“Jin-ah, could you hang out with Yoon-jung and the ALTO team for a bit?”

“Yes, of course.”

After arriving at ALTO, I followed an employee to the meeting room. Inside, a stern-looking woman and a kind-looking man were conversing with Ah-young Kim.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Hyuk Kang from K Management. Sorry for the sudden interruption.”

The kind-looking man waved the concern away with a warm smile.

“Oh, not at all. We appreciate being able to settle things all at once. It saves time.”

We exchanged business cards. The man was a production assistant hired by the film company ‘Your Pictures’ while the woman was part of the production team.

With an ever-friendly smile, the production assistant got straight to the point.

“There are some scenes in the movie we’re producing that require idol choreography. Some moments need to be impactful while others need to be more subtle. That’s why we’d like to commission choreography from ALTO and Yoon-jung.”

“When is the choreography needed, and how much are we talking about?”

“Hmm. The director doesn’t plan to feature the choreography extensively in the movie, but I think it would be good to showcase the actor performing a full routine for marketing purposes. It could help the original soundtrack’s popularity, potentially chart it, and draw even more interest. Haha! I know we’re getting ahead of ourselves, but it’s not impossible for things to turn out that way. We do have enough of a budget for this level of investment.”

Min-woo Sung. 

‘A director scrambling for funds.’

After the movie’s unexpected success, Director Min-woo’s reputation would do a complete 180. For now, though, this was his reality.

All three commercials he had directed so far had failed to break even. Naturally, the budget for this movie couldn’t be very large.

Although they needed to save every penny, the cost difference between producing partial choreography and full routines was negligible compared to the potential promotional impact.

Creating multiple full-length choreography pieces would be more efficient in the long run. While I sat in silence, the production team member raised her voice in irritation.

“You really can’t just waste the production budget like this. Why spend money on something the investors didn’t even request? What if we end up short somewhere else?! The director already said only partial choreography would be used in the movie.”

I stifled a laugh. After all, she wasn’t entirely wrong.

Filmmakers often tried all sorts of things to promote their movies. From her perspective, posting full-length choreography videos might not seem worth it. It probably felt like throwing money down the drain when they were trying to save every penny they could.

‘This film’s going to be quite the masterpiece, though.’

I already knew. Everything the assistant director said about this movie would come true.

The choreography performed entirely by the actors would become a sensation. The music would dominate the charts and audiences would flock to the film. Viewers who saw the movie would watch the choreography videos again and again, while listening to the music that was sweeping the charts.

A perfectly ideal and beautiful cycle. When even actual idols uploaded videos of the choreography, it would become a trend. 

The assistant director dismissed the production team member’s words with little regard.

“Anyway, since we’re in the pre-production stage, we’d like to get the first draft of the choreography before the casting is finalized.”

“Oh, is that so? Has the song been finished already?”

The assistant director scratched the back of his head sheepishly under his watchful gaze.

“Um… it will be soon.”

“Gosh,” Ah-young Kim sighed heavily.

It seemed like they had already had this conversation once before. She vented to me, as though seeking sympathy.

“I can understand tight deadlines for a draft. It’s not like this is actual idol music. It’s just a movie insert, and the actors will be dancing. It doesn’t have to be complex. We don’t need to obsess over the quality, the artist’s identity, or an album concept. But how are we supposed to do this when we don’t even know when the cast will be finalized or when the song will be ready?”

While the movie choreography would still need to consider the story, setting, and characters, it was nothing compared to the demands of real idol choreography. The first draft should come together quickly and easily. The assistant director’s words revealed a highly self-centered perspective.

‘We’d like the draft before casting is finalized because we need to move forward without delays. We’re not sure when that’ll happen, but we’ll get the song out soon so if you would just wait a little longer. When it’s ready, we want to start working immediately, so let’s sign the contract today.’

Was what he was saying. It was all to lay the groundwork for the pressure they would endure later. Though I understood their intentions, I simply nodded and said my piece.

“So you’re saying this is a flexible situation?”

“Well—”

“You’re just asking us to keep the deadline in mind, right?”

“Yes.”

Ah-young Kim chuckled in disbelief, clearly frustrated.

“Why make all the decisions one-sidedly? Am I part of K Management now?”

I softened my expression and spoke in a calming tone.

“Flexibility applies to us, too. You’re just asking us not to forget the deadline, correct?”

“That’s true, but…”

The assistant director trailed off, looking conflicted. I continued on to reassure him.

“While I’m currently with an idol management company, I’ve also managed actors before. I know how tight schedules can be in the film industry.”

“Oh, is that… Huh? Wait a second.” He paused, seeming to recall something.

The assistant director pulled out my business card again and stared at my name intently. The production team member provided the answer.

“Sung-ah Kim…?”

He gasped. “A-Are you him? Then… Huh?! The person where every project they worked with turns into a massive hit?”

I smiled awkwardly, feigning modesty. Presenting myself this way often worked to my advantage with production teams. To be precise, it minimized potential losses or abuses of power.

Especially in cases like this.

