Chapter 47

# Chapter 047

"…No, Hyangi, come here too."

"Sure."

The three of them stood in a row in front of Baegseolha.

Baegseolha brushed her hair back.

"I was embarrassed. Weren't you?"

It was a question that forced an emotional response.

Honestly, Rika and Joara weren't embarrassed to the point of shame.

They only had a week to prepare.

Moreover, they had to create an original choreography, so it was natural to be slow.

But no one brought this up.

"I was embarrassed."

Only Jang Hahyang agreed with Baegseolha.

Baegseolha nodded reluctantly.

It wasn't a question that demanded an answer.

"That's right. Even if we didn't have enough time to prepare, it was still embarrassing. No, wasn't it lacking? You guys could have learned the choreography in just one day. You could have memorized the movements with a little practice."

Jang Hahyang's big eyes blinked in amazement.

Baegseolha tried not to meet her gaze.

"Performing without the time for creative choreography, we still have three days left. But if the result is like this, it's really terrible. But, but, I don't think it's because we're lacking. It's my fault."

Rika and Joara lifted their heads.

When Baegseolha blamed herself, their hearts sank.

Everyone had implicitly recognized Baegseolha as the leader. They relied on her as a leader, as a person, and as a teacher.

Now, Baegseolha was saying it was her fault.

"No, no, Teacher. It's my fault…"

Rika's tears started to flow.

Joara silently clasped her hands.

"It's my fault."

Jang Hahyang really did a poor job.

Baegseolha wished she wouldn't interfere. If she criticized Jang Hahyang, it would be a fact-based attack….

Isn't it really violent to criticize someone who has worked so hard?

Whether she knew it or not, Jang Hahyang was genuinely sorry.

"I made a mistake from the beginning. I'll revise the choreography, the movements, and the part distribution. This isn't right. I was too hasty."

"If we change it now, it will be even harder…"

Baegseolha's glare made Joara shut up.

'The current choreography is the best.'

Joara swallowed her objections.

She didn't have the courage to argue when Baegseolha was so determined.

It wasn't just because she was older.

Baegseolha was the only person Seong Pil used honorifics with.

This meant that Seong Pil respected Baegseolha as an adult.

Until now, Seong Pil had treated Baegseolha a bit formally and respectfully, giving her strength.

This was having an effect.

Currently, Baegseolha's words were accepted just like Seong Pil's.

"Now, I'll change it as I say. We'll give up our rest today and practice until night. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Yes…"

"Yes."

Dictatorship ON.

* * *

"Much better."

Second week's weekly evaluation.

Son Hyebeen couldn't help but be impressed by the performance, which was clearly different from before.

"Did you guide them yourself?"

"No. I just relayed the feedback to Seolha."

"Really?"

"Thanks to the precise feedback from you, of course."

"Oh, our Seong Pil speaks so nicely. Who taught you to be so polite? Who taught you to be like this? Good job, good job."

"…"

Seong Pil's hands trembled with anger, and Son Hyebeen laughed lightly.

She stopped laughing and said proudly,

"Seolha has talent. If you teach her one thing, she understands ten."

This was a part that even Seolha herself was surprised by.

She had a remarkable ability to structure a performance.

She instinctively knew how to bring out the best in people and how to harmonize the choreography.

This was a skill that came from copying idol dances countless times.

Rika and Joara also danced well, but they hadn't copied as many idol dances as Seolha.

"There are parts that seem familiar, like they were taken from somewhere."

"Exactly."

The downside was that there were parts that harmed originality.

Seolha had memorized so many idol dances since elementary school that she had reached a point where she forgot where they came from.

Everything seemed the same.

Sometimes, she even mistook existing choreography for her own creation.

"Will you ask her to revise it?"

"No."

Is there anything in this world that is purely original?

It's an unreasonable demand to ask the current four to be creative.

This level is just right.

"Still, there's a long way to go. If this continues for two weeks, I think they'll change dramatically."

"Yeah, it's really a shame. If this song was theirs, how great would it be?"

Because she couldn't see EMC's performance, this thought became even more desperate.

Maybe it would be better to add choreography and complete it at Garo Entertainment.

