I Became the CEO of an Idol Company in a Game Chapter 32

<Episode 32>

 

I arrived at the restaurant first and was waiting for Kang Woojin.

The place I had reserved served traditional Korean cuisine, and the table was filled to the point it looked like it might collapse under the weight of all the dishes.

Checking the time, it was exactly 7 o’clock.

Since first impressions mattered, I checked once more to make sure my clothes weren’t wrinkled.

Click.

The door opened, and Kang Woojin walked in, his hat pulled low over his face.

“Hello.”

I stood up and offered a handshake, but Kang Woojin ignored my greeting and sat down.

It didn’t make me feel embarrassed or anything.

I understood why he had no choice but to act like that.

‘If it were me, I wouldn’t feel like showing courtesy to someone who suddenly texted me about a secret I wanted to hide and asked to meet.’

“First, I’d like to apologize. I’m sorry for sending such a presumptuous message. I thought of it as my last chance, so I had no other option. I was that desperate.”

As I bowed my head in apology, the tension in Kang Woojin’s brow gradually eased.

“Please, have a seat first.”

His tone was still sharp, but the fact that he told me to sit was already a positive sign.

“Yes, thank you.”

As I sat down, Kang Woojin took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair to tidy it.

“I’ll ask directly. How did you find out that I’m the composer Maru?”

I took a moment to organize my thoughts on how to answer.

The reason I knew his identity was from the previous run.

I had first crossed paths with Kang Woojin when I offered him the role of the male lead in Kang Seoah’s first solo music video. Since I happened to be passing by, I stopped by the filming set and ended up picking up a phone that had fallen on the ground.

While trying to find its owner, I saw a message preview.

[To Composer ‘Maru’.]

That was written in the message title.

The problem was that the owner of that phone was actor Kang Woojin.

That’s how I found out he was ‘Maru,’ but I couldn’t exactly tell him about something that happened in a previous run.

Moreover, there was currently no point of contact between Kang Woojin and me. In other words, I couldn’t pass it off as a mere coincidence.

I also couldn’t say I had investigated him.

In the end, there was only one option left.

“To be honest, I wasn’t completely certain.”

At my answer, Kang Woojin tilted his head as if asking what I meant.

“I’ve consistently analyzed the composer’s style… both composition and lyrics. Then I started to think that you might draw a lot of inspiration from books.”

Even though he had thoroughly hidden himself, Maru had done exactly one interview.

One of the things he revealed in that interview was that he often gained inspiration from reading books.

“How did you figure that out?”

Kang Woojin leaned slightly forward. He looked interested in hearing more.

As expected, using that interview as a basis for my explanation was the right choice.

“I wondered where such lyrical writing and unique beats came from, and then I recalled seeing something similar in books. As I continued researching, I came across letters you exchanged with fans on social media. The writing style felt similar. It also resembled a quote from a book you said had moved you deeply: ‘Searching for the fragments of a lost star.’ Shortly after you exchanged a letter containing that sentence, composer Maru released a song about stars, comparing them to the size of one’s heart. As I kept making these comparisons one by one, I was able to guess your identity.”

“…Even my fans didn’t notice at all.”

“I’m a businessman, after all. I may have analyzed things from a slightly different perspective than fans.”

Of course, that wasn’t true.

If someone asked what skill I had developed the most after living nearly 30 years as a company CEO, I would say it was the ability to speak convincingly.

Even now, I was managing to fool Kang Woojin using just a single line from an interview I saw in a previous run.

“So you don’t need to worry about anyone else finding out.”

“…When I first got your message, I thought you were trying to blackmail me.”

“That’s a very understandable misunderstanding. I get it. I was reckless. Ah, you should eat. I pre-ordered dishes I heard you like.”

“Thank you.”

The atmosphere softened a little.

His guard dropped faster than I expected. It seemed he thought I genuinely appreciated his work.

“But what would you have done if I hadn’t come?”

“I would’ve accepted that my assumption was wrong and just eaten here alone to pass the time. What else could I do?”

As I said that and shrugged, Kang Woojin let out a small laugh.

“If I’d known that, maybe I shouldn’t have come.”