“So… do you think our movie will do well?”

“I haven’t even seen the script or synopsis yet.”

Even though I had seen the completed movie and its public reception, I hadn’t actually read the script or synopsis. What I said was the truth.

“Oh, yes that’s true. Of course.”

If only I had the money, I would consider investing in the project. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough to make a meaningful contribution. We needed to save our resources, too.

“Haha. Although I haven’t seen the script, could I ask for information about auditions? One of our talents has potential in acting.”

The assistant director hesitated, looking somewhat uneasy. Had my self-promotion not worked, he might have outright refused.

“You’re not suggesting we insert someone into the cast just because you’re doing choreography, are you? Casting the leads alone is already a headache.”

“Of course not. I’m just asking for audition details. They want to challenge themselves through a proper process.”

I had my eyes on a supporting role for Hee-yeon. Although the group was preparing for a comeback, there was still plenty of time before filming would start, given the usual three months of pre-production.

It was clear the movie was still in its early pre-production phase since they hadn’t finalized casting or finished the song. There was more than enough time before filming began.

The real challenge would be passing the audition with her acting. However, we could address that through intensive training. If it worked out, great. If not, no big deal. It would be a shame not to reach for a tempting opportunity right in front of us.

“I think the audition information should be freely available…”

“Wouldn’t there be supporting roles that have no formal audition plans?”

The assistant director’s friendly smile was nowhere to be seen. He might have thought I was overstepping since they were only here to discuss choreography.

“Ahem! This doesn’t seem like the right time for this discussion. We’re here to talk about choreography.”

Then, unexpectedly, the stern production team member chuckled. Not at me, but at the assistant director.

“Do you even realize how big Blue Sherbet might be by the time this movie comes out? Do you not see their current growth trajectory? Letting them audition wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

“We need to have a meeting! There are roles we decided wouldn’t require auditions. Plus, we haven’t even finalized one of the lead roles yet! What audition—”

“A meeting? Is that necessary? They’re only asking for an audition. If the field producer or planning producer heard this, they’d welcome it with open arms. Do you not know this person’s name? This could even help attract more investment. So, let’s see the script already. It’s in your bag, isn’t it?”

While the assistant director stammered dumbfoundedly, the production team member pulled out the script and handed it to me.

“Here. Done, right? Let’s save that discussion for later and focus on choreography now.”

“Sounds good.” I smiled in satisfaction.

How refreshingly cool-headed.

***

At a tranquil teahouse on the outskirts of Seoul. 

The building’s tiled roof, courtyard, and pond blended together to create a rare and picturesque scene rarely found in the city.

“Nice place, right?”

“It would’ve been better during the day.”

They were seated on a wooden platform, gazing out at the yard. A faint aroma wafted from the steaming teacup nearby.

“What can I do when everyone’s so busy? At least we managed to arrange this today. By the way, good job with the stage greetings.”

“Didn’t you skip the stage greetings, CEO Choi? Everyone else still seemed busy running around.”

“After the way that movie turned out, what more can you expect?”

Steady, deliberate footsteps echoed through the yard, breaking the silence. It was Hyuk Kang, who faced them with a calm demeanor.

In contrast, CEO Choi and Sung-ah Kim faces’ lit up as if they were welcoming someone they were truly glad to see.

“Come on in. It’s been a while.”

“Oppa, why did you call so late? I thought we weren’t going to meet today.”

A small laugh escaped me. Anyone who saw us would think it was a casual gathering of close friends. For Sung-ah Kim, that might have been true, but not for that man.

‘CEO Choi.’

Yes, I had my grievances with him, too. He didn’t directly wrong me, but he did nothing to stop Director Park’s terrible behavior.

As the CEO responsible for managing his subordinates, it was inexcusable. Besides, I was a big contributor to the company before my departure.

‘Let’s see what kind of plea they’re about to make.’

When I spoke with Sung-ah at the studio, I didn’t know what this was about. However, it was easy to guess when I called back after the meeting. She mentioned the CEO wanted to meet with just the three of us.

‘It’s probably about their next project.’

I knew this moment would come. Before my regression, when I hit rock bottom, there was nothing like this. The situation was different now, of course. After all, my name carried even more weight compared to my time with Team 3.

‘The timing couldn’t be better.’

Not long ago, a script that would see success came into my possession. The answer was clear. Now, I just needed to extract everything I could from CEO Choi.

I had already drafted a list of demands on my way here. With a calm and composed smile, I slipped off my shoes and joined them.

“I was caught up with work, so my response was delayed. It’s been a while, CEO Choi.”

CEO Choi raised an eyebrow in surprise. He must have expected me to confront him about Director Park’s actions, but that was out of the question.

Revealing a concealed blade would mean surrendering the upper hand. All I needed to do was get everything I could and keep growing steadily. After following the path in front of me, I would someday glance back at HS Entertainment to see it still there. Far behind me.

“Sorry, but I don’t have much time. I promised the kids I’d have fried chicken with them.”

Sung-ah Kim let out a small laugh.

—

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