Ch.15 The Red-Light Ad Meeting
The basement of a modest commercial building—neither shabby nor luxurious, just ordinary.
This is where the practice room for Seria, the girl group I manage, is located.
Not just the practice room, but the second floor of this building also houses the office of our agency, Enrich Entertainment.
We don’t even need to compare ourselves to large agencies; even small and medium-sized agencies have their own buildings. Meanwhile, we’re stuck with just the second floor and the basement of this building.
That’s how tight our finances are at Enrich Entertainment…
“#@#!@~”
The practice room door is well-coated so no one can see inside, but standing in front of it, I can faintly hear Seria’s new song and feel the vibrations of the girls practicing hard.
“Ha…”
I stood there, holding the door handle, debating whether to go in or not for what felt like the hundredth time.
The phone call I received earlier from Director Kim Han-seo had added to my already long list of worries, and it now sat at the very top.
He said the previously discussed appearance on Music in Us might not happen because the group that originally dropped out decided to come back.
He promised to contact us first if another opportunity arose, but it felt like an empty promise, so I didn’t have much hope.
Of course, since the spot wasn’t originally ours, I can’t complain.
‘But… Even so…’
After hearing the good news about securing the music show spot yesterday, Seria had been practicing day and night, even skipping sleep.
They pushed themselves to the limit, grinding their feet and bones to the point where it’s almost a relief that the opportunity fell through after just one day.
“Sigh…”
I carefully let go of the door handle.
If I open this door and go in, the members will gather around me with smiles, but I can’t bring myself to deliver the news that will shatter those smiles right now.
If false hope and dreams can be the driving force to keep them moving forward, then maybe that’s okay for now.
I should go clear my head and maybe grab a coffee at a nearby café.
Just as I turned around, I saw the CEO of Enrich Entertainment, Seria’s agency.
“Manager Yoon~ What are you doing here? Are the kids inside? I came to treat them to some meat to celebrate their music show appearance.”
“…CEO.”
“Huh? What’s wrong? Why do you look like that?”
“Well…”
“Don’t tell me…”
Before I knew it, a dark shadow had replaced the bright smile on the CEO’s face.
We decided to avoid the Seria members and sat down at a nearby café.
The CEO, who I’ve known for a long time, seemed to sense the bad news from my gloomy expression and hesitant tone.
“Slurp— Sigh…”
The CEO took a sip of coffee and let out a heavy, worried sigh.
“CEO.”
“Yeah. I’m guessing the music show appearance got canceled, right?”
“Yes…”
I hung my head low.
I didn’t do anything wrong, but delivering disappointing news is always uncomfortable.
“Tch, damn it. How did it fall through in just one day?”
“I know. I don’t know whether to call it fortunate or unfortunate…”
“More importantly… Ha… We’re screwed. We’re really screwed now.”
“…?”
I tilted my head in confusion.
While it’s disappointing that the music show appearance got canceled, it wasn’t originally our spot to begin with, and it’s not uncommon for us to only watch music shows on TV. Why the sudden despair…?
“Actually, this album was our last chance. But the first-week sales were a disaster, no sponsors were coming in, and the funds just weren’t circulating. We don’t have the strength to keep going. When you brought up the music show spot, especially on Music in Us, I thought maybe the heavens hadn’t abandoned us yet… But it was just false hope.”
“……CEO. Does that mean the company will…?”
“Yeah, we’ll have to close down…”
My heart sank, and I nearly dropped the coffee cup in my hand.
If the company closes, Seria will disband, and everything will be over.
Even though our lives have been humble, we’ve always held onto dreams and hope. But the reality isn’t so romantic.
“Seong-ho.”
As I sat there biting my lip, the CEO—no, my brother—called my name.
He dropped the formalities and called me by my name, as he has since our high school days.
“Yes, brother Cheol-su.”
“Even though you’re officially called a manager, internally, you’re the second-in-command at Enrich Entertainment, right?”
“That’s right…”
Yes, Enrich Entertainment is a company that both brother Cheol-su and I started together.
“You’re the only one I can trust to handle the girl group closely, which is why you have the title of manager.”
“Yes, brother. Why are you beating around the bush with me?”
“The Director Kim Han-seo who offered you the music show appearance. Are you sure he’s the same person who came to Seria’s fan signing a few days ago?”
