From the very first verse, the song pulls you in.
By the time the highlight section hits, Seo Jini’s vocals gave Manager Kim goosebumps.
Wow, was Jini always this good? he wondered.
Manager Kim glanced over at her, sleeping like the dead.
“Heh, heh…”
The more he listened, the more stunned laughter slipped out. People say that after three years in a monastery, even a dog can recite a poem. And Manager Kim, who’d spent years in the entertainment biz, could instantly tell this track had real hit potential.
And Hyun-seung still thinks there’s more to fix…?
How could it get any better? It already felt meticulously put together. Thanks to that tight arrangement, her voice sounded rock-solid—powerful and front-and-center.
“I can’t find a single thing to nitpick here,” Manager Kim said, taking off the headphones with a satisfied grin.
“‘No complaints’ isn’t good enough,” Hyun-seung replied. He grabbed the headphones again, ready to keep working. “I’m going to keep polishing this until it’s perfect.”
Manager Kim had planned to try once more to talk him into the CEO’s idea. But seeing how driven he was, there was no point.
Letting out a little sigh, Manager Kim nodded slowly. “Alright, man, keep at it. I’ll clean up around here.”
He swept his gaze over the messy studio.
Ugh, it’s going to take a while.
Humming the track he’d just listened to, he began clearing the piles of trash and empty bottles.
The PR office was, as usual, a total war zone.
“Have you sent the updated articles about Gong Hyo-ju over to the desk?” demanded Team Leader Gwak.
“Yes, I just came back from sending them,” someone replied.
With a stern look, Gwak adjusted his glasses. “Alright, people, let’s work. And in case you forget, tell your families you’ll be home after they’ve forgotten what you look like.”
His team let out a collective, half-hearted “Yes, sir,” accompanied by groans. They were all working themselves to the bone, but what else could they do?
Gong Hyo-ju’s new single had just dropped, and Seo Jini’s was up next.
They had a mountain of pieces to edit and submit to the media outlets, plus a bunch of articles to release.
Plus, ON Entertainment’s boy group “Bluez” was making a comeback, and MK Entertainment’s new boy group “NineStar” was about to debut. Even the “nation’s singer-songwriter” Gong Hyo-ju had to brace herself, since she was going head-to-head with the biggest idol fandom in the country. Sometimes a devoted fandom can outdo any PR work, making them a crucial factor for an artist. No matter how mediocre the music might be, the fanbase can still push it to the top of the charts. There’s a reason people say it’s practically guaranteed.
Which means poor Seo Jini, who’s trailing behind, won’t stand a chance…
The rumor was that Joo Ji-tae refused to take on Seo Jini, so a rookie composer got stuck with her. They’re practically shoving her out the door, Gwak thought. Not that Gwak felt particularly sorry for Seo Jini—if anything, the rookie composer had it worse.
He hasn’t even had a chance to shine, and now he’s going to get swept away by this industry…
That’s just how it goes in the jungle that is showbiz. Nothing more than dumb luck.
“Team Leader, the portal rankings are overwhelmingly dominated by Bluez,” one of the PR reps said, coming over with a tablet in hand.
“They’re talking a bit about NineStar as well,” she added, swiping through the screen.
“We are posting as many articles about Gong Hyo-ju as we can, but the discussion on forums is still pretty slim,” she continued.
“Well, we can’t really win against a major boy band,” Gwak replied, shaking his head.
She continued swiping through article titles:
[Bluez’s 7th Mini Album Surpasses 2 Million Pre-Orders – ‘Double Million’ in Sight]
[[COMEBACK] Bluez to Appear on Music Center on the 24th… Title Track ‘Kunst’ Revealed!]
[Bluez Announces National Tour – Sold-Out Tickets in 1 Second?]
Then more headlines:
[NineStar’s Debut Teaser Video Drops Today… Goes ‘Hot Clip’]
[[Official] Rookie Idol Group NineStar to Debut with a Showcase on the 23rd!]
