Chapter 39 - Try to Snatch Away That Manager

— Waaaaaah...!

It was like a bomb had gone off.

An explosive cheer erupted and vibrated the night sky.

The performance that Newstarz showed, centered on Kanade, was literally Night-Bomb itself.

“Oh my god...”

Baek Yeon-ah, who was sitting in the staff seats, felt goosebumps breaking out on her skin.

She couldn't believe it even seeing it with her own eyes.

“How can such a coincidence...”

“It's not a coincidence.”

PD Seo Dong-cheol, who was sitting next to her, said.

“Kanade is originally an unpredictable character. If she properly gets into the groove in a heated atmosphere like this, she can pull off an ad-lib of that level.”

“Ah…”

“The other members' teamwork was also perfect. It was a performance that came out because they had that sense of unity, and it was by no means a coincidence. If I had to say, shall I call it an inevitable miracle.”

He analyzed it as if he were being calm, but in truth, Seo Dong-cheol's voice was also trembling.

Since they had shown a performance beyond what he had expected, even Seo Dong-cheol couldn't help but be moved.

“And... look.”

Seo Dong-cheol said, his gaze fixed on the stage.

“Even though there was an unexpected situation like just now, they are all showing a perfect performance.”

“Ah, come to think of it...”

What if Baek Yeon-ah had been in that spot?

Even if she had handled it well like Kanade, her heart would have been pounding, and it would have inevitably affected her singing and dancing afterwards.

“Normally, as idols get towards the end of a song, they get out of breath and the quality of their performance is bound to drop a little, but I don't see any of that. They're giving 100% of their power from beginning to end.”

“That's…”

“Hyeon-woo-ssi trained them, right?”

At Seo Dong-cheol's confirmation, Baek Yeon-ah silently nodded her head.

“Just as I thought. He's a really amazing person.”

Confirming that his guess was correct, Seo Dong-cheol smiled.

— That was Newstarz! Thank you!

— Waaaaaah...!

Before they knew it, the song was over.

Receiving a tremendous cheer, Newstarz came down from the stage.

Because the time given to Newstarz today was shorter than Choux-pop's, they had no choice but to sing just one song without any particular talk segment and come down.

However, even in that short time, Newstarz left a stronger impact than any other artist who appeared today.

And that impact will create a tremendous ripple effect in the future.

“The new competition program that will start soon... I think I'll have to change the plan a bit.”

“What?”

“I was planning to direct the narrative as Newstarz challenging Choux-pop... but I might have to do it the other way around.”

“……!”

It becomes a narrative where the Choux-pop side challenges Newstarz?

Their positions will be reversed like that?

“CEO Baek, give Hyeon-woo-ssi a lot of support.”

Leaving the caught-off-guard Baek Yeon-ah aside, Seo Dong-cheol stood up from his seat and smiled.

“That way, our TVX can also make a lot of fun content.”

That voice was filled with a sense of expectation for the manager named Baek Hyeon-woo.

***

“You all worked hard.”

Baek Hyeon-woo greeted Newstarz as they came down from the stage.

Park Yeong-ho had been with them until just a moment ago, but as soon as Newstarz's performance ended, he got a call from a reporter he knew and briefly left his spot.

“It was really the best. Much more than at the rehearsal...”

However, none of them responded.

They were making blank expressions as if their souls had left their bodies.

“Are you guys okay?”

Even when Baek Hyeon-woo asked, there was no answer.

Wondering what was wrong, he patted the shoulder of Kanade, who was closest, and Kanade suddenly collapsed on the spot.

“Hweeeh...”

“Kanade, are you okay?”

It wasn't just Kanade.

They all either collapsed on the spot or leaned their bodies against something nearby.

“M-My legs... I have no strength in my legs...”

“Me too...”

Was it because they had poured too much strength into their first stage?

They were all in a state of exhaustion.

“Oppa… massage my shoulders a bit.”

“Okay.”

At Laura's request, Baek Hyeon-woo approached without a word of complaint and massaged her shoulders.

As he was massaging Laura's limp trapezius and levator scapulae muscles, the other members' voices were also heard.

“Manager-nim, my legs…”

“My back…”

“I'm sorry, but could you please bring me some water…?”

“Yeah, I'll do anything for you.”

They were all so admirable that he wanted to do anything and everything for them.

The problem was that Baek Hyeon-woo only had one body.

“Manager-nim, some water…”

“Ah, sorry, just a moment.”