It's a fanciful thought, but just imagining it makes her smile.

"You shouldn't look at other people's rice cakes. Our kids will make better songs than this."

"Oh my own" is EMC's retirement song and a completed work.

As a company that aims to produce artistic artists, they learned composition from the beginning of their training.

And "oh my own" was created when their skills reached their peak.

Seong Pil's goal is for the members to someday create a song that surpasses "oh my own."

"Our kids, phew! If someone sees, they'll think you're so proud of them."

"You also call me 'our Seong Pil.'"

"That's because you're cute. Your appearance has changed, but your personality is still the same, our Seong Pil."

"Stop treating me like a kid."

The conversation ended.

During this time, Han Gug-in, who had been sitting quietly like a bureaucrat, finally had the chance to speak.

"Excuse me, I have a question. Will the monthly evaluation also be held here?"

"In my opinion, it would be better to borrow a small theater stage for a while."

The practice room and the stage are different spaces.

The feeling is different when you see it in a cramped space versus an open stage.

The practice room provides a sense of stability. Without it, the performance might be more terrifying than expected.

"Maybe. There might be a place that can lend us the stage for an hour."

"I'll check."

"No, I'll start making calls now. You two can continue your conversation."

Han Gug-in, lacking knowledge and intuition about the stage, was reluctant to participate in the feedback.

He left the practice room to handle other tasks as soon as the feedback ended.

His consideration was both appreciated and regretful.

"Mr. Han, you also have opinions, right?"

"You'll gradually understand more about idols. You're starting to get interested."

"Oh, right. Seong Pil, I think I'll receive an invitation in two weeks."

"Already? You said it would come in a month or two."

"It seems it will come sooner."

"Will you go as soon as it arrives?"

"Probably."

"Call me before you go."

"Sure. Is that it? Don't you have to treat your sister to a big meal?"

"No, I'm the only one who can eat from my sister."

"Who will I tell that I'm going abroad?"

"Oh…"

Then there's nothing I can do.

"Think about what you want to eat."

"You've grown up, our Seong Pil."

"And when you come back, contact us. If you still want to work for our company."

"What? If you don't want to come, don't contact us?"

"…Just contact me when you come back to Korea."

Son Hyebeen playfully brushed Seong Pil's shoulder.

"Will you not cry this time?"

"Don't bring that up!"

* * *

Tomorrow, the much-anticipated monthly evaluation begins.

Seong Pil entered the CEO's office to inform Hong Gyuheon again about the details.

The room was empty.

Just as she was about to leave,

'Why not just wait inside?'

Hong Gyuheon might have gone to the bathroom.

Seong Pil sat across from Hong Gyuheon's desk.

Now that she looked, the CEO's office had a very authoritative structure.

It was designed so that you had to walk up to the CEO's desk to sit.

Was it to establish a hierarchy from the moment you entered?

'What does the CEO do here every day?'

While Seong Pil and Han Gug-in manage the children, what does Hong Gyuheon do here?

The group isn't active, so he doesn't spend time on sales.

Seong Pil looked at the table with a small sense of guilt.

There were a few documents that seemed to be for business.

They seemed to be related to her textile factory.

One of them caught Seong Pil's attention.

It looked like a summary note written by a high school student, one character at a time.

The letters were large, so she could easily read them without focusing.

'Treat employees as mature individuals. Voluntary responsibility, important. Goal-oriented. Building trusting relationships. Interpersonal skills, cooperation, collaboration, flexibility, efficiency. The company is compared to a family or a team. Affection, friendship, cooperation, protection, trust, intimacy…'

Is this management?

"Park Manager, what brings you here?"

The door opened, and Hong Gyuheon entered.

Seong Pil quickly averted her gaze, as if she had done something wrong.

"I was waiting for you, CEO."

"I thought you were trying to steal accounting documents. I was about to call 112, but now I'm relieved."

His jokes are quite intense.

'Our Park Manager…'

It strangely overlaps with Son Hyebeen's tone.

Son Hyebeen also calls Seong Pil 'our Seong Pil.'

Suddenly, Hong Gyuheon's handwriting came to mind.

