Inside the conference room of the major travel platform “Jeogi Gallae.”
“Wow.”
Everyone watching the commercial on the monitor let out gasps of admiration.
“Don’t you just feel like taking off somewhere after watching that?”
“Dang, that turned out incredible!”
“So that’s why picking the right song took a while.”
“Yeah, they must’ve really been looking for the perfect match.”
“By the way, who sings this track?”
It looked like “Jeogi Gallae,” which used to carry the label of being the second-biggest player in the industry, was now fully geared up to take the number one spot.
If they went through Daeil Planning, it must’ve cost them a fortune—but the resulting ad was worth every penny.
They made three versions of the commercial in a vlog style:
- A trip with mother and daughter
- A trip with father and son
- A trip with a pet dog
The heartwarming vibe of the visuals merged with a song called “Walk With Me,” adding an even cozier atmosphere to the ads.
Maybe that was why?
“Jeogi Gallae”’s ads made an even bigger splash than they’d hoped.
[ I just made a reservation to go on a trip with my mom! ]
↳ This is embarrassing, but maybe I should ask my dad to go on a trip…
↳ My dog Ppoppi is getting old, so I want to travel a lot with her ㅠ
↳ For some reason, this ad makes me choke up and think of my parents every time.
[ Random, but the ad’s soundtrack is super addictive, don’t you think? ]
↳ Right? It’s stuck in my head on repeatㅠ What’s the song title?
↳ It’s “Walk With Me” by Seo Jini.
↳ Wait, that’s a Seo Jini song?
↳ Yup. Her entire new single is awesome this time.
↳ Looks like Seo Jini really came out swinging.
↳ 2222, this song is basically carrying the ad on its back;;;
Before long, the ad’s view count soared past 1.33 million.
The commercial started spreading everywhere, and popular creators began putting out travel vlogs parodying it.
“Feedback is great right now, and we’re seeing a huge increase in new users.”
“This might be a good time to suggest changing our ad model to Seo Jini, right?”
“Why not just have her sing a custom logo song for the next commercial?”
It wasn’t just “Jeogi Gallae” riding that wave, either.
Meanwhile, LS Entertainment was also feeling the ripple effect.
[ Diva Seo Jini is back! “Walk With Me” races back up the charts… ]
[ Seo Jini lines up every track from her album on the charts! ]
[ “Jeogi Gallae” travel platform ad hits 10 million views (first for a CF)… ]
Manager Kim was sitting in the company café, reading articles.
“Thought you’d be in the office, but here you are in the café.”
Right then, Team Leader Jo from Management Team 1 showed up.
“Oh, hey. It’s lunchtime—what’s up?”
“Manager Kim, don’t freak out.”
“What is it?”
“Seo Jini’s ‘Walk With Me’…”
“Uh-huh?”
Team Leader Jo paused dramatically, then whispered,
“It just broke into the real-time top 10 of the domestic charts.”
“What?”
“It’s real-time, so it could still shift on the daily charts, but…”
“Still!”
“I was just on my way back from asking PR to put out an official press release.”
Manager Kim beamed, patting Team Leader Jo’s shoulder a bunch of times.
“Nice job! Seriously, well done! Should I buy you a coffee or something?”
“It’s all good. I’d better get back to work anyway.”
“Oh, sure. I’ll finish my lunch and head back too.”
Team Leader Jo gave a quick nod and disappeared.
Slllurp.
Manager Kim took a sip of coffee, chuckling to himself.
“What’s so great that you keep grinning like that?”
Hyun-seung had just arrived, and he looked puzzled as he asked.
“Oh, you’re here? So, get this…”
Manager Kim took a moment to gather himself, then spoke calmly.
“At first, we were just hoping Seo Jini’s single would at least break even, right?”
Then he broke into a huge smile.
“But now it looks like it’s on track to become a real moneymaker.”
“Well, yeah—whose song do you think it is?”
“Heh, kid, how are you not even a little excited?”
Manager Kim laid a hand on Hyun-seung’s shoulder and kept talking.
“Anyway, to celebrate dominating the charts, I’m treating everyone to the company cafeteria!”
Hyun-seung batted Manager Kim’s hand away, retorting,
“You can’t ‘treat’ people to a free cafeteria, man.”
Despite that protest, he started walking toward the cafeteria.
“Hey, wait up—!”
Manager Kim was about to follow, feeling totally pumped, when—
Ring, ring!
Suddenly, a bright ring tone echoed.
“Huh…”
Manager Kim’s expression turned instantly grim.
As soon as the ringing ended, Manager Kim answered the call, repeatedly saying “Yes, sir. Yes,” in a deferential tone before hanging up.
“Phew…”
Hyun-seung stared at him curiously, as if to say, “What’s wrong?”
“Hyun-seung, I’ll treat you to the cafeteria next time.”
“Ooh, going somewhere better?”
“Sounds like the CEO wants to see me right now.”
“In that case, I’ll wait till you’re back.”
Manager Kim gave a quick “No,” then added, “I think you should come along, too.”
“Me?”
“Yep. Just the two of us.”
And that was how his first-ever meeting with the CEO was suddenly around the corner.
“Don’t you dare be rude!”
