Chapter 84: The Techniques of an Idol Who Never Fails

At the sound of Jung Hae Won hurriedly leaving the dorm, Hwang Saebi, who had been lying in the room, got up.

In the car heading to the company, the team's youngest member, Park Seonjae, thought that Hwang Saebi was becoming more and more like a leader.

Gathering in the company's practice room, Min Jihoo said,

"Brother Hae Won, what do you think he's talking about with the CEO?"

Han Hyoseok replied,

"New Year's greetings."

"That doesn't sound like him."

"I couldn't think of anything else."

As they talked, Park Seonjae muttered,

"He'll tell us everything after it's over. After all, traitors only deserve death."

Hearing this, Han Hyoseok and Min Jihoo took turns speaking.

"Park Gomdol."

"Bears tear people apart."

While they were talking, Hwang Saebi, who was lying on the floor of the practice room due to a hangover, answered a call.

He only said 'Why' and 'Oh' before hanging up. Park Seonjae asked,

"Who was it?"

"It was Jung Hae Won. He's at the studio."

With that, they headed to the studio. When Park Seonjae followed Hwang Saebi to the studio, he found Jung Hae Won covering his face with his hands and catching his breath.

"…Brother, are you going to die soon?"

Muttering this, Hwang Saebi coolly replied,

"Guys like him usually live the longest. He'll even come to your funeral."

Then he entered the studio and gave him some water.

Park Seonjae observed for a moment outside the door before entering. He pushed Jung Hae Won, who was sitting in the middle of the sofa, and said,

"Hey, move over a bit."

Jung Hae Won resisted with strength, which was surprising for his thin frame, but Park Seonjae, living up to his nickname 'Gomdol,' had considerable strength. After a brief struggle, Jung Hae Won moved over, and the two sat down.

Park Seonjae had figured out that playing pranks on his brother helped him recover faster than worrying. As expected, Jung Hae Won's face, which had seemed about to die, regained some color. He was still pale, but that was probably due to the hangover. The other members looked half-dead too, so...

When the members gathered, Jung Hae Won began to speak.

"I have some news to share. Depending on how you interpret it, it could be good or bad, so let's try to see it positively."

He took a deep breath and continued,

"First, VMC is trying to acquire TRV."

"What!"

Min Jihoo jumped up, and Jung Hae Won said,

"That's not really important."

"How is that not important?"

"I couldn't think of anything else."

As Min Jihoo was still confused, Hwang Saebi said to Park Seonjae,

"See, I told you he'd live long."

"Ugh…."

Park Seonjae sighed like an adult, and Jung Hae Won defended himself,

"At least I came back, right? If it had been Hwang Saebi, he would have gotten a beating from the vice president."

Then Shin Jiun muttered,

"If Saebi had gone, I would have felt relieved."

To which An Juwon replied,

"But idols shouldn't hit people, right?"

"Leaders can."

"Then wouldn't you have been the first to get hit?"

Shin Jiun thought for a moment and then said to Hwang Saebi,

"Idols shouldn't hit people."

"I don't have the strength to hit anyone anyway."

Hwang Saebi leaned back in his chair, groaning from the hangover, and Jung Hae Won said,

"Let's finish talking while we sober up. How about some jjamppong?"

Hwang Saebi immediately opened his eyes.

"Oh, I was just thinking about what I wanted to eat, and it was jjamppong ramen. Let's go eat."

"Go eat?"

"Oh, it's close. Just a 20-minute walk."

He got everyone up and they headed to the ramen shop.

* * *

The ramen was delicious, and although it was spicy, it definitely helped with the hangover. Or maybe my mouth was just numb and I couldn't feel anything...

Anyway, Hwang Saebi seemed to know all the good restaurants around Gwanghwamun. Impressive.

While eating, I realized the members were so shocked by the news that VMC was trying to acquire the company that they almost missed the part about us not getting much investment. They'll understand when we start preparing for the comeback. We've been spending a lot of money on our activities.

Today, which is the next day, is a rest day, so I went to Poomdapi, the agency of Big Blue, to handle some personal business. On the way, I checked my status screen.

[You currently have 2 available roulettes]

[Choose the roulettes to register (Select 2)]

[(Daily) Silver Roulette]

[(Hit Song Maker) Red Roulette]

[(Super Idol) Purple Roulette]

I couldn't see properly yesterday because my mental state was too shaken. I immediately chose the composition roulette, but I decided to think more about the other one. I needed a roulette to recover my stamina and mental state, but I also couldn't ignore the Super Idol roulette.

