Chapter 1170: Artist of the Year (13)

Q. I have a question for Wooju.

Yes!!

Q. I understand that you tease your brothers all the time. Doesn't it ever get old?

No.

Every day feels new and fun and happy and adorable and cute and new, and anyway, something like that.

"Hee hee hee!"

"……."

"Then go take first place in Entertainer of the Year yourselves if you're so upset~"

"……."

"Ah, this is fun."

Junghyun clenched his fist tightly.

Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of gummies.

"Here."

As he handed one to each member, Junghyun shot me a sidelong glance.

"You're not getting any."

"Hmph~ I have enough money to buy my own gummies~"

Ri Hyuk clicked his tongue.

"How does that man seem to get younger with every passing day?"

"Hee hee! Wooju is twenty-six years old~"

"And in ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) a few days, you'll be twenty-seven and officially in your late twenties. Mr. Sun Wooju, please act your age."

"……."

Everyone praised Ri Hyuk for a job well done when I lowered my shadowed face toward the floor.

Junghyun placed a bear-shaped gummy on my palm.

"Eat this and cheer up."

"Thanks, Junghyun."

Chewing the gummy, I picked up the paper on the waiting-room table.

HBS's year-end music festival, held every year around Christmas.

It was a program we had once refused to appear on because our relationship with the network had been poor.

The story had gone like this.

-Haha! We're NewBlack, the rising stars of 2015! Other networks gave us six minutes of airtime.

-Right. Two minutes and thirty seconds.

-……?

That was what had happened.

Immediately after we turned down an offer for season two of HBS's then-popular children's program , HBS had pressured us by cutting our year-end airtime.

So we retaliated by refusing to appear on HBS programs altogether……

"That all feels like ancient history now."

"It does."

It was old news now.

That was because the relationship between the network and our company had recovered, and now we were practically best friends with each other… which was not true at all.

We had simply scored historic results, including a Billboard number one, and the relationship had naturally repaired itself.

It was like meeting an old classmate you had never gotten along with, only for him to suddenly sling an arm around your shoulders and say, "Haha~ Wooju~ Dinner's on me today! What do you feel like eating?"

"I still remember it."

"Ri Hyuk, you have to let things like that go."

"Aren't you honestly the one who holds grudges the longest?"

"Hmm……."

I was about to deny it when a room in my mind came to me.

One of the larger ones, in fact.

"Ah."

Come to think of it, I still had not cleared out the HBS room.

I tidied up the space HBS had occupied in my mind and smiled contentedly.

"I forgot about it ages ago."

"That sounds suspicious."

Pretending not to hear, I lifted the cue sheet.

In any case, the days when they treated us poorly were long gone.

We had been given a full fifteen minutes, and with the group finale included, it came to an incredible twenty minutes.

For the ending, every performer would sing our newly released together.

Jiho chewed on his bear gummy and said,

"It feels like one of those things. Come, everyone, let's all sing the K-pop carol that hit number one on Billboard~"

"Probably."

They seemed to want a scene that would appeal to overseas K-pop fandoms.

As we waited and lightly stretched, there was a knock, and the producer of the peeked his head inside.

"Haha. Hello."

"Hello, Producer."

"How is everyone… um… feeling?"

"Fantastic."

I rolled out my stiff shoulders as I answered, and the producer smiled.

"That's good to hear. We'll begin rehearsal in ten minutes. We'll keep it simple, and we'll wrap up with every performer coming onstage together to sing the carol."

"Okay~"

"Please let us know right away if anything makes you uncomfortable. Then I'll see you shortly."

He must have had a packed schedule, because once he finished speaking, we heard him shut the door and run off.

"Should we start heading over too?"

"Yes."

We passed through the corridors of the COEX exhibition hall and headed toward the stage.

The backstage area was dark.

Onstage, handsome young men with heavy eye makeup were showing off their veteran skill as they danced.

Jiho watched in admiration.

"Wow. They're seriously flexible."

"They're all still in their early twenties."

