Never before did I ever welcome a vision as much as I did now.
If I could've, I would've jumped around in happiness.
"No, but seriously. How could so many projects fail at the same time? It's as if someone was deliberately targeting us. I refuse to believe that our luck is this bad."
Where was I...? Why did this place look so familiar?
Slowly, my vision started to clear up. I seemed to be in a small room, and the bitter taste of coffee lingered on my tongue.
Ah, I see why now.
No wonder the place looked familiar. I was in the room that I'd practically lived in for the past week.
There were four people around me. Dean, Chief Madelyne from PR, and her two subordinates, Thomas and James.
'Hmm, they don't look much different from the last time I've seen them.'
Besides James whose hair was longer, and Dean who seemed to be even more haggard than usual, there didn't seem to be much of a difference between the current them and the ones that I knew.
So a not-so-distant future?
But just how far in the future was this?
I focused my attention on my surroundings, straining my mind to memorize every detail around me.
'Ugh, my head hurts.'
There was nothing. Nothing at all. If only the room wasn't so empty that not even a clock was present.
"Someone did meddle in this matter, but that's not the main issue here."
Dean said while rubbing his haggard face. That's when my mouth parted open, and words came out of my mouth.
"So what's the main issue?"
My voice sounded rather haggard, an obvious sign that I wasn't doing so well myself. If only I could look at myself in the mirror to see my current appearance.
That's when Dean glanced at me.
"Besides the possible meddling from the third party, there are quite a few flaws with the projects. Let's take [Top Stars], one of the key projects. Back then, we all thought it was a solid project that would without a doubt fetch a high rating, but do you see the situation now? It can't even cross the 1% mark, let alone 4%."
Uh...?
That's surprising.
So the project didn't even cross 1%? Just how badly did the project flunk?
For it to do so badly when it looked so good, there must've been a good reason.
With the advancement of technology and people now more interested than ever in Star Chasers, the general TV ratings rose dramatically over the years.
Ratings above 4% were considered satisfactory, while anything below 2% was seen as a significant failure, particularly for high-budget productions.
So the fact that the project didn't even cross 1% showed just how badly the project flunked.
"We previously thought the project would do well because of its past seasons, but that's exactly why it failed. People are bored of watching the same show over and over again. Especially when a newer and better show suddenly popped up. That show came out of nowhere. Blindsided us completely."
As he muttered those words Dean's expression sunk as his already haggard face become even more haggard.
Ah, so that's why...
Things suddenly became clearer to me all of a sudden.
'So the main issue, and the reason why the show failed is mainly dependent on two reasons. Viewers getting bored of watching the same thing each year, and a new competitor.'
Right...
These two points did indeed sound quite troublesome.
But what about the other projects? Like [Superstars of Tomorrow]? What was the reason for their failure?
I didn't need to wait long for the answer.
"...Right, who would've expected a TV show like that to pop up out of nowhere."
Chief Madelyne mumbled, quietly sipping her coffee.
"Well, if that was the only issue it would've been nice, but in the case of [Superstars of Tomorrow], the project was just destined to fail from the get-go."
"Right."
My body suddenly flinched at the mention of [Superstars of Tomorrow].
'Eh...?'
"That project was the end of me..."
Dean silently nodded his head, his finger tapping against the desk.
"Back then, I thought that the project was good. Even after [Top Stars] flopped, I still thought it'd do good. I mean, it had all the right ingredients for a good show. A great Director, a star-studded cast of judges, and a unique concept. If you had asked me back then which project I was most confident in, I'd say it was that..."
With a bitter smile, Dean massaged his eyes.
"...but fuck me did it fail. All seemed to be going well in the first few episodes when all of a sudden, the ratings dropped to beneath 1%. Fuck, I didn't sleep a single wink because of that."
Without my control, my fists slowly clenched and my head lowered. That's when I finally understood the situation.
'So the project that I ended up choosing was [Superstars of Tomorrow]?'
My reaction said it all.
I knew myself well enough to know that my reaction stemmed from disappointment and guilt. Without a doubt, I had chosen [Superstars of Tomorrow] which ended up flopping.
"All the momentum that we've managed to gather for the girls ended that very night. Now... well, we'd be lucky if any program will have us on."
The situation was that bad?
Just how badly did the project do for programs to reject working together with the girls?
No, but that's not what I care about right now!
I already knew long ago that the projects were going to fail. What I wanted to know was the way out of this mess. What exactly was I supposed to do from this point on?
My anxiety was growing by the second. I just hoped the vision wouldn't stop all of a sudden, if it did, I'd truly be fucked...
"Sometimes I wonder if we were just unlucky, or someone was really targeting us."
With a long and tired sigh, Dean leaned back on his chair and blankly looked at the lights up above.
"Wouldn't things have been so much easier if we had chosen that project?"
Yes, that's it!
I strained to hear the following words with everything that I had. I focused all of my attention on Dean who was still staring at the lights up above in a daze.
