you going? Mr. Ma, are you serious?"
Ma Dong-Pal's strategy had worked. After all, popularity mattered the most in the entertainment industry.
Ma Dong-Pal paused and tilted his head as if he was confused. "But why? Petite More is in the same boat. They arrived late and missed rehearsal as well, so it's only fair they don't perform today too. By the way, has Golden Road from Hoop Entertainment arrived yet? Staff on site told me they hadn't yet..."
'Oh my goodness. He is trying to mess with our company as well?'
By mentioning Golden Road from our company which had yet to arrive, Ma Dong-Pal was muddying the waters further.
Cha Tae-Hee bit her lip as she realized she was trapped in Ma Dong-Pal's ploy.
"Are you really going to be this petty, Mr. Ma?"
She scowled but Ma Dong-Pal just smiled. "Petty? I'm just trying to take responsibility. How can those who missed the rehearsal because they arrived late blame others? Come on, girls, let's go. Let's make sure not to be late next time."
"Yes, Mr. Ma."
As Ma Dong-Pal led Pink Diamonds away, Cha Tae-Hee grabbed his arm with a frown.
"Just a moment!"
"Hey, there's no need to do this here. Why create such a fuss among busy people?"
Cha Tae-Hee whispered into her intercom, likely discussing a solution with Choi Eun-Hyuk.
After a while, Cha Tae-Hee let out a deep sigh. "Okay! Pink Diamonds! Get ready to go on stage after the current performances end! Mr. Choi has given the go-ahead."
Cha Tae-Hee's words made Ma Dong-Pal stop in his tracks and laugh heartily. "Really? Haha, how can I thank you? I'll apologize to Mr. Choi later as well. And Ms. Cha, we should have a drink sometime soon, don't you think? I'd feel better if I could make it up to you with a drink."
"I quit drinking a long time ago."
"Hmm, but I heard someone saw you in a bar in Gangnam the other day... Oops, my big mouth!"
When Cha Tae-Hee glared at him, Ma Dong-Pal mimicked zipping his lips shut.
"What are you girls all waiting for? Apologize to Ms. Cha right now!"
Pink Diamonds bowed in unison at Ma Dong-Pal's stern command.
"We're sorry, Ms. Cha."
It was Ma Dong-Pal's win. He managed to save the situation for Pink Diamonds, demonstrating the influence of popularity in the entertainment industry. Cherry Blossom needed such popularity to avoid being pushed around by people like Kim Dong-Soo and Lee Gi-Cheol from our company.
"What are you looking at? The show is over! Everyone, disperse!"
The staff and other agency representatives quickly moved at Cha Tae-Hee's irritated command.
Then, upon recognizing my face, Ma Dong-Pal approached me and extended his hand for a handshake. "Nice to see you again. Seems we're fated to meet, huh?"
Despite the friendly words, his gaze was piercing like a laser. However, I didn't shy away from his handshake. "It seems so."
'Park Eun-Bin and Jung Yoo-Jin. Petite More and Cherry Blossom, huh…'
The actors and singers from TK Entertainment were currently more popular than those from Hoop Entertainment, but I intended to change that within a year.
I couldn't tell whether it was due to the newfound confidence I had or the resolve I felt, but Ma Dong-Pal's grip, though firm, didn't feel as unbearable as before.
***
Click.
Only after returning to the waiting room could we finally relax. Regardless of the chaos outside, we had done our part.
Sae-Ri opened her mouth as soon as we came back to the waiting room. "Phew! I thought I was going to die from fright. I've never seen Ms. Cha yell like that!"
When Sae-Ri made a surprised expression, the rest of the girls also nodded.
"Me too."
"That was scary."
Then, Han Myung-Ho advised the girls to stay put until the situation had calmed down. "You saw what happened out there, right? Just stay in the waiting room until we leave for the accommodation. It's best to stay put in times like these."
"Okay!"
"And we will greet Mr. Choi later when Mr. Lee gets here. Take a good rest until then."
While everyone rested, I let out a sigh and checked my planner. But one event still hadn't disappeared.
[Everyday V10]
[Date: January 12, 2020]
-06:40 PM (Report) Clash between Golden Road and Petite More during KBC Live Music Stage.
It was currently 6:20 PM.
As events that didn't disappear from the planner would happen no matter what, I was sure that Golden Road and Petite More would definitely clash in 20 minutes before going on stage.
"What's wrong, Yoon-Ho? Is there a problem with Yoo-Jin's schedule?" Han Myung-Ho asked, noticing my concern.
I shook my hand and lied without changing my expression. "No, I'm just worried about Mr. Lee coming in this terrible snowstorm."
"Oh, don't you worry. Mr. Lee is an excellent driver. He's even better than an F1 driver. So let's rest for a bit. Ah, I feel so stiff."
As I nodded and took a moment to rest on the chair, Sae-Ri suddenly exclaimed while browsing her phone.
"Eun-Bi unnie! We are 10th on the live search rankings!"
"Really? Wow! You're right! Wait, but the Hoengseong girls are 9th."
"Wow, we were beaten by the Hoengseong girls? We really need to work harder."
As Cherry Blossom buzzed with excitement, the door suddenly burst open.
Park Han-Cheol, the chief of Singer Division 1, entered. The hat he always wore to hide his balding head was half-off and covered with snow.
"Huff, huff. Busy day, huh? Where's Mr. Lee?"
"He hasn't arrived yet."
"Is that so? Then, let's get some people together. One of our cars skidded off the road on the way, so we managed to get only one car here."
"Huh? Is everyone okay?"
"Everyone's fine and unharmed but the car is no good. Team Lead Cha Sang-Jin is still in the car with the stylists and makeup artists while I brought Golden Road and Deputy Eun Ji-Yu here. I'm worried this might affect the girls' performance on stage."
This accident didn't happen in my past life. However, fate seemed to be steering me toward a confrontation between Golden Road's Jang Eun-Yung and Petite More's Park Eun-Bin.