 'one team' united by a strong bond... that narrative alone is enough to capture people.
Baek Hyeon-woo had already planned to show that through the Seo Dong-cheol Division's new program.
“Hyeon-woo-ya.”
“Yes, Aunt.”
Baek Yeon-ah spoke in a subdued voice to Baek Hyeon-woo, who was walking with her.
“Newstarz is not a group that has achieved such great success. Still, the initial investment cost wasn't high, and although they're mediocre, they've been drawing popularity in a fairly stable way, so they've been supporting the company all this time.”
“……”
“If this challenge fails and Newstarz stumbles... Haram Entertainment will be shaken immediately.”
A sigh escaped from Baek Yeon-ah's lips.
“On top of this, if the new girl group that Director Choi is preparing also fails, a small-medium company like ours will just have to close its doors.”
“……”
“So.”
The expression of Baek Yeon-ah, who had been setting a very serious mood, changed.
With a smiling face, she lightly punched Baek Hyeon-woo's shoulder.
“You really have to work hard. You made a confident promise, so take responsibility and make Newstarz popular. Got it?”
There is something extraordinary about this nephew of hers.
Baek Yeon-ah was convinced of it.
The insight and drive that Baek Hyeon-woo had shown until now were by no means ordinary.
If I entrust Newstarz to this kid, he will surely accomplish great things... she had such a thought.
“Alright, then let's go write up the contract.”
“Jeong-ah-ssi's contract?”
“No, your contract.”
Baek Yeon-ah laughed and slapped her nephew's back.
“Because starting tomorrow, you're a full-time employee.”
***
The next day.
As Baek Hyeon-woo was tilting his head in confusion at the Haram Entertainment office, Team Leader Park Yeong-ho spoke to him from the side.
“Oh, did your business card come out?”
What Baek Hyeon-woo was looking at right now was the business card that had just been printed at the print shop next to the company.
Because he didn't really have a business card when he worked at the orthopedic clinic, this was the first business card he had gotten in his professional life.
“Yes, but it's a little strange.”
“What's strange?”
“Is it okay to be an Assistant Manager from the first day as a full-time employee?”
Haram Entertainment Management Team, Assistant Manager Baek Hyeon-woo.
That's what was written on the business card.
“Hyeon-woo-ssi, no, Assistant Manager Baek.”
Park Yeong-ho placed a hand on Baek Hyeon-woo's shoulder and laughed.
“Think about it from other people's perspective. Would people listen attentively to what regular employee Baek Hyeon-woo says, or to what Assistant Manager Baek Hyeon-woo says?”
“Ah…”
Is that the intention?
“It's a kind of trick.”
“There are even companies that print out 'Manager' business cards from the start. While paying a salary the size of a rat's tail.”
Park Yeong-ho chuckled and patted his shoulder.
“You too, Hyeon-woo-ssi, if you get good results, they'll print you a 'Manager' business card right away. Work hard.”
“Even if the business card says 'Manager', the treatment is the same, right?”
“Even if the treatment is the same, the responsibility gets bigger, doesn't it?”
Responsibility.
Come to think of it, now that he had officially become an employee of Haram Entertainment, it was indeed a situation where he had to take proper responsibility.
“Everyone, pay attention.”
Right at that moment, a cold voice was heard.
Director Choi Tae-hyung was entering the office, bringing a girl with him.
“Who is that?”
“It's a kid I'm seeing for the first time... Ah, don't tell me.”
Receiving the attention of the people in the office, the girl bowed her head deeply.
“Hello! My name is Han Se-ri!”
The girl said in a bright voice, her brown-dyed hair swishing.
“I'm confident in both my singing and dancing! If you give me a chance, I will work hard!”
“……!”
Hearing her self-introduction, everyone realized why Choi Tae-hyung had brought that girl.
She was a kid that Choi Tae-hyung had scouted to make a member of the new group.
“She's a kid who was a trainee at UBX.”
Choi Tae-hyung said in a calm voice.
