Chapter 7

# Episode 007

“Ishikawa...”

“Call me Rika!”

“...Okay, Rika.”

“Sure!”

Rika smiled brightly the whole time.

Her posture was as straight as if she were at an interview.

Seong-pil felt uncomfortable. However, he was positive just because Rika had agreed to meet him.

‘Was the agency he went to first not good enough?’

If that was the case, Garo Entertainment still had a chance.

Seong-pil cleared his throat and began to speak.

He told her about the auditions for new trainees to form a girl group and that he had come to see her because he remembered the old Rika.

“Just like I said before, Rika, you seem like someone who was born to be an idol.”

“Ahaha!”

Her overly affectionate laughter drew the attention of everyone in the café.

Even Seong-pil flinched, but Rika remained cheerful.

Rika's eyes sparkled as she rested her chin on her hand.

She had practiced this pose in front of the mirror hundreds of times to show off her charm.

“Come on, you say that to everyone, right?”

“Um... No, I haven’t said it to anyone else.”

“Liar! I know you’re just trying to make me feel good!”

Though Rika called him a liar, she was clearly pleased.

She playfully tapped Seong-pil’s shoulder and acted cute.

Usually, when someone reacts well, it’s easier to talk, but Seong-pil felt a bit uncomfortable.

“...”

At this point, it’s worth noting that Rika didn’t sit opposite Seong-pil but right next to him.

Seong-pil felt like he was in a bar and subtly put some distance between them.

“Really. After seeing so many celebrities, I can now tell just by looking at someone’s appearance.”

“How old are you?”

“Thirty.”

“So, you were about 28 when you met me... What, you’ve only been a manager for 6 years?”

“University is 4 years, so 6 years isn’t that short. If you compare it to university, I’m practically a master’s graduate.”

“Ah, that does sound reasonable. So, what? Do you see a superstar aura around me? Like Son Na or something?”

“Son Na... what?”

“So, you couldn’t forget me, which is why you came to see me, right? Right?”

Rika closed the distance between them.

When they were almost touching, Seong-pil jumped up and moved to the opposite side.

Rika followed him to Seong-pil’s side.

After a few rounds, Seong-pil stopped first.

“I’m not uncomfortable, but can you please not get so close?”

“Why, why? Don’t you like me?”

“Your tone is a bit strange?”

“Is that it?! When I saw you, you were completely different from before, and you’re disappointed, right?! Right?!”

Rika shouted. Seong-pil was flustered and looked around.

Sure enough, everyone was staring again.

“Is it because I’m older now?!”

“Calm down...”

“It’s only been 1 year and 6 months, how much older could I be! I’m still a high school student’s age! It’s a time for growth, not aging!”

Rika was out of her mind.

She had been working to become an idol for 1 year and 6 months.

Compared to other trainees, this was a very short time, but Rika couldn’t find any comfort in that.

It was 1 year and 6 months of living with the hope of being selected for KS Entertainment’s debut group, and now that hope was shattered.

Feeling like a failed college entrance exam retaker, Rika desperately wanted to cling to something.

“What’s wrong?”

“That guy must have dumped her. He said she’s getting old...”

“Wow, really? She still looks like a student?”

Cold sweat trickled down Seong-pil’s forehead. Rika grabbed his arm and pleaded.

“Please, please accept me as a trainee! I beg you! Please! Please!”

She was about to kneel down.

Seong-pil tried to calm her down, but she wouldn’t listen.

In the end, Seong-pil’s solution was:

“The guy is running away.”

“The girl is chasing him.”

* * *

“...So, I’m currently focusing on the academy.”

As soon as Han Goo-in finished his report, Hong Gyu-hun picked up a bottle of soju. She relaxed by smoking and drinking.

Sitting deeply in her chair and looking at the ceiling, Hong Gyu-hun showed a subtle unease.

“Ishikawa and Rika, right?”

“Ishikawa Rika.”

