Debut or Die - Chapter 471
The meeting with Spacer happened swiftly the very next day. To be precise, it was a meeting with Kwon Heeseung, who represented Spacer, in the conference room.
“Oh, Heeseung~ It’s been so long!”
“Oh gosh, Hyung!”
I glanced at the overly excited Keun Sejin and Kwon Heeseung and took my seat.
Then, as if following my lead, someone pushed the chair next to me and sat down. It was none other than Cha Eugene. He crossed his arms and whispered. “Shall we have lunch after this?”
Why did you even come along?
“If you’re hungry, you could’ve just stayed at the dorm.”
“I’m bored. I don’t have any schedules.”
“Hmm.”
That made sense.
Cha Eugene had finished his personal schedule unusually quickly. He had just… returned from a 3-night, 4-day shoot.
How was that possible, you ask? Well, the show he chose was none other than…
[Camping Diary: Our Story Grows.] …this program.
It’s a public broadcast variety show where troubled kids go camping, and celebrities appear as camp counselors to listen to their stories and grow together mentally. As you might have guessed, the initial reaction to the program was like this:
-I’m not interested in their stories.
-Give more opportunities to school violence victims instead of empathizing with the perpetrators.
-Celebrities aren’t experts, and this healing leader thing is ridiculous, lol. Just… speechless.
-Another show squeezing out tears. It’s already disgusting.
-Celebrities who caused trouble can come out as healing counselors, sell their stories, and clean their image? Wow, double cleaning. Lol.
Who planned this? Come out.
It was criticized as an outdated idea typical of public broadcasting. Of course, when it actually aired, it turned out to be just a mediocre variety show and settled down quietly.
-They say they’re problematic, but it doesn’t seem that bad? They’re more like kids who need counseling rather than bullies.
– If you dig deeper, half of their stories are probably exaggerated. It’s already been revealed that one is a shopping mall operator, and another is an aspiring actor, lol.
└ Sigh.
It means those participants who are just ordinary people on the surface exaggerated their stories for promotional purposes. But then, what happened when rumors that Cha Eugene appeared on such a program?
– What for?
– Just come out on Waterbomb or something.
– Cha Kitty is nice, but being from California, he’s overly positive. Won’t he just get criticized for being clueless?
Both fans and the general public were confused about what Cha Eugene would say. However, on the day of the broadcast…
– Participant: Oh my god, it’s Cha Eugene!
– Participant: Is that TeSTAR’s Cha Eugene? Really? Can you see this? Cha Eugene!
– Cha Eugene: …
– Cha Eugene: You do not address your counselor like that.
-????
Cha Eugene appeared, speaking in military terms. No one expected this. Of course, one might think that using such awkward language would make him look even more foolish, but…
– Participant: Excuse me, do we really have to do something like rock climbing…?
– Cha Eugene: No questions until the end.
– Participant: (Gasp)
Having experience in military variety shows in the system’s virtual world, he skillfully used idiomatic expressions…
– What on earth is this?
Viewers and participants who didn’t know this were naturally bewildered. Taking advantage of this, Cha Eugene began to skillfully manage the late-teen participants.
After the initial impact, he listened attentively and took care of them, making them feel attached at just the right moments.
– Why does his speech sound like a drill instructor, but his attitude is like an American camp counselor?
– Cha Eugene is hilarious and heartwarming…
– Is this the charm of someone experienced in American camps?
Anyway, with that unique way of speaking, Cha Eugene managed to handle any potential image controversies by balancing strictness and kindness, humor, and seriousness. And they even created a meme with the old-fashioned public broadcast style subtitles called ‘Danaka Counselor,’ getting an incredible bang for their buck…
Did he really plan this? It seemed more impressive that he probably didn’t.
I remembered what that guy said when I chose this.
“I have experience now.”
“…”
And now, that guy was nodding with a sullen face next to me.
“And I have the right to hear this conversation directly. I’m a team member.”
Fine. Since this guy had good instincts, he might come up with a good idea on the spot. I decided to take Eugene’s comments into consideration.
Just then, Kwon Heeseung and Keun Sejin, who had already finished their greetings, sat down in the meeting room chairs, laughing. Kwon Heeseung’s eyes sparkled.
“Wow, so Moondae Hyung is going to produce for our Spacer? Awesome!”
