IJLMT 21

Chapter 21….

JM Entertainment, Management Division, Team 1 meeting room.

Team 1 leader Kang Woo-min and Team 2 leader Park Ji-seok were sitting face-to-face. They had gathered to discuss some matters involving talents under Team 1 and Team 2. But even after the agenda was finished, Ji-seok didn’t leave.

“Hey, about that kid in Team 3. Isn’t this move way too reckless?”

To Woo-min, Ji-seok looked full of discontent. And well, he had good reason. The core celebrity in Team 2 was the boy group Luminol Boys—but they had lost to Nova Girls on Music Tomato last time. And that was even with Nova Girls being at a disadvantage!

Since then, Ji-seok had been fuming. Every chance he got, he complained to Woo-min, who had joined the company the same year as him.

“A digital single release with a showcase is already unusual, but renting out Seojeong Gymnasium? I mean, sure, Nova Girls are popular, but they’re not at that level yet, are they?”

“I don’t know… isn’t it about right? And it’s not just a digital single showcase. It’s also doubling as a proper album concert. They never got to hold a real concert back in their rookie days, so this is a way of making up for it.”

“Making up for it in a 1,000-seat hall, fine. But 4,000 seats? Nova Girls have only been in the spotlight for, what, six weeks? Their ticket power hasn’t even been proven yet. If there are tons of empty seats, who’s going to cover the loss?”

He’s got a point. That’s what Woo-min would’ve thought until recently. But not anymore.

“I heard that Team 3 kid signed a performance-based incentive contract? Honestly, it just looks like he’s greedy for that. Since when does our company do things so recklessly…?”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to say to you, Ji-seok.”

“Huh?”

Ji-seok’s eyes widened. He must’ve assumed Woo-min would back him up.

“When has our company ever done anything recklessly? Have you ever seen CEO Lee Jong-mook move without reason? This is something with reason behind it. A decision based on evidence.”

“…What evidence?”

“Yoo Hyun-jae.”

Woo-min answered instantly.

“W-what? You yourself said not long ago that you couldn’t figure out why the brilliant CEO Lee Jong-mook was so fixated on Hyun-jae!”

“Yeah, I didn’t understand back then. But now I do. And soon, you’ll understand too.”

“Wait, what…?”

Ji-seok looked dumbfounded, maybe even betrayed. Like someone staring at a colleague who’d been brainwashed by a cult leader.

I know exactly what you’re thinking, Ji-seok. But this is just something you have to accept.

Take Jeon Gwang-hui, the so-called “pure youth.” His younger brother was hearing-impaired. Gwang-hui donated hundreds of millions to support the hearing-impaired, and even volunteered as a sign-language interpreter on weekends. Yet no domestic news outlet knew the truth—that he was actually abusing his deaf brother while drowning in drugs. It was a foreign media outlet that first exposed his drug use!

But how did Yoo Hyun-jae know about it in advance? That’s where things get messy. If you try to think it through, your brain just knots up. It’s easier not to think—just believe.

Forget about promotions. What business does a mere manager have trying to scheme? Lee Jong-mook, Yoo Hyun-jae—they’re geniuses playing on another level. All we need to do is catch some crumbs that fall off their feast. Maybe polish their wings so they can fly higher.

“Kang Woo-min, what’s going on with you lately? Not long ago, you were fuming about wanting to be Deputy Director…”

Just then, Woo-min’s phone buzzed. It was a notification from an entertainment news site he subscribed to.

“Haha… look at this. Check it out.”

He held out his phone.

[ Nova Girls concert Ugly Syndrome, 4,000 seats sold out in 2 minutes! ]

Ji-seok’s jaw dropped, unable to process the words.

“Two minutes? That can’t be…”

“Scroll down.”

[ Japanese influencer Hashimoto Rei hits 5 million views with Nova Girls’ Wind Bloom challenge! ]
[ Nova Girls trending in Japan! Ugly Syndrome concert coincides with Japanese holiday, fueling ticket rush ]

“…What the…”

Ji-seok grabbed the phone and scrolled, his face twisting into disbelief.

“This… this makes no sense. The showcase schedule was set ages ago, and the Wind Bloom challenge only went viral last week… You’re saying they predicted this? That’s just coincidence, right? Pure coincidence?”