Earlier, there were many 330ml water bottles around here, but it seemed other people had drunk them all in that short time.

Baek Hyeon-woo briefly left his spot to ask the event staff for water.

“Ah…”

At that moment, he ran into Choux-pop, who were in the middle of leaving the event venue.

Team Leader Jeong Do-woon wasn't there, only the road managers were by their side.

“That person…”

“Hae-won-ah, let's go quickly.”

The leader, Seong Hae-won, showed interest in Baek Hyeon-woo, but Joo Ga-hee grabbed her arm and pulled her along.

However, Baek Hyeon-woo didn't just let Joo Ga-hee go.

“Hey, Joo Ga-hee.”

Joo Ga-hee flinched and looked at Baek Hyeon-woo.

It was a wary gaze, as if wondering what kind of sarcastic remark he would make this time.

However, Baek Hyeon-woo spoke with a calm demeanor.

“Thanks to you, everyone was able to work even harder than usual. Thank you.”

“……!”

Today, Newstarz united tightly and showed their best performance.

It was the result of them exerting power beyond their limits with the single-minded determination to overcome Choux-pop and create the best first stage.

This was thanks to Baek Hyeon-woo instilling a sense of purpose in the members... but Joo Ga-hee's provocation from yesterday also had a big influence.

That's why Baek Hyeon-woo felt genuinely grateful to Joo Ga-hee.

“Fucking annoying...”

Joo Ga-hee sharply turned her head and strode away, and the other members and managers hurriedly followed her.

Only Seong Hae-won made an eye smile and waved at Baek Hyeon-woo.

“See you next time.”

“……”

After sending Choux-pop off, Baek Hyeon-woo received the water and went back to Newstarz.

“Girls, you really worked hard!”

“It was really the best!”

While he was away, Park Yeong-ho and Baek Yeon-ah had come and were praising the members.

“I brought water.”

“Ah, Hyeon-woo-ya!”

As Baek Hyeon-woo was handing out the water, Baek Yeon-ah came up and hugged him from behind.

“A-Aunt, what are you doing?”

“It's because I'm so proud! Ugh, you little good-luck charm!”

Baek Yeon-ah's eyes welled with tears as she hugged her nephew tightly.

A moment ago, when she was with Seo Dong-cheol, she had tried to maintain a calm demeanor befitting a company CEO, but now there was no need to.

Because it was a place with only family.

“Us, let's go for an after-party now! Any place is fine no matter how expensive, so just say the word!”

“Eh? Really? Then a 3-star Michelin... mph.”

“Kanade, it's too late now anyway, so we can't.”

Seo Na-eun covered the mouth of Kanade, who had shot up to make an excessive demand.

“Please pick a suitable place, CEO-nim. Since we don't know well.”

“Hm? Really? Then...”

Baek Yeon-ah let go of Baek Hyeon-woo and took out her cell phone.

Freed, Baek Hyeon-woo spoke to Park Yeong-ho.

“Team Leader Park, what was that call earlier?”

“It was Reporter Jo from Good Daily, he said he enjoyed the performance and wants to do an interview.”

“When?”

“Right now.”

An interview request as soon as the song ended.

He must have been in a hurry.

“So I refused. Saying our kids also need to rest today.”

“You did well.”

Baek Hyeon-woo and Park Yeong-ho looked at each other and smiled.

Receiving the media's attention is good, but protecting the idols is the priority.

“Girls, I got a place! It's not Michelin, but it's a famous place, so let's leave right now!”

“Yes!”

As Baek Yeon-ah took the lead, everyone cheered and followed.

However, only Yoo Jeong-ah was leaning against a simple chair, unable to get up.

“Jeong-ah-ya, are you okay?”

“Ah, I'm okay.”

Yoo Jeong-ah raised her body, staggering.

It still seemed like she had no strength in her legs.

“I'm sorry. I'm still in a daze...”

“It's okay. Take your time.”

Baek Hyeon-woo tried to support Yoo Jeong-ah.

At that moment, Yoo Jeong-ah staggered as if she would fall and leaned her head on Baek Hyeon-woo's shoulder.

“It still... feels like a dream.”

“……”

“Now I've really... become an idol.”

Today, Yoo Jeong-ah stood on her first stage as an idol.

And she sang with all her might and drew a great response from many people.

She must have felt an excitement and emotion that couldn't be expressed with words.