Yeah, that’s what we called you here for.
“Let’s confirm something first.”
“…Yes?”
I clasped my hands together. “Can you trust me?”
“…!”
“Even though we’re in the same agency, you know we’re ultimately competitors. So, don’t you doubt whether I would come up with a plan that would only benefit Spacer?”
“…” Gold 2, Kwon Heeseung, closed his mouth.
As expected.
Anyone with a brain would have had doubts. The three of us from TeSTAR waited patiently without urging him.
And after a brief silence. Heeseung… smiled awkwardly.
“Uh, no?”
“…!”
“But isn’t there no one who wouldn’t, Hyung?”
Kwon Heeseung laughed awkwardly. It felt like he had reached a state of enlightenment.
“Even when we were at T1, the staff must have planned everything to benefit the company. So, we never received a plan that was purely good for us…” The guy mumbled and then gave a thumbs-up. “Isn’t that how society works? Everyone looks for mutual benefits!”
“…Is that so?”
“Of course!”
Indeed. This is the kind of realistic perception you’d expect from someone who made money with stocks right after returning to the past.
“And hearing Hyung talk like this, I actually feel good about it. Hyung is telling us what’s risky for us and what’s good for you in this plan, right?”
“That’s right.”
It’s cleaner to disclose everything and get direct approval than to keep quiet and face unexpected variables later. If I tell them everything and they choose it themselves, they can’t complain later, right? It feels like an insurance policy. I was thinking somewhat bitterly when it happened.
“Wow.”
“…?”
Why are you sighing in admiration?
“Whew… Hyung, that’s exactly the conscience of the top 1% in the world! Be proud!”
“…”
“Wow, Hyung, are you secretly a saint while pretending not to be?”
“Right, Moondae is kind of like that, isn’t he?”
No, I’m not.
“Exactly. Even though there’s no real benefit for Hyung, you’re helping our group and even considering such things…”
Well, it’s because this company is my system… No, let’s stop there.
I pressed my temples and opened my mouth. “…Anyway, let’s start the discussion.”
“Great, let’s do it!” Kwon Heeseung nodded, his face showing a mix of anticipation and tension about what strategy would come out.
Keun Sejin spoke with a friendly smile.
“Heeseung~ You know the newly debuted Wonder Hall group, ĭter?”
“Yes.”
It seemed like various thoughts quickly passed through Kwon Heeseung’s mind as if he were aware of the related controversy, but the next words left him speechless.
“Those friends will be a great help to our Spacer promotion!”
“…?!”
To be precise, it meant we would make them help.
* * *
And a few minutes later.
“…”
Kwon Heeseung, who was sitting dazedly in the conference room as if hit by a storm, had unfocused eyes. It seemed the shock was quite severe.
“Take your time to think it over and give me an answer.”
“But… that,” Kwon Heeseung swallowed hard. “Do you think this will work?!”
“I wouldn’t have mentioned it if it wouldn’t.”
“R-Right… If Hyung says so, it must be.”
Did he believe me to that extent?
Kwon Heeseung then began to seriously stare at the conference table. Just when it seemed like he was almost counting the patterns.
Driiing.
“Ah, pardon me, I need to take this call.”
“Sure.”
Kwon Heeseung’s smartphone rang, and he got up, closed the door, and left the conference room. Thud.
“…”
After a brief silence, I spoke up.
“He made that call himself, right?”
“No. It seems like it was a real call.”
“Hmm.”
I thought he was going to discuss it with the members right away.
Actually, I was planning to call a few more members of Spacer to this meeting, but Kwon Heeseung insisted on coming alone, which was unexpected.
“Is that person the leader?”
“In Spacer? They don’t have a leader system, but Heeseung is the top and the center, so he plays a big role.”
“Oh.”
Why are you looking at me? You’re the center.
Anyway, I tapped the table in the conference room for a while and then stood up at the right time. By now, that guy should be finishing his call.
“I need to go to the restroom for a bit.”
“Okay.”
I carefully left the conference room to have a private conversation with Kwon Heeseung. Thud. But as soon as I closed the door, I realized that Kwon Heeseung’s voice was faintly echoing in the hallway. He was still on the call.
“Hey, hey! Ah, our new song is really good. Trust me! That hyung has a real talent for composing. Why worry?”
