Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

As soon as Cha Tae-Hee sat down, she immediately started making excuses. "Honestly, I really wanted to do right by you because of my promise, Team Lead Jung."

Since I remained silent, Cha Tae-Hee's speech grew even more frantic. "But you know CK Inc.—KNET's parent company, right? They pressured us and threatened to pull their ads if we didn't meet their demands. Hey, what's with the looks? You don't believe me? I swear it's true!"

Despite Cha Tae-Hee's endless excuses, I still hadn't agreed to let Kang Ha-Na perform. After all, there were still more conditions I wanted to secure.

As I kept silent, Kim Yung-Gook couldn't hold back any longer and exclaimed. "I'm sorry! Team Lead Jung, I was a scoundrel! What do you want me to do? Should I kneel? Look, I'm kneeling! Seriously!"

Kim Yung-Gook made a move to kneel, causing a bit of a commotion as people tried to stop him. Seeing this got rid of my previous hard feelings slightly.

I spoke. "To be honest, I'm willing to accommodate you since you both came all the way here and for your reputations. But…"

Immediately sensing what I wanted, Cha Tae-Hee quickly cut in."How about double the original stage budget!? We'll set it up like a real concert, so just please agree to let her perform!"

Kim Yung-Gook eagerly chimed in as well. "That's right, Team Lead Jung! You know our art director studied abroad, right? We'll make a stage that's unrivaled by other stations, so let's just seal the deal."

'That's what I thought. Since you tried to mess with us, coughing up that much is only fair,' I remarked inwardly.

"Ran-Hee, what do you think?" I asked.

Do Ran-Hee smirked and shrugged.

'You're gonna leave it to me, huh?' I thought.

Just as I was about to respond, I received a call from the entertainment department head of SBC.

"One moment, please."

I excused myself and answered the call.

At that moment, a booming voice immediately came through.

-Team Lead Jung! I think our staff made some mistakes today. But let's just forget it ever happened!

"No, I don't think it's something that can be brushed off so easily."

-What do you mean it's something you can't brush off? These things happen on the job, you know! I'm not one for petty negotiations, so I'll give you exactly what you want for the music show stage. Just tell me whatever else you need and I'll make it happen!

With such a bold offer, I spelled out specific conditions clearly while making sure Kim Yung-Gook and Cha Tae-Hee could hear.

As soon as I finished the call, now panicked Kim Yung-Gook began to urge Cha Tae-Hee. "PD Cha! You know what'll happen if our stage is seen as subpar, right? I'm counting on you!"

"O-of course! I'll make sure our stage doesn't lose to anyone!"

"Okay!"

Thanks to the competition between the three major broadcasting stations, Kang Ha-Na was promised the best debut stages of all time.

***

The 11 final winners of Global Produce 47, who had finished their final stage last week, gathered at their 120-square-meter dorm located in Cheongdam-dong after a few days off.

As part of KNET, Eve One would be active as a group for the next year and a half under K& Management.

After waking up at 7 in the morning, Park Ye-Seul stretched out on the large sofa in the living room and checked her phone.

To her surprise, the entertainment news was filled with articles about Kang Ha-Na.

[Kang Ha-Na's 'New Beginning' Makes a Shocking Chart Debut! #1 on the Melang Chart in Just Ten Minutes!]

[Kim Jong-Hoon, Who Suddenly Announced a Hiatus, Makes a Comeback with Duet 'Soulfire' with Kang Ha-Na!]

[Kang Ha-Na's New Song and Duet Track Simultaneously Top the Melang Chart at #1 and #2! Chart Sweep!]

[Kang Ha-Na's 'New Beginning' and 'Soulfire' to Be First Revealed on MBS Show! Music Center]

"What the heck! How is Ha-Na unnie's song number one?" Park Ye-Seul exclaimed.

That's when Choi So-Yung, who used to be in the same company as Kang Ha-Na, opened her door and frowned. "Why so grumpy at this early hour? What is it now?"

Park Ye-Seul frowned and held out her phone. "Look at this."

Soon, the other members of Eve One started waking up and gathering in the living room as well.

"What is this? We're releasing our song today too. Isn't this going to make things tough for us?"

As the members grumbled, Park Ye-Seul, the youngest of the 11-member Eve One, raised her voice. "Unnies, are you seriously going to start whining before we even begin?"

Her words were bold and unrestrained, given her personality and the fact that she was currently the most popular out of the rest.

The 25-year-old Ye Eun-Woo, the leader of Eve One, agreed with Park Ye-Seul. "Ye-Seul is right. Let's not get discouraged before we even start, okay?"

At that moment, 21-year-old Choi Yeon-Joo, who ranked second in the popularity vote, spoke up. "But we should stay on our toes. Kang Ha-Na's got a million subscribers backing her and she collaborated with Kim Jong-Hoon. If we want to win, we need to pull out all the stops too."