[NineStar to Debut in Korea and Japan Simultaneously, Targeting the Oricon Charts…]
Articles about Bluez and NineStar kept popping up non-stop.
[Gong Hyo-ju Releases New Single! “Want to Repay Fans for Their Support”…]
[[Official] Singer-Songwriter ‘Gong Hyo-ju’ Drops Surprise Single on the 19th!]
[Gong Hyo-ju Teases ‘Flipped’… “Participated in Writing & Composing”]
Behind those, LS Entertainment’s pieces on Gong Hyo-ju also appeared. But the fan communities were still dominated by comments about the two idol groups:
[Bluez’s mini album might be legendary]
↳ You’re just figuring that out now?
↳ True ㅜㅜ Especially the title track, so good.
↳ It’s a total masterpiece… even the lyrics are perfect.
↳ Aiming for 3 million copies, let’s gooo!
↳ Honestly not sure if the album’s that good?
↳ That last comment must be a NineStar fan, lol.
↳ At least admit it’s good; you’re just stanning them anyway.
↳ No matter what, no one can beat Bluez on the charts.
It was tough for Gong Hyo-ju, let alone anyone else, to compete with idol fandom energy.
“In any case, Hyo-ju’s all about letting the music do the talking, so no need to obsess over these comments,” Team Leader Gwak said, pushing the tablet away.
“True…” the PR rep replied, face clouded with worry.
Not that she didn’t have a point—things weren’t looking great. Then again, Gong Hyo-ju might not sell quite as many physical albums as an idol group, but she’d always topped the digital charts.
The real question was whether Seo Jini could possibly survive this round. The odds of her album failing yet again were sky-high.
Sooner or later, we’ll have to put out a press release about terminating her contract, Gwak thought. His mind wandered a bit, but the rep spoke up again:
“Uh, so… we’re barely putting out any articles about Seo Jini, right?”
“It’s Hyo-ju’s moment to shine,” Gwak said. “We have to focus on her.”
“Even when Jini’s release comes, I doubt we’ll do much differently…” the rep mumbled.
“Stop worrying about that. Let’s just keep our heads down and do our own work,” Gwak muttered, dismissing her concerns.
He wasn’t the only one who felt sorry for Seo Jini, but the truth was, there really wasn’t anything they could do. They were just employees following orders.
Sigh…
Team Leader Gwak looked at the towering stack of papers on his desk and let out a deep sigh.
I feel like I’m the one who needs pity, not her…
At the very top of that paper tower were all the materials for Gong Hyo-ju. Way at the bottom sat the materials for Seo Jini. In the big pyramid scheme of showbiz, Seo Jini was stuck at the base.
As expected, Gong Hyo-ju’s single smoothly reached its break-even point. But a lot of music critics voiced some disappointment:
“If I had to describe Gong Hyo-ju’s latest track in one phrase, it’d be like putting the wrong dressing on a well-prepared salad. Sure, her voice is still lovely, but the oddly distorted musical framework leaves listeners feeling uneasy. To put it bluntly, it’s like a skilled trackmaker meticulously laid down a fantastic foundation, only for a rookie topliner to smear a clumsy melody over it.”
Not that the general public cared what critics said. If they like the artist or the song, that’s all that matters. Negative comments from critics didn’t put a dent in Gong Hyo-ju’s success.
“Huh,” Manager Kim mumbled, sounding a bit different.
“Yeah, something’s definitely… off.”
He could tell that the awe he’d felt when he first heard Hyun-seung’s sample track wasn’t there in Gong Hyo-ju’s official release. It was like they took a rare gem and polished it poorly, dulling its shine.
If that’s the case… a thought flashed through Manager Kim’s mind.
What if the gem was mined by Hyun-seung and polished by him too…?
Could that mean Seo Jini’s single might unexpectedly do well?
He recalled a quick exchange he’d overheard between a couple of engineers:
“Honestly, I have a good feeling about Seo Jini’s single.”
“Nah, no way that’s happening unless something crazy goes down.”
