Chapter 58: Guess there’s something making you nervous?

“What brings you here? The great and mighty gracing this shabby place.”

KBC’s Variety Director, Shin Chunho, got up from his seat, pretending to be delighted.

“Oh, oh, have a seat. Sit.”

Shin Chunho quickly scanned Chun Hanyeong.

A formidable madman.

That was how Shin Chunho saw Chun Hanyeong.

He hadn’t gotten the Main PD position for free.

His skill, of course, along with his stubbornness and unique philosophy about music — there was no doubt there was a reason Chun Hanyeong had climbed this far.

They’d known each other for 20 years.

He immediately knew what Chun had come to talk about.

But he couldn’t let it show.

“Tsk, tsk… You saw this, right? Band idol. Pretty fresh.”

A tablet was placed with a light tap on the sofa table.

On the screen was an article about Manny Entertainment’s rookie band.

[Manny Entertainment, Band Idol Debut Imminent! Is the Band Idol Era Coming?]

[Band X Idol, The Birth of a New K-pop Genre?]

Even with Shin Chunho’s question, PD Chun Hanyeong remained silent.

“Why, Chun PD, you like bands too, don’t you?”

“……”

Still, no answer.

Director Shin Chunho found the silence irritating.

He pressed his fingers against his temples and spoke.

“Don’t tell me you still haven’t given up on that rookie band… our what’s-it-called?”

“Yes.”

At the firm answer, the director let out a faint chuckle.

“Our Chun PD, you’re not at an age where you can pretend not to understand, right?”

“And you’re not at an age where you can swap out cast members over some pointless political fight.”

“Hey, you…”

He had already expected pushback.

The Main PD position guaranteed autonomy.

Even if the director’s influence was strong, if the PD pushed back head-on, there wasn’t much that could be done.

But still, getting tossed around over some trivial band? He hated that.

At times like this? Calming things down was the best move.

Scheduling, budget…

He didn’t want to throw around childish threats. At least, not with Chun Hanyeong.

“Hanyeong-ah, cut me some slack.”

“……”

“Manny even chased the chairman down. Now tell me, wouldn’t that give me a headache?”

“What’s gotten into him?”

Manny Entertainment.

A giant in the industry, holding nearly ten subsidiary labels.

And from that giant came a monstrous rookie.

That was the idol band ‘Signum.’

Their debut stage — after endless rumors — was just around the corner.

They had chosen Music Stage among the countless music shows out there. Everyone knew there’d been plenty of behind-the-scenes maneuvering.

‘Maybe this is actually a good thing?’

Chun Hanyeong’s mind started working quickly.

What was needed in a time like this?

Provocation.

“They must have invested a lot.”

“Do I even need to say it?”

“They must have had other deals lined up too.”

“You know. Manny Entertainment’s idols are all lined up for comebacks.”

Manny Entertainment idols?

It went without saying.

If you rubbed them the wrong way, they could easily turn around and say, “Yeah, we won’t put our artists on your show anymore. Good luck with that.”

That would be a losing deal for Chun Hanyeong as well.

Director Shin Chunho thought,

Now we can finally have a reasonable conversation…

But Chun Hanyeong was just about ready to kick off his provocation.

“But you know, Director.”

“Hm?”

“That guy’s young, so what’s he gonna do if his guts have already shriveled up?”

“W-what?”

The unexpected jab left Director Shin Chunho looking dumbfounded.

He wanted to argue back, but he shut his mouth.

He had something to say, but nothing came to mind.

Chun Hanyeong casually swiped at the tablet screen and continued speaking in a leisurely tone.

“No, but seriously. Short on capital, short on recognition. For a company as big as Manny, what’s there to be afraid of that they’d waste energy worrying about some no-name band? That’s just strange.”

“Heh.”

“Guess there’s something making you nervous?”

“Ehh, Chun PD. Hold on, hold on.”

Shin Chunho had expected this. That this lunatic would be impossible to stop.

The initiative was already lost.

Still, it was too soon to give up.

“You’re saying we can’t take on even the smallest risk, isn’t that it?”

“Risk factor? Sounds like you’re not all that confident.”

