Chapter 158: Nervous is front of 1000 people, Part 2

My personal belief is that while people may lie, money never does.

Money delivers results proportional to the investment.

KINTEX, infamous for its terrible acoustics, is especially notorious even within Korea, where concert sound quality is often subpar.

It’s so bad that international artists, excited about performing in Korea, often sigh upon learning their venue is KINTEX.

“That’s why I made a change.”

KINTEX has poor sound?

Then fix it.

So, I splurged and bought a top-of-the-line speaker system.

“Haha, 24-month installment plan.”

In the furthest corner of the Red Stage, a space usually occupied by a few technicians, I stood alone, grinning.

The ultra-expensive concert speakers, surrounding the stage and injecting it with life, brought a smile to my face.

“This should ensure excellent audio quality for the concert film.”

The audience reviews would be positive. Scarlet’s fans, buzzing about the concert, would be eager to buy the film.

And if those fans purchased the film en masse, and subsequently became fans of Trinity?

Game over.

BGG Company enters the mid-sized enterprise arena.

This was the ultimate positive feedback loop I envisioned.

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy…

– I wish it were just a dream.

– I still dream of you.

Even if Trinity’s success wasn’t guaranteed, Scarlet’s fans would undoubtedly be captivated.

Hong Seo-hyun performed her own rendition of the J-Pop song “Lemon.”

The ballad-like arrangement perfectly suited her elegant voice.

It was already a popular cover, and now she had performed it live at this once-in-a-lifetime concert? The 199,000 subscribers who weren’t present would be green with envy.

Envy translates to purchasing power.

Selling the film for ₩30,000, even if only 1,000 people bought it, would net me ₩20,000,000 after taxes.

More than enough to cover the stage rental and speaker costs.

“She’s truly our company’s treasure. A golden goose…”

One well-nurtured Vtuber was more reliable than a year’s worth of Patreon income.

Patreon required me to grind away writing, while Hong Seo-hyun was like a highly efficient, automated bot farming for gold.

“Let’s stay together forever…”

I gazed at Hong Seo-hyun on the screen, my eyes filled with adoration.

The investment in her 3D virtual avatar was evident.

That polygonal figure cost more than the speakers I bought, and I couldn’t even finance it.

“Insane!”

“Look at her expression!”

“Oh my god, that’s…”

The roars of the crowd were unexpectedly fervent for a ballad performance.

“It’s like watching some nationalistic propaganda.”

But this level of enthusiasm wouldn’t last.

By 2025, with more virtual avatar technicians in Korea, concerts could feature Scarlet not just on screen but also as a hologram, practically dancing right in front of them.

Would the audience go even wilder then?

And if we sold a concert film then, people might buy it as a keepsake, reminiscing about this concert and its production value.

Assuming a price of ₩30,000 and 10,000 sales, the profit after taxes would be…

“₩200,000,000…”

Just thinking about it made my mouth water.

Should we hold another concert at KINTEX next year?

By then, Trinity should have a solid fanbase, adding to the hype.

“No, wait… We wouldn’t need to use KINTEX. We could rent a proper concert hall with top-notch equipment.”

Yes, yes.

We might even perform in a dome someday.

As I indulged in these wishful thoughts…

“Boss!”

“Ah, Min-gi.”

One of BGG Company’s chat moderators, Min-gi, approached me with a sign.

My solitary musings were over.

“I brought the camera and sign for post-concert interviews.”

“Good work. While you’re here, why don’t you watch the concert?”

“Yes, sir!”

Like many in this industry, Min-gi started as a fan of Scarlet.

So, when I offered him a chance to watch the concert, he couldn’t hide his delighted smile.

Considering the concert as his bonus, I planned to have him film the audience as they exited.

Scarlet’s first offline concert since her debut was short but impactful.

“That’s it for my songs, everyone.”

Her original song, Crimson Sky.

Her popular cover, Lemon.

And an unreleased cover, WEEK END.

Having passionately performed these three songs, Hong Seo-hyun felt the end of this exhilarating concert approaching.

Her initial nervousness had vanished, replaced by genuine enjoyment, especially during Lemon.

But it was time to step down.

– Noooo.

– Don’t goooo.

Encore! Encore!

Faintly, she heard the audience’s pleas through the TV.

However, her role today was to be the appetizer, to get the crowd excited.

“I’m sorry. It’s a short set today, but there will be other opportunities. I’ll step down now.”

Of course, she didn’t leave without a proper send-off. She mentioned the “second concert” Hayoon had hinted at.

“You have to cheer just as enthusiastically for my juniors who are about to debut, okay?”

She also encouraged support for Trinity.

Scarlet’s fandom, the “Students,” were devoted followers.

Hayoon had calculated that even if only a fraction of the 1,000 attendees were Students, Hong Seo-hyun’s words would ensure they wouldn’t criticize the performance unless it was truly disastrous.

And finally…

“One of my juniors is incredibly shy. She’s a bit embarrassed to see you all directly, but she can hear you, so please give her a warm welcome.”

This was an Easter egg referencing Jo A-yeong, who was awkwardly preparing to take the stage, blindfolded and supported by Seo Ji-woo and Baek-seol.

“Okay, bye for now! I’ll be streaming tomorrow!”

Hong Seo-hyun’s performance concluded.

“Yes! This is why I’m a Scarlet fan and bought all the BGG Company merchandise.”

The 2022 AGC stage performance, both Scarlet’s concert and Trinity’s debut, had ended.

Bae Gyeongsik, having bought all the merchandise, was about to head home when he noticed…

A sign reading, [BGG Company Post-Concert Interview].

Haru, cosplaying as Scarlet, stood near the stage exit.

Noticing no one else was around, Bae Gyeongsik rushed over.

“Hello!”

“Oh, hello.”

“Today’s performance was amazing!”

“Heehee, glad you enjoyed it.”

“I did!”

Only after exchanging a few words with Haru did Bae Gyeongsik realize he was being filmed. He turned to the camera.

Of course…

“We’re planning to create a making-of film, or a concert film, and this interview might be included. Is that okay with you?”

“Of course! Absolutely!”

Haru’s friendly demeanor and request disarmed Bae Gyeongsik, who, unused to this sort of thing, readily gave away his likeness with just a few words.

Haru had already secured consent from many others this way.

Bae Gyeongsik, too, sold his image rights for practically nothing as the interview began.

“First, are you a fan of BGG Company?”

“Absolutely! See these shopping bags? They’re all filled with BGG Company merchandise. I spent over ₩300,000 today.”

“Wow, a VIP! It’s thanks to fans like you that Scarlet and Trinity were able to perform with original 3D virtual avatars today.”

‘Original?’

“Yes, there’s no reason to use generic avatars. Our fans give us so much love. Of course, we prepared original avatars. We’ll show them in more detail in the concert film.”

“Wow…”

At this point, image rights weren’t important.

This was a golden opportunity to glean insights into BGG Company’s future plans.

Overjoyed, Bae Gyeongsik continued the interview.