Chapter 99

Chapter 99

Raise Three Idols Well And They’ll Launch a Confession Attack.

Episode 99: Throw The Trash You Can’t Handle To The One You Hate.

I was currently facing a very big dilemma.

“Hmm… the company’s facilities aren’t as terrible as I thought. It might be a decent starting point for someone like me, a genius who’s about to begin his journey.”

…

“As long as the conditions are right, it might be okay to stay here for a while. You should consider yourselves lucky. I’m going to surpass Oh James as a producer in the future.”

One of the people who stabbed me in the back in the past, the plagiarizing Composer Oh Jinwoo, had come to join Two Bear on his own.

…Ah, why does it have to be this guy?

While he was looking around the Two Bear’s sound studio, Cheon Aram, who had sniffed out his aura, whispered to me.

“He gives off a bit of a smell, and it’s not positive. Honestly, I don’t want to take him in, but if you, Team Leader Seon, think it’s okay, I’ll accept him. I think I can tolerate the smell somehow. The producing team isn’t a department where I have to see people often, unlike you.”

It seemed he didn’t pass Cheon Aram’s smell test either.

Well, considering his character—plagiarizing and then backstabbing me while trying to cover it up—it would be strange if he passed the smell test.

“If he smells, you can just reject him.”

“But you said he’s talented, so we should try to compromise. I know it’s too much to expect a talented producer to have good character as well. How many cases are there where someone has both top-notch skills and personality? That’s why I honestly hoped you’d study producing, but is there any chance you’d consider it now?”

“I don’t want to entrust the fates of Gyeoul, Gaeul, and Yeoreum to an amateur like me.”

Cheon Aram shook her head firmly.

“I think you have talent, Team Leader Seon. You won’t just stay an amateur.”

“Thank you for the high evaluation. But I wouldn’t be able to produce the best quality right from the start. I think the person in charge of producing should be able to deliver the best right now.”

“…You’re right, considering how much work you already have. We need to compromise. That’s what a businessperson would do.”

She said quietly as she watched Oh Jinwoo skillfully handle the equipment.

“And after listening to the sample, it seems true that he has skill.”

“…That’s true.”

Yes, that guy definitely had a terrible attitude and character, but his talent was undeniable.

He would later grow into a major producer with his own studio, raking in money, so his talent was clear.

Considering that talented producers were all proud and avoided new projects that didn’t match their reputation, Oh Jinwoo was undoubtedly an A-class asset for Two Bear.

“Besides, that guy was recommended by Oh James, right? Considering his sincerity, it would be difficult to just reject him.”

“That’s correct. If we reject him without a reasonable cause, even someone as supportive as him might feel uncomfortable. He recommended him knowing that we lack proper producing staff, after all. While he said we could reject him if we wanted, people don’t always think that way.”

Yes, the reason the plagiarizing composer Oh Jinwoo suddenly came to Two Bear was that Oh James recommended him and connected us.

While having a drink together, I expressed my concerns about hiring a producer, and he suggested introducing someone with decent skills as a solution.

That’s how Oh Jinwoo, the plagiarizing composer known for his sharp backstabbing, came to us.

Of course, Oh James introduced Oh Jinwoo out of pure goodwill. That’s why it was even more difficult. After all, Oh Jinwoo currently had no history of plagiarism and was just a talented, promising young producer, making it hard to find a reason to reject him.

…And honestly, if I monitored plagiarism closely and keep him in check, I might be able to make use of him.

I knew where plagiarism would occur and where the risks lay because I’d been involved in legal battles over it.

If I preemptively blocked that, the plagiarism controversy would disappear. But it still felt psychologically uncomfortable.

“I’ll leave the decision to you this time, Team Leader Seon. I don’t think I can make a proper judgment because of the smell.”

“…Understood. I’ll choose what’s best for the company.”

While Cheon Aram and I were wrapping up our discussion, Oh Jinwoo seemed to have finished inspecting the studio and stepped out of the soundproof booth, speaking up.

“Well, the basics are here. It looks decent enough. But there are definitely some things that need to be added.”

…What? Cheon Aram already equipped the facilities with the best of everything, though?

I even used it when arranging Gyeoul’s song for ‘Drop the Beat,’ and it was great. What could be missing?

I thought I’d discuss improvements if there were any deficiencies in the equipment and asked him.

“What do you think is lacking?”

