NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 141
As we passed through security and ascended to the gathering place on the 7th floor, a staff member seemed to be waiting for us, rushing to the elevator’s door just as we stepped out.
“Hello! I came out to greet you. Miss Ha Ye-rin, please follow me, and the representatives from Brotherhood Planning can follow the staff member next to you; I will guide you to the legal team.”
Dressed neatly and standing with perfect posture. Polite without being overly formal.
But what was most surprising was…
‘You weren’t startled by the President…?!’
The staff member showed no reaction upon seeing Kang Hyung-man’s fierce face.
Just how skilled must they be in customer service to remain unfazed by Kang Hyung-man?
While I was tongue-tied, Kang Hyung-man patted my shoulder lightly and said, “We need to disperse here, so let’s meet later.”
“Yes, President.”
“See you later, Ye-rin.”
“Yes, lawyer.”
“Now, Miss Ha Ye-rin, please follow me.”
After parting ways with Kang Hyung-man and lawyer Lee Kim-jang, I followed the NAS Entertainment staff and asked him, “So, what will I be doing today?”
The staff smiled brightly and answered, “You will have a meeting with various members of the administrative staff who will work with you on your Rookie Activities.”
“Oh…”
“It’s nothing difficult, just a simple introduction, so don’t worry too much. And….”
Creek.
The place where the staff took me was a gigantic meeting room.
In there…
“The other members have already arrived.”
“Sis!”
“Ye-rin!”
All of the other Rookies were already seated, leaving me as the only one standing.
“Hey, guys, and sisters.”
I greeted the members and looked around.
It seemed the administrative staff, who we would be meeting, hadn’t arrived yet, as all the seats except for the Rookies were empty.
‘A meeting with the administrative staff, I’m getting nervous.’
Just as I was about to sit down…
“Sis, sit here.”
“Ye-rin, sit here.”
“…?”
Seo Yoo-jin and Yoo Seol, who were sitting on either side, both insisted I sit next to them.
When I hesitated for a moment…
“……”
“……”
Seo Yoo-jin and Yoo Seol glared at each other with icy looks that screamed ‘What is going on?’
‘What’s with the drama over something so trivial?’
I felt bewildered for a moment, then…
“Then I’ll sit here….”
I reached for the seat next to Yoo Seol, who was sitting closest to me.
Seeing that, Seo Yoo-jin looked at me in disbelief, her expression almost comical.
“Sis… how could you abandon me…?”
It felt like a cat that got drenched in rain for an hour, wearing such a pitiful look.
Seeing Seo Yoo-jin’s expression, which seemed to have lost all hope, I took my hand away from the seat I originally chose and tried to go towards Seo Yoo-jin.
“Oh, then I’ll sit there…”
But then—
Thud.
“Ye-rin, just sit here.”
Yoo Seol grabbed my hand, not letting go as I tried to move to the other side.
While Seo Yoo-jin widened her eyes and made a sad face to appeal to me, Yoo Seol simply smiled softly.
“Sis, I’m just saying next to Yoo-jin—”
“Sit.”
“… Okay.”
But there was something overwhelming about Yoo Seol’s gaze.
Feeling pressured, I sat right next to Yoo Seol.
As I refused to move and stayed by Yoo Seol, Seo Yoo-jin stopped making her sad face and glared at Yoo Seol instead.
Growl…
“……”
Yoo Seol ignored Seo Yoo-jin’s glaring stare.
It was rather uncomfortable for me caught in their minor psychological warfare.
‘Could it be because of the trait effects…?’
Seo Yoo-jin and Yoo Seol’s traits, Left Guardian Law and Great Guardian Law, had heightened their obsession levels.
Still, to be acting like this already… I thought my future dorm life between these two would be quite exhausting.
Just then—
Squeak.
“…!”
“The team leaders have arrived.”
As the door opened, the staff who guided me in announced the entrance of the administrative staff.
And soon—
Tap, tap, tap.
‘Something feels heavy.’
The NAS Entertainment administrative staff, who would manage our Rookies, appeared.
Their faces were filled not with smiles but exhaustion, and they merely wore businesslike expressions as they looked at us.
The person at the front took their place at the head of the meeting room and greeted us.
He was a man with a slightly unkempt casual outfit and glasses, wearing a rather stiff expression, but…
“Hello, it’s the first time meeting you all in person. I’m Jung Pil-seung, in charge of managing Rookies. Please feel free to call me Director Jung.”
“……!”
The moment he introduced himself, Yoo Seol, who sat next to me, flinched.
I quietly whispered to her, trying not to show my curiosity, “What’s wrong, unni? Do you know him?”
“… He’s famous.”
Later, I learned that Director Jung started at NAS Entertainment as a junior staff member and rose to a directorial position in the idol sector only through his skills.
He was said to have developed all the idols discovered by Shin PD from Nnet.
It seemed everyone except for me knew who Director Jung was, and the excitement on the members’ faces became evident at his arrival.
Director Jung smiled as he introduced each of the other administrative members beside him.
