Chapter 384

Side Story (1)

Running an idol agency is really not easy.

And I never wanted to know that for the rest of my life.

“Self-produced content isn’t just for the existing fanbase. It’s also meant to draw in new fans. If it’s not at least somewhat entertaining to watch, it’s hard for the content to do well. Frankly, unless they’re already a fan, most people won’t really watch our artists just sitting around chatting and playing quietly.”

“…….”

“Director-nim, I understand you’re worried because of what happened to Yuda-ssi at the Idol Sports Championship … but even so, I think we still need to include at least some physically active games.”

But my life has always rolled in exactly the opposite direction of where I want it to go.

“Haa…….”

As I pressed my throbbing head and let out a deep sigh, I could feel the employees’ eyes flickering restlessly. I mean, I, too, would love to just shut up and walk away if I could, but this wasn’t something I could control.

Ever since I took on the director title, I’ve been sticking my nose into every single detail, down to the most trivial matters. How frustrating must that be for the employees? Still, I couldn’t stop myself. I’m the kind of person who can’t relax unless I’ve personally touched every step of the process, from start to finish. In that respect, I was the complete opposite of Choi Jeokhyeon, who wouldn’t even bother to get reports on meetings of this level.

“When you say active games, what exactly are you referring to?”

“We also want to avoid any safety accidents, so we’re only thinking of the standard ones, like relay races, tug-of-war, dodgeball, and group jump rope.”

“…Relay race?”

“…….”

“Dodgeball?”

It meant no.

Fine, I’m a crazy helicopter parent, a total monster parent.

I’m the kind of guardian who keeps my kids in my pocket for life, spoiling them so much that it actually hinders their growth. To be honest, I’m scared to death. I still dream about the day Do Yuda got injured and the day Jo Inchan collapsed.

‘I’d rather you just have them play Cleopatra.’¹

Just as I was thinking that, one of the employees spoke up.

“In that case, how about a game that doesn’t require physical activity, like Cleopatra?”

“…Cleopatra.”

No, actually, I hate Cleopatra even more. This place is full of people who make a living with their voices, so how could I make them do that atrocious thing, straining their voices with bad technique just to squeeze out high notes?

“Haa…….”

For a brief moment, the image of two fools, arms around each other’s shoulders and fists bumped together, flashed through my mind.

“I love games. I love singing, uhehe.”

“Bring it on, whatever it is. I’ll trample it.”

Do Yuda is our high-note specialist, and he once badly injured his ankle, yet whatever the staff asked him to do, he would just smile like an innocent border collie and say it was all fine. Nagi Zen might be surprisingly sturdy, but that guy really needs to be more cautious, though he’ll probably never understand just how worried I am.

“Actually, that worries me too. We have several kids who won’t think about the damage to their throats and will just push themselves to scream purely based on their competitive spirit.”

When I ended up putting even the suggestion they had put forth with great effort on hold, a brief look of disappointment flickered across the employees’ faces. Just as I lowered my gaze a little, feeling like some kind of tyrannical boss, someone knocked on the meeting room door.

Knock, knock.

“Looks like the meeting isn’t going too well?”

The one who walked in was Choi Jeokhyeon, holding a brown paper bag to his chest. It probably contained the hamburger I’d asked him to get for me. I’d been too busy with work to eat properly, so I’d used the CEO as my personal delivery service. I absolutely didn’t expect him to bring it straight into the meeting room, of all places, though.

“…….”

Just look at the employees’ faces.

Judging by how their eyes were practically about to pop out, they were clearly thinking that guy would be the last person to ever do something so ill-mannered as bring food into a meeting room.

‘It’s a damn huge relief that he’s the CEO…….’

Still, I couldn’t exactly complain when he’d gone through the trouble of getting it for me. I quietly thanked him, said I’d eat it after the meeting, and took the bag. But when I checked inside, the hamburger, fries, and cola I’d been craving were nowhere to be found. Instead, it was filled with a freshly made panini, some sort of green salad, and a smoothie packed with kale, carrots, and tomatoes.

‘He’s definitely trying to mess with me. Be it a prank or just a bunch of leaves.’

Should I be thankful that at least there’s no smell?

I stared at Choi Jeokhyeon with a look that said, ‘What kind of nonsense is this?‘, but that guy just skimmed through the meeting notes with a completely composed expression. Then, as if he’d already grasped the whole situation in an instant, he turned to me and asked,

“Why did you reject even the simple high-note-screaming game? This one looks fine to me.”

“That’s a given. The kids have been busy with countless schedules lately, so they’re probably not in the best condition. I can’t risk pushing them unnecessarily.”

“I didn’t know you thought of vocal cords as fragile as glass.”

“Of course. They perform so often that if we don’t take extra care, something terrible could happen…….”

“Then shouldn’t you quit smoking, Yutae-ya?”

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, I was momentarily at a loss for words.

I pressed my lips together, then subtly avoided his gaze and spoke in a small voice, “Why does the conversation turn into this topic again…….”

Ah, I felt myself shrinking.