I didn’t act like I knew him to protect Director Kim’s reputation, but I was sure.
As someone in the entertainment industry, I’ve memorized the faces of key figures at NSS Broadcasting, especially the Directors.
No matter how much he tried to hide his face with a hat and mask at the fan signing, he couldn’t escape my sharp eyes.
“Yes. I’m sure. He seemed to want to hide his identity at the fan signing and even pretended not to know me when we met at the broadcasting station, but it was definitely Director Kim Han-seo.”
“And is it true that Director Kim’s favorite is Sua?”
“Yes, remember when we did the ‘Hako Group’ event where fans could take selfies with their favorite? Director Kim took a photo with Sua.”
“Hmm… I see… Hmm…”
“……”
I know what my brother is thinking.
He’s suggesting we do what other small agencies like ours naturally do—offer sexual hospitality.
Until now, our management philosophy was that we’d rather drown than exploit the girls for money. But it seems like we’ve reached a point where survival is more important.
Plus, Director Kim Han-seo happens to be a fan of Seria.
So, there must be a way, right? I could sense the words my brother couldn’t bring himself to say out loud.
“Seong-ho… So… I mean… Ha…”
“Brother, then, I’ll take Sua and go see the Director.”
“?! Seong… Seong-ho…”
“What else can we do? No matter how much we want to cherish and protect them, if we disappear, what’s the point…?”
“I’m sorry… For dumping all this on you…”
“The company has been running at a loss until now, and it’s only been sustained because of you, brother. Now it’s my turn. If we can secure a music show appearance and gradually increase album sales, we’ll have a reason to bring in investors.”
“Right. If we can just get on that music show, I’ll put on a show for the investors and make it work. But are you really okay with this? What about the trust with the Seria members…”
“It’s fine. As long as the company and Seria can survive… I’ll take on the role of the villain.”
“Thank you, Seong-ho… Let’s definitely take the company public and take good care of the Seria members.”
“Yes, brother.”
We clinked our plastic coffee cups like they were glasses of alcohol.
.
.
.
.
.
As they say, strike while the iron is hot. I contacted Manager Yoon, Seria’s general manager, and told him that Seria’s music show appearance had fallen through, offering some comforting words along the way.
Manager Yoon didn’t show it, but he must have been deeply disappointed.
Next time a good opportunity comes up, I’ll make sure Seria gets it first.
Anyway, that’s that. Right now, I’m in the same motel room where I had my wild night with Lize’s Si-hyun and Harang, all because of a new ad meeting.
‘Is this the go-to spot for entertainment industry sexual hospitalityices? Why the hell did they tell me to come here again?’
I came because they asked, but it turns out their negotiation tactic was just to bring women.
Pathetic. Just yesterday, I had my way with both Harang and Si-hyun.
I’m not the type to be swayed by just any girl.
Today, I should just turn around and leave.
Thinking that, I entered the bar, and a man who looked like a waiter recognized me and bowed at a 90-degree angle to greet me.
“Hello, sir! You’ve come again today! You must be someone really important, haha. Here’s my business card. I’m the manager in charge of Louis here. Please feel free to contact me anytime. I’ll take you to your room now.”
So this place is called Louis. The man, who introduced himself as the manager, was built like a tank and spoke quickly but firmly before escorting me.
I absentmindedly put the business card he handed me into my pocket.
“Here we are, VIP Room 4. I hope you have a great time.”
The manager bowed and disappeared.
But Room 4… Isn’t this the same room where I drank and had my wild night with the girls yesterday? What are the odds…
I opened the door and stepped inside.
What I saw was a man in a blue suit sitting at the table and, across from him, a woman with wine-red hair.
I didn’t recognize the man, but the woman was someone I knew.
Not personally, but as an idol enthusiast, I knew her face.
“Im… Da-hyun…?”
A solo idol who isn’t very popular, barely a third-tier celebrity, but occasionally appears in gifs on forums for her sex appeal.
The face of the cosmetics company I’m here to meet with.
“Wow, as expected of the Director of an idol-focused broadcasting station! You recognized her right away!”
The man in the blue suit stood up and spoke.
“Kyaa~ Director, you know me!”
Im Da-hyun also stood up and spoke, but she didn’t stop there. She came over and hugged me.
As I expected, what kind of cosmetics company CEO brings their ad model along for sexual hospitality…
