I Became the CEO of an Idol Company in a Game – Chapter 3

Author: Cireng

As soon as the meal ended, I brought Spade Joker back to the company.

Now that I had fed them, it was time to revise the contract.

“The original contract is getting torn up. We’ll proceed with a new one.”

I rummaged through the drawer, pulled out Spade Joker’s contract, and ripped it cleanly in half.

Han Suseok and the members of Spade Joker stammered in confusion at my sudden action.

“There. You saw that, right? The old contract is gone now.”

Spade Joker silently rolled their eyes around, as if they couldn’t believe the situation.

“If there are any conditions you want, go ahead and say them.”

Silence fell.

No one opened their mouth.

Since they reacted like this every time we renewed contracts, I continued speaking.

“Then I’ll go first. That’s okay, right?”

I could see their pupils trembling slightly.

They seemed worried I might present an even worse contract than before.

“Usually contracts are for seven years, but we’re already in our fourth year, right?”

Cain answered by nodding.

“So from now on, let’s make it a three-year contract.”

A three-year contract was rare in this industry.

Especially when the original contract hadn’t even ended yet, revising terms like this was even rarer.

“And I’ll change the settlement ratio, too. 7:3. This time, you guys get the 7.”

At that point, the members of Spade Joker’s eyes widened in shock.

‘Giving 7:3 to a group with no results yet doesn’t make sense logically… but even with this ratio, if we just get that one song, they’ll easily surpass the break-even point with their next album. Even if there’s a slight loss, it doesn’t matter… I just need to make them succeed, reach number one in the industry, and return to reality.’

“And for the time being, you’ll go into a rest period. I’ll also get you a dedicated manager. You won’t have to awkwardly travel with Team Leader Han or me anymore.”

As I said that, I thought of a man with a sharp, almost gangster-like appearance.

I had hesitated because of his looks, but eventually hired him around my sixth loop when I had no other options.

He treated Spade Joker like his own younger siblings and was highly capable at handling work.

‘He said he had many younger siblings in his family, so he was used to taking care of others.’

In a previous loop, after Spade Joker grew enough to win the grand prize, he was even promoted to team leader.

Aside from Han Suseok, he was the most trustworthy person.

‘Come to think of it, isn’t this around the time he quit his job and was resting? Should I bring him in earlier this time? The members would probably feel better having someone reliable with them.’

He also had a good head for work. After about one or two months of training under Han Suseok, he became capable of handling tasks on his own.

So it would be best to train him during Spade Joker’s rest period and have him work with them by the time of their comeback.

“And I’ll get you a new dorm too. Your current place is a studio apartment, right? It’s too cramped and dangerous. What else was there…”

Judging by the fact that nothing else came to mind, there didn’t seem to be any urgent additions to the contract.

“Team Leader Han.”

“Y-yes?”

Han Suseok stuttered, as if he hadn’t expected me to call him.

“Can you draft the contract based on what I just said and bring it?”

“Of course! I’ll go right away, so please wait a moment! I’ll be back really soon!”

Han Suseok quickly left the office.

“Sir.”

“Yeah.”

“This isn’t a dream, right? It’s not like we’ll wake up, and everything disappears… right?”

Leejoo, who had been quiet the whole time, asked cautiously.

As he waited for my answer, he pinched his own finger.

“It’s not a dream.”

I answered deliberately in a firmer tone.

“Sir… did something happen? I know this sounds strange, but… is the company about to go bankrupt or something…?”

Juseok spoke hesitantly.

‘They really don’t understand how the world works.’

If the company were actually about to go bankrupt, I would never make an offer like this.

Spade Joker was the only artist under the company… if I gave them a rest period, how would the company even run?

Objectively, they weren’t at a level where they could generate income without schedules.

‘Up until now, thanks to the game system, even as a failing group, they still got schedules, and concerts made money.’

After I got possessed, the game system was completely blocked, making it difficult to even secure schedules.

Luckily, I had saved up 9 billion in-game currency before possession.

Otherwise, I might have given up everything from the very first loop.

“To be honest, didn’t you ever think that if the company was going under, I might just run away on my own?”

I said it to mean the opposite, but Spade Joker’s face turned pale.

They probably imagined me running off with company funds after the company collapsed.

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen. Do you think it’s that easy for a company to go bankrupt?”

I said that, but through nine regressions, I had learned that companies can collapse more easily than expected.

Even the smallest issue could shake everything.

