Episode 104: Royal Rumble (2)
[CEO Seo Yoon-je: Yujin-ssi]
[CEO Seo Yoon-je: Are you home?]
[CEO Seo Yoon-je: Can you come to the company for a bit?]
Seo Yoon-je’s messages arrive one after another.
Instead of replying, I
Knock knock.
Lightly rap on the door in front of me twice and open it right away.
Seo Yoon-je, still clutching his phone in both hands, stares at me blankly for a moment before blinking.
“You were already here?”
“Yes. I heard a ‘guest’ had arrived, so I came down early. Then I heard the ‘guest’ had left, so I came back up early.”
The stiffness in his expression lasts only a second.
He lets out a small laugh at my answer, stands up, and walks over to the sofa. As I head to my usual seat, he asks again.
“Aren’t you curious how it went?”
Why ask something so obvious?
The moment the guest who visited MyWay—CEO Jo Dae-hwan of Jooyul Entertainment, E-GIS’s agency—left, he immediately called me. It’s obvious what happened.
“Honestly, Jooyul never really had any choice to begin with.”
“No choice?”
“More precisely… there was only one option they could actually pick.”
Stick to the original schedule?
“That would just be choosing a noble death.”
‘It’s impossible to beat AZ anyway’—a self-consoling “we fought well even though we lost,” nothing more, nothing less.
“If this digital single were just a face-saving, obligatory activity born out of a sense of duty, they could’ve gone that route and called it a day…”
“But E-GIS isn’t at that level?”
“Exactly. Before Orion came along, they were undeniably the number-one contender in this year’s rookie race.”
Even if it’s thanks to the publisher MyMusic acting as intermediary, the fact that even MyWay—here—has heard about E-GIS’s work progress shows just how passionately they’ve been going at it.
Finishing the work in advance and spending a whole month polishing it to perfection?
Even in Polaris back then, we never pushed ourselves through that kind of forced march.
“Then the only thing left is avoiding Ah-jeong sunbae.”
“They could just push it back, couldn’t they?”
Seo Yoon-je asks, resting his chin lightly on his hand.
It’s a little funny to still be tested even after coming this far,
‘Well… I guess my age is my age.’
Logically, I understand how strange it is for a 25-year-old rookie in his first year of debut to be having this kind of conversation with someone whose career far exceeds his age.
So I decide to play the part of the cute junior entertaining the elder.
“Pushing it back… would be real gambling.”
There’s no way E-GIS and Jooyul joined the <Mysty> challenge just because they liked Ji-woo’s song.
They gained plenty of reflexive benefits from lending a hand to another agency’s Hylliy and <Mysty>.
‘Things like public attention, for example.’
Well, they probably didn’t expect the aftermath to escalate all the way to a full-blown syndrome.
Still, with <Mysty>’s buzz piercing the sky, it’s a clear fact that enough water had come in for E-GIS—who helped start that challenge—to row hard and make real progress.
But how long will that water—gained through <Mysty>’s attention—last once the wave recedes?
“At best, June would be their Maginot Line. After that… honestly, even I can’t predict.”
The <Mysty> syndrome might not fade and could carry over into the next season—but even with regression, that’s not something I can guarantee.
And if a mountain called Ah-jeong suddenly rises up, one that’s hard to climb over?
‘No need to even say it.’
The hard-earned water would dry up completely, and they’d end up dragging the boat across land to reach the sea.
Even if Ah-jeong’s promotions were just a single—meaning one-month activities—it would still be tough.
If <Love Luck> drops as pre-release in June and the full mini 6th album game begins in July, they might end up experiencing—indirectly—what it feels like to be a Viking carrying a boat across a continent.
“So?”
“Yes. From Jooyul’s perspective, the only viable choice was to bring the comeback forward.”
Whether the original schedule was genuinely out of “conscience” (so they wouldn’t directly clash with the person who gave them the song), or—as Ailee put it—because they were “scared of Orion and ran away,”
“The only option where E-GIS has any chance of winning is to squeeze in right between Orion and Polaris.”
