IJLMT 34

Chapter 34 …

[As Expected, World-Class! The Nobel Biz Guerrilla Concert That Was on a Different Level]

Park Min-gyu, CEO of Valhalla Studio, frowned as he read the article. The title seemed grandiose compared to the substance. Wouldn’t it actually provoke backlash? Sure enough, the comments weren’t favorable.

• “Took a day off to go… it was just okay. Not like before.”

• “All the members looked exhausted. Wasn’t the schedule too forced?”

• “I paid a lot to attend the fan event, and after hearing ‘Yes, really?’ three times, my time was over… Feeling so disillusioned, I’ll quit fandom. I probably won’t follow idols again.”

All comments were like that.

Whether a restaurant owner, writer, or musician… do you know the most common trait of people who fail? They underestimate the public. They think, “What does the public know?”

That’s right. The public doesn’t know why food tastes bad or why a song isn’t good—they can’t analyze professionally. Yet, the public’s judgment is always correct. If the public says it tastes bad, then it really does.

Yesterday’s Nobel Biz guerrilla concert… the public might not know the choreography details or stage flow. But they concluded, “Something’s off.”

“PD Seo Hyun-woo, choreographer Park Hyo-joo, what happened here?”

Park Min-gyu had gathered everyone responsible in the conference room. First, he addressed the stage director, PD Seo Hyun-woo, who was in charge of the performance.

“I told you this stage had to succeed no matter what. Then why didn’t you put in extra effort for the direction?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not asking for an apology. I want to know the cause and fix it.”

“…Honestly, the members resisted too strongly. The schedule was sudden, and it was hard for us to push firmly.”

Min-gyu scowled and looked at the choreographer.

“Why simplify the choreography? Same reason?”

“…Yes. I thought a simplified version was better than risking a mistake that would ruin the stage. I considered fan service the main priority…”

“But even that fan service failed, right?”

Both the PD and choreographer went silent.

“Manager, you were responsible for the members. Did you know their attitudes? What efforts did you make to change them?”

Kim Min-jae, the senior-most manager in charge of Nobel Biz, answered.

“I tried to coax and persuade them.”

“How?”

“I explained why this stage was important and how it would impact their future activities.”

“And yet the response was poor?”

“…Yes. They didn’t seem willing to listen. They’d already decided among themselves, ‘Why go this far?’”

Min-gyu pressed his forehead.

The problem is the talent.

He recalled the news articles he’d seen before the meeting:

• “Thank you for loving us! Nova Girls, a surprise gift for fans seeing them off.”

• “Nova Girls’ Mina hugs a fan while crying after reading a letter: ‘You’re really amazing too!’”

In the interviews, reporters asked Da-bin of Nova Girls:

• “Was the trip stressful or difficult? It must have taken effort and time for the fans.”

And Da-bin replied:

• “Thanks to the fans who cheered us, my heart was full. It was so joyful. It’s not hard. Spending time and effort for the fans is part of being an idol. Why would you do it otherwise?”

What caught Min-gyu’s eye in that scene was Yoo Hyun-jae behind Da-bin. He immediately realized:

This guy orchestrated it.

Spending time and effort for fans? Sure, that’s true, but can 20-year-olds genuinely act like that? Even if they’re not ignoring fans, their primary desire is usually “to become famous” or “to be insanely popular.”

Yet here they were, departing for a UN event while Nobel Biz held a guerrilla concert, and Da-bin is saying, “Spending time for fans is what idols do.” Would a group with an average age of 21 voluntarily behave like that? Normally, their minds would be on the UN event and the concert.

Ah, now I get what Lee Jong-muk meant.

That kind of behavior moves people.

• “I gave the letter. Mina couldn’t stop crying, so they had to redo makeup before leaving. I was touched that my letter moved her so much. Mina is just too charming.”

• “They were so polite, making eye contact with each person while greeting them. I was impressed.”

• “Next time the seeing-off event will be competitive. Wonder how to join again…”

• “I should have gone… Nova Girls airport send-off was much better than Nobel Biz fan event.”

You can’t achieve that just by coaxing.

“Why did you just let them get their way? Didn’t you expect this outcome?”

Min-gyu’s anger boiled.

“We weren’t just passive. We tried to find a compromise.”

“Why compromise so much?”

“They have some standing in Nobel Biz… If they refuse completely, there’s nothing we can do.”

“Then you should discipline them! They’re professionals. Being an idol is a job. It’s the adults’ role to scold and guide them, isn’t it?”

No matter how he vented, Min-gyu didn’t get the answer he wanted. The managers only mentioned that several CFs depended on them, and practically, the company was in a subordinate position.

When Nobel Biz debuted, the members were passionate. Busy schedules didn’t make them complain, and they genuinely enjoyed seeing fans. Why did it change?

It’s the adults around them.

The talent exists, but no one works like Yoo Hyun-jae. No one loves or actively supports their charges like he does.

Will we lose to JM and that’s it?

No, it’s not certain.

No. This delay won’t let us be overtaken. Nobel Biz still has many fans. And the movie <Thieves of the Heart> is still upcoming…

As he repeated this in his mind, Min-gyu kept wondering why someone like Yoo Hyun-jae wasn’t at his company.

