Chapter 93

#093

The director for the music video has been decided.

At the same time, the styling team has also been finalized.

After hearing the opinions of the styling team, they plan to consult with the music video director.

“The person in charge of styling for our team is Director Kim Hyung-sun. She has also worked with idols from my old company. She will do a good job.”

Stylists are rarely affiliated with a company.

There are only a few companies, and even if they are, the number of stylists affiliated with them is usually less than ten.

Most stylists work in small teams. There are probably just over a thousand stylists in all of South Korea.

“The person you found should be reliable. That’s why the CEO didn’t say anything.”

“Of course!”

Today, Director Kim Hyung-sun and her assistant will visit Garo Entertainment.

The Garo Entertainment representatives participating in the meeting are Seong Pil and Son Hae-bin.

“I’ll go to greet them.”

“No, I’ll go. You stay here.”

“Why?”

“Your position is director.”

Seong Pil is right below CEO Hong Gyu-hun at Garo Entertainment.

If Seong Pil goes to greet them and Son Hae-bin waits in the meeting room, it might look like the company’s hierarchy is not well established.

After waiting in the meeting room for a bit, Son Hae-bin brought in Director Kim Hyung-sun and her assistant.

Seong Pil stood up to greet them.

“I’m Director Seong Pil. I’m looking forward to working with you. Let’s do our best.”

“Hello, I’m Director Kim Hyung-sun. Nice to meet you.”

Son Hae-bin chuckled at Seong Pil’s authoritative tone, while Kim Hyung-sun looked puzzled, not understanding the meaning of the laughter.

Seong Pil then turned his attention to the assistant.

“Hello……”

“Oh.”

She recognized Seong Pil, and Seong Pil also realized who she was.

She was the stylist he had seen crying after the ‘Leisure Time’ shoot.

Seong Pil put aside his surprise and naturally smiled.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Yes, yes. Nice to meet you. I’m Assistant Yoo Yi.”

Director Kim Hyung-sun and Yoo Yi opened their laptops and listened to Seong Pil and Son Hae-bin’s explanations.

After listening to the song and seeing the choreography proposal, they slowly explained the concept.

“Hmm, resistance. Freedom. Are the costumes going to be custom-made?”

“Ready-to-wear is fine as long as it fits the concept.”

Son Hae-bin handed over the costume reference file to Kim Hyung-sun.

Kim Hyung-sun carefully looked through it and nodded, as if she had a good sense of what was needed.

“I don’t mean to have everything exactly like this. I want there to be a difference.”

“Yes, that’s true for all idols.”

“And I want to hear the members’ opinions.”

“Pardon?”

Kim Hyung-sun, who had been listening attentively, expressed her first doubt.

“What kind of opinions?”

“What kind of clothes they want to wear, how they want to express themselves. Things like that.”

“Oh… Hasn’t the company already decided on a clear concept?”

“The concept came from the members. They didn’t write the lyrics or choreograph the dance themselves, but their opinions were heavily reflected. So I think the clothes should reflect that too.”

“Ah, I see. But if you give us this much guidance and reference, there’s no need to….”

It’s natural for the company and the stylist to decide on the idols’ outfits.

The company draws the big picture, and the stylist is a fashion expert.

No matter how beautiful an idol is, do they really know much about fashion?

Probably not.

At best, their styling experience is limited to following seasonal trends on social media and shopping at clothing stores.

“Do you need to reflect all the members’ opinions?”

That’s why Kim Hyung-sun couldn’t help but question Seong Pil’s suggestion.

She thought that a new idol group wouldn’t have many opinions, and it would be a waste of time.

“Not all of them. I just want to know what the members think.”

“Hmm….”

Seong Pil smiled and said to the puzzled Kim Hyung-sun.

“Fashion is about showing who you are. It’s a way to express one’s self.”

“Yes.”

“Wearing clothes to look like someone else or to hide who you are isn’t fashion. It’s a costume. Garo Entertainment wants the members’ clothes to be fashion, not costumes.”

