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Chapter 23: Cherry Blossom Today (4)

“Yoon-Ho oppa, I think I pulled my hamstring. It feels like it’s torn!”

Although she mentioned the word hamstring, she was rubbing her calf.

‘That’s not where the hamstring is, Sae-Ri.’

“Sae-Ri. That’s not where the hamstring is.”

Upon Yang Eun-Bi’s logical response, Sae-Ri shot her a sharp glance.

“I know!”

‘Sae-Ri. If you know where the hamstring is, why is your hand behind your knee this time?’

“You most certainly don’t~.”

When Yang Eun-Bi laughed, Sae-Ri stomped her foot to express her frustration. Her leg seemed completely fine, and her hamstring far from being torn.

“Hmph! Why do you always act like you know everything, unnie?”

“I don’t. How can anyone know everything?”

Even though Sae-Ri was pouting, she was no match for the logical Yang Eun-Bi.

However, calming Sae-Ri down was the priority.

“Sae-Ri. Why does it matter where the hamstring is? You’re fine as long as it’s not torn. Anyway, I’ll buy you some pain relief patches later. Let’s go inside for now.”

“Right? It just needs to stay attached and that’s all that matters. And please buy the scentless patches!”

“Okay.”

Sae-Ri’s face brightened as if she had found an ally. Yang Eun-Bi shook her head, indifferent to the matter.

Thankfully, we finally arrived at our only sanctuary in the broadcasting station—the waiting room. I felt relieved.

“Guys, I’ll be right back. I’m going to the...”

I was about to say I was heading to the washroom. However, the door opened and Lee Dong-Min, the chief of Singer Division 2, appeared in a sharply tailored suit and a 24K gold chain.

“Oh? Mr. Lee. You’re here!”

“It’s our dear chief~.”

“Haha, yes, yes. How’s everyone doing today?”

“We are doing good, Mr. Lee.”

Lee Dong-Min exchanged enthusiastic high-fives and greetings with Cherry Blossom. He was once a famous producer, but now he only played a management role.

“Hello, Mr. Lee.”

Lee Dong-Min, who was joking around with Sae-Ri while holding hands with her, turned to me when I greeted him.

“Oh! I heard someone from the Actor Division 2 was coming to help today, but I didn’t think it would be you, Star Jung. Thanks for the hard work. These kiddos aren’t bothering you, are they?”

Lee Dong-Min said as he winked. Thanks to his congeniality and friendliness, he was well-liked by everyone in the company.

“Excuse me, Mr. Han. Is it okay if I step out for a moment?”

Seeing my urgent expression, Lee Dong-Min nodded.

“Haha, you seem urgent. Go ahead.”

“Thank you, sir.”

I gave a quick bow to Lee Dong-Min and rushed toward the emergency exit where Choi Eun-Hyuk was.

***

“Mr. Choi. Our group Floren can fill that vacant spot immediately. You’ve seen our girls on Radio Big Fun dancing to ‘Bling Bling’, haven’t you? The crowds loved them. Do you remember?”

“True. The members of Floren are all tall which makes their dance appealing.”

Upon carefully opening the door, I was relieved to see that the two were still in conversation.

The girl group, Floren, from CNS Entertainment, was famous for their good performances as all members were over 170cm tall. Moreover, they had once showcased their dance moves for ‘Bling Bling’ on MBS’ variety show Radio Big Fun.

Even if a scandal about a member of Floren being involved in school bullying were to surface a week later, that card wasn’t on the table right now.

Under Kang Hyee-Dong’s persistent persuasion, Choi Eun-Hyuk seemed increasingly inclined to accept his suggestion.

This was why timing was so important—but until they set foot on stage, I still had a chance.

As I nervously waited for my turn with sweaty palms, Choi Eun-Hyuk suddenly spoke out of the blue.

“I’ll keep it in mind for now. If you decide to accept my proposal, please call me right away.”

“I’ll contact the company and get back to you within two hours. No, I’ll get back to you within an hour.”

A look of dismay was evident on Kang Hyee-Dong’s face.

“Alright. Let’s talk again then.”

‘Proposal, huh? Does that mean there are conditions attached?’

Choi Eun-Hyuk wasn’t the type to accept bribes and ruin his reputation since he had already climbed the career ladder. This meant there was only one possibility left—a guest appearance request.

