I Became the CEO of an Idol Company in a Game Chapter 22

<Episode 22>

 

After PD Yoo left, I sat back down and carefully began reading through the article claiming to be my exclusive interview.

[CEO John Raid Lombardi shared that during his university days, he was unintentionally caught up in a romantic rivalry. What’s interesting is that neither of the two women even confessed to him, nor did they ask him out on a date.]

“…From that far away, she sure heard everything clearly.”

There had definitely been quite a distance between the journalist’s table and ours.

And given it was a barbecue restaurant, it wasn’t even quiet.

Considering other company groups were dining nearby, her hearing was honestly impressive.

‘Did she plant a bug or something?’

[When asked whether he had a girlfriend, CEO John Raid Lombardi burst into laughter. He then stated that now is the time to focus on his business.]

[His next goal, he said, is to grow the group Spade Joker to the point where people recognize their songs just by hearing the group’s name.]

“With this much detail, no wonder the PD thought I actually did an interview.”

A sigh kept escaping me.

Even things we talked about near the very end of the company dinner were written down in detail without missing anything.

The one who asked that question had been that employee, the one who hosted the Q&A session.

He cautiously asked if he could ask just one thing, then casually asked whether I had a girlfriend.

When I said no, he asked why not, so I just brushed it off vaguely.

‘How could I date anyone when I keep getting sent back to the past every time the company is in trouble? That’s impossible.’

If I had to repeatedly break up with a girlfriend against my will and rebuild the relationship from scratch over and over again, I would’ve gone insane.

Deciding there was no point in reading further, I shook my head and put my phone down.

“Han Suseok.”

As soon as I called him, he opened the office door and walked in.

“Yes, you called?”

“Do you remember Reporter Kim Yerin? The one who handed us her business card at the company dinner?”

“Yes, I remember. Why? Did she request another interview?”

I handed him my phone, still displaying the article that claimed to be my interview.

“…What is this?”

Since Han Suseok knew I would never have interviewed without him knowing, his eyes widened in shock.

“I think that reporter overheard our conversation and pulled this stunt. Her name’s right there.”

“What did you say?”

His voice rose an octave.

That meant he was angry.

Han Suseok was such a principled person that he despised anyone who gained benefits through unfair means.

So right now, he was angrier than anyone.

“I’ll take action immediately.”

“Yeah. I’m counting on you. And about Spade Joker’s lightstick.”

“Yes.”

“I think we should change it. The current design is terrible. Put up a notice to the fans telling them not to waste money buying the one currently on sale. Ask for the design to be something like this. And contact the company listed next to it. The current manufacturer is cheap, but that’s all it has going for it.”

“Understood. I’ll proceed with that.”

“Yeah.”

Honestly, I didn’t even want to imagine how I would’ve managed without Han Suseok.

‘If things go well, I should give him a major position later.’

Overwhelmed by sudden fatigue, I closed my eyes for a moment.

“I’m really tired.”

All I wanted was to escape this cycle and live a peaceful life.

“…Haa.”

After taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes again.

“Let’s get back to work.”

I steadied myself and turned my attention back to the documents.

 

***

 

Meanwhile, Clover (the fandom) had pooled funds to put up electronic billboard ads for Spade Joker.

Watching Spade Joker’s video displayed prominently in a busy subway station filled them with satisfaction.

“Good. Let’s keep building this up step by step.”

They were burning with determination to make Spade Joker win first place on music shows.

They ran nonstop streaming using spare phones and asked friends to help increase music video views.

“But still, our boys were nominated for first place for the first time yesterday.”

In their second week of promotions, Spade Joker achieved the feat of being nominated for first place.

They didn’t win, but for both Spade Joker and Clover, it was a huge milestone.

“You saw how they held Clover’s hands on their way home yesterday, right? I’m so jealous.”

“Why is it always when I’m not there? I swear, I always miss out on these moments. How is that even possible?”

After being nominated for the first time, the members approached fans first on their way home and shook their hands to express gratitude.

Photos of this quickly spread on social media, along with stories of the manager sticking unusually close to them to prevent any safety incidents.

“Oh? There’s a notice posted on the official account.”

At that, Clover all checked their phones at once.

“Oh?”

“The lightstick is getting renewed, right?!”

“Wow.”

“Since there are many new fans, even though there’s still time left, they’re notifying us early so we don’t end up spending money twice.”

Clover erupted into cheers.

Forgetting they were in a subway station.

They were too happy to care about social appearances.

“I was just thinking the current lightstick looked outdated.”

“Seriously, did you see that meme?”

 

[Do Spade Joker fans not have lightsticks? Why is it so dark? (Screenshot from a music show audience shot)]

↳ Sorry, but don’t hit us with facts like that.

↳ It used to be true, but not anymore… I wanted to attend broadcasts but couldn’t. You can tell their popularity has grown, but there’s one big problem… our lightstick’s brightness is insanely bad. And not in a good way.

↳ Other fandoms’ lightsticks are like “We’re here!” bright. Ours? Not even close. We even joked that Clover’s lightstick is as dark as our future…

 

“Looks like we’re finally escaping that. I’m so emotional. I don’t need anything else, just make it brighter.”

“Did the CEO get struck by lightning or something? Or maybe he has an identical twin? Otherwise, how could this happen?”

“I used to think people never change, but now I’ve learned they actually can.”

Clover’s expressions were gentle.

They felt like they could forgive anything today.

“The manager also seems like a really good person. He even came to the fan meetup before work, and he takes such good care of the members.”

“Exactly. I don’t think we need to worry anymore. Anyway, let’s go on a pilgrimage tour.”

“Sounds good.”

The subway station where they placed ads wasn’t just one location.

“We’ll have to move quickly to see them all.”

 

***

 

Knock knock.

“Sir.”

Han Suseok spoke in a slightly trembling voice.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll come in for a moment.”

“Okay.”

He entered the office.

His expression didn’t look good.

“What is it? Something happened?”

“After we released the official statement that you’ve never done a personal interview, I contacted Reporter Kim Yerin…”

He trailed off and swallowed dryly.

‘Did she raise her voice at him instead?’

There were people like that.

Even when they hadn’t lied or written anything outright malicious, they’d insist there was no problem and tell you to take it to court.

They exploited the fact that lawsuits were complicated and that busy people didn’t want extra trouble.

“She said she wants to meet you in person to talk, and she came here.”

“What?”

This was even more absurd than the PD showing up earlier.

‘What is today? Why is everyone showing up unannounced?’

It felt like no one had any sense of manners.

‘Do I look that easy?’

Objectively speaking, John Raid Lombardi’s appearance didn’t look easy to deal with.

But being the CEO of a small agency probably made people underestimate me.

“I told her firmly it wasn’t possible, but she refuses to leave and is holding her ground.”

“She’s refusing to leave?”

“Yes.”

I could easily picture how she was behaving.

“She’s something else. Waiting until I come out?”

Judging by Han Suseok’s careful nod, I was right.

“I’ll go out myself. People like that won’t stop, no matter what anyone says… they only care about achieving their goal.”

I stood up.

“I’m sorry.”

“What do you have to apologize for? Since it’s come to this, let’s get the apology directly… from the person herself.”

 

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