“Manager-nim, really… thank you.”

“……”

“If it weren't for you, Manager-nim, I...”

Tears flowed from Yoo Jeong-ah's eyes.

“Really, it's all thanks to you, Manager-nim... I don't know how to repay this favor... sob.”

“Jeong-ah-ya.”

Baek Hyeon-woo said in a calm voice.

“Do you really want to repay me?”

“Yes, I don't care what it is, I must to you, Manager-nim...”

“Then smile.”

Yoo Jeong-ah looked at Baek Hyeon-woo with her tear-stained face.

“Smile brightly and say thank you. That's the repayment.”

“L-Like this?”

“Hmm... it's still awkward. Is it because I forced you.”

Baek Hyeon-woo chuckled, checking Yoo Jeong-ah's face.

“Let's postpone receiving the repayment.”

“I-I'm sorry. I'll practice more and next time, I'll do it naturally...”

“Take your time, take your time.”

Yoo Jeong-ah is an idol with outstanding potential.

Right now, her Visual is only E-rank, but this part will surely improve someday.

However, there's no need to be impatient.

Baek Hyeon-woo intended to wait until Yoo Jeong-ah became an idol who could smile more charmingly than anyone else in the world.

“Hyeon-woo oppa, what are you doing with Jeong-ah? You're not by any chance doing something weird to Jeong-ah, are you?”

“You're the one who should stop saying strange things.”

Laura, who he thought had already gone to the parking lot, peeked her head out and said a word, so Baek Hyeon-woo immediately helped Yoo Jeong-ah up.

“Jeong-ah-ya, let's go now.”

“Yes, Manager-nim…”

Yoo Jeong-ah, who was speaking, suddenly gave a fake cough.

“No... Hyeon-woo oppa.”

At the changed title, Baek Hyeon-woo inadvertently looked at her, and Yoo Jeong-ah ran off alone, her face turning red.

“……”

Watching that, Baek Hyeon-woo smiled silently.

The sight of Yoo Jeong-ah running off alone with a shy expression was much more full of life than before.

***

“Agh!”

CRACK!

The sound of a baseball bat hitting a person's butt echoed.

Team Leader Jeong Do-woon, who had suffered a merciless beating with a bat, collapsed onto the floor.

“D-Director, I'm sorry...”

The person who had swung the baseball bat at Jeong Do-woon was DP Entertainment's Director Seong Soo-ho.

He was Jeong Do-woon's direct superior, and also the general manager in charge of everything for their affiliated girl groups like Choux-pop and Black D.

“Hey, Jeong Do-woon.”

Seong Soo-ho asked, thrusting his angular face close to Jeong Do-woon's.

“You said you could do it well, didn't you?”

“……!”

He had only asked, but Jeong Do-woon's body trembled as if he had been hit one more time.

“You said you could raise Choux-pop's status even higher using Newstarz as a stepping stone?”

“I-I'm sorry...”

“Is this a problem that can be solved just by saying sorry?”

“Agh!”

CRACK!

The baseball bat struck Jeong Do-woon's butt once again.

“A ton of reviews praising Newstarz have been posted online, you know? There's one thing in common with all those reviews, you know what it is?”

“W-Well...”

“The words 'They were better than Choux-pop' are always in them.”

“……!”

When you're praising someone, you can praise them much more easily if you mention another target of comparison.

That's why the people who participated in the Night-Bomb Festival all praised Newstarz while mentioning Choux-pop.

“What does this make Choux-pop? In the end, you just dropped Choux-pop's status, didn't you? Is this why you squeezed time out of the busy kids' schedule to have them go to Night-Bomb?”

“I-I'm sorry.”

“Hey, Jeong Do-woon, did you think you wouldn't get the bat once you became a team leader? Let's fix your discipline properly for the first time in a while.”

“D-Director...!”

The 'beating with a bat,' which uses a baseball bat or similar blunt instruments, is an act of abuse that has long been perpetrated in Korean society.

Because the origin is the 'Navy Spirit Injection Bat' of the Japanese Navy, it was most commonly carried out in the military, but this 'beating with a bat' was also a commonly seen act of abuse in the entertainment industry.

As awareness of human rights developed and a movement to drive out acts of abuse arose throughout society, the 'beating with a bat' was also largely eliminated from the entertainment industry.

However, that's not to say that the 'beating with a bat' had completely disappeared.

