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Chapter 25: Flowers Bloom Even in Winter (2)

But that wasn’t all.

Cameras three and four, along with the Jimmy Jib camera, were capturing Cherry Blossom to such an extent it almost seemed biased.

It wasn’t just talk when Choi Eun-Hyuk said he would support and push for Cherry Blossom.

In response to Choi Eun-Hyuk’s support, Cherry Blossom lived up to the expectations and displayed a striking presence while dancing perfectly in sync.

“Bling~ Bling~.”

Although it wasn’t their own song, the joy in Cherry Blossom’s eyes was evident as they performed on the KBC year-end stage.

I was glad to see the girls so happy, but Lee Dong-Min’s suggestion to move to the Singer Division 2 still weighed heavily on my mind.

My expertise was primarily in managing actors’ filmographies, but I also had a clear vision for the songs and dances that would become popular in the next decade. If I chose the right song and choreography, Cherry Blossom could quickly become the top girl group.

But in the end, I came to the conclusion not to move to the Singer Division. I needed more time to ensure that Yoo-Jin and the members of Faith could reach their fullest potential. If I were to manage singers, I would have to accompany them 24/7, unlike managing actors where I often had days off.

‘From local festivals to university festivals, concerts, broadcasts, and even fan meets and autograph sessions?’

Just thinking about all these events made my head spin.

“I’m sorry.”

Lee Dong-Min, who was wearing a bright smile while watching Cherry Blossom’s collaboration performance with Petite More, let out a sigh that hinted at his disappointment when he heard my response.

“...Are you sure you’ve thought this through thoroughly?”

“Yes, sir. But I promise to help as much as I can on my days off.”

Only then did a smile return to Lee Dong-Min’s face.

“You better keep your promise.”

“Of course. But please speak kindly to my chief about it. I’m worried he might view me unfavorably if I end up fumbling our division’s tasks while helping another division.”

“Hahaha. Of course. Don’t you worry. I’ll talk to Gu Seong-Cheol for sure.”

I nodded as I recalled hearing that Lee Dong-Min and Gu Seong-Cheol got along like friends because they were of the same age.

At that moment, Han Myung-Ho suddenly approached me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, humming and smiling.

“Bling~ Bling~.”

It was funny how he joyfully sang along to a song that wasn’t even Cherry Blossom’s.

“Mr. Han. What are you doing?”

“What do you think? I’m just expressing my affection because I’m happy.”

I could feel a subtle tremor in Han Myung-Ho’s sturdy arm.

As the song was nearing its end, I could sense the envious glares from the surrounding talent agents.

Kang Hyee-Dong looked as though he wanted to tear us apart, and Ma Dong-Pal looked at us mockingly.

‘Damn. If their stares could kill, we’d be dead a hundred times over.’

Although this performance was just backstage and not the main stage, this was only the beginning.

“Heh. What are they gonna do just by glaring? Yoon-Ho, just smile. Give them a bright smile. Today is our victorious day.”

“Yes, sir.”

Han Myung-Ho flashed a bright smile.

***

By 10 PM, all the stages of the live broadcast Idol Daejun had come to an end.

Creak.

When I looked at the clock, it was 10:45 PM.

Responding to Lee Gi-Cheol’s call, we arrived at the company and headed to the elevator to go to the operations director’s office on the seventh floor.

Our hard work throughout the day had really paid off, because Cherry Blossom’s name began to appear on the live search rankings of various portals.

[Nave Live Rankings]

1st Petite More

2nd ‘Bling Bling’

...

9th Cherry Blossom

10th Cherry Blossom Hairstyle

Cherry Blossom used to perform only at local events for a meager fee up till just yesterday, they were now rapidly gaining attention all of a sudden with their name appearing twice in the top ten live search rankings.

However, even with this successful situation, there was no change in the schedule concerning the reduction of the production budget for Cherry Blossom’s third album.

[Everyday V10]

[Date: December 24th, 2019]

-11:00 PM: Notification of budget cuts for Cherry Blossom’s 3rd album production.

“Well. Shall we go up then?”

Standing in front of the elevator, Han Myung-Ho, Cherry Blossom, and I gulped nervously, knowing that Lee Gi-Cheol never called for good reasons.

“Yes, Mr. Han.”

Ding!

The elevator door slowly opened as we arrived on the seventh floor.

To our surprise, Kim Dong-Soo was standing in front of us.

“Hey. I see that you guys are working hard at the end of the year. How did Idol Daejun go?”

Han Myung-Ho nodded with a stern expression.

“It went well, sir. We even made it to the live search rankings, so it actually went incredibly well...”