New York, USA — UN Headquarters

“I agree that humans’ fundamental goal is the pursuit of happiness. But this is not just an individual issue. As extreme climate events occur worldwide and resources deplete, our company Space Delta aims to slow resource depletion with electric cars and buses, exploring possibilities for humanity to reach space for new habitats—”

After the keynote speech for World Happiness Day, the first to take the mic was Aaron Husk, CEO of Space Delta, the world’s 5th largest company by market capitalization.

Aaron Husk, known as the richest and one of the most eccentric people on the planet. News often showed his odd expressions, and deepfake videos of him with accents circulated online. But in person, he was imposing and logical.

Having Aaron Husk as the first speaker had a huge impact on me and the Nova Girls members.

So this is the level of celebrity at this event.

My heart raced. Everywhere I looked were famous people: environmental activists, entrepreneurs, even heads of state…

Nova Girls felt completely out of place. Glancing at the members’ faces, they were turning pale.

“After a 30-minute break, Tina Greny will give her speech.”

After the announcement, I spoke to the members:

“Your performance and speech are next. Get ready now. Don’t be nervous, okay?”

“Yes.”

Despite their tension, they answered resolutely.

“Mina, why are you staring at that so intently?”

“…It’s a letter from Min-ji. I was reading it to focus my mind. I don’t want to be nervous if I want to seem cool to Min-ji.”

Admirable, isn’t it?

“She’s been holding the letter with a handkerchief so the ink doesn’t smudge. Look, I posted it in the chat.”

Ha-young showed me a photo. Mina, clutching the letter with a handkerchief, was trying not to cry.

“Ha-young, why did you take this…?”

Could these kids fail? No way. The bracelets exuded the right aura, and the ring hadn’t indicated any negative outcome. Still, my nerves were high. Futures sometimes shift, and there’s no guarantee the change won’t be bad. I had to watch carefully.

After the costume and makeup team took the members for final checks, I stayed in the hall. If this were a local studio, I’d bow to everyone. Here, I needed to gauge the atmosphere.

Famous entrepreneurs were networking with government officials and other businesspeople. Would they even care about Nova Girls? Probably not. Offering my business card would just annoy them.

What should I do?

The members were fighting anxiety and nervousness. Could I do something besides waiting?

I had seen a slightly improved future once or twice before. Perhaps a better outcome was possible if I acted instead of waiting.

A manager’s role is also to find opportunities for their artist.

How do you find them? By forming relationships.

Who here could I approach without being a nuisance? Entrepreneurs and politicians, no. Doesn’t have to be famous. Anyone who could view the members favorably…

Scanning the room, I noticed a woman. She looked like her face said, “I’m bored.” She fiddled with a UN-provided snack, not even eating it.

I took a step toward her. At that moment…

What’s this?

The bracelet released a sweet scent, as if saying, “Yes, that’s it!”

“Hello. Nice to meet you.”

I approached the woman and spoke in clumsy English. She put down the snack and looked up.

She was very beautiful: long, soft blonde hair, pale skin like snow, green eyes full of forest vitality…

“Oh… where are you from?”

“I’m Yoo Hyun-jae, manager of Nova Girls, who will perform and speak in the next slot. May I give you my card?”

“Hmm…”

She hesitated, then nodded and took my card.

“If you want to promote the group, you’ve targeted the wrong person. I’m just a faded model.”

“So you are a model? That explains your beauty. I do want to promote the group, but if you’re uncomfortable, I won’t. We can talk about something else too.”

“Really? Are you as bored as I am?”

“More or less.”

She seemed bored, but clearly tense.

“I’m Eva Brooks. I don’t mind the promotion, but this is so boring, isn’t it? Everyone here only cares about their own happiness. I hate pretending to care about others’ happiness.”

“Really? But believe it or not, my friends are different.”

“How so?”

“Nova Girls give their best for the audience’s happiness. They have to—if the audience isn’t happy, tickets won’t sell.”

“Ah… that makes sense. But promoting that to me won’t benefit you. I barely keep my own job.”

I didn’t back down. Yangpa had given me confidence.

“Do you use SpookyPie? YouTube?”

“Of course. Who doesn’t?”

“Then there’s potential. If you listen to our members’ songs even once after talking to me…”

“That’s easy enough…”

Eva paused, then said:

“What do you think are Nova Girls’ strengths? I’d like to know what to appreciate.”

“…That is…”

I considered carefully. Many strengths, but what would resonate with Eva? Pretty, hardworking? Probably not. Yangpa’s scent indicated it wasn’t that. Then…

I remembered Ha-young’s photo in the chat.

“Look at this.”

I showed Eva my phone. She smiled.

“Aww, how cute. What’s she doing? Praying?”

“She’s crying from a fan letter. Even though she cried twelve hours ago, she’s tearing up again.”

“Oh wow.”

“Do you see their strengths? They genuinely respect others’ feelings. Listening to their songs will show that even more.”

Eva nodded.

“Many people pretend to respect, but actually treat others’ hearts like trash. This kid is impressive. Is she holding the letter with a handkerchief so she can’t wipe her tears? I want to give her my handkerchief…”

Eva studied the photo for a long time and then said:

“You seem to care about others’ happiness too. I can feel your effort for Nova Girls. Is one of them your girlfriend?”

“No. I earn money by making them happy, that’s all.”

“Haha… not the vibe I expected…”

Then someone’s footsteps approached.

“What are you two laughing about?”

A familiar voice.

“Let me join too.”

Looking up, I saw an unexpected figure: Aaron Husk.

Why is he here? He’d been talking to other entrepreneurs just moments ago…

He smiled awkwardly and spoke to me.