Chapter 46

Chapter 10. Fireworks

A few days after hearing about Minjun.

We were gathered in the studio, having lunch.

"Everyone, take one."

Biju handed out the bento boxes with a bright smile.

The box itself was made of obviously high-quality material, and the contents were so exquisite that they made one's mouth water.

Fried chicken, smoked duck, beef bulgogi, and more.

"I love you, hyung!"

Jiho eagerly tore open his chopsticks. I also thanked Biju.

"Please tell your father I'm grateful."

The bento boxes we were eating were sent by Biju's father.

It seemed that Biju's family wanted to express their gratitude, as they often sent us expensive bento boxes after the surgery.

"Is Minjun doing well?"

"Don't even mention it."

Biju laughed, waving her hand.

"He's incredibly excited about starting school next year. He's already pestering his parents to buy him a school bag. His mom sends me pictures every day, and his expression is getting brighter and brighter."

I hadn't seen the pictures, but I could imagine them vividly.

The way Biju described it, her face was glowing.

It made me feel a bit proud and ticklish in the chest.

"Oh, right."

After a long chat, Biju changed the subject.

"I just saw Manager Yun downstairs. He said to eat lunch and then wait. He has a few things to tell us."

"Things to tell us? Oh, we have a meeting today, right?"

The meeting was to promote the debut album, with all departments gathered.

In a sense, it was a review of our strategy.

Currently, New Black's album only had the cover photo and music video shooting left.

Today's meeting was to discuss the latter stages of production and marketing.

"Seunwoo, you're going to be a real 'composer idol,' aren't you?"

"Come on, no way."

"Why? No idol has ever debuted with a self-composed concept. You're the first, right?"

That wasn't wrong.

We were the first to debut with a self-composed title track.

It was unprecedented in many ways.

In a sense, it was also natural.

After all, it costs hundreds of millions of won to produce an album.

Would any company really entrust the fate of such a significant project to an idol's self-composed song?

Our company had many objections at first.

Even large agencies had failed when they debuted solo idols with a self-composed concept.

"Still, the atmosphere among the staff seems positive."

Biju smiled.

"They were a bit skeptical at first. But after the completed version of 'Fireworks' came out, their expressions changed."

"Right. I asked a sister in the PR team yesterday. After the A&R team played the completed song, the atmosphere in all departments changed. They said it's a hit and we need to promote it properly."

"Wow, they're really pushing it."

Jung-hyun, who was impressed, added.

"The song is great, and the staff are enthusiastic. I really have a good feeling about this..."

But Jung-hyun couldn't finish his sentence.

"Ah! No way!"

"Hey, Wang Jiho. Shut up, Jung-hyun hyung!"

"I don't want to. Why should I do it!"

I turned my head to look at Biju.

"What's going on?"

"Jung-hyun has a jinx... When he says something will go well, things always go wrong. The last time I heard him say that was during the evaluation last year."

"Right."

Ri-hyuk shuddered, as if the mere thought of it was unpleasant.

"At that time, we were completely overshadowed by Street Boys. The atmosphere in the rookie development team was terrible, and the CEO didn't even greet us properly for a few days. Just thinking about it makes me feel bad."

"Hyung, we agreed not to use the word 'good feeling' except for snacks."

"Sorry..."

The rapper, who had been scolded by his juniors, ate his bento with a gloomy face.

His face, which looked like an angry Winnie the Pooh, made him seem like a sad bear hugging a honey pot.

Feeling a bit sorry and cute, I patted Jung-hyun.

"Why are you guys doing this to Jung-hyun? Don't believe in such ridiculous superstitions."

"Hey, people who haven't experienced it should stay out of it."

Ri-hyuk waved his hand.

"You don't know our history. Once you do, you'll react the same way. Do you know how long Jung-hyun's jinx has been around?"

"I don't."

"You'll find out."

"Why is he always trying to scare us? Right, Biju?"

But Biju only gave an awkward laugh in response to my question.

This made me feel even more uneasy.

"Hyung."

Jung-hyun said sheepishly.

"I don't want to say this, but... whenever I say something like this, things get weird."

"What is it?"

I turned my head, and Ri-hyuk was frowning at his smartphone.

"Why?"

"It's not good. I went online to check if anything happened after Jung-hyun's jinx, and this is what I found."

