I Became the CEO of an Idol Company in a Game – Chapter 34

Author: Cireng

A pre-released clip of John Raid Lombardi’s observational variety show was uploaded to YouTube.

A Clover, a fan of Spade Joker, clicked on the video out of curiosity.

In the video, the CEO was alone in the darkened company, working.

[Don’t you usually assign tasks to other employees, check them, and approve them?]

At the writer’s question, the CEO lifted his gaze from the documents and spoke.

[That would normally be the case. But right now, if we did that, work wouldn’t get done.]

His gaze returned to the papers.

His hands were moving busily.

[Do you have any plans to hire more people?]

The writer asked again.

[If I could, that would be great. What more could I ask for? But we can’t yet. There’s no more space to put desks. For now, the best option is to assign work based on who gets paid the most.]

The CEO’s voice was unwaveringly firm.

[That’s impressive. You’re a great CEO. Thinking of your employees like that.]

For some reason, the writer’s voice sounded sad.

She too was an office worker, currently doing her own job.

[Huh?]

At the compliment, the CEO craned his neck forward in surprise.

[I’m not doing this for the employees.]

The reaction felt so sincere that the Clover let out a small chuckle.

[I’m doing it for myself. If even one employee quits right now, that would be a disaster. We’re not in a position to train new people and bring them in.]

At that moment, the screen suddenly changed.

A man who looked to be in his late 20s to early 30s was sitting in front of a white wall.

[Hello. I’m Han Suseok, the general manager of Ramos Entertainment and also serving as the CEO’s secretary.]

Hearing a familiar name, the Clover felt an odd sense of closeness.

‘So he’s the Secretary Han the members talked about.’

[Why am I holding two positions? Ah, that’s because I wanted to. I joined the company because I wanted to be the CEO’s secretary, but the CEO asked me to take on the role of general manager as well. So I said I’d do both.]

He looked like an alert country puppy.

[What’s difficult about the job? Nothing. Watching Spade Joker succeed is simply satisfying.]

It was exactly as Spade Joker had described to their fans.

[Secretary Han? He takes good care of us at the company. Even though he’s always busy, he works with a smile and never complains. How should I put it? He feels like someone born to work.]

‘That’s such an accurate assessment. How can he work like that? He’s definitely not an ordinary office worker. I hope my bosses don’t watch this.’

[This might be a rude question, but since you hold two roles, do you get paid a lot?]

The writer asked in a very careful tone. Asking about salary outright could be rude, but since she didn’t ask for specific numbers, she seemed to be keeping some boundaries.

[I’m not sure what counts as “a lot,” but I don’t have any major problems living. And the CEO is very considerate of my convenience.]

The screen flickered, and someone else was sitting there.

This time, it was a woman who looked to be in her mid-20s.

She stared at the camera with a stiff posture.

[Hello. I’m composer Han Youngjoo.]

‘Oh! The one who composed our song!’

The Clover considered the composer of their group’s recent song to be a benefactor, so she couldn’t help but smile warmly even though the woman hadn’t done anything.

‘So it was her.’

[Ah, I heard you met the CEO in a very dramatic way. Could you tell us the story?]

Han Youngjoo nodded and slowly began to speak.

[I had aspirations in composing, but things kept falling through, so I was mentally worn out. I even went directly to agencies, but it didn’t work out. The path to debut felt too harsh. So I was working part-time at a record shop run by my grandfather, wondering if I should take a different path.]

She continued speaking calmly and gently.

[Then one day, the CEO came in as a customer. He happened to see my sheet music and asked if I had composed it. I could’ve just answered yes, but for some reason, I mixed in a bit of complaint. I said that even though I worked hard on it, no one paid any attention. Then he said he was interested in my music and introduced himself as the head of an agency.]

The writer nodded eagerly, urging her to continue.

[At first, I didn’t believe him. Even after receiving his business card, I was suspicious. His name is unique, after all.]

