A flood of thoughts rushed through me in a short instant.

From ‘Was my planning really that clumsy?’ to ‘How much was the penalty for canceling the MV location?’, the thoughts branched out without end.

A suffocating silence ruled the table so heavy I could barely pick up a piece of seasoned greens.

Only the CEO and Yu Hansu looked perfectly fine.

“Why? Isn’t that one pretty good right now?”

“It’s too weak and common. As a debut concept, high-teen youth is far too cliché now.”

At a glance, it sounded right. It’s not like there are only one or two groups debuting with a youth concept.

But I had clearly presented differentiating points in the proposal.

I had included the concerns and how to address them, too.

‘Did he only read the first few pages of the proposal?’

It’s entirely possible.

Manager Nam used to work exactly like that. Miserable human being.

Whether I was cursing him in my head or not, Yu Hansu didn’t care and launched into an impassioned speech.

In short, his point was that Spark should go out as a skill-driven ballad boy group with a mature sensibility.

Looked like he picked up and read the scrapped early Spark concept proposal from somewhere.

I could practically see a whole flock of damned lawn fairies charging toward me on an express train.

I hadn’t even touched the pot rice when someone poked my leg. It was Lee Cheonghyeon.

Lee Cheonghyeon’s face kept turning pale then blue in real time, over and over.

‘Hyung, say something, anything!’

That was what his face was saying.

He’d made a track with fifty or sixty metal fanfares exploding, and now the direction was “winter boys.” He had to be losing it.

Even so, I couldn’t open my mouth rashly.

Setting aside messy issues like age and hierarchy, there was an unbridgeable wall between me and Yu Hansu: a non-specialist versus a hands-on operator.

If Yu Hansu said ninety-nine useless things but one thing was right, I needed to accept that one.

Knowledge gained in the field is on a different level from studying only on paper.

Besides, it seemed he intended to arrange UA’s initial concept in his own way.

If so, all the more reason not to ignore him. I must never forget I can make the wrong choice.

‘Let’s watch for now.’

I just needed to create an opening to act. I’d keep a close eye, and if he started spouting real nonsense, I’d slam him then...

“I’d like the outfits to be more distinctive, too. You know, so-called ‘fashion ahead of its time’? Modern but with a point—gives a sophisticated feel.”

Fuck.

Maybe I should just scrap this right now.

After facing off with Yu Hansu, the Spark brats’ mood was the picture of gloom.

Seeing them all wearing “I’m agitated” across their foreheads made my own feelings complicated.

“Hyungs, what did you think of the new PD?”

asked Lee Cheonghyeon. But no one answered.

“Why is everyone saying nothing? Am I the only one taking this seriously right now?”

I guarantee I’m the one taking it the most seriously.

If the plan gets overturned, I might have to vomit up all the proficiency and EXP I got for planning duties. My hands are shaking like crazy thanks to that.

“Let’s wait first. PD said he has a plan in mind.”

“But the company people all said the concept you chose was good, so why would he...”

Lee Cheonghyeon’s emotions kept running hotter.

To keep it from overheating further, I gave him a mild warning.

“Lee Cheonghyeon, haven’t I told you not to bad-mouth people carelessly anywhere?”

“We’re just among ourselves right now!”

“Same among ourselves. It’s best not to talk about others if you can help it.”

I get the frustration, but talking about company people inside the company never helps.

He still looked dissatisfied, but maybe he agreed with the point; he clamped his mouth shut.

“The CEO said next time we should have a meeting with the planning team, the PD, and me, so I’ll take the temperature then. Until then, try not to obsess over the concept.”

“......”

“I know it’s not something you can just not think about. If the conversation starts veering in a weird direction, I’ll find a way to stop it.”

When I said that, they all looked at me. Park Juu asked among them,

“...How?”

“There are lots of ways. I could kneel and beg, or I could lie down in front of the door and say if you’re going to choose that plan, step on me and go.”

Then Choi Jeho cut in.

“Does that even work?”

“If I get stepped on once and then go to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, even things with no effect suddenly have effect.”

I shared a tip I’d learned the hard way rolling around at Hanpyeong Industries, then sank into thought.

I kept thinking about how to take only the practical parts of Yu Hansu’s experience.

But it was all useless worry.

Because a few days later, his dreary presentation completely changed my mind.

Yu Hansu, who had asked me for the materials used in my concept planning, called in the planning team and me exactly two days later.

Even the PPT title was grand. “Reconsideration Plan for Rookie Group Spark.”

That enterprising streak was worth emulating... or so I thought.

“Considering UA’s image as a label, we need to emphasize more that we’re a ballad idol group.”

“To give the impression of a skill-driven idol, focusing on vocal capability is essential. Right now the proportion of dance practice is too high.”

For forty minutes straight, nothing he said strayed outside that range.

When did we ever say we were a ballad idol?

I hadn’t heard that once since stamping with UA. If that’s what you want, you should lock me in the vocal practice room starting now.

And what, vocal skill is the only kind of skill and dance skill doesn’t count? Are we going to bring six chairs to a music show and sit there singing every time?

My blood pressure climbed the whole time I listened.

But the planning team listened pretty earnestly to his opinions.

I get it. His line of thought is effective at making Spark look like “UA-brand idols.”

