CH4

On top of that, Han Si-On's appearance was eye-catching even to Seo Seung-Hyun, who often saw celebrities.

Humans are creatures that ultimately rely on vision, so having an outstanding appearance often leads to a favorable first impression.

'Judging from his age and attitude, he seems to be at the bottom of the totem pole.'

The business card had no position or job title, just STAFF.

"Mr. Han Si-On. Excuse me, but how old are you?"

"I'm twenty years old by Korean age."

"Twenty years of age? And you're representing HR on a dispatch?"

"Ah, this isn't an interview on behalf of the company. It was a request from a manager who's interested in K-pop."

"Oh… Is that so?"

"Yes. And originally, I wasn't supposed to come either. I asked to come because of my ambition, and the manager allowed me to."

Seo Seung-Hyun did not know, but Han Si-On was aware that the lies he was spinning might come to light someday.

Excessive lying could lead to the feeling of being toyed with.

Therefore, even if Seung-Hyun found out the whole truth, Si-On had to keep it within the bounds where it should end up as a slightly bizarre but amusing incident.

"If it bothers you, I can talk to the manager again."

"No, no. It's okay. It's more comfortable for me to talk to you this way."

Just as Han Si-On intended, Seo Seung-Hyun nodded with a slightly more relaxed expression.

"I heard you wanted to interview with the A&R team. Is that right?"

"Yes. The K-pop production environment has its unique aspects."

After that, Seo Seung-Hyun and Han Si-On started a question-and-answer session about various matters related to Korean entertainment agencies.

At first, it started as team leader Seo Seung-Hyun's monologue, with him explaining unilaterally.

However, as time passed, the dialogue between the two individuals turned into a more balanced exchange.

'This guy knows his stuff, has he worked in the field?'

An A&R team leader at BVB Entertainment could tell in a few words whether someone had worked in the field or was just dancing around.

In Seo Seung-Hyun's eyes, Han Si-On was someone who had truly worked diligently within the field.

His natural and casual tea spill on the American showbiz was too detailed.

The anecdotes about famous singers shared in a humorous style were very interesting.

While Si-On was at it, he also threw questions about the production methods in the United States. Before Seo Seung-Hyun knew it, he was inundated with insider stories that would be hard for anyone outside the industry to know.

"Mr. Han Si-On, are you just a staff member? Not a recording engineer?"

"Got a little too much love from the manager, landed in the lap full of luxury opportunities."

As the curtain fell on their chat, Seo Seung-Hyun finally asked the question that Han Si-On had been waiting for.

"Mr. Han Si-On. You will stay in Korea, right?"

"Yes. I've decided to make my base here. I'm not going back to the United States anymore."

"It seems like you've been eyeing the music industry, but are you not interested in A&R?"

"Tempted, I am. But… to be honest, I'd like to try being a player at least once."

This was also something Seo Seung-Hyun had quietly suspected.

He didn't know about Si-On's musical skills, but his visuals were good enough.

"Should I make a call to put you in as a BVB trainee?"

"Nah, let's keep it real. I want my talent to win the spot."

"But connections are also a form of ability. The fact that I think well of Mr. Han Si-On here is also your ability."

"How about I slide into your mail with the mixtape of mine? If the BVB team leader contacts me after hearing them, that would be enough proof of my ability."

"Oh, sure. You can send them to the email address on my business card."

"Much obliged."

Han Si-On nodded with a pleasant smile, but he had no intention of sending any songs.

Changing first impressions is tougher than a steak at a cheap diner.

If BVB had taken Han Si-On's hand, BVB would always think that Han Si-On's success was due to their generosity, no matter how successful he became.

So, he had to make BVB make the first move.

He had to make Seo Seung-Hyun desperately search for him.

That was what Han Si-On was thinking.

***

I declined Team Leader Seo Seung-Hyun's offer to show me around BVB Entertainment and left the building.

I felt great.

The first button for debuting at BVB Entertainment has been sewn on quite well.

Of course, some people might shake their heads at what I had done.

After all, all I had done today was lie my way into the company and meet the A&R team leader.

But soon, Seo Seung-Hyun would be doing things for me.

He would think he was doing things for himself, though.

As I walked out of the building entrance with that thought in mind, a group of people suddenly blocked my way.

"Excuse me."

It was a squad. Around five or six girls.

No, maybe it would be more accurate to call them high school girls.

They weren't wearing school uniforms, but they all looked like minors.

"Are the NOP oppas in the company today?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"You're a trainee, and you don't know?"

"I'm not a trainee."

It seemed like the conversation was over, but suddenly, the high school girls' eyes narrowed.

"Don't tell me it's a new boy band alert?"

I could feel anger and an aggressive nuance in that.

"...?"

It had been over a century since I last operated in Korea.

Exaggerated it might seem? But it's really the case. So yeah.

I feel more at home in the US than in Korea.

There are many times when I find myself strangely at odds with the emotions and common sense that Koreans have.

But I'm not so bad at following conversations in Korean....

How on earth could such a question come out?

When I declined my trainee status, they suddenly asked if a rookie group was debuting?

