Chapter 61

# Chapter 061

"......Yes."

"What about Seolha?"

"Um, I also......"

"Don't just repeat what I say. Please answer honestly."

Baeg Seolha seemed to hide her lips, as if ashamed.

"A little, better than last time......"

Seong Pil crossed his legs and sighed.

The more he did this, the smaller Baeg Seolha felt.

Lately, Seong Pil had changed.

Or rather, this was how he should have been all along.

Raising an idol is no joke.

It's a business that requires a lot of money.

He can't always be kind to trainees.

If they don't meet the company's demands, they need to be pushed endlessly.

Because money is involved.

Everything in this building is about money.

Even the people.

Baeg Seolha understood this, which is why she understood Seong Pil, but at the same time, her heart felt heavier.

"Better than last time...... I thought I did well......"

"Good. That's a good attitude."

Seong Pil's praise didn't sound like simple praise. It was actually sarcastic.

"I like it when Seolha is embarrassed."

"......"

"Really, there's not much time left. Debut, you know. Compare yourself to your past self to see if you've improved and keep moving forward. It's a good idea. But people won't think that way. They'll endlessly compare you to other groups. Even after debuting, will you think, 'Oh, I'm much better than I used to be. Good job, Baeg Seolha'? Will you tell that to your fans and us?"

"......No."

"I know a week isn't a lot of time, but please try a little harder."

Other trainees from different agencies do several covers each week.

Can't you even do one perfectly?

He didn't make such comparisons.

Because solving many evaluation tasks isn't the only measure of competence.

"Yes, I'll work hard."

"I'll post this on iTube too."

"Ah......"

"Embarrassing, right? Even with just a few dozen views, it's embarrassing to know someone has seen it, right? When you're on stage, it won't be just a few dozen. You already know that, don't you?"

"......"

"Try to do better next time."

Seong Pil maintained a bit more silence, then pointed out Baeg Seolha's bad points in detail.

Most were habits that could be improved if corrected.

Jo Ara had pointed out these issues many times, but habits don't easily disappear.

They were habits she had picked up at her previous agency.

Without anyone to correct her, they had become ingrained in Baeg Seolha's body.

"You can go now. Call Ara."

"Yes."

Baeg Seolha hesitantly left the room.

Before closing the door, she said,

"Thank you for your hard work......"

Seong Pil didn't respond.

The next to enter, Jo Ara, pretended to be bold, but Seong Pil could see she was nervous.

"Ara."

"Yes."

"This is a male song. The highest note is a 2nd octave F. Is there any difficult technique mixed in here?"

"......No."

"This is something a man can sing at a karaoke bar with a bit of practice, putting some effort into it."

Of course, Seong Pil couldn't sing it.

"But what about you? Was a week not enough?"

"......"

"Why aren't you answering? I'm not being sarcastic; I really want to hear your answer. Okay? Was a week not enough?"

"......"

"Aah, I get it. Your voice is probably hoarse from singing earlier. Right?"

"......"

Jo Ara, who had been bold when she first entered, was now bowing her head deeply.

She wanted to answer but couldn't.

Just saying "yes" would make her cry.

Jo Ara appeared strong on the outside but had a weak personality.

Seong Pil knew Jo Ara well.

He had seen her for a few years in the future, so he couldn't not know.

"Ara."

"......"

"Jo Ara."

"......"

"Look up."

Jo Ara avoided eye contact.

She lifted her head but turned her face slightly to avoid looking Seong Pil directly in the eye.

That was her best effort.

"Ara, are you upset?"

"......"

"Embarrassed?"

"......"

"Remember this feeling. You don't want to hear this from me, do you? And."

Seong Pil's tone softened.

"I don't want to say this to you. I'm not doing this because I dislike you. I want you to improve. You might not take my words at face value, but I hope you understand."

Jo Ara nodded.

"You can improve. Not tomorrow or next week, or even next month, but gradually, every day, every week, every month, until you surprise me. I hope you don't take my harsh words too personally. I don't dislike you. I always believe in you."