Despite Choi Yeon-Joo's calm words, Park Ye-Seul stomped her feet in frustration.

At that moment, Lee Hee-Jin, Eve One's talent agent and director of K& Management, came out of her room disturbed by the noise.

Lee Hee-Jin raised her voice to intentionally deflate Eve One's spirits. "Why are you being so loud this early in the morning?"

Instantly, all the Eve One members lowered their gaze.

Lee Hee-Jin continued, "If you've got the energy to chat since morning, why not use it to practice more? Doesn't everyone know the first week of debut is the most important? We absolutely have to take first place on this week's music shows!"

All 11 members of Eve One clasped their hands and responded in unison. "Yes, ma'am!"

However, despite Lee Hee-Jin's scolding, Park Ye-Seul had entirely different thoughts running through her mind. 'Ha-Na unnie, just wait and see what would happen during the live broadcast.'

Having trained together during their time at Eyestone Entertainment, Park Ye-Seul knew Kang Ha-Na's weaknesses better than anyone.

Kang Ha-Na was strong during practice but weak in actual performances.

Back in their Eyestone days, Park Ye-Seul would rattle Kang Ha-Na's mental state before monthly evaluations by sticking gum on her clothes or hiding one of her cherished shoes, causing Kang Ha-Na to botch her monthly evaluation stage.

Recalling those times, a faint smile crossed Park Ye-Seul's lips.

***

Thanks to a full day of media play, the entertainment news section was completely filled with articles about Kang Ha-Na and Kim Jong-Hoon.

SJ Entertainment had also poured in advertising money for Kim Jong-Hoon's comeback.

And at 9 p.m., it was time for Eve One's new song 'FLORIA' to make its chart debut.

With both rankings now available for comparison, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to the LCD screen.

[Melang Chart]

First Place: Kang Ha-Na ''New Beginning''

Second Place: Kang Ha-Na & Kim Jong-Hoon'Soulfire'

......

Fourth Place: Eve One 'FLORIA' (New Entry)

Eve One's new song debuted at an impressive fourth place. Under normal circumstances, it would likely climb to first within two to three days.

Trying to maintain composure, our team members feigned confidence.

"Not bad, huh?"

"W-well, Ha-Na is still ranked higher, so it's fine."

"Yeah! There's nothing to be scared of!"

At that moment, the meeting room door burst open, and Kang Ha-Na and Kim Jong-Hoon ran in together. "What place is Eve One?"

"They debuted in fourth place."

Kim Jong-Hoon asked in an impressed voice. "They're no joke, huh? What about us?"

"We're holding our positions."

"Oh, then that's fine~ I was worried for nothing."

Reassured that they were still ahead, Kim Jong-Hoon laughed loudly with his confidence soaring. His comment slightly brightened the previously tense atmosphere.

Kang Ha-Na turned to me and asked, "Yoon-Ho oppa, did you get any word from Mr. Lee?"

"I was just about to call him."

In preparation for the head-to-head battle with Eve One, I had another move ready.

For Kang Ha-Na and Kim Jong-Hoon's first joint performance, our team's genius composer Bang Seon-Woo had spent the night rearranging 'Soulfire' into an oriental-style orchestra version.

To elevate the performance of 'Soulfire' to its peak, we were in the process of casting the Seoul Korean Traditional Orchestra as session musicians.

Currently, Lee Dong-Min was meeting with the orchestra's conductor.

I took a deep breath and called Lee Dong-Min.

After a few rings, Lee Dong-Min answered the phone.

-Oh, Yoon-Ho. The negotiations just wrapped up.

"Did you get their approval?"

-Yeah. Just as you said, Conductor Kang Ho-Yeon is really open. I was a bit tense thinking a traditional music conductor might be difficult to deal with, but I guess I didn't have to worry.

"I told you, didn't I? He's surprisingly positive about collaborating with other genres."

-He really was. He got really excited and started talking about trying out all kinds of versions like you said. That's why the discussion got a bit long.

As I expected, Conductor Kang Ho-Yeon readily agreed to the proposal. He even suggested trying various versions like daegeum and geomungo arrangements.

-And he asked to make sure to have the autographs ready as promised. And the tickets to the music show too!

"Don't worry. I've already prepared everything."

This success was largely due to the high quality of the song 'Soulfire'. Additionally, the fact that Kang Ho-Yeon's two daughters were fans of Kim Jong-Hoon also played a significant role.

Knowing this beforehand, I had pushed forward with something everyone said couldn't be done.

-Oh, and he also asked for Ha-Na's autograph. It turns out that Mr. Kang's wife is a dedicated subscriber to Ha-Na's channel!"

Thrilled by the good news, I replied enthusiastically, "Yes, sir!"