Not long ago, Seo Yuseong had already gave me an earful about this, and now this guy’s giving me a hard time too.

“Did you have your first meal yet?”

At his question, my eyes reflexively shifted toward the paper bag.

Choi Jeokhyeon took a small breath, then pressed his lips tightly together without saying a word.

‘That’s why I told you to buy three hamburger sets, so I could eat them all at once. Why are you acting like this?‘

“How about sleep?”

“…….”

Stop staring at me.

At this rate, he’s going to burn a hole through my face.

He must not have liked that I was pretending to be distracted, because he kept his gaze fixed on me and quietly called out to me.

“Director Seo.”

Yeah. I’m the Director, and you’re the CEO, you bastard.

“Shouldn’t we refrain from having personal conversation in the meeting room, Director-nim?”

“I’m only trying to look after the health of one of my company’s artists. Is there a problem with that?”

“No, I mean, you yourself were drinking wine until dawn, even though you have work today…….”

“I’m not an idol, am I?”

This level of conversation among men of such considerable age, rank, and social standing was truly embarrassing.

[Ah, that crazy Director stole the CEO’s car keys ㅠㅠ hahaha]

└ Why lolololol are they fighting again?

└ CEO LSH was caught blocking the Director from being able to order coffee at the company cafe. A major awkward situation for the part-timers

└ Ah, f*ck, they kept putting up ‘sold out’ signs every day, but it’s only getting caught now? Seriously, does it even make sense for coffee to be sold out that often at a cafe lolololol Ha… I’ve already left work …… CEO-nim, please, can’t you two start your fights before I clock out? Why is it that every time I’m not around, they they start providing unlimited hilarious content?

└ So, what happened next? Did the CEO get mad? How did he manage to get home?

└ Nope, he was just laughing. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen the CEO laugh. As for the ride home, it seems the Director felt guilty after stealing the keys, because he came back to pick him up hahaha

└ ? So, what did he actually want to do in the end?

└ I have no idea.

Not wanting to add more instances of embarrassing stories about us, which were already circulating in multiple posts on the company bulletin board and anonymous online communities, I hurriedly chased him out of the meeting room and then continued the meeting.

“Ahem, my apologies. So … I think the remaining events should be fine, but I’d like to skip the relay race. Right before each event, we should check the members’ condition and make sure anyone who isn’t feeling well sits out. I also think it would be best to set up the company clinic outside just for the field day so we can respond immediately if any safety incidents occur.”

“Understood, I’ll check and make the necessary preparations.”

“And instead of the relay race, I’d like to have other content that can properly fill the airtime … I’m thinking we could do a parade-style entrance for the artists. Since it wouldn’t be fun to just send them out, let’s have each group freely choose their own team T-shirts to wear. Please collect the requests from each team leader and place the orders.”

“Team T-shirts?”

I ignored the gaze of the employee, who seemed slightly puzzled, and answered.

“…I heard that these days, kids often wear things like class T-shirts for school sports days. Since their idol careers have kept them busy, they probably haven’t had the chance to properly participate in a school sports day. That’s why I thought it would be nice to let them experience it, at least this way.”

I briefly wondered whether this company outing, run by an overly doting fool, could actually be pulled off successfully. But since I didn’t care much about the event’s success, I quickly underlined the phrase “Safety First” in the documents.

“Phew, let’s prepare this carefully. Carefully.”

What matters most isn’t fun or anything like that. This outing absolutely must conclude safely.

If that isn’t upheld, I might end up performing a purge on the individuals responsible.

***

Time passed and passed, and finally, the day of the outing arrived.

“Hello, I’m Gong Seonghwa, and I’ll be your MC for today’s YT Family Field Day.”

After all the preparations were complete and the filming began, Raize’s center, Gong Seonghwa, kicked off the opening with a very cheerful voice. I’d heard that as soon as his group activity contract ended, he contacted our company first to express his interest in signing with us, and judging by the fact that he even took on the role of MC for this field day, it seemed he was settling in quite well.

“The artists are scheduled to make their entrance in a parade a little later, so each team’s tent is still completely empty right now. In the meantime, it would be great if you could at least take a shot of our handsome Director.”

Just as I was letting my guard down, having confirmed that his lines were flowing smoothly without a hitch, Gong Seonghwa suddenly spun toward the judges’ table where I was sitting and launched a surprise attack. I had been checking messages from the staff, but following the MC’s comment, I awkwardly bowed my head toward the camera that immediately turned my way.

“Yes, yes, oh my, congratulations on being handsome.”

Seonghwa-ya, what on earth kind of baseless remark was that?

“The outfit looks so pretty. But then, that’s only to be expected with a good hanger!”

Actually, I had planned to focus more on my role as a director during this field day, so I didn’t want to stand out too much. But just now, Gong Seonghwa’s actions completely ruined that plan. I haven’t even gotten started.

“First, for this field day, we’ll start with the parade, and next…….”

I let out a sigh as I watched Gong Seonghwa, who seemed to have finally remembered his MC duties after briefly forgetting them, continue his commentary naturally. At that moment, Choi Jeokhyeon, arriving a little late, came over and sat down beside me.

