I Became the CEO of an Idol Company in a Game Chapter 100

<Episode 100>

 

[Ha… I’m so excited for the Spade Joker fan meeting. What kind of outfits will our boys wear? What kind of stage will they show?]

↳ I wonder what kind of events are waiting for us.

↳ Honestly, just seeing their faces is enough, but they’re even going to sing and dance in front of us.

↳ And the venue is big this time, which is nice. Four floors. Yeah, CEO. I was worried you’d rent a tiny hall that couldn’t even fit 500 people.

 ↳↳ LOL, the CEO really understands Spade Joker’s popularity. Even four floors might not be enough since it’s only one day.

 ↳↳ But if it’s the 4th floor, you really need to bring binoculars. They look so tiny. And you can’t even stand up because the slope is so steep. If it were a concert, at least they’d ride lifts and move around, but since it’s a fan meeting…

 

[I’m packaging unofficial goods to give out. Photocards, stickers, even memo pads. I wanted to make items people could actually use, so after thinking about it, I made these. (Proof photo of finished packaging.)]

↳ Wow, what is this? I really want to receive one. It looks like something you’d sell.

↳ Why is the quality of unofficial goods so high?

 ↳↳ Is it because it’s made with love? Fan-made goods are seriously on another level because they’re made with love.

 

While reading the Clovers’ reactions as they looked forward to the Spade Joker fan meeting, my finger stopped at one particular post.

 

[Game made using the outfits from Spade Joker’s final stage. But my skills aren’t good enough yet, so all I can do is make them walk around on stage. (Link)]

↳ Wow, that’s some great skill.

↳ Amazing. How did they even make that?

↳ Even just walking around is fun, though?

↳ As expected, there are so many talented Clovers in the world.

 

I clicked the link.

As described in the post, the Spade Joker members were standing on a stage, but aside from walking around, there were no special actions.

However, just the existence of this game seemed to bring great enjoyment to the Clovers.

‘It’d be nice to collaborate with the fan who made this game.’

An idea flashed through my mind.

It would be great to use this game as part of the fan meeting event.

I was about to send a message, but then realized my SNS account was private and stopped.

‘If I send it like this, they’ll think I’m a scammer.’

I already get mistaken for a scammer often because of my name… this time, it almost happened for a different reason.

‘It’d be better to tell the PR team about this tomorrow morning.’

With that, I put my phone down.

“Now that the Spade Joker fan meeting is almost fully prepared and the Florence showcase is also ready, I can just watch things unfold.”

Leaning back on the sofa, I quietly exhaled.

A sense of calm I hadn’t felt in a while.

I hoped things would continue smoothly without any issues.

Then suddenly, a name crossed my mind.

‘Ah. I should also tell A-Pen about Joo Youngjun.’

It wasn’t something to take lightly.

I informed Park Juchan that Joo Youngjun had come to his house and caused an argument, and told him to be careful.

“He really seems to have lost it… Still, he should’ve behaved better when he had the chance. Even if he’s gone mad because of A-Pen, he won’t cross the line any further. If it’s revealed that he spent money to have me followed, his company could collapse. He’d never do something like that.”

Muttering about Joo Youngjun’s personality and values based on what I had seen so far, I steadied myself.

“…Yeah. That must be it.”

With that, I went to sleep.

 

***

 

After the weekend passed, Monday morning arrived as always.

I got ready and arrived at the company as usual.

“Ah, CEO.”

As I was about to get on the elevator, I ran into composer Han Youngjoo for the first time in a while.

Although it had been a long time since we last met, instead of warmth, there was a strange tension about her.

“It’s been a while. Ah, you heard about the company relocation from Team Leader Han, right?”

“Yes, I heard. They said my studio would get bigger, told me to look forward to it.”

Her face clearly showed she had something to say.

“CEO, actually, I have something to tell you.”

“Something to tell me?”

“Yes.”

Judging by her expression, it seemed serious.

“Where would you be comfortable? Your studio? Or the CEO’s office?”

“I think the studio would be better. There’s something I want to show you.”

I followed her into her studio.

True to her calm personality, the interior was neatly organized.

“Please sit here.”

As I sat down, Han Youngjoo fiddled with her laptop, then turned the screen toward me.

It was an email.

