The A&R team fell dead silent at my words.
It was obvious why.
Even I thought it sounded completely out of left field!
"Manager Lim…? Could you repeat that? Trot?"
"Yes, I said trot."
I looked at the message floating in front of me and nodded.
[MEGA-HIT POTENTIAL!!!]
"I think trot would suit Sena perfectly."
Hearing that, A&R Team Director Myunghoon Song frowned.
"Manager Lim, do you even know what genre trot is?"
Truthfully, I didn't.
I mean, it wasn't that I knew nothing about it; I had a general idea.
It was basically a ppongjjak-ppongjjak rhythm that the old folks loved.
That was probably the image most people had of it.
It enjoyed massive popularity among the older generation, but young people couldn't care less about the genre.
"It's true that if you make it big in trot, you can blow up massively."
Director Song spoke as if he were lecturing me.
"The profit from local events is on a whole other level. But the market is already completely dominated by established top singers, so it's not exactly an easy market for a new musician to break into."
Every word he said was true.
"Most importantly, it completely clashes with Sena's style. Just look at her sophisticated vibe and emotional depth. She's perfect for alternative pop. So why on earth would you suddenly force trot onto her?"
He had a point. After all, Director Song was the expert in this field.
But—
"I personally think trot would suit her style really well."
"!!!"
I wasn't just saying that because of the inspection window.
Aren't the indie folk songs she's sung so far a little similar to trot? I feel like she'd be great at it.
Sure, it was just the gut feeling of an amateur, not expert knowledge. But if the experts were always correct, why did artists who followed their advice still flop?
"It wouldn't hurt to have her sing it once, so why not at least give it a shot? Of course, if she absolutely hates the idea, we can drop it."
I tactfully took a step back.
I've done as much as I can. If she refuses, then I guess she just wasn't destined for greatness.
Right then, Sena broke her silence.
"Manager Lim…were you recommending trot because you were thinking of me?"
"???"
I blinked in genuine confusion.
"Of course. I'm recommending it because I'm thinking of you, Sena."
To be completely honest, if Sena struck gold with trot, she'd be the one reaping the rewards. It wasn't like I had anything to gain from it.
Well, okay, sure—if my assigned artist scored a mega-hit, it would count toward my performance review. So it would definitely be reflected in future promotions and bonuses, but—
I had zero interest in any of that to begin with.
So, I really was recommending it entirely for her sake.
"…Then I'll try singing trot once."
"???"
* * *
Asking me to sing 'ppongjjak-ppongjjak' trot, of all things.
Sena was a singer suffering from an artist's delusion.
Trot was a genre that sat on the exact opposite end of the music spectrum from the one she pursued.
But—
"I'm recommending it because I'm thinking of you, Sena."
If they were only considering commercial viability, the A&R team was right about alternative pop.
It was one of the hottest genres right now.
A safe bet, so to speak.
On the other hand, achieving commercial success with trot was incomparably harder.
It was true that a handful of elite trot stars were raking in cash, but the odds of Sena joining their ranks?
Even Sena herself thought it was impossible.
She was certain, yet—
"That chief manager seems like a good person. He's saying it all for your sake."
Right.
They hadn't known each other for long, but Chanwoo Lim was different from anyone else at Star Entertainment.
He had an indifferent gaze, as if he couldn't care less, and his tone was obnoxious… but he looked her straight in the eye and genuinely cared for her.
Though if Chanwoo Lim actually heard her say that, he'd probably tilt his head and think, 'Who? Me…?'
I'll just try singing it once. If it doesn't suit me, I can just ditch it.
Star Entertainment didn't have any decent trot singers. Because of that, they didn't own any original trot songs, so she decided to test out another singer's track:
<Heartbreaking> by Nam Jin.
It was a song that could be considered a legend in the trot industry.
And…
"Wow…!"
The entire A&R team was left in absolute shock!