It was a grand and dreamy statement.

Director Kim Hyung-sun only smiled slightly, as if she had met an unusual person.

“Understood. When can I talk to the members?”

“If you’re available, we can do it right now.”

“Yes, I’ll do it now.”

Director Kim Hyung-sun left the meeting room.

As Yoo Yi followed her, she glanced at Seong Pil.

When their eyes met, she flinched as if she had seen a ghost and quickly left the room.

“You seem to have something to say to her.”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Is she trying to get your number?”

“Wow, finally spring has come for me.”

Seong Pil told the story of when he had substituted for Yoo Ha-eum.

“She was a new stylist. The idols were being mischievous.”

“Throwing bread isn’t just mischievous… I didn’t say more because it would have been too long.”

“Yoo Yi must have been very hurt. She’s in her early 20s and had to go through that. The age difference between her and the idols isn’t much.”

“True.”

To enter the industry with the dream of being a stylist and then be treated like this by peers.

Seong Pil would have cried too.

The treatment of stylists is not good.

For the first 2-3 years, most earn less than 1 million won a month.

Earning 1 million won is a big deal.

There are many stylists who work for 200,000 to 300,000 won a month.

“It’s almost like being exploited for less than half of the minimum wage. Because of passion.”

Seniors often say, “If you’re upset, endure and build your experience.”

It’s a competitive industry with many wanting to enter but few positions available.

In reality, many stylists earn 4-5 million won a year after gaining experience.

But to the new stylists being exploited now, how cruel must the simple word ‘endure’ sound?

“At that moment, you appeared like a prince. Usually, entertainers keep quiet about mistreatment for fear of losing work. But with someone to help, how grateful she must have been.”

“What prince? It’s creepy.”

“No, I would have felt that way. Usually, people just walk by. Who would get involved in such a situation?”

“It’s just a few words….”

“Do you want to receive a proposal?”

Suddenly?

“I have a friend who’s looking for a relationship. You don’t have a girlfriend, right?”

“That’s true, but….”

“What? Why are you hesitating? A while ago, you said you’d marry anyone if you had a partner.”

“What? How do you know that?”

“I heard it from Ah-reum?”

How surprising.

I didn’t know she was so loose-lipped.

“So, what do you think?”

“How old is she?”

“Thirty.”

“But how can you be friends with someone that much older….”

Son Hae-bin slammed her desk.

“…We could be friends. The age difference isn’t that big.”

“True. Age doesn’t matter in friendship. You’re friends with Rika, right?”

“Did you hear that from Rika?”

“Yes.”

When Rika and I went to Naksung Park, I said, “I think of you as a friend” in a sentimental moment.

I didn’t expect Rika to spread it around.

This could turn into a collection of my past regrets.

“You haven’t dated in a long time. Don’t think too heavily. Just think of it as a day out.”

“No, I’m at an age where if I meet someone, I should go all the way….”

“Thirty-one isn’t that old.”

“Hmm….”

“Ha, are you choosing a marriage partner? Do you want to see a photo? Should I tell you about her personality and family background?”

“No, I’m busy now. Starting a relationship would be tiring.”

Son Hae-bin laughed.

“You’ll never get married.”

It feels like a nail has been driven into my heart.

In my previous life, I only worked and never even dreamed of marriage.

When I dated, my partners always left, saying I was too obsessed with work.

“Yeah….”

“Hey? I was joking. Did you take it to heart?”

“No, it just seems true.”

“Why is this happening?”

Son Hae-bin patted Seong Pil on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry. Who wouldn’t want you? If you don’t have a partner by forty, I’ll take you.”

“Then you’re forty….”

Son Hae-bin choked Seong Pil.

A moment later, Director Kim Hyung-sun and Yoo Yi returned. Kim Hyung-sun summarized what she had heard from the members.

