Chapter 3

# Chapter 003

I've returned to ten years ago.

This is no ordinary matter.

It could change my entire life.

Unfortunately, I don't remember the lottery numbers. So, I did what I could.

"Yes, the loan has been approved."

I took out a loan using the money in my housing subscription account as collateral. And I put it all into stocks.

I wasn't particularly interested in the stock market, but I remembered an article about a stock that had risen 200 times over ten years. The company's name was unique, so it wasn't hard to find.

'An electric car company. Now that I think about it, electric cars were the trend in the future. It rose 200 times over ten years, and the graph I saw in that article...'

Seong-pil was better at remembering numbers and pictures than sentences. Especially if they were in graph form.

Before long, the horizontal axis of time and the vertical axis of price came to mind.

'The current price is $4. I bought 24,000 shares.'

One year later, this stock will rise 15 times.

The most dramatic rise is a 5x jump nine years later.

A $100 stock broke $500 in less than a year.

But even a 15x rise from the current $4 is a huge amount.

'About 1.5 billion won.'

I put all the money I had saved over ten years into stocks. And in a year, it will become 1.5 billion won.

'With 1.5 billion won, I could start an agency, but if I fail, there's no backup. And it's not enough to create idols. After a 15x jump, the stock will stagnate, so it's hard to make more than 1.5 billion won even if I wait longer.'

But the fact that 1.5 billion won is about to be in my hands is enough to make me feel good.

I wasn't just feeling good because of that.

I had been living in my forties and suddenly became thirty. Walking around with a younger body, the world looks different.

'If only I had returned to my twenties instead of my thirties.'

Then I might have thought about working like a dog and pouring everything into stocks.

A few years of hard work could have made it possible to live comfortably for the rest of my life.

'...No.'

Seong-pil stood in front of the Success Entertainment building.

It only occupies two floors of a low-rise building now, but the future headquarters will be a high-rise of over ten floors.

Seong-pil couldn't forget the thrill he felt back then.

'Even if I had returned to my twenties, I would have done this job.'

As soon as he entered the building, Seong-pil looked for Kim Tae-hoon, the CEO. He was watering a plant.

"Hey, Seong-pil, what's up?"

He smiled as usual.

They say you can't spit in a smiling face, but I think I could now.

'My ability to see the future is 100% accurate.'

Even if he values Seong-pil now, the future Kim Tae-hoon will abandon him.

Seong-pil engraved the regret, hatred, and despair he felt from the future scene in his heart.

'Speak. Speak, Park Seong-pil.'

To quit the company.

"…Just checking if anything's wrong."

It was hard.

At this time, Kim Tae-hoon and Seong-pil were like brothers. Even if he had regressed, the present was the present.

It was hard to suddenly come in and hand in his resignation.

"Anything wrong? Oh! I heard our trainees secretly ate delivery food yesterday. Yoon Sang-yul is waiting to deal with it."

"…."

Yoon Sang-yul had also come to Success Entertainment at this point.

Hearing his name, Seong-pil's anger boiled up again.

'Yeah. Seeing that guy will give me the will to go on. …Or maybe I can create a different future from now on?'

One of the reasons Seong-pil couldn't get involved in producing was his lack of assertiveness.

Kim Tae-hoon wanted Seong-pil to handle management, and Seong-pil found it hard to refuse his brother's request.

So, he kept delaying the producing, year after year, with the promise of 'when the company stabilizes in the future.'

'Can it change if I start now?'

It's a hopeful prediction, but there's no harm in trying. The problem is that the experiment will take a few years.

Then Seong-pil's phone rang.

[Yoon Sang-yul Producer]

It was a formally saved name.

Seong-pil answered the call.

"Yes, hyung."

[Seong-pil, come to the practice room for a moment.]

The call ended there.

Seong-pil gripped his phone tightly.

Not treating people like subordinates, but suddenly calling and telling them to come somewhere.

'Ah, I remember. This is the day Yoon Sang-yul gives me another hard time.'

"Hyung, I'm going to the practice room."

"Did Sang-yul call you? Yeah, go. It'll be more effective if you're there to help him discipline the trainees."

Kim Tae-hoon's tone was full of consideration.

But now it looked a bit different.

Like hiding a knife in his mouth.

"…Yeah, I'll go."

Seong-pil went to the practice room on the lower floor.

When he entered, a dozen or so trainees were staring at the ground.

It was like they were about to be punished.

In front of them stood Yoon Sang-yul.

'This guy's style was like this. As soon as he got the producing authority, he started to control the trainees tightly.'

Seong-pil went to his side.