Oh Jinwoo answered without hesitation, as if he’d already thought it through.

“First of all, I don’t skip breakfast, so a brunch with fresh fruit should be provided. And you might not know this, but there’s something called a SleepPod, a capsule for comfortable sleep. I think we should get one of those, too. Also, a cocktail bar system wouldn’t hurt. You know, inspiration sometimes comes out when you add a bit of alcohol.”

…Is this guy crazy?

I looked at Cheon Aram without saying a word. She also looked a bit perplexed, her expression slightly contorted.

As a bonus, she rubbed her nose slightly, indicating that Jinwoo’s smell was indeed quite strong.

Even so, Cheon Aram nodded as if to show she trusted me and didn’t comment further on Jinwoo’s words.

Seeing that, I was convinced. It wasn’t worth bringing Jinwoo on board if she had to endure this much.

Screw it, I’ll just put in more legwork.

I’m a high school graduate who even got a job offer from SS.

…Of course, I didn’t actually get in.

Anyway, with my regression knowledge and my ability to see statuses, it’s not impossible for me to recruit an A-grade producer like Oh Jinwoo.

I might have to work harder, but I can’t work with that ungrateful bastard again.

With that thought in mind, I spoke up.

“Unfortunately, it would be difficult to meet those demands, Composer Oh Jinwoo.”

Oh Jinwoo’s eyebrows twitched slightly as he replied.

“Hmm… Are you suggesting that these are excessive demands? Considering that you’re hiring someone who graduated at the top of his class from Validge Music School and won the BH Blind Sounding Test?”

His credentials were indeed impressive, and his skills matched them.

“I’m not denying your excellence, Composer Oh Jinwoo. You don’t need to mention your credentials; just listening to one of the samples you sent makes it clear how great your talent and skills are.”

But half of that is because of plagiarism, isn’t it?

“However, I believe Two Bear might be lacking when it comes to recruiting a giant with such potential like you, Composer Oh Jinwoo. If you remember that our agency only has one group, it might be easier to understand.”

“…Well, at a company like that, I suppose there wouldn’t be much work for me. At most, I’d make one mini-album, and then there might be months of downtime.”

“Moreover, to be frank, we lack funding. The current project we’re working on is a small-scale one that matches our limited budget. I doubt we’ll be able to do more than release a single digital album.”

Cheon Aram tilted her head at my mention of a lack of funds. She probably found my statement questionable.

Of course, with Cheon Aram gathering investors and Jinkang’s large-scale support pouring in, saying Two Bear lacked funds was a bit misleading.

Objectively, we do have a lot of money… But none of it is for Oh Jinwoo.

I can’t stand the thought of giving that guy all that money.

What, a SleepPod? Dude, even a basic bed is too luxurious for you!

“So I think a more established agency with better resources and manpower than our fledgling company would be a more suitable vessel to fully utilize your talent, Composer Oh Jinwoo.”

Oh Jinwoo nodded as if my flattery made sense to him.

“Hmm… Continue.”

“But I happen to know of an agency that’s starting a large-scale project and is looking for a young, talented new producer. Naturally, they have plenty of funds. You’d be able to get the conditions you want there.”

Even if Oh James introduced him to us, he wouldn’t be too upset if we explained that our company couldn’t offer the right conditions and that we found a place that could.

If Oh Jinwoo’s plagiarism were exposed later, that company would be in big trouble, but I had a plan for that, too.

“It’s not a bad idea to at least hear them out. What’s the name of the company?”

“Well, it’s…”

The next day, I called a man over.

“So, what did you call me here for?”

“…Your tone is a bit casual?”

“…Did you call me here?”

It was Manager Ban Seongcheol from Flower Entertainment.

“Remember how you lost that bet and agreed to do me a favor?”

“…Wasn’t that settled by speaking formally?”

“Didn’t you say that wasn’t enough and wanted to raise the stakes? Don’t you remember saying that yourself?”

…

Ban Seongcheol’s lips pouted, clearly displeased.

It was a face that made me want to punch him.

“…You do remember that it has to be a reasonable request, right?”

“Don’t worry, this is something that’ll benefit you too.”

“And what would that be?”

I smiled, lifting the corners of my mouth.

“Hey, are you interested in an A-grade composer looking for a place to stay?”

Jinwoo, go to Flower Entertainment and have a blast plagiarizing.