I Became the CEO of an Idol Company in a Game Chapter 5

<Episode 5>

 

Composer Han Youngjoo.

The moment they first heard her song, the one that would solidify their position… Spade Joker, in every regression, expressed their desire to get on stage immediately.

Even when asked multiple times whether they were sure they didn’t need more rest, their answer never changed.

‘The song matters, but for now, raising Spade Joker’s recognition comes first. That’s how we get them more schedules.’

At the moment, the variety shows Spade Joker could appear on were honestly too embarrassing to even be called “variety.”

Programs with abysmal ratings because they revolved around bizarre challenges, or shows where a bunch of similarly unknown idols gathered together just to clap at ordinary contestants’ talent performances.

At least in the former, they could introduce themselves once. In the latter, even their introduction might be reduced to subtitles, and there was a high chance their faces wouldn’t even properly appear.

‘If I could use the game system, I wouldn’t have to worry about this.’

The regret lingered deeply.

If the system worked properly, scheduling for Spade Joker would be much easier.

“By the way, do you already have a composer in mind?”

I answered Han Suseok’s question with a small nod.

“Should I try contacting them?”

“No. It’s fine.”

It would certainly be easier if he handled it.

But that wasn’t possible.

Han Youngjoo hadn’t even officially debuted as a composer yet.

I glanced at the calendar and checked the circle I had drawn.

The day after tomorrow.

“I’ll meet her myself. That’s why I cleared my schedule for that day.”

“You already set up a meeting?”

“Yeah.”

I hadn’t.

I was planning to just go meet her.

‘How could I set up an official meeting with someone who hasn’t even debuted? I’d look like a scammer charging at her.’

I needed her song desperately. If I came off as suspicious and ruined things, it would be a disaster.

‘I need to approach her like it’s a coincidence.’

This was the first time I was attempting to meet her before her debut, so I had to be extremely careful.

‘It’s honestly shocking how many things I never even tried, despite regressing nine times.’

“Already?”

“Yeah. We need a song first before we can choreograph, decide outfits, and set the album concept.”

Everything was already decided, of course.

Though I would refine things a bit.

‘I remember what fans were disappointed about through SNS. I’ll fix those parts this time.’

If there was one good thing about regression, it was being able to fix what fell short in previous runs.

 

[I can tell they put effort into the outfits this time, and it’s definitely improved… but it’s still a bit disappointing. The members are really pretty, seriously so pretty. But how do I put it? The song is refreshing, but the outfits and styling feel too flashy. Same with the MV.]

↳ “Oh, so it’s not just me. I stayed quiet because it felt greedy to ask for more. The company clearly tried hard, so I was just going to keep it to myself. Our usual thing is ‘just give us a decent song and styling, and we won’t complain,’ right? So I tried to just enjoy it. But I really feel like if they toned it down a bit, it would suit them better.”

 ↳↳ “Exactly my thoughts. I wish they’d just put them in white or sky-blue shirts and filmed them running around in a grassy field.”

  ↳↳↳ “This is it. This is exactly it. The company needs to see this.”

 

We had gone all out, made everything as flashy as possible to show effort.

Hair, makeup, music video… everything was polished and visually impressive.

But because the song concept was fresh and youthful, people said it would’ve been better if it felt more natural.

“This time, I should fix that.”

The song itself couldn’t change.

It had to be that song.

[ I ]

A song about a fragile sprout breaking through hard soil and growing into a tree.

I had tried other songs in previous regressions, but none produced results like this one.

So it had to be this song.

‘Concept, outfits, MV… those are easy to change. Nothing’s finalized yet.’

“Oh, and we should improve the trainee conditions. Send someone to the basement and set up a suggestion box.”

“A suggestion box?”

“Yeah. It’s hard for them to tell us directly what they want.”

This happened in every regression.

Even when we personally visited the practice room and asked for feedback, all we got was silence.

They felt pressured to speak directly to the CEO.

Only after installing a suggestion box did we finally hear their real concerns.

“Understood. I’ll have it installed right away.”

“Good. Thanks for handling it.”

After Han Suseok left, I opened the game app again.

“…Huh?”

One of the buttons that had been greyed out yesterday was now glowing light blue.

[Paid Item Shop]

A tab containing items that required real money, not in-game currency.

I tapped it, half-expecting nothing.

“It opened?”

I had no idea why.

A feature that had never worked suddenly became available.

“What changed from last time… Could it be the settlement ratio?”

That was the only difference.

I had adjusted contract terms every regression, but this was the first time I changed the profit distribution.

Improving trainee treatment was something I always did, so it couldn’t be that.

“Looks like other features have their own unlock conditions.”

I checked other buttons, still greyed out.

Only the Paid Item Shop was active.

I checked my funds first.

“8 billion.”

That was the company’s money left from the previous (9th) regression.

“Whether it increases or not… I’ll have to wait and see.”

Next, I checked item prices.

 

[Increases an idol’s stamina by 1.

Price: 100,000 won.]

 

“Raising stamina by 1 won’t change much. Better to just make them exercise.”

In a now-realistic world, the value of “+1 stat” was unclear anyway.

Other items were similar.

But the prices weren’t bad.

 

[Collects celebrity rumors.

Receive 5 random items.

Price: 10,000,000 won.]

[Makes your artist shine the most.

Price: 5,000,000 won.]

[Temporarily calms fans’ anger.

Price: 20,000,000 won.]

 

Some were expensive, but their effects made sense.

I kept scrolling.

It went on endlessly.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

Han Suseok entered.

“Sir, it’s lunchtime.”

I looked at the clock.

12:00 sharp.

“When did time pass this fast…?”

“Go eat. Bring me a sandwich on your way back.”

“You’re not eating?”

“A sandwich’s enough.”

I wasn’t hungry.

Stopping now would just mess up my flow.

“Understood. I’ll eat quickly and come back.”

“No need. Take your full break. Eat properly, grab coffee. It’s your legal rest time, use it.”

I waved him off.

“Thank you, sir. You already have so much to think about with the members…”

“Yeah, yeah. Go eat.”

As soon as he left, I returned to the app.

 

[Change a PD’s Mind: You can alter a PD’s decision once.

Price: 30,000,000 won.]

[Read Thoughts: Read someone’s inner thoughts for 10 minutes.

Price: 5,000,000 won.]

 

There were many useful items.

I could secure show appearances or gain an advantage in negotiations.

If used well, this was a goldmine for company management.

 

[Assign a Special Skill: Grants a random personal talent to an idol.

Don’t blame me if it’s weird.

Price: 500,000 won.]

 

But there was plenty of useless junk too.

 

[Maintain Smile: Keep a smile on your face in any situation.

Price: 1,000,000 won.]

 

“Yeah… I’m never buying that.”

No need to waste money on something like that.

After 20+ years as a CEO, maintaining a calm smile was effortless.

“What would anyone even use this for?”

 

[Your Personal Clown: Turn the mood around with ridiculous behavior.

Price: 50,000 won.]

 

It was cheap, but just as pointless.

“Yeah… definitely not buying that. Total waste of money.”