Chapter 73
The day after the incident arrived.
Just as the members had predicted back at the dorm yesterday.
The CEO's summons came down immediately.
"Hyung... please come back safely..."
"Don't die!"
"You know you have to get on your knees the moment you go in, right?"
Receiving the members' not-exactly-cheerful cheers, I headed to the CEO's office.
Of course, I wasn't going alone among the members.
Beside me, Yujin Kim was walking along, looking no different from usual.
'Right, if anything happens, I have Yujin Kim as a shield...'
As I was thinking while looking at Yujin Kim beside me.
Yujin Kim furrowed his brow, sending me a look that asked why I was giving him such strange eyes.
'He's quick to catch on, as always.'
Strangely, even going to the CEO's office, I didn't feel much tension.
Perhaps it was because of the 'Sharp Intuition' I had obtained yesterday.
Or maybe it was because of Park Hanhwi's confident attitude and the mysterious trait he possessed.
When we arrived at the company and entered the CEO's office, not only the CEO but also the team leader-level personnel from each team were all gathered there.
"Our artists, please come in."
"Hello, CEO!"
The CEO's expression was no different from usual.
But seeing the faces of the agency employees beside him dripping with cold sweat, I got the feeling that a storm had already taken place.
"Please have a seat first."
"Yes, sir!"
Following the CEO's words, Yujin Kim and I took our seats.
As we were feeling the subtle atmosphere flowing inside the CEO's office.
The CEO continued speaking in an even voice.
"I heard you want to self-produce the album's title track for this comeback. Is that correct?"
"Yes, that's right."
It was a straightforward question.
I answered the CEO's question and was looking at him, wondering what words would come next.
"I'm very much in favor of it."
"Ah...?"
Of course, I didn't go expecting to hear bad things, but I didn't expect to hear such positive words from the start either.
When the CEO's words fell, I looked at the faces of the employees who wore smiles on their lips but whose eyes had slightly hardened. It seemed like this was purely the CEO's personal opinion.
"Actually, I heard that in the last album, the B-side track composed by Yujin performed better than the title track."
"Ah, that's..."
"No need to be embarrassed. In the end, results prove everything. If we had secured a better song from the start, there would have been no reason for the title track to underperform compared to the B-side."
At the CEO's words, the A&R team leader made an uncomfortable expression and bowed his head.
'Actually, the title track's performance wasn't bad...'
Originally, the title track 'HERO' could be considered to have achieved the best results for a newly debuted group based on performance alone.
It was just overshadowed because 'Our Spring' did so incredibly well.
It was an unfair situation for the A&R team.
The phenomenal popularity of 'Our Spring' could be attributed to the influence of variety shows and unexpected trends on social media.
But to our CEO, such things didn't seem important.
"If we had pushed that song as the title track from the beginning, it would have been great... well, that's already past, so let's set that aside. For this album, you can really try everything you want to do. I'll be looking forward to it."
There were many leaps in the CEO's words.
But I could immediately understand what the CEO was trying to say.
Prove it with results.
Since Yujin Kim's results were greater right now, he would leave us to do as we wanted.
But thinking about it the other way around, this was actually a terrifying statement.
'If this album flops, I won't even be able to make a peep during album preparations from now on.'
Actually, it was already unusual for a member of an idol group that had debuted only a few months ago to be able to voice opinions on album preparations.
Partly because our company was newly established. And also because WEUS was a group that debuted through an audition, so they weren't ordinary rookies.
Anyway, we were currently receiving special treatment from the company.
And that special treatment could change depending on the results of this album.
-Hey, hey Yujin. Are you confident?
I desperately sent signals with my eyes to Yujin Kim sitting next to me.
But as if he couldn't see my gaze, Yujin Kim calmly answered the CEO, who was still wearing a relaxed smile.
"Yes CEO, we'll work hard."
"Hahaha good. I'll trust you."
With Yujin Kim's answer, the discussion about this album's title track was virtually over.
'Does that guy not feel any pressure?'
If this album failed, the person who would receive the harshest criticism was none other than Yujin Kim.
Knowing that, I couldn't easily answer.
But Yujin Kim had answered the CEO's words easily as if it were no problem.
"Then let's handle that matter that way. Moving on to the next..."
'Next? Is there another problem?'
When I was feeling puzzled by the CEO suddenly starting a different topic.
The CEO immediately continued speaking.
"I heard the response to our artists in Japan was quite good last time. We should probably start thinking about preparing for overseas expansion, right?"
At the sudden mention of overseas expansion from the CEO's mouth, all the employees including me looked at the CEO in surprise.
"Let's try simultaneously releasing the music in Japan this time. That much should be fine, right?"
'Release music in Japan?'
As I was thinking while listening to the CEO's words.
The planning team leader, who appeared to be the most senior among the meeting attendees, cautiously opened his mouth.
"Um, CEO, rather than preparing for Japanese activities right away. Wouldn't it be better to build a stronger foundation in Korea first and then expand into overseas markets? As of right now..."