Go on, don't stop. Keep talking.
"But seriously... out of all fifteen projects that were supposed to succeed, it had to be that one? There was literally nothing that would indicate that it would succeed. Sure, the concept was nice, but the budget required to make such a project was ridiculous. Who would've predicted that they'd be able to still make it good with the limited budget they had?"
So the project sounded too ridiculous for the budget that they had?
I firmly nailed this piece of information inside of my mind.
"No, it wasn't just the concept that made no sense. The Director was also unknown, and so was the company they worked under. KLM Enterprise? That project... was meant as a punishment to the lowest performing teams, and yet, it ended up being a blessing in disguise. What dogshit luck..."
"Liam."
My surroundings shattered and I found myself back in the meeting room. Everyone's gaze was directed my way.
Holding onto the two projects in my hand, I felt Dean's gaze.
"Did you pick? Is there a project that you're interested in? Which one of the two do you think is better?"
That's it...?
Why did the vision end there at all times? Out of all times, it had to end right before it could reveal the name of the project that was going to succeed...
'What the hell am I doing?'
I snapped out of it immediately. When did I suddenly become so pathetic? I didn't need to be spoonfed the answer.
There was enough information for me to work with.
I couldn't become overly dependent on these visions, as they could vanish just as abruptly as they appeared.
'I need to get my shit together.'
Right.
The information was right before my eyes.
"Liam...?"
Calmly placing the two projects down, I took a deep breath.
"...May, I look at the other projects?"
"Pardon?"
The gazes on me felt even more intense, and the air felt even more suffocating.
I maintained my calm.
"Is there anything that you don't like about the projects?"
"Ye—"
"What do you think you're doing?"
A voice suddenly cut me off. It belonged to one of the managers who sat at the table.
The manager of Dark Canine was it?
They were a Tier 1 team that the Guild thought highly of.
Their manager, a lanky figure wearing a brown suit that seemed too big for him, scowled at me while staring intently.
"What are you trying to achieve over here? We've all seen your performance back in the dive, you were great, but everyone here is capable."
He shook his head and laughed.
"Don't overrate yourself based on one good show. We're already extending the courtesy of assigning you one of our most promising projects, and yet you're here causing a scene. Just accept the golden apple that has fallen on your lap, and stop wasting our time."
There was a certain silence that swept the room after he said his piece, but taking into account the expression of the other managers around me, it was obvious that they seemed to agree with his words.
But that was them, and I was me.
"What I don't like about [Top Stars] is..."
And so I proceeded to calmly list the problems that I found with the two projects at hand. Mainly, it was about how viewers were losing interest in the project. I also briefly mentioned hearing about a new show airing during the same time, but that was as far as I went regarding that matter.
There was no way I could tell them that it was going to completely obliterate [Top Stars] when it was still a new show.
"If the two shows were to go head-to-head in competition, especially with [Top Stars] losing its appeal year after year, there's a risk that viewers could leave for the newer one."
I paid no attention to the Dark Canine manager and anyone else who appeared dissatisfied with me.
If there was anyone who tried to cut me off, I would assertively raise my voice to prevent anyone from interrupting me.
"Regarding [Superstars of Tomorrow], well, what's the point of having them masked when they're all Tier 1 groups?"
Although in the conversation Dean didn't say exactly the reason why the project failed, I more or less understood after thinking deeply about his words.
Simply put, the main points of attraction of the show were the judges and the director. The unique concept that had all its contestants masked was good and all, but we were talking about Tier 1 contestants.
Their fame was simply too small to have any direct impact on the show during the unmasking.
What was the point of the big reveal when no one knew about them?
Picture a family engrossed in a TV show when, out of the blue, one of the team members was forced to remove their mask.
'Mommy, mommy, who are they?'
'I... don't know. I've never heard or seen them before...'
That would have the opposite effect of what the show was trying to achieve.
"...so this is the reason why I'm hesitant to choose these two projects."
It was only after I had finished that I lifted my head to observe the expressions of everyone in the room.
Let's just say that...
Not a lot of people were looking at me in a positive manner.
Even Dean seemed exasperated as he covered his face with both hands and shook his head.
"I knew it, I knew it, he really is a fuc..."
A what now?
Before anyone else could say any more words, the Unit 2 leader spoke,
"You may leave."
Our eyes met for a brief moment.
"This was meant to be a gift presented to you for your good achievements, but you had to ruin it. But it's not like I don't understand your reaction. You're relatively new, and your initial success might have made you think too highly of yourself. It happens to all of us. Take some time to reconsider."
The room fell silent once more.
"...Will do."
I didn't bother arguing with him and simply stood up.
Even if they held me at gunpoint, I was never going to choose those projects.
A gift presented for my good achievements? More like a bomb that was going to explode in a few month's time.
I had already laid out my reasoning behind my rejection.
If they couldn't see my warnings, then their failures wouldn't be on me, but on them.