I Spent a Night with a Top Star Actress Chapter 24 - Overlap.

I don’t even know how last week’s weekdays went by.

Congratulations pouring in without a break.

Division Head Park Yu-hyeon’s surprise gift.

And on top of it all, the Choi Su-hyeon scandal, still not finished unfolding.

But time turned out to be the cure.

Weekend morning.

I opened my eyes to find the whirlwind of incidents and accidents had settled down.

-[HOT] News! NutTuber ‘K’ Causes Uproar Over Drunk Driving, Fans Furious…!

It’s an age of nonstop headlines.

Both the Choi Su-hyeon affair scandal and “Queen of Joseon”‘s record-breaking success.

had been buried under a fresh wave of headlines and drifted out of the public eye.

But it wasn’t as if those incidents had left nothing behind.

They’d left a car behind.

A BMW and a Mercedes, no less.

“…”

Baekhak, shaken and in crisis over the Choi Su-hyeon incident.

And “Queen of Joseon,” the show that saved it…..

I was getting a car from Baekhak, all because I’d recommended “Queen of Joseon” to Lee Ha-eun.

Dig deep enough and the situation gets a lot more complicated, but that’s the short version, at least.

“Letting me pick between Mercedes and BMW, is that because those are the companies with the partnership?”

Seemed like it, most likely.

So all I had to worry about was the happy problem of choosing between BMW and Mercedes, the two heavyweights of Germany’s big three automakers.

“…But which one do I even pick?”

I had interest in cars, but no real knowledge.

And in the middle of that, Mercedes or BMW, of all things!

It was way too harsh a question for me.

In the end, I looked things up on NutTube and asked around among people I knew.

Which one was better, Mercedes or BMW.

But even there, opinions split right down the middle.

“Hmm.”

Scratching my chin slowly, I decided to try borrowing the power of the crowd, as a last resort.

Let’s see.

What’s the biggest car community in the country?

I turned on my computer and started surfing the web.

[DreamCar]

I found a massive car-focused community with a membership that ran to a full 500,000.

I signed up right away and posted a question.

[Title: Which is butter, BMW or Mercedes?]

Oh no!

I’d gone and made a typo by mistake.

But the mistake ended up pulling in attention instead.

-The “butter” typo is sending me lol

-100 out of 100 for ragebait

-Mercedes, no question. BMW breaks down constantly.

L What are you talking about? Mercedes is the one that breaks down constantly.

L You’ve gotta think about brand image too~ These days every dog and their owner’s driving a Mercedes.

-The M Series is a work of art, and even just the 3 Series is on a whole different level from Mercedes when it comes to cornering.

-Mercedes’ strengths are stability and luxury. BMW’s strength is the fun of driving.

-Mercedes wins.

-Is the comment above a paid Mercedes shill?

I clicked away with my mouse, carefully reading through dozens of comments.

“Guess there’s a bit more support for Mercedes?”

The BMW camp wasn’t small either, but the Mercedes camp’s comments stood out by a razor-thin margin.

In that moment, I made up my mind and muttered.

“Let’s go with the Mercedes E-Class.”

Dig any deeper and there’d be no end to it.

Given my age right now, the E-Class was already more car than I deserved anyway.

Once I’d settled the happy dilemma that had been nagging me for days, my whole body went slack.

Flopped flat on my back on the bed, I muttered.

“I’m actually getting a car from the company…”

A Mercedes E-Class, no less.

How many employees at Baekhak could say the same?

‘Not that many, probably.’

Maybe none at all.

In that moment, my heart started racing.

-Thump, thump!

It might have been an opportunity built from coincidence stacked on coincidence, but the company had recognized my ability.

That fact…..

felt even better than getting a Mercedes E-Class as a gift.

‘Guess I really might have the temperament for corporate life after all.’

I let out a laugh without meaning to.

But thinking about it, there was still something else Baekhak owed me.

‘The bet with CEO Baek Ji-won.’

CEO Baek Ji-won had said it herself.

That if Twenty took the number one spot on the music charts, she’d give me a reward to match.

And Twenty hitting number one on the charts…..

would be no smaller an achievement than this whole affair, if anything, bigger.

‘It would mean turning around girl groups, the one thing Baekhak has never been able to crack.’

If I actually pulled that off, what would CEO Baek Ji-won give me?

I couldn’t begin to guess, but one thing was certain.

Knowing her personality, CEO Baek Ji-won was bound to give me something bigger than a Mercedes E-Class.

“…She’s not actually going to hand me a house, is she?”

No way that’d happen.

But I couldn’t help getting my hopes up anyway.

I turned my head and checked the calendar on the wall.

[Twenty Showcase.]

