The call to Cheongryeo was connected after a few beeps.
However, common sense greetings such as 'hello' did not come out.
- You're alive.
I knew it would be like this.
"Somehow, I am."
-Ah, I don't mean that I wanted you to die.
"I don't think you particularly wanted me to be alive."
Wouldn't it be better for that bastard if one of his target competitors fell behind, so it would be his gain?
But the voice over the phone didn't laugh.
- You said you couldn't restart.
"… …"
-Then, you should be alive. You're saying something weird.
What was this?
It was strange to be scolded by this crazy bastard.
But I wouldn't deny that there were some pleasant aspects.
The madman I saw in my coma was talking about the preciousness of life, so it seemed that time was medicine.
Of course, the reset button was taken away from him now.
"Well, thank you for your concern. Anyway, I'm fine."
-Is that so? But why did you call?
"I have something to ask you."
After I finished my calculations, I spoke right away.
"Do you have time tomorrow morning or the day after tomorrow?"
-Why are you asking?
It was simple.
"So you can visit me in the hospital."
I couldn't go out because of the environment, so I'd have to call this guy.
It was only then that I heard laughter over the phone.
• * *
After a few deals and coordination, Cheongryeo spat out that he would visit in the morning of the weekend three days later.
It was a plan that was possible because the other guys who used to visit almost every day because of their future activities planned to return to their parents' homes for the weekend.
Oh, except for one guy.
"When can you have melons again?"
"If the hospital allows me to."
"I want to ask!"
"Be patient."
I pitied Cha Eugene who had to stay in the dorm even on weekends and resided in the hospital room.
It was said that his parents came to Korea after hearing that he was injured, but it seemed that they left Korea last week.
Well, it was difficult for an office worker to stay in a foreign country for more than two weeks. No matter how it was in the United States, it would be difficult to take a vacation.
Instead of melons, I threw several large, improved tangerines to him. Seon Ahyeon bought them.
I think he bought a fruit that could be eaten right away when permission was given because it could be stored for a while, but… I didn't think it would last that long.
"Eat."
"Is sugar the best?"
Did he learn from Keun Sejin?
"Yes."
"Wow!"
I watched as Cha Eugene ate the tangerines.
In fact, this was a kind of bribe.
"… Someone will come in about 30 minutes, so don't bother telling the other members."
"Is it a guest?"
"Similar."
"Who is it?"
"VTIC's Cheongryeo."
"Oh."
Cha Eugene gulped down the tangerine and shrugged.
"Okay~"
That was it.
He was a simple guy, so it was comfortable. His individualistic tendencies shined through.
"But why is he coming?"
It was because I was lazy.
"I have something to ask about the next activity."
"Ask me!"
"… I have to ask someone who has been active for a long time."
"No way."
Fortunately, the barrage of questions ended there, but it was obvious that a similar situation would repeat when Cheongryeo arrived.
And thirty minutes later…
"I want to listen too!"
As expected.
"Go and buy some snacks."
"Boo… …"
But he listened.
Cha Eugene grumbled and left. Still, he did not forget the Korean-style Confucian greeting to Cheongryeo.
"Goodbye, sunbaenim!"
Tattang!
The guy with his back bowed vigorously shut the door to the hospital room and exited.
Cheongryeo stared at the guy leaving and smiled.
"He's the picky type, but the team atmosphere seems to be good. You can control him."
"… …"
"I've dealt with a guy like that before… After 16 months, the schedule was punctured. Hm, was it the 6th round? Haha."
He was really good at making the atmosphere cheap.
Anyway, I crossed my arms and got to the point.
"The reason I invited you today is, of course, an emergency."
"Yes."
"It seems that I might fail the mission."
"… …"
There was no need to hide it. Even if I borrowed a cat's hand, I could use it in the right place at the right time with only unexploded bullets that were blocked from resetting.
"What is this mission?"
"Mobilize 400,000 audience members."
