Chapter 1171: Artist of the Year (14)

Our main vocalist has a peculiar personality.

Well… rather than peculiar, maybe it would be more accurate to say he's just unpleasant…….

"You're insulting me in your head right now, aren't you?"

"No?"

His instincts also seemed strangely sharp at times.

In any case, there were many sides of Ri Hyuk that I could never understand no matter how long I knew him.

One of the most representative examples was how he tried to take care of every single errand whenever he went out.

-Why don't you just go out whenever something comes up?

-You don't understand people like me. When I go out, I have this need to take care of everything in one trip.

-Isn't that actually more exhausting?

-…It's just a thing. Anyway.

For that reason, Ri Hyuk did not go out often, but whenever he did, he handled every errand at once.

-And it's more efficient. The satisfaction you feel after planning the perfect route and spending the whole day efficiently! Heh heh heh heh. Nothing can replace that sense of accomplishment.

…Honestly, I did not understand it as a lifestyle, but from another perspective, I could understand what he meant.

Because that was how I worked.

Whatever I did, I tended to make efficient plans that would accomplish several goals at once.

Even my recent hobby of studying for the college entrance exam was like that.

It soothed my mind and body when I was exhausted from composing, left useful knowledge in my head, could earn me a degree if things went well, and if I ended up attending university, it might give me a chance to broaden my limited perspective.

It was truly killing two birds with one stone.

-Lemon Entertainment Subsidiary Labels Joint Concert

In that sense, this project could accomplish several goals at once.

"I think it's an excellent plan."

Lemon Entertainment's main conference room.

Team Leader Yoon Seokhwan spoke in a room where several task forces had gathered together.

"Until now, they only became subsidiary labels. There hasn't been any real interaction between the artists. Just as you said, this is a good opportunity to foster a sense of belonging. The companies can build relationships with each other too."

We nodded.

Gathering everyone to strengthen unity was good, but if we were going to do it anyway, why not do it through a performance?

We could put on several collaboration stages, and there were plenty of other ways for everyone to benefit.

"The volume of articles right now is incredible."

The task-force employees stared at their laptops and clicked their tongues in amazement.

"The internet exploded the moment rumors of a joint concert appeared. Idol fans are getting excited too."

"Wow. The articles……."

They said calls were pouring in from entertainment reporters even at that very moment.

That was one of the reasons the company's singers had agreed to hold a joint concert despite their packed schedules.

-Oh my, that sounds fun. The reaction will be huge, won't it? We're having an after-party after the concert too, right?

-A joint concert? Of course we have to do it.

-We have been waiting, senior. Allow us to escort you from this moment onward.

It was an issue with that much buzz.

-Lemon Entertainment Joint Concert in the Works… "Unbelievable" Lineup

The media was already showing enormous interest, but the company was not giving any particular answer.

-[Exclusive] Lemon Entertainment Comments on Joint Concert… "Still Only in the Planning Stage"

Because it was literally still being planned.

Still, the project was progressing fairly smoothly because I had already resolved the most difficult stage: securing agreement among the singers.

Even so, there were still many practical problems to solve.

A task-force employee scratched his head.

"Securing a venue is already proving difficult. NewBlack, Daylight, Street Boys, Scarlet… the gymnastics arena won't even come close. We'd need at least Gocheok……."

"I don't think even Gocheok would be enough. Didn't Street Boys do three days there this year? Daylight did five days at the gymnastics arena last year too."

"That's right."

"We'd need at least the Olympic Stadium or Sangam."

Since it was intended as a special event, it would run for two days at most.

I listened closely as they discussed venue size and said,

"If we're using the Olympic Stadium or Sangam, then the earliest realistic timing would be around mid-to-late March."

"Probably. Early March is too cold for an outdoor concert."

"Hmm."

The schedule began taking shape somewhere between March and April of the following year.

About three months away, which was appropriate.

That would give the singers enough time to prepare their stages despite their busy schedules.

As various issues came up, I poked our youngest, who was beginning to nod off.

"…Bweh? Mm, bweh……."

Jiho seemed exhausted from filming the chicken-restaurant movie. I whispered to him,

"Want to go rest?"

"No. I have to sit through the meeting too…. You guys are working hard……."

He forced his eyes open and tried to concentrate, but soon lost to sleep again.

It seemed he was so sleep-deprived that sheer willpower could no longer control it.

Feeling sorry for him, I patted him gently and turned my attention back to the meeting.

"What are we going to do with the concert profits?"

At someone's question, I answered,

"The singers discussed it among ourselves, and we thought it might be good to donate the proceeds."

"Oh. That's nice."

"I think we should approach it carefully."

Manager Hong Seoyoung understood immediately.

"Good idea. The more attention an event attracts, the more careful you have to be."

"Yes. There will be a lot of eyes on us."

It was a problem created by the sheer brilliance of the lineup.

Some people might view it unfavorably.

We wanted to avoid making it seem arrogant or like a private gathering where successful singers socialized only among themselves.

What I hoped for instead was the atmosphere of a charity event, with Lemon Entertainment's artists gathering to perform and donating the proceeds.

