Chapter 5

"It's morning, and there are a lot of people in front of the broadcasting station."

As we arrived at the building, Chae Geun-yeong poked his head out from the back seat. Unlike before, I was now in the front passenger seat, and Chae Geun-yeong was in the back. Next to him, ELJ, fully made up, was sitting with her legs crossed and tapping her foot.

I felt a bit wronged.

"Ah... almost all of them are here to see BYG. They have a comeback today."

"Is the live broadcast in the evening, and they're waiting from now?"

"BYG will come early for rehearsals. People are here to take photos of them arriving for work."

In front of the broadcasting station, fans with camcorders and large cameras were gathered. I thought this was something only kids did, but most of them were adults. Some women were even dressed in suits and high heels, as if they were on their way to work.

"The photos that circulate on Twitter with 'whoever's arrival preview' are all taken by these photo fans."

"Photo fans?"

What's an arrival preview, and what are photo fans?

"Fan photographers. The good ones take better quality photos than those in news articles. Some share them, and others make photobooks to sell to other fans."

While we were walking to the parking lot, we were also photographed. I was tense, worried that someone might jump over the fence to ask for autographs or handshakes, but the reaction was embarrassingly non-existent.

They looked at us, but no one recognized us or called out our names. Instead, the Neptune members greeted fans of other groups brightly.

"Hello, we're Neptune!"

"Neptune here!"

When the four of them waved and smiled, more people started taking photos. A few even returned the greetings.

"What are you doing? Smile, both of you."

Kim Hyun-jo poked my and Chae Geun-yeong's sides. He was already smiling brightly.

"Those mentions on Twitter about how someone saw a good girl group called Neptune today are better than most promotional articles."

I greeted people enthusiastically, not knowing who they were.

"Oh, and... "

As soon as we entered the lobby, Kim Hyun-jo gave us a warning.

"Don't swear in front of the fans who came to see the broadcast."

"Huh?"

"There's still a perception that entertainment managers are thugs or gangsters, so be careful. Don't create any controversy. Don't even touch it. If a review like 'Some no-name Neptune manager pushed me today, what a jerk' circulates, it will hurt the girls' image."

"Ah... Okay."

"Keep greeting people."

"Okay."

"Do you know who to greet?"

I was at a loss. How would I know?

"Don't you?"

"No, I don't."

"Since you don't know, greet everyone you meet. Especially those wearing ID badges, broadcasting station staff. When you see them, say this without missing a word: 'Hello, I'm from W&U. I'm currently managing a girl group called Neptune, and I hope for your cooperation.' Got it? Memorize it."

Chae Geun-yeong was already muttering it to himself. I kept repeating it on the way to the waiting room. Hello, W&U... Hello, W&U...

Lim Seo-young, who was following behind, laughed.

"You said your name is Jung Seon-woo, right?"

Who is Jung Seon-woo? Oh, it's me.

"Uh-huh."

"Since you're in a suit, people will think you're a team leader or higher than Hyun-jo. You look more senior."

"Ah... Really? Really?"

"You should have worn a tie."

"I have a tie in my bag."

Lim Seo-young laughed even louder. It tickled my ears. It was unusual to hear her laugh and speak so casually after only hearing her nag at the members. Her cotton candy-like voice and half-moon eyes were really cute.

I wanted to pick her up and put her in my pocket... Ahem.

The K-pop concert waiting room was in the basement. When we got off the elevator, there were already many people moving around. I couldn't tell who was a manager and who was a broadcasting staff member, or who was a singer and who was a dancer.

What was clear was that there was no one prettier than the Neptune members, especially Lee Song-ha. I wasn't just saying this because they were on the same team; it was true.

"Where's our dressing room?"

"There it is, the second one from the end."

The narrow corridor had doors on both sides. Neptune's waiting room was the second one from the end on the right. A paper with "Neptune" written on it was stuck to the door.

I opened the door, expecting to see what a broadcasting station waiting room would look like, but...

It was a chicken coop. Smaller than my studio apartment.

Wait a minute. There are four Neptune members, and three managers, including me. Later, stylists and makeup artists will come, and there won't be enough space for everyone to sit.

How do groups with dozens of members or backup dancers manage?

"It's better to have a private room, no matter how small, than to awkwardly share with other teams. Later, when we have regional shoots or events, we'll spend a lot of time eating and sleeping in the car, and you'll miss this waiting room."

Kim Hyun-jo said, and Lim Seo-young pouted.

"It would be nice to have regional shoots or events where we don't have to eat or sleep."

"Just wait a little longer. Good days will come. You'll become famous."

"Really?"

"Really. You're tired, so get some rest."

"We need to greet the seniors when they arrive."

"I'll wake you up then. Get some sleep."

The Neptune members took off their outer clothes, covered themselves with blankets, and leaned on each other's shoulders and heads, closing their eyes. Their faces, fully made up, looked like celebrities, but their sleeping faces looked like children. Well, they are children. The oldest one here is twenty-two.

"Both of you, don't just stand there. Find a spot to rest. We'll be here until the live broadcast ends."

Kim Hyun-jo, who had taken a chair, closed his eyes.

It was a little past 8 AM. The K-pop concert live broadcast was at 7 PM. There were ten hours left. How would we spend that long time in this windowless chicken coop? Should I get some sleep? No, if I close my eyes, I might not wake up... The only thing I can rely on is my phone. I should have brought a charger or a power bank.

Why did they call us so early when the broadcast is at 7 PM?

"Do you know what happens before the live broadcast?"

Chae Geun-yeong scratched his chin and answered.

"I'm not sure... I've never been to a music show, so I don't know for sure."

