Chapter 647: Comeback (2)

I said, "I'm thinking of renting out the entire LT amusement park in Jamsil."

Sung Ji-Yeon widened her eyes and asked again. "Really? Is that even possible?"

"Yeah. It's possible. I've confirmed that we can rent the whole place during late-night hours. And we'll invite all the reporters too."

"You already had everything planned, didn't you!"

I nodded. "Yeah..."

"Wow~. If that works out, it'll completely overshadow those lunchbox sponsorship posts and the articles about Park Eun-Bin! Big events always drown out the small ones!"

There was no denying that Bae In-Jung of Petite Angel handing out top-tier lunchboxes worth two hundred thousand won each was a pretty solid talking point today. After all, the social media was already blowing up over it.

However, hosting a massive event at a large amusement park in the heart of Seoul for thousands of people would be an even bigger deal. Especially if we invited reporters to take photos and enjoy the event together, it was bound to be covered with favorable articles.

The excited Sung Ji-Yeon clapped her hands and asked, "Oh, but what about the rental fee for the amusement park? Should we collect participation fees from the fan club members? I can pitch in as much as I can too."

The cost of renting LT amusement park during late-night hours ranged from fifty million to two hundred fifty million won, depending on which rides we used and how many hours we reserved.

Cherry Blossom had reached its peak both last year and this year, all thanks to the fan club, Cherry Blossom Family. So now, it was my turn to step up.

"No. Our fan club members are already stretched thin supporting Sae-Ri's solo activities after Cherry Blossom. I'll take care of it, so don't worry."

I reassured Sung Ji-Yeon and then called Kang Ji-Yung.

-Yes, Mr. Jung.

"I'm at KBC right now. Did you see the article about Park Eun-Bin's comeback?"

-Yes. We're checking it now too. We're contacting reporters to see what we can do, so please wait a little.

"No, I have a way to resolve this immediately. But it requires bold support."

I told her that according to KBC's internal data, Sae-Ri was almost guaranteed to take first place.

But I made it clear that with just a small event, the news of Sae-Ri's win would be buried under the buzz of Park Eun-Bin's comeback. So I said I wanted to use the LT amusement park night rental to overshadow the issue. And I added that this event should be not only a celebration for Sae-Ri's win but also a thank-you event from Cherry Blossom.

After thinking for a moment, Kang Ji-Yung responded.

-Are you certain Sae-Ri will win?

"Unless she makes a major mistake on stage, it's practically certain. And as you know, Sae-Ri is strong on stage."

-That's true... And well, if it's also a Cherry Blossom's thank-you event, there's no real issue. Alright. So how much budget do you need?

"I checked and it costs between fifty million to two hundred fifty million won. The venue can hold up to eight thousand people. So I'd like to request around a hundred million won for the event. I'll negotiate and try to get the best discount for the rest."

-Hold on. Let me check our budget situation.

After a brief silence, Kang Ji-Yung answered.

-We can only allocate up to fifty million, but I'll add another thirty million at my discretion, so we can support you with eighty million won.

Eighty million won was a bit tight., but I couldn't complain.

"Okay. Then I'll take care of everything within that budget and contact you."

-Yes, please do.

Although it was twenty million short of the original estimate of a hundred million won, I was willing to cover the gap myself if needed.

Currently, the daily sales of THE Best had risen to four hundred million won, and 1.2% of that went to me—meaning I earned 4.8 million won a day. Spending twenty million won wasn't a problem.

Right after I hung up, I immediately called Shin Jong-Ki of LT Entertainment. Since LT amusement park was a subsidiary of LT Inc., where LT Entertainment also held a stake, I was hoping for a discount.

After a few rings, the call connected.

-Chief Jung. What's going on?

I asked Shin Jong-Ki for a discount on the LT amusement park's late-night rental fee. At that moment, he suddenly burst into laughter.

-

Hahaha

. I can't believe you're the one making a request first. Oh, right. This is a deal, isn't it?

"Yes. That's right."

-Looks like I hit the jackpot today. So, when are you planning to rent it?

"I'm thinking of picking a night from Friday to the weekend when it's available."

-Got it. I'll do my best to get you the maximum discount. As soon as we hang up, the operating company for LT amusement park will contact you directly. Coordinate the details with them.

"Thank you so much."

-Come on, there's no need for thanks between us. But in return, I have a favor to ask too.

It was only natural since I had just made a deal.

"Go ahead."

-I have a meeting coming up with Director James King and the U.S. side. Can you join us along with Go Jae-Soo?

Shin Jong-Ki's LT Entertainment was about to establish a U.S. film company called LT Global Pictures. Their first film would be Director James King's

Forgotten War

, and a meeting regarding that movie was scheduled to be held in the U.S. It was to finalize terms with their U.S. partner company, Universe.

