TENSE MEETING

THE key members of the production staff for Vnet's upcoming idol survival program were all gathered in a conference room. At the helm of the table was the PD of the program - Song Kyungho.

He was a man in his late 20s, wearing rather thick prescription glasses that gave him a scholarly appearance. His haircut was very standard, neatly trimmed and conventional, matching his meticulously tidy clothes. Despite his polished appearance, his expression was stern, reflecting a serious and focused demeanor.

On the opposite end of the table sat a woman who seemed to be the same age. She had a Madonna-like smile that exuded warmth and confidence. Her hair was styled in a chic, loose bun. She wore a pink-colored suit that complemented her sophisticated aura. Her presence at the table contrasted sharply with the seriousness of the man on the opposite end, creating an intriguing dynamic in the conference room.

Her name was Choi Jiyeon, the CEO of JH Entertainment.

The tension in the air was palpable. Probably everyone inside the conference room, aside from these two, could feel it. And it all started with a passing comment made by Representative Choi Jiyeon.

Before diving into the current situation, it's important to know that everyone had gathered here today to review the performances from the two-day audition held this past weekend. Their task was to choose who would pass and make it to Boys Odyssey, and they could only select 40 contestants.

This was because 60 contestants had already been selected from the first audition held back in January. Initially, it was decided that 60 contestants would be enough. But a month ago, JH Entertainment requested the number be increased to 100. That's why a second audition was held.

This was not the only change JH Entertainment brought about. PD Song suddenly replaced the original PD in charge of the program. According to the grapevine, it was JH that requested this change.

Of course, PD Kim protested. He had spent a lot of time planning and developing the program, investing countless hours into every detail. With his personality, there's no way he would take that lying down. But, unfortunately for him, the one who had the final say in everything was JH Entertainment and not Vnet's management.

That's because JH Entertainment was the one shouldering all the expenses for this idol survival program. Although it was said to be a joint project, Vnet's role was primarily focused on planning the entire program and broadcasting it. That's why they had to listen to the one holding the purse strings.

This was why Song Kyungho didn't like being forcibly given the responsibility for this program. He didn't mind if PD Kim thought he had pulled some strings to become the PD. What concerned him most was the possibility that JH Entertainment could undermine his decisions.

What if they wanted to push certain contestants and force him to make that contestant shine than others? Something like that might not be a big deal to PD Kim. In fact, knowing that guy, he probably wouldn't bat an eye to do that. But Kyungho was different.

He's not someone unprincipled like PD Kim. Although he hadn't been a PD of a survival program before, he had resolved never to let his personal preferences interfere with the progress of talented trainees or contestants. He vowed not to show blatant favoritism or sabotage contestants for the sake of ratings. He was committed to maintaining fairness and integrity throughout the process.

But the way JH Entertainment had been behaving so far, it was obvious that they would get in the way of the fair competition he envisioned. Their interference would have tilted the program in the favor of their own interest, ruining the fairness of the whole process.

Kyungho couldn't abide by that.

On one hand, he was inspired by the raw talent and passion each contestant displayed, which reignited his excitement for the project. On the other hand, he was worried that the interference from JH Entertainment could compromise the fairness and integrity of the competition. He didn't want to be part of a process that might hinder the true potential of these promising individuals.

But the tip of the iceberg came when he found out yesterday that one of the people who auditioned was actually related to the chairman of JH Entertainment. He didn't know who it was since his information network was still not that vast. However, he knew there might be a chaebol among the kids who auditioned, trying to use his connection with JH Entertainment to parachute himself all the way to the top.

That's why when Representative Choi appeared, he didn't hesitate to ask her about it. Straightforwardly asking if JH would insist on debuting the person related to their chairman even if this said person didn't have any talent.

And her answer was;

'You don't need to worry about that. JH has no intention of interfering with how the program is edited or broadcasted. We won't get involved in the process at all. Besides, even without our intervention, the person you're referring to will definitely debut.'

The first part of what she said could be said to be enough assurance. But when she added that last part, Kyungho felt that the other must be playing him. How could one be sure that a contestant in an idol survival program would debut? Unless they had already concocted a plan to make that happen. Which would contradict what she just said.

Kyungho just felt anger at the thought. And this was the reason why the conference room was currently filled with a tense atmosphere.