Next Friday.

Twenty’s showcase was finally happening.

If that showcase went off without a hitch, Twenty would debut.

‘And they’d take the number one spot on the charts.’

CEO Baek Ji-won’s surprise gift was right around the corner.

A low groan of anticipation burst out of me.

“Ugh, why won’t the weekend just hurry up and pass?”

I know it sounds insane, but I couldn’t help it.

My whole body itched to get to work!

I wanted the weekend gone and next week here already.

---

Contrary to my worry, the time flew by like an arrow.

The weekend passed and the weekdays came.

Work piled up like a mountain crashed over me like a wave.

Rehearsals, stage setup, meetings with the showcase production team.

I chewed through the work, cutting into even my sleep to make time.

‘Am I working too hard?’

But I had to work hard.

Two months of time and effort were riding on this showcase.

Working myself ragged like that, before I knew it, showcase morning had come.

I put on the suit I’d prepared ahead of time and made a call.

“Ye-ji-ssi.”

[“Yes, Chief.”]

“Are the girls done with makeup?”

[“Yes. We’re at the training center concert hall now, getting ready for rehearsal.”]

I nodded and answered.

“I’m on my way too, so I’ll see you in twenty minutes.”

I got straight into the car.

But the drive to the training center felt unusually long today, of all days.

I picked up speed and thought.

‘Is it because I’m nervous?’

Then again, being nervous made sense.

Everything would be decided by today’s stage.

But I had confidence too.

Given how much time I’d poured into today, it would’ve been strange not to feel confident.

“The problem is the live performance, though.”

Today’s showcase was running as a press showcase and a fan showcase combined into one, at the same time.

In simple terms, it meant inviting reporters and fans at the same time to show off the debut stage.

‘Streaming on NutTube.’

For today, I’d borrowed Baekhak’s channel, which had eight million subscribers.

Given the subscriber count, we’d see at least forty or fifty thousand viewers, even on a bad day.

And if word got around, even more than that could show up.

‘Everything else is ready…. yeah.’

The one variable was the live performance, the single most important part of this showcase.

“No matter how much you prepare for this, it never quite goes the way you want.”

A stage that had been flawless in practice falling apart in the real thing was too common a story.

So I couldn’t afford to let my guard down…

But it was ridiculous to start assuming failure after coming this far, too.

‘We’re making this work, no matter what.’

I loosened up my body, stiff with tension.

By then I’d arrived at the Sangam training center.

I parked the car and headed straight for the concert hall.

Dozens of reporters who’d come on invitation to the showcase were there.

I scanned their faces quickly, spotted a reporter I knew, and walked over.

“Reporter Park.”

Reporter Park, in the middle of downing coffee and a cigarette at once, recognized me and raised his eyebrows.

“Manager Kwon? Wow…. it’s really been a while, hasn’t it?”

“I got promoted to chief a while back.”

“What? Already chief? Isn’t that way too fast?”

Reporter Park hung a sly smile on his lips.

“Or did you get promoted because ‘Queen of Joseon’ blew up? Heh heh…”

“That’s not quite it, but I did get some benefit out of it.”

Reporter Park tapped the ash off his cigarette.

“So this girl group is what you took on after making chief?”

“Yes. I’d appreciate your support.”

“Oh, come on, I’ll write them up well without you even asking. Baekhak’s my bread and butter, you think I wouldn’t?”

After a few more pleasantries with Reporter Park, I got down to making my rounds properly.

“Hello. I’m Kwon Chan, Chief of Management Team 5.”

I bowed my head and greeted them first.

I didn’t need to be this deferential, but today was the showcase.

‘If a few bows can keep an unnecessary variable under control, that’s a good trade.’

The lucky part was that every reporter here today was already friendly toward Baekhak.

If they didn’t want their bread and butter with Baekhak cut off, they’d know to write their articles accordingly.

With the rounds finished, I climbed up onto the stage.

Scuff, scuff…

I deliberately dragged the soles of my shoes to check for any slippery spots.

Slipping was the most common accident during a live performance.

There wasn’t really a slippery spot, but just in case, I called over the on-site staff and had the stage wiped down once more.

With every preparation I could make as a manager done, I headed for the waiting room.

Hair, coordi, makeup.

HCM for short, and Twenty, fully decked out in it, waved at me.

“Oh, Chief’s here!”

“Chiifu!”

“You’re here, Chief?”

I waved back and thought.

The girls’ faces really look great today.

Glitter eyeshadow sparkled on their eyelids like a painting, and their cheeks carried a pink flush, probably from the highlighter and contouring.

The crop tops were a little too short for my taste…..

but other than that, Twenty’s faces were in the best shape I’d ever seen today.