"Didn't Blackout do music shows?"

"When I was working part-time, they were only doing events and fan meetings after their activities ended. From what I heard, it's dry rehearsals and waiting, camera rehearsals and waiting, waiting while other teams do pre-recordings, going on stage for the main performance, and waiting until the winner is announced... something like that?"

What? That's not even a holding pattern.

Chae Geun-yeong lowered his voice and looked around.

"Higher-ranking idols do other schedules during their free time, but we won't be able to. We'll probably have to eat in the waiting room too."

I felt suffocated. Even for a live broadcast, is it really necessary to wait for ten hours for a one-hour show? Isn't this too inefficient?

"How much do they pay for this?"

"I don't know, that."

He asked in a low voice, and Kim Hyun-jo lifted his head.

"100,000 won."

"Excuse me?"

"100,000 won."

"...So, 400,000 won in total?"

Even though it's not a major public broadcaster, it's a major cable channel, and it's cheaper than I thought. It might not even cover a beauty salon visit.

"100,000 won in total. Per person, it's 25,000 won."

"..."

At first, I thought I heard wrong. With that money, we could barely cover three meals a day. This is a schedule that takes up the whole day, from 4 AM to 8 PM, and the income is 25,000 won per person?

"Isn't that too little, even for a human being?"

"Who cares about being human here? And who does music shows for the money? They do it for promotion, even if it's a loss. We have the company's support and Blackout as a stepping stone, so the PDs are doing us a favor by including us. There are plenty of groups that can't even appear on a music show after a comeback."

"Ah..."

Kim Hyun-jo, looking tired, explained more. The appearance fee for music shows varies by broadcaster, but the most you can get is around 500,000 won. No matter how many members or backup dancers there are, the amount is the same.

The cost of hair and makeup, and the different stage costumes required by each broadcaster, can cost millions, but new groups still line up to appear on shows for the promotional effect of being heard and seen.

"Get some rest now. The day hasn't even started yet."

After shocking Chae Geun-yeong and me, Kim Hyun-jo covered his face with a cap.

Soon, Chae Geun-yeong also closed his eyes. It seems I was the only one shocked.

After searching the internet news, I found that reality was even worse than what Kim Hyun-jo said.

While top-tier idols can earn billions in a day from events, and large entertainment companies have sales in the hundreds of billions, there are girl groups that make their own stage costumes due to lack of funds, and small company CEOs who use high-interest loans to debut girl groups.

A heart-wrenching interview from a CEO who said he would have to jump into the Han River if this album flops... I wonder what he's doing now, as it seems he did fail.

As someone who dreams of becoming a management company CEO, I was troubled. At the very least, I should never use high-interest loans.

I closed the article and searched for Neptune again. I skipped the ones I had already seen and dug through the entertainment news and web pages I hadn't seen.

The articles were clearly promotional pieces from the company. I checked the comment sections, but there were no comments. No hate comments either. Apart from promotional articles, Neptune's name only appeared in the cast lists of music shows and cable variety shows.

After about 30 minutes of searching, I finally found one. On a car community site's free board, there was a post titled "These girls are pretty. Who are they?" with photos of the members. There were comments too.

- Neptune or Napkin, a failed girl group.

- They have top-tier visuals among the current idols. Is this a life photo?

- If it's unedited, I'll admit it.

If it's unedited, I'll admit it? What a joke. The real thing is much better.

Reading this made me feel sorry. Even if a huge hit that shakes the nation requires luck, at least some recognition is needed.

Thinking of myself as Neptune's producer, how could I make them famous?

The songs and concept aren't bad. Most importantly, they all have unique personalities... Well, those aspects can't be showcased unless they appear on variety shows. This is why they are so eager to appear on broadcasts.

"What are you thinking so seriously about?"

Chae Geun-yeong, who had been closing and opening his eyes, sat up.

"I'm thinking about how to make Neptune famous."

"Hahaha. If you have a way, I'd like to know too. Whether an idol becomes famous or not depends a lot on timing and luck. In the entertainment industry, you never know which cloud will rain. Look at BYG, who would have thought they would become so popular?"

"I still don't understand why they're popular. I can't keep up with the kids' tastes."

We were whispering so as not to wake the members, but Chae Geun-yeong poked my side. When I turned my head, Kim Hyun-jo was staring at us.

"You're acting like critics. If you're not tired, go get coffee instead of talking here."

"Uh? Uh. Coffee?"

"Get some snacks too. Be thoughtful."

We took the card and were practically chased out of the waiting room. The corridor was bustling with more teams arriving while we were in the waiting room. We pushed through the crowd, and suddenly, a woman with a laptop bag blocked our way.

"Ah? Manager!"

Manager?

"Are you the Blackout manager? I'm Kim Su-young from Entertainment Bridge. We met briefly at the fan signing last time, don't you remember?"

The reporter spoke to Chae Geun-yeong in a friendly manner.

He's even close with reporters. Suddenly, his three months of experience felt immense.

"Hello, reporter. Of course, I remember."

"Oh my."

"But I'm not a manager, just a manager."

"You're a manager. What are you doing here? Is Blackout doing something at Knet today? Radio? Can we do a quick interview together?"

"I'm currently managing Neptune, a W&U girl group."

I shouldn't have spoken.

It was written all over the reporter's face. Ah, I shouldn't have spoken.

"I see. Well, see you next time."

"Okay. Goodbye."

Chae Geun-yeong was still polite, but the reporter turned away without hesitation and quickly latched onto another man.

"Let's go get coffee."

"Sure."

This must be the sorrow of a manager of an unknown group.