“Originally, she was scheduled to debut with a new girl group being made at UBX, but it fell through due to internal trouble. So I brought her to Haram.”
“Ah…”
UBX is one of the top 3 agencies in the country.
Hearing that she was from there, the people in the office examined Han Se-ri with interest.
“She seems pretty good?”
“I've seen her on a survival program before. She's a kid who has her basics down.”
“She seems better than the kids who came to the last audition.”
Everyone exchanged opinions while whispering.
Overall, the evaluations were on the favorable side.
It seemed she was receiving even more favorable evaluations because she had a style with a bubbliness befitting a girl group idol.
‘As expected, Director Choi prefers this kind of style.’
Baek Hyeon-woo also looked Han Se-ri over carefully.
It seemed like a very typical style, but still, she had the looks and atmosphere to gain popularity as an idol.
Her brightly smiling face was especially charming.
‘And, she definitely has more skill than the last audition's contestants.’
Thinking that, Baek Hyeon-woo carefully examined Han Se-ri's status window.
––––––––
[Han Se-ri]
Vocal: B-
Dance: B-
Visual: A
Potential: B
Body Condition: 65%
Mental Condition: 80%
––––––––
Han Se-ri's abilities were far superior to the contestants from the last audition.
Her Vocal and Dance were good, and her Visual especially stood out.
At this level, she was similar to Laura or Kanade, so there would be no problem even if she debuted right now.
To bring such a skilled trainee right away... Director Choi Tae-hyung certainly seems to be capable.
‘However...’
Baek Hyeon-woo slightly frowned.
This was because a strange phrase was being displayed at the bottom of the status window.
– Decreased oxygen-carrying capacity is occurring due to excess carbon monoxide.
– Body Condition is slightly lowered.
– A minus correction is being applied to Vocal and Dance.
Putting aside the second or third lines, the first line was a phrase he had never seen on any idol until now.
‘Excess carbon monoxide, but why?’
Carbon monoxide is a substance produced when carbon-based materials burn.
When it enters the human body, it binds to hemoglobin instead of oxygen, preventing the body from properly utilizing oxygen.
In the old days, many accidents occurred where people died from the carbon monoxide in coal briquette gas, and even today, there are often cases of carbon monoxide poisoning from turning on a gas heater without ventilation during camping and such.
‘Outwardly, she doesn't seem to have any major problems. So it's not carbon monoxide poisoning, it just seems to be a state where her internal concentration is high...’
Even if it's not something like acute poisoning, if there is a lot of carbon monoxide in the body normally, it has a negative effect on health.
For example... because enough oxygen cannot be supplied to the muscles, aerobic exercise capacity is lowered.
If aerobic exercise capacity is lowered, one will get tired quickly even while dancing.
Then her breathing is bound to become rough, so there's a high possibility it will also negatively affect her singing.
The minus correction attached to Vocal and Dance is probably because of this.
But what reason would an idol aspirant have to inhale a lot of carbon monoxide on a regular basis?
“We will make Han Se-ri here the first member of the new project, so everyone know that and prepare.”
Choi Tae-hyung notified the working-level staff in a calm voice.
Next to him, Han Se-ri, maintaining a bright smile, bowed her head once more.
However, right at that moment.
“Han Se-ri-ssi.”
As Baek Hyeon-woo abruptly opened his mouth, people's gazes became focused.
Han Se-ri also stared at Baek Hyeon-woo with wide eyes, and Choi Tae-hyung went as far as to frown and show his displeasure.
“What is it?”
In truth, from Baek Hyeon-woo's personal standpoint, he could have thought that it wasn't his business what happened to Choi Tae-hyung's new project.
But as a full-time employee of Haram Entertainment, he couldn't just let it slide.
If a problem blew up later, Baek Hyeon-woo and Newstarz could also suffer damage, so he couldn't pretend he didn't see this.
That's why Baek Hyeon-woo stared intently at Han Se-ri and asked.
“Do you by any chance smoke cigarettes?”
The smile disappeared from Han Se-ri's face.