"Who's covering the travel expenses?"

-You really are thorough, huh? Of course, we'll take care of it.

In that case, I was in. Since Go Jae-Soo needed to negotiate in the U.S. anyway, we would have to go at least once.

"Understood."

-Alright. I'll contact you once the date is set.

"I'll wait for your call then."

Click.

As soon as I hung up, I received a call from the LT amusement park operations team just like Shin Jong-Ki had said. It was from Shin In-Joon, the head of operations for LT amusement park. He also happened to be Shin Jong-Ki's cousin.

-I got a call from Jong-Ki hyung-nim. He basically ordered me to cooperate unconditionally.

"I'm sorry."

-Haha. Don't be. You know how bulldozing Jong-Ki hyung-nim can be. Anyway, since hardly anyone ever rents the whole park, you can pick whichever date works best for you. And the fee will be fifty million won with access to all facilities.

"Fifty million won?"

-Yes. Jong-Ki hyung-nim asked me to give you the lowest possible rate. I owe him quite a lot, actually.

I thought it would be a major win if we could get access to just three of the most popular rides for a hundred million won, so this outcome was beyond expectations.

"Thank you so much. How many hours does the rental cover?"

-It's full-time.

"This is way more than I expected."

-Well, just having Cherry Blossom visit our LT amusement park will be a great promotional opportunity for us. Oh, and I'm a fan of Miss Woo Yeon-Hee.

Hahaha

.

He said it was for their benefit, but it was clear that LT amusement park was giving us a tremendous amount of support. In that case, I had to return the favor.

"Then we'll take full responsibility for promoting LT amusement park. We'll post on Instargem, Twinter, and MeTube."

At that moment, Shin In-Joon burst into laughter.

-You're just like Jong-Ki hyung-nim said.

"Sorry?"

-He said that negotiating with Chief Jung might be nerve-wracking, but if I offer something first, I'll be rewarded more than expected.

Hahaha

.

Shin In-Joon laughed heartily for a moment before continuing.

-Alright. In that case, I'll personally deduct another twenty million won. The total cost will be just thirty million won. But please meet our standards on social media exposure frequency and methods.

I got an unexpected discount again.

"This is getting too good to be true."

-Exactly. So please give us a solid promotion that day.

"Not just that day—we'll start today."

When I explained the situation briefly, he let out a cheerful laugh.

-As expected~ I'm glad we invested in this. Great. We'll also send you the necessary press materials and photos today.

"Then I'll let Director Kang Ji-Yung at our company know. She'll give you a follow-up call."

-Yes, sounds good.

"Thank you again."

After thanking Shin In-Joon, I hung up the phone.

Having heard everything, Sung Ji-Yeon's mouth dropped in amazement. "This is amazing!! Just thirty million won? That's not even the cost of those lunchboxes they handed out! You really are the best! Mr. Jung is totally awesome~~."

Sung Ji-Yeon raised both thumbs and started bouncing in place. Maybe it was because she was the fan club president, but her reactions were really on point.

Only after calming the excited Sung Ji-Yeon did I call Kang Ji-Yung to explain the situation.

-Seriously? Wow~~ Mr. Jung, I think we should just leave all future negotiations to you!

Kang Ji-Yung's voice was also noticeably more cheerful.

"I was just lucky."

-

Pfft.

Come on, there's no way this happened with just luck. Anyway, I'll make some calls to the reporters after talking to Mr. Shin.

"Yes, Ms. Kang. And please make sure to tell the reporters that they'll get unlimited ride passes too."

-

Hahaha.

Of course. I bet they'll be thrilled!

"I'm sure they will."

Just as I was about to hang up with a smile, Kang Ji-Yung suddenly spoke.

-Oh, and don't tell anyone else at the company that we rented it for thirty million won.

"Why not?"

Kang Ji-Yung let out a sigh.

-Because no one but you could've pulled this off anyway.

That I could understand.

"Understood."

-And for now, let's have the people from Gwanwoo Entertainment believe we rented it for around eighty million won.

"Yes, I got it."

After ending the call, I finally let out a sigh of relief.

Then I turned to the still-excited Sung Ji-Yeon and spoke again. "Ji-Yeon, thank you. Because you kept the members steady on-site, we were able to come up with a plan."

"

Aww

~ come on, Mr. Jung. We just held out hoping you'd come and fix things. I don't think I could've lasted alone."

Hearing Sung Ji-Yeon say she trusted me made my heart beat a little faster.

At that moment, I raised my fist. Sung Ji-Yeon saw it and raised hers too.

Tap.

