11. Label (4)

"Hello."

Early in the morning, I ran into Choi Min-woo while walking down the company hallway. After a brief greeting, I stared at Choi Min-woo's shoulder. He was carrying a Boston bag, and it was heavy, as he had a lot of luggage.

"Oh, is it today?"

"Yeah....."

Choi Min-woo, who was cut for poor performance in the month-end evaluation, smiled bitterly. The sight of him packing up and leaving looked somehow pitiful.

Choi Min-woo changed the subject after sensing my gaze. It wasn't a very welcome story.

"Come to think of it, the debut group has been confirmed this time? They said they're going to start preparing right away."

"Oh, that's right. I heard that."

Among the people who were on the same team during the month-end evaluation, none of them made it to the debut group.

Of them, Choi Min-woo was kicked out, and Kim Jung-hyun voluntarily left Lime and moved to another agency. It seemed like he judged that it would be difficult to prepare for the next one here because of his age.

With that level of skill, if he had just worked hard and done his part well without being stubborn, he would have made it into the debut group. Either way, it was something that Kim Jung-hyun had decided on. I felt neither joy nor sympathy.

And somehow, I felt that Kim Jung-hyun would somehow make his debut, so I didn't feel any other emotions.

"Ahem."

Choi Min-woo coughed in vain at the sound of the wheels rubbing against the floor. Following his gaze, I saw a large carrier.

"...You and Aram are doing well too. I heard you transferred labels?"

Choi Min-woo shrugged. As if he knew this would happen.

I looked at Choi Min-woo and gave him the usual consolation.

"Yes, that's how it is. So you too, hyung, will do well in the future."

"Yeah, thank you."

The conversation was short. Choi Min-woo left the place as if he was being chased by something. He seemed to feel ashamed of his own shabby appearance.

After Choi Min-woo disappeared. I headed to the label's exclusive floor instead of the usual route.

The label basically used the same building as the headquarters, Lime Entertainment, but the floors were divided as if drawing a line.

'Is this the training room? Next to it is the recording studio, and the practice room is... Ah, I found it.'

I was able to find the practice room right away. I had been guided there the day before, and if you just look at the practice room, it wasn't much different from the place that Lime's direct trainees used.

"Hello... huh?"

"You're here."

As I entered the label's practice room, Lee Aram greeted me. Looking at his puffy eyes and swollen face, I think he didn't sleep well the night before. The atmosphere became awkward in an instant.

"It's quiet."

"I think so."

"When do you think everyone will be coming to work?"

"I'm not sure."

As we chatted about this and that, more and more people started coming to work. Baek Han-gyul was the first one to arrive.

"Good morning! Huh? You guys came early."

Unlike Aram, Baek Han-gyul came into the practice room with a face that didn't seem to have a single worry. He seemed more energetic than yesterday.

Three men followed Baek Han-gyul. All three of them looked familiar.

"Wow, hello. Nice to meet you. My name is Seol Yi-soo."

The first person to greet us was a man with a grim impression who made me doubt my ears during personality education class.

Next, the cheerful man standing next to Seol Yi-soo and the man with the languid expression approached us in turn.

"I heard that new people are coming, but it's nice to see you like this. Nice to meet you~ I'm Hwang Bo-kyun."

"......Hello.."

"Oh, this is Ryu Hyun-seung. He's shy, but he doesn't hate you two."

"That's fortunate then."

Following that, I and A-ram exchanged names. Then Hwang Bo-kyun naturally directed the traffic. Judging from his actions, he was a guy who was used to interacting with people.

"Then Yi-soo hyung is the oldest at twenty-one, and me and A-ram? We're both the same age, twenty."

"Yes, yes."

"Our Hyun-seung is nineteen, Young-i is eighteen, and Han-gyul is seventeen. Right?"

"Yes, that's right."

Hwang Bo-kyun smiled and put his arm around Baek Han-gyul's shoulder.

"We'll be together for a while, so let's talk comfortably."