“Why did Manager Park get so interested in her? Why her?”

Seong-pil had been looking for trainees in various places like Han Goo-in, but his mind was on Rika.

Hong Gyu-hun had noticed this.

“Even though you rejected her twice, it seems Ishikawa is already leaning towards you. Of course, as a KS Entertainment trainee, she’s a hot commodity. But does Manager Park think he can persuade her?”

“It seems he has a gut feeling.”

“Gut feeling?”

“In interviews with managers and agency representatives, they often use the term ‘aura.’ Maybe Manager Park saw an aura in Ishikawa.”

“It’s just a crush. Even if it’s a gut feeling, there’s no real basis. Of course, it would be great if he could bring her in.”

Hong Gyu-hun emptied her glass and asked Han Goo-in.

She already knew the answer.

“Can’t bring her in, right?”

“Yes. Garo Entertainment’s recognition is almost zero. Even with the conditions we offer, it’s ultimately uncertain. If she gets a scouting offer from a well-established company, she’ll naturally go there.”

“Lack of fame is definitely a problem. If we had more money, it would help.”

If their predictions were correct, Seong-pil was wasting his time on something that wouldn’t work.

Considering the salary he received from Hong Gyu-hun, it was also a waste of money.

‘But I like him.’

Even if it was impossible, his determination to hold on to hope and try until the end.

Hong Gyu-hun liked this kind of foolish human image.

“Still, I gave him quite a bit of time. If there’s no meaningful conversation and he’s just chasing after her, I should stop him. You said you didn’t like Ishikawa, right?”

“I don’t know until I test her, but I think Manager Park’s choice of Ishikawa is a reasonable one.”

“Well, if you liked Ishikawa, you wouldn’t be here. Anyway, I should end Manager Park’s time-wasting soon. When he comes back, I’ll tell him to give up on Ishikawa.”

“Understood.”

At that moment, the door to the office opened, and Seong-pil appeared.

“I’ve brought her.”

Behind Seong-pil was Rika. She greeted energetically as Seong-pil had instructed.

“Ishikawa Rika, 18 years old! My dream is to be an idol! Please take care of me, President!”

Hong Gyu-hun quickly stubbed out her cigarette and rolled the soju bottle under the table.

She had already taken on a serious posture.

“Welcome, Ishikawa. We’ve been waiting for you.”

* * *

Han Goo-in.

His dream was to become a founding hero of a large corporation.

For a dream that others would call unrealistic, he had even turned down a large American venture capital firm and returned to Korea.

Even though the company had offered a salary and stock options that a new Korean employee could only dream of.

Han Goo-in had his own worries.

“Are you a serious person?”

A senior at university orientation.

“You’re too serious about everything.”

His ex-girlfriend when they broke up.

“That’s not the context of our conversation.”

A colleague during an internship.

“Serious...”

Han Goo-in struggled with interpersonal relationships.

Especially in equal relationships.

With superiors, he could just bow, but in horizontal relationships, he had to establish the right distance.

Han Goo-in lacked this skill.

He always tried to show his sincerity, but people just found him strange.

‘Told to look for trainees? Can I do it...’

Even when he met Rika with Seong-pil, he had prepared a lot of materials to persuade her.

Around page 15, Seong-pil stopped him and talked to Rika. But Seong-pil also couldn’t effectively persuade her.

Seong-pil seemed to like Rika a lot, but the atmosphere was not one where she could be brought in.

‘Will Ishikawa slip away like this?’

But then.

“Ishikawa Rika, 18 years old! My dream is to be an idol! Please take care of me, President!”

Seong-pil had brought Rika.

Rika, who had been avoiding a clear answer, had come to Garo Entertainment.

If Han Goo-in had chased Rika like Seong-pil, could he have brought her in?

Probably not.

“How did you persuade her?”

While Rika was talking to Hong Gyu-hun, Han Goo-in asked out of pure curiosity.

Seong-pil answered simply.

