Damn Idol
Episode 2
It wasn't far from Seongnam, where the hospital was, to my parents' house.
The taxi hadn't been driving long before the nostalgic apartment complex came into view.
Though if anything, it was more tedious than nostalgic.
"Thank you, driver."
As soon as I got home, the first thing I did was change the passcode on the front door lock.
Before long, greedy relatives would come barging in.
The assets of someone who has fallen into a vegetative state are enough to make relatives' eyes roll back with greed.
Well, some already have their eyes rolled back.
Ring—
—Ring—[Great-uncle]
Truly a consistent bastard.
He never visited, claiming he lived far away in the provinces, yet he always called first.
He was a piece of trash who'd pick the lock and barge in if he couldn't reach me.
Because of him, I had to switch to a security door lock that ordinary companies can't open.
Said like this, the relatives seem excessively greedy, but that wasn't actually the case.
Originally, when someone becomes a vegetable, property rights transfer to the guardian.
There are cases where the child is appointed guardian by the family court, but... 'I'm a minor by law.' A minor even suspected of PTSD from the traffic accident with my parents.
There's no way the family court would appoint me as guardian.
So up until my third life, I had to live off allowances from adults.
Even that allowance would eventually get cut off.
But there is a way.
For anything, there is a way.
Especially for a regressor.
Ring
—Ring—
—I tossed the phone that kept ringing onto the sofa and headed to my parents' room.
Then I turned on the computer and sold all the stocks my father had bought.
I shouldn't be managing my parents' assets yet, but this much wouldn't negatively impact my future.
No, even if it did...
—Sell order completed.
—Sell order completed.
—Sell order completed.
This I couldn't stand.
Father, why on earth did you buy these stocks?
Every single stock I'd just dumped was among those that would drop the most in 2017.
Not just a decline—a crash.
I used the money from selling Father's stocks to buy the stocks Mother had purchased.
Because Mother had bought all the stocks that would rise the most in 2017.
I'll probably have to convince Father to live on an allowance when he wakes up.
Even though I might never see that happen.
"...Damn it."
After that, I continued checking, organizing, and sorting my parents' assets.
I first started this work with the simple thought of buying 200 million albums with my own money.
Or paying someone to purchase them on my behalf.
I repeated this even knowing it wasn't possible because having more money meant having more options.
Since I did this every time, it didn't take long.
I finished everything in an instant and opened the notebook I'd brought from the hospital.
I told Uncle Hyeonsu it was doodling, but what was written here wasn't doodles.
It contained countless information, the flow of the music industry, and the plans I could choose.
The problem was, they were all for Billboard.
[Physical album sales: 200 million copies.]
Because of this absurd goal, I had been active in America all this time.
Of course, early on when I'd just begun regressing, I was active in Korea. I didn't have the skill or information to succeed in America.
But after tasting success in America once, I had never turned my eyes back to Korea.
Billboard itself was the GOAT in terms of music industry scale.
A place where even a one-hit wonder makes enough money to play and eat for a lifetime.
But now it was time to deny that proposition.
I have to become an idol in Korea.
Why?
Because idols have potential.
Beyond the 2020s, K-pop idols who enjoy truly global popularity will emerge.
Like W.A. and
They sell enormous quantities of albums not just in Asia, but in North America and Europe too.
So in some ways, you could say idols have greater potential than Billboard superstars...
...
Damn it.
Yeah, it's a lie.
It's true that K-pop idols have potential.
But it's not exactly superior to Billboard top-tier singers.
Honestly, I don't want to challenge this damn idol path.
I hate it so much I don't even want to recall the reason.
But the reason I'm challenging it anyway is because I've despaired.
GOTM was the best team, assembled from members with the greatest talent.
I became a superstar by using information gained through countless regressions at exactly the right moments.
Even things that looked like coincidences to others were all part of my plan.
In other words, I had no confidence that I could create a team superior to GOTM, both musically and commercially.
And yet, album sales were a mere 70 million.
What should I do now?
Should I meekly admit that everything I'd built until now was wrong?
Should I resign myself to the fact that my dozens of regressions were all worthless?
I don't have the confidence.
The only reason I could endure the endless time was the hope that I was improving, little by little.
If I denied all that hope, I didn't have the confidence to maintain my sanity.
I didn't have the confidence to go back to America, avoid all the choices I'd made so far, and start from scratch.
That's why the only choice left for me now is being an idol.
A place where there's even the slightest possibility of selling 200 million albums, where I don't have to conclude that I was wrong.
A Korean idol.
I know it's a temporary escape, but I'm so exhausted I need to rest even in that escape.
"..."
As I thought, a conclusion seemed to be reached.
I don't know the Korean market, and I don't know idols well either.
So I'll use this life as a discard.
