The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 82

Chapter 82

 

“Under my authority, I will have the contract revised immediately.”

“Thank you for listening to our opinion.”

“Trainee Cha Siwoo, you seem to know quite a lot about the law compared to what I expected.”

‘Well, that’s obviously thanks to the gacha.’

As expected of a quest reward, it was proving to be far more useful than he had initially thought.

After a long meeting, the matters regarding the contract were gradually being wrapped up.

For reference, aside from me, all of the team members already belonged to agencies.

Because of that, I had expected some degree of resistance from their original companies, but TX Entertainment handled that issue surprisingly well.

Perhaps because they had already gone through countless difficulties while running the survival program all the way to Season 5, the company knew exactly how to deal with these situations.

Thankfully, there were no troublesome complications.

“Let’s take a short break before continuing the meeting.”

“Yes!”

When I checked the clock, three hours had already passed.

As the company employees left the conference room while stretching, the members naturally gathered around me.

“First of all, I’m sorry for creating a situation where the contract was modified without discussing it with all of you first.”

I bowed ninety degrees toward the members.

Because of me, they had been dragged into negotiations over the settlement ratio.

I was confident that I would create a situation where we would definitely win Rookie of the Year, but it was still my fault for making such a major decision without consulting the team.

‘If any member develops dissatisfaction later, that’ll become a problem. Better apologize first.’

When you know you’re at fault, the fastest solution is to acknowledge it and apologize immediately.

“No. Siwoo-dongsaeng, you did well!”

“That’s right. Honestly, the contract ratio was ridiculous. It was the same as my previous agency.”

Kim Sunyoo looked like someone who had quite a lot of resentment built up regarding his former company.

“If it’s Siwoo hyung, I trust that you made the right judgment.”

“Me too. I think you negotiated really well.”

“Yeah. You handled it like a man.”

As expected of these gentle guys, none of them complained or opposed me.

“Thanks for saying that, everyone.”

“Yeah.”

“By the way, contracts really aren’t easy.”

“I agree. I spent forever trying to figure out what all that stuff written on the paper even meant.”

“If you’re not careful, people will take advantage of you right in front of your face, so keep your heads on straight.”

“Yes!”

“Okay.”

After chatting briefly, the meeting resumed.

The next topic was the direction of the group’s activities.

“Since our goal is to win Rookie of the Year this year, we’ll need to debut you all as quickly as possible.”

I could see ambition in the director’s eyes.

‘Well, that’s understandable.’

A rookie idol group that had just debuted, winning Rookie of the Year?

The difficulty was absurdly high, but the prestige would be tremendous.

From the department director’s position, it was a title he couldn’t help but desire.

Even if the settlement ratio had been adjusted, a golden goose capable of bringing back a Rookie of the Year award in such a short time would still be profitable for the company in the long run.

‘The scale of money involved is completely different.’

“To be honest, we’ve prepared a surprise gift for all of you.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. Wishing for your speedy debut, the company has already prepared a surprise song in advance.”

‘Now they’re finally showing the power of a major company.’

It was the first genuinely good news I’d heard.

Since they had already debuted multiple idol groups through five seasons of auditions, the company had clearly prepared things quickly.

‘So they’re fast when money is involved, huh?’

I should remember that and use it later when persuading them.

‘Now that we’re dealing with a major company, maybe I can relax a little and leave things to them.’

After exhausting myself dealing with the contract issue, I felt like I could ease up regarding the group’s direction and songs.

‘I’ve been talking so much that I’m thirsty.’

Maybe because a burden had been lifted off my shoulders, I suddenly felt parched.

I carefully opened the cap of the 500mL water bottle that had already been placed on the table.

The moment the cold water entered my mouth…

“First of all, the debut concept I’ve chosen is sexy!”

At the sight of the department director boldly declaring it, I immediately choked.

“Cough!”

Perhaps because I was so shocked, my throat suddenly stopped cooperating.

The water lost its way and shot somewhere it wasn’t supposed to.

‘Cough, cough!’

“Siwoo, are you okay?”

“Yes. Cough! I’m fine.”

My throat was fine.

The concept was not.

A rookie group doing a sexy concept?

That was completely over the line.

‘Are these guys kidding me?’

The feeling I’d gotten earlier… that this major company was secretly operating with the mindset of a tiny, outdated company, came rushing back all at once.

These were rookies who had only just debuted.

Even showing fresh, youthful, vibrant energy would barely be enough, and they wanted to jump straight into sexy?

‘Are they trying to fail on purpose?’

There was a reason idols usually attempted sexy concepts only after accumulating years of experience.

“Ahem. You all like the sexy concept too, right?”

“…”

“First, would you like to listen to the song I brought? It’s from one of the Top 5 composers in all of Korea!”

Despite the department director’s confidence, I forced myself to stay silent.

‘Even if the concept is questionable, if it’s from a Top 5 composer in Korea, the song should at least be good, right?’

“Yes.”

“…Yes!”

The members managed their expressions and nodded, and the staff immediately began moving around busily.

Soon, songs prepared by the company started playing through the conference room speakers.

‘…Is this some kind of hidden-camera prank?’

The songs sounded completely disconnected from current trends.

“For reference, all of these songs were personally selected by me after much deliberation. They’re excellent songs, aren’t they?”

“…Hahaha.”

The songs were terrible.

‘Has he completely lost his touch?’

The tracks supposedly composed by one of Korea’s Top 5 composers were suspiciously bad.

The sticky, sensual beats had an overall retro atmosphere.

They sounded like something straight out of the soundtrack of an erotic B-movie from the 1980s.

‘If we debut with this, we’re seriously doomed.’

Of course, I wasn’t some music expert.

But I still had ears.

And common sense.

While the department director was the only one smiling brightly, the atmosphere in the conference room grew noticeably darker.

