IJLMT 57

Chapter  57

• ---

  “There’s no misunderstanding or anything like that behind the negotiation breakdown with SERF. They said they eat dumplings with soy sauce, and we just didn’t agree with that.”

“Wow… Oppa is really cool right now…”

Nari said, watching the press conference scene. The other members reacted the same way.

“Wait, the dumplings mean us, right? I understood that correctly, right?”
“Yes, Mina. You understood it perfectly.”

Hayoung patted Mina’s head. Currently, he was completely dominating the press conference hall. The reporter from Hanwoon Daily couldn’t even make a sound, just flushed red.

“So that’s why he rejected SERF…”

Dabin murmured, feeling her heart flutter.

Yoo Hyun-jae always makes the right decisions. She believed he had made the right choice this time too, though she didn’t know the reasoning behind it.

• “JM is a company that always strives to show the full charm of its artists to the public. To do that, we believe we must first understand our artists’ charm ourselves.”

“What is our charm?”

Nari asked.

“Being pretty, singing well, dancing well?”
“Is that right?”
“Of course it is, or we wouldn’t be popular idols.”
“Hmm… Are we really that pretty? That good?”
“That’s probably why Oppa Hyun-jae kicked SERF to the curb, right?”

Nari conversed with Hayoung in question marks. No member’s heart was untouched. Wasn’t it so? Just a few months ago, they had been floundering in indifference.

“What if, a few months ago, someone came to us and said, ‘You’ll get an offer from SERF, but you’ll reject it because the conditions won’t suit you.’ How would we have reacted?”
“We’d be like, ‘What nonsense! If it flops, I’ll be so mad, don’t talk rubbish!’”

Nari and Mina giggled. Their hearts hadn’t changed much since their days of obscurity. If it weren’t for Hyun-jae, they would have accepted SERF’s offer immediately, saying “Oh, thank you” while thinking somewhere in the back of their minds, “Well… maybe our singing and rapping aren’t that great anyway.”

Nova Girls are pretty, sing well, and dance well. While every member believed that, no one had strongly believed enough to reject a major Japanese corporation’s offer.

• “We plan to fill Tokyo Dome within a year and a half.”

• “This isn’t just ambition. It was agreed with Akita-san. We see it as the minimum achievement we must realistically fulfill.”

Sniff.

The members’ eyes turned to the source of the sound.

“Why are you crying, Mina?”
“Hng…”

Mina said, choking up.

“My dad… always said a vague girl like me shouldn’t dream of becoming an idol…”

Yoo Hyun-jae believes in Nova Girls’ charm. Saying it out loud doesn’t matter; he acted in ways that only someone who genuinely believes could.

Who would have thought Nova Girls’ charm was valuable enough to reject SERF? Maybe only Yoo Hyun-jae. His belief even drew criticism from the media.

Then he persuaded Akita Shinichi, signed contracts with TOSU Theaters for live broadcasts…

From the members’ perspective, the idea of performing at Tokyo Dome no longer felt pressuring. It felt real. Hyun-jae would somehow make it happen.

“…We should do something too, right? We’ve just been receiving all this.”
“That’s not something a manager can really do.”
“We believe in Oppa Hyun-jae too. Can’t we show him we believe in him big time?”
“How can we do that without feeling embarrassed?”
“Then make a song about it and sing it.”
“You mean, make a hymn praising Oppa Hyun-jae?”

Then Dabin spoke.

“…That’s not a bad idea.”

I carried a bag full of snacks from Japan and went to Nova Girls’ dorm. The backpack had sleep masks and foot massage packs stuffed inside.

My heart was anxious.

‘The girls must be feeling uneasy.’

They’re around twenty. How could they not be affected by nasty comments on interview articles? Plus, the scale of their upcoming mini-album showcase suddenly expanded. Of course they’d feel pressure.

‘I should have met them before the press conference… Are they okay, Teacher Yang?’

A scent wafted from the onion bracelet. Right, they should be okay. They’re strong kids. But still, they probably wouldn’t feel great.

I opened the door.

“Oppa Hyun-jae!”
“It’s been so long.”
“You were amazing at the press conference! Now you’re totally the JM key man, huh?”
“There’s no JM without Yoo Hyun-jae now!”

The members greeted me exuberantly.

‘Huh? This doesn’t feel burdensome at all.’

I sat down and started pulling items from the bag.

“Hey, you guys, the nasty comments in interviews must have been hard, right?”
“Nope. Not hard at all.”

Dabin answered. They really are brave and strong. But how could anyone not be affected by nasty comments?

“Right. But now, even if the higher-ups approve, don’t do those kinds of interviews. Your mental health comes first.”
“Nope. Our mental health is totally fine.”

Why are they acting like this? Like little rebels. I looked at Dabin. She spoke with a perfectly calm face.

“The people leaving nasty comments don’t really know anything, they don’t like us, and they don’t trust us. Why should their words matter? Seeing that doesn’t shake us at all.”
“Really?”

The other three nodded.

“Hyun-jae oppa is a billion times more important to us. When he gets criticized, having to stay quiet is what really shakes us. Even if we went back, we’d give the same interviews.”
“…Really?”

Wow, how could they say such admirable things?

“And don’t stress too much about Tokyo Dome…”
“No stress. We’ll get there if we just do it. With Hyun-jae oppa and Kamisumire pushing us, we can’t not make it.”

This time, Nari answered.

How did timid Nari become so tough?

“But more importantly, can you check our lyrics? We decided to add a song to the mini-album, and the lyrics aren’t done yet.”