I did the same when I first felt the limits of being an Asian solo vocalist and decided to form a band.
I spent four cycles, and only on the fifth did I learn the fastest and most accurate path to success with a band.
After confirming the members, I regressed another four times.
In other words, GOTM was a band created after nine regressions.
I think I have to do the same this time.
First, I need to debut as an idol as quickly as possible.
Don't think about the future; let's try everything I can do.
If I do, useful information will gather, and as I regress repeatedly, I'll gradually improve.
Maybe I can gather members who can make it in the American market and target both K-pop and Billboard.
'Let's be bold.'
Having made up my mind, I checked the dozens of phone numbers written on the very first page of the notebook.
These numbers are so useful that I always have them memorized.
This time...
"HR Corporation."
Yeah. I think this is the right place.
* * *
BVB Entertainment, a major Korean entertainment agency.
The general manager of this BVB Entertainment received a report from the Team 1 Leader not long after arriving at work.
"HR Corporation wants to talk?"
"Yes."
"Did you fall for a scam? Or did HR open a Korean branch without me knowing?"
"Neither. The call came from headquarters. I confirmed it."
The general manager and Team 1 Leader, who normally got along well, stared blankly at each other.
"Why them?"
"Who knows...?"
It wasn't unusual for an overseas distributor to contact a Korean entertainment company.
Because K-pop had successfully advanced overseas quite some time ago.
But that was a story limited to Asia.
As of 2017, K-pop had not reached Billboard, the so-called mecca of the music industry.
But then again, HR Corporation was no ordinary company.
A mainstay of Billboard that monopolized over 15% of music streaming and album distribution in the United States.
'An artist they're interested in? Could it be NOP?'
The general manager, daydreaming happily as he thought of the company's flagship boy group, checked the number and picked up the receiver.
"Hello. I'm general manager of BVB entertainment."
The call that followed wasn't very long.
As soon as he hung up, the Team 1 Leader who had been listening nearby asked quickly.
"What is it? It sounded like they were talking about dispatching staff."
"Ah, it's nothing."
"What is it?"
"A staff member who's interested in K-pop is in Korea and asked if they could visit for an interview."
"Isn't that a good thing? HR is interested enough to send staff."
"They said it's not an official dispatch."
"Then what?"
"They're Korean-American, so they're on vacation in Korea. Seems like a personal interest."
"Ah..."
They too would ask subordinates going to China or Japan to gauge the local atmosphere.
What idol posters are up in cosmetic shops that comprehensively handle Korean cosmetics.
What songs are played most, what albums sell best in record shops, and so on.
Instead of an official business trip, it was a personal request to look into these minor things.
HR Corporation was exactly at this level.
"Team 1 Leader. Who's that person from the A&R team who studied abroad?"
"Team Leader Seo Seunghyeon?"
"Yeah, him. Have him do the interview. Be nice about it. It's HR, after all."
"Understood. When and who is coming?"
"Tomorrow at three. The name is Han Sion."
"I'll relay it."
* * *
At that very moment when BVB Entertainment received the call from HR Corporation.
Attorney Choe Jiun of one of Korea's foremost mega-law firms was sitting across from Han Sion.
The two were not personally acquainted.
Simply a client and attorney relationship.
'He's turning twenty?'
But for Choe Jiun, who received eight-figure fees, this client was far too young.
'A chaebol third-generation heir?'
But a chaebol heir wouldn't come to a law firm alone.
They'd call the lawyer to their house.
Moreover, his clothes were utterly ordinary.
Even so, Attorney Choe Jiun felt that the boy before him gave off a different impression.
He didn't know exactly what that feeling was.
"Mr. Han Sion."
"Yes."
"The front desk mentioned that you said you'd tell only me about the request?"
"Yes."
"I must inform you that I am subject to win rate management at this firm. If I don't feel confident I can win, I may refuse."
"Yes. I heard the explanation. I also know that you're quite an impressive figure."
Of course, that impressiveness was thanks to the backing of his father, who had been a chief prosecutor, and his maternal grandfather, who had been the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. But no one doubted Choe Jiun's abilities.
In the professional world, connections are also competence.
"I see. As you may know, my consultation fees are quite substantial... What brings you here?"
"Real estate prices have gone up a lot, so I think I'll have about 1.2 billion won in hand when I sell."
"Pardon?"
"Combined with recovering invested assets and insurance payouts to be received in the future, it should come to about 2 billion won."
"What are you talking about?"
"My parents' assets. If we include things that are hard to liquidate quickly, it might be even more."
Attorney Choe Jiun made a dumbfounded expression. 2 billion won was a lot of money, but why was he suddenly bringing this up?
Was he trying to say not to look down on him because his parents were rich?
Then Han Sion opened his mouth.
"Let's split it fifty-fifty."