As our fists bumped, we reaffirmed that we were comrades fighting for Sae-Ri.

***

Han Kkot-Nim, Park Han-Byul, and Yang Ji-Woo pulled over the truck delivering the top-tier lunchboxes ordered by Bae In-Jung.

Then Bae In-Jung and the Petite Angels, looking as proud as if they had just won first place themselves, started handing out the lunchboxes to our fan club members.

"Please show lots of love for our Eun-Bin."

"Here, have one of these~."

By the time nearly all the lunchboxes had been handed out, a notification popped up.

Buzz~

.

It was the notification for the articles I had been waiting for were starting to surface. I immediately checked the entertainment news section on the portal.

[Kim Sae-Ri. Full rental event at LT amusement park. First place already in sight?]

[Cherry Blossom holds a massive event with fans at LT amusement park!]

[Kim Sae-Ri and Seo Yeon-Woo compete for first place. A double celebration for Hoop Entertainment.]

[Kim Sae-Ri is likely to win first with the original soundtrack from

Hwaranjeon

.]

[

Project I.O.A

Seoul regional preliminaries. A surge of promising rookies.]

...

The entertainment section quickly filled up with articles about Sae-Ri, Cherry Blossom, and

Project I.O.A

. At the same time, articles about Park Eun-Bin's comeback were naturally pushed down the list.

"Ji-Yeon, look at this."

Sung Ji-Yeon, who had held off from taking a lunchbox until the articles went live, checked the news.

"They're up."

"Yup."

"Then I'll go grab mine too."

With a satisfied smile, Sung Ji-Yeon strode confidently toward the lunchbox truck brought in by Bae In-Jung. Standing in front of her, she extended her hand with confidence.

"Please give me one too, unnie."

Bae In-Jung tilted her head. "Huh? Weren't you the one saying you wouldn't touch these even if you were starving?"

"

Ah

~ well, I don't need to hold back anymore. Looks pretty tasty, doesn't it?"

"What do you mean, you don't need to hold back?"

Bae In-Jung tilted her head again. Sung Ji-Yeon just smiled and took the lunchbox.

Just then, a commotion started to stir among the Cherry Blossom Family, who were eating the support lunchboxes handed out by Petite Angel.

"Hey! We're renting out LT amusement park for a fan meeting!"

"Oh my gosh! It's a late-night event! What am I gonna do? My curfew is 10!"

"Same! How do I get my dad's permission?"

"This is crazy! Look! All the articles about Park Eun-Bin got pushed down!"

Suddenly, Bae In-Jung and the Petite Angel members, who had been handing out lunchboxes, urgently checked their phones. When they saw Park Eun-Bin's comeback articles quickly getting buried by the news of Sae-Ri and Cherry Blossom's LT amusement park event, the color drained from their faces.

"W-What is this?"

"Isn't Reporter Choi supposed to be on our side?"

"

Ugh

, seriously! What is this?"

Cherry Blossom Family looked like they were celebrating a spring festival in full bloom, while Petite Angel's side felt more like a funeral.

Even Bae In-Jung's face twisted at the sight of the articles. She had shelled out for premium lunchboxes and pulled strings with the press, only for it all to be in vain.

All the money Bae In-Jung spent was vanishing into thin air like offerings burned on the road to the afterlife.

***

Now that everything she had orchestrated had fallen apart, Bae In-Jung stared daggers at me.

"I'd heard rumors that you were good at what you do... and I guess the rumors were true. I'll never forget today."

Grinding her teeth, a far cry from the smile she showed earlier, Bae In-Jung walked back to the area where her group had gathered with the rest of Petite Angel.

Then, a victorious cheer from Blossom Family began to echo in front of KBC's main building.

"Wow~ seriously, our agency is amazing."

"Thank you, Mr. Jung."

When the articles predicting Sae-Ri's first place began filling up the headlines, the kids jumped for joy as if it were their own accomplishment.

However, something felt odd. The kids were all avoiding saying our fan club name like it was Voldemort.

At that moment, I gently said to the Hoengseong Girls High School's girls, "Ji-Yeon, maybe it's time we think about changing the name of our Cherry Blossom fan club."

Still enjoying the sushi lunchbox she got from Bae In-Jung, Sung Ji-Yeon asked, "

Mmm

... Then what should we call it? I used to hate it, but I've gotten so used to calling it Cherry Blossom Family that it just rolls off the tongue now."

Park Han-Byul nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's kind of grown on me. Even if it's a little old-fashioned."

It had originally just been a temporary fan club name, but over time, we had grown attached to it. Still, we now needed a name we could proudly say aloud.

"I was thinking... personally, how about Blooming? What do you think?"

