83 - Upki Girl

< Aliya's Big Picture > “Aaah!” It was a scream from Kim Seok-won, who, while tangled with me, couldn’t actually do anything due to forces pulling him away from behind. As the grip on my collar loosened, his body naturally fell away from mine. He grabbed his ears and stomped his feet in frustration. “Damn it! Some crazy bastard bit me!” Seowon spat as if he had mud in his mouth. Finally, the pièce de résistance was complete. It turned out to be Seowon who bit him. ―Thump thump thump! “Open the door, please! What's happening?!” The PD and head writer of the popular show knocked on the waiting room door, announcing the end of the brawl. The two leading the program entered. Hearing roughly about the incident from the waiting room, the PD nonchalantly suggested we just make up and move on. Instead, he half-seriously and half-jokingly remarked to Manager Kim Sang-in that it's a rare sight to see such a spirited group these days. “Come on, you should’ve called sooner. I missed an entertaining sight. Well, kids grow up fighting. They spar, you know? Use it as a catalyst to build a rivalry, cheering each other on. So, who won? In terms of numbers, Eye Contact was in the lead... But by the atmosphere, it seems your kids won?” “Ah, who cares who won?” “Of course it matters. Any member with a visible injury on their face?” The reason for our fight wasn’t the production team's concern. What mattered to them was whether the rehearsal and broadcast could proceed as scheduled. Fortunately, the faces of Yona and Sumi, who each got slapped, weren’t noticeably affected, so the conclusion was we could proceed with rehearsal as planned. Since both sides had hit and been hit, Eye Contact and our side tacitly agreed to handle it without police involvement. Just as the resolution was heading towards changing the waiting room instead, Aliya, having been sighing negatively with “Hmm, Hmmmm,” stared coldly at the PD and began to question him precisely. "…Is that it? Are you amused by this situation? Our Yona unni was hit by a man, not even a woman. That poor, helpless Bok got trampled and beaten mercilessly by that gangster?" Geez. Aliya poured cold water, or rather, a bucket of ice-cold water, on the relatively peaceful resolution. While she was deeply serious, she continued to criticize how the PD could be so cheerful. The PD seemed to think he had misheard or assumed Aliya was talking to someone else. Or that she must be crazy. He looked at Manager Kim Sang-in with an expression asking for an explanation. Mr. Kim then directed me with a heavy expression. “Director Kim Yunho, could you take Aliya outside please…” “Yes, yes. Aliya, let's go out.” However, Aliya firmly refused, her brow furrowed in seriousness. “Mr. Bok, can’t you see I'm talking right now? I’m furious and devastated, yet you seem amused too? Despite being shamefully beaten.” What was this unnecessary charisma? It wasn't merely a tantrum but an authoritative demand that felt completely justified. It was the first time after meeting us that Kim Sang-in's impression folded, and even the other Upkick Girl members seemed quite flustered. PD Moon asked Manager Kim Sang-in, “Mr. Sang-in, what’s with her?” “Well, that's… she’s a member from our team…” Aliya cut off Kim Sang-in’s words and instructed me. “Bok, call Cassie and check if our hotel affiliate has any ads or PPLs placed at this station. If there are, don’t renew them. Cancel everything scheduled or in negotiation. The reason for not renewing is because we’re displeased with the producer of the popular song show. That's the point.” Hehehehehehe. Sighs of disbelief simultaneously escaped the mouths of PD Moon and CEO Kim Seok-won. “Mr. Sang-in, is this her concept? If she's acting based on a concept, she's completely out of line. Do something quickly, I'm seriously about to get angry.” “No, I think she's serious…” “What? Speak so I can understand. What is she talking about?” “Ah, this is so frustrating!” Aliya clasped her chest and began explaining, breaking it down sentence by sentence. “Hey, listen. I'm pulling all Oscar Hotel ads! From this network! Because I dislike you! Understand? Is that hard?” To minimize further misunderstanding, I quickly interjected to add the most important detail. “Um, sir... she's the owner of Oscar Hotel.” “What...? You said she’s a member.” “She is a member but also the hotel owner. It’s not a joke; it's the truth.” After Manager Kim Sang-in clarified, the popular music show PD’s expression turned serious. “The Oscar Hotel owner? Come on, stop joking.” “Do I joke about stuff like this? She's truly the owner of Oscar Hotel. Sponsor of this office, too. Both a member and a sponsor.” Aliya continued to grumble in English while directly calling Cassie. She reiterated what she’d said earlier, instructing to inform the hotel’s PR team. She repeatedly emphasized. “Make sure to tell the station’s ad person that we’ll take nothing back unless that homeless-looking music show producer apologizes. Name? Hold on a second. You, what's your name?” At Aliya's question, the previously unsure PD Moon’s expression became a bit urgent. Even Kim Sang-in felt it was too much for the unrelated PD and tried to step in to persuade Aliya. However, this only ignited Aliya’s fury further. “Mr. Kim, if you have something to say, speak through Bok! You're not yet at the level to talk to me directly!” Well, at least I had reached the level to speak directly with her. Should I be grateful? While Aliya was on the phone with Cassie, both Eye Contact and CEO Kim Seok-won looked on helplessly, like refugees fallen into a neutral zone. Understandably so, since Oscar Hotel is a name known to almost any adult, akin to the likes of Shilla, Hilton, Hyatt, and Lotte. A first-class hotel with branches in Seoul, Busan, and Jeju, each generating annual revenues of over 60 billion