"You're here? Did you hear about it?"

"The trainees eating delivery food?"

"I know."

Yoon Sang-yul stared at Seong-pil. Seong-pil met his gaze steadily.

Then Yoon Sang-yul smiled.

As if to say, 'Where do you get the nerve to look me in the eye?'

"Managing the trainees is your job, right?"

Success Entertainment is still a small company.

They have successful groups and singers, but they're not big enough to have a separate department for developing new talent.

So, Seong-pil was in charge of managing the trainees. As a manager, he just gave orders to the people under him.

"I decide how to shape the trainees, and you manage them to make it happen. Isn't that what we agreed on?"

"Yes."

"Then, why are you so calm about this?"

Seong-pil sighed.

Because if he stayed at Success Entertainment, this would be one of the methods he would face over the next ten years.

Not directly scolding the wrongdoer, but calling their superior to do it.

And the target was mostly Seong-pil.

"I'll discipline the trainees."

Seong-pil couldn't watch over everything, but as the final manager responsible for management, it was natural for Yoon Sang-yul to say something to him.

But the situation clearly showed his low intentions.

"How?"

"I'll do it."

Seong-pil is the management director of Success Entertainment.

And Yoon Sang-yul is humiliating him in front of the trainees.

To the trainees, it would seem like 'Oh, Yoon Sang-yul Producer is higher than Park Seong-pil Manager.'

It's a very dirty tactic to lower others to raise one's own authority.

"So, how?"

Yoon Sang-yul chuckled.

"I'm not angry. I'm asking how you'll handle it."

"These damn brats!"

Seong-pil kicked the chair next to him.

The chair rolled across the floor, making the trainees flinch.

Yoon Sang-yul even trembled in surprise.

"You, you, what…"

"Have you all gone mad? Chicken? You crazy fools are out of your minds."

Seong-pil approached the trainee at the front, standing less than 30 cm away. He pushed the trainee's shoulder with his finger, wearing a fierce expression.

"Is the company training you to eat chicken? Are we giving you lessons so you can enjoy chicken? Huh? Answer me."

"No, no."

"How many calories are in it? Do you think we send your samples to the lab for dietary and exercise plans just for this? Ah, I get it. You're trying to bankrupt the company. Do you know how much the PT you get once a week costs? No, you don't. You wouldn't do this if you knew! You want to be idols while eating whatever you want and doing whatever you want? Your intentions are rotten from the start."

Seong-pil's rage left everyone speechless.

The heavy atmosphere filled the practice room.

The tension dissipated instantly when Seong-pil turned to Yoon Sang-yul.

"I'll discipline them like this. How about it?"

Yoon Sang-yul, looking quite flustered, swallowed.

Of course, he wouldn't back down here with a 'Oh, okay, you're doing a good job.'

Seong-pil had done this to protest against Yoon Sang-yul.

"What are you doing?"

"I'll discipline them like this."

"Did you think I meant it that way?"

"I know. You're humiliating me in front of the trainees to look more important. You left your previous company because of your dirty personality, right?"

"What's going on?!"

Seong-pil's outburst must have brought Kim Tae-hoon, the CEO, into the practice room.

A few employees followed him.

Kim Tae-hoon looked back and forth between Seong-pil and Yoon Sang-yul.

"What's going on? Are you two fighting?"

"…No, CEO. No, we're not."

"This guy is humiliating me in front of the trainees."

"What are you…?!"

"Are you kidding? If you have something to say to me, do it privately. If you want to discipline the trainees, ask me to do it. Why did you call me here to humiliate me? Is this proper? Have you never worked in society?"

"…Then what are you doing?"

"I'm doing the same to you."

If he hadn't seen the future, Seong-pil would have bowed to Yoon Sang-yul at this point.

If they fought here, the trainees would be shaken, and rumors about Success Entertainment being a mess might spread.

But now, Seong-pil wouldn't hold back.

There was no need to.

"Doing the same? Damn."

Yoon Sang-yul burst into hollow laughter several times.

"Are you and I the same?"

"No, we're different. I'm the senior."

"Senior? Are you questioning my seniority?"

"I know where you came from. I know who you produced. I know you're someone our company struggled to bring in, but you should also respect those who were here first, right?"

"The one who's sorry…!"

Yoon Sang-yul tried to say more but closed his mouth when he saw Kim Tae-hoon.

He probably meant to say, 'The one who's sorry should bow,' or something like that.

'Just because we brought in someone as great as me, you think you should be treated well.'

Reading that, Seong-pil got even angrier.

"Both of you, stop. Let's talk outside. Outside."