"… …"
Cheongryeo was silent for a moment as if he was lost in thought.
And he tilted his head to the side.
"Isn't this kind of specific?"
"… …"
"How can you be so sure… … It's interesting."
As expected.
'It's because there were some things I didn't tell him about.'
The story of the status window should be postponed even more in case of an emergency.
However, this was unavoidable because the discussion must be conducted while knowing the specific conditions.
'I need even more precise predictions.'
Since the tour was canceled, the probability of sudden death was skyrocketing.
He might think that the difference between him and me is unfair, so I'd have to catch him before he thought too far about it.
'I need to bring his attention somewhere else.'
I shrugged.
"Well, it's not bad to be able to know in detail. I've been to Hwangcheon because of the mission and the traffic accident."
"… Originally, this job has a lot of variables."
"Yeah, thanks to that, I almost died twice already in the 2 years I was active."
"Twice?"
"Yes, the first time was because of you."
He burst out laughing but then nodded with a slightly apologetic smile. It seemed his brain was back.
It seemed that I succeeded in gambling after receiving 20 pictures of dogs from him.
'As expected, a little debt… A sense of camaraderie remains.'
It meant that the news that I woke up was enough for him to send me pictures of dogs.
Still, this bastard wasn't normal, so I had to move on quickly before he thinks about anything else.
"Anyway, thanks to that, the tour has been canceled and I am stuck in the hospital. But I have to meet 300,000 more audience members."
"Hmm, it must be difficult to set up a new dome tour at the end of the year."
"Yes."
The year-end and New Year holidays were the highlights. Most of the concert halls that would fit TeStarr's scale were already closed for the weekend.
Besides, I couldn't tell this guy, but if the lawsuit goes in, not just the tour, but the entertainment industry itself this year would go out of business.
And Cheongryeo pushed forward the most common sense and possible alternatives to consider.
"What about non-face-to-face performances?"
"… That's the problem."
I pressed my forehead.
"The standard of counting is ambiguous."
"… …"
The fan meeting I had right before I got into an accident.
The performance was simultaneously broadcasted online, but both real-time paid and illegal visitors were not counted.
Only the on-site audience was counted as the actual 'audience'.
Looking this far, it seemed that non-face-to-face performances were useless, right?
However, there were also some performances that actually counted on a non-face-to-face basis.
'The number of live comeback shows that were conducted on real-time paid W Lives were counted.'
It was a configuration in which texts or feedback from the audience were displayed on the electronic signboard.
And when all these tendencies were taken into account, one very vague criterion emerged.
"Within the performance… It seems that only when I recognize the audience, they acknowledge it as an 'audience'."
I had to be aware of the audience itself, not aware of the numbers only.
That passion and energy.
"Ah."
Cheongryeo narrowed his eyes.
"Was it an audience in the theatrical sense?"
"Theater?"
"The presence of reaction is also part of the performance. Hm, kinda… It's tacky, though."
"… …"
It seemed that he had lived a life of his own. He knew how to explain concepts quickly.
Cheongryeo stroked his chin.
"Anyway… Then it must be a bit tricky."
"That's right."
I clicked my tongue.
"I have to gather around 300,000 people at the same time who can communicate in real-time, but it's difficult."
It was not simply a VOD purchase, but 300,000 people must bein front of the computer at the same time.
'… Even if I increase the number of times, there is a limit.'
Perhaps, even if the composition of the performance continued to change, the number of real-time audiences counted as soon as it went beyond the second episode would continue to decline.
According to the law of marginal utility and scarcity.
Busy modern people only pay for it, and then not watch it.
And through the self-issued indulgence of 'I paid for one episode, so it's okay to watch the rest for free'.
Seeing my anguish, Cheongryeo smiled.
"Hm, then would you like to be a guest on the VTIC tour? If you suffer for a month or two…"
"Are you crazy?"
"Haha!"
He knew that it was nonsense, but he had the shamelessness to ask.