Hearing "I believe in you," Jo Ara finally couldn't hold back her emotions.

She had never heard such self-esteem-shattering words in her life, nor had she ever received warm comfort after harsh criticism.

Jo Ara was weak against such words.

Being criticized made her feel bad.

Comfort made her cry.

Even though she heard similar words and received similar comfort every week, she could never get used to it.

Seong Pil quietly waited for her to compose herself.

"I'll go now......"

"Okay. Make sure to get feedback from Seolha."

After the consultations with the two of them, Seong Pil was exhausted, as if he had become one with the sofa.

He was more tired than after a full day of exercise.

Seong Pil instinctively knew he had a problem.

'I've gotten too attached to the kids.'

When he was at Success Entertainment in his previous life, he could keep a distance from the agency's actors, idols, and singers.

Seong Pil had the authority and barrier of being the head of management.

He could occasionally step in to give a sharp word or offer comfort as an uncle figure.

But it was completely different at Garo Entertainment.

'I've gotten too close to them as human beings.'

This was a serious problem.

If this continued for a year, Seong Pil would wither like a dried-up tree.

'Maybe I need to see a psychiatrist.'

It would be nice if today's schedule ended here, but there was still more.

The real weekly evaluation.

In the evening, all the members gathered to receive their evaluations.

Baeg Seolha's vocals and Jo Ara's dance had little to criticize. Their performance was decent.

The problem was Jang Hayang again.

"......"

Hong Gyuheon, Seong Pil, and Han Goo-in exchanged glances.

After the weekly and monthly evaluation system was implemented, they had exhausted all the criticism and comfort they could give to Jang Hayang.

There was nothing left to say.

Among the three, who were having a fierce eye battle, Seong Pil was the one who lost.

'Fine. I'll play the bad cop......'

Seong Pil cleared his throat and looked at Jang Hayang.

"Hayang."

"Yes."

"Are you practicing?"

"Yes! I've been working hard!"

"You've been working hard, and it's like this?"

"I'm sorry! I'm still very lacking. I know that effort isn't an excuse. I won't say, 'Please look at me because I've worked hard.' I'm sorry. That's all I can say. I'm sorry."

Jang Hayang bowed.

The first time she reacted like this, they created a fearful atmosphere with comments like, 'Are you kidding? Is a trainee a joke? Saying sorry isn't the end. You need to show results!'

But continuing this made the one saying it feel miserable.

"Sorry is the end...... Ha. Forget it."

"I'm really sorry. I'll work even harder."

"......Your rap is improving."

"Thank you!"

"Good. Go in."

After the evaluation, as the members left, Seong Pil put his forehead on the desk.

The others also expressed their fatigue in their own ways.

"Should we just remove Jang Hayang from the evaluation? It doesn't make sense to make her do covers when she doesn't have the skills to be evaluated. She's already struggling to learn dance, vocals, and rap simultaneously."

"No matter what, we need to evaluate her. Preparing a song every week is all experience and an asset. We can't put her on stage without any such experience."

"Will Jang Hayang ever improve?"

"If we don't evaluate her, we can't check the members' growth. Just leaving it to the academy is like letting them run wild."

"I know. That's true, but I feel sorry for her."

"President. It's only been 4 or 5 months. There are many who spend 2 or 3 months just on basics. Hayang is just at the stage of spreading her wings......"

"Wow. Someone who thinks like that can speak so harshly."

"Was I? I was softer than last time."

"Manager Han. You should say something too."

Han Goo-in had been silent, looking at the evaluation sheet.

Then, as if he had made a decision, he spoke.

"Manager Park. Is this the right method? Giving motivation by hurting the self-esteem of others...... I'm not sure if this is the right way."

Han Goo-in's eyes were full of confidence.

But the moment he met Seong Pil's eyes, his confidence deflated like a punctured balloon.

"No, I'm sorry. I said something useless. Of course, this is the right way......"

If encouragement and recognition alone could solve everything, the agency system wouldn't be so coercive.

Han Goo-in's concern was idealistic, but it wasn't without value.