‘So everyone else thinks it’s bad too.’

“Personally, I felt a powerful impact from the innovative third song. If Lucy Star Boys debut with that track, you’ll leave a strong impression on the public.”

He wasn’t wrong.

‘You’ll definitely leave a strong impression… as the rookie boy group that debuted with one of the worst songs in history.’

For the record, the third song… the one the director felt so strongly about, was by far the worst song we’d heard so far.

While the members remained silent, only the socially skilled employees spoke up.

“The song is really catchy.”

‘It’s music. Of course it enters your ears.’

“As expected, Director Park’s eye for talent is outstanding.”

‘Outstandingly terrible, maybe.’

The employees merely flattered him while carefully watching his reactions.

‘I understand why they’re doing it, but this is too much.’

Our lives were on the line here.

Workplace politics might be unavoidable, but sometimes you need the courage to say that something is wrong.

As I looked at the members desperately maintaining neutral expressions, I decided I needed to speak up.

Then…

“No! This song is complete trash!”

Thanks to Rua openly calling it garbage, I was spared the effort.

‘Good!’

“…What?”

The department director looked completely stunned, failing to maintain his expression management.

“Director, don’t you understand English? I said the song is trash!”

As the director looked deeply shocked and the employees stared in horror, Rua continued.

“I can’t feel any soul in this music. Releasing a song like this would be an insult to the fans waiting for us. Our precious fans deserve the very best songs.”

‘That’s absolutely correct.’

Even Kim Sunyoo, whom I had expected to stop him, was nodding in agreement beside him.

“So this is what they mean when they say Gen Z says whatever they want…”

The director muttered quietly, apparently still unable to recover from the blunt criticism.

“I agree as well. And I think it’s a bit excessive for rookies like us to start with a sexy concept.”

I immediately added my opinion.

Clearly displeased, the director frowned.

“Then do you have a better idea?”

Silence filled the conference room.

The employees only watched the situation nervously, while the members sank into thought.

“If nobody has any ideas, let’s just proceed with this song. You’re popular right now anyway, so your fans will love whatever you release.”

‘That attitude won’t do.’

Thinking of the fans who were waiting for us, I quickly raised my right hand.

“I have a good idea!”

Instantly, every person in the conference room turned toward me.

‘You freeloaders.’

I had thought that because this was a major entertainment company, I could comfortably ride along and let them handle things.

But at this rate, everything was obviously going to collapse.

It seemed that whenever things got this frustrating, I had no choice but to step in myself.

“Mr. Siwoo, what is it?”

“How about a refreshing concept instead of a sexy one?”

‘When you’re starting, safe is best.’

“…Refreshing?”

The director’s eyebrows twitched slightly upward while his eyes narrowed halfway.

“Yes. Everyone remembers that the first-love concept stage from ‘Star Picking 5’ was extremely popular, right?”

“That is true.”

The first-love concept performance from our first team mission had become a huge hit thanks to both the stage itself and the story surrounding it.

Honestly, I suspected that the success of that first performance was one of the reasons my ranking had steadily climbed.

For reference, the first-love concept had continued receiving praise after experts even described it as one of the greatest storylines in audition program history.

“There’s a unique feeling that can only be experienced with a first love or a first meeting. I think it would be good to capture that feeling through a refreshing concept.”

“But wouldn’t a refreshing concept be too cliché?”

“That’s right. Countless rookie idols have already debuted with refreshing images.”

“The idol industry is brutal. These days, you need something strong to survive. A provocative, sexy concept seems better.”

The employees pushed back while carefully gauging the department director’s mood.

‘Do they actually believe that?’

“Of course, it can seem cliché because it’s common. But what if we look at it differently?”

“How?”

“From another perspective, the reason so many rookies debut with refreshing concepts is that the demand is high and success is relatively guaranteed. It’s safe.”

“…!”

There was a unique freshness and innocence that could only be felt from newly debuted rookies.

A youthful, vibrant charm that existed only during that period.

Not using it would be a waste.

There was no better concept for attracting not only our fans but also everyone still caught up in the excitement of ‘Star Picking 5’.

“To be honest, there are only a handful of concepts idols can pull off when they’re brand-new rookies.”

“Hm…”

“I want us to go with a concept that maximizes the image of a fresh rookie idol group that has just debuted.”

Silence settled over the conference room.

“Hm…”

“Even so, wouldn’t it be better to proceed according to the plans made by the company’s professionals?”

“You’re rookies, so you might not know this, but planning things like this is normally the responsibility of the planning team.”

“That’s right. Besides, refreshing concepts is easy to forget. If your first impression is weak, you’ll just disappear. At that point, you’re basically finished.”

“So let’s proceed with the fixed songs and the sexy concept.”

Once again, the first people to speak were the employees who kept watching the department director’s reactions.

‘Impressive.’

Apparently, the director’s influence within the company was even stronger than I’d thought.

“Lucy Star Boys, now that your debut is confirmed, everything is a race against time.”

“In this fast-changing era, popularity is an extremely sensitive issue.”

“Given the nature of survival shows, it’s advantageous in every way to release a debut song before the public’s interest cools down.”

“So please trust us and proceed with the songs and sexy concept.”

As the employees continued throwing out counterarguments, I rapidly organized my thoughts.

If I wanted to stop the department director’s one-man decision-making, I had no choice but to exploit divisions within the company.

‘Let’s use that person.’

The person I turned my gaze toward was none other than Director Seo Yunkyung.

“Of course, everything you’re saying is valid. However, wouldn’t debuting with a stable song rather than forcing a risky challenge offer a higher probability of success and greater practical profit for the company?”

“…!”

For the first time, Director Seo… who had remained silent the entire time, visibly flinched.

‘Just as I thought.’