"Huh? What happened?"

After a moment, the youngest member looked up with the same expression.

"Can you show me?"

Biju handed me the phone, frowning deeply.

Then, the three of them looked at me simultaneously, exchanging glances.

"Why are you guys doing this?"

Jung-hyun slowly backed away from me, while the juniors looked at each other.

You do it, hyung should do it, they seemed to be saying.

Biju took the lead.

"Do you remember Street Boys, hyung?"

"You mean the group that competed with us in the year-end evaluation? The one DNS Media is launching?"

"Yes, there's a new article about them."

Biju cautiously handed me the smartphone.

The moment I saw the headline, I couldn't help but frown.

- New Group Street Boys, True 'Composer Idols' Arrive.

...

What is this?

* * *

- Street Boys, Debut Album Tracklist Revealed... "Member's Self-Composed Song as Title Track"

- From Title Track to Member's Self-Composed Song, 'Street Boys' Bringing a New Wind to K-Pop

- DNS Media: "Expect Great Things from Our Self-Composed Songs"

The first article was from Young Daily.

After that, articles with different titles but the same content started appearing.

This meant two things.

DNS Media was aggressively promoting the project.

And Lemon Entertainment had been dealt a significant blow by the competition.

"The DNS representative said, 'The music trend is changing dramatically. Look at Something. Idols can also write and compose songs and succeed. This gave us confidence. Soon, idols who can write and compose will survive.' ... Are there really such shameless people?"

The department head, who was reading the article, let out a rough sound, but no one stopped him.

Even CEO Park Gyu-ho was quietly listening.

"..."

A heavy silence filled the meeting room.

Lemon Entertainment and DNS Media were traditional rivals.

The two mid-sized agencies, the next largest after the big four, were always in fierce competition.

It started with a clash of egos between the two CEOs, who were former managers and engineers of TJ Entertainment, but it had evolved into an inseparable competitive structure.

When Scarlett released an album, Lavender Rose would release one, and when the other side launched Street Boys, we would launch New Black.

The rivalry between the two companies was evident from the year-end evaluation.

But until now, no matter what they did, they hadn't crossed a certain line.

"This is too malicious."

The A&R team leader spoke up.

"Until last April, when they were about to debut, there was no mention of a self-composed song. Suddenly, the title track is self-composed. And the composer is someone who met with us."

The production team listed on the official SNS of DNS Media included a name they recognized.

It was JCM, the stage name of composer Jeong Chang-mo.

A third-year composer.

He was originally supposed to be New Black's composer, but the A&R team rejected his song after hearing Seunwoo's composition.

"It seems they told DNS about our rejection of Seunwoo's self-composed song. I didn't mean to say that..."

"Don't blame yourself."

CEO Park Gyu-ho spoke.

His expression was slightly stiff, but he was smiling as usual.

He comforted the staff who were visibly upset.

"What's done is done. We can't change it. Getting blindsided is a common occurrence in this industry. In times like these, we need to be strong. The company needs to stay focused for the artists to survive."

The staff nodded.

"So, let's stop the negative thoughts here. Let's discuss our countermeasures."

The meeting resumed.

"Thinking about it, this situation also shows how desperate the other side is."

Yoon Seok-hwan, who was in charge of New Black, spoke.

"DNS Media's current situation is not good. They launched a girl group, Lavender Rose, to coincide with the generational shift in idols, but the results were poor. Only member Jeon Yubin showed some promise on variety shows, but the group as a whole had no significant achievements. So, they're pouring their heart and soul into launching Street Boys."

Rumors circulated that DNS had lobbied K-net heavily for the debut reality show they filmed last year.

"The problem is that Street Boys, who were supposed to debut last year, were delayed due to internal issues at DNS Media. They incurred significant losses from venue fees to costume costs. Meanwhile, New Black, which rose sharply from the year-end evaluation, has been enjoying immense popularity with their duet song."

"In a way, this mess is because of Seunwoo."

When the agencies heard that Seunwoo was the one who created the fresh stage at the year-end evaluation, they didn't think much of it.

Just another good casting by Lemon, they thought.

But when they heard that this new face was composing with Jang Soo-won, and then in February, they released a song that shook the nation, the atmosphere changed.