“Show your sincerity. Seriously, keep at it.”

In fact, it was Rika who had shown her sincerity.

Seong-pil couldn’t forget how Rika had knelt down on the street. It was a memory he wanted to erase.

But Han Goo-in didn’t know this.

“Sincerity... seriously...”

Sincerity, seriousness.

Words that had followed Han Goo-in all his life.

Han Goo-in saw Seong-pil as a similar type of person.

Just like Han Goo-in didn’t give up on something he liked, Seong-pil hadn’t given up on Rika.

But there was a fundamental difference.

It was in how they conveyed their sincerity.

‘I want to learn.’

Park Seong-pil.

This person could fill the gaps in Han Goo-in’s own abilities.

“Why do you keep staring at me?”

“No, I was wondering if I could hear how you persuaded Ishikawa.”

“It’s not really persuasion. It’s nothing special.”

“Please. I really want to know.”

“...”

“I really want to know how to persuade sincerely.”

Seong-pil was in a difficult position.

* * *

“Is she good?”

After checking Rika’s dance video, Hong Gyu-hun asked for opinions.

“What do you think, Han?”

“I think her basics are well-polished.”

“Oh, in what way?”

“Well, if you ask me that, I’m at a loss...”

Han Goo-in didn’t have the eye of an expert. Although he worked closely with Hong Gyu-hun, his major was business and economics.

Naturally, their attention turned to Seong-pil.

“Do you know what dance Rika did?”

“Epsilon’s ‘Do It for Me.’”

“Right. Can you show us the dance moves? Here, here, and here. Do you feel anything?”

“Hmm... Do you feel something? She stretches her arms and legs, and jumps around. That’s about it?”

“The dance base of ‘Do It for Me’ is old school. It continues for 3 minutes with very large movements, constant bouncing, and almost flying around.”

“So, she’s good at dancing?”

“She’s not just good at dancing, but honestly, I’m amazed. Large movements mean it’s difficult. If such movements are repeated for over 3 minutes, you’re almost dead. But Rika...”

Her movements never go off.

Even her expression is always smiling.

The finishing touch is at the end of the dance.

Clearly, she must be out of breath, but in the ending pose, there’s no movement at all.

Her expression is also perfectly composed.

After this explanation, Hong Gyu-hun and Han Goo-in also recognized Rika’s greatness.

“She must have worked incredibly hard. Not just in dancing, but in building her stamina and acting as well.”

To show only the positive aspects to people, you have to hide all the difficult parts. If a dancer looks tired, the audience feels tired too.

But that’s not easy.

If Rika’s energy is so well-controlled, it’s already at the level of art.

“It’s amazing that she got to this level in just 1 year and 6 months. It would take us a lot of time to train a trainee to be like Rika.”

“...Wait a minute. She was singing while dancing, right?”

While watching Rika’s video, Hong Gyu-hun had vaguely thought, ‘Her singing isn’t that good.’

But combined with Seong-pil’s explanation:

“So, she didn’t miss a single note while doing such a difficult dance?”

“Especially in a song where multiple people share parts.”

Hong Gyu-hun couldn’t help but be impressed. And her admiration for Rika led to recognition of Seong-pil.

‘To have such a gem as the first trainee he signed. And he even brought her in.’

She’s a top trainee at KS Entertainment.

It must have been very difficult to bring her in.

No, Seong-pil’s abilities didn’t end there.

‘KS Entertainment’s trainees are kept as secret as possible. It would have been hard to even know who the trainees were. And the news of the debut group being finalized wouldn’t have easily leaked out. But Manager Park knew about it.’

In other words, Seong-pil’s approach to Rika meant he had a significant network in the industry.

A network strong enough to penetrate even KS Entertainment’s new talent development department, which worked hard to keep secrets.

Hong Gyu-hun suppressed her smile.

‘Park Seong-pil, bringing in this person was the right choice.’

He was definitely someone to keep around in the future.