IJLMT 54

Chapter 54

[Manager Blocking the Way? SERF Proposal Rejected, NovaGirls’ Japan Debut in Jeopardy]

• On the 10th, in an interview with the headquarters, Satoshi Ishimura, Head of Business Planning at SERF Entertainment, revealed that negotiations regarding NovaGirls’ entry into Japan did not proceed smoothly. SERF had hoped to officially launch NovaGirls, who were hugely popular in Japan through events like the Wind Bloom Challenge, on the Japanese stage. However, the team leader present at the negotiation table, Yoo Hyun-jae, reportedly showed strong opposition.

• “There was a significant difference between our policy and his claims. He seemed unfamiliar with local conditions. We understand, and we plan to gradually persuade him so that the talents of this promising idol group can shine in Japan—”

• ??? What’s this? Is it real? Did manager Yoo Hyun-jae really reject SERF?

• Why does JM automatically follow whatever Yoo Hyun-jae says?

• Everyone stay neutral—surely Yoo Hyun-jae didn’t block NovaGirls’ path just out of stubbornness?

• Well, maybe he’s just unaware. No one’s perfect, and Yoo Hyun-jae can be incredibly headstrong.

• Yoo Hyun-jae is already a team leader? Rising too fast—could be showing off.

• Poor NovaGirls… they have so much potential.

After reading the article, Jeong Sun-woo, an entertainment reporter for Baekje Daily, thought:

‘Hanun Daily? I knew it.’

Hanun Daily has a reporting partnership with Japan’s Asamaru newspaper. But that’s not the important part. What matters is that this newspaper is often suspected of being influenced by Japanese capital.

So whenever Sun-woo reads an article from Hanun Daily, there’s always a slant. It subtly favors Japan. Of course, both countries have good and bad aspects, but the article highlights Japan’s advantages and Korea’s issues…

“How do you see it, Reporter Jeong?”

As soon as he heard this, Sun-woo thought:

‘How can they be so predictably off the mark?’

“What do you mean?”
“You know Yoo Hyun-jae, right? The one you liked so much you couldn’t stop thinking about him. Seems like he made a big mistake this time, doesn’t it?”
“Well… we don’t know yet, do we?”
“Don’t know? What’s there not to know? SERF wants him to perform in Japan—why would he say no? Isn’t that obvious?”
“We don’t know the details. The article doesn’t explain why Team Leader Yoo rejected it.”
“Ha ha, oh boy.”

Deputy Director Choi Min-gi seemed unusually excited.

“You really don’t understand people. Yoo Hyun-jae’s thinking is obvious. Inside JM, he has everyone charmed so that anything that goes well becomes his credit. But if he works with the real deal, SERF, he won’t get the spotlight. Young people’s thinking is predictable.”

Sun-woo thought to himself:

‘The dumbest people always talk like they know everything.’

That can’t be true. It doesn’t make sense. If Yoo Hyun-jae were someone desperate for attention, he would have shouted during the Pale Moon Gate incident, “I planned and made all this happen!”

“Anyway, shouldn’t we follow Hanun and publish an article too?”
“I think it’s better not to.”
“Ha… publishing this is just forcing it. You know? We’re just reporting facts, not criticizing Yoo Hyun-jae. The facts are: Yoo Hyun-jae rejected SERF. Because JM automatically follows Yoo Hyun-jae, NovaGirls’ Japan debut is blocked. That’s fact, right?”
“How is ‘blocked’ a fact? SERF isn’t the only route to Japan.”
“Better options don’t exist! Ignoring the shortcut to take the detour—that’s blocking their path! Why pretend not to know common sense in this industry?”

Common sense? Right now, Sun-woo’s common sense is Yoo Hyun-jae.

“SERF’s terms may have been unreasonable. Yoo Hyun-jae rejected it to seek better conditions. If they succeed in Japan later, won’t it be embarrassing for us? Getting blamed online as ‘yellow journalism garbage’ would be humiliating.”
“Oh my, what’s your deal with Yoo Hyun-jae? Is he Maitreya?”

Maitreya? Sun-woo thought, maybe that’s not entirely wrong.

The argument with the Deputy Director went on for a while.