If they can somehow adjust the schedule, they can avoid both the tiger called Ah-jeong and the desert called public indifference.
‘Plus, as a bonus, they now owe MyWay a favor.’
In an industry where rankings are clearly defined, the pie that can be claimed is limited.
This time, Jooyul was the one asking to share a piece of that pie.
‘A useful card to play later when we need schedule adjustments.’
Even though I’ve built personal rapport with the E-GIS members and their manager, business is business.
In the end, they’re rivals who will compete with Orion for rookie awards—if push comes to shove, the bias will naturally lean toward Orion.
‘Unless Jooyul somehow becomes a sub-label under MyWay and turns into family…’
If only things were that easy.
In any case, from this angle, Jooyul now undeniably owes MyWay.
We were the ones who wanted this structure—but Jooyul and CEO Jo Dae-hwan have no way of knowing that.
Still, I didn’t say that part out loud.
‘That would be… going too far, wouldn’t it?’
Even if I don’t particularly mind, hearing things like “old soul” or “lacks cuteness” isn’t exactly pleasant.
“It went exactly as you thought, Yujin-ssi. E-GIS will be making a comeback soon too. Probably announcing it today.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief.”
That’s all that matters.
Jooyul will handle inserting E-GIS between Orion and Polaris on their own.
‘There won’t be any lack of firepower.’
Right now only Jeon Seon-woo and Ailee know, but once this meeting ends, the order will reach MyWay’s PR team too.
I’ve already gently nudged the journalists I have close business ties with—wouldn’t want them feeling left out in a situation like this.
‘Speaking of which…’
CEO Jo of Jooyul really is something.
‘I’d already guessed what kind of company Jooyul was from the manager who bowed first during the *Shooting Star* incident when Yi Ha-on made a mistake(?).’
That was the reason I could even start this plan.
Still, even though I expected it, the surprise doesn’t go away.
No matter how small and new Jooyul Entertainment is—with only E-GIS as their artist—the CEO is still a CEO.
Rushing all the way here, completely setting aside his pride and bowing his head… that’s not something anyone does lightly.
Honestly, if it were just about pride, working alongside Ah-jeong wouldn’t have been such a difficult choice.
‘No matter what anyone says, she’s the strongest in the worldview—the GOAT herself.’
Postponing would’ve just been a gamble, and that wouldn’t have been strange either.
Yet he still made this choice.
‘That means he cares about E-GIS that much.’
At the very least, he doesn’t see E-GIS purely as a product to make money.
‘Setting aside the debt they now owe MyWay… maybe I should repay them properly later.’
I can’t give them a boost in the rookie award race, so it’ll have to wait until some time has passed.
I do have a conscience. Even if they don’t know it was intentional, I can’t just wash my hands clean after someone moved exactly the way I wanted.
“Ah, speaking of which.”
While I was lost in those thoughts, Seo Yoon-je suddenly changed the subject as if something had just occurred to him.
“Ah-jeong asked me to pass this along. She said you owe her now?”
“Huh?”
“I already told her your whole plan since I had to coordinate with BNW anyway. So… yeah.”
For a moment, I was genuinely speechless.
It wasn’t “She’s just eating this up for free” or anything like that.
‘She said it wasn’t fun?’
The fact that Seo Yoon-je was openly saying this.
And the fact that Ah-jeong had zero real merit to gain from this situation.
It was clear this was just pure mischief.
That’s exactly why it felt even more bewildering.
Even while calling me an “old soul,” he keeps pulling these pranks—does he actually enjoy that kind of reaction?
‘His taste really is unique.’
I’d felt this way in the previous timeline too, but once again, I’m reminded just how hard he is to read.
Well, since I’ve received plenty from Ah-jeong—housing, opportunities for Zia, and more—giving her the reaction she wants is only natural.
“Even so, the music video shoot has already started. It’s hard to keep that completely hidden. Getting a little benefit from something that was going to be announced soon and calling it a debt… doesn’t that feel a bit much?”