They were our great seniors who had debuted at fifteen and still had an average age of twenty-one.

Every time they crossed the stage, it felt as though their joint cartilage itself was announcing its existence as they sprang through the air.

The beautiful young men practically glittered onstage.

Sparkle, sparkle-

Shimmer, shimmer-

We smiled as we watched their dazzling performance.

I'm jealous of their joints…….

Something I had realized during recent promotions was that there was a reason agencies debuted idols in their teens.

It was not that being young was inherently better.

You had to be young to survive the schedule.

As though answering our envy, the TeenSpirit members came offstage and wiped away their sweat.

"Bro."

After gulping down some bottled water, Yeonhu lifted his pretty lashes and spoke.

"It's not because we're young. It's because your stage is so long."

"For real. If we had fifteen-minute sets every time, our cartilage would be destroyed too. We'd have to eat pig's feet every day. Gelato."

Ri Hyuk quietly said, "Gelatin," then closed his eyes.

"Ri Hyuk says it's gelatin. Did you learn general knowledge at Pizza School?"

"But isn't pig's feet mostly skin?"

"Who knows? It tastes good."

They immediately fell into another bout of chatter, and we waved before going up onstage.

Since our allotted time was so long, we kept the rehearsal light, controlling our breathing and pacing.

-Yes. We will now begin the rehearsal for with all performers.

We greeted everyone as they flooded onto the stage.

"Hello!"

"Good to see you~!"

While everyone exchanged greetings in the chaotic atmosphere, our main vocalist gathered the main vocalists from each group.

They quickly agreed on a few details, including how to layer the harmonies.

-Yes. Then we'll begin now.

Because of time constraints, we sang it about twice and finished.

I had already assigned each singer a part suited to them, so there were no issues with performing the entire song.

Everyone had practiced hard as well.

-Yes.

The producer looked at the cue sheet and spoke.

-Great work, everyone who participated in the rehearsal. We'll see you at the live broadcast later.

The veteran singers clapped and called, "Good work, everyone~" while the newer singers bowed repeatedly.

"Wow. Did you hear that? It's live."

"A live year-end stage……."

X Buster from DNS Media, Flawless from MOP Entertainment, Dahlia from Knet, and so on.

The rookie singers facing their first live major-network stage looked nervous, hands pressed to their chests.

As I was walking offstage among them, someone poked me in the back.

"Long time no see~"

"Ah. Hello, senior."

Beneath long, straight hair, sharply defined features broke into a wide smile.

It was Rian, the main vocalist of Daylight, the second-generation national idol group that had come before us.

I looked at her navy dress and said,

"I heard you're hosting today."

"Yeah. I got stuck doing another annoying job."

She was the most recognizable member of Daylight, quick-witted and good at reading situations, which made her one of the celebrities many producers tried to recruit as an emcee whenever there was a major event.

She yawned and said,

"It's nice hosting a year-end show and all, but I guess I'm more suited to performing. Singing is more fun."

I laughed at the senior singer's restless expression, and she spoke regretfully.

"Tsk~ Performing with you guys in Pyeongchang was the most fun. Aren't there any more stages like that?"

"That really was fun."

All of us sank into the memory.

The day we had performed together at the Pyeongchang Olympics with TNT and Daylight was still vivid in our minds.

We had even danced at the end to Teacher Noh Jaehyun's EDM remix.

No matter when I recalled it, the scene, the cold, and the emotion all felt as vivid as ever.

"Hard to imagine another stage like that happening, right?"

"Probably."

I smiled.

"But there might be another opportunity for a joint performance someday. You never know."

"True."

Then Rian seemed to remember something.

"Come to think of it, shouldn't we do something like that?"

"Do what, senior?"

"You know, some kind of company bonding event. We're all under the same company now, but we've never actually gathered for anything."

"Uh… that's true."

"Right?"

Her eyes sparkled.