“Ji-seok, what do three coincidences in a row make?”

“Wait, no… Seojeong Gym is inside Jungseo University, right? It’s not like it’s always available. They must’ve booked it based on the school’s schedule. So how the hell did it end up coinciding with a Japanese national holiday?”

“Who knows.”

“……”

Ji-seok looked like a broken robot. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then shut it. Waved his arms in the air, then dropped them. Clutched his head like he was trying to think, then finally bowed it.

“The sequence of events… it’s impossible to have planned… but if it’s just coincidence… but it’s too much to be…”

“Ji-seok. I went through the exact same thought process. You’ll stew over it for a couple of days, but in the end, you’ll reach the same conclusion. Want me to just tell you what it is?”

“What?”

“Just accept it.”

Ji-seok blinked.

“Stop being jealous, and believe that Yoo Hyun-jae is always right. Stick to him like glue. In this business, results are all that matter—you know that.”

“…Results. Right. If the results are there…”

Ji-seok muttered. Woo-min thought to himself:

Why do I feel like some kind of cult preacher right now?

It was around 4 p.m. when I dropped by home, and I got a call from my parents. I had some free time since my artist’s schedule had a gap. Managers’ hours followed the celebrity, so there was no fixed time to be home.

[ You’re doing well, right? You’re staying healthy? ]

“Yes, of course. You two are doing well too, right?”

[ It feels weird hearing about our son on TV first… You’re not being overworked, are you? At least you’re being paid properly for all this? ]

“Of course.”

After hanging up, I suddenly remembered. Earlier, my banking app had pinged with a deposit notification. I’d been so busy I thought, I’ll check later, then forgot.

Wow… I’m spoiled.

A huge onion, grown like a bush, caught my eye. Strictly speaking, it didn’t even look like an onion anymore, but I still called it one out of habit. I thought back to when I didn’t even have that onion.

Back in my AMD days, payday left me restless. Not happy, not excited—just restless. Because the salary only ever brushed past my bank account.

On an annual salary of 35 million won, my monthly take-home was about 2.6 million. Out of that, 600,000 went to rent. That crappy place cost 600,000 a month? Yeah. In Seoul, even a basement studio near a subway station was expensive.

Then I lost another chunk to the fixed-deposit savings account I’d stubbornly clung to, even if it meant starving. Then came dates with Sora, living expenses including food, utilities… and nothing was left.

The only thing I could cut was food. Meat early in the month, then near starvation by the end. Still, I never cut dating expenses—I thought Sora might leave me if I did.

Pathetic idiot.

But now? With 2 billion in real estate and 1.5 billion in cash—total 3.5 billion won in assets—I was easily in the upper tier. I’d even forgotten payday existed.

Time to check.

We’d revised my contract three times in just a short period. The final agreement set my salary at 85 million a year! Plus incentives. But what stuck with me most was the 85 million figure itself. My monthly take-home was about 5.6 million—more than double my old paycheck.

Yeah. I didn’t realize until now, but I’m rich. I can actually live like a rich man.

Money brings freedom and confidence. No more, If I buy this, what about living costs… what about date money…

So what should I do first? With money, what did I want? Right away, one thing came to mind: eating Shin Ramyeon Black. Twice the price of regular beef ramen.

Oh, and also paying the 4,000-won delivery fee without hesitation. And more little luxuries like that…

I was mulling over these trivial fantasies when I opened the banking app. Something looked off.

[ +105,663,850 KRW – JM Entertainment ]

“Huh?”

Ten, hundred, thousand, million… over 100 million? Did I just get over 100 million won?

I quickly checked my email. On the payslip, an additional 100 million was listed under “bonus.” But why?

The Nova Girls’ performance-based bonus was supposed to be paid quarterly, wasn’t it?

Thinking it was a mistake, I immediately called HR.

“Sorry to bother you, this is Yoo Hyun-jae from Management Team 3. Yes, Team 3 leader. I think there’s an error in my payslip. What? Not an error? The CEO approved it personally? Could you tell me what it was for? Yes, please.”