“Then I’d have had a hard time finishing all this food by myself.”

Once I relaxed a bit, I started to feel hungry.

Kang Woojin also picked up his chopsticks with a more comfortable expression.

“To be honest, I’ve been hiding the fact that I’m a composer because of my acting career, but… I wanted to hear something like this.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Anyone who works in the arts would understand. They all want to be recognized by others.”

I wasn’t particularly close to the arts, so I couldn’t fully empathize, but I could somewhat understand by comparing it to work.

“So, if you want to commission me… is it for Spade Joker’s next album?”

“Yes.”

It seemed he had looked into things after reading my message.

“Spade Joker… As you may know, I’ve never composed on commission.”

I ate my food while silently hoping that words of refusal wouldn’t come out of his mouth.

“I usually send my songs to groups that I think suit them.”

That was only possible because he was a successful composer.

There wasn’t a single singer who would refuse his songs.

On social media, it was even called being “chosen.”

‘A singer chosen by composer Maru.’

That’s how prestigious receiving his song was in this industry.

“So I’m not sure how this will turn out.”

“Does that mean you’ll do it?”

“Well… if it’s a company run by someone who understands my music, it might be worth trusting. But doesn’t your company already have an in-house composer? That’s what I found.”

“We do.”

“Then would my song be a B-side?”

“Yes.”

“What’s the album concept?”

Kang Woojin took out his phone and started asking questions.

“It’s a game.”

“A game?”

“Spade Joker’s name comes from a card game, doesn’t it? Even their fandom name is Clover. So the title track is called [POKER]. Based on that, we’re planning the entire album concept around games.”

Kang Woojin nodded with interest.

“Hmm… a game. That’s fresh.”

“Thank you.”

While chewing his food, Kang Woojin busily moved his fingers, seemingly jotting something down related to the song.

“It sounds like it could be fun.”

There was a glint of excitement in his eyes.

“You seem very passionate about composing.”

“Do I?”

“Yes.”

Kang Woojin suddenly put his phone down.

“I’ll check if I have any songs I’ve worked on that might suit Spade Joker. Also, there’s something I want to ask.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Does Ramos Entertainment not take actors?”

“…Pardon?”

The question was so sudden that it caught me off guard.

“Do you have an actor you’d recommend?”

At my question, Kang Woojin smiled and nodded.

“I appreciate you thinking well of me, but I’ve never trained an actor.”

I was grateful that Kang Woojin thought highly of me.

However, I simply didn’t have that kind of ability. Even after nearly 30 years as the head of an idol agency, I was still struggling just to make Spade Joker succeed.

Moreover, if Kang Woojin was recommending someone, it meant that the actor would surely become hugely successful.

He was famous for running a one-man agency and personally choosing all his projects… and every single one, whether drama or film, had been a hit. His eye for talent was exceptional.

“Is that so? Still, if you train even one actor well, your company could grow a lot. That’s a shame.”

“We don’t even have a proper system in place. I can’t just bring someone in recklessly and ruin their acting career.”

It wasn’t like I had never tried raising actors in the past nine runs.

To expand the company, I had recruited and trained quite a few rookie actors. But every single one failed.

Even though I knew which projects would succeed, it wasn’t easy to push my actors into those roles.

Since the game I had transmigrated into was centered around idol development, I started to think that might be the reason. From the 7th run onward, I completely gave up on training actors.

‘What’s the point of forcing something I’m not capable of? I should just focus on raising the ones I already have.’

“Then, if the system were properly established, would it be okay?”

“Well, if that were the case, there’d be no problem. But right now, our company isn’t that great. It might put both sides in an awkward position if you introduced someone.”

In my honest answer, Kang Woojin laughed.

“I watched the broadcast you appeared on before coming here.”

I had expected that much.

If you searched my name right now, the most common related keyword would be “putting oneself in another’s shoes.”

“It’s not easy to openly admit your own mistakes on a broadcast. And just now, you were honest with me too… You said your company isn’t that great. Truly bad people don’t say things like that. They just try to sign contracts without a word.”

That wasn’t wrong.

“Anyway, I’ll check my songs once I get back and contact you, so please wait.”