"We could have a bonding event, pump each other up, shout that we're one company. We could mix beer and soju together, get completely wasted, and—"

"I… can't really drink, so I don't know about that part, but it doesn't sound bad. I'll come up with a small, good idea and suggest something."

"Great! Ah, I have to go already. See you later!"

"See you later, senior!"

She grabbed the hem of her dress and ran off like Cinderella at eleven fifty-nine.

After bowing to her, we moved on as well.

I asked,

"What do you guys think?"

"Hmm……."

Ri Hyuk spoke.

"I don't think she's wrong. We may technically have a business relationship, but personal relationships are important too. It wouldn't be bad to have a light meal or party together and build a sense of belonging."

Biju agreed.

"I'm completely in favor. I think it'd be really fun if everyone got together."

"How about a company picnic? A picnic."

"I like that. I think it'd be fun if everyone talked together too."

I nodded in agreement.

"I think she has a point. We may all be under the same company now, but aside from our friends, we haven't had any interaction with DNS or SNH Entertainment."

And Ri Hyuk was right too.

Even if it was a business relationship, human connections always mattered.

Still……

"A sense of belonging……."

When I tried to think of a way to strengthen that sense of belonging, nothing immediately came to mind.

We walked down the corridor, humming thoughtfully.

A cue sheet taped to the wall caught my eye.

It listed the stages each singer would perform.

[Rebellion of the Rookies]

There were collaboration stages too.

I suddenly stopped and stared.

My brothers gathered beside me.

"Oho……."

I placed a hand on my chin, and they copied me, stroking their own chins.

"Ohooooo."

"Ohooooooo."

"Ho ho."

We looked at Junghyun, and he stared off into the distance.

Then we turned back.

"Ohooooooo."

"Ohooooo."

"Ohoooong."

I asked my brothers,

"I'm not the only one thinking it, right? We'd have to ask everyone else what they think, but……."

"Yes. I had exactly the same thought."

I smiled and nodded at Biju's reply.

A very good way to build a sense of belonging.

A modest little idea had come to me.

What was past was past.

Everyone knew the truth that no amount of dwelling on something already over would change anything.

But……

Even knowing that, people could not always control their hearts.

"Gnnnnnngh."

A man in his sixties polishing an antique vase in his living room grimaced.

It was not a toothache.

It was the pain in his heart.

"Gnnnnnnngh!"

The man's name was Park Taejun.

He was a major shareholder of TJ Entertainment and its former chairman, though he had now stepped away from management.

I'm troubled. Deeply troubled.

His chest had felt so stifled lately that he wondered whether he ought to go on a temple stay.

-Why don't we move in the direction of including Wooju in TNT after all? He's far too valuable to let go.

A memory from eight years ago.

-The members also support him strongly, so I think he could serve as leader. Sunwoong may be the oldest, but he's timid, and wouldn't it be good to have someone who can serve as the group's center?

-What good is being the center of the team when he ruins the entire center of the performance?

-…….

-Director Han, the coming era will be the age of performance. Drop Sun Wooju and put in Baek Seungje.

Former Chairman Park Taejun groaned.

"Gnnnngh."

Had there been a time machine, he would have leaped back eight years that instant, grabbed himself by the collar, and demanded that he reverse the decision.

Then he shook his head again.

I have to empty my mind. My mind…….

Of course, he had emptied it long ago.

Back when Sun Wooju had achieved what now seemed like only moderate international success, he had managed to control his thoughts that way.

The problem was the news coming out now.

-NewBlack's Wooju Nominated for Major Grammy Award… Foreign Press Calls Him Strong Favorite

Wooju was now considered a strong contender to win one of the main Grammy awards the following year.

-NewBlack's Wooju Nominated for Golden Globe Best Original Song for … "Could He Really Go All the Way to the Academy Awards?"

And had so much momentum that people were even discussing the Academy Awards.

-Music, Television, and Film All Become Massive Hits… When Will Lemon Entertainment Go Public?

Lemon had become the strongest force in entertainment and the biggest topic in the stock market, with subsidiaries Studio Lemon and NBS expanding at incredible speed.