At that moment, several of Choi Eun-Hyuk’s programs came to mind. Currently being a PD for KBC’s music show Music Stage, he would also branch into variety shows next month onwards.

‘Wait a minute. Then...’

I quickly checked my planner and looked up the viewership ratings for the variety show that would be managed by Choi Eun-Hyuk.

[Everyday V10]

[Date: April 24th, 2020]

-10:05 PM: KBC MusicLand First Broadcast Viewership Ratings 9.5%

‘Here it is.’

I had never been so thankful for diligently noting down the viewership ratings of various shows in my planner in my previous life. With its debut broadcast on a Friday evening achieving 9.5% in viewership ratings, the show would be a massive success.

Since they always featured a girl group as guests, I figured they must be recruiting a group to feature right now.

While Choi Eun-Hyuk might be using this condition as a leverage to boost the uncertain viewership ratings of the show, it was an offer good enough for me to accept.

‘I’m definitely in.’

After making up my mind to accept the offer, I patiently waited for Choi Eun-Hyuk to enter the hallway. When Kang Hyee-Dong made a call somewhere else, Choi Eun-Hyuk put out his cigarette and entered the hallway.

Creak.

When the door leading to the waiting room hallway opened, I greeted Choi Eun-Hyuk with a bright smile.

“Hello, Mr. Choi Eun-Hyuk. I’m with Cherry Blossom from Hoop Entertainment. Please look favorably upon our girls.”

“Ah, yes. I’m a bit busy right now.”

Choi Eun-Hyuk seemed uninterested and looked like he had no intention to engage in a conversation. Then, I vaguely recalled that Choi Eun-Hyuk was acquainted with Lee Dong-Min.

Without much thought, I name dropped Lee Dong-Min in order to catch his attention.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Mr. Lee Dong-Min. I hope for your kind consideration.”

Choi Eun-Hyuk, who was about to walk past me, stopped.

“You heard about me from Dong-Min hyung?”

‘Yes! I hit the mark. But Dong-Min hyung? Were they that close?’

I hadn’t known that, but I persisted and went on.

“Mr. Lee told me to pay special attention when meeting you, Mr. Choi.”

As I kept mentioning Lee Dong-Min’s name, Choi Eun-Hyuk chuckled.

“Dong-Min hyung isn’t the type to speak so highly of me. Didn’t he badmouth me or something?”

“Not at all. You know Mr. Lee isn’t the type to badmouth anyone.”

“Well, come to think of it, it’s been a while since I saw Dong-Min hyung. He hasn’t even answered my calls lately...”

Lee Dong-Min didn’t seem to be busy when I saw him a moment ago, but I didn’t bother telling Choi Eun-Hyuk that. Given that the atmosphere was cordial, I got straight to the point after a brief greeting.

“Mr. Choi, I apologize...but I overheard your conversation with Mr. Kang Hyee-Dong just a moment ago.”

The smile on Choi Eun-Hyuk’s face began to fade into displeasure.

“Ah, I should be more careful. It was my mistake. Please don’t talk about it anywhere else and forget what I said.”

I immediately held out my phone and opened my mouth.

“Mr. Choi. If there’s an opening, I’d be grateful if you could consider Cherry Blossom as well.”

I gave a deep bow before playing the recorded video in full screen.

The brightness was turned up to the max but the sound was kept low.

“Bling Bling~.”

The video of Cherry Blossom’s dance was displayed on my smartphone screen.

Soon, Choi Eun-Hyuk’s face became serious after watching the video. His eyes were fixed on my phone for a long while.

‘Ah, my back hurts so much.’

After a while, the video ended.

“Huh! Has Cherry Blossom always been this good?”

As words of admiration came out of Choi Eun-Hyuk’s mouth, I straightened my back, which was hurting. However, upon hearing his compliments, my expression was brighter than ever.

“This is just a rehearsal. They can do so much better once they warm up a little. If you give us a chance, we promise to fill the void left by Irene.”

This wasn’t the time to be humble—I had to show confidence.

Choi Eun-Hyuk sneaked a glance toward the emergency exit of the hallway he entered from earlier. He seemed to be checking if Kang Hyee-Dong was coming.