“…”
“If we get a good promotion, it’ll chart for sure. The company is good now, so we’ll do even better… Yeah. Good luck with the work.” He spoke in a soothing manner and then ended the call. Then he sighed briefly… and our eyes met.
“Oh, um. Hyung,” He seemed flustered.
…Sigh.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”
“I figured you might… Ahem.” Kwon Heeseung, feeling a bit embarrassed, dragged his words unusually.
Damn it. I held back a sigh and spoke again. “…Your team atmosphere seems good.”
“It is.” Kwon Heeseung leaned against the wall and sighed. “But honestly, not everyone is as hardworking as the hyungs, you know? Our season was really unique.”
“…”
Whether it was because Heeseung decided to just spill everything after being caught in an embarrassing conversation or if it was unintentional, he continued speaking.
“Hmm, so I’ve also imagined what it would have been like if I had debuted back then… I mean, I did make it to the final round, after all.”
Ah. I realized what Heeseung was thinking about at that moment. It wasn’t just the entire final episode. The final member announcement. My first-place privilege.
“Park Moondae, as the first-place contestant, you have the authority to choose one of the 14 contestants who made it to the final ranking announcement to debut with you as a team member!”
And I… I had left that choice to the viewers to minimize any backlash.
“The contestant I have chosen is… the 7th place contestant selected by Shareholders.”
But in reality, among the contestants who weren’t called TeSTAR members, the one I was closest to as a teammate was Heeseung.
Gold 2. Kwon Heeseung. There was no way he hadn’t had any expectations at that moment. Even now, more than five years later, it still comes to his mind. Especially with TeSTAR’s success. However, Heeseung’s conversation didn’t turn into a lament.
“But the more I imagine it, the more I realize. I still like my current team. Sigh… I’ve grown too attached.”
“…”
“The hyung I was on the phone with earlier lacks confidence, but he’s a really fun person, you know? He makes great songs… But our recent music performance hasn’t been that great.”
Spacer is a group that has objectively settled in quite well. Their popularity gradually declined after the survival show, and their music performance also dropped. However, their album sales steadily increased, and they secured stable overseas popularity. But people always compare things relatively, and who would Spacer be most easily compared to?
TeSTAR.
They must have heard such comparisons from their company, which isn’t particularly good at managing things, more than once or twice. But Heeseung shrugged and said, “So please take care of us, Hyung! I need to hear the other members’ opinions, but for now, I’ve decided that I definitely want to give it a try!”
“…”
“We need to prove that our Spacer still has a bright future ahead of us!”
“…Right.”
“Life is a one-time deal! No, we… ahem, we have another chance, anyway.”
“…”
I chuckled softly and turned my gaze away from Kwon Heeseung, who was winking at me.
The popup that had appeared the moment we met was still visible.
[Confirming the holder of ‘■■■ Fragment’]
Absorb ‘■■■ Fragment (1 / 4)’ into ‘Company’?
※This will take some time.
“…”
Well, I’m already using that guy to deal with the rookie group anyway. I was planning to extract it to upgrade the company system functions, so there’s no need to burden him with talk of mission failures or anything like that. So… this isn’t a bad thing.
Without a word, I quietly responded to the status window. Yes.
Then, the popup began to glow.
“…!”
“Shall we head into the meeting room now?”
Kwon Heeseung didn’t seem to notice, as he showed no reaction… but the light from the popup wrapped around Kwon Heeseung once before gently returning to the popup. And at that moment, the popup’s content changed.
[‘■■■ Fragment (1 / 4)’ retrieved!]
The popup disappeared, and a new, very simple popup appeared.
[Updating ‘Company’]
Is that it? I thought there might be some reaction in my body, but there wasn’t. Instead, just as I was about to examine the popup more closely…
Bang!
“…!!”
“Wh-What was that?”
Suddenly, the conference room door burst open. The one who opened it was Keun Sejin, his face pale as a sheet. He shouted, “Call someone!”
What?
“Eugene has fainted. Call someone!”
“…!!”
I immediately looked into the conference room. There, under a chair, was Cha Eugene, who collapsed.
“…”
Why?
“Park Moondae!”
“Yeah.”
I moved my feet right away.
Calling someone from the company and heading to the emergency room would be the fastest. But even as I ran, I thought. What the hell is going on?
The system window didn’t disappear and kept following me.
[Updating ‘Company’]