Until now, he had tried to forget it the way someone might forget losing a first-prize lottery ticket.

But NewBlack's current success was closer to a Powerball ticket worth one trillion won.

No one could forget watching one trillion won disappear before their eyes.

"Gnnnnnnngh."

And for Chairman Park Taejun, whose hunger for prestige was stronger than anyone's, it was even harder.

Just imagine it.

Wooju winning a Grammy.

-Thank you, Mr. Park. You made me who I am.

Wooju kissing the trophy before raising it overhead, while Park Taejun applauded and nodded.

-And I dedicate this award to my eternal mentor, Mr. Park Taejun, who always supported and believed in me.

Perhaps even Wooju winning an Academy Award.

Chairman Park Taejun closed his eyes with a frown.

It's fine. I may still be able to attend the Academy Awards.

Lee Gyeonwoo, an actor signed with TJ, was scheduled to attend the Golden Globes this time.

If he made it all the way to the Academy Awards, perhaps Park Taejun could attend as a representative of the agency.

He was still a major shareholder, after all.

He briefly imagined himself forging connections at the center of the global film industry.

"What?!"

Then devastating news came from Han Youngjun, the current head of the company.

"He refused to renew? Why?"

-He probably made up his mind after working so closely with Lemon on so many things this time.

"……W-Well, that… uh……."

He raised a hand to his temple.

The news was as follows.

-Lee Gyeonwoo wants to sign with Lemon.

Lee Gyeonwoo, who had served as TJ's flagship actor for the past four years, wanted to transfer to Lemon.

"Did you make him an offer? A ninety-ten split?"

-He doesn't seem interested in the revenue split.

"Of course……."

This was Lee Gyeonwoo.

Any major agency would give him ninety-ten, and a mid-sized agency would probably give him one hundred-zero.

Some insane new agency might even offer him one hundred ten-zero.

That was how important the name value of a top actor was to an agency.

"Oh, for heaven's sake……."

After ending the call, he massaged his temples.

There goes the Academy Awards.

Still, it was not as though he could not understand.

An agency had produced and put him on a path that might lead to the Academy Awards.

What actor would not be tempted?

"……."

Former Chairman Park Taejun sighed and opened the internet.

He immediately regretted it when he saw news about NewBlack.

-Lemon Entertainment Preparing Joint Concert…? Daylight's Rian Posts Mysterious Photo on Social Media

The article said singers under Lemon had each uploaded suggestive phrases or photos to social media.

Idol groups including NewBlack, Daylight, Scarlet, Street Boys, Autumn Girls, Enote, La Vie en Rose, and X Buster.

Ballad powerhouse Yoon Chanhyuk.

Rappers including Hation.

And even Jang Hanbyeol, who had recently scored a massive hit as a solo artist.

"Gnnnnnnngh!!"

Feeling his blood pressure reach its limit, Chairman Park Taejun hurled the tablet onto the sofa and turned on the television.

But the person appearing there was also connected to NewBlack.

And among them, it was someone he particularly disliked.

[Congratulations!]

Jang Hanbyeol was holding a first-place trophy on a major-network music show.

His damp voice came through the television.

[And I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Park…, who made me who I am today.]

Park Taejun froze at the wistful expression as Jang Hanbyeol looked back on the past.

Staring into the camera with that distant look, Jang Hanbyeol smiled as though speaking directly to him.

[…CEO Gyuho from the bottom of my heart.]

Chairman Park Taejun picked up the remote and was about to change the channel.

Then Jang Hanbyeol, still giving his speech, once again gazed wistfully into the camera.

[And to Park…, who has always supported me from far away until now.]

His ears perked up.

[…CEO Gyuho. Once again, thank you sincerely~☆ I love you so much~!]

Chairman Park Taejun trembled.

His body flapped like a fish caught on a hook.

He—he did that on purpose…!

Was it because they were now under the same company?

The expression on Jang Hanbyeol's face as he winked into the camera looked astonishingly like someone else's.