Chapter 103
After finishing all three broadcasting stations' year-end music festivals, Weus was given a short three-day vacation starting from January 1st.
In truth, rather than a vacation, it was closer to mandatory rest given after the killer year-end schedule.
Even I thought, while preparing, that this wasn't a schedule a human could handle. The other members' conditions were beyond description.
It was to the point where it was a relief no one had collapsed.
Anyway, considering the members' conditions, the company told us to refrain from external activities as much as possible and rest at the dorm.
I, too, decided to quietly stay holed up in the dorm as the company said, just this once.
Thus, the three days passed by quickly.
It was a peaceful daily life I hadn't experienced in a long time.
I never expected that waking up and realizing there was no schedule for the day would feel so strangely amazing.
However, while resting, I discovered a slight problem. It was that staying quietly holed up in the dorm was by no means easy.
On the first day of vacation, as soon as I opened my eyes, I habitually tried to get ready to go out for a schedule, only to awkwardly lie back down in bed.
'I feel like I've completely forgotten how to properly rest now.'
It seemed the other members were the same way.
Even at dawn today, I heard rustling sounds from the living room, and when I went out to check,
Kang A-jin was rubbing his barely open eyes, sleep-talking, "Hyung... what time do we have to leave...? Yawn..." before going back into his room.
Sim Seong-ha and Woo Jung-woo threw a fuss from the second day, saying their bodies were aching and stiff.
Ignoring the manager's words to just rest at home, they insisted on doing a W-app broadcast at the company and stubbornly headed there.
Then, as soon as they arrived and turned on the broadcast, they were overwhelmed by the fans' urging them to please rest properly during the vacation. They only broadcast for about 30 minutes before returning to the dorm.
Actually, looking at the state of those two, even I felt the words "go rest" would naturally slip out of my mouth. The already skinny members had lost even more weight during the month of December.
'And my muscle loss too... ahem.'
Anyway, the short break was now over.
Well, we wouldn't be as busy as the year-end, but the time had come to step on the accelerator for album preparation.
We had worked hard on activities other than album promotions in our own way, but what the fans wanted most was a new album.
Compared to the recent trend of releasing digital singles every two or three months, our comeback period was getting longer than expected, so the fans would be gradually hoping for a comeback.
'Our last album activity was last August... so 4 months have already passed.'
The evening of the last day of vacation.
Without me calling them, the members naturally gathered in the living room.
Once everyone was gathered, the conversation naturally turned to our future activities.
"Because of the Asian tour, year-end award ceremonies, and preparing for the music festivals, the album preparation schedule kept getting pushed back."
"At this rate, wouldn't it be better to make a quick comeback with a single first rather than a full album? The company staff also said a full album would be too fast from before."
"Thinking from the company's perspective, that is safer. But in my opinion, if we delay it this time, no one knows when we'll be able to prepare a full album again. We have to consider our future overseas activities too."
'Umm, this is difficult.'
As the comeback preparation got delayed, it seemed the members' opinions were split half and half between making a quick comeback with a single album and preparing a full album as planned.
Actually, personally, I wanted to take Kim Yoo-jin's side, who had been consistently wanting a full album all this time.
But I also had to read the room regarding the company, who kept asking if we could quickly set a comeback schedule.
"How about we talk about it again after tomorrow's meeting? Anyway, no matter how much we agonize over it ourselves, it'll be difficult if the CEO opposes it."
'A meeting...'
At Kim Yoo-jin's words, I recalled the meeting with the CEO scheduled for tomorrow.
The meeting wasn't scheduled abruptly; it had been planned since before the vacation.
'It's not like he just wants to exchange pleasantries.'
I would find out tomorrow, but I had a feeling something was going to happen.
***
The CEO usually acted like he wasn't even there, but still, because of his status as a member of a chaebol family, not a single person in the company denied the CEO's position.
Actually, I sometimes doubted whether he was someone who belonged in this tiny agency that had nothing but Weus as its proper roster artist.
Anyway, on the way to the company after being called by the CEO.
To be honest, I couldn't really predict why he called us.
Because he was someone who rarely revealed his true intentions first.
What I knew about the CEO was that he thoroughly valued results over process.
'Was there something he wasn't satisfied with during this time?'
Perhaps, very simply, it could just end with him praising us for working hard for the past year.
If that happens, it would feel a bit empty, but.
'It's much better than making us do something strange.'
No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn't figure out the CEO's mind.
We inevitably moved our steps toward the CEO's office, which we were entering for the first time in a while, feeling a bit nervous.
Knock knock-
"CEO, can we come in now?"
"Yes, come in."
When I opened the door and went in, I saw the CEO looking like the uncle next door, no different from usual.
"Hello!"
"It's been a long time since I've seen you in person. Come, don't just stand there, sit here in front."
At the CEO's words, we took our seats in front of him at the head of the table.
As we were nervously watching the CEO, wondering what he was going to say to us.