"That way, we can do something good through the donations, foster a sense of belonging among the singers, and get strong promotional effects. We could also plan various kinds of content, like using the preparation process for behind-the-scenes videos."

Everyone smiled with satisfaction at my words.

I felt pleased as well.

Just like Ri Hyuk took care of every errand whenever he went out, there were so many benefits we could gain from a single joint concert.

"By the way."

Team Leader Yoon Seokhwan spoke.

"Do you have any suggestions for the event's name?"

"Hmm……."

I was considering phrases like "Together with Lemon" when Ri Hyuk raised his hand.

"I have a good idea."

"What is it?"

"Do you know Live Aid?"

A few members of the task force tilted their heads, while we went, Ah.

-Live Aid.

A rock festival held in 1985 that had become a legendary event in the history of popular music.

The biggest singers of the era had attended the concert at Wembley Stadium in England, and several of them became legends through that performance.

Jiho asked,

"Ah. Is that the one? Ay-oh~"

"That… isn't quite the same thing."

While everyone discussed Live Aid, which had been held as a charity event, Ri Hyuk spoke.

"This is a charity event too, so how about Lemon Aid?"

Everyone burst out laughing.

It was the moment the title of next spring's concert was decided.

While the meeting was in full swing in Lemon Entertainment's main conference room, another group under Lemon was just as busy.

They were the production staff of .

"Hahahahaha."

A man with the face of a bandit giggled.

The man stroking his dark stubble was Gu Jaeyoung.

He was one of Korea's top variety-show producers and currently held the title of creative director at Lemon.

Joining this company really was the right decision.

A satisfied smile spread across his face as he looked at the proposal sent over by headquarters.

-Lemon Aid.

It was a plan to hold a joint charity concert, and they wanted the team to participate as well.

Oh Taejun, the show's co-director, said,

"This is a great concept."

"It's really good."

They could film company-bonding content and turn it into a variety special.

Daylight in particular, the second-generation national idol group, had been among their favorite guests since the days thanks to their outstanding variety sense.

Writer Yang Mihyun said,

"I think we've already decided our first special for next year."

"Exactly."

"Let's do this."

As another project was added to season two of , which would air the following year, someone exclaimed,

"Headquarters really knows how to work. How many birds are they killing with one stone here?"

"Seriously."

The artists gained promotional benefits and a good image, the companies could send their singers onto a hot variety show, and the production team received a strong concept without even having to search for one.

Everyone benefited.

Coming here really was the right choice.

The former staff members, who had once worked at TBC and now worked at Lemon Entertainment, all grinned broadly.

"All right."

Producer Gu Jaeyoung spoke.

"We'll discuss season two of gradually. We still have a long way to go before filming begins."

"Yes!"

"That isn't the important thing right now."

He stood and tapped the whiteboard.

"This is."

The production staff nodded in agreement.

Written on the whiteboard was the first special they would film the following year.

☆★ New Universe Side Story: Chef of Antarctica ★☆

They stared at the magnificent title with ambitious expressions.

Producer Gu Jaeyoung said,

"You know the Alaska season of Travel Diary is pulling strong ratings, right? It's on track to take first place in buzz too."

"Yes."

"Let's not lose."

"But can we beat them in terms of impact? I heard they did volunteer work in Alaska and built a civilization."

"Then we'll just do something even more impactful. Let's start brainstorming."

And so, various suggestions poured from the production team's mouths.

Comments that would have made NewBlack shout, "Stop… stop right now!" if they had heard them filled the room, along with laughter.

"Heh heh heh heh heh!"

"Heh heh heh heh heh heh!"

It was a truly wicked laugh.

The end of the year passed in a blur.

After the HBS Music Awards, we also performed a special stage at PBS's year-end music festival.

Since we would be absent from the , held every December thirty-first, we prerecorded our performance.

[Ahem.]

I smiled with satisfaction at my voice coming through the voice changer and looked in the mirror.

A malicious-looking Crane Mask.

[Yes! Hello! I am the greatest name in Korean hip-hop, Seo Ri Hyuk~! Hee hee hee, hahaha! I may look intelligent, but I'm actually an idiot~!]

As the staff and singers preparing for the shoot burst into laughter, the Sunflower Mask trembling beside me raised his microphone.

[I am King of Singers Sun Wooju. But despite my grand title, I possess less talent than anyone.]

The Harp Mask watching us bicker chuckled softly.

It was senior Cha Woohyun, Orpheus, God of Song.

Along with him were senior Baek Siyeon in the Black Rose mask and several other contestants who had appeared on .

[ROUND 4: Clash of the Kings of Singers!]

The final segment of the TBC Year-End Music Festival had been planned as a clash between the Kings of Singers.

It was a year-end special stage created on the strength of 's record-breaking ratings that year.

After hearing my duet with Ri Hyuk, senior Cha Woohyun spoke in a satisfied tone.

"Wooju, you've practiced your vocals a lot."

"Yes, senior."

I smiled brightly.

