Chapter 6. Selling a song (1)
"We will conclude the meeting here. I hope everyone will take this seriously and do their jobs well. We can't mess up the comeback album of Icarus."
"We understand!!"
Everyone stood up as the meeting finished. They left the room in groups of twos and threes.
This was the planning meeting for the comeback album for the leading girl group in Top Entertainment 'Icarus'.
Many people have taken part in this meeting. Producers, composers, managers, team leaders, songwriters etc.
One of them was Kim Dongsu.
As a General manager in the planning department, he would have an essential role in making the comeback album of Icarus a success.
"Kim Dongsu."
"Ah, Director! Do you need me for something?"
As he was leaving the meeting room, the head of the planning department stopped him.
He was an old man in his 50s and he was also someone Kim Dongsu respected.
"I noticed that you were spacing out in the middle of the meeting. Is there something that is troubling you?"
The old director asked him and Kim Dongsu was surprised for a moment. He opened his mouth quickly to apologise.
"I'm really sorry!"
"No, you don't have to be sorry. You are working hard these days. I think you need a break. I will try to…"
"No, it's not that."
Kim Dongsu interrupted the old director. He seemed to be troubled over whether he should say it or not.
In the end, he decided to speak.
The old director was someone who has helped him a lot in the past. He was one of the nicest people in the company and Kim Dongsu trusted him a lot.
There was no reason to hide it from him.
"Actually, I'm thinking of something for the past week..."
It's been a week since he had met Lee Hyun and that audio clip has been reverberating in his mind since then.
Not only that, his words and the resolution he has shown kept flashing in his mind.
Somewhere in his mind, he was contemplating whether he had made the wrong decision or not.
"Oh! I didn't know that Keemin's son is trying to fulfil his dream now. He got a good son."
The old director said after hearing all that.
He obviously knew Lee Hyun's father as he used to work as a director in Top Entertainment five years ago.
They were not very close but they were still friends.
"W-What do you think I should do?"
Kim Dongsu looked at the old director with some hope in his eyes.
He thought that the old director would certainly know what he should do in this situation but the answer he got was not satisfactory.
"I don't know what you should do. In the first place, it's your problem and the decision should be yours. I don't want to interfere in that."
Kim Dongsu became disappointed hearing that.
He lowered his head and frowned. His heart was telling him that he should join Mango Entertainment but his mind was thinking practically.
Should he listen to his heart? Or his mind?
He was in a predicament.
"Haha, it looks like it's really troubling you. Why don't you come to my office to have some tea?"
"Ah, Sure."
Kim Dongsu agreed and went to the old director's office.
The office was big with a sofa and a coffee table in it.
It was completely different from Kim Dongsu's office and it clearly displayed the status of the old director.
"You should drink this tea and calm down first."
The old director brewed tea for Kim Dongsu. Everyone in the agency knows that the old director was an expert when it comes to tea.
"Thank you."
Kim Dongsu took the tea and started drinking it. The hot tea calmed down his nerves and he became composed.
The old director opened his mouth seeing that.
"You know people say that you should always listen to your heart if you are troubled over a decision."
Kim Dongsu quickly understood what the old director was trying to say but he spoke too early.
"Then, I should…"
"But you can't always listen to your heart as it doesn't guarantee your success."
The old director sipped his tea as he said that.
"What should I do then?"
The old director's words have not helped him at all. It had even made him more confused about his decision.
"Like I previously said, it's your decision. I'm just reminding you that listening to your heart doesn't mean that you will achieve success."
"Then, I should just listen to my mind."
"No, listening to the mind also doesn't mean that you will find success. Success isn't something that you can get easily."
The old director shook his head and said. Kim Dongsu lowered his head as he began to think about it.
It was not an easy decision for him.
The decision can change his whole life. So, he was really sceptical about it. He didn't want to make the wrong choice and regret later.
As he was thinking about it, the old director suddenly spoke.
"Take tomorrow off."
"Huh? I can't take tomorrow off! We are starting work for Icarus comeback album tomorrow."
It was not something that Kim Dongsu can ignore.
Icarus was a 7 person girl group which debuted four years ago and in just four years, it had become the top girl group in Top Entertainment.
They were coming back from their Japan tour and their comeback album was something the whole company was focused on.
The old director also knows that but he still said.
"You can't work with your mind occupied somewhere else. Take a break tomorrow and think about it carefully."
"B-but…"
"Remember that you should take your decisions yourself, especially those which can have a major impact in your life. No one can help you in that."
Kim Dongsu just looked at the old director hearing that. He doesn't know what he should say at this moment.
In the end, he just nodded his head.
"Thank you."
"Don't worry about it. Just don't regret the decision you took later. Life is too short for regrets."
Kim Dongsu quickly finished the tea after that.
Then, he stood up and bowed to the old director before leaving his office. The old director sighed when he was alone.
The conversation has made him remember one of the talks he had with Lee Hyun's father.
They were talking about Lee Hyun at that time.
'You know, my son is in university currently and he is a genius when it comes to music.'
'Is that so? Then, will he join Top Entertainment?'
'No, I will make my agency before that. I will recruit my son in it and let him make music however he wants. It's my dream.'
'That's a nice dream you have.'
A smile formed on the old director's lips when he thought about that conversation.
"Lee Keemin sure has a good son."
The old director muttered and thought about the prospects of Mango Entertainment.
He has a feeling that he would hear the name of Mango Entertainment quite often in the future.