John Raid Lombardi.

It certainly wasn’t a name you’d normally see in Korea.

That’s why the Clover couldn’t help but think she would’ve reacted the same way in that situation.

[So I even searched him on the internet. You know those cases… people pretending to be CEOs of companies or agencies, saying they’ll get you a job and then scamming you out of money. The situation just felt too unbelievable, so that’s all I could think about.]

Given how dangerous the world could be, her words were understandable.

Just as the Clover was waiting for what Han Youngjoo would say next, the screen suddenly went black, and a caption appeared saying to check the rest in the full broadcast.

“Wait, it ends like this? That’s so unfair.”

The Clover, feeling disappointed, started scrolling through the comments.

↳I thought the CEO was just some thoughtless guy, but not at all.

↳Now I see why there was a romantic scandal. With that face and body, plus surfing as a hobby, good grades, and a sense of responsibility? Of course, people would like him. Men like that are rare.

↳Even if it’s a small company, I want to work there.

↳The company atmosphere seems good.

↳This is actually really important… so jealous. Honestly, if a CEO treats you like that, how could it be bad?

Posts about John Raid Lombardi were also flooding social media nonstop.

[If you like Spade Joker, can you like John Raid Lombardi too? I’m in a crisis. I watched Spade Joker’s performance videos and thought they were cool, so I started watching more, but this is unforgivable… But my type is definitely John Raid Lombardi.]

↳Haha, since he’s doing well now, it’s easier to just forget the past and trust him.

↳Have all Clovers reached enlightenment or something?

↳How about making John Raid Lombardi your bias and Spade Joker your second bias?

↳LOL, that’s a fresh idea. But not bad.

↳Wow, genius.

[His name is John Raid Lombardi, right? I looked him up, and he’s from a prestigious university. And grad school, too? A master’s degree? And from a wealthy family? Found him… my future husband.]

↳LOL, you’ve fallen hard.

↳There’s way too much competition now.

↳↳This is going to be a bloody battle.

[CEO, last time I thought you looked good because of makeup and styling for the broadcast, but you’re just handsome normally too. Well, you can’t create that face with makeup anyway. But if you marry John Raid Lombardi, does that mean Spade Joker would call you “ma’am”? If so, maybe I should try…]

↳Your intentions are very impure.

↳LOL, why are there suddenly so many people trying to become his wife? At this rate, we need a survival show.

↳↳LOL, that would be fun. Competing and getting eliminated. But wait, doesn’t that completely ignore the man’s opinion?

[John Raid Lombardi really came to his senses and properly changed. I praise that. We need more people like this in society. We can’t just keep criticizing someone for their past. If we do, bad people will just keep being bad. It might not seem like a problem, but then good people keep getting hurt.]

↳That’s actually true. If the CEO hadn’t changed, Spade Joker wouldn’t be enjoying their current popularity and would still be struggling.

↳↳Right. If someone acknowledges their past, reflects, and is making an effort, we should give them a chance.

↳↳↳Agreed. It’s something necessary to create a better world.

[Why did the production team cut it off right there? I’m so curious about what happens next. Please tell us how our group got that song.]

↳That was the most important part for me, too.

↳But all these stories feel like dramas. The secretary followed the CEO from the U.S. and is now both general manager and secretary, and the composer met the CEO by chance just as she was about to give up on her dream, and debuted because of that.

↳↳You’re right.

↳Sigh… I guess I’ll have to watch the full broadcast. I need to know how our group ended up with that song.

↳↳Also, Spade Joker might appear too. The CEO doesn’t seem like someone who craves attention. Remember, he refused interviews, and that article came out because a reporter overheard something at a company dinner. If Spade Joker weren’t appearing, I don’t think he’d have any reason to be on this kind of show.

↳↳I think so too. And even if they don’t appear, at least we’ll get to see what the company is like.

And so, driven by curiosity about the full broadcast, interest in Ramos Entertainment was rapidly increasing.