Sun-woo argued: “There’s nothing factual to report. Baekje Daily is partnered with JM, so why attack?” The Deputy Director argued: “We’re just highlighting Yoo Hyun-jae’s actions—what’s the problem?” Both points seemed reasonable, and the Deputy Director was confident.

Eventually, it reached the Chief Editor, who said:

“No. Reporter Jeong is right. There’s no reason to publish an attacking article.”

The Deputy Director frowned.

“What? Even the Chief says this? JM partnership doesn’t mean we become JM’s mouthpiece. We should publish this!”
“We judged there’s no need to publish. Go back.”
“What…?”
“Reporter Jeong stays.”

After Choi Min-gi left, Director Lee Yong-ryul asked:

“So… it’s true?”
“Yes.”

The Chief left Sun-woo because of a message he had sent in advance:

• “Director, do not attack Yoo Hyun-jae recklessly.”

• “I must tell you now—the anonymous collaborator in the Pale Moon Gate incident was Yoo Hyun-jae.”

• “What I told you before is slightly inaccurate. He didn’t just assist; he planned the whole thing.”

• “Corrupt politicians, officials, La Do Re Mi, the Seongsin gang… he handled them all at once.”

“Must be tough. Already busy, and now this happens.”

At the Singer is a Singer filming studio waiting room, Hyung-yeop said to Yoo-joo. They had briefly stopped by to check logistics before the final round.

“Media is scary, isn’t it? No one’s perfect. People make mistakes, but the media will latch on and make them the villain.”
“…….”

Yoo-joo’s expression stiffened. Hyung-yeop thought: ‘She’s still young. Must be tough on her heart.’

“But I think Yoo Hyun-jae is really exceptional. Smart, capable, brave. He’ll fix this mistake quickly. So Yoo-joo, don’t be too disappointed—trust him, okay?”

Yoo-joo’s expression asked silently: “Trust him? Why?”

“I said he’ll recover from mistakes,” Hyung-yeop realized, “and she thinks he doesn’t even make mistakes?”

She nodded. Hyung-yeop scratched the back of his head awkwardly. It was surprising—how could a singer trust her manager so completely?

“Then why the serious expression just now?”
“I was double-checking if I understood the concept of the song we discussed with Hyun-jae correctly. I want to perform your song and figure out how to make the same impact.”
“Ah.”

Hyung-yeop felt embarrassed but also a chill in his chest.

‘Yoo-joo is only thinking about beating me.’
‘Or maybe she’s annoyed, thinking: “Yoo Hyun-jae made a mistake? What nonsense?”’

Up until now, Hyung-yeop and Yoo-joo’s scores were close. Yoo-joo slightly ahead. The winner gets a solo concert and a trophy.

‘I was being too casual.’

At the same time, he became curious about Yoo-joo and Yoo Hyun-jae’s relationship. How could such trust be built? Is Yoo-joo’s progress based on this trust? Was rejecting SERF really the right choice?

‘I must be too old… I can’t predict either of them.’

[Hanun Daily: Block all stories coming from their affiliates. Interviews or anything—they were talking without knowing.]

With Yoo Hyun-jae in Japan, Cho Min-soo received this message from Lee Joo-ah. Jang Hyung-geon was furious. And Ahn Yeon-hong, next in line after NovaGirls, rejected the proposal, saying, “If Yoo Hyun-jae doesn’t do it, I won’t either.”

On the way to work, Min-soo was worried. He trusted Yoo Hyun-jae personally, but how would the company react?

‘They rejected a golden opportunity to debut in Japan?’

No need to worry. Right away, Deputy Kim Seung-mok ran over.

“Look at this. Perfect, right? Paranoid Love! The protagonist’s mental state is wrecked but is making efforts. Thinking logically, it fits Mr. Yoon-woo perfectly. Shows protective instincts and his personality.”
“Oh… really?”
“Yes! I felt it immediately. Can I tell him?”

Min-soo skimmed the script. As Seung-mok said—it fits Yoon-woo perfectly.

“Seems good. But, Deputy Kim, about Yoo Hyun-jae—any thoughts on the article?”
“Thoughts? Of course. People are foolish.”
“Really?”

Even though JM’s stock wavered yesterday, Seung-mok remained confident.