With that, everything was set to ensure Kang Ha-Na would take first place. Now all that was left was the actual performance.

***

It was finally September 12, the day of the MBS music show. As soon as I woke up early in the morning, I checked my phone.

[KNET's Hit The Bottom and Rise Again, Ha-Na! Final Episode Viewership ratings: 10.1%!]

[Eve One's New Song 'FLORIA' Debuts at Third on Melang Chart!]

[Eve One: The Beautiful Rainbow-Colored Charms of 11 Members.]

[Kang Ha-Na vs. Eve One: Who Will Win This Week's Music Show Battle?]

Over the past week, Kang Ha-Na and Kim Jong-Hoon had focused on publicizing their songs via their MeTube broadcasts.

Yesterday, the final episode of TVM's reality show Hit the Bottom and Rise Again, Ha-Na! surprisingly took the top spot in its time slot on cable. The showdown between Kang Ha-Na and Eve One was what had captured the spotlight.

Eve One had also been fiercely publicizing their song through various variety programs as they were aiming to snag first place before the music show.

However, despite their efforts, Kang Ha-Na's 'New Beginning' and the duet 'Soulfire' retained the first and second spots on the charts.

Eve One's 'FLORIA' ranked third. It was a close call, but we were still in the lead.

'Judging by the articles, Park Ye-Seul must be fuming by now,' I thought.

Knowing Park Ye-Seul's personality, I was sure she couldn't contain her anger at this point and made a mental note to remind the talent agents to be vigilant later.

I stretched before getting out of bed. "Phew. Let's get going, then."

With time running short, I quickly showered and headed to the company.

***

We started our day after picking up Kang Ha-Na and the staff from the company.

Following a stop at the salon for Kang Ha-Na's hair styling, we arrived at the MBS waiting room where Kim Jong-Hoon was already waiting.

Before I even had a chance to properly greet Kim Jong-Hoon, AD Choi In-Seok came in saying it was time for rehearsals. "We'll do the rehearsal for 'Soulfire' first because of the sound check."

Though 'New Beginning' was set to be performed first, 'Soulfire' had to be rehearsed ahead of time to run sound tests with the traditional orchestra.

"Alright, we'll get them changed and send them up right away."

The waiting room suddenly became a hive of activity.

Lee Mi-Ri, in charge of outfits, pointed to two makeshift dressing rooms she had set up in one corner of the room.

"Miss Ha-Na, go into the left dressing room and wear the outfit in the pink box. Mr. Jong-Hoon, go into the right dressing room and wear the one in the black box."

Lee Mi-Ri had managed to secure a sponsorship from Yang Ji-Sook, a renowned fusion hanbok designer known for her sophisticated designs.

Moments later, the two came out of the makeshift dressing rooms in their outfits.

Kang Ha-Na twirled on the spot in her hanbok. "Yoon-Ho oppa, how do I look?"

Her red hanbok skirt was embroidered with soft pink azalea flowers. On top of that, her ivory-colored jacket featured golden thread embroidery of gentle winds and drifting clouds.

I couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. "Wow, you look amazing!"

Standing beside me, Do Ran-Hee placed her hands on her forehead and bowed. "Her Royal Highness has arrived~~"

Kang Ha-Na smiled and played along. "Thank you~ I shall remember your name~"

Do Ran-Hee grinned and raised her head. "Thank you very much~"

With their playful exchange over, the two clasped each other's hands.

"But seriously, you look stunning, Ha-Na. You really do!"

"Thanks, Ran-Hee."

Now close friends, the two bounced on their feet, with excitement.

Kim Jong-Hoon walked out a bit later and spread his arms wide. "How do I look?"

He wore a slim-fit black durumagi[1], adorned with subtle gold azalea flower embroidery.

"You look like you could step right onto a runway. It's perfect," I complimented him.

"Thanks for the compliment, Yoon-Ho. Hearing that from you really lifts my spirits."

Everyone in the waiting room was in awe of the unexpectedly elegant hanbok attire. Even AD Choi In-Seok, who had been urging them to hurry with rehearsal, was momentarily captivated.

Clapping my hands, I broke the spell and got everyone moving. "Alright. Let's get going, everyone."

Everyone snapped out of their daze and got back on track.

"Ahem. Yes, please follow me," said Choi In-Seok as he opened the door and motioned for everyone to follow him.

Do Ran-Hee, Eun Ji-Yoo, and I followed Choi In-Seok, along with Kang Ha-Na and Kim Jong-Hoon as we made our way to the stage.

As we walked down the narrow corridor toward the stage, the members of Eve One, having finished their rehearsal, were approaching us.

At that moment, a sense of unease crept over me.

Park Ye-Seul's gaze was fixed on Kang Ha-Na.

1. Durumagi ☜

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