Chapter 810: Election Campaign Song (1)

"Both the ruling and opposition parties sent people?"

Both Park Sang-Gon from the ruling party and Choi Soo-Ho from the opposition had tried to kill Chairman Choi Eun-Tae. So it was no surprise neither party had come knocking during campaign season to ask for a song. And yet, with just ten days left before the election, they were here.

The nerve of it was almost impressive. Although, I heard the opposition hadn't come directly from Choi Soo-Ho but from the office of the deputy party leader.

Lee Dong-Min answered, "Yeah. Both parties are saying their current campaign songs aren't working, so they want to switch tracks while they still can."

"Did Mr. Kang say anything? Like, maybe he's not going to approve the request?"

"No, nothing like that. When the aides asked where you were, he just told me to go find you."

No matter how much they demanded it, they couldn't use a campaign song without the copyright holder's permission. In this case, if Kang Gam-Chan said no, both parties would be out of luck. And knowing Kang Gam-Chan, I assumed he would want to stay out of politics altogether. I thought he would reject both. After all, the party leaders in question had tried to kill Choi Eun-Tae.

It was a little strange, but Kang Gam-Chan wasn't someone who acted without reason. So I decided to follow his lead for now.

"Understood. Fine, I'll meet with them. But what song are they asking for?"

"Both sides want 'IDOLS'."

"What? Not 'Hurry Up!' but 'IDOLS'?"

Usually, campaign songs were well-known, instantly recognizable hits. But 'IDOLS' had only just come out two weeks ago as the theme for

Project I.O.A.

That made the request a little odd. Sure, the show was generating a lot of buzz lately, but 'IDOLS' still didn't have the national recognition of last year's mega-hit 'Hurry Up!'.

Just then, the elevator arrived.

Ding.

"Let's just hear them out. I'm only here because of Mr. Kang's orders. I don't know the full story either," said Lee Dong-Min.

I looked toward the opening doors. "Yeah. Won't know what they're after until we talk."

"

Oh

, one more thing. Mr. Kang did ask about how the IPO was going."

'

IPO

?'

There was no way Kang Gam-Chan would've asked that randomly with those aides in front of him.

'

Ah

.'

Only then did it click. If we rejected both parties outright, it could cause problems for today's stock subscription. This meant we would have to pick one.

'

In that case, the answer's obvious

.'

Even if I didn't like either side, if I had to choose, I would go with whoever opposed Park Sang-Gon.

With that thought, I stepped into the elevator with Lee Dong-Min.

***

We stepped into the executive meeting room.

Kang Gam-Chan was already seated, speaking with Secretary Kim In-Jik from the ruling party and Secretary Choi Yeo-Jin from the opposition.

Kim In-Jik was a level-4 aide and one of Park Sang-Gon's closest confidants, while Choi Yeo-Jin was a level-5 aide working in the PR office under Deputy Party Leader Kim Sang-Jik.

However, something about Choi Yeo-Jin's face looked familiar.

'

Where have I seen her before

?'

I couldn't quite place it, but this wasn't the time to dwell on that. First, I bowed to Kang Gam-Chan.

"Sir, you called for me?"

Just then, Kim In-Jik sprang up from his seat and strode over with a booming voice. "Chief Jung Yoon-Ho! It's a pleasure. I'm Secretary Kim In-Jik, working for Assemblyman Park Sang-Gon."

The moment he introduced himself as Park Sang-Gon's aide, I already disliked him. However, interrupting my greeting to Kang Gam-Chan made him even less likable.

Still, I kept my composure and replied calmly. "Yes. Nice to meet you."

Grabbing my hand, Kim In-Jik shook it enthusiastically. "

Hahaha

, I'm pleased as well. It's an honor to meet the hottest talent agent in the industry these days."

I kept the smile up, matching his fake energy with just enough courtesy. In contrast, Choi Yeo-Jin's demeanor was entirely different. She stood from the couch and bowed politely.