"First of all, you really worked hard this past year. I didn't show it on the outside, but I've been keeping an eye on every single one of Weus's activities."
"Thank you...!"
"Hmm, the reason I asked to see you today... well, it's not something I want to discuss stiffly. I just called you because I wanted to hear your honest thoughts."
'Honest thoughts?'
As expected, it didn't seem like he simply called us to praise us.
The CEO smiled slightly as if finding it interesting how the members' facial expressions were changing from moment to moment, and continued speaking.
"You all know when Weus's contract period ends, right?"
"Yes, it's a 3-year contract with an additional 2-year extension condition..."
"Wait a minute."
"Yes?"
"Did you just say a 2-year extension?"
"Yes... that's what I knew."
"Ah, I'm not saying that's wrong. But let's think about it. Do you really think we can extend the contract?"
"Uh..."
At the sudden question, Park Han-hwi, who was answering the CEO's words, was stopped short.
Of course, I was just as flustered as Park Han-hwi.
Because I completely didn't expect the CEO to suddenly bring up the contract.
"In order to extend the contract, excluding the two members directly contracted with us, all five members' respective agencies must agree to the extension. Will they really do that?"
"..."
"I don't think they will... The agencies must want to have you guys active in their own companies as soon as possible right now, so why would they let you continue as Weus for another 2 years? So realistically, if we can't extend the contract, the remaining time you can be active as Weus is just over 2 years. Right?"
It wasn't a part I had never thought about at all.
It was just that with 2 years of activity period left, I thought there was no need to deliberately bring it up now, so I kept it quiet.
But now, the CEO brought up the words we had been trying not to think about in this very place.
As if he was finally telling us a secret he had been hiding.
"So, CEO, are you saying that the extension contract condition was meaningless from the start?"
"Did it sound that way?"
A vague answer.
Now I was getting a bit frustrated, wondering what exactly he was trying to say.
I pondered for a moment, then spoke to the CEO.
"I don't quite understand the reason why you're saying that now."
For a moment, silence lingered inside the CEO's office.
The CEO's gaze looking at me without a word wasn't much different from usual, but.
For some reason, standing on the receiving end of that gaze, I felt a subtle pressure.
'Did I make a slip of the tongue?'
I felt a little anxious, but I calmly looked into the CEO's eyes.
And then, the CEO, who had been looking at me, smiled slightly and opened his mouth.
"The reason I'm saying this now..."
While we were all watching with tension as the CEO trailed off, pondering something.
"I wanted to tell you that the time given to you is by no means long. And also that when an opportunity comes, you must seize it for sure."
With those words, the CEO's atmosphere returned to normal.
"I think I've said everything I wanted to say. You can go now."
Like that, the meeting with the CEO ended, leaving only question marks in our heads.
***
After finishing the meeting with the CEO.
We completed a few light schedules and immediately returned to the dorm.
Normally, after finishing our schedules and arriving at the dorm, the inside would be bustling because of the members' chatter.
Today, everyone was silent, seemingly deep in thought.
'Well, hearing that directly from the CEO...'
Not a story about our future activities, but the CEO's words that our active period didn't have much left.
Of course, it wasn't wrong, but for us who had only been running forward all this time, it couldn't help but be very demoralizing.
Because of that, the members went through the schedules all day in a loosened state.
'Two years left.'
If we didn't extend the contract, the remaining active period for us was a mere 2 years.
It wasn't a short period, but it felt too short to achieve much more than we had now.
Thinking like that, I looked around at the members, and soon locked eyes with Kim Yoo-jin, who was looking at me.
Actually, there was something the CEO didn't tell us in that room.
It was a way to overcome the other agencies' opposition and renew the contract.
Kim Yoo-jin seemed to be thinking the same thing as me, nodded slightly as he looked at me, and spoke up first.
"Rin hyung."
"Yeah?"
"Hyung, do you also think the contract extension is impossible?"
At Kim Yoo-jin's question directed at me, the members' gazes all focused on the two of us.
Feeling their gazes, I answered slowly.
"It's not impossible. There's definitely a way."
"What way?"
"We just have to become more famous than we are now, to the point where the agencies find it hard to oppose the extension. For example, if you get number one on the Billboard, like you've been saying since a long time ago, Yoo-jin. They'd have no choice but to agree to the extension, if only because of public opinion."
After my words, silence visited again.
I gauged the atmosphere for a moment, then said to Kim Yoo-jin.
"What do you think, Yoo-jin?"
At my words, Kim Yoo-jin answered immediately without a sliver of hesitation.
"I may not know exactly what meaning the CEO had when he said those things, but I agree that we don't have much time left and that we must seize the opportunity when it comes. And I don't know if this is the opportunity the CEO mentioned, but there's something I want to try."
"What is it?"
"I have the contact information James Blake left for me."
"What...?"
"If everyone agrees... how about we go to America and meet James Blake in person?"