Chapter 16…..
Jongmook was dumbfounded. The situation itself felt surreal.
And who was Lee Jongmook? None other than the CEO of JM, one of the top three entertainment companies in Korea. He hadn’t built his empire by recklessly throwing money around, but by guts, vision, and shrewdness.
That was why very few people ever dared to say, “Lee Jongmook, I think you’re wrong.” Because Jongmook was almost never wrong in his judgments.
“It would be best not to get involved with that movie.”
At those words, the thought “How dare you say that to me?” welled up inside Jongmook, but he quickly suppressed it. This wasn’t something he could dismiss out of hand.
For one thing, how on earth did Yoo Hyunjae know that Jongmook had just met with Director Park Woosik today?
Does he have an informant? If it were on my side, I’d know… then on Park Woosik’s side?
“How did you…? No, that’s not the point. All right, why do you say that? We’re talking about Director Park Woosik here. He’s the genius behind two ten-million-viewer films! I believe this is a tremendous opportunity for Lim Yooju. Are you saying the content isn’t good?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“It’s difficult to say, but… I’ve heard there are serious problems with Director Park Woosik’s conduct. A sex scandal is about to break out.”
“What…?”
This was news to him. And who was Lee Jongmook? If such a rumor had been circulating, he would have caught its scent.
“Hyunjae, what you’re saying is extremely serious. What basis do you have for this? I need proof before I can act.”
For some reason, Hyunjae was staring intently at the tip of his index finger, frowning slightly, as if searching through a dictionary in a library. But all he was doing was looking at his finger!
“He has been habitually harassing actress Na Yoomi. And not only her—there are many victims.”
“Na Yoomi? Both she and Park Woosik are married. Unless you can prove this, such talk is extremely….”
“There’s a place called Hanlim Apartments, two subway stops from Director Park’s house. Unit 1204 is under the name Kim Taemoon—he’s Park’s second uncle, deceased long ago. Na Yoomi is summoned there every Tuesday. If you check the car’s black box and the apartment CCTV, you’ll see footage of her entering with Park Woosik.”
“Uh…”
Jongmook’s hands trembled. Just moments ago, he thought of Hyunjae as a man with leadership qualities. But what was this? Clairvoyance? An armchair detective?
He studied Hyunjae’s face. It was filled with certainty. Hyunjae clearly believed everything he just said was true.
“Wait… just wait.”
Jongmook rose and stepped outside to make a call.
“Mr. Kim, you’re acquainted with Na Yoomi’s manager, right? Could you ask about something for me? Nothing sensitive, I just want to know her Tuesday evening schedule….”
Not long after, the call came back.
“What? Tuesday evenings are always off-limits? She always has a personal appointment? I see….”
Cold sweat trickled down Jongmook’s arm.
“Then can you pull the building registry for this Hanlim Apartment? Check who owns unit 1204. …Yes, that’s right. Kim Taemoon, you say?”
Unbelievable. What kind of nightmare was this? Jongmook hung up and quickly dialed another number.
“Reporter Seo, this is JM’s Lee Jongmook. There’s something I need investigated. If this turns out to be true… it’ll be huge. What it’s about is….”
After that, he returned to the room. Hyunjae was calmly sipping coffee, fiddling with his fingers, looking perfectly at ease.
He’s far greater than I thought.
Jongmook swallowed hard.
“I checked—most of what you said seems true. When did you learn about this?”
“Not long ago.”
“Not long ago….”
It wasn’t yet fully confirmed, but the evidence was overwhelming. If he had gone ahead as planned, what would’ve happened? JM had been ready to invest 3.5 billion won into Park Woosik’s new film Fragment—the moment Lim Yooju accepted the role.
She likely would have accepted, since the role was similar to the one she had loved in her last drama Teacher, My Teacher. If that had happened, both JM and Lim Yooju would have been devastated.
“How did you find out? Park Woosik’s family ties are shrouded in secrecy. He avoids exposing his private life at all costs. But his second uncle… Hyunjae, are you somehow connected to the underworld?”
“No, never.”
“And you won’t say how you know?”