"It's good to see you again, Mr. Jung."

'

Wait. Again? What does she mean again?

'

That's when her face clicked in my memory.

"

Oh

... wait..."

"You don't remember? Saturday, at the Sinbad Adventure ride..."

"

Ah

—"

Right. She was one of the Blooming fan club members who took a photo with me at the amusement park that day.

"Yes, that's right. I didn't expect to see you here, though."

At that, Kim In-Jik raised an eyebrow and asked while settling back into his seat. "Secretary Choi, do you know Chief Jung?"

"

Ah

, yes. Just a brief acquaintance."

"

Hm

~ is that so? Well, don't expect any special treatment just because of that. We came well-prepared."

At that moment, Kang Gam-Chan gestured to the couch. "Chief Jung, take a seat. These two are here to speak with you."

As I sat, I glanced at Kang Gam-Chan, trying to gauge whether he really intended to sell the song. Yet he didn't waver for a second.

"Both the ruling and opposition parties are asking for the same song. I think we have to pick one."

"Are you serious, sir...?"

"Yes. We have to choose. So hear them out, and then decide."

So it really was about today's IPO.

"Understood."

That's when Kim In-Jik made his pitch. "We're prepared to offer 50 million won for the song. That's more than double the standard campaign track fee. You know that, right?"

Campaign songs usually went for 10 to 20 million won. Offering 50 million was a serious move.

Then Choi Yeo-Jin bit her lip and said, "We're also prepared to pay up to 50 million won per track."

Kim In-Jik smirked. "Come on. With how tight your election funds must be, isn't that a bit reckless?"

"We don't have a choice. This Seoul mayoral race is one we absolutely can't lose."

"Still. I heard your party doesn't even have enough money for operations."

"We've got enough for this, at least!"

The biggest difference between the ruling and opposition parties was, of course, money. And these two aides weren't even on equal footing in terms of rank. So the budget they could wield would be vastly different.

Then Kim In-Jik raised the stakes. "Fine. We'll pay 60 million won per song."

Just like that, he bumped it by 10 million.

Choi Yeo-Jin's hands trembled in frustration. "Sunbae! Are you serious? You're raising it by another 10 million just like that?!"

"What? We're competing. You didn't expect me to play cheap, did you? If you can't afford it, maybe back out."

Choi Yeo-Jin clutched her phone tightly, clearly debating whether to call her party for approval. It was obvious the opposition had offered their maximum from the start, while the ruling party was just getting warmed up.

I glanced at Kang Gam-Chan again. He gave me a look that said: do as you see fit. That settled it. No matter what, I had no intention of giving Park Sang-Gon's side anything. Still, with the IPO looming, Kang Gam-Chan was clearly trying to avoid giving the opposition an easy win without justification especially when the ruling party's offer was higher.

I had to find a good excuse. So I turned to both aides and asked a question to buy time and maybe find my opening.

"The amount from both sides is satisfactory. But I'm curious... 'IDOLS' was only released two weeks ago. Why are you choosing that song for your campaign?"

Kim In-Jik responded casually as if it were no big deal. "Why else? It's the hottest track among the younger crowd right now!"

Now it made sense why they had gone with 'IDOLS' over 'Hurry Up!' Older voters were mostly already aligned with a party, so targeting the younger demographic was the goal.

Meanwhile, Choi Yeo-Jin explained her side calmly. "'IDOLS' is about challengers pursuing their dreams and hopes. As the opposition party, we felt it resonated well with our own narrative of challenge. Our candidate aims to become an idol for the citizens, someone who realizes their hopes, and we want our party members to be seen as the people's idols. Of course, we won't deny it's also one of the most talked-about songs lately."

I couldn't help but smile at Choi Yeo-Jin's response. If I had to give the song to one of them, the choice was obvious. As a member of Blooming, she understood how protective Hoop Entertainment was of its artists and music.

"Will your party be handling the lyric rewrites yourselves?" I asked.