It was a word meaning fully blossomed or in full bloom, meant to wish that this moment of Cherry Blossom's glory would continue forever.

Sung Ji-Yeon's indifferent eyes suddenly lit up. "I'm totally in favor!"

'

Wait, didn't she just say the old name rolled off the tongue? Was she talking about the abalone sushi she was eating instead?

'

Han Kkot-Nim grinned. "It's really pretty, Mr. Jung! Now we can proudly say our fan club name.

Hehe

!"

'

Yeah, honesty suits you, Kkot-Nim.

'

Then Park Han-Byul also nodded as she chewed. "Agreed. I think it's like three times better than Cherry Blossom Family. It's just right. I totally love it."

Yang Ji-Woo, stuffing in a tofu sushi, added, "I say... thirty thousand times better?"

Rather than stomping down Bae In-Jung's schemes, the kids looked even happier about the name change.

"Okay. Then ask the rest of the fan club for their opinions too, and let me know what they say. Got it?"

"Yes, sir~~!"

"See you later."

Leaving the happy Hoengseong Girls High School's girls behind, I headed toward the waiting room.

***

I dashed down the hallway and ran straight to Private Waiting Room Number 3, where Sae-Ri was.

Click.

As soon as I opened the door, Do Ran-Hee raised both arms and charged at me like a frilled lizard. "Mr. Jung~~!"

Startled, I reached out and grabbed her shoulders firmly as she rushed in.

Thud.

She had run so fast that her body wobbled as she stopped.

"

Ugh

. Wh-What are you doing?"

Do Ran-Hee, whose shoulders I had grabbed, grinned. "I looove youuu~~."

"I don't need your love. Save that for Yung-Jin."

"

Aww

~ The love I give to my boyfriend is different from the love I have for you, Mr. Jung."

"I don't want any kind of love, thanks?"

Do Ran-Hee giggled and replied. "Anyway, good thing you're here. But seriously, who's the new Petite Angel president? I thought we were done for because of her!"

"She a daughter of a chaebol. Or rather, she's a chaebol herself."

When I told Do Ran-Hee what kind of person Bae In-Jung was, she looked dumbfounded. "What the... I get she's rich and all that, but she seriously dropped enough money in a day to buy a midsize car?"

"That kind of money wouldn't even scratch her bank balance. So stay sharp. Also, fan club situations need to be resolved on the spot. You're going to have your hands full, Ran-Hee. If there's anything you can't handle alone, contact me right away like you did today. I'll back you up completely."

"With you around, what is there to worry about? Got it. I'll just focus on doing my part."

Once I reassured Do Ran-Hee, I finally noticed Sae-Ri. She had finished her makeup and was calming her breath. Her cheeks were flushed, likely from having heard she was effectively in first place.

"Sae-Ri, are you feeling pressured?" I asked.

Sae-Ri shook her head. "Not at all! It just feels surreal. Yoon-Ho oppa, this really isn't a dream, right?"

She had always performed with her older members under the name of Cherry Blossom, so getting this result on her own felt unreal.

"It's not a dream."

"

Ah,

I just can't believe it. Yoon-Ho oppa, pinch my cheek, will you?"

When Sae-Ri begged like that, I chuckled and walked up to her. Sae-Ri shut her eyes tightly. I pretended to pinch her cheek, then opened my hand and gently cupped her small cheeks. I couldn't risk hurting the precious cheeks of my celebrity.

"

Ah

! It's hot!"

As my palms touched her face, Sae-Ri, eyes still closed, suddenly opened them wide in surprise. My palms were warm, so the heat startled her.

"See? It's not a dream, right?"

A smile appeared on Sae-Ri's little face nestled between my hands. "It really isn't a dream~."

I gently pressed her soft cheeks and let go, fixing a stray strand of hair as I spoke. "This stage today is the result of all your hard work. But it's not 100% confirmed yet, so let's give it our all until the end. Got it?"

"Yessir~!"

I gave Sae-Ri a final boost of energy and pulled my hand away from her hair.

At that moment, there was a knock on the waiting room door.

Knock knock.

"Come on in~."

The door opened with a click, and in walked Park Eun-Bin along with Ma Dong-Pal.

'

What's this?

'

Park Eun-Bin had always avoided exchanging greetings in waiting rooms, yet here she was visiting her hoobae Sae-Ri's waiting room.

Just then, my phone buzzed. Wondering what it was, I checked and saw a notification from Everyday.

[Notification: February 14, 2021. A new schedule entry has been registered for Kim Sae-Ri.]

It felt strange that a new schedule popped up the moment Park Eun-Bin and Ma Dong-Pal appeared. So I immediately opened the schedule to check.

But written in the new schedule entry was something completely absurd.