But what surprised me even more was that it wasn’t just their faces. Their expressions were bright too.

‘I thought they’d be a bundle of nerves. Guess not.’

No way, are these girls just built for the real thing?

The corner of my mouth lifted without my meaning it to.

“How’d the final rehearsal go?”

“Um… went well, probably?”

Director Choi Jeong-eun, sprawled out half-dead, answered on Nova’s cue.

“It was perfect. So perfect I’ve got a feeling we’re going to screw up during the live broadcast?”

Ga-eul jumped, startled, and shouted.

“Director! Don’t jinx it like that!”

“Director’s definitely, definitely a T.”

“At a time like this you’re supposed to say only good things!”

Director Choi Jeong-eun made an awkward face.

“No… it’s just a figure of speech.”

“If we screw up during the live broadcast because of this, we’re blaming you, Director.”

“….”

A rare sight: a twenty-year-old maknae laying down the law on a thirty-one-year-old director.

I let out a laugh without meaning to.

Rei tilted her head.

“Why are you laughing, Chiifu?”

Good question.

Why did I laugh?

I thought it over for a moment, then answered.

“Because everyone looks like they’re doing fine.”

“?”

“The showcase is starting soon. Aren’t you nervous?”

Nova let out a heavy sigh.

“Maybe it’s not that we’re fine, maybe we’ve just given up?”

Ga-eul, beside her, scolded her.

“What do you mean, given up. We’ve just gotten used to it.”

“Ah, agreed. That’s the truth!”

Nova shrugged.

“I was genuinely nervous right up until a week before the showcase, but I got so nervous I’m kind of numb to it now?”

Seol Chae-i pointed out sharply.

“For someone that numb, you tossed and turned all night yesterday, unnie.”

“…Was I the only one, huh?”

“You tossed the most out of anyone, unnie.”

“You’re done for. Get over here, you little brat!”

Seol Chae-i and Nova started scuffling.

It was the Twenty I saw every single day.

In that moment, my expression turned strange.

‘Guess they really aren’t nervous at all.’

Does that mean I’m the only one who’s nervous?

“…”

I covered my awkward expression with my hand.

I even forgot the lines I’d prepared since last night to help ease their nerves.

Just then, an alarm went off.

-Ding!

I checked the time. Less than twenty minutes were left before the live show.

‘Feels a little off to just split up like this.’

It absolutely wasn’t because I hadn’t gotten to use the lines I’d prepared.

Five minutes of standing there with my arms crossed, thinking it over.

Unable to fight off the time pressure closing in on my shoulders, I blurted out.

“Want to shout ‘fighting’ once?”

A low silence settled over the waiting room.

“…?”

Seol Chae-i and Nova, mid-scuffle, tilted their heads, and Rei’s mouth fell open a little, like she couldn’t believe it.

Last, Director Choi Jeong-eun blinked and spoke.

“…Fighting?”

“Yeah, fighting.”

“…Is that the kind of person you are, Chief?”

Good question.

I was regretting it a little myself.

Why did I even say that?

But it was already spilled milk.

I kept a shameless straight face and shrugged.

“What’s wrong with a little ‘fighting’ once in a while.”

“…It just doesn’t really suit you? Doesn’t match your vibe, Chief Kwon?”

Just then, Ga-eul shot her hand up.

“Let’s do it, fighting!”

Ga-eul really did have leadership in her.

At Ga-eul’s word, the Twenty girls gathered around me.

Director Choi Jeong-eun grumbled but came over too, and just then, Lee Ye-ji-ssi, arriving with coffee and drinks, shot her hand up as well.

“I don’t know what this is, but count me in!”

The hands of the members who’d been through two eventful months with me piled on top of mine.

The mood made it feel like I was the one who had to call out the cheer, so I took a moment to steady my breath.

“One, two, three…..”

I trailed off and grinned.

“Fighting!”

The members echoed me, shouting.

“Fighting!”

Yeah.

Sometimes you need that old-school flavor too!

I pushed down the wave of cringe washing over me and started walking.

Twenty’s members, off to the stage.

Me, off to the control room.

We each headed to our own places to show off everything we’d worked for.

Just then, MC Kim Chang-hoon, hosting today’s showcase, appeared on stage.

“Hello, everyone! Great to see you! I’m MC Kim Chang-hoon, hosting today’s show!”

The starting flare had been fired.

My eyes went to the status monitor.

The number zero on the black graph bar started climbing exponentially.

-[Twenty Showcase ON!]

The anticipation pouring out of thousands of viewers made my shoulders shake.

-[Current Viewers: 3,982]

Baekhak’s last girl group.

Twenty’s showcase had begun.