“Here we have, from the left, the A&R team leader, the design team leader, and….”
“Hello!”
“Nice to meet you!”
As Director Jung introduced them one by one, we bowed our heads and greeted them.
The team leaders also looked at us kindly during our greetings, bowing back with amused expressions.
Contrary to my first impression, the overall atmosphere became warm and friendly.
“… The last two are the stylist team leader and the Rookies’ road manager. They will be the ones you’ll spend the most time with in the future.”
“Hello~”
“I’m Lim Seong-sil, your road manager. Nice to meet you.”
The two people in their early thirties looked truly kind and friendly.
“Well, now let me introduce the teams. First, the A&R team will…”
Director Jung began to explain the roles of each team, their sizes, and how they would support us.
Dazed.
Overall, I couldn’t grasp everything completely, but one thing was clear.
‘So this is why they say you must go to a big agency, no matter what?’
Their treatment and support toward us exceeded my expectations.
Having been treated well at Brotherhood Planning, I couldn’t help but find myself confused by the promises of better treatment at NAS.
“… Unni, is it common for agencies to treat their idols this well?”
“… No way.”
Yoo Seol, who came from the top three agency JJ, shook her head in disapproval.
“This level is even better than what the top three agencies provide.”
“Oh…”
“Na Ah Ah’s been a hit, so they’re probably expecting a lot from us.”
Just for reference, my last episode’s peak view rating was 27%.
Even considering it was an audition show, it was a massive hit.
Our Rookies’ recognition among the public was skyrocketing, and fans who claimed to be part of our fandom were sprouting like mushrooms after the rain.
‘If I think about it that way, it does make sense for the company to treat us well, huh?’
At that moment, I felt a bit pleased with myself.
Then it happened.
“Oh, by the way, for Rookies’ music, we’re planning to contract an exclusive producer for self-production.”
“……?”
An exclusive producer contract?
The Rookies were a project group intended to disband after just one year.
From NAS’s perspective, it would have been more cost-effective and diverse to outsource talented freelance composers rather than hiring an exclusive producer.
Curious, I tilted my head, and Director Jung chuckled, “Speaking of which, I forgot to explain the most important thing. Everyone, what do you think would be the greatest obstacle for a smooth sailing group like Rookies?”
“……”
The obstacles to Rookies… While there could be various answers, nothing came to mind immediately.
As we all fell into silence, Director Jung wiped the smile from his face and continued.
“As you know, our main business at NAS Entertainment isn’t really idols, but film distribution.”
Right.
This Rookies case was special; NAS Entertainment wasn’t particularly invested in idol development.
In fact, currently, Rookies were the only idol group under NAS Entertainment.
“I mean, in South Korea’s idol scene, most of the market is dominated by the top three agencies. And, coincidentally, I heard that the top three agency, YW, is debuting a new girl group in the same week our Rookies debut.”
“…….”
The mention of the top three agency, YW, made everyone fall silent.
Even before, the overlapping debut timings of Rookies and YW’s new girl group were already stirring up excitement on the internet.
Discussions were fervently ongoing about which girl group would succeed, weighing NAS’s financial muscle against YW’s experience, with public sentiment leaning slightly towards YW.
That’s how incomparable the stature of the top three agencies is.
There’s a saying that girl groups from YW always succeed.
‘Looks like NAS is seriously concerned about this too.’
I could tell I was sizeably aware of the new girl group debuting at YW, but it seemed the company shared the same sentiment.
“So we’ve enlisted someone truly special. A renowned producer in South Korea who not only excels in producing but knows all the ins and outs of YW.”
A top producer from YW?
‘Did they get a former exclusive composer from YW?!’
Lost deep in thought about Director Jung’s ambiguous explanation, suddenly—
Squeak.
“…?”
At the sound of the door opening, we turned our heads…
“……!!!”
We couldn’t help but be astonished at the face of the person opening the door.
He removed his hat and bowed his head to us apologetically.
The moment he removed the hat, an ageless handsome face was revealed.
“Oh dear, I’m sorry! I’m late!”
“No, no! I was just talking about the producer! If you could introduce yourself briefly, please.”
“An introduction? Sure thing.”
Upon hearing the request for an introduction, he smiled like a painting and continued.
“Hello, Rookies! I am Han Si-woo, the traitor from YW.”
Members were dumbfounded, staring at Han Si-woo’s sudden appearance.
Especially me, I was taken aback.
He was Han Si-woo, who had left YW after dedicating over a decade to establishing his own company.
Clearly, he should have been starting the foundation for his new company by now…
‘…Why is he here instead of creating HS Entertainment?’
The HS Entertainment he founded grew into a massive company rivaling the top three in no time.
Why would such an extraordinary person be here…?
Perhaps he read my thoughts, as Han Si-woo addressed us.
“I will be the music producer for Rookies for the next year. I’m dedicating my whole being to tearing down my dear YW. Nice to meet you all.”
At that moment, his playful gaze met mine.
Seeing him enjoying himself, he beamed an even brighter smile.