The sender’s name was unfamiliar, but the content was both familiar… and unpleasant.

“At first, they just contacted me asking to buy a song, but when I refused, they crossed the line.”

She clicked the mouse, opening another email.

[Hello, Composer Han Youngjoo.

I am sending this email to propose something to you.

Ramos Entertainment is far too small to contain your talent. Why not move to a bigger place and pursue your ambitions with us?]

They were asking her to break her exclusive contract and join them.

‘I knew it.’

A sense of déjà vu hit me.

There was no need to check who sent the email.

‘It’s CEO Joo Youngjun.’

“Composer.”

“Yes.”

“You can give your songs anywhere else, but not to them.”

“I already rejected them a long time ago.”

After hearing that, I checked the email date… it had been sent a month ago.

“I saw a group called Spade. I saw how they tried to take what Spade Joker built so easily… how could I possibly give them my song?”

Han Youngjoo seemed to have more attachment to Spade Joker than expected.

On top of that, she must have been anxious that she might end up experiencing something similar.

At this point, it was almost impressive in a different sense that Joo Youngjun could still run an entertainment company despite building such bad blood in the industry.

“But actually, that’s not the real problem.”

She clicked the mouse again.

[Florence Title Track Unreleased Demo – Attached File]

I instinctively inhaled sharply.

“…What is this?”

“I received it this morning. The sender is clearly using a fake name, and they even blocked IP tracking. But the problem is…”

She pressed play.

The music that came through the speakers was familiar.

A song I had listened to dozens, hundreds of times, and requested to be adjusted to a female key.

It was Florence’s debut track.

More precisely, it was an unreleased demo that hadn’t even finished mixing yet.

“I checked the file properties. It didn’t come from my work device. This is…”

“Server hacking.”

I finished her sentence.

Since only she and I had received this file, it couldn’t be an insider leak.

It had to be an external intrusion.

Originally, she wasn’t even the one who composed the song… her university senior did.

Another possibility was that the attached file sent to her for review had been hacked.

“…Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped me.

‘If that’s the case, the final version might have been hacked too.’

Assuming the final version was safe just because she didn’t compose it herself was far too optimistic.

If they accessed the company server through her work laptop, there was a high chance they extracted various internal data.

‘Stay calm. This has to be handled properly.’

“It seems like they hacked through my work laptop… What should we do? If this unfinished file leaks, it’ll basically mean the title track gets released before debut… and in a low-quality state.”

Han Youngjoo spoke anxiously.

She wasn’t wrong.

If this demo spreads online, Florence’s debut impact would be severely weakened.

And at this point, it was impossible to change the debut track.

‘We’ve already finished filming the music video… how could we scrap it now?’

“I reported the email immediately, and I only opened the file without saving it. But…”

She manipulated the laptop again and showed me a captured image.

There was a short message written on it.

[The leak is only a preview.]

The moment I saw it, the back of my neck burned.

This wasn’t just recruitment.

This was a threat… and a clear crime.

“Composer. This is no longer something you can handle alone.”

“Then should we report it to the police?”

“No. Reporting it is something we must do… but not right now.”

The moment we report it, the media will catch on.

If it were good news, fine… but drawing attention because of a leaked debut song would damage the company’s image and credibility.

‘So we report it later. For now, we handle it internally.’

I took out my phone.

“First, we need an internal meeting.”

I immediately called the head of the PR team.

The PR team needed to act before things escalated. If this leak spread online, we had to respond as quickly as possible.

“CEO, should Florence know about this?”

Han Youngjoo asked cautiously.

I thought for a moment.

“Let’s keep it from them for now. They should focus only on preparing for the showcase.”

If Florence found out, they would surely be shaken.

“If they go through something like this before their debut, their mental state won’t hold up. We have to keep it from them as much as possible. And we should inform Composer Choi Minjun as well. Also, please don’t use this laptop for the time being… just in case.”

“Understood.”

I had to use every resource at my disposal to resolve this.

‘Ha… I thought he’d just nitpick and release a few rumor articles… but he’s really crossed the line.’

If I failed to handle this properly, everything could collapse back to square one.

‘Looks like I’m the one who’s all-in now.’

It seemed like the time had come to settle things with Joo Youngjun.

‘Fine. Whether you fall or I do… let’s take this to the very end.’