‘More importantly’… But it didn’t seem like they were just trying to act strong. The members really seemed to care more about the new song lyrics. All four of them’s eyes shone, and their mouths twitched.

‘Why are their mouths twitching?’

“We drafted the lyrics ourselves!” Mina shouted.

“You guys? Not Dabin writing them?”
“Nope. We each wrote a line in turn, and Dabin will polish the final version.”
“Really? Let’s see… The tone varies slightly by line.”

But the content was good. The title was Guiding Star, referring to the North Star.

• Even if you want to sit down, keep walking. Because I will live like your heart.

Reading the lyrics made my heart tighten.

“Oh… this has a feeling. Is it a song about a father?”
“No way.”
“Then?”

The members just giggled instead of answering.

The next day, I was called to the CEO’s office again. CEO Lee Jong-muk and First Team Leader Kang Woo-min were sitting there.

‘What could Team Leader Kang want?’

As I sat down, Lee Jong-muk spoke.

“Team Leader Kang has something to tell Team Leader Yoo.”
“Yes. What is it?”

Kang Woo-min spoke with a determined expression.

“Executive Director Yoo Ho-gil will retire in two months. Are you aware?”

I nodded.

“The achievements of Team Leader Yoo Hyun-jae… I feel they are greater than any we’ve seen before. Our company has no foundation in Japan, and yet he didn’t just create a foothold for exchange, he practically brought the Golden Bridge here.”
“The work went well.”
“…It was you who did it. No matter the luck, no one else could have done what Team Leader Yoo did. The fact that Akita Shinichi had trauma about the Shinsegae girls, and that the cause was actually misordered paint—unimaginable.”

It was possible thanks to Yangpa’s guidance too.

“The company’s atmosphere reflects that. Everyone who doubted Team Leader Yoo’s decisions is now amazed. Anyone can see that the main driving force behind JM now is Team Leader Yoo… In this situation, how would it look if I were promoted to Executive Director? Promotions should go to someone like Team Leader Yoo. We’re a results-oriented company.”
“Team Leader Kang?”

Honestly, this was a bit overwhelming. Kang Woo-min is a senior at JM. Yet his attitude was earnest.

“I heard Team Leader Yoo often rejects promotion offers due to principles. But I hope he won’t this time. How could I, as someone not leading the Japanese business development, be promoted over the person who actually drove it?”

Even hearing that, I hesitated. It was practically thanks to me that Jo Min-su was promoted, wasn’t it? If I got promoted, I’d look like I pushed Kang Woo-min aside for my own gain.

“I understand your concern, but I don’t worry at all. Executive Director Jo Min-su learned a lot from Team Leader Yoo Hyun-jae and executes work very precisely. If there’s someone more capable above me, why be dissatisfied?”

Still, I felt uneasy… Then Lee Jong-muk smiled.

“Ha ha, I expected this scenario and considered it.”

Kang Woo-min and I both looked at Jong-muk. I had almost forgotten, but Lee Jong-muk was a crafty old fox.

“Team Leader Kang feels embarrassed to be above Team Leader Yoo, Team Leader Yoo shouldn’t be promoted yet… Then why not promote Team Leader Yoo directly to Division Head?”
“What?!”

Our voices overlapped. Skip Executive Director and go straight to Division Head?

“What about Division Head Park?”
“Ha ha. Don’t worry. This is a new division. How about Overseas Business Division Head Yoo Hyun-jae?”

Kang Woo-min and I gawked. Division Head in the fifth month after joining? Almost every payday my title changed, and now skipping Executive Director to become Division Head?

Kang Woo-min was the first to speak.

“If it’s Team Leader Yoo Hyun-jae, that’s reasonable. I agree.”

“Division Head? Oppa is already Division Head?”
“It’s basically concurrent with Team Leader. The overseas business isn’t that big yet.”
“Wow… I have to somehow go overseas too. Feels like my level is lower with oppa in charge.”
“Yoo Joo, if your level is low, then who in the world is higher?”

Finally, the last competition. Lim Yoo-joo vs Lee Hyung-yeop. Yoo-joo will sing the song ‘Anger’ written and composed by Lee Hyung-yeop. Lee Hyung-yeop will sing ‘Awkwardness’ written and composed by Yoo-joo.

Two songs that seem completely mismatched, and the nation is watching the outcome.

“I thought a lot while you were gone… You said to really think of someone you dislike. Forget the image of ‘I’m not a person who hates others,’ and really…”
“Did you think of someone?”
“I thought of them while thinking.”
“Hmm? Who?”
“People who ignore and criticize oppa. People who have no reason to insult oppa but do so blindly and excitedly.”
“…….”

Yoo-joo clenched her fist with a determined look. My heart tightened. The people I trust, who trust me, all get angry on my behalf when I’m belittled.

“I’ll show them an example.”

At that moment,

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, the smell vanished.

‘Teacher Yang is testing me. What? What’s strange right now?’

The audience eagerly awaited the performance. Determined Yoo-joo. Nervous Lee Hyung-yeop backstage. Busy staff and PD. A staff member carries the ballot box. After the performance, the audience votes and exits.

But the PD kept glancing at the ballot box oddly.

What’s strange here…

‘No way.’

I approached the ballot box.

“Uh, uh, where are you going?”

Their reaction was strange. I was just approaching the box.

I frowned, then kicked the ballot box.

“Uh, uhh!”

Voices around me exclaimed in shock.

“What is this?”

The ballot box already had votes inside.