Hyunjae nodded. Jongmook’s heart pounded in a way he’d never experienced. The depths of this man—impossible to fathom.
This isn’t coincidence. He has a source. A powerful one.
His thoughts even drifted to how the girl group NovaGirls had risen.
If Hyunjae’s information network was this vast, then was his “coincidental” meeting with the President at the 3rd Air Force base really a coincidence? According to Team Leader Cho Minsoo, the circumstances were very unnatural. Blocking the President’s motorcade with a car…
It was awe-inspiring. His back was drenched. This was beyond belief. Not even when he met Chairman Lee Jaemoon of Samgang Electronics had he felt such a thing.
Every step… planned. From start to finish.
He was convinced. Yoo Hyunjae was like Zhuge Liang or Sima Yi. Otherwise, how could this situation exist?
With a vast intelligence network, he sets the stage and waits for people to move. Then he makes it all look like coincidence. What a terrifying man.
At least the blessing was that Yoo Hyunjae belonged to JM—and was supportive of both NovaGirls and Lim Yooju.
“Haha… Hyunjae, you’ve done something tremendous. We’ll have to wait for the facts, but I can’t just let this slide. I’ll see that you’re rewarded. Lim Yooju will have to wait for another script, though….”
“Hasn’t one already come in?”
“What?”
“A revenge story, from WatchFlex.”
“…How did—”
He stopped himself. That question was meaningless now.
“You must mean Chalk and Blade. I thought it was a risky script. These days audiences hate frustrating plots. And this one shows school bullying with even branding torture by curling irons, and then the victim becomes a teacher who threatens the perpetrators’ children… it feels outdated. Not to mention the director’s track record….”
“……”
Hyunjae said nothing. His expression seemed to say, Don’t believe me? Then don’t.
Jongmook reflected. A moment ago, he admitted Hyunjae was a step above him. And now he was making excuses not to listen. Was this really for business—or just pride?
A businessman must swallow the bitter pill once he decides it’s worth it. Justifications come later, after the stomachache.
“…Very well. I’ll have the synopsis sent to you. Please introduce it to Lim Yooju.”
“Understood.”
“And…”
Jongmook studied Hyunjae’s unreadable face.
For a businessman, pride is useless. Whether Hyunjae was better or not didn’t matter. Talented people must be placed high. That’s how money is made.
So he asked:
“Hyunjae, how about becoming a team leader?”
“Hyunjae oppa, are you really okay?”
“Yeah. But I’m not an expert. Does my opinion even matter?”
“You said all five songs were good… aren’t you just being nice as a manager?”
“No. Personally, BlueHeaven was my taste, but all five songs were so good it’s hard to pick one.”
“Then… between BlueHeaven and Letter on a Snowy Day, which do you prefer?”
“Huh? Lim Yooju’s song? That’s—”
“No, no! Don’t say it. Hurry, let’s go inside the conference room.”
That was the conversation Da-bin and I had just ten minutes ago.
Ow. Did my finger just tingle?
The day after my café meeting with the CEO, I was now in Team 3’s conference room for NovaGirls’ next digital single planning session.
Normally, the first meeting would include the NovaGirls members, their director, producer, A&R, and management—maybe a department head. But today, the mood was far heavier.
Because CEO Lee Jongmook himself was there.
—Hyunjae, how about becoming a team leader?
Yesterday, I had refused his offer outright. He was clearly mistaken. A rookie manager, who had only recently transferred from AMD to management, as a team leader? Impossible. I couldn’t handle it.
But for some reason, he kept insisting before finally dropping it, shifting to small talk—about actor Yoo Jongseo’s new drama, or what I thought about Lee Daeun’s future….
I couldn’t answer. The onion ring only showed me things about Lim Yooju. Strangely, the moment Jongmook stepped outside and returned, the visions changed.
[Chalk and Blade goes viral! #1 for 10 weeks in 40 countries including the US, Japan, China!]
[Chalk and Blade shocks America—sparking a global syndrome!]
[Lim Yooju, reborn as a ruthless avenger, nominated for the Platinum Globe! Hollywood next?]
