Episode 15: Would You Like to Create a New Character?
CBN, one of the three major public broadcasting networks.
The man who handed Team Leader Jeon his business card was none other than the Vice President of Content at CBN.
I don’t know much about corporate hierarchies, but judging by his claim that he could secure a guest spot on ‘WeCanDoIt’, a weekend variety show, and his casual mention of music shows being a piece of cake, he clearly held significant influence.
Is this the start of a major turning point for Free Sense?
Unlike my soaring excitement, Team Leader Jeon Min-yong wasn’t getting his hopes up.
He was polite and respectful during their conversation after receiving the card, but his demeanor in the car on the way back was quite different.
“Back in the day, connections could get you a spot, but nowadays, even a CEO would struggle to pull strings for a broadcast appearance.”
“Why’s that?”
“A broadcasting network isn’t some private company or dictatorship. What would the staff think? Sure, he might recommend someone like, ‘Hey, they’re pretty good, give them a shot,’ but directly ordering a booking is overstepping and dismissive of the production team.”
That makes sense, but aren’t there still unwritten rules?
In my mind, the broadcasting and entertainment industries are all about connections and lobbying, so Jeon’s somewhat strait-laced opinion felt surprisingly out of character.
To him, the vice president’s words were just polite small talk over drinks.
“Broadcasting isn’t child’s play. With production teams, PR agencies, advertisers, and the money tied to a single program, even an executive can’t just dictate terms.”
He had another reason for his skepticism.
After a scandal two years ago involving rigged audition shows, the once-tacitly accepted practices of lobbying or personal booking requests between agencies and networks had cooled significantly.
While it’s impossible for things to be completely clean, most people are more cautious now.
Plus, our company isn’t some small startup—it’s growing fast with GraceOne. According to Jeon, getting a music show appearance isn’t hard even without connections, though a variety show guest spot is trickier.
He didn’t say it outright In front of the members, but the company isn’t failing to secure broadcast slots—it’s that the effort isn’t worth the results for Free Sense.
It’s the same reason they’re not releasing new albums anymore.
Jeon was trying to be tactful, but with a few drinks in him, his tone was cold and pessimistic, visibly deflating the members who’d been brimming with hope.
I felt the same.
“Taking casual drinking talk seriously and making a formal request would probably put him in an awkward spot.”
I thought this was a huge opportunity, another big win, but apparently not.
If Jeon thought that way, there must be a reason, so I tried to calm my racing heart.
“Still, it’s nice that he spoke so highly of our kids. It means he saw something in them. Tell your dad thanks too.”
“Yes.”
“But who knows? He might’ve been serious.”
“Then… should we try contacting him?”
Of course, I know.
Asking for an opportunity requires us to be prepared and capable of making the most of it.
If the vice president got one of our members on a show and they flopped, it’d be a huge embarrassment for him.
Even knowing that, I couldn’t help but throw it out there—it was too good to pass up.
A show like ‘WeCanDoIt’ would get their faces out there, even if they’re just in the background, as long as they don’t get completely edited out.
“Well, immediate bookings aside, I’ll send a thank-you text and keep in touch. He might help when a real opportunity comes up. Since he mentioned variety shows, he’s probably from the entertainment division, so it can’t hurt to stay connected.”
Despite getting chummy and cracking dad jokes, Jeon isn’t the type to act unethically in work or relationships.
On the flip side, he might seem inflexible or conservative, but I don’t mind that.
Maybe it’s my dad’s influence—whether it’s sports or work, he always said you should learn the fundamentals first.
Jeon, like a mentor walking the righteous path, imparted his wisdom.
“You’ll start getting contacts from broadcast or event people. Save them right away and keep in touch during holidays or birthdays. That’s not illegal lobbying—it’s just relationship management.”
“Got it.”
“When a performer cancels last minute, they often need a quick replacement. Wouldn’t they call someone they know?”
“True.”
“You need to keep yourself on their radar. When you’re a manager or team leader, or even start your own company, those connections become assets. At the end of the day, people want to help someone they know.”
Another lesson learned today.
“Drop me off at the company first, then head home with the kids. Good work, everyone.”
“You too, Team Leader.”
“Good work!”
After dropping Team Leader Jeon off at the company, we headed to the dorm.
The performance had a great vibe, and we’d caught the attention of a high-ranking broadcasting exec, but the members were silent.
I could sense they’d picked up on something.
No, they’d probably been feeling uneasy for a while, and Jeon’s words in the car had just confirmed it.
As I parked in front of the dorm to say goodbye, Seung-ah spoke to the others.
“You guys head in first. I need to talk to oppa for a bit.”
It seemed like she, as the leader, had something to say on behalf of the group.
The others must’ve discussed it already, as Ah-hyun and Jin-ah got out without a word and headed into the building.
I parked in a proper spot and glanced at Seung-ah’s expression in the rearview mirror.
Knowing what she might say made the situation, just the two of us in the car, feel awkward.
“Oppa, be honest with me.”
“Yeah.”
“We’re done, aren’t we?”
I knew exactly what she meant but played dumb anyway.
“Huh? What do you mean? Done with what?”
“What’s going to happen to our team?”
“Oh…”
“We already kind of know, so you can just tell us straight.”
“Hmm… hasn’t the company said anything to you guys?”
“No… they don’t really tell us stuff like that. When we debuted, when we released the next album… we just do what the company tells us. If they pick a title track, we go along with it. If there’s a schedule, we just go without knowing what it is. Lately, they’ve at least told us what events we’re doing, but before, they didn’t even do that.”