* * *
"A hit! No, a mega-hit!!! How did you know, Manager Lim?!"
"It was just a feeling."
"Ha! What kind of obnoxious genius nonsense is that?! Her voice isn't trot material by any means—so how on earth does it fit her so perfectly?"
"I-is it really good?"
Sena chimed in hesitantly, only for Director Myunghoon Song to completely lose his mind.
"It's way beyond just good! If you sing like this, old folks all across the country will go absolutely crazy! In my ten-plus years as a director, I guarantee this is a hit, a certified mega-hit!"
Hmm… wasn't Director Song's track record pretty terrible? I could've sworn I heard a rumor that if he strongly pushes for something, you should immediately reconsider it…
Well, I had no need to worry this time.
The inspection guaranteed its success, and it sounded incredibly good even to my untrained ears.
Claiming that the old folks would go absolutely crazy was no exaggeration.
Wait. If it becomes a huge hit, won't she be running around the whole country for events? Am I about to get hit with a mountain of work? Crap! I just created more work with my own two hands!
"You don't actually have to do trot."
"Manager?"
"No matter how much money trot brings in, the artist's opinion matters most. If you hate it and want to try a different genre, you can do that instead."
"What kind of idealistic nonsense is that?! Do you know how long it's been since our company saw a potential hit like this? We obviously have to sweep up all the cash across the eight provinces!"
"She is my artist. I, for one, have no intention of treating her like a money-making machine. There's no need to overexert yourself with events, Sena. You can do whatever you want."
Hmm… I know I just don't want to work, but did I overdo it?
But then—
"Just as I thought… you're different, manager."
"Eh?"
"I'll do trot. I had never even considered it before, but since you're looking out for me this much, I'll give it my absolute best too."
"…"
And just like that, Sena decided to sing trot.
Well, the A&R team will handle the producing on their own. I can just make a road manager run the field events later.
I fell silent for a moment after returning to the Team 5 office.
But wait… who am I going to make the road manager?
As everyone knew, Team 5 was hardly a functioning team.
To begin with, none of its members were exactly normal.
They fell into one of two categories: those parachuted in through executive connections, like Donghyuk Kim, and those like me—salary thieves with zero motivation.
Either way, I had never seen anyone on Team 5 actually do a proper day's work.
Not that I had any right to judge, since I was the exact same.
My only goal was to comfortably coast through the five years of corporate life my father had set as a condition for my inheritance.
Why not just transfer to another company, you ask?
If I move to a different company, they'd expect me to actually do my job.
The reason I insisted on staying in Team 5 was so I could play the part of someone unfairly demoted.
Meaning I didn't need to feel any sense of duty or responsibility toward the company anymore.
On the other hand, if I got a job elsewhere, I wouldn't be able to help but feel a sense of responsibility toward them for hiring me.
The problem is, if things keep going like this, I feel like dark clouds are going to gather over my comfortable life in Team 5… I need to find someone to do my job for me, and fast.
Left with no other choice, I had to whip Team 5 into shape.
* * *
Head Director Soohyuk Kim scrunched his face into a deep frown.
It was all because of Chanwoo Lim—the name that had been giving him the biggest headache lately.
「If you don't bring Chanwoo Lim back, I won't be renewing our contract. In fact, I'm terminating it immediately!」
That was the threat Ina Kim had made yesterday.
Of course, with plenty of time still left on her current contract, it was way too early to be worrying about a renewal. Breaking it midway through was even more nonsensical.
It was just an empty threat, but it was causing massive stress for Soohyuk Kim.
It was never a good thing to be at odds with the company's biggest star. It was even worse for someone in his position—the head director of management, who was ultimately responsible for handling the artists.
The bigger problem was handling Chanwoo Lim.
Damn it. Damn it. That punk is out there daring me to do my worst—so what the hell am I supposed to do?!
Granted, it was a decision made for the company's sake, but he couldn't deny that Chanwoo had every right to be pissed.
