I Became the CEO of an Idol Company in a Game – Chapter 112

Author: Cireng

The inside of the rehearsal hall felt oddly warm.

Only half the lights were turned on, and the air on stage carried a mix of dust and the scent of spotlights. Engineers checked the equipment, and the lighting director sent hand signals from above.

At the center of the stage stood the four members of Florence.

Seoah picked up the microphone.

She took a breath, then raised her head.

In their ears were the in-ears I had given them as a gift.

Music began to flow onto the stage.

[NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA]

And Seoah’s voice filled the hall.

It was clear.

Sitting calmly in the middle of the audience seats, I watched the stage. Han Suseok approached me.

“CEO, we’ve matched the sound balance. We lowered the bass a bit.”

“Got it.”

It was a short reply.

“And the number of people for the press reception seats has been finalized.”

“Good work.”

Han Suseok bowed his head. Then, after hesitating for a moment, he spoke.

“Um, there’s a chance reporters might ask about the discord rumors tomorrow.”

“It’s fine.”

I answered while keeping my gaze on the stage.

“Even if they had help from their manager, they’re the ones who filmed and uploaded the video themselves to put an end to those rumors. Besides, they really get along well. They’ll handle it just fine.”

The song flowing on stage had already passed its midpoint.

Mio stretched out her arms wide and spun.

The tips of her hair sparkled under the lights.

[I’ll slowly approach

Surprised

So you won’t wake up]

Hyeju closed her eyes and continued the song.

‘I was worried they might not be able to do the showcase, but thankfully it’s happening on schedule.’

From a music leak to rumors of discord.

There had been so many hardships before Florence could debut.

‘If it weren’t for Joo Youngjun, it wouldn’t have been this difficult.’

“CEO.”

Han Suseok approached again.

“I’ve checked the lunch meeting schedule. I’ll postpone the security report to the afternoon.”

“Alright. Let’s focus on the stage first. It’s our first time seeing this like this too.”

We had seen plenty of practice room sessions and recorded videos, but this was the first time seeing Florence on stage.

‘You can tell they’ve practiced a lot.’

There was no sense of awkwardness or excessive tension.

The music ended.

The four members of Florence bowed their heads at the same time.

“Thank you.”

The lights went out.

The staff applauded, perhaps as a sign of encouragement.

On stage, Yoo Jungyeon was talking with the members.

Her gestures were small and careful, like someone trying not to break something.

Watching that, I slowly stood up.

“Everyone worked hard.”

“CEO!”

The Florence members greeted me warmly.

“Thank you for the gift.”

Kang Seoah pointed to the in-ear in her ear with her finger and smiled brightly.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes. It’s so pretty.”

“That’s a relief.”

“But I heard things like this are really expensive on broadcasts… is it okay for us to accept this?”

Park Chaeha asked in a very cautious tone.

To be honest, it was expensive. But not so expensive that I couldn’t gift it.

“It’s fine. So just work hard from now on. Let’s earn money and move to a really big building.”

I said it in a playful voice.

“We’ll work hard!”

Mio replied, lightly clenching her fist.

A laugh slipped out.

‘They really are still kids.’

When the discord rumors came up, they acted like the world was ending tomorrow, but they recovered quickly and were now smiling brightly.

‘Florence will be fine now.’

Yoo Jungyeon watched them from the side with a satisfied smile.

Kim Jawook, and now Yoo Jungyeon too.

It felt like we had really picked great managers.

‘Meeting people like them is truly a blessing in itself.’

They’re responsible, genuinely care for the idols, and look after them attentively… what more is there to say?

“Alright. Get plenty of rest today, and if you need anything, don’t hesitate to say it.”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Then, see you tomorrow.”

After exchanging light farewells, I left the hall with Han Suseok.

“You’re heading straight back to the company, right?”

“Yeah.”

There was a lot on today’s schedule as well.

Florence’s incoming schedules, stabilizing Spade Joker’s individual activities,

and even preparing Spade Joker’s full album.

‘We also need to wrap up the company relocation soon.’

There was no time to properly enjoy any leisure.

Still, getting through this incident safely without regressing… that alone felt really good.

***

Only a few hours had passed since the rehearsal ended, but the air inside Florence’s dorm felt different.

Everyone was still holding onto the lingering emotions from the rehearsal.