"Ah, it's not like I'm telling you to go activities in Japan and rank first on the Oricon chart right away. Let's just do as much as we can."
He said to do only as much as we can.
But everyone here knew that wasn't the CEO's true intention.
'This won't be easy...'
A Japan expansion mission that suddenly popped up.
Since it wasn't a mission given by the status window but a CEO-initiated mission, I couldn't properly know the reward or the penalty for failure.
When the CEO, having finished all he wanted to say, stood up as if he had nothing more to say. The meeting ended just like that.
Looking at the other employees' dazed expressions, Yujin Kim and I slowly slipped out of our seats.
"Going straight back to the dorm?"
"Um, I think I need to stop by the studio for a bit."
"Is that so? Then can I come along too?"
At Yujin Kim's mention of going to the studio, I said I'd tag along partly to have a separate conversation.
"Yes, that's fine."
When Yujin Kim answered like that, I silently followed Yujin Kim to the studio inside the company.
Actually, there wasn't anything particularly special I needed to tell Yujin Kim.
Yesterday during the meeting, before Park Hanhwi spoke, I had voiced an opinion opposing Yujin Kim's opinion.
After blurting out the words, I felt regret that I should have trusted Yujin Kim more.
But it was already in the past. And since Yujin Kim didn't seem to mind much either, I didn't talk to him about it separately yesterday.
When we entered the studio and it was just the two of us, I carefully brought it up.
"Yujin."
"Yes?"
"About what happened yesterday..."
"It's okay."
When I brought it up, Yujin Kim spoke first as if he instantly knew what I was going to say.
"Hyung's words weren't wrong either. There was no definitely right choice there. You don't need to feel sorry to me because of that."
Listening to Yujin Kim's words, I felt something become even more frustrating.
'Why does it feel even more frustrating when Yujin says it's okay?'
It was a feeling I had never experienced before.
"Um... there's something I want to say to you, hyung."
"What is it?"
Yujin Kim, who had been watching my frustrated expression, suddenly spoke to me with a serious face.
"I think I know what you're worrying about right now, hyung."
"What I'm worrying about?"
I couldn't help but ask back at Yujin Kim's words.
Because words I hadn't even thought of suddenly came out of Yujin Kim's mouth.
"Think back to how you were during the audition. Comparing then and now, both your singing and dancing skills have improved incomparably, so why do you seem to think you're lacking now?"
'Did I show that kind of appearance?'
I hadn't thought about it at all.
That Yujin Kim was watching me like that.
"Probably if it was the hyung from the audition time, regarding yesterday's incident too, you would have definitely said let's try challenging it. Right?"
"I probably would have."
Probably, if it were me from the audition time as Yujin Kim said, I wouldn't have so easily told Yujin Kim to wait for the next opportunity.
What was the difference between then and now.
Like Yujin Kim said, my skills had actually developed much more now.
'Was it because I thought I had nothing to lose back then?'
"Of course, back then I was a trainee, and now I've taken on the leader position after debut. It can't be exactly the same as back then. But..."
Yujin Kim, who had been calmly continuing his words, flashed those sharp eyes and looked at me directly as he spoke.
"No matter how much I think about it, giving up without even trying doesn't seem like the hyung I've seen all this time."
A feeling like being hit in the head with a hammer.
Regardless of whether what Yujin Kim was saying was right or wrong.
Thinking that it was connected to the frustration I had been feeling implicitly, I felt as if something blocking my head was being cleared.
'Maybe after becoming the leader, I've come to worry about things I didn't worry about before.'
After starting life in the entertainment industry and taking on the leader position of the group WEUS.
The appearance of the person named Seonwoo Rin was gradually disappearing.
Had I perhaps become just an ordinary idol group leader?
Thinking like that, I understood the words Yujin Kim was saying to me now. And some of the actions I had taken so far.
"Thanks, Yujin."
"No problem."
Probably Yujin Kim must have worried a lot too before saying those words to me.
Giving advice to someone meant having some confidence to bear responsibility for the results that advice would bring about.
Thinking about Yujin Kim's disposition that I had observed all this time.
Yujin Kim wasn't the type of person to easily give advice or criticism to others.
'Is that what a team is?'
I had thought I was trusting and leading the team as the leader all this time.
But thinking about it now, it seemed like I had less trust in our team than Yujin Kim did.
'I was too intimidated.'
Yujin Kim's unwavering response to the CEO's words earlier came to mind anew.
"Yujin."
"Yes?"
"Your initial goal is still the same, right?"
"You mean number one on the Billboard?"
"Yeah."
At my words, Yujin Kim answered with an expression that asked why I was stating the obvious.
"Of course we have to do it."
"I see."
Listening to Yujin Kim's firm answer, I asked again.
"Before reaching number one on the Billboard, how about we start with number one on the Oricon chart first?"
When I said that, Yujin Kim finally smiled slightly and answered.
"The goal is too low, but. Well, there's nothing bad about trying..."
Yujin Kim, who paused and thought about what to say next, eventually spoke with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"Let's cause some real trouble."