“Hmm. You’re not wrong. But I also have to consider the reputation of those who approached me first, so...”

Choi Eun-Hyuk looked conflicted and struggled to make a decision. He seemed to be expecting something from me, but I couldn’t tell what he wanted.

‘I think I know what he wants, but that’s only a guess...’

After a brief silence, Choi Eun-Hyuk finally opened his mouth with difficulty.

“Why don’t we do this? I’m actually preparing for a new show, and...”

My guess was right.

***

The cost of managing a single idol group surpassed the imagination of ordinary people. Excluding the expenses for song and dance production, there were expenses for clothing, food, accommodation, training, salons, dermatologists, additional staff to put them on stage, and many more.

Even if a group only had four members, a minimum of 50 million won was spent each month. Despite these challenges, even small companies dived into the idol business because if just one song became popular, the returns on investment could be dozens of times the initial cost. It was truly a high added-value business.

If the idol groups were to achieve resounding success, they could earn an unbelievable amount of money. In other words, it was no different from winning the lottery.

However, the reality was that many of those who dived into this business barely broke even, let alone achieve grand success.

Yet, Choi Eun-Hyuk was proposing to block an entire day of Cherry Blossom’s schedule. Most agencies were sensitive about dedicating an idol group’s time to a regular schedule as they were already busy with events and trying to reduce deficits. Moreover, Choi Eun-Hyuk’s new variety show wasn’t even guaranteed success.

“As the producer of a music show, I can simply fill a slot with just any group if I want. But Cherry Blossom meets my standard, hence the proposal. What do you think? If you promise a six-month fixed appearance on my new show, I’ll set up the stage immediately.”

I wanted to answer yes right away, but unfortunately, this wasn’t my decision to make.

“I will discuss it with the company and get back to you immediately. Please wait just ten minutes.”

“...Wait. The team lead doesn’t have the authority to make that decision?”

Choi Eun-Hyuk frowned and seemed taken aback, perhaps because he mistook me for a team lead as I was wearing a suit.

‘But his words are inconsistent. Didn’t he say he would wait for Kang Hyee-Dong earlier?’

It was then that I formally introduced myself and handed him my business card.

“My name is Jung Yoon-Ho, a talent agent at Hoop Entertainment.”

“Hmm...”

Receiving my business card, Choi Eun-Hyuk started to look at the card and my face.

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m in my first year of my career, sir.”

Choi Eun-Hyuk looked shocked by my response.

“How can a first-year be so bold? Ah, really. What to do with this...”

Had Cherry Blossom not caught his eye, he would have probably just berated me. Of course, if that had been the case, I would have approached things a little different.

As Choi Eun-Hyuk contemplated, I played my trump card once more—mentioning Lee Dong-Min.

“Mr. Choi. Mr. Lee is currently in the waiting room right now.”

Only then did Choi Eun-Hyuk’s expression soften.

“Hahaha, you sure know how to pull the strings. But I need to check the stage preparations now, so please tell him let’s meet in Section B in thirty minutes.”

Choi Eun-Hyuk’s phone had been blowing up with calls searching for him. But thanks to that, I was given time to persuade Lee Dong-Min.

“Yes, sir. I’ll see you shortly.”

After Choi Eun-Hyuk disappeared from my sight, I headed to the waiting room to persuade Lee Dong-Min.

***

“...A fixed appearance?”

Leaving the Cherry Blossom members in the waiting room, I stepped out into the hallway with Lee Dong-Min and Han Myung-Ho to discuss the proposal. We spoke in hushed tones, wary of eavesdroppers.

“Yes, sir. I understand we typically don’t accept a fixed appearance request for a mere backstage performance without financial compensation. But aside from local events, Cherry Blossom doesn’t have any special schedules, right? If they make regular appearances on a KBC variety show, people will start recognizing them. Their fees for events will naturally rise.”

Promising the success of the show to people uncertain about the future seemed like an impossible task. On the other hand, arguing that increased recognition could lead to higher fees was more convincing.

Upon my earnest plea, Lee Dong-Min turned to Han Myung-Ho and asked.

“Chief Han. What do you think about what Yoon-Ho said?”

Han Myung-Ho hesitated for a moment before finally opening his mouth.