Most political parties assigned those jobs to lyricists they knew, often as a way to create under-the-table payments. This was especially true for Park Sang-Gon's side.

Sure enough, Kim In-Jik answered smoothly. "We'll take care of that on our end."

Yet Choi Yeo-Jin, ever the Blooming fan, gave the kind of response an entertainment company wants to hear. "While we're campaign experts, Hoop Entertainment is the expert in moving people's hearts through music. We'd like to entrust you with the rewrite. All we need is for the candidate's name to appear. Just a bit of coordination before finalizing will do."

Kim In-Jik scoffed. "Come on, Secretary Choi. What would an entertainment company know about politics? That should be handled by a professional agency..."

I cut Kim In-Jik off and turned to Kang Gam-Chan. "I think we should give the song to the opposition side, sir."

Kim In-Jik jumped up, flustered. "Wait, what?! What are you doing? We're offering more money!"

'

Why? Simple. I'd never, not in a thousand lifetimes, do Park Sang-Gon a favor

.'

Kang Gam-Chan responded immediately. "Well, the side that's asking us to handle the lyrics is clearly better suited. Let's go with them."

Kim In-Jik shouted in disbelief. "Mr. Kang! Please reconsider!"

"I'm sorry. Maybe it's because we're an entertainment company, but we can't stand seeing our artists' songs get butchered without our input. We'd rather not hand them over at all."

In response, the ever quick witted Choi Yeo-Jin stood and bowed. "We'll do our best. Thank you, sir."

Kang Gam-Chan nodded back. "Of course, Ms. Choi. Just understand this doesn't mean we support any particular party."

"Understood."

The whole exchange was wrapped up in the blink of an eye, and Kim In-Jik was left sputtering.

"Mr. Kang! We'll pay 100 million won per track! Please reconsider!"

Nevertheless, Kang Gam-Chan's expression turned steely. "I may be a small company's president, but I don't go back on my word. A verbal agreement is still a contract."

Desperate, Kim In-Jik began grinding his teeth and growled out a threat. "So... this is because you're siding with the opposition,

huh

?"

Kang Gam-Chan shook his head. "I don't know anything about politics."

"So even though we offered more money, you chose the opposition? And you think that's something you can justify?"

"I already told you. We may be a small company in your eyes, but we have our pride and principles. Secretary Choi Yeo-Jin here showed us she understood the value of our music. That's all this decision is about."

"Don't give me that crap! You're rejecting us because you're pro-opposition! I'll be reporting this to our party leader!"

The idea that Hoop Entertainment leaned toward the opposition was absurd. Both Kang Gam-Chan and I had always stayed strictly neutral, even under intense pressure. To protect our artists. So I stepped in to reinforce the message. In matters like this, justification was everything.

"Sir, we're just talent agents. If Mr. Kang truly supported the opposition, don't you think he would've handed over a promotional track ages ago?"

Kim In-Jik scoffed. "Anyone can make up an excuse like that."

Then, thankfully, Choi Yeo-Jin stood up and raised her voice with a phone in her hand. "Mr. Kim, if you continue to act this way, I'll report this to the press as abuse of power by the ruling party's aide. Can you really handle the fallout?"

Power abuse from a ruling party aide during election season was a scandal just waiting to happen. If it hit the news, Kim In-Jik could easily lose his position.

At that, Kim In-Jik clenched his jaw and glared daggers at us. "

Tch

, you think this is the only company that can sell a song? Screw this, I'm outta here!"

Kim In-Jik stormed out, slamming the door behind him with a loud thud.

Only then did I finally let out a sigh of relief. "

Phew

..."

Kang Gam-Chan gave me a nod of approval, silently saying that I handled it well.

Then Choi Yeo-Jin looked at me a bit cautiously before asking, "Mr. Jung... why did you do that? Do you really support our party?"

I shook my head. "No. Neither I nor our company supports any particular political party."