Ha… he couldn’t exactly smack the Main PD in the head either.

Shin Chunho pressed his lips together.

Annoying tone? He could tolerate that much.

The problem was something else.

Why, exactly why…

Was he going this far?

Something about it… was oddly exciting.

If he’s coming at me like this, it means he’s got something up his sleeve.

Whenever Chun Hanyeong’s eyes lit up like this and he came up to the director’s office, there was always a good reason.

And every time, Director Shin Chunho would feign reluctance before siding with him.

Because he wasn’t the type to bluff without cause.

Because he never made a move unless he was certain.

And today… might be one of those days.

With a sly smile, Shin Chunho asked Chun Hanyeong,

“Got justification?”

“Director.”

“What?”

“You know me.”

“You’d better be sure.”

Only then did the two finally sit down across from each other.

Shin Chunho’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

What kind of plan was this lunatic bringing to the table?

Chun Hanyeong chose his words for a moment.

In a flash, he recalled something Taeyoon had said in passing.

— We’re confident going up against any team. Whether it’s a head-to-head or a rivalry setup. Use us to your heart’s content. We’ll gladly be your tool. As long as it guarantees we get to appear.

That had to be a hint.

Even if it was just interpretation or speculation, it didn’t matter.

For now, it was the best move.

“It’s simple. My strategy is…”

“Oh?”

It was a plan that wouldn’t cause losses for either the broadcasting station or Manny Entertainment.

As long as Manny Entertainment’s Signum really was a band with a killer punch.

The scenario was perfect.

The plan could be summed up in a single syllable.

‘Scared?’

Manny Entertainment Chairman Jeong Jaewook.

A man who valued pride more than anyone.

“Then I’ll proceed as is. I think this is going to turn out even better than expected.”

As Chun Hanyeong turned to leave the director’s office, Shin Chunho called out, unable to resist asking this one thing.

“Hanyeong-ah. Let me ask you one thing.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Why the hell are you going this far?”

Chun Hanyeong stopped in his tracks.

Then he turned his head back and answered calmly.

“Because… it really felt like Cheongseong was back again.”

“Heh…”

Shin Chunho could only rub at the goosebumps on his arms.

Manny Entertainment. Chairman’s office.

Right now, a fierce debate was underway.

“Sounds good. Let’s do it!”

“But… if it goes wrong, couldn’t it end up splitting the spotlight instead?”

Chairman Jeong Jaewook brusquely brushed off the general manager’s words.

“Why, you scared?”

“Pardon?”

The sudden childish provocation snapped the general manager back to his senses.

Those broadcasting station bastards. So that’s their game.

They dared to throw a ‘Scared?’ at us.

And the hot-tempered chairman had taken the bait.

The general manager sighed inwardly and said,

“Let’s just stick to the standard approach.”

But Jeong Jaewook simply ignored him and said,

“You miscalculated from the start.”

“Sir?”

“There are six music shows. You want us to go around and throw our weight around?”

“It’s not like we couldn’t.”

From Manny Entertainment’s standpoint, it was nothing.

Jeong Jaewook spoke in a reassuring tone,

“I know what General Manager Hwang’s worried about, I do. But just like Chun PD said — wouldn’t it be way more interesting to make it a straight-up competition? Band Idol versus Authentic Band.”

“Interesting?”

There were plenty of counterarguments.

You can’t just scrap a whole plan for the sake of some so-called fun. You know better than anyone how much has been invested…

And besides, the most important point was something else.

Band idol? The name itself was wrong from the start.

The right term was idol with a band concept.

The idol system stayed exactly the same; only the music style was dressed up as a band.

Real instrument performance, live shows, musical individuality —

All of that was just props and setup.

You just gathered kids who could play a bit and made them look convincing.

If push came to shove, they could toss the instruments and switch to full K-pop dance idol mode.

An a cappella group that suddenly dances, a ballad group that suddenly dances, a group strumming guitars that suddenly dances.

Changing concepts was nothing. Everyone did it.

A differentiated identity — nothing more, nothing less. Strictly speaking, that was all it was.

But the chairman was thinking a little differently.