A guest appearance at a VTIC concert?
Hell would come.
As soon as I recovered from my injury, if I made a guest appearance at someone else's concert, the TeStar fandom and the VTIC fandom would heat up like hellfire in the nether.
However, Cheongryeo was calm.
"I think it would be better than dying. Think about it. It might be the last mission."
"… …"
Of course, VTIC would have more excuses than TeStar, so it was understandable why he was saying this.
'Still, a loss is a loss.'
This crazy proposal from a guy who was paranoidly obsessed with being a flawless top-tier idol?
The offer to join as VTIC's main vocalist, which I received while in a coma, came to mind. I replied apprehensively.
"I don't know why you want to lose money."
"Hm, are you sorry?"
"… …"
I checked his face to see if he was joking with me, but it wasn't deceiving or insane.
Instead, it was quite calm.
"Once or twice… I've disturbed you badly, so let's assume I'm paying off the debt. How is it?"
"… Hmm."
Apparently, seeing how I almost died in this accident, this guy also looked back on his past.
'It seems that raising a dog really helped him mentally.'
However, I had no intention of investing in such a scheme. I reviewed the discussion so far.
'The resources I can use…'
My abilities, connections, time, money…
'… Money?'
"… … !"
I opened my eyes.
I found it.
"No, I won't use that method."
"Then?"
"… We will perform a virtual concert."
I ended my speech sternly.
"It will be totally free."
"… … !"
I didn't know about the other limitations, but I could cover the entry barriers caused by money.
'I'm sure I can pay for the concert.'
That was because there was quite a bit of money left unspent. I didn't need anyone else's support.
"Oh, even the settlement money?"
So, this was a suggestion.
I chuckled.
"No. Something else."
The biggest stumbling block to free performances wasn't money.
This was an existing contract.
'TeStar signed an exclusive 3-year contract with W App.'
And the W app did not support free performances.
However, since TeStar's online concert had to be transmitted through the W app, I needed a detour.
"Let me borrow your platform."
It was an exhibition/performance platform created by LeTi in collaboration with an overseas funding company.
'Member solos, not TeStar, wasn't specified in the contract.'
The rest of the commercial morality and public opinion issues could be solved by adjusting the performance method, and it would be much easier and faster to do it with this guy. Because it was from his company.
'I think this is the most winning combination right now.'
Sure enough, Cheongryeo also smiled and nodded.
"Good idea."
It was better than his suggestion. I responded calmly, holding back the thought of almost clicking my tongue.
"Of course, it would be better than following the VTIC tour."
"What? Haha. Of course, it is. Were you actually thinking about doing such nonsense?"
"… …"
"I meant that you could even do it. I guess it sounded pretty plausible."
I was fucking tricked.
I was sure the bastard I met in the coma would have sucked in sweet water and swelled up, let alone become the main vocalist of VTIC.
• * *
Park Moondae was furious at the moment, but soon regained his composure and quickly concluded a detailed agreement with Cheongryeo.
And immediately contacted the company and talked about 'contact with the new platform' in depth.
'It's easy.'
In the calculation that it could calm the turbulent atmosphere by turning its attention somewhere else, the company sent an OK sign fairly quickly even though it was in a devastated state.
It was becausee the payment fell right after the weekend on Monday morning.
"Yes, thank you."
Of course, it was a misjudgment without a choice, but Park Moondae happily tolerated their misjudgment.
'I hope it goes smoothly like this.'
Now, only the members needed to be persuaded, and Park Moondae adjusted the visit times of the members on Monday afternoon to overlap.
'It would be better to discuss it at once.'
So after a few days…
Park Moondae was sweating coldly and was strongly forced to take time for self-reflection by the members.
"Park Moondae, sit down and listen."
Somehow, all the members had already heard the news about it.
Cha Eugene didn't hold back.
"They asked the company!"
'This guy.'
Of course, it was my karma.