At that,
“Pfft… pffthaha…”
Seo Yoon-je tried to hold it in,
“Bwahahaha! See, that’s why you’re not ordinary, Yujin-ssi. Sometimes you show the spirit of a kid your age, and other times you slither away like a snake. Ha, you’re fun. Really fun, Yujin-ssi.”
In the end, he burst out laughing.
“Ha. Poor Ah-jeong. She just got hit with another one from you.”
Watching Seo Yoon-je mutter that, a sudden thought crossed my mind.
‘Hmm… I’m not sure “poor” fits Ah-jeong. Maybe someone else deserves it more.’
Who was really the most pitiful in this situation?
***
Crack!
Unable to contain his rage, the plastic cup crumpled into a grotesque shape.
Lee Hee-yeon—who was about to endure the incoming hysteria simply because they shared blood and because she received a paycheck—thought,
‘At least it’s not the tablet… that’s something.’
She felt a small sense of relief that it was a disposable piece of trash instead of something more valuable.
No matter how much money she made, and no matter how routine the hysteria was, unreasonable things never stopped feeling unreasonable.
The reason Lee Hee-yeon could stop at just that thought was because,
“Ah… The world really is fucking bullshit…”
Lee Hee-kyung muttered with her face buried in her hands—and Lee Hee-yeon fully agreed.
“Why the hell does it have to be right now…!”
AZ’s comeback.
The timing had been approaching, but the fact that it was happening precisely now was nothing short of the worst possible scenario.
The only thing that could stop AZ—the sound-chart gangster—around the time Polaris wrapped up promotions for their pre-release <Trident> and began full mini 1st album activities… was “the idol of mothers,” “the prince of trot” Min Uiri.
‘Even just AZ would’ve been better…’
Losing to AZ wasn’t shameful.
Once she released anything, it was normal for her to monopolize the charts for a whole year—just treat it as an act of God and move on.
But,
“Why the hell can’t these bastards read the room…!”
“Hmm…”
And then came the next piece of news.
[E-GIS Digital Single <Glaze> Surprise Comeback Teaser!]
[New Boy Group Clash! Orion vs Polaris vs E-GIS—Who Will Win?]
The plan she had poured her heart into to recover from the unexpected damage caused by Pleiades’ slump had fallen apart in less than a day.
Even Lee Hee-yeon herself had unconsciously let out a string of curses when she saw the articles.
Still, Lee Hee-yeon managed to stay relatively calm.
Part of it was because she had fully vented her boiling anger,
“It’s fine. Actually, this works out. Since it’s come to this, if we take down both Orion and E-GIS, we can reignite the fire under Polaris. The kids are more than capable. As for AZ… there’s nothing we can do. Let’s just watch for now.”
She had watched them endure six months of near-mockery and still raise their skills without breaking.
Unfortunately, Lee Hee-kyung was a little different from Lee Hee-yeon.
“That goes without saying.”
For Lee Hee-kyung, overwhelming victory was the natural result.
If she hadn’t seen that potential, she wouldn’t have invested this much in Polaris to begin with.
She also knew full well that AZ was an act of nature.
AZ was the one thing she wanted most—the one she didn’t even have the courage to try breaking.
What truly scraped at Lee Hee-kyung’s insides was,
“These bastards. They’ve been getting on my nerves since last time.”
The name of a weak existence that kept showing up without knowing its place.
“If I let it slide once, they should’ve taken the hint and disappeared. Why do they keep sticking their heads out? Pissing me off?”
“Do whatever you want, then.”
Having caught the “decision” already made in Lee Hee-kyung’s tone, Lee Hee-yeon simply replied like that.
Normally she would’ve at least pretended to stop her, but she didn’t—because even Lee Hee-yeon couldn’t completely extinguish the flames of rage that had already flared up.
“Should I? If my little sister says so, maybe I really should give it a try?”
“You’re going to do it whether I stop you or not, so why blame me? So what’s first this time?”
The sisters—who rarely saw eye to eye—shared a grin.
On the tablet lying between them, a photo of five boys smiling at the camera glowed brightly.
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