But even so…
Chanwoo was ignoring him—the head director!
That punk was acting like he had absolutely nothing to lose!
Persuasion?
He couldn't even get Chanwoo to sit down and talk! Let alone coax him, smooth things over, or at the very least, yell at him.
But what was even more baffling was—
Why is he doing his job so well?!
If he was just throwing a tantrum because he genuinely wanted to leave the entertainment industry, it would have made sense.
But he was working way too well for that to be the case.
"I look forward to working with you, Head Director Kim."
"Director Hansung Lee? What do you mean, so suddenly?"
"Did you not hear that Actress Hyunah Lim will be appearing in our movie Crime Society?"
…He hadn't.
"Please make sure to pass along my gratitude to Manager Lim."
"Manager Lim? Why Chanwoo Lim all of a sudden…?"
"…? Did you not know that Actress Hyunah Lim became a completely different actress thanks to Manager Lim? Not only that, but our Crime Society production almost fell apart, and it was Manager Lim who saved us."
…He had no idea what the man was talking about.
So he had called Hyunah in to ask.
"Yes, it's true. Thanks to Manager Lim, I was able to become a whole new person."
Head Director Soohyuk Kim just couldn't comprehend Hyunah's story.
How on earth was a manager supposed to take a washed-up, third-rate actress and magically turn her into a brand-new talent overnight?
Whatever the truth of it was, he still had a job to do as the head director.
"How would you feel about moving over to Team 2?"
There was absolutely no way he could leave her on Team 5 when she was about to star in the most highly anticipated blockbuster of the year—and not as a mere extra, but in a crucial supporting role.
In short, it was a declaration that the company was prepared to throw its full weight behind her from now on.
But Hyunah gave an unexpected answer.
"No, thank you. I'll stay in Team 5."
"…? For the company to properly support you, Team 5 is—"
"And if things go wrong, are you just going to toss me aside like trash again?"
"…"
"Of course, I understand why Star Entertainment did it. It's a company, after all. You couldn't just keep wasting time and manpower on a hopeless, washed-up artist."
Hyunah looked directly at the head director as she spoke.
"But Manager Lim cared for me when everyone else in Star Entertainment gave up. I won't go anywhere without him. I'm going to stay by his side for the rest of my life."
And that wasn't the only thing burning a hole through Head Director Soohyuk Kim's stomach.
"It's a huge hit, head director!!"
"…Director Song? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"After a string of nothing but failed idols and flop singers recently, a mega-hit singer has finally appeared in Star Entertainment!!!"
"A mega-hit…?"
"It's all thanks to Manager Chanwoo Lim!"
What in the world was this nonsense now?!
A moment later, a familiar face appeared.
Sena Lee.
A singer who had decent talent, but was definitely not mega-hit material.
"Just so we're clear, I am absolutely not switching teams. I am only working with Manager Lim."
Sena said it even more bluntly than Actress Hyunah.
To put it plainly, she was being a total brat.
"Unlike you who only sees artists as money, Manager Lim is the only person in Star Entertainment who genuinely cares about us."
* * *
For the sake of my comfortable corporate life, I decided to whip Team 5 into shape.
My first target was Manager Kang.
"Manager Kang?"
"…Chief Manager Lim?"
"Are you free for dinner after work today? We could grab a drink, too."
"Out of nowhere…?"
"Yep, out of nowhere."
"…What if I don't want to? I'm kind of busy."
Busy, my ass.
"Even if you don't want to, you'd be wise to do as I say."
I looked at the inspection window hovering over Manager Kang's head.
[Minho Kang]
[Special Note: Committed a breach of trust in his previous team.]
I flashed a warm, friendly smile at the prime candidate for Slave No. 1—uh, I mean, Subordinate No. 1—in my quest for a cozy, happy life in Team 5.
"We've been on the same team for a while now, but we've never really had a proper chat. Let me treat you to a nice, expensive meal tonight."
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