A few minutes later, my phone rang again. The caller ID: CEO Lee Jong-mook. The CEO himself was calling?

“Yes, sir.”

[ Hyun-jae, I heard you’re curious about that 100 million bonus? ]

“Yes, sir.”

[ Did you only check your balance? It’s not just cash. You’ll also receive RSUs—6,600 shares of JM stock. ]

“What?”

RSUs—restricted stock units. Company stock given free, but with restrictions on selling.

Wait… JM stock is 15,000 won a share right now. 6,600 shares… that’s another 100 million?!

So in total, I’d just been paid 5.6 million in salary, plus 100 million in cash, plus 100 million in stock. My monthly wage looked puny next to that. And I’d only been a manager for a little over a month.

[ Didn’t you expect something like this? I thought I told you I’d make it up to you. Or is it too little? I actually debated it for a while. ]

“No, sir, I didn’t expect this at all. Do I really deserve such a bonus?”

[ Deserve? Ha! You made Nova Girls a hit, saved Lim Yoo-ju’s life, brought top actress Lee Joo-ah into the company, blocked the drug-ridden Jeon Gwang-hui from signing… The list goes on. But the biggest reason? I want to do something with you. ]

“What is that?”

Lee chuckled.

[ I want to devour RadoRemi Entertainment and Valhalla Studio, and turn JM into the monster of the industry. ]

RadoRemi was ranked third in market cap, Valhalla was number one, and JM was number two. And he wanted to swallow both? Ambitious—but what did that have to do with me?

[ After betting on you, I went back and reviewed the Chalk and Spear synopsis and script. The moment I read it, I felt it in my gut—this is a masterpiece. I understood immediately why you chose it. If I were back in my startup days, hustling like crazy, I’d have picked this too. ]

Honestly, I wasn’t so sure myself. I just thought the script was good.

[ These days, I’m excited. You know the saying, ‘genius is lonely’? I’ve been slogging through alone all this time. Now I’ve met someone who sees not only what I see, but further. Do you know what that feels like? ]

“……”

[ Ultimately, I want to grow JM like crazy, then manage it together with you. For now, I kept it at a 200-million reward because of appearances. But trust me—you won’t ever feel shortchanged. If you’re ever dissatisfied, tell me directly. I’ll fix it immediately. ]

My heart pounded. He said “only 200 million,” and wanted to co-manage the company with me? After barely over a month here?

“Sir… I’m grateful you see me in such a good light. But I want a peaceful life at this company. If I receive treatment that’s too extreme, I worry others will resent me…”

[ What are you talking about? ]

He sounded genuinely baffled.

[ From what I’ve heard, you’ve already won everyone’s hearts. Even Team Leaders 1 and 2—who seemed the most likely to resist—now apparently hang on your every word. Impressive, Hyun-jae. ]

“What?”

[ Anyway, I’m counting on you. Let’s go wild together and swallow up every competitor! ]

With that, Lee hung up. I was left stunned.

Won over everyone? I haven’t even met the Team 2 leader yet…

Jungseo University, Seojeong Gymnasium. Returning there felt nostalgic. I vaguely remembered attending a freshman event here once. Now, I was standing backstage.

“Hyun-jae oppa, you like all our songs, right? It’s not just ‘Lens’? No one cared about our debut album…”

Mina asked anxiously.

“Of course. They’re all good.”

Nari and Ha-young were trembling with nerves too. Only leader Da-bin clenched her fist in silence, lips pressed in grim determination.

“I keep remembering how empty the venue was last time…”

Nari murmured.

“But you heard—the tickets sold out in two minutes, right?”

“…That’s why I’m more nervous. Those people fought with their mouses, clicking like crazy, just to be here. We have to make them feel it was worth it.”

Naturally they were tense. It was their first time in a major venue in a long while, singing their debut album tracks—the ones that had gone unnoticed.

They must still be wondering—was ‘Lens’ just a fluke? Are the other songs not good enough?

But I already knew the answer: No.

“By the way, how many viewers are waiting on YouTube right now—”

“Don’t tell me! I’d rather not know!”

Nari cut off Ha-young. As expected, Nari was the most timid of the four.

“Fine. Check later yourself.”

I glanced at the YouTube live stream screen.