And even if it was, why would they look so miffed?

I could just ignore them and walk by, but for me, what fans think is the most important factor.

Fans buy my albums.

For that reason alone, they're the ones turning the wheels of my fortune.

Anyway, what should I say?

For some reason, they don't seem to like the idea of a new male idol coming out?

Maybe I can get them to tell me why if I decide to poke the bears?

"There's nothing wrong with them debuting, right?"

I really did provoke them a little.

But the fans' reaction to that was....

"Oh, shiiit!"

"I knew it!"

"That dumbass CEO! He's got another launch fever!"

"Concept! What's the concept?! Don't tell me it's overlapping?"

What, what did I do wrong...?

***

The chicks were kicked out for causing a ruckus in front of the company. I bought the high school girls some snacks while sneakily probing about the industry.

As it turned out, they had mistaken me for a member of a new boy group that was debuting from BVB Entertainment.

They said that I looked like a trainee, but when I said I wasn't, they suspected that I was.

"Are you really not?"

"Today was my grand debut. To this BVB building."

Funnily enough, when I told them that I wasn't a trainee, they suddenly turned as tame as kittens.

"It's not easy to show your true colors in front of Muggles...."

"Especially if you're a handsome half-blood...."

I don't know what they're talking about.

I'm fluent in English, Spanish, and German, yet I can't understand the Korean that they speak?

Maybe I've lived in America for too long.

Anyway, the high school girls' story was a bombshell by my standards.

The reason they were so angry was very very simple.

The idol fandoms loathe the thought of their company launching a new group.

They argue that we're all scrambling for a slice of the pie in this tiny country, so why would they be happy about having a competitor?

And if it's the same company, they would just hog human and material resources from the company.

"And right now, it's prime time for us to put into our energy to push NOP to the stars! It's not like they've been around for so many years!"

"...."

"Why do you look like that?"

"Is that really the reason?"

"What else could it be?"

Yeah, I get what they're saying.

I got the logic.

Korea doesn't have a huge domestic market like the United States.

But what baffled me was…

"Why do fans care that much?"

That's it.

Sure, fans protest about promotions in the US, too.

I don't know much about idol culture, but this seemed next-level over here.

Protests in the U.S. are usually about 'things that have happened.'

They're not protests about 'things that might happen.'

Isn't this something that the board of directors who watch over the company's management with their arms crossed should be doing?

I asked if NOP fans were particularly extreme, just in case.

"Nope, we're quite mild,"

"...Really?"

"Seriously, objectively speaking."

Oh my god.

What kind of chaos have I stepped into?

"Thank you. I appreciate the information."

As I finished paying for the snacks and left, I organized my thoughts.

I felt a little dizzy for a moment, but the information I received was invaluable.

The most important thing in the throwaway chapters of life is speed and boldness.

Otherwise, you'll lose your patience and end up regressing without realizing it.

So, my original plan to debut at BVB became murky.

Not that I couldn't debut because of NOP's fandom's disapproval, but their protests could cause delays.

Of course, I wouldn't make a decision based on what a few fans said, but I would have to look into it further....

'It's probably true.'

Every field has its own rules that outsiders don't know about.

Just like what Charlie Angus, the legendary band manager in the band industry, told me when I first started out as a band player.

"Even as times change, the identity of a band player remains that of a porn star."

"Why else would they wear tight pants and play guitars that are shaped like triangles? You don't need me to tell you what that metaphor means, do you?"

"A handsome nerd band? A multinational band with an Asian vocalist?"

"Sure, you might gain fame. You might sell a lot of albums, tour the nation, and have a legion of groupies."

"But you won't be able to dominate the scene and look down on everyone else."

Of course, his words weren't 100% true.

In my previous life, I led a band with an Asian vocalist to the top.

But that didn't mean he was 100% wrong, either.

If I hadn't kept that advice in mind, GOTM wouldn't have reached the top.

As soon as I got home, I checked the public opinion of NOP's fandom.

As expected, what the fans I met today said was true.

They weren't outliningly extreme.

A strong aversion to launching new groups was a common theme among most of the fandoms.

I checked other places to see if it was just NOP, but it was the same across the board.

That was, except for groups that had been around for a long time.

'Is it possible that Prime Time is the next group after NOP?'

I didn't know for sure, but Prime Time was supposed to debut in about 4 or 5 years.

2021 or 2022, I think.

That meant I might have to spend 4 years as a trainee if I was unlucky.

Of course, if that really happened, I wouldn't be able to endure it and would regress.

It seemed like another agency would have to be my launchpad other than BVB.

That's always the problem when you're trying something new.

It feels like you're headbutting the ground until you find the optimal route.

"...I'll just go to sleep."

As the complexities of my thoughts weighed me down, I quickly went to sleep.

Depression and disappointment are poison to a regressor, especially when confined by the rules of regression.

Even more so when I think about my fucking 'regression rule'.

Was it because I forced sleep upon myself? Maybe?

That night, I had a dream.

TL/n - 

Artists and repertoire (or A&R for short) is the division of a record label or music publishing company that is responsible for scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists and songwriters. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label or publishing company.