"Then why did you help me?"

I shrugged. "You're in Blooming, aren't you?"

"Seriously? That's the reason?"

Truthfully, the real reason was that I could never bring myself to help someone like Park Sang-Gon. I couldn't say that out loud, of course, but being a member of Cherry Blossom's fanclub wasn't a meaningless reason either.

"You know, that kind of comment could get you in trouble. Didn't think Blooming had so little value, huh? Maybe I should call Sae-Ri right now and tell her."

When I picked up my phone, Choi Yeo-Jin frantically waved her hands. "Wait! Stop! I misspoke! Please, when I went to LT Amusement Park, I pulled three all-nighters just to make the time. I'm a real fan!"

"Yeah, yeah. Everyone claims they're a real fan."

"B-But I really am! I'm a first-gen Cherry Blossom Family member! I even skipped campaign events in the provinces for fan stuff!"

Choi Yeo-Jin's voice grew louder as if proving her Blooming status meant more to her than securing the campaign song itself. She really did seem like a diehard, so I decided to stop teasing.

"I'm just kidding. I just meant I'd let you talk to Sae-Ri later."

"Oh my goodness, Mr. Jung. You're too much!" Choi Yeo-Jin wiped away fake tears in mock frustration.

I smiled. "Well, we'll be working together now. I'll let you talk to Sae-Ri later."

At that, Choi Yeo-Jin bowed deeply. "Thank you so much!"

"Please lift your head. But you did say you'd leave the rewrite to us, right? Are you sure? What if your candidate wants something different?"

"You guys gave up double the money to keep lyric control. That's what I'll tell them. But... has Hoop Entertainment ever written a campaign song before?"

"Yes. One of our lyricists can handle it."

Jang Ye-Bin, our lyricist, had actually worked as a ghostwriter for political campaign songs before back when she freelanced under Cameo Pages.

Choi Yeo-Jin nodded. "Great. I'll just give our deputy leader a call and,

uh

, hit the restroom."

"Sure."

She bowed again and stepped out of the meeting room.

Click.

Once the door closed, Kang Gam-Chan sighed in relief. "Nice work, Yoon-Ho.

Sigh

~ That was a big one. We really dodged a bullet."

"Mr. Kang... you didn't reject them earlier because of the IPO, did you?"

"That's right. They stormed in on our subscription day. If we'd shut them down cold, who knows what they'd try in retaliation? And with both of them here, I couldn't even get in touch with the chairman."

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"I'm glad it worked out."

Kang Gam-Chan looked at me with a proud smile. "Honestly, watching you handle all that just now makes me feel like I can trust you to run things even if I'm not around. After this IPO wraps, what do you think about me taking a long break?"

His eyes were full of trust, and I appreciated that. However, I still had so much to learn from him.

"That won't do, sir. I've still got a lot to figure out."

Kang Gam-Chan laughed heartily upon listening to my firm answer. "

Hahaha

! Alright, alright. Then let's head to the brokerage office. We'll call the Mr. Chairman on the way."

"Yes, sir."

Just then, my Everyday app sent an alert.

Buzz~

[Notification: A new schedule entry related to Kim Sae-Ri has been registered for March 29, 2021.]

'

What now

?'

Wondering what was about to happen, I opened Everyday.

[Everyday V13]

[Date: March 29, 2021]

-10:00 p.m. [NEW. Kim Sae-Ri]

[Spotlight Daily Newspaper] Senior ruling party politicians use Cherry Blossom's 'Hurry Up!' in campaign across Seoul.

(Emergency meeting: Immediate action needed regarding unauthorized song use. All interview requests for Kim Sae-Ri to be blocked.)

'

They're using Cherry Blossom's biggest hit without permission for an election? Then was the request for 'IDOLS' just a diversion

?'

A dozen thoughts raced through my head. Yet no matter how powerful the opponent, I had a very simple way to deal with this.

'

You really thought I'd just let this slide

?'