If they took this approach, the plan would inevitably be altered.

“They’ve got the looks, the skills, the performance — what’s the problem?”

“They say the opponent is an authentic band.”

“Judging by how they’re blasting out press releases, it looks like they’re the ones feeling uneasy.”

Jeong Jaewook smirked.

If anything, this was good.

If it had been a company on the level of Tomorrow Entertainment, he might have thought twice.

But? KIM Entertainment was different.

This was a perfect chance to knock their pride down a peg.

Kim Minsoo. Making a whole fuss about being a chaebol 4th generation and all that…

But when you popped the lid open, all he’d done was debut a run-of-the-mill idol group.

Authentic or whatever, a band that comes out wearing masks? Predictable.

They’d talk up their skills and live performances nonstop, then go quiet.

The only thing that stuck in his mind was the DJ.

All or nothing.

What kind of strategy were they going for?

“CEO Kim Minsoo is really pushing it, huh?”

“That’s true.”

“This just sets up a perfect contrast. For KIM Entertainment, it’s not a bad debut at all. Actually, isn’t it an honor? To be put in a rivalry setup with Signum and that long-named band.”

“They’re kids who left us.”

“What does the name matter?”

People would just hear it once and forget it anyway.

He didn’t say that part out loud.

“Whether it’s Music Stage, Music On, or Show Music Icon — don’t worry about it. Since it’s come to this, I like the idea of going with the competition angle.”

“Yes.”

“Better yet, why not make it a ‘Rookie Band Special’ or something? Pass the word along. The Rookie Special slot is still open, right?”

“Yes, it’s still available.”

“Good. Just focus more on practice. Instead of wasting time in pointless meetings, figure out how to track down Writer Stay.”

“Yes.”

In this industry, it was nothing new for small-time agencies to get trampled by the influence of big entertainment companies.

So, in the end, those kids who left them were just playing the role of setting the stage for Signum’s dramatic presentation.

The general manager left the chairman’s office, wrapping that unknown sense of unease in such reasoning.

“Ahh, my whole body aches.”

A groan came out of me without thinking.

Maybe it was because I hadn’t slept at all — when I looked in the mirror, a gloomy panda stared back at me.

I should change my name from Seo Rabbit to Seo Panda.

Something felt off.

Why did it seem like the older guys had more stamina than me?

“Mmm…”

As I sat there spacing out at the sight, someone came up and started kneading my shoulders roughly.

“Ahhh, ow ow ow ow!”

“All this whining over that? How’s a young body like yours so flimsy?”

I turned around with a pitiful look.

“Look at my face, it’s so haggard now. See? Dark circles. Ughhh.”

“So what?”

“Huh?”

“You’re not showing your face anyway. You can get even more haggard if you want.”

Ah, ahh.

Couldn’t argue with that, so I just laughed.

Then Moon Jungbae seonsaengnim asked,

“You still haven’t changed your mind, have you?”

“About what?”

“Your face — it’d be great to just show it.”

“Whaaat?”

I flinched in surprise, my shoulders twitching.

“Kidding. I just think it’s a shame, that’s all. Don’t you?”

The other members stopped playing and each chimed in.

“Then they might think we’re in our twenties too.”

“That band idol thing or whatever, shouldn’t Taeyoon be the one doing that?”

“Wouldn’t it be fine to make an exception for a guest member?”

“Seo Taeyoon, God Taeyoon.”

“Mm…”

For some reason, everyone was chattier today.

I knew why, so I just listened quietly.

— We.

— Are really.

— Doing a music show?

— And it’s even.

— KBC?

This upcoming Music Stage appearance meant a lot to the members.

The origin of Music Stage, Gayo Best Ten, had been Cheongseong’s public broadcast debut stage.

Now, on the same stage, under a different name —

They were about to make their second debut.

“Feels like just yesterday we debuted on Gayo Best Ten.”

“How do you feel?”

“Let’s just not make any mistakes?”

“Eh, that’s boring.”

“Wait until you get older…”

Smiling, I took my place in front of the DJ panel again.

Practice started up once more.

Half nervous, half excited.

We were one day away from recording Music Stage.

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