But I couldn’t tell Spade Joker that.

‘There’s no need to give more anxiety to kids whose mental state is already fragile.’

Their mentality was too fragile for the entertainment industry.

If it were just stress, they could sue malicious commenters and build happy memories with fans, but it wasn’t that simple.

Whenever something bad happened, it showed directly in their stage performance.

An idol who performs poorly isn’t welcomed… no matter how good their songs or visuals are.

‘But on the flip side, they love their fans and their performances that much. If you just give them a little push, they soar like they’ve been waiting for it. That’s how they won the grand prize in my ninth loop.’

“Since this is basically a renewal, I’ll give you a signing bonus too. Use that during your break. And I’m sorry to say this, but I can only give you enough of a break to catch your breath. As you know, you’re the only artist in this company. I hope you understand that.”

“Yes.”

In the awkward atmosphere, I lightly tapped the desk with my fingertips while waiting for Han Suseok to return.

The office was so quiet that the tapping sounded unusually loud.

That state lasted quite a while.

‘Since the settlement ratio and other parts have changed, it’ll take Han Suseok longer to bring the contract.’

The uncomfortable silence continued.

Tick.

The sound of the clock’s second hand echoed in the room.

“Sir!”

After more than ten minutes, Han Suseok burst through the door.

He was breathing heavily, as if he had run with the documents.

“You brought the contract?”

“Yes.”

He handed me the freshly printed contract.

[Contract]

There were no issues with the contract he had drafted, so I skimmed through it briefly.

“You guys take a look too.”

I handed the contract to the members.

They sat on the sofa and began reading it, exchanging glances with one another.

It seemed like they had things they wanted to say, but were holding back because Han Suseok and I were present.

“Team Leader Han.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s step outside for a moment and talk.”

“Yes.”

I gave them some space to discuss among themselves.

We left the office and headed to the pantry.

There, I made a cup of coffee. It was about time I needed caffeine anyway.

“I’m ready to listen.”

Han Suseok put on a resolute expression again.

He was trying too hard.

I made another cup of coffee and handed it to him.

“Here. Drink this.”

“Ah… thank you.”

He took the coffee with a slightly dazed expression.

“I just called you out to have a cup of coffee. The kids need time to talk among themselves.”

Han Suseok’s eyes sparkled so much as he looked at me that I had to force my gaze downward.

***

Left alone in the office, Spade Joker simply looked at the others in silence.

Then the leader, Cain, spoke.

“Guys, you all read the contract, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I couldn’t find anything wrong with it… It’s not just me, right?”

At Cain’s question, the others shook their heads vigorously.

“Yeah. There’s really nothing wrong.”

Cain said that while slowly rubbing his chest, as if trying to reassure himself.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah.”

“This is really good for us, but… why is the CEO suddenly acting like this?”

No one could answer Juseok’s question.

They were completely confused.

They had dreamed of this countless times… waking up to find everything had changed exactly how they wanted.

“Could it be like in dramas or movies, did he suddenly regress or something? You know, those stories where someone goes back to the past and fixes their mistakes one by one.”

“That’s nonsense. There’s no way. And are we even his ‘mistakes’? We’re just a passing source of money to him.”

Cain firmly shut down Leejoo’s almost delusional comment.

“I know. I’m just saying the situation makes no sense unless you add something like that. Normally, he would’ve made us pay for the losses from missing the schedule. But now he’s suddenly treating us this well… it’s actually scary.”

Even if it were the usual John Raid Lombardi, he wouldn’t have openly exploded in anger at them.

But he would’ve stared at them with unfocused eyes and said:

“Cover the money I spent cleaning up the missed schedule. And you know that if you can’t pay off the negative balance within the contract period, the contract automatically extends, right?”

But today was different.

It was shocking enough that he personally came to find them, but he didn’t scold them, fed them, and even offered to revise their contract.

Everything about it was strange.

Especially his eyes.

Instead of the dull, lifeless gaze that gave them chills, his eyes were now full of life, and that felt the most unfamiliar.

“Could he have some other plan?”

“Even if he does, there’s nothing we can do.”

Before Sora could finish, Cain answered immediately.

“Other than signing the contract, we don’t have any choice. And luckily, the conditions are much better now.”

That was true.

Even if the contract conditions were bad, Spade Joker wasn’t in a position to refuse.

If they ended the contract now, there was a high chance they’d never stand on stage as idols again.