Chapter 7

"Can you go sign something for someone who asked for it?"

"Sign?"

"Yeah."

"Of course, I should. Kids, I'm going!"

Im Seo-young immediately waved her hand. I bowed my head, but the girls greeted me more politely. No matter how I looked at them, they seemed very kind and bright to me.

But seeing Im Seo-young's relieved expression as she turned around, it seemed there was something going on.

Sure enough, my eyes were still adjusting.

"Where are they? Who do I need to sign for?"

Her voice was full of anticipation. I felt a bit guilty. She would have come up with some other excuse.

I glanced around at the bustling people and said awkwardly,

"…Where did they go?"

"Wow."

"They were right there a moment ago. It was a guy."

"What? I wanted to sign for him! This guy is no good! My precious fan!"

Im Seo-young smiled with her crescent-shaped eyes.

"Sister! Tae-hee sister! Someone said they want my signature."

"Really?"

"But do you know what's important?"

"What?"

"This guy lost it!"

"That's a shame."

Lee Tae-hee patted Im Seo-young's head and smiled, then subtly at me.

What is this feeling that makes me think I should call her 'brother' even though she's much younger?

"Someone asked you for a signature? Isn't that like seeing a ghost at the studio?"

RJ teased, and the two started bickering again.

Since Kim Hyun-jo had already gone back, I and Choi Geun-young took the kids to the waiting room. Just as I was about to lean against the sofa, a knock came.

"Yes?"

"Hello, seniors! We are Pretty Pretty Pretty Girls!"

Eight girls with long flowing hair rushed in. They were the ones I saw earlier wearing aprons over their school uniforms.

The manager who came in with them looked at me and Choi Geun-young alternately, then approached me.

"Hello. These are the new debutees. Their average age is eighteen, so they don't know much. Please take good care of them."

I don't have anything to ask of me.

But what kind of clothes are they wearing? These shameless adults.

"Hello."

"Here, take this."

When I took what she offered, it was a mini album. The cover even had a signature.

After that, the Pretty Girls chatted merrily with the Neptune kids for a while before leaving.

"Thought greeting people would be hard, but receiving greetings isn't easy either."

Im Seo-young shook her head firmly at my comment.

"Receiving greetings is harder."

"Really? Why?"

"We've achieved nothing during our debut and the years that followed. When much younger kids come to greet us and ask for our help, it's really unsettling."

"Oh…"

"What if they become more popular than us? We don't know how long the company will support us. It's like pouring water into a bottomless pot. That's what I think."

I opened and closed my mouth several times, not knowing what to say. Seeing my expression, Im Seo-young shrugged and smiled.

"I'm telling this new guy all sorts of things."

The atmosphere quickly brightened again. The members chattered loudly as they repeated their dance practice. I watched them quietly.

I was actually a bit surprised.

A second-year unknown. A girl group that hasn't become popular.

But honestly, it didn't feel that serious. Even if these girls don't become popular, they're young, pretty, and have good personalities, so they'll do well in other jobs, I thought.

Maybe it's because I had the prejudice that idol girl groups are like products mass-produced in a factory. But now I feel guilty for thinking that way.

The worries of an 18-year-old girl were not at all light compared to mine.

If I had the ability, I would want to help these girls seize their opportunities.

That's what I thought.

Spending a day in the waiting room was a continuous wait. We rehearsed and waited, waited while the group that was coming back today recorded in advance, and waited until the live broadcast time.

I wonder what people did in here before smartphones.

Neptune's turn was third. As the time to go on stage approached, the members became busier. They changed into stage costumes brought by the stylists, adjusted their makeup and hairstyles, and practiced the choreography non-stop whenever they had a moment of freedom.

"I'll go to the bathroom for a moment."

Why do I feel more nervous than they do?

I dragged my stiff legs out of the waiting room. The waiting room corridor was still crowded. I finally made it to the bathroom, but a man came out with a lot of momentum.

"Ah, damn! I'm going crazy!"

His face was red, and he was swearing and fuming.

I need to get out of the way.

As I turned to the side, I saw a badge hanging from the man's chest. It was Go Jun-tae, an employee of the broadcasting station. I remembered Kim Hyun-jo's words that I should greet any employee I see. But this guy looks crazy. Should I avoid him or not? I hesitated, but then thought, what's the worst that could happen, and blocked the man's path.

"Hello, I'm Jung Seon-woo from W&U. I'm currently managing a girl group called Neptune. Please take care of us."

I'm trying to smile hard. He won't swear at a smiling person, right?

Fortunately, the employee calmed down a bit after looking me over. Maybe I'm finally getting some respect for wearing a suit.

"W&U? You have a girl group? I've never heard of it. Are they new?"

"They've been active for two years. There are four of them."

"Really? What's the group's name?"

"Neptune."

"Maybe you have a business card…"

I don't have a business card yet. Should I give him my phone number?

"I don't have a business card…"

"PD!"