"Yes, please be comfortable!"

"Ahaha, our new brother is a fun friend. Seung-i finally escaped being the youngest~"

"....Yes."

Lee A-ram kept his mouth shut at the friendly conversation. It seemed like he was quite embarrassed by the current situation and atmosphere. Seol Yi-soo tilted his head as he looked at Lee A-ram. It was a gesture that seemed to ask if he was okay.

'The atmosphere is a bit... different from the Lime Entertainment trainees.'

I don't know if it's because the label itself is less competitive or if the kids here are originally this cheerful. What's certain is that they look much better than before.

Someone came into the midst of this warm scene. The man who got in between scratched his cheek and looked at us in the practice room.

"Is everyone here? Since there are some new people here, I'll introduce myself first. First of all, I am Ji Young-heon, your road manager."

"Gasp."

Baek Han-gyul took a deep breath. Even Lee A-ram's eyes were trembling. It seemed strange that a trainee had a manager.

Ji Young-heon said as he packed up my, Lee A-ram's, and Baek Han-gyul's luggage.

"All of our trainees use the dorm without exception. After the meeting this morning, I will guide you to the assigned dorm."

"Is it free time after the meeting?"

"Yes, it's the first day. Starting tomorrow, we will return to our normal schedule of lessons and practice."

He looked at the three new recruits one by one and blinks slowly.

"There will be acupuncture and skin care from time to time, but since everyone is good at the main stage, we skipped the facial treatment. If you want, I'll support you."

We were silent. Ji Young-heon's attitude was polite and even cautious to a trainee, but Lee A-ram and Baek Han-gyul seemed shocked by it.

Since the staff of New Development Headquarters were more of a role to watch over the kids than to take care of them, the staff and the manager were clearly different, but it must have been a cultural shock for those who were only under them.

'Maybe Lime would have given the debut group a manager now that the members were confirmed.

It's natural since they were promoted from an uncertain possibility to a rookie who had to sell somehow.

"If you change your mind later, please let me know. Oh, and if you go anywhere, you have to contact me first. From now on, you must never act individually!"

Ji Young-heon left after giving several warnings, perhaps because the company had emphasized this. I heard that he left the luggage he received in the car and said he would come back.

My first impression of Ji Young-heon was not bad. He seemed gentle... He didn't seem completely inexperienced, but he looked young. In this case, it was highly likely that he had been working as the youngest member of another management team and then had his assignment changed. Baek Han-gyul trembled when Ji Young-heon disappeared.

"I'm nervous because I have to meet with the staff."

"Don't be so nervous. Maybe you should just sit down."

Seol Yi-soo patted Baek Han-gyul with a gentle smile. His words were strong, but they weren't directed at Baek Han-gyul.

'Well, there aren't many agencies that give trainees a say.'

Son Dong-young, who gave a trainee the position of general producer, is a unique case, but most people do whatever the company tells them to do. Even Planet didn't have much of an opinion when they were rookies.

'...Damn, those days of being a loser.'

I thought back to the past when I did what the company told me to do and ended up going down the drain.

I didn't want to end it like that, so I struggled and learned how to compose and produce myself.

......Well, that's all in the past. Now, I have to find a way to succeed with these sprouts, not Planet.

I nodded, calming my mind.

'The conditions are much better than before, that's comforting.'

Isn't the starting point different from when you head to the bare ground? As the general producer, there are many things to take responsibility for, and you will be scolded, but that's something you are used to.

Anyway, the meeting is right around the corner.

At that moment, Hwang Bo-kyun raised his hand and checked his phone message.

"...Um, the manager said he'd buy drinks. What do you want to drink?"

***

Not long after, Ji Young-heon came with both hands full of drinks. He encouraged us and guided us to the conference room. There was no one in the conference room because there was still some time compared to the scheduled time.

'Yeah, now that we're rookies preparing for our debut, we should come early and greet the staff politely.'

Every single action in the company piles up. And manners work well everywhere.

"Hello!"