When Han Myung-Ho mentioned Cherry Blossom’s appearance on the live search rankings, Kim Dong-Soo raised his hand to cut him off.

“Success isn’t that easy, you know. Don’t get too swayed just because you made the live search rankings once. Anyway, well done.”

However, Kim Dong-Soo’s smile was far from being genuine.

‘More importantly, what the heck is he doing on the seventh floor? This floor is only for operations directors.’

“Hey, newbie. What are you doing up here? Did you help them out today or something?”

“Yes, Mr. Kim.”

“Is that so? Well, keep up the good work.”

Kim Dong-Soo glanced at me for a moment before heading toward the elevator. However, just as the elevator doors were closing, I caught a glimpse of Kim Dong-Soo’s peculiar grin.

‘What on earth is he up to?’

After Kim Dong-Soo was out of sight, Han Myung-Ho tried to calm the trembling members of Cherry Blossom.

“Alright, girls. Let’s not make any mistakes in front of Mr. Lee, okay? I’ll handle the talking so don’t worry.”

But the Cherry Blossom members remained anxious.

“Mr. Han. Are we disbanding?”

When Woo Yeon-Hee asked the question with a serious expression, Sae-Ri’s eyes widened in shock.

“Huh? What do you mean, unnie? No way! If we disband, I’d be dragged back home to help with the apple farm!”

Sae-Ri cringed as he recalled her parent’s apple farm in the rural area. She said she didn’t mind farming, but she hated bugs.

“I’d have to prepare for the civil service exam.”

Eun-Bi, whose parents were both contract civil servants, let out a deep sigh.

But the most shaken was Eun-Ah.

“N-no... I can’t... I’ll have to go on blind dates...”

Eun-Ah’s father was the head of a rather prominent hospital, and he frequently called her multiple times a day, insisting she quit her idol career and get married.

The girls were visibly shaken. After all the effort we put into raising their popularity and boosting their morale, it was disheartening that the company was giving them such a hard time.

With a few minutes left before 11 o’clock, I said to Han Myung-Ho.

“Mr. Han. Let’s not rush in and catch our breath first. Mr. Lee Gi-Cheol won’t kill us if we\'re just a few minutes late, right?”

I didn’t want to give up hope, especially since Lee Dong-Min said he would help. I held onto Han Myung-Ho and suggested we waited till Lee Dong-Min arrived.

“S-should we?”

Han Myung-Ho seemed somewhat relieved at my suggestion.

The current time was 10:55 PM, and the time began to tick away. I grew more anxious with every passing minute.

‘No. It can’t just end like this.’

Buzz.

Just when it felt like my heart was about to burst, Han Myung-Ho’s phone suddenly began to vibrate.

Everyone tensed up, thinking it might be a call from Lee Gi-Cheol. But thankfully, it was a call from Lee Dong-Min.

Han Myung-Ho hurriedly answered the phone.

“Yes, Mr. Lee. Yes. Huh? Pardon me?”

I couldn’t make out the details of their conversation. But seeing Han Myung-Ho’s face brighten up, a glimmer of hope ignited within me.

After hanging up the call, Han Myung-Ho turned to us and opened his mouth.

“There’s no need to worry. Mr. Lee has...”

Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of the elevator doors opening echoed from behind.

Ding!

And at that moment, the event on my planner was being deleted.

[Everyday V10]

[Date: December 24th, 2019]

-11:00 PM <Deleted Schedule>

(Deleted Schedule: Notification of budget cuts for Cherry Blossom’s 3rd album production)

‘What’s happening?’

But as soon as I turned my head, I instantly understood the reason behind the schedule deletion.

“What are you all doing huddled up here? Were you by any chance waiting for me?”

A sigh of relief escaped my lips. With this guy around, a mere operations director wouldn’t be much of a threat.

It was President Kang Gam-Chan who appeared.

“Yes, Mr. Kang! We were informed earlier by Mr. Lee.”

“Is that so?”

As Han Myung-Ho looked relieved, Kang Gam-Chan nodded in acknowledgment and turned toward me.

“Yoon-Ho. No, Star Jung. I heard you’ve been doing great lately. Hahaha!”

With a chuckle, Kang Gan-Chan patted me on the shoulders.

He was turning sixty years old this year, but he looked robust enough to be mistaken for someone in his forties. Standing over 180cm tall, he was a muscular man honed from triathlon training.

‘Who would have thought such a fit man would leave us so suddenly?’

Seeing Kang Gam-Chan looking healthy made my heart swell with emotions.

In the ten years I worked as a talent agent in my previous life, the one thing I couldn’t surpass him was his kind and generous character.

Although it was true that his kind nature had led to some losses for the company, no one in the industry disliked Kang Gam-Chan.

