Chapter 63

# Chapter 063

"Stop pretending to be innocent, just blinking your eyes. Do you want to die? You haven't contacted me for a month, and now you suddenly call me out for a drink? Do you need my help again? Is that why you called? You're such a calculating little brat..."

"Ah, no. I did contact you."

"Is sending 'Sis, how are you? 😄' considered contacting me? What should I have replied? 'Yeah, I'm good 😄'? Oh, come on!"

When Son Hye-bin raised her fist, Seong Pil flinched.

"Sorry. I've been busy lately."

"..."

"Did you feel really bad?"

"..."

"Sorry. I didn't call you because I needed a favor. I really just wanted to see you... If you thought that, I'm sorry."

Suddenly, Son Hye-bin's expression softened, and she laughed, holding her stomach.

"Ha ha! Hey, what are you so scared about? I know you've been busy too!"

"..."

"Just kidding. Do you think I'm that petty? I feel bad for you because you're so busy."

This is gaslighting.

I almost splashed water on her face but managed to hold back.

"But it has been a while. Since it's been so long, I'll treat you today."

Splashing water on what?

How could you do that to such a nice sister?

"Sis, actually, I do have something to ask you."

"Calculating little brat. So you only call me when you need something..."

"Do you want to join our company?"

* * *

"Should we bring Sis Hye-bin in soon?"

"Oh, right. I forgot about that."

Back in the day, Son Hye-bin helped Garo Entertainment with their first monthly evaluation.

At that time, Hong Gyu-hun was already thinking about bringing her in.

Of course, only if Son Hye-bin wanted to come.

"Hmm, but is it really necessary?"

"As I mentioned before..."

"Oh, right. You said we need a woman's perspective. There are no women among our company's employees, right? Isn't that so? Isn't that so, Mr. Park? We have no 'women' in our company."

"..."

"Why are you being so quiet? Say something. Is that the reason?"

"Th-That's one reason, but first..."

"Right, right. We're not making a group that only targets male fans, so we need a woman's perspective."

"..."

"I didn't know you were thinking about it. I must have said something wrong. Please forgive me."

"I was just teasing you. Don't make that face."

Why are there only people around me who like to tease me?

Son Hye-bin and Hong Gyu-hun, and even Jo Ara, are really too much.

Especially Jo Ara is the most annoying.

'Am I the type of person who likes to tease others...'

"Shall I tell you now?"

"Sure, if you can."

* * *

"Do you want to join our company?"

Suddenly, Son Hye-bin's expression stiffened.

It was as if a big company employee had received a recruitment offer from a penniless startup founder.

"You're gaslighting me again! Tell me! What are you trying to say?!"

"No, so soon? I thought it would take at least two more years. I'm just surprised."

Son Hye-bin didn't know that the debut date had been moved up.

After hearing the whole story, she finished her soju.

"A year... No, it's less than a year now. I'm worried about Hyang, regardless of the others."

"Her training period is the shortest. But she has passion. She's the most passionate. No, everyone is passionate, but Hyang works so hard that I'm worried she might collapse. It's heartbreaking, but if I try to stop her..."

"I understand, so stop being dramatic. Can I focus on Hyang?"

"Sis, you've been retired for quite a while, haven't you?"

"I've been practicing dance even after retiring."

"You even went to study dance abroad, right? If you have time, you can watch her. It would be better that way."

Son Hye-bin had always performed live during music broadcasts, showcasing her full skills.

It seemed to be her pride, as she couldn't tolerate her voice being overshadowed by the music.

"Besides, I'm not completely retired. If there's an opportunity and the will, I can come back anytime."

"Oh..."

"What's that reaction? Are you saying I'm too old and have no fans now?"

"I'm just impressed. Sis, you always misunderstand things, that's just your insecurity."

"I'm still getting offers to appear on variety shows!"

"I know, I'm sorry..."

"Anyway, can I join your company right away? Then I can finally..."

* * *

"I'm hired!"

Son Hye-bin shouted loudly as she entered the company.

Baek Seol-ha, who was sitting on the sofa drinking coffee, spat out her coffee.

"Oh my! Are you okay?"

"U-Uh, y-yes."

Son Hye-bin pulled out a tissue and wiped Baek Seol-ha's mouth. Baek Seol-ha, still in shock, kept repeating, "I'm okay."

"I got a job."

"C-Congratulations, Sis. Did you come to see Mr. Park?"

"No, I got a job here."

"Really?"

"Part-time! Let's see each other often?"

Son Hye-bin waved her hand and left.

Baek Seol-ha stared blankly at where she had gone.

'Sis Hye-bin got a job at our company?'

My childhood idol...?

No, why would Son Hye-bin join such a small company?

I know it's rude to think this, but I can't understand.

'Ah, I'm being teased.'

That makes sense.

There's no way Son Hye-bin would join Garo Entertainment.

"Please take care of me."

"I'm the one who should say that, Mr. President!"

To Baek Seol-ha's surprise, Son Hye-bin really joined Garo Entertainment.

She had even given up her studies in Russia to come here. For Son Hye-bin, joining Garo Entertainment was a significant step.

'Finally, I'm making an idol with my own hands!'

Although it's not just about producing.

After retiring, Son Hye-bin continued to hone her dance and vocal skills.

Dance and music had become a part of her life.

Her job was to use her expertise to check and advise on the members' overall performance.

She also conducted regular dorm inspections, had intimate consultations with the members, and provided care.

There would be more work once they entered the album production phase, which was her area of expertise.

"Manager Han, please show Ms. Hye-bin around."

"Understood."

"Mr. President, what will my title be?"

"The company is still small, so there's no specific system yet."

