A few days after the lyrics were released, Jin-ah started training with her vocal coach. Although I expected it to take some more time compared to Hee-yeon, Jin-ah was being Jin-ah.

With Hee-yeon, the vocal coach shook her head, saying that she had nothing to improve. With Jin-ah, she seemed to be enthusiastically and fully invested in refining her performance, almost as if Jin-ah were a delicate piece of craftsmanship.

The vocal coach thought to herself that she would prefer Jin-ah over Hee-yeon. She had the skills, the tone, and delivered results exactly as taught.

While Jin-ah was busy training, Yoon-jung and I decided to visit Aligator’s Toe Dance to work on the choreography.

Unlike the first time when Yoon-jung was getting ready for a showdown, she couldn’t hide her excitement on the way to ALTO by the way her hands kept fidgeting.

As soon as she saw Ah-young Kim, Yoon-jung ran up to her with arms wide open and hugged her tightly.

“Ms. Ah-young!”

“Why are you calling me miss? Call me unnie (older sister) instead.”

“Hehe, Ms. Ah-young.”

“This little..?” 

Since filming the video, they became close and contacted each other for personal reasons. What started as a business relationship had grown beyond just business.

We sat down in the meeting room to chat.

“President Kang, it feels like you’re destined for success. How can everything line up so perfectly? I can ask about it now, can’t I?”

She was referring to Hee-yeon’s orchestrated scandal. Because of that incident, we garnered massive attention online, and the dance video we shot with Ah-young Kim gained a good amount of views and recognition.

Yoon-jung’s subscriber count saw a huge increase, and the average viewership on her live streams also grew. Now, she was considered a ‘major streamer’ on Tweety, which was akin to a large corporation in the streaming world.

Hee-yeon’s polite and kind personality also shone through, which boosted her public image as a bonus.

As for Director Park, it must have been eating him from the inside out, but that wasn’t any of my concern.

“You don’t have to be careful asking about something when it’s nothing bad. It wasn’t something I planned. It just turned out that way. In the end, it worked out well for Hee-yeon, Yoon-jung, and even ALTO,” I explained.

“As expected of you, President Kang. You seem to have luck on your side. There’s a reason you’re famous in this industry, you know? Things turned out just like you said. Now, we’re the most famous choreography team – even more so than 777.”

Ah-young leaned in close to the table, smiling broadly as if she couldn’t believe it. It was clear how happy she was that they caught up to 777Dance Studio, which boasted a whopping 21 million subscribers.

“Is that why the number of students has increased so much?” I asked her with a faint smile.

When we walked in, the place was bustling with students. Ah-young let out an amused chuckle and nodded her head.

“Thanks to you.”

“777 must be feeling pretty sore.”

“Come on. They’re still more famous overseas. Even individually, there’s still a big difference. We became famous as a group, but a few of their choreographers regularly appear on TV. So, we’re going to stick close to you, President Kang. That way, we’ll become famous individually, too.”

She shrugged her shoulders and smiled brightly. What was I, some kind of good luck charm? My priority was still our team.

If Yoon-jung stuck around, though, some of her success might naturally rub off on them. Since Yoon-jung would keep getting more famous… Wait, did that make what she said true?

We exchanged a few more pleasantries before getting down to business. I glanced at Yoon-jung and spoke. 

“I’d like you to work on a choreography with Yoon-jung. One of our members is about to debut as a solo artist.”

“Oh, really? With Yoon-jung…? Hmm.” Ah-young Kim contemplated as her eyes fixed on Yoon-jung’s.  

Yoon-jung gulped and held her breath. Ah-young’s gaze shifted back to me, and she nodded.

“Sounds good. She’s got the skills and the talent. I think it’ll be great working together. Plus, if we want to benefit more from President Kang’s influence, we should contribute something, too. We already gained an advantage over 777 this time, after all.”

Yoon-jung raised her arms in celebration, quietly but energetically. It was so endearing that it made me smile.

“Thank you. Please take good care of Yoon-jung.”

Even though Yoon-jung had skills and talent, choreographing an entire routine to match a concept was still challenging.

Creating a dance for an internet audience was one thing, but this was stage choreography that had to match both the concept and lyrics. They were two entirely different things.

Stage choreography required a lot of knowledge because it wasn’t just about choreographing for Jin-ah. It was also about coordinating the dance and movements of all the dancers on stage.

Having Yoon-jung work with ALTO’s members on Jin-ah’s choreography would be an invaluable opportunity for her to learn this.

“I’ll be sending Yoon-jung here to work for the time being.”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

***
The next person I sought out was naturally the director of our music video, Jong-woo Kim.

However, his office wasn’t at school but in a small, shabby place. To give you an idea of how run-down it was, it made our own office seem luxurious by comparison. In fact, the building’s exterior was visibly decaying.

Despite that, he gave off a feeling full of hope and passion, and it made the office seem anything but dingy. It was like the time when Hee-yeon came to my rooftop room and made it brighter.