“You tied your hair up.”

“Yeah, I thought it might get in the way.”

I cast a quick glance at him and clicked my tongue, “Seriously, you’re wearing a suit even on a day like this?”

The contrast between me, wearing the training set and cap that the brand I’m an ambassador for specifically requested, and Choi Jeokhyeon, dressed in a classic suit, was quite ridiculous.

‘It’s an event for company bonding, so I did tell him to come check it out even if he had to squeeze in the time … but I never thought he’d show up looking like that.’

“I had a brief lunch appointment this morning.”

“Did you go on a blind date? Well, I guess you’re at that age.”

“No, the Chairman of the Inseo Welfare Foundation wanted to treat me to a meal.”

“Wow, that person is so repulsive. Can you even stomach a meal with him?”

“Is he that off-putting?”

“Just cut him loose. I’ve heard some nasty gossip about him too. He seems like a ticking time bomb, so why waste your time? If you get involved with that bastard and our agency gets dragged down, we’re both done for.”

“Okay.”

I let out a sneer as I watched Choi Jeokhyeon pretending to be innocent.

‘So it’s okay not to attend the meeting, but not okay to wear casual clothes?’

That guy … I can guarantee that even if there hadn’t been a meeting, he would have shown up in a suit. So much so that the Prism and Pantheion members, who’ve been working with him for years, were utterly shocked to realize they’d only ever seen Choi Jeokhyeon in casual clothes once. He was stubborn about the strangest things. Maybe it’s unavoidable, given his position.

“Well then, Leading K-pop! YT Entertainment Field Day! Let’s begin!”

While we were chatting, Gong Seonghwa finished the opening remarks and held the cue cards toward the camera to announce the start of the field day. Then, a Prism song, widely used as a cheer song at sporting events across South Korea, began to play. To put it bluntly, it was the very song that fills my bank account handsomely every Olympic and World Cup season.

“Seize the victory! Charge ahead!

Let’s go! Korea!”

“Alright, for the parade, of course the team with the least seniority, our trainee team, should appear first, right? It may feel unfair, but that’s how society works. Trainee team, please make your entrance!”

They shyly entered the center of the field, closely following a staff member wearing a chick mascot head and holding a foam board sign that read ‘Trainee Team‘. The Team T-shirts chosen by the trainees were an exact replica of the sportswear Prism had worn on stage, which had been popularized during the promotions for the song currently playing.

‘They’re really trying hard to do well in their social life.’

While I was casually watching those guys with a fond, amused gaze, I suddenly felt a chill in a corner of my chest. As I slowly tried to figure out what was wrong, Choi Jeokhyeon scanned my outfit from head to toe and then smiled brightly.

“Ahhh!”

Realizing the problem a moment too late, I jumped to my feet.

Those were clothes from the sportswear brand Prism had modeled for back when we were still rookies, the one that achieved a complete sellout because of us. So wearing that here was a problem. Simply put, it made me look like I was blatantly disregarding the brand I’m currently an ambassador for.

‘t’s problematic enough that it overlaps in the clothing category. so why, of all things, did it have to be that brand!’

In the past, sales often rose or fell depending on whether or not a brand had managed to hire Prism as its model, so there was a time when multiple brands fiercely competed to sign a contract with us. But who would’ve thought that the two brands that fought the hardest back then would end up side by side like this today?

It felt like having my ex and my current lover in the same room.

“Director-nim, I love you!”

“Prism sunbaenims are the best!”

The trainee kids, completely unaware my internal turmoil, jumped up and down and made heart shapes with their arms.

In the end, I, pale as a sheet, forced a Buddha-like smile and made a time-out sign with my arms.

‘I’m f**ked up.’

Could you believe that our adorable kids are actually assassins?

…NG, NG!

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Translator’s Corner:

1. Refers to the game 안녕클레오파트라 (Hello Cleopatra), a game of consists of taking turns repeating the same song with a higher pitch than the previous player. If you’re curious, watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O9sotLwAb8 ↩︎

Welcome to Top Idol’s Revenge side story 🙂 The genre here is real happy healing with slice of life ^^ #NoHoax

Gong Seonghwa living his dream life … author-nim, please, I want to see OG!Han Seungbeom interaction with him …. I think it would be cute ….

I think I said it some chapters ago that my water well pump was not working … it officially died #cantbeusedanymore #repairshopgaveup today. So now I have no water asdfghjkl Wow I really cant dream of getting isekai-d as those rofan mc that’s living independent farming life …. I can’t even handle this level of repair.

It’s no helping too that, even though I live in rural area, this is coastal area. I once went to live in a mountain rural area for 1 month for college project, and the water system there really nice … every house just straight up using the water from the mountain (and it’s a very clean, pure, refreshing water too). The water just flowing on the pipes 24/7. If I live in that kind of place, I won’t have this kind of no water problem just because a machine broke … sigh, I really think that’s how human supposed to live but capitalism and urbanization ruined it all

Thank you so much Anonymous for the lightstick!

(and thank you for making my day!)