Suddenly, Hong Gyu-hun switched to informal speech.

She spoke as if she had always used informal speech.

"Can I use informal speech?"

"Yes."

She wasn't too surprised, as she had already heard this from Seong Pil.

"How about PD?"

Producer.

So she would be Son PD.

It's a title she likes.

"Sure."

"Great. Please take care, Son PD."

Son Hye-bin's office was between Seong Pil and Han Goo-in.

She carefully observed the tidy office.

'The office doesn't have a comfortable atmosphere. It feels like a place where only work is done. Is the break room on the first floor?'

She decorated her space with items she brought from home.

After finishing, she had nothing to do.

Han Goo-in was sitting at his desk, writing something.

Son Hye-bin cautiously went behind him and glanced at his monitor.

"Writing IR (Investor Relations)?"

"Yes."

"Hmm, you're getting investments. Seong Pil... Can I call him Seong Pil? Should I call him Mr. Park or Mr. Park since it's a company?"

"Calling him Seong Pil is fine. Ara also calls Mr. Park 'Uncle.'"

"Pfft. He's an uncle to her?"

"To Ara, yes."

"Then Mr. Han is an uncle too?"

"He doesn't call me that."

Han Goo-in looked a bit disappointed.

"Seong Pil said the strength of Garo Entertainment is the generous investment in the members. You are getting investments."

"The financial side is hard to discuss."

Han Goo-in scrolled up to hide the details of the IR.

Son Hye-bin didn't really want to know the specifics. It wasn't her area of expertise.

"What should I do?"

"Later, we'll go to the president's office for a meeting."

"Meeting...?"

"It's a concept meeting."

"Still not decided? Seong Pil wrote a very grand proposal, didn't he?"

"It needs to be specific. We need to decide on the songs, too."

"Hmm."

After a while, Son Hye-bin entered the president's office and scanned the storyboard on the whiteboard.

"Wow. I'm a founding member? I joined just before the start."

"Son PD, if Garo Entertainment succeeds, you'll be a founding member."

Son Hye-bin felt more motivated.

The three of them sat down for the meeting.

"Where's Seong Pil?"

"He'll be here soon. He's a bit late today."

"Late in the morning?"

Just then, Seong Pil entered.

After a brief greeting, he sat next to Son Hye-bin.

"Did you have something to do this morning?"

"I had a meeting with Teacher Ara."

"Are you a parent?"

"Just various things."

The meeting began.

The three focused on Son Hye-bin. She had worked at a large agency for a long time.

The design team is not separate from A&R.

During album production, they work closely together, so Son Hye-bin must have considerable knowledge in that area.

"First, we need to decide this. Are we targeting men? Cute, pure, and cheerful?"

"No, not that."

"Following trends, it would be girl crush or girl power. I brought a lot of references from my previous company. I have them on a USB."

"Can you bring them?"

"I have a stake in this, so I only brought non-problematic materials."

After seeing the materials Son Hye-bin brought, the other three were speechless.

Photos, videos, and all kinds of texts filled the screen.

It felt like a treasure trove of reference materials for making idols.

There were also data on public reactions and search volumes based on style and concept.

This is a large agency?

"Wow. Looking at them again brings back memories. I spent two or three months just searching the internet for these."

"Amazing."

There were too many materials to go through during the meeting. They decided to check them individually and share their opinions later.

For now, the meeting focused on setting a general direction.

Midway through the meeting, Son Hye-bin suddenly said,

"But it's very different from what I thought."

"What's different?"

"Not that. Seong Pil's proposal. What I imagined from reading it is different. I thought we would ask the members, 'What concept do you like?' or 'What kind of group do you want to be?' I thought the president would consider their opinions... Are we going to decide everything from the beginning to the end?"

Seong Pil wanted to nurture idols as artists, not just as manufactured idols.

This passion was reflected in the proposal, and Hong Gyu-hun also agreed with it.

"Right... I've never asked the kids."

Hong Gyu-hun stood up as if he had a realization.

"Let's go ask them."

* * *

They connected a computer to the TV on the first floor and decided to watch videos of the idols each member looked up to.

The first member to step forward was Jo Ara.

"This is what I want."

It was a concert stage of a certain group.

[Searching for all my universe

Uncertain illusion, the astronaut of the universe.

Sketching on the dark night sky.

I’m fine even if you say it's too much

If it's something I can't reach

Make a wish to our universe]

The music had a typical narrative structure of chasing dreams.

The group members were impressively passionate on stage.

"Isn't it good?"

After the video ended, Jo Ara asked excitedly.

She looked like a high school girl trying to sell her favorite group to a friend.

Hong Gyu-hun asked, bewildered,

"What if you show a boy group? Don't you have any girl groups as role models?"

"I want to wear those clothes, sing those songs, and dance like that."

They had only asked one person, but they were already facing a challenge.

"I like this."

Jo Ara's determination seemed firm.

She said that after becoming interested in idols, she looked up more boy groups than girl groups.

The main reason was the performance.

Jo Ara liked intense dances.

Her music taste was similar, favoring strong and powerful vocals.

"I like this kind of punchy, punchy feel more than something soft."

"I get the general idea... Hmm, how should I describe it? If you choose this concept, it might work for a special event..."

Hong Gyu-hun looked at Son Hye-bin for feedback.

"Ara."

"Yes."

"Is this group and the performance you just showed what you envision?"

"No, it's not what I envision. I want to be like this group."

"Okay, I understand. But even if you wear the same clothes and do the same performance, you won't get the same feel."

"I don't think it will be exactly the same. But the atmosphere..."

"You won't be able to create that atmosphere."