I Became the CEO of an Idol Company in a Game Chapter 101

<Episode 101>

 

As soon as I left the studio, I called Han Suseok.

My fingertips were trembling slightly.

“Looks like the company server was hacked through Composer Han Youngjoo’s laptop.”

I kept my voice as calm as possible.

[Hacked?]

Han Suseok’s voice dropped sharply.

“Yeah. It seems like they were aiming for Spade Joker’s new song. But since Spade Joker’s comeback hasn’t been scheduled yet, it looks like they settled for second best and took Composer Choi Minjun’s Florence debut track instead. There was also a threatening email.”

A brief silence followed.

It seemed Han Suseok was organizing his thoughts.

[Was the leaked file a recording?]

“No. Not that. The original. The guide recording.”

At least that was somewhat fortunate.

It wasn’t the final version recorded with Florence’s voice, but a guide track.

‘If it had been the final version….’

Just thinking about it made me dizzy.

If the song leaked, the level of attention Florence would receive at her debut would drop significantly.

But that didn’t mean there would be no damage just because it was a guide track.

“It would be best to report it right away, but if we do, the fact that the song was leaked will be revealed immediately. First, we need to trace the email IP. I’ll hand over Composer Han Youngjoo’s work laptop, so please check it.”

[Understood.]

“Hire a lawyer too. Inform the PR team. We need to be fully prepared to respond immediately. If this goes wrong even once, there’s no coming back.”

Han Suseok didn’t respond for a moment, probably organizing the tasks.

[Yes, sir. I’ll prepare everything without a hitch.]

“And for the time being, we need to strengthen internal security. Notify all employees not to open suspicious emails. Especially the A&R team. Also, bring in additional experts to inspect the server.”

With that, I ended the call.

“Haah….”

A sigh escaped me.

My head throbbed.

‘What if it’s already been leaked for real?’

What if Joo Youngjun had crossed the final line?

There were two things I had to do.

Legal action if it had been leaked, and how to resolve the situation.

‘Seeing that email, maybe they don’t actually intend to leak it… but….’

Maybe it was because I had regressed so many times, but I had developed the habit of always assuming the worst-case scenario and preparing for it.

Anxiety began to slowly boil inside me.

I leaned back on the sofa, steadied my breathing, and closed my eyes.

I needed to organize my thoughts.

‘Alright, let’s think this through calmly.’

Response scenarios were unfolding in my head.

Lawyers, IT experts, PR team, member protection, and media response.

I went through my contacts again and sent messages to team leaders within the company and partner IP firms.

[Urgent meeting needed this morning. Regarding the unreleased demo leak and threats. Evidence is being secured. Requesting an immediate meeting.]

Now the procedure was set.

Just then, the PR team leader called.

[Sir, we can hold the emergency meeting. We’ve also sent you the initial monitoring report and keyword list. We’ve detected a few suspicious posts in fan communities.]

I took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

“Good. From now on, we move first. I’ll take responsibility and control this situation, so let’s respond calmly.”

After hanging up, another sigh escaped me.

But this time, it wasn’t from helplessness… it was from the certainty that we were ready to act.

In my mind, the next steps were already clearly laid out.

Legal response: hire a lawyer and hold internal meetings.

Establish criminal and civil handling plans based on evidence of the threatening email and file leak.

1. IT Security: trace logs to identify IPs and access routes, check for abnormalities in the internal network, and prevent external distribution.
2. PR Team: strengthen monitoring of communities and SNS, block rumors and any signs of leaks immediately,

‘From here on, speed is key. The side that moves first has the advantage.’

At that moment, my phone rang again.

It didn’t get a moment’s rest.

This time, it was the IT consultant.

He was someone I had hired every cycle for security after going through several incidents early on due to security issues.

[Sir, we’ve completed checking the logs. We found several suspicious external access records. The access route is Composer Han Youngjoo’s laptop. However, we can’t rule out the possibility of an insider.]

I bit my lip.

‘Right. There’s no way we’d find them in one go.’

They had already leaked files and even sent a threatening email… There was no way they’d make it easy to catch them.

It was highly likely that this was an organized and sophisticated operation.

‘But it can’t be an insider.’

The employees I have right now are trustworthy.

If there had been an issue, I would have eliminated them the moment I regressed.

In all the regressions so far, as long as I did my job properly, they had never betrayed me.