“But I handled the final monitoring right before it got sent to the distributor, and…”
The engineer had grinned.
“I can’t get that track out of my head.”
That look on the engineer’s face, beaming like an ordinary listener who’d fallen in love with a song, was stuck in Manager Kim’s head too.
He personally thought the song was absolutely top-notch. But with Seo Jini at the forefront, there was a greater chance it’d end up tanking than making any splash. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder:
What if, by some miracle, it actually does well?
It would be a huge boost for Hyun-seung’s place within the company. But he quickly banished that thought. Statistics from the past pretty much predicted the future. Seo Jini was a product that had failed to build any brand power.
“Tsk.”
This industry doesn’t just hand out miracles.
Release day for Seo Jini’s single.
In a small meeting room sat Seo Jini, her manager, Manager Kim, Hyun-seung, and a single junior staffer from PR. It was strangely quiet.
Tap, tap—
All anyone could hear was the nervous clicking of Seo Jini biting her fingernails.
“Jini, stop biting,” her manager whispered, trying to pull her hand away. But she kept at it until she finally bit off a small piece of skin.
Swipe, swipe—
[Bluez’s Latest Mini Album Is a Once-in-a-Lifetime Legend]
↳ You’re late to the party
↳ Right??? Especially the title track, so good
↳ Honestly, the entire album is flawless
↳ 3 million copies, here we come
↳ Not sure I like it that much
↳ That’s a NineStar stan, lmao
↳ Just admit it’s good; you’re only saying that ‘cause you like NineStar
↳ No one can beat Bluez on the charts anyway
She’d expected Bluez and NineStar would be popular:
[Cheering for NineStar!]
↳ Let’s be real, their visuals are top-tier
↳ They sing really well. Check out the MR-removed clip
↳ But hey, good looks are what matter, right?
↳ Someone drop a link!
↳ Who cares about vocal talent for idols?
↳ Lol you can’t sing either, you hypocrite
↳ I’m literally crying at how handsome they are
Then she spotted comments about Gong Hyo-ju, who was in the same company as her:
[Gong Hyo-ju was born to sing, am I right?]
↳ She doesn’t just sing well—she composes, too
↳ She apparently worked on this new track herself?
↳ Oh, really? She composed it?
↳ Honestly, though, the track feels kinda off… is it just me?
↳ It’s just you, dude
↳ Then don’t listen to it
↳ But for real, something about it is uncomfortable to listen to
↳ Are these trolls or anti-fans?
The comments weren’t all positive, but still, she was jealous. At least they’re talking about her. Seo Jini’s shoulders tensed.
It’s been a while since my release, but they’re only talking about Gong Hyo-ju…
She bit down hard on her lower lip.
Suddenly, a loud “Boing! Boing!” rang out in the silent room.
“Jeez!” Manager Kim exclaimed when he noticed the source. “Hyun-seung.”
All eyes turned to him.
“Could you at least mute your game?”
Hyun-seung shrugged at the jab. “If I mute it, will that magically boost our streaming numbers?”
“What?”
“I’m just saying the sound from my game isn’t going affect how well the single does.”
Manager Kim put a hand to his forehead and sighed. “Aren’t you even a bit nervous? This is the first single you’ve produced yourself.”
“Why would I be? It’s already out of my hands.” Hyun-seung set his console down. “I worked hard to make a good song.”
He looked over at Seo Jini. “And she pulled all-nighters, even though it didn’t suit her, to record it.”
Then his gaze swept across Manager Kim and the others. “So the rest is on the company, right?”
His unbelievably calm demeanor left them at a loss for words.
“Man, you’re… not wrong…” Manager Kim muttered.
Suddenly, a hissing laugh slipped through Seo Jini’s teeth.
“Pfft.”
She quickly straightened her expression and stopped chewing her nails.
Right then, the quiet staffer from PR finally spoke up, “We’re… about one minute away from Seo Jini’s single release.”
Everyone snapped to attention, and an odd tension filled the room, broken only by the clatter of someone typing.
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