"…No. We need to talk here. Sang-yul hyung, are you going to keep treating me like a subordinate and ignoring me?"

"This is really making you a bad person. When did I ever do that?"

"Just now."

"Stop it."

Kim Tae-hoon's voice grew lower.

A sign of anger.

Seong-pil also had to back down here.

In front of the trainees. Yoon Sang-yul couldn't ignore Kim Tae-hoon's authority.

The three left the practice room. As soon as they did, Kim Tae-hoon said coldly.

"Seong-pil, apologize. Are you a kid? Acting emotionally, and in front of the trainees."

"…"

Seong-pil thought about the next ten years.

Seong-pil and Yoon Sang-yul would continue to clash.

Each time, Kim Tae-hoon would mediate and order Seong-pil to apologize first.

The conversation could only proceed if Seong-pil bowed first.

He didn't want to do that anymore.

"I was wrong too, but Sang-yul hyung was the one who started it."

It was wrong from the beginning.

Kim Tae-hoon favored Yoon Sang-yul. So, the power dynamics inevitably tilted.

He should have corrected that from the start.

And this was his chance.

'If it doesn't work, there's nothing I can do.'

Seong-pil felt it deeply.

No matter how high he climbed, he was just a slightly higher manager.

No matter how much experience he gained, he was just a replaceable manager.

So, to avoid being abandoned, he had to assert himself to Kim Tae-hoon from now on…

"Apologize quickly. Whether first or last, Sang-yul is the senior."

Kim Tae-hoon didn't even pretend to listen to Seong-pil's protests, as if there was no need to.

'You're different. I can get you to loosen up with a few drinks, but this guy won't. He's trying to break me…'

He understood, but it was hard to ignore being treated this way.

"Hurry up."

The constant talk about seniority.

It was tiring.

Because he didn't have the courage to say, 'Bow to him because he's a great person we brought in from a high place,' Kim Tae-hoon always said, 'Sang-yul is the senior.'

The underlying message was, 'He's much more important than you, so just cater to him.'

"No."

Seong-pil shed the lingering sympathy.

'Can I change it if I do well from now on? Are you stupid? What are you trying to do with such a weak mindset?'

Kim Tae-hoon's response made all his feelings disappear.

"Hey, you really…"

Seong-pil turned his back and left.

Kim Tae-hoon's shouts and Yoon Sang-yul's incredulous laughter hit his back.

'Now I'm sure. Even if I stay here, nothing will be left in my hands.'

* * *

A man from Garo Entertainment.

His name was Han Goo-in.

"Nice to see you again."

Han Goo-in chatted for a while.

He was good at easing the atmosphere and winning people's favor.

The problem was the content of the chat.

"To change the exploitative economic structure in Africa, advanced countries need to work together. I don't think it's just an African issue. What do you think, Seong-pil?"

"…What?"

It felt like they were living in different worlds.

After enough time passed to dispel the winter chill that had seeped in, Han Goo-in's expression changed slightly.

A hint of seriousness mixed with his usual relaxed smile.

"Have you thought about it at all?"

Seong-pil remained expressionless throughout their meeting. It was because of the question he was about to ask.

"You asked me to come as a general manager."

"Yes. To be honest, Garo Entertainment is practically a new agency, so our connections in the broadcasting industry are…"

"Yes, I know. I understand what you want from me."

What they wanted was the connections Seong-pil had built over his career.

For nearly eight years, Seong-pil had worked as a manager, rolling around like a dog.

It wasn't just about working hard.

He went through nights and early mornings to leave an impression on important people and wore a smile like a mask to try to talk to them.

After eight years, Seong-pil, as a mid-level manager, had built many connections.

That's what Garo Entertainment wanted.

"There are conditions."

"Please, go on."

"Can I participate in the producing process?"

Producing.

Production.

In the idol industry, it means everything from selecting trainees to releasing albums, the entire process of creating an idol.

Needless to say, it's a very important area.

"Producing?"

Han Goo-in asked, surprised.

It was understandable that an eight-year manager suddenly talking about producing would be confusing.

"To what extent do you mean by participation?"

"Directly, to the extent that I can enforce my will."

"Ah."

Seong-pil knew well.

There was no way they would accept such a request.

'Enforcing my will directly' was something only a high-ranking executive in A&R or producing could do.

In terms of position, it would be around the director level of an agency.

Of course, an agency wouldn't give decision-making power to a new hire…

"Then, how about meeting the CEO and discussing it?"

"…What?"

Seong-pil's dazed response was met with a smile from Han Goo-in.

"Is now a good time?"