Someone came running. A young, large man like an athlete. He blocked the employee's path and bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I have no excuse!"

"Ah, it's fine."

"Really, I should have checked the kids more thoroughly…!"

A manager?

"Go away. You're making my blood pressure rise. I'm busy cleaning up the mess your company left!"

"PD, PD!"

"Ha…!"

"Is our recording still on…"

"What recording? A 20-year-old girl group member got caught drunk driving with her boyfriend. How can we let her appear? The news will break tomorrow and it'll be chaos! It's bad enough to ruin a well-prepared meal. We need to start recording this week, and I'm going crazy…!"

"Maybe we can use it as noise marketing, which would be good for the program…"

"This is a crime! Do you want to get criticized before the show even starts?!"

The PD finally swore and left. The man left behind kicked the bathroom door.

"Damn girl! What a mess, how did you catch this!"

He speaks so nicely. It's because of people like him that when you hear 'manager,' you think of thugs and gangsters. Compared to him, Kim Hyun-jo is an angel.

"What are you looking at?! Are you here to gawk?!"

The man glared at me sharply. I was startled.

"You're blocking the way."

"Shit…"

I thought he might take it out on me, but he quickly went the other way.

"What a guy."

At that moment, my vision went dark.

Am I dreaming again?

I was back to being myself in my forties. The representative of a management company. Using a huge office, wearing a fancy suit, a successful me. Just like the dream I had at dawn. In front of me, Park Kuk-jang and Song Gi-ja were still sitting with smiling faces.

It's clearly a dream… but it can't be.

I was just standing in front of the bathroom a moment ago.

If it's not a dream, what is it?

What is it, exactly?

"You met Go Jun-tae, the CEO, on your first day of work?"

The name that came out of Song Gi-ja's mouth was familiar. Go Jun-tae, the CEO. The man I met in front of the bathroom earlier. The name on his employee badge.

"At that time, Knet had just launched Next K-Star. You know, the program where eight new idol groups compete. It might be too old for you to know, Song Gi-ja."

Next K-Star?

"I know it. The program that had a huge ratings success in its first season and ran for several seasons."

"Right. It was a few days before the first recording… One of the girl groups participating in the show had an accident. So Go Jun-tae, the PD, needed to find a new girl group to replace them. That's when I met Go Jun-tae, the PD."

"Wow. You had really good luck. So on your first day, you got a big program? Neptune appeared on that show."

Wait, what? Neptune appeared?

The situation was confusing, but I listened carefully. I had to.

"Ha ha ha. Song Gi-ja, if it had gone so well, why would I have said I had a hard time from the first day?"

"Really?"

"At that time, I didn't know much about variety PDs. I didn't know who Go Jun-tae, the PD, was, or that he was in charge of such a big program. So I told a friend I was working with at the time. I met a PD named Go Jun-tae, and it seems one of the girl groups in his program had a problem. They might need to find a new group, so maybe I should introduce Neptune. That's what I said."

"Ah…"

"My friend said it wouldn't work. The program Go Jun-tae, the PD, was doing was for new idols, and Neptune was a second-year group, so it wouldn't work. And if they were to replace a group, the company wouldn't allow it."

"You didn't believe that, did you?"

No, I didn't.

But why does it seem like I did?

"I believed it."

Right. Why do bad premonitions never fail?

"While I believed it, my friend went to Go Jun-tae, the PD, and pushed for Neptune. Neptune is like this, they have a schedule, and they can join immediately. It worked. My friend became a lucky charm from that day on, and I ended up being the foolish one who couldn't even take care of my own bowl. I realized that life is a real game for the first time."

"Wow…"

"Ha ha. I said my first day was dynamic, didn't I?"

"Is that friend someone I know?"

"Off the record?"

"Sure."

"Choi Geun-young. Choi Geun-young."

"Oh, that person…"

"Right."

"That's how he was back then."

"Jung Seon-woo!"

I saw Choi Geun-young in front of me. And I was standing in front of the bathroom.

"What are you doing here? Our turn is coming up. The manager wants you to come quickly."

"…Damn, I'm getting goosebumps."

I stepped back without realizing it.

"What? Why are you getting goosebumps?"

"Um…"

I saw a glimpse of your true nature, I guess. It didn't actually happen, but it felt like it would definitely happen.

"Do you know PD Go Jun-tae?"

"Of course. Next K-Star. He's hot right now. What? Did you see him?"

I felt my hair stand on end. Goosebumps ran down my arms and legs. It felt like being electrocuted on a rainy day.

What is happening to me?

"Why are you asking?"

"I have something really important to do right now."

"What?"

"Tell the manager I'll be back after I take care of this, and I'm sorry."

"What?! What's so important, the kids are about to go on stage!"

My head was a mess, but I knew what I had to do right now.

I ran in the direction where Go Jun-tae, the PD, had disappeared a moment ago.

ⓒ Jang Woo-san

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