At first, everyone thought it was all thanks to Jang Soo-won.

But when the story of his composition and the fact that his father was Seun Myung-ju was revealed at the music cafe, the atmosphere became skeptical.

Could he really have composing talent?

When Lemon Entertainment decided to use Seunwoo's self-composed song as the title track, ignoring the professional composer's song, it's no surprise that DNS Media was taken aback.

How good must the song be to use it as the title track?

From DNS Media's perspective, given the precedents like the year-end evaluation and Something, they couldn't simply dismiss it as an amateur's self-composed song.

If this continued, Street Boys might be overshadowed by a strong rival from the start.

The best strategy in this situation was a preemptive strike.

To take the 'composer idol' image first.

"Anyway, the situation has become complicated."

The PR team leader spoke.

"In this situation, even if we release a major press release, the public will still see us as the latecomer. We mentioned the songs in April, but who remembers that now? With DNS Media releasing articles like this."

Silence filled the meeting room again.

Thoughtful gazes intertwined in the air.

Then, the producer, who had been silent, spoke up.

"We don't have to see this negatively."

Director Jo Gyu-hwan spoke.

"Although DNS's marketing has taken the image we wanted, this can also be a big opportunity for us."

"An opportunity?"

"We can use their publicity to our advantage."

He continued.

"DNS is betting everything on the Street Boys project. They're trying to beat us to the punch. The more we counter, the more aggressively they'll respond. We can use this to form a rivalry between our kids and Street Boys."

If Lemon and DNS start a marketing war over their respective groups, journalists will naturally pick up on it.

A debut battle between rookie boy groups.

It's a compelling story in the currently quiet K-pop scene.

"Once the rivalry is established, the battle will be in our favor. The more DNS promotes, the more New Black will be mentioned, giving us free marketing. The bigger the battle, the more public interest it will generate."

"True. Some people might listen to the songs out of curiosity."

CEO Park Gyu-ho was deep in thought.

"But this is a high-risk strategy. If we win, it'll be a huge success, but if we lose, it could be a disaster."

The winner would take all, but the loser could suffer a significant blow.

It could turn into a losing battle.

The CEO, who had been tapping the table and thinking, turned to the A&R team leader.

"Park Team Leader."

"Yes, CEO."

"The song Seunwoo made, you said the mixing was finished recently. Can we listen to it again?"

One of the key things CEO Park Gyu-ho learned while raising artists was that it ultimately comes down to the song.

No matter how much promotion is done.

No matter which program they appear on.

The most important factor in an artist's success is the quality of the song.

Luck and opportunity come second, but a good song will eventually become a hit.

That's why he needed confidence.

Before making a big decision, he needed to be sure this investment would pay off.

The A&R team leader got up and played the completed version of 'Fireworks' through the speakers.

When the song finally ended,

CEO Park Gyu-ho made his decision with confidence.

* * *

Hours later than scheduled.

We were fine-tuning the choreography for 'Fireworks' in the practice room when we welcomed a worn-out Yoon Seok-hwan.

He looked like a math ghost who had been microwaved.

He gulped down the water from a bottle on the corner table, then looked at us with a blurry focus.

He then gestured for us to gather, as if he had something to say.

"I have some things to tell you."

We all sat down.

"The CEO just made a decision after the meeting. From now on, all the budget for New Black's debut will be doubled."

The kids were stunned, their mouths agape.

I, too, was gaping like a goldfish.

Hold on.

It's already a lot, and now it's doubled?

"Everything will change. We'll get the best director in the industry to shoot your jacket photos and music video. The showcase preparation budget will also increase significantly. Not to mention, all the company's artists will support you on their SNS."

The decisions made in the meeting were all surprising.

"The PR team will also increase their staff to produce videos of your daily lives in a reality show format."

Just a few days ago, when Yoon Seok-hwan was asked about filming our daily lives, he had rejected it, saying we didn't have the resources.

The company was busy with movie promotions, and there was only one employee responsible for video editing.

But today's events seemed to have changed everything.

"Basically, the company will do everything it can to promote you. The CEO and the executives are all determined. This is a big opportunity for all of us, especially for you."

The manager said, as if giving us a pep talk.

"You have to seize it. To survive."

And so, the debut battle between us and Street Boys began.