Even recently, there was a case where an entertainment agency CEO was booked for assaulting an affiliated idol with a blunt weapon, saying she used the dorm messily.

“Ah, Uncle, stop it.”

At that moment, there was someone who stopped Seong Soo-ho.

It was Seong Hae-won, who was sitting on the Director's office sofa.

“Did you call the Team Leader here to give him a beating? Wasn't there something else you had to talk about?”

“H-Hae-won-ah...”

Jeong Do-woon looked at Seong Hae-won with a moved expression.

However, it wasn't that Seong Hae-won had stopped him out of pity for Jeong Do-woon.

Because even while Jeong Do-woon was being hit earlier, she had just been looking at her phone with an indifferent expression.

“Phew…”

Seong Soo-ho let out a sigh and put down the baseball bat.

As you could tell from her calling him Uncle, Seong Hae-won was Seong Soo-ho's biological niece.

It was Seong Soo-ho who reigned as an object of fear for the managers and idols, but he was endlessly weak to his niece, Seong Hae-won.

“Team Leader Jeong, I got a call from TVX's PD Seo Dong-cheol earlier.”

Seong Soo-ho said to Jeong Do-woon, who raised his head while trembling in fear.

“He said he's making a survival program where girl groups compete against each other, and that he'd like Choux-pop to appear as well.”

“……!”

Jeong Do-woon had also heard a similar story and had approached Seo Dong-cheol.

But to think that Seo Dong-cheol's side would make the proposal first.

“But I heard Newstarz is scheduled to appear too.”

“N-Newstarz too?”

“Yeah, the intention is obvious.”

The second round between Choux-pop and Newstarz.

It was Seo Dong-cheol's plan to continue the showdown narrative from the Night-Bomb Festival on his own program.

“If you go on a survival program where idols compete, the winner and loser are decided more definitively. If Choux-pop wins, they can make up for the humiliation at Night-Bomb, but if Choux-pop loses to Newstarz again... then the hierarchy will really be set in stone.”

“Ugh…”

“Team Leader Jeong, what will you do?”

Seong Soo-ho asked, thumping the floor of the Director's office with the baseball bat.

“By going on PD Seo Dong-cheol's new program... can you make up for this failure?”

“……!”

In the atmosphere of fear that Seong Soo-ho had created, Jeong Do-woon had no choice but to nod his head.

“I-I can do it!”

“Really?”

“O-Of course! If it's a competition program run by PD Seo Dong-cheol, there will definitely be viewer voting, and then our Choux-pop, with its large fandom, will have an unconditional advantage!”

Jeong Do-woon shouted, slamming his forehead on the floor.

“We can win! We will definitely win!”

“Alright, I'll trust you this once. Prepare well and proceed.”

Seong Soo-ho warned in a fearsome voice.

“If you lose to Newstarz again, know that it'll be real trouble then.”

***

After Jeong Do-woon staggered out of the Director's office.

Seong Hae-won, who was sitting on the sofa, opened her mouth again and said a word.

“Uncle, can't you stop using violence? What are you going to do if you get reported?”

“I judge the person before I hit them. You don't have to worry.”

Saying that, Seong Soo-ho put the baseball bat into the closet.

“Even with you guys, I never hit you.”

“Sigh.”

Seong Soo-ho never lays a hand on his affiliated celebrities.

That's not to say that he has a gentle personality towards celebrities.

Because instead of physical assault, he has been perpetrating a lot of psychological abuse.

That's why many idols, including Black D's Da-yeon, regard Seong Soo-ho as an object of fear.

The only person who doesn't think of Seong Soo-ho as scary is his niece, Seong Hae-won.

“But Hae-won-ah, you should feel a sense of crisis too. If Choux-pop gets pushed back by Newstarz again...”

“As it is, there was something I wanted to say to you about that, Uncle.”

Seong Hae-won leaned her back against the sofa and kicked her legs.

“Uncle, there's something I want.”

“Something you want? What is it?”

It was Seong Soo-ho, who grants any of his niece's requests.

Unlike when he was dealing with Jeong Do-woon earlier, he took an attentive listening attitude.

“The Newstarz manager.”

“What?”

However, Seong Hae-won's demand was something that surpassed Seong Soo-ho's expectations.

“Try to snatch away the Newstarz manager. It seems Team Leader Jeong failed, but it should be possible for you, Uncle, right?”

Newstarz VS Choux-pop.

Ahead of that second round, Seong Hae-won's eyes shone greedily.