Did successful people or those destined for success have a certain aura? It was like they had a knack for transforming things around them. In many ways, he reminded me of us. Maybe that was how others saw us, too.

“Welcome, President Kang! Haha. Pretty shabby, isn’t it? I told you I’d come over. You didn’t have to go through the trouble of coming here.”

“I should be the one coming to you. How could I tell the director to come to me? Plus, our office isn’t exactly fancy either.”

“Haha… what are you talking about? I don’t know about other people, but you can ask me to come anytime, President Kang. I’d jump up and come over even if I were asleep.”

He laughed heartily but kept glancing behind me as if to search for someone. I smiled at his obvious thoughts.

“Yoon-jung didn’t come today,” I said.

“Oh… I see. Ahem. I’ve been watching the streams and videos, and she’s really amazing at dancing! I didn’t realize it before, but wow! You have no idea how surprised I was.”

He was completely smitten with Yoon-jung. Utterly captivated by her. He seemed to have fallen for her after watching her on stream and seeing her dance. It felt like his praise for Yoon-jung was never-ending.

If this continued, I’d be stuck standing here for ages, so I interrupted him.

“So, shall we sit down and talk?”

“Oh! I’m sorry. Would you like some coffee?”

“Yes, please.”

He poured some instant coffee into a paper cup and used a basic electric kettle to boil bottled water. There wasn’t even a water cooler or a mini fridge, just water bottles and a kettle.

Looking around the office, I didn’t see any signs of other people. It seemed he was still using the office alone with no other employees.

“You haven’t graduated from school yet, right?”

“No, not yet. But thanks to you, I’ve got a clear path now. I’ve even worked on a few projects. Mostly anonymous and low budgets ones, but still. Haha. I’m just glad to have been able to rent this office and set up shop, even if I’m the only one using it.”

Beep! The kettle signaled that it finished boiling, and steam wafted into the air.

As he poured water into the paper cups, a sweet aroma filled his tiny office. He set a cup in front of me and one in front of himself and continued talking.

“I’m also studying hard. It turns out that there’s a lot more to music videos. There’s so much to learn. It’s similar to art films! They’re packed with mise-en-scène, symbolism, and Easter eggs. The unique thing is that, unlike in movies, these elements can bring a lot of joy to fans. It’s like playing a game with them. Like, We put this in, can you find it? Do you know what it means? And fans enjoy figuring it all out. It’s fascinating. The entire fandom enjoys it, not just a small group.”

“It seems like a natural fit for you. I can see how much you’re enjoying it from the way you explain it.”

“It’s all thanks to you, President Kang. Haha! But I haven’t worked with any major idols yet, so it’s all just in my head for now. I’m preparing for the day I get the chance.”

He kept talking non-stop until we finished our coffee, and I could see just how passionate he was about this kind of work. I was confident that if we entrusted him with the music video this time around as well, it would turn out great.

“How much budget have you handled so far?”

“I’ve only managed up to fifty million won.”

That was still a pretty decent sum, considering that a production company trusted him with that amount.

I nodded and said, “One hundred million. That’s the budget for this music video.”

“What…?”

His cheerful demeanor changed in an instant. 

Though he looked at me with disbelief, there was also a spark of excitement in his eyes. Could someone’s expression change that quickly? I almost wavered but continued explaining calmly.

“This time, the concept is Empress. A charismatic and cool emperor in a fantasy world with no subjects. You know, like those witches or vampires you often see in foreign fantasy settings. The emperor rules from a grand palace with only a few retainers and spends countless years in that role with dignity and majesty.”

The grand palace would be the set, and the few retainers would be played by dancers.

The reason for having no subjects was simple. It was partly due to the lyrics, but adding extras would have driven up the budget without adding much value.

The fantasy setting also served a practical purpose. Spending the budget on creating stunning visuals was more impactful than including the subjects.

Most of the time, the concept of a music video was tailored to fit the budget. Instead of an expensive car explosion scene, you’d have the members bickering in an alley. Or instead of a beach vacation during the right season, you’d shoot at a mansion’s pool.

“It’s a shame that Jin-ah isn’t famous yet, so there aren’t many Easter eggs to hide. Less fun for you.”

“Are you really… giving me a hundred-million-won music video to direct?”

“Yes. Who else would I trust it with?”

Director Jong-woo Kim asked again, still in disbelief. His eyes looked as if they would overflow with emotion. He probably still didn’t fully realize the value of his talent.

In this industry, few directors managed to achieve results that far exceeded the money invested in them. And right now, the one with the most reasonable price tag was Director Jong-woo Kim. Who else would I entrust this to?

Even with the cost of renting equipment and hiring staff included, he was the clear choice. There was no reason to hesitate.

“Thank you, sir.”

He grabbed my hands with both of his, bowing his head deeply. I chuckled and patted his shoulder.

“I should be the one thanking you. I know you’ll do a great job.”

We spent countless days going back and forth on the details. We discussed the concept, props, costumes, and the rough storyboard as we prepared for the music video.

—

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