[(Hit Song Maker) Red Roulette selected]

[Presentation Skill B

Top Liner B

L-level hit song production probability 0%

S-level hit song production probability 0.1%

A-level hit song production probability 5%

B-level hit song production probability 20%

C-level hit song production probability 60%]

[Calculating the hit probability of 'Let's Meet This Year' (tentative title)]

[Checking...]

[Checking...]

['Let's Meet This Year'

(Big Blue)

S-level hit probability 20%

A-level hit probability 50%

B-level hit probability 100%

(First Light)

A-level hit probability 8%

B-level hit probability 50%

C-level hit probability 80%]

Hahaha...

So, there's such a big difference in the hit probability when the same song is sung by Big Blue and us. Big Blue, with their high recognition, can achieve a B-level hit even if they try to fail.

On the other hand, the best we can do is an A-level hit.

What exactly is an A-level hit?

"Is it a hit like 'Turn On the Light'?"

"Huh?"

Manager Kang Youngho, who was driving, turned to look at me, and I replied,

"I'm still a bit hungover, so I might talk to myself a lot."

"Oh, okay. I'll pretend I didn't hear anything."

No matter how much I tried to chat, Manager Kang Youngho maintained his distance and focused back on driving.

Anyway, it was worth the embarrassment.

['Turn On the Light' has no hit record]

I laughed in disbelief at the shock, but decided to move on.

"Looking forward to the morning?"

['Looking Forward to the Morning' has achieved a C-level hit]

While 'Turn On the Light' didn't last as long on the real-time charts, it did more to introduce 'First Light' to fans. The difference might be that 'Turn On the Light' was a digital single without an album, whereas 'Looking Forward to the Morning' has sold about 100,000 copies. If album sales affect hit probability, it seems that a team like Big Blue, which has sold over a million copies on their first day, would achieve at least a B-level hit with any song I produce.

A song for a team that sells over a million copies on their first day? Me?

My heart raced at the thought, but then I realized the difference between my production probability and the hit probability when First Light sings it.

That means...

...I've already picked some good songs, haven't I? Hehe.

If Lee Junhee of Big Blue rejects the song, we should take it.

With that thought, I arrived at Xdapi... no, Poomdapi. The agency felt different from the idol agencies I've visited, perhaps because it's closer to an actor management company.

Instead of album posters, movie and drama posters lined the walls, giving a sense of the agency's identity. The atmosphere was like an interior design showroom.

Two A&R staff members came out to greet me as Lee Junhee was filming a drama produced by an OTT platform. I followed the A&R staff and said,

"The company atmosphere is really different. We have pink track lighting on the walls of our corridors. It feels like a land of dreams and fantasies."

The A&R staff laughed pleasantly at my comment.

We entered an empty meeting room, which had an atmosphere that could be featured in an interior design magazine. After explaining the song, the arrangement direction, and the upcoming promotion, we listened to the music. When the music ended, the A&R staff thought for a moment, then left the room to discuss among themselves before returning and saying,

"Would it be okay if the A&R team discusses this further and gets back to you?"

"Sure, that's fine."

"I'm sorry."

The meeting ended much faster than expected, and the A&R staff's apology left me feeling uneasy.

...Did they reject it cautiously?

I returned to the dorm, feeling uneasy. Most of the members who had been on holiday had already come back. Min Jihoo asked curiously,

"Why are you back so soon?"

"…I think they rejected it?"

"Really? Wasn't it almost done?"

"I thought so too… Ah, the song is good."

"Of course, you like all the songs you compose."

"Yeah, because they're my style."

Then An Juwon said,

"So what? If they reject it, we can sing it."

"Right?"

It's nice to have that confidence. Hehe.

I had promised to play the song for the members after the meeting, so I played the demo in the living room where everyone had gathered. The members listened attentively, their expressions brightening and then darkening.

"…I hope they rejected it. We should sing it."

"Exactly!"

"But they probably wouldn't reject it…"

Hearing the members' murmurs, my confidence returned.

Then Shin Jiun, who had listened to the song with a strange expression from start to finish, said,

"…Didn't I hear this when I went to my previous agency?"

Huh? What does that mean?

...Is this going to be a hassle from the start?