Every time an employee came in, we bowed and greeted them.

The greeting robot behavior continued until everyone was seated, and it ended only when Son Dong-young came in.

"Is this the first time we've all gathered in one place like this? There will be many people who are meeting for the first time, so let's start with the greetings."

Manager Hyung...... I guess I should call him CEO now. CEO Son Dong-young smiled and started introducing each person's team and name one by one. Not all of the employees, just the main characters.

"Lastly~"

CEO Son Dong-young nodded his head toward the trainees.

"These are the newbies who will be our label's first artists."

"Hello!"

"Please take care of me!"

A short round of applause followed the spirited greeting, and immediately, my eyes met with someone. Surprisingly, he was someone I had met once in the Lime Entertainment meeting room.

A mysterious man wearing a blue suit and an expensive watch. He was called 'Director Kwak In-hyuk' here.

'What the? The atmosphere over there is cold.'

Unlike the previous encounter in the meeting room, his gaze was very hostile. He was so blatant that Baek Han-gyul flinched when Director Kwak In-hyuk opened his mouth.

"Before we start the meeting, I'd like to point out one thing."

"Yes, go ahead."

"Is it true that the general producer in charge of the new group is a trainee?"

The moment I heard that, I realized a few things.

First, the decision to place a trainee in the position of general producer was made solely by CEO Son Dong-young.

Second, there are many employees who are skeptical of that opinion, in addition to Director Kwak In-hyuk.

"That's true, but is there a problem?"

CEO Son Dong-young asked brightly. Director Kwak In-hyuk furrowed his brow. He seemed to be suppressing his irritation.

"...Do you really think that a trainee can properly lead the label and the group?"

"I'll ask the opposite. Why do you think he can't?"

"You're asking the obvious. What company in this world would entrust responsibility to a minor?"

The others kept their mouths shut as they watched the breathless conversation.

In particular, Seol Yi-soo, Hwang Bo-kyun, and Ryu Hyun-seung seemed confused, as if they hadn't been informed of this fact in advance.

Well, that kind of reaction is natural.

"This is ridiculous to begin with. The company isn't a college club."

"Um... Is it time to say that right now?"

The raised voice disappeared as if it were a lie. CEO Son Dong-young opened his mouth leisurely. Judging from his expression, he seemed to have no feelings even after causing an accident.

"Anyway, I'm the CEO of this label. It's okay to complain, but please be polite."

"...I'm sorry."

Director Kwak In-hyuk clenched his jaw and lowered his head.

'The meeting atmosphere is really bad. The opinions haven't been established, and it feels like the members were hastily gathered.'

Usually, labels that come out as subsidiaries are often created by people who were originally part of the same team and then left together. However, these people didn't seem to have known each other before. Rather.......

In an instant, my mind cleared up. It felt like a clue had been unraveled to the part I had been curious about.

I realized that there was a discrepancy with the episodes that Yoo Young had been through. Something so obvious that I didn't pay attention to it..

'I guess Lime's stock price dropped because Han A-won had an accident.'

I recalled the conversation I had with Choi Min-woo a little while ago. I was wondering why Lime's new artist debut schedule seemed more urgent than I thought.

Since Planet has stopped their activities, are they preparing a new artist to fill the void? Maybe it was the same reason why a label I'd never seen before suddenly appeared.

As I sorted out my complicated thoughts, Director Kwak In-hyuk turned his head. The moment he made eye contact with me, he frowned.

"Then I'll ask you directly. Was your name Yoo Young?"

".....Yes, sir."

"Do you really think you can lead this label and group properly?"

I bit my cheek while swallowing a hollow laugh. It was an ambiguous question that was hard to answer either positively or negatively.

It was funny how he thinks CEO Son Dong-young wouldn't listen, so he pressured a trainee who was easy to get.

"Oh, I didn't say that. I will be in charge of the label's planning team from now on."

He said that I should answer well since we will have a lot to do in the future. I looked at Director Kwak In-hyuk and chose my words carefully.

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