‘I can’t be 100% certain, but I don’t want to suspect them either.’

Moreover, there was almost no connection between Composer Han Youngjoo and the other employees.

They greeted each other, but her studio was in the basement, making it difficult for anyone to go there.

And besides me, no one else even knew her email address.

“Alright. Save all the records and back them up. Once we hire a lawyer, we’ll use them as legal evidence. Share everything with the PR team immediately as well.”

[Yes, understood.]

After ending the call, I leaned back in my chair and took a moment to think.

‘I will never go back again. No matter what, I’ll endure this time.’

Closing my eyes, I took another deep breath.

‘I’ve assumed the worst, so now it’s time to prepare for the best… If the guide track leaks, how do we protect Florence’s promotion and image? That’s the key.’

As soon as the call ended, I moved to the meeting room.

The PR team leader had already laid out the materials.

“First, prioritize blocking the spread of rumors and responding to fan communities. And don’t inform the members yet. We need to minimize the shock before the debut.”

The IT consultant’s representative soon arrived at the meeting room as well.

“Sir, we’re organizing the external access records and analyzing logs for legal evidence. We’ll deliver them once they’re compiled. However, since an insider possibility remains, we’ll also need to inspect internal access permissions and server logs in parallel.”

I nodded.

We couldn’t rule out the possibility that someone had cleverly staged it to look like an insider job.

‘If this isn’t just about leaking Florence’s song to ruin the comeback, but an attempt to shake Ramos Entertainment itself….’

If Joo Youngjun was really behind this, it would be just like him.

“Good. Work with Team Leader Han to inspect the internal network as well. At the same time, the PR team blocks rumors and strengthens monitoring of external communities.”

The meeting progressed quickly.

As everyone reconfirmed their roles and sequence of actions, I organized plans in my head tied to the Spade Joker fan meeting schedule.

The Spade Joker fan meeting was this weekend.

The venue was a four-floor hall, so there was physical distance between the audience and the members, but interaction could be maximized through games and events.

‘We need to prepare the game collaboration for immediate use too.’

I spoke to the PR team.

“Next, for this Spade Joker fan meeting, prepare audience-participation games and events linked with the members on stage. Make it possible to interact even without lifts, prepare a mobile app and QR banners.”

The team members immediately started taking notes.

“Yes, sir. We’ll also check the stability of the event webpage and on-site Wi-Fi.”

“We should also link the photocard, sticker, and goods giveaway events. Make it so top-scoring participants in the game can receive them.”

This incident must not interfere with Spade Joker’s fan meeting.

If it did, all kinds of talk would flood SNS.

The image of a capable company we had built up so far could collapse again, threatening the company’s very existence.

“There must be no mistakes or controversies at the Spade Joker fan meeting. If something happens now, everything we’ve built will collapse at once.”

The staff nodded with determined expressions.

“I know it’s tough and busy, but I’m asking for your help.”

“Sir, we’ll overcome this together.”

“That’s right.”

Their bright responses made me grateful.

“Good. Let’s get through this. Together.”

“Yes!”

After the meeting ended and I returned to my office, I threw myself onto the sofa and closed my eyes for a moment.

The worst-case scenarios still flickered in my mind.

But now we had a plan, and all employees and partner firms were moving.

I picked up my phone and checked the messages.

The IT consultant, Han Suseok, and the PR team were all reporting progress in real time.

Each small vibration heightened my tension, but strangely, I also felt reassured.

Because I could feel the response measures falling into place.

Sunlight streamed in through the window.

It wasn’t perfect peace, but at this moment, I realized I had the power to control the situation.

And quietly, I made a vow to myself.

‘This weekend’s Spade Joker fan meeting, and Florence’s debut… I’ll make sure both end safely.’

I took another deep breath, got up from the sofa, and turned on my laptop.

Preparations for this weekend’s fan meeting and events, along with internal security checklists, began stacking neatly in my mind.

There was too much to do.

Joo Youngjun would have to wait for now.

But that didn’t mean I was giving up.

‘We just need to track the IP and find the hacker. That’s all.’

If they hired someone with money, we could do the same.

‘A white hat hacker.’

In a way, this might even be an opportunity.

If we could prove that Joo Youngjun was behind this incident and bring him down properly…

‘The problem is that this opportunity came with far too much risk.’