He was a considerate man who even remembered the names of the most junior employees like me.

I also admired him so much that if it wasn’t for Miso’s death, I would have never thought of leaving Hoop Entertainment. But it was surprising to see such a strong man fall so suddenly with no signs.

I thought that I must somehow persuade him to undergo a health check-up soon.

However, that was a concern for later.

For now, just having Kang Gam-Chan on the seventh floor with us felt like a blessing. Knowing the reason the schedule was deleted on the planner, I bowed my head in gratitude to Kang Gam-Chan.

“I got a call from Chief Lee as soon as I returned from China. He kept nagging me to come to the company as soon as possible, so I thought something bad had happened,” Kang Gam-Chan said with a warm chuckle.

The tense and anxious Cherry Blossom relaxed at Kang Gam-Chan’s laughter and greeted him politely.

“Hello, Mr. Kang.”

“Oh, if it isn’t you guys, Cherry Blossom~. Your performance today was amazing. Bling Bling~.”

When the soon-to-be-sixty-year-old playfully danced to ‘Bling Bling’ and moved his hips, Cherry Blossom’s frozen expression instantly melted away.

“Haha!”

“Mr. Kang, you are the best!”

“Mr. Kang, you are a great dancer.”

Then, Kang Gam-Chan spoke as if he suddenly remembered something.

“Oh, right. Why don’t you guys wait in the third floor lounge and have some coffee? Listening to conversations among old men might be boring for you.”

Woo Yeon-Hee looked uncertain and glanced at Han Myung-Ho.

“But Mr. Lee called for us. Do we not have to go?”

‘Why ask? Of course, they didn’t have to go. The president had told them to take a rest. What more could a mere operations director say to that?’

“Yes, yes. Go ahead and take a rest. I’ll wrap things up with Mr. Lee and take you guys to the accommodation later.”

“Okay, Mr. Han.”

“Alright, our future top girl group. Please make your way down~.”

Kang Gam-Chan playfully smiled and held the elevator for Cherry Blossom, who still seemed a bit flustered.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Kang.”

“Oh, what’s there to thank? I should be the one thanking you guys. Cherry Blossom has been working so hard. And today’s broadcast was a massive hit! Good job today and I’ll see you girls later.”

“Yes, Mr. Kang!”

Ding!

Kang Gam-Chan continued to wave at Cherry Blossom until the elevator doors closed, and Sae-Ri energetically waved both her hands back in response.

But the moment the doors closed, a different side of Kang Gam-Chan, a veteran with thirty years of career in the industry, emerged. The smile vanished from his face as soon as he turned away. His expressionless face was radiating charisma.

“Team Lead Han.”

When Kang Gam-Chan called Han Myung-Ho in a low voice, the atmosphere felt stifling, as if the air had thickened.

“Y-yes, Mr. Kang.”

“Why did you bring the girls to a meeting when we are about to discuss budget cuts? What would those young girls think?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Kang. It’s just that Mr. Lee insisted that Cherry Blossom be present since they were involved.”

“That’s when you should step in. Isn’t that what talent agents do? Shouldn’t a team lead at least handle that much on their own!?”

Han Myung-Ho repeatedly bowed his head at Kang Gam-Chan’s scolding.

‘Wow. His charisma is truly extraordinary.’

Then, Kang Gam-Chan turned to look at me. However, his gaze was as warm as the sunlight on a spring day.

“Yoon-Ho.”

“Yes, Mr. Kang.”

“You did a great job today. Chief Lee praised you a lot.”

I could feel the warmth from Kang Gam-Chan’s hefty hand that gently landed on my shoulder.

In my past life, it was Kang Gam-Chan who had taken a chance on me and saw my potential even when I had no experience.

But when Miso died, I couldn’t face Yoo-Jin and ended up keeping my distance from him as well.

‘I’m sorry, Mr. Kang.’

As I bowed again while suppressing the swelling emotions within me, I felt Kang Gam-Chan’s reassuring pat on my shoulder.

Then, as he turned to Han Myung-Ho, his stern expression softened back to his usual demeanor.

“I know you are working hard, Team Lead Han. Issues like this arise because I’m too busy and can’t oversee everything...but let’s be a bit more attentive from now on, alright?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Kang.”

“It’s okay. Don’t be too disheartened and let’s do better next time. Now, shall we get going?”

“Yes, sir!”

Kang Gam-Chan began to stride forward with confident steps. With his broad back leading the way, Han Myung-Ho and I followed closely behind.

It was time to meet Operations Director Lee Gi-Cheol, who had shattered Hoop Entertainment to pieces in my past life, along with Kim Dong-Soo.