“They don’t have much fashion knowledge. When I showed them photos and said what I thought was good, they just nodded.”

It was the expected result.

But it was meaningful that Kim Hyung-sun had learned a bit about the members’ thoughts.

“We’ll send you overall samples. Please give us feedback after looking at them.”

“Understood.”

“We’ll also send you custom-made costume samples and illustrations.”

The first meeting concluded.

Son Hae-bin saw the two off, and Seong Pil stayed in the meeting room, reviewing the examples Kim Hyung-sun had shown.

‘It’s a bit lacking. I need to meet with the music video director to create an overall storyboard and then schedule another meeting.’

The song, choreography, costumes, and music video must be integrated. Adding hair and makeup makes it a five-part integration.

All areas must work together to create the maximum synergy.

‘The message in the song is not enough. The narrative in the music video will make the costumes stand out more.’

A meeting with the music video director is already scheduled for a few days later, but it would be better to do it sooner.

As the debut drew closer, Seong Pil’s excitement grew. He wanted to see the completed members as soon as possible.

‘Rika, Seol-ha, Ara, Ha-yang, Ah-reum….’

What will they look like?

What aura will they exude?

Just imagining it felt like being in heaven.

‘I’ll go watch their practice again.’

Seong Pil headed to the practice room.

On the way, he saw Baek Seol-ha and Jang Ha-yang resting on the second-floor railing.

After a brief moment of consideration, Seong Pil chose to go to the first floor instead of the practice room.

“Seol-ha, are you resting?”

“Yes, I just finished a practice session.”

“Good job. Did Ha-yang practice hard too?”

“Yes, she practiced really hard. Don’t hit me, I’m not being lazy.”

“…?”

Jang Ha-yang laughed and spread her hands.

“Just kidding!”

“….”

“Aha… Was it not funny?”

What should I do?

Should I laugh and roll on the floor?

Why did she make such a contextless joke…?

“It was funny. Really funny. So don’t leave me.”

Jang Ha-yang laughed at the response.

Baek Seol-ha awkwardly watched the two.

She seemed to lack the courage to join the strange conversation.

“What were you talking about?”

“About the choreography. Yesterday, Ah-reum and Ara had a dance battle. They memorized all the choreography.”

“You did something so fun and didn’t invite me?!”

“I can do it again if you go to the practice room now.”

I feel like I’ve lost half my life.

I wanted to go up and see it right away.

“We were about to go back to the practice room. Do you want to come with us?”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes!”

“Ah… Yes, let’s go together.”

Baek Seol-ha thought Seong Pil was becoming more like Rika.

Just as the three were about to go up the stairs, the company door opened, and Son Hae-bin and Yoo Yi entered.

“Assistant Yoo left something behind, so I came with her. She said it was in the meeting room?”

“Yes, yes, ah, yes.”

Yoo Yi seemed very flustered for some reason.

She clasped her hands at her chest and looked around, unsure where to put her gaze.

“Let’s go together.”

Son Hae-bin led Yoo Yi up the stairs, following Seong Pil, Baek Seol-ha, and Jang Ha-yang.

At the top of the stairs, Seong Pil bowed slightly to Yoo Yi.

They would now split up, with some going to the meeting room and others to the practice room.

“A, a….”

Yoo Yi alternated her gaze between Seong Pil and Son Hae-bin, looking confused.

Seong Pil was already heading to the practice room with the members.

“D, d, d, Director!”

Yoo Yi shouted loudly, startling Seong Pil and the members, who turned to look at her.

Yoo Yi clutched her phone and slowly approached Seong Pil, her steps wobbling as if she were drunk. Her face was flushed, either from embarrassment or something else.

Yoo Yi respectfully extended her phone.

“I, I didn’t leave anything behind….”

“Huh?”

“C, c, can I have your number….”

Seong Pil and the others, including Seong Pil, stared at the scene in shock.

Son Hae-bin let out a hollow laugh.

“Spring has really come for her.”