KRW, 40 billion KRW, and 10 billion KRW respectively. In 2016, it even ranked 8th in the "Hotels You'd Recommend to Family and Friends" survey conducted jointly by the Korea Tourism Organization and accommodation power bloggers. Who wouldn’t be shocked to find out that the girl group trainee they just thought was a lunatic is actually the president of such an esteemed establishment? Still, it didn’t seem real at first. But it didn’t take long for reality to hit when a call came in for PD Moon. After briefly stepping out of the waiting room and returning, he approached Aliya with a noticeably subdued attitude. It seemed that there was indeed an Oscar Hotel advertisement running on the network, prompting a call from higher-ups. Of course, it might be just one of many ads, but for a station that survives on advertisements, they couldn’t afford to ignore it. “Ah, I apologize. I didn’t realize…” “Bok, I don’t want to speak with this person. Do what you want. This is a test.” Making all the decisions and now telling me to handle it. With Cassie absent, I’m the easy target. Or perhaps it’s a way to teach me how to fish. With the authority shifted to me, PD Moon asked if we could speak outside for a moment. Leading me to the stairs between the basement and the first floor, he began to plead his case. “As you could see, I just happened to be caught in the crossfire. Please, speak on my behalf. They say Oscar Hotel’s advertisement is airing before and after the weekend drama slots. It’s prime time. And there’s something in Busan too, which they think could be affected.” “Well, as you saw, I don’t have much sway with her either.” “But she did tell you to talk to me, so it seems like there might be a chance. Can’t you do something? It's not just about the ad… well, no, that’s a problem too, but there’s more. I’m supposed to oversee a pilot program right after this on The Big Music Show, and there might be repercussions if I don’t bring that ad back. I’d understand if I’d cursed or used violence, but this isn’t right, is it?” Indeed. Strange. Why is she targeting this poor PD? It’s odd enough to simply say this man got unlucky, especially since Aliya isn’t paying any attention to Kim Seok-won, who slapped Yona, or the instigators from Eye Contact. Those who should be punished are those guys, yet… hold on. ‘This is a test.’ Ah… could it be? Come to think of it, Aliya lacks the ability to directly counter Kim Seok-won. So perhaps she’s trying to indirectly affect things by targeting PD Moon, who holds a position of power over them. Thinking about how Aliya might have created such a big picture and handed PD Moon over to me, I got goosebumps. Anyway, she said I could do whatever I wanted, right…? “Then let me try speaking for you. But I have a few requests.” “Yes, please go ahead. I’ll do anything I can.” “As we mentioned earlier at the office, we plan to debut as a five-member act at The Big Music Show.” “Yes, yes, that wasn’t just a casual remark. In fact, we’d appreciate it if you would debut on our show.” “Would two songs be possible?” “Two songs…? Including an intro…?” “No, two full songs. A cover and a title song.” “Ah…” PD Moon's pupils widened significantly. A cover and a title song, not just an intro and a title. Even for a major agency's rookie, that kind of special treatment was hard to grant. It would likely require incorporating a major artist from the agency into another variety program. If an unknown rookie debuted with that kind of leeway, it would certainly stir controversy among other fan groups, with accusations of the station blatantly pushing them. But what if we had undeniable talent? Sensing PD Moon grappling with this, I sealed the deal with the boldness of a rookie. “There won’t be any trouble for the program. Our girls might be quirky, but their talent is no joke. Many artists are known to have a screw loose.” “Ah… I’ll have to discuss this with the writers, but…” He glanced at me, then quickly changed his tune, realizing his position, offering an 80% affirmation. “Yes, I’ll make it happen.” I responded with a playful boast. “Ah, PD-nim. Not ‘I’ll try,’ but let’s make it official. It’s not just because they’re my girls; they’ll turn the music scene upside down. That historic start will happen at The Big Music Show. You’ll get to use it as reference material later. Okay?” "You said in two weeks, right?" “Yes.” “I’ll try my best to coordinate it.” “And one more favor…” ―Epilogue “I heard Eunbit said it felt like meeting Jesus. Seowon unni said it felt like a lifeguard was coming when drowning? And Honghong unni said it was like getting a warm bun on a freezing winter day.” “Maybe Hongim just wanted to eat a bun.” “Hey, don’t tease Hongi unni.” “What about Riya? What did she feel? I’m curious about her the most.” “I think Riya would get mad if I said…” “What is it, what is it?” “Listen for yourself.” “Ah, come on. Just tell me if it was a good thing or a bad thing.” “Hmm… when I heard it, it seemed like a good thing… but the expression was a bit…” “It’s okay, I promise I won’t take it the wrong way. Just tell me.” “I’m just passing along what Aliya said, so don’t blame me.” “Alright.” “…She said it felt like poverty.” “Ah… poverty…” “But I don’t think she meant it in a bad way. It seemed like it was more about wanting to help and feeling empathetic. Or maybe it was more like it stirred some maternal feelings?” “If Aliya’s the mom type, I’d rather pass.” “Oh, come on. The only person who doesn’t get it is you. Everyone else knows by now. Aliya does it on purpose to get your attention. When we eat, she always checks if you’re there first and sits right in front of you. Check it out starting tomorrow.” Yona’s words were true. From the next morning onward, I noticed that Aliya always positioned herself where she had the best view of me. < Aliya's Big Picture > The End