Manager Kim pelted him with constant nags.
“I’m not a little kid, you know. Stop worrying.”
“I’m worried because you’re not like a kid.”
“So what, am I supposed to act like a child in there?”
“Just stick to what you do best—saying ‘Yes, sir.’”
Nodding briefly, Hyun-seung walked down the hallway, wondering:
What kind of person is this CEO…?
They’re definitely no pushover.
LS Entertainment has kept its position as a major company for 12 years without any major shake-ups. If the future doesn’t change, that also means the CEO stays in place for those 12 years.
Publicly, the CEO’s image is calm, polite, and soft-spoken, but… that’s probably just what outsiders see.
Even from what I’ve heard, rumors about him float around the industry—some might be nonsense, but some might be true.
After all, if he really were as gentle as he seems, he wouldn’t be able to maintain such a firm grip for so long.
Knock, knock.
Deep in thought, they arrived at the CEO’s office.
“You can go in now.”
Following the secretary’s guidance, they crossed the threshold.
“Please, have a seat over here.”
A composed, low voice resonated from the CEO.
“Hello, I’m Min Hyun-seung.”
“Nice to meet you for the first time.”
“I’ve been wanting to meet you, too.”
Hyun-seung gave a small bow and studied his face.
This was CEO Jeon Nam-il.
He certainly had a neat appearance and a gentle tone of voice. Also—
You could tell from how well his suit fit that he was in great shape.
He’s younger than I thought.
But behind his warm gaze, there was a certain cold, piercing quality.
His eyes were keen enough to be intimidating…which made sense—he surely didn’t climb to the top unscathed. He must’ve dodged countless knives in the back on his way up, probably stepping over a ton of people in the process.
He’s definitely not just sipping tea in this position for fun.
“May I ask why you called us here today?”
But in his previous life, Hyun-seung had navigated multiple entertainment agencies, labels, and record companies, duking it out in that jungle for years, eventually reaching the top.
He didn’t become known nationwide as a “hitmaker” just because he was good at writing music.
“Right. No need for empty small talk. Let’s get straight to the point.”
Jeon Nam-il jumped right in.
“I’ll be direct.”
A moment of tension filled the room. Jeon Nam-il’s lips curved into a slight smile.
“Our company didn’t really back you up on this, but you still pulled off an exceptional result.”
He must be talking about Seo Jini’s album performance.
He wasn’t wrong. Nobody expected this kind of success.
“All it took was the right song paired with the right artist.”
In an unusually humble tone, Hyun-seung responded. Manager Kim’s eyes went wide for a second.
But somehow… It sounded more like a well-worn line from repeated experience than genuine humility.
“If Seo Jini hadn’t broken even on this album, we weren’t going to renew her contract. You might say it’s thanks to you that she’s got another chance.”
Without much emotion, Hyun-seung simply said, “That’s good for her.”
And then he added a pointed comment: “Not that it has anything to do with me.”
The CEO tilted his head, letting out a low “Hmm?”
Wasn’t Hyun-seung the one who insisted on personally working with Seo Jini?
Even if he didn’t get a direct reward for the album, you’d think he’d at least pretend to care, whether from attachment or some sense of closeness to his first artist.
But he showed no such intention.
“I thought you took her on because you had a special fondness for her, but I guess not.”
“She just looked like a good instrument to me, and I wanted to try playing it.”
The CEO’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
An artist is… an instrument?
With a quiet hum, the CEO lightly stroked his chin and locked eyes with Hyun-seung.
Most people would be intimidated by his rank, but Hyun-seung’s gaze didn’t waver at all.
“Well, you’re right. You should get a tangible reward.”
For a moment, silence settled over the room.
“I’ll set up a personal studio for you here in the building. Then whenever you spot an instrument you like, you can play it as much as you want.”
Hyun-seung’s expression remained unreadable.
Basically, the CEO planned to keep him within the company’s reach so he could keep a close eye on him, right?
“Sure, sounds good.”
After a moment of silence, Hyun-seung gave a small bow.
“Thanks for taking care of me.”
Then—
“And one more thing.”
The CEO placed a car key on the table.
“I’m giving you this because I want us to be able to call on you comfortably.”
He added, “I get the feeling I’ll be seeing you outside the office often.”
This was quite a shocking reward, but—
“All right. I appreciate it.”
Hyun-seung nodded politely, then asked softly,
“Am I to take it you’re pretty satisfied with my results?”
“Well, I’m definitely looking forward to what’s next.”
“In that case, seeing how happy you are with a result like this…”
Trailing off, Hyun-seung grabbed the car key and added,
“I doubt I’ll ever let you down.”
That made the CEO chuckle under his breath.
“You’re quite the intriguing fellow.”
Manager Kim’s eyes practically popped out of his head. He stared at Hyun-seung reflexively.
Once again, Hyun-seung just replied with a polite bow.
Huh…
Did that clueless kid even realize?
Catching Jeon Nam-il’s eye like that—
Earning such a direct compliment—
For anyone else, that’d be a total dream scenario.
Man…
It reminded Manager Kim of how he used to wish even half—no, a quarter—of his own people could do what Hyun-seung just did.
This is…
He definitely brought in the real deal from out of nowhere.
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