But then it conflicts with the existing plan to make a straight-up idol group. Everything resets to zero...

Inside my chest, tears were pouring. I could already hear my EXP being snatched away.

After listening in silence, the head of planning set down a printout on the table and asked,

“Then what do you think we should do, PD?”

Yu Hansu flipped the PPT, saying we should look here first.

On a white slide, there was the cover of Jang Junhu’s current album and a graph showing a sharp upward trend.

“As you know, I participated in planning Jang Junhu’s MV this time.”

I was wondering why that bastard’s album was coming up here.

The unexpected connection made the back of my head twinge.

“As you can see, the view count’s growth curve shoots up very steeply based on a certain point. Considering that, unless a video goes viral, the growth slope generally decreases over time, we can see that effective concept planning contributed to the content’s lifespan.”

How does that connect like that?

He seemed to think anything that came out of his mouth counted as truth. There were more than a few parts that weren’t even close to coherent.

It is true that unless something goes viral, it’s hard for the growth curve to expand rapidly or for older content to climb again.

But the premise here is wrong. Jang Junhu’s MV went viral off Choi Jeho.

Even on the communities, you can see Choi Jeho’s name pop up all the time.

≫ Found out who the male lead in Jang Junhu’s MV is

UA trainee and his name is Choi Jeho

He’s twenty this year and in the dance line

They say he’s the oldest among the trainees

└ Huh, I thought he was an aspiring actor

For reference, during monitoring I didn’t see a single comment like the new song being unusually good or the MV direction being great.

As for the story, forget it. It’s just a guy spending a desolate daily life in the sorrow of a breakup.

Therefore, that upward trend was entirely pulled by Choi Jeho.

‘Don’t you dare try to steal someone else’s credit.’

On top of that, as evidence that the concept contributed to the content’s lifespan, using Jang Junhu’s MV was flawed because it was quite recent.

I had plenty more to say, but it felt like it would only waste my breath.

Maybe he took our silence as a sign of attentiveness; he kept talking.

“Isn’t referencing successful cases as much as possible—and taking the right parts—the way to reduce risks that can occur in a new business? That’s what I think.”

I was impressed. So that’s how brazen you have to be to make a living. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

How do you call such a paint-by-numbers breakup-aftereffect story a “successful case” with that much confidence?

I, the listener, was suffering, but the person speaking—Yu Hansu—was cool and professional. My head spun.

“So that’s why I keep pushing for ballad idols. Please look at the next slide.”

He flipped the screen.

The new slide had a wide grass field and a group shot of nameless men crudely composited together.

Under the photo, a small title was written:

“Sensitive Boys, Staying in Winter.” ...or something like that.

He said a lot more after that, but I didn’t listen closely.

When the meeting ended and I returned to the practice room, the Spark brats swarmed me.

The first to speak was Lee Cheonghyeon.

“Hyung! How was the meeting?”

He even pressed his palms together as he looked at me.

Watching him look between me and himself, Park Juu muttered,

“...I don’t know the details, but it must’ve been serious.”

Instead of answering Park Juu, I sat them down on the floor.

Then I explained this situation as briefly and plainly as possible.

“...So the bottom line is we might end up as sensitive winter boys.”

When I finished, silence drifted through the practice room.

I know exactly what you’re thinking. You’re probably thinking the plain winter boys UA first suggested would be better than this.

As usual, the first to break the silence was Lee Cheonghyeon.

“Does that make sense? Unless there’s a good reason, what, the entire planning rationale is just that we’re a boy group debuting in winter?”

“Based on what I heard today, yeah.”

“The planning is too flimsy. Then from now on, are we only allowed to be spring boys, summer boys, and autumn boys?”

“Once all of you are adults, we can release something like ‘Boys Become Men.’”

“Then maybe we’ll become men every quarter...”

For once, Choi Jeho said exactly what I was thinking. Lee Cheonghyeon, who’d been fuming, looked downright despairing after hearing me.

Leaving the rattled Lee Cheonghyeon aside for now, I looked at the others and asked,

“What do you think?”

“Us?”

“Yeah. If you like it, say you like it honestly. We need that to set the direction going forward.”

Choi Jeho answered right away.

“I don’t like it.”

“Why?”

“If we’re going ballad idol, why would I and Kang Giyeon even be on this team? If I’m going to sing, wouldn’t it be better for Park Juu or Jeong Seongbin to get another line?”

“What, why are you dragging me out with you?”

I could hear our Sapodungi duo catching fire again. If they don’t fight for even a day, their spines sprout thorns.

“I don’t think the concept itself is bad. But if you ask whether the PD’s concept is better than the one you wrote, hyung, it’s not.”

“...I like the concept you planned better, too.”

Jeong Seongbin and Park Juu’s takes matched Choi Jeho’s.

It wasn’t them ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) forcing themselves to agree just to please me. The biggest klutzes in the room have no reason to watch my face.

Finally, even Kang Giyeon sided with me, and Spark’s opinion was unanimous.

Separate from me not liking Yu Hansu’s deck, if the kids had wanted “sensitive winter boys,” I would at least have considered it positively.

‘Now that it’s come to this, winter boys go into hibernation no matter what.’

I steeled myself.

As if reacting to that resolve, my vision flashed bright and the system appeared.