“They don’t know Yoo Hyun-jae. This is a good opportunity. When he succeeds and returns, everyone will go crazy. We 3-Team must show: ‘While you doubted him, we worked hard and succeeded. That’s the difference.’”
“Ah…”

Everyone agreed with Kim Seung-mok.

‘No need to worry.’

[NovaGirls Im Da-bin: “Team Leader Yoo Hyun-jae’s judgment is generally correct. We fully respect his decision.”]

Seeing the interview, Hyung-sik’s heart raced. Interviewing with reporters was allowed by Jong-mook.

The NovaGirls members were working harder than ever.

• “We want to add a song to the mini-album. We’ve been feeling a lot lately.”

• “Did you know? Japanese pronunciation makes it sound cute.”

• “I know Japanese, but not the kanji.”

• “What should we say to Japanese fans?”

Even though Yoo Hyun-jae rejected SERF, no one wavered. After the Blue Heaven showcase, Japan activities were considered certain, and preparations continued.

Hyung-sik trusted Yoo Hyun-jae too. His only worry was the members’ reactions to online comments.

‘It’s their first time seeing malicious comments. Yoo Hyun-jae isn’t here—must support them.’

During the car ride after practice, he tried to distract them.

“The weather’s weird today, right? Cold then hot… watch out for colds.”
“Yes, but about our article…”

‘Ah, they were worried after all.’

Looking in the rearview mirror, Da-bin seemed tense. Was it the comments? Hyung-sik thought: What would Yoo Hyun-jae say now?

But Da-bin spoke differently than expected:

“I think the interview misquoted me. I never said Hyun-jae’s judgment is ‘generally’ correct. I said it’s ‘always’ correct! Why did they change it? Please protest.”
“Uh…”

Was the problem with them? Hyung-sik said:

“I’ll let them know.”

“Hmm… a bit surprising. I thought we’d discuss the acting industry. Lee Joo-ah and Jang Hyung-geon’s achievements were noted here too.”

Akita Shinichi looked like a mannequin. More like a factory owner than a company CEO.

Kamisumire did have a factory-like feel. Good kind.

Systematic talent training. Multi-layered evaluations so one expert doesn’t control everything. Kamisumire even evaluates the evaluators. If someone unfairly rated a performance, their own evaluation score suffers.

Thus, Kamisumire alumni are always competent. Actors, singers, stage production, merchandise, filming—only top talent. Everyone agrees it’s a shame Kamisumire doesn’t run idol projects.

• “You may know, but we no longer engage in the idol industry.”

• “Why?”

• “Too many variables. Audience expectations for actors are clear; for singers, clear. But idols? Expectations vary—toughness, cuteness, singing, dancing… unpredictably. Good skills don’t guarantee success, bad skills don’t guarantee failure.”

• “You didn’t pursue idols 10 years ago?”

• “That’s when I realized this.”

Akita seemed stubborn. Jong-mook glanced at me as if asking: What’s he thinking? I remembered my future shown by Yangpa.

• “Why cooperate with JM now, if you avoided idols before?”

• “Because Team Leader Yoo Hyun-jae angered me with his challenge.”

• “Excuse me?”

• “I usually don’t get angry. But his words were true.”

• “Can you tell us what he said?”

• “That’s…”

I asked:

“Sir, aren’t you afraid?”
“Afraid? I’m just a businessman making decisions.”
“That’s odd. A businessman doesn’t avoid variables blindly—they measure them. Knowing NovaGirls’ risks, public expectations, and how to meet them—isn’t that the business decision? We even prepared data to help you.”
“I concluded spending time on it is inefficient.”
“Was there no fear in that process? Afraid of something like Amatsuki Reina?”

Akita’s face stiffened. He swallowed, took a sip of water.

“Why mention that name now…”

I thought: This is it. His mannequin demeanor is just a defense; he isn’t completely mechanical. Amatsuki Reina was a Kamisumire idol who became popular but retired due to injury.

“If you’re not afraid, at least review if working with NovaGirls is profitable, right?”
“…….”

Jong-mook pinched his thigh to suppress a laugh. Many tried persuading Akita to re-enter the idol industry. How could Yoo Hyun-jae manage it? It was just repeatedly saying, “You’ll be scared?”

‘Wow… it works.’