In the dark living room, only the sound of paper rustling could be heard.

Hyeju, sitting on the sofa and scanning the schedule sheet, spoke.

“Are we really debuting tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

Kang Seoah answered briefly.

Her voice was lower than usual.

She tried to maintain composure as a leader, but her eyes didn’t leave the poster on the table.

[FLORENCE – DREAMING]

Under those words, the faces of the four members were evenly printed.

“I thought my heart was going to stop earlier while thinking about the stage.”

Mio hugged a cushion.

“But what if I make a mistake? I’m so nervous I feel like I might mess up.”

Hyeju turned her head.

“It’s okay. If you mess up, just smile. If you smile, everyone will smile with you. Later, you’ll have something to talk about on variety shows. Rookies make mistakes all the time.”

“That’s true.”

Mio let out a small laugh.

At that moment, the door opened.

“Girls.”

Yoo Jungyeon entered. In her hands were four cups of warm drinks.

“It’s herbal tea. No caffeine today.”

Mio smiled as she took a cup.

“Thank you.”

“Starting tomorrow, you’ll really be idols. How do you all feel?”

Excitement was evident in Yoo Jungyeon’s eyes as well.

“I’m really happy.”

“Me too.”

“We’re really becoming idols now.”

“Alright, then drink your tea and go to bed early for tomorrow.”

“Yes!”

***

The morning of Florence’s debut day dawned.

I slept lightly, worried that Joo Youngjun might cause trouble again.

‘Since we’ve made it widely known that the IP tracking is nearing completion, he probably won’t do anything… but still.’

That slight possibility tightened my chest.

But delaying the debut schedule wasn’t an option.

I got up and prepared to go out.

Since I had to attend Florence’s debut showcase, I paid extra attention to my appearance.

Thanks to variety shows, my face was widely known, so articles about me would definitely come out.

If I showed up looking worn out, there would be endless articles saying the company was in crisis due to the leak incident.

‘Guess I’m practically a public figure now.’

A navy suit with a black tie.

I dressed as neatly as possible.

Then I headed straight to the company.

“Good morning, CEO.”

“Morning.”

After briefly greeting them, I entered the CEO’s office.

The pile of documents to review still hadn’t decreased.

‘I want to hire at least five secretaries someday.’

It was a sincere wish.

Knock knock.

A knock was heard.

“Yes.”

“CEO.”

The one who entered was Han Suseok. Behind him followed composer Han Youngjoo.

“Composer.”

“CEO.”

Her presence meant a new song had come out.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Yes.”

Han Youngjoo sat down naturally.

She looked very different from when she first entered this office.

“Well… I received an offer for a drama OST. The title is [Hansoo and Soohan].”

It was a drama starring Kang Woojin.

“They said they’d like to receive any songs I have with a similar vibe. So I sent a few samples. As a result, they replied saying they wanted a song called [Jjan].”

Han Youngjoo continued calmly.

“Yes.”

I replied, but it wasn’t easy to connect what she was saying with Spade Joker or Florence.

‘What is she trying to say?’

“But then the production team asked which singer I’d like to recommend. So I immediately recommended Florence. They said they’d listen to them sing at today’s debut showcase, and if it’s good, they’d like to ask them to do the OST vocals.”

This was a good opportunity.

If appearing on variety shows or YouTube was for gaining recognition, singing a drama OST was a way to prove their vocal ability.

“We’d be happy with that.”

Moreover, since it was a drama starring Kang Woojin, it was bound to succeed.

An OST included in a drama that was guaranteed to do well.

And composed by Han Youngjoo.

This combination was bound to be a hit.

“Then I’ll let them know the company is positive. Once they hear Florence’s singing, the production team will definitely like it. They said they want a song with a clear and clean tone.”

“I’ll ask the Florence members right after the showcase. Thank you for the good news.”

Han Youngjoo smiled, greeted, and left the office.

“CEO.”

“Yeah.”

“They’ve caught the culprit who hacked the company server through Composer Han Youngjoo’s laptop.”

‘Ha. Finally.’

The corners of my mouth rose uncontrollably into a smile.

“Really?”

“Yes. They’re being investigated at the police station right now.”

“Starting from this morning, hearing good news one after another… Florence really must be destined to succeed, huh?”

In a good mood, I joked lightly.

“Seems like it.”