—“Hyunjae oppa, wasn’t I awesome? I didn’t know I could act like that. Listen: ‘From now on, my dream is you, Yoojung.’ Scary, right?”
In the vision, Yooju was smiling brightly. That reassured me, and I smiled too—only for Jongmook to soberly say:
—I don’t waste attention on just anyone. Only those I choose. …All right. We’ll revisit this soon.
That’s not what I meant…
The meeting began. When the demo tracks played, everyone’s eyes widened.
“Da-bin did all this herself? Really? The quality is….”
“Nari wrote the rap. Hayoung and Mina did the chorus.”
“…Then what were we doing for the past year and two months? To think such talent was hidden… oh, sorry, I didn’t mean offense. I’m just amazed.”
“No problem. We only just got lucky.”
“Incredible. Nothing more to say. Fine, no need to hire a composer. Let’s develop these demos.”
Everyone thought the meeting would end early. Who wants to prolong a meeting with the CEO watching?
But it dragged on—because this was about a digital single. Usually just one track, not a whole album.
“Look at the weekly chart—Lens is #2. It even hit #1 earlier this week. That shows the public wants another Lens-type song. Then BlueHeaven fits perfectly, right?”
“That makes sense, but NovaGirls are a visual group. With such looks, pushing another vocal-heavy track is risky. Let’s go with the sexy dance song Shockwave and make a big splash.”
“But the debut album tried a similar concept and failed. Better to stick with something proven. Look at SugarPink—they’re #3 now with a dance track. Doesn’t that prove the public wants dance from girl groups?”
“But NovaGirls—”
The producer and director clashed without resolution. Then the producer asked the A&R:
“Jisoo, what do you think?”
“Me? Honestly, I like Ugly Syndrome best….”
“Why?”
“Well… I found the lyrics most relatable.”
“Oh boy. Instead of narrowing down, we’re getting more opinions. What now….”
He glanced nervously at Jongmook. Of course. The issue was that all five songs were excellent. But they couldn’t just say, “They’re all good, let’s pick randomly.” It’d be easier if the boss decided.
See? I told you all five were good.
I glanced at Da-bin.
And then, Jongmook finally spoke.
“Hyunjae.”
“Yes?”
“What’s your opinion? Which track should be developed into the digital single?”
“Uh…”
I was flustered. Why me? Everyone else’s faces read the same: Why is he asking him?
I was here only to learn the schedule that would follow from the decision. Not to give opinions. So why?
“I’d really like to hear your thoughts,” Jongmook pressed.
“Um… I’m no expert, but personally….”
At that moment, I felt a strange sensation on my index finger. Not unpleasant—soft, gentle, like a caress….
Looking down, I saw a flower bloom from the onion ring. Not the pink one this time, but blue. And instantly, visions streamed into my mind:
[Ugly Syndrome storms the charts! Light yet heartfelt lyrics win over listeners!]
[Im Da-bin amazes again—singer, songwriter, dancer… is there anything she can’t do?!]
[NovaGirls to release mini album end of first half. Title track: BlueHeaven]
—“Ha… I guess I overdid it then. Didn’t think we’d get this busy. Hehe, I’m kidding—it’s great. Last year I wanted to die, but now I want to tell that me: Just hold on, in a year you’ll be here.”
Just like with Lim Yooju.
“Personal opinions matter most. It’s individuals, not experts, who listen to music,” said Jongmook.
If I stayed silent, I’d look arrogant. But to make the onion’s vision real, I had to speak.
“…Personally, I think the digital single should be Ugly Syndrome, and the rest should go into a mini album at the end of the half-year, with BlueHeaven as the title track.”
“Good.”
Jongmook nodded. Naturally, everyone else thought: What the hell is this guy saying?
“Haha… our manager has quite the vision! Even naming the title track? But that’s not something to decide now. We should wait and see how the digital single performs first. Why do you think Ugly Syndrome is best? We can at least use that—”
But then—
“Let’s go with that.”
Jongmook declared.
“What?”
Everyone in the room wore the same stunned expression.
“My thoughts are the same as Hyunjae’s. I’m certain. Proceed as he says.”
“Uh…”
All eyes shifted between me and Jongmook.