"If one hundred is a perfect score, what would my vocal score be, senior!?"

"Hmm……."

I could almost hear an imaginary calculator going bleep-bleep-bleep.

The Harp Mask stroked his chin and said,

"If I had to assign a score, you would be around sixty-one."

"……Then what about Ri Hyuk?"

"Ri Hyuk would be around seventy-three."

While Ri Hyuk looked delighted, I asked out of curiosity,

"Then in your own assessment, senior, you would be……."

"I would be around eighty-six."

It somehow felt like an extremely objective number.

While we listened to the assessment of one of Korea's top vocalists, Jiho asked cheerfully,

"Senior~ Then what about me?"

He froze.

Senior Cha Woohyun, who was famous for speaking bluntly, hesitated as though wondering whether he could really say it.

Our youngest quickly waved his hands.

"Ahhh! It's okay! I'm going to be an actor anyway."

Everyone burst into laughter.

In that cheerful atmosphere, we finished both the special stage and our prerecorded performance, then immediately departed for the United States.

[New Year's Eve Live!]

The reason we would miss TBC's year-end program was the New Year's countdown show in Times Square, New York.

We had been invited to headline the television program thanks to the popularity of Overcook and our carol that year.

We were also scheduled to perform a stage from .

And so.

"Senior~!"

"Yeah, Wooju."

The senior actor smiling kindly had boarded our plane as well.

Senior Lee Gyeonwoo tightened his thick coat around himself and drank cocoa with an awkward expression.

"I could've just taken a regular flight. It feels like I keep imposing on you."

"Not at all. We're going to perform together anyway, and the other actors are coming too."

The cast of , including Yeo Eunseon, were also aboard the plane with excited expressions.

"Wow, a New Year's event in New York."

"Isn't this unbelievable? We're going to the Golden Globes, we're doing an Academy Awards campaign, and now we're performing at a New Year's event……."

"There'll be even more people than at the Times Square premiere, right? I heard it's like the Korean bell-ringing ceremony on New Year's Eve."

As everyone chatted with looks of disbelief, we whispered to senior Lee Gyeonwoo.

"And we heard the news."

"Hm?"

"…You're coming over, right?"

"Ah."

He drank his cocoa, wiped his mouth, and smiled.

"Come to think of it, you guys are owners of the company."

"Yes."

"Hmm. It's nearly finalized."

We had heard the news recently through CEO Park Gyuho and Director Jo Gyuhwan.

-Lee Gyeonwoo says he wants to sign with our company. What do you think?

He was such a major celebrity that the company's shareholders needed to reach an agreement.

Naturally, we supported it.

We had watched what kind of person he was for quite a long time.

There was only one thing we were curious about….

"Is there a particular reason?"

Biju asked quietly.

"Because wherever you go, senior……."

"That's true."

Senior Lee Gyeonwoo agreed.

At his level of name recognition, the agency itself was not that important.

Anywhere he went would offer him at least a ninety-ten split, and scripts would pour in even without the power of an agency. Likewise, any agency would devote all its effort to taking care of him.

"My current agency isn't bad. But while working on this film, I had a chance to watch all of you for quite a long time."

"Yes."

"I've never seen a place like this."

The words carried many meanings.

As we went, Oh, at his implication that this was the best company he had ever seen, the great senior who had spent many years in the entertainment industry said,

"If there's a better place, there's no reason not to go."

Just as I thought it sounded rather impressive, senior Lee Gyeonwoo's manager slipped into the conversation.

"Actually, Gyeonwoo's mother had her fortune read. The fortune-teller said Wooju was his benefactor and told him to stick close."

"I told you not to mention that."

"Oh, really?"

When senior Lee Gyeonwoo scolded his manager, the manager asked,

"But why weren't we supposed to tell them?"

"Because he……."

I cut in at exactly that moment.

"So it really was because of me? Well, there aren't many benefactors like me. You've made a good decision, senior."

"……This is exactly why I told him not to say it."

"Hee hee hee!"

I felt good.

Well, he had probably considered many different factors when choosing the company, but either way, it was good news.

He was one of the greatest actors in Korea.

"Senior, senior."

"Yeah?"

"Your singing improved a lot this time too."

"It did, didn't it?"

"Now you'll be able to sing at overseas fan meetings and things like that."

"……!"

Senior Lee Gyeonwoo nodded with a surprised expression.

"You're right. I can finally sing proudly in front of my fans."

"Yes. But singing in front of them for the first time would make you nervous, wouldn't it?"

"True."

"So how about gaining some real performance experience beforehand? We have our Lemon joint concert."

"I refuse."

"Come on, senior~~"

We clung to him and tempted him by insisting it would be fun, while he rejected us without hesitation.

Cheerful laughter filled the plane.

Before long, the aircraft began its takeoff and rose into the sky.

It crossed the clouds and the ocean until a vast stretch of land appeared below.

At last, the world's greatest metropolis, glittering with magnificent night scenery, appeared in the distance beyond the airplane window.

"Wooooow."

"We're finally here."

The grand final destination that would close out the year 2018.

New York.