His concern was also Seong Pil's and Hong Gyuheon's.

"Manager Han. The kids show enthusiasm and effort, but they're human. Without stimulation and tension, they'll slack off. Very few people can keep working hard without any feedback."

Such people are the type who lock themselves in a room to study.

People who study books for hundreds or thousands of days without distraction and pass the bar or civil service exams.

Their behavior is so unbelievable that it's hard to believe they are the same species, but such people are very rare.

"Ordinary humans need stimulation, both positive and negative."

"......Right. We need to meet the debut schedule."

Han Goo-in blamed himself, but his ability to speak his mind directly was his strength.

He would take care of the members' mental health from behind.

That's what Seong Pil and Hong Gyuheon hoped for.

If it were just Seong Pil and Hong Gyuheon, the atmosphere at Garo Entertainment would be even more bleak.

"It's tough, but we have to do it."

Hong Gyuheon's words reflected the current situation at Garo Entertainment.

"The kids, us, everyone has to work hard. Let's hope the kids follow us. And Manager Park, it's a bit early, but let's start planning."

"Planning?"

"Let's at least draw a storyboard today."

"That's too sudden."

"That's actually good. It will help you pull out the thoughts you've been holding."

The three headed to the president's office.

Hong Gyuheon brought a whiteboard from the corner and set it up on the wall.

She smiled faintly as she wrote 'Plan' at the top.

"I miss it. It feels like we've gone back to the old days."

The whiteboard was white, as its name suggested.

But it would gradually be filled with the thoughts of the three.

"Isn't a storyboard like a script? Something used when making videos."

"Well, it's mainly used in advertising and video production, but we can use it in business too. We're all producers, creators."

"Am I a producer too?"

"What are you talking about? Of course, Park PD."

Seong Pil felt a lump in his throat.

The condition for joining Garo Entertainment was the right to participate in production.

Now, he was attending this meeting as if it were natural, and an indescribable emotion overwhelmed him.

"It might sound a bit cheesy, but let's start by writing down our goals. Manager Han, do you want to go first?"

"I want to create a group that achieves number one on all music shows."

"It sounds specific but abstract. Manager Park?"

"The best idol."

"Hmm. That makes me sound like trash......"

Hong Gyuheon wrote 'A group that brings in over 20 billion in company profit.'

"President! Idols are artists, not products! Are you seeing the members as money?!"

"You've been influenced by Manager Park. I'm the president, so of course, money is my top concern."

"President, I'm disappointed."

"Even you, Manager Park......"

Hong Gyuheon erased her goal and fell into deep thought.

After a while, her new goal was as abstract as the other two.

"A group that I can fall in love with."

"What does 'fall in love' mean?"

"Seeing them on stage makes me go crazy. Listening to their songs makes me over-immerse. What, Manager Park, you can't understand because you already go crazy when you see the kids......"

"When did I?"

The dreams of the three slowly colored the whiteboard.

"What is this? It's all useless talk."

"Useless? This is our goal."

"It feels like we've just been playing for an hour."

This was the situation Hong Gyuheon had planned.

To make everyone concretize the dreams and hopes they had in their hearts and give them motivation.

To make them feel like they're working for themselves, not just for the president.

"Let's move on to more specific topics."

[Concept]

Just two words, but they were enough to make everyone think.

"What kind of group should the kids become?"

It came out.

The beginning and end of an idol group, the concept.

Seeing the word 'concept,' Seong Pil immediately thought of Son Hye-bin.

'If we're going to plan, it's better to bring Hye-bin in soon.'

Hong Gyuheon decided to do a brainstorming session.

Each of them wrote down every element that came to mind.

It took a long time, but it was hard to choose just one.

"President, it's past 10."

"Already? The kids must be waiting. Manager Park, Manager Han, check on the kids on the way. They might be stressed from all the pressure. But we're not being too harsh, right?"

"They might be upset, but they'll understand."

"That's a relief. Don't just pressure them, do it appropriately. It would be a disaster if they quit halfway."

* * *

"I can't live like this."

Jo Ara said in a depressed tone.