'The company is both a family and a team…'

So, he uses 'our' to create a family-like atmosphere?

'Something feels off.'

I thought he called us 'our' because he genuinely felt close to us.

But it's based on cold and thorough calculation.

Then, is the reason he keeps a distance from the members because he doesn't treat them like family?

Because they are trainees, not employees…?

"Tomorrow."

"I know."

"I came to inform you again."

Seong Pil explained in detail that she had rented a small theater stage for a short time, how the evaluation would proceed, and what the criteria were.

"If the feeling isn't right here, you'll consider supplementing with other trainees, right?"

"That's my thought."

"You've only trained them for a month. Isn't it premature to evaluate their potential so soon?"

"As the saying goes, a good tree is recognized from its leaves. Putting them on stage will reveal something."

"Something… That's also intuition, right? Not a quantifiable 'something.'"

"You'll feel it too. 'It feels empty,' 'It feels good,' that kind of thing."

"Will the evaluation be based on this?"

Surprisingly, the criteria Seong Pil used for the evaluation were an improved version of the '210 Items of Idol Qualities' created by Han Gug-in.

In the past, she thought it was strange, but upon closer inspection, there were many good criteria.

Small companies lack the ability to use big data, so they have to rely on intuition for producing.

So, even if it's personal production, having an objective standard can diversify the perspective and be helpful.

"Yes. I hope you do well."

"Sure, I understand. Park Manager, you've done well. I hope you continue to do well. I trust you a lot."

Hong Gyuheon is generous with praise.

In the past, she accepted the praise purely, but now that she knows the academic basis, she can't accept it purely.

"Why? Is something bothering you?"

"No, no. I'm also grateful to you, CEO."

"Sounds a bit bland."

* * *

"I'll do some sewing again."

Joara went to Dongdaemun Market with the members to select the fabric.

As she promised, Joara displayed her almost magical sewing skills and created the stage costumes.

Even Jang Hahyang, who usually had a faint reaction, opened her eyes wide.

"Ara, you're amazing. It looks like something you'd buy in a store."

"Hee. For competitions, you have to prepare the costumes yourself. I stayed up all night with the academy seniors to make them. I guess it's a talent? Or a knack?"

"Yeees, Ara-chan is like an otaku."

"Do you want to try a traditional Korean game that boasts the long history of the Korean people?"

"Eh, a game? What kind?"

"Rolling a mat."

While Rika and Joara were bickering, Jang Hahyang remained unmoved.

"Wow…"

Jang Hahyang was entranced, looking at the costumes.

Joara puffed out her chest with pride, but she felt embarrassed when someone genuinely praised her.

"Can you teach me later?"

"Where will you use sewing? There's no use for it except in situations like this."

"You'll have a use for it later."

The confident tone made it impossible to ask further.

The day before the evaluation, they completed the costumes and the performance.

The practice with everything prepared exceeded expectations.

When they checked the video, it was even better.

"Is this our level?"

"Could we debut right now?"

"Yup! You did really well!"

Jang Hahyang smiled proudly as she watched the video. Seeing this, Baegseolha's eyes welled up.

Whenever she saw Jang Hahyang, she felt grateful and guilty, and her emotions poured out like a waterfall.

"Hyang, you've worked hard…"

"We all worked hard together."

"Ah. Teacher is crying again. I want to cry too!"

"Give me a hug too."

The four of them felt each other's warmth and praised each other's efforts.

On the day of the evaluation, the four of them stood on the stage.

Baegseolha was the first to step on.

Even though it was a small theater stage, the pressure was different.

The moment she reached a spot where she could see the audience, she felt:

'Wide.'

It was only a few steps wide, but it felt as vast as the sea.

Even though she had stood on larger stages in the past as an idol,

Why did this stage feel so large?

'I'm nervous.'

She had practiced the formation and the preparatory movements dozens, hundreds of times.

Yet, she felt as nervous as if it were the first time.

Baegseolha turned her eyes to the side.

The other members also looked tense.

Baegseolha swallowed and directed her gaze forward.

"Shall we start?"

She saw CEO Hong Gyuheon.