“I see.”
She said they had an idea, but I wasn’t sure how much they actually knew.
Did they know Team 2 was shifting to a boy group, and Free Sense would be left to languish before disbanding?
No, unless they overheard it somewhere, they probably didn’t.
Jeon told me not to tell them, and I hadn’t seen them go into the office or talk to other staff.
They likely just sensed the company was no longer investing in Free Sense.
But should I tell them something the company hasn’t officially announced?
No way. And what good would it do them to know?
But I can’t just pretend I don’t know anything either…
Guess I’ll just be honest about how I feel.
“Sorry, I can’t say much. Honestly, I do know something, but I can’t talk about it before the company makes it official.”
“Just tell me one thing. Is there a plan for our next album?”
“Sorry, I can’t even say that…”
“There isn’t one, is there…”
What’s the point of saying things like “It’ll work out” or “Let’s try harder” in this situation?
Of course, I know one thing for sure from the future video.
Free Sense will become a five-member group, release a new album with two new members, and, thanks to the synergy with them, achieve a dramatic turnaround in their fate, becoming wildly successful.
But I can’t tell her that because I don’t know the process leading up to it.
I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
From past future videos, I know that what’s meant to happen will happen.
I may not know the exact date, but I can at least estimate the timeframe based on when the video was uploaded.
If it plays out like before, Free Sense will rise to fame on their own without me spilling the beans.
It’s frustrating not to tell them, but it’s better to stay quiet than risk causing trouble by running my mouth.
Imagine if I said, “You guys are gonna make it big! You’ll get new members and release an album!”
If Seung-ah and the others relayed that to Jeon or the company, I’d be in deep trouble.
They’d think I’m some lunatic blabbing about plans that don’t exist.
As my dad said, during my probation period, it’s best to act like I have no eyes, mouth, or ears.
But then…
“Sniff…”
Seung-ah started crying.
Wait, what?
Tears? Now?
I’m freaking out.
This is the first time I’ve seen a woman, other than family, cry in a space where it’s just the two of us.
Even though I didn’t make her cry, I feel a pang of guilt, like I did.
Come to think of it, I’ve never made a woman cry in any meaningful way.
Even the two ex-girlfriends I had didn’t cry when we broke up…
Probably because I was the one dumped!
What kind of life have I been living?
This existential reflection mixes with the practical question of what to do in this situation, and cold sweat trickles down my spine.
Seung-ah sobbed, sniffling loudly.
“You okay…?”
Ugh, even as I said it, I knew it was the wrong thing to say.
She’s crying because she’s not okay, you idiot.
I want to call my mom and ask how to comfort a crying woman.
“Sorry, oppa.”
“Huh? Why are you apologizing to me?”
“We’re not famous, so it’s hard for you too, right?”
“Hard for me? I’m fine with less work… Well, not fine, but… Ugh, sorry, bad choice of words. Anyway, it’s way harder for you guys…”
“You just started here, but if we don’t release an album, won’t you get fired?”
No, I won’t get fired.
I’d probably end up managing some hairy boy group instead.
Wait, no, that won’t happen either.
Based on the future video, Free Sense is definitely going to make it.
“Don’t worry. You guys will do great.”
Seung-ah, face buried in her knees, muttered back.
“Oppa, we’re in our third year. If we haven’t made it by now, we’re just not going to. It’s not like the company didn’t try to push us…”
She was the most optimistic of the three.
But that was just on the surface—deep down, she’d been wrestling with resignation and giving up over and over.
The urge to tell her about the new members and their future success climbed up to the tip of my tongue, making it itch.
“If you get a good concept and song, you’ll make it. So many groups hit it big after their third year. In this aging era, three years in is practically rookie status.”
“No… There’s no group that was as buried as us and then suddenly blew up. Even groups that hit it big after three years had somepopularity.”
“Whoa, why are you so down all of a sudden?”
“You heard what Team Leader said earlier, oppa. The company could get us on music shows, but they won’t… sob…”
“No, you’ll get on music shows once you release an album. You just don’t have one out right now…”
“That’s the same thing. They’re not going to give us an album.”
“No, they will. You guys… no, we will make it. Free Sense is the late-bloomer type. Late-bloomer idols. BigLateDolls? Wait, that sounds weird. LateDolls? BloomDolls?”
Ugh, I’m so flustered I’m just spewing nonsense.
Seung-ah, ever the wordsmith, twisted it into something else.
“Yeah… a group that waits so long they retire from chronic fatigue…”
“No, don’t say that! Hey, today’s vibe was great, wasn’t it?”
“And then it got bad…”
“Look, I wasn’t going to mention this, but… I have a friend, Jun-ho, who’s amazing at editing videos. He’s studying to be a YouTube editor. I’m going to ask him to edit today’s performance.”
Sitting in the driver’s seat, I turned toward Seung-ah, forcing my voice to sound brighter.
“The hospital visit got a good reaction on idol community sites, right? This time, we’ll get some buzz too. If we keep building recognition like that, the company will give you an album.”
“Oppa… that’s what we’ve been holding onto for three years.”
The fragile hope she’d been clinging to had finally crumbled.
No matter what I say now, she’ll probably take it negatively.
I decided to let her cry it out and turned back to face forward.
As I glanced out the side window, a girl passed by our car.
“Huh…?”
Like I’d just spotted a friend who ghosted me after borrowing money, I reflexively jumped out of the car.
Unless I saw it wrong…
[#The Epic Member Addition That Changed the Group’s Fate]
It was one of the two new members from the future video.