# Chapter 89
When Crop Five’s first broadcast caused a major sensation, there were people who tried to ride the wave of success, subtly excluding me and paying excessive attention to Crop Five.
I don’t know what would have happened without Hyung, but Team Leader Hyun had said something to me at that time.
He said that such things happen all the time, and that he himself had experienced something similar.
While listening to Sijin, I thought that perhaps I was meeting the person Team Leader Hyun had spoken about back then.
“Really? What was the atmosphere like?”
“It’s difficult to describe simply, but there was a feeling of regret. He expressed regret for not being able to protect them and said he felt sorry. He also mentioned that if he had a little more power at that time, they were a singer he would have liked to nurture.”
“He said that much?”
“Yes. Even while talking to me, he seemed to keep thinking about it, often appearing lost in thought. He wished me good luck and left early.”
“If it’s to that extent, he must have really cared about this person. He mentioned that story to me before as well.”
“Then should we help him, Hyung?”
While I felt sympathy, I hadn’t thought we could actually help, but Sijin’s eyes sparkled.
“How would we do that?”
Come to think of it, Sijin had extraordinary influence, making me wonder why I hadn’t thought of it sooner.
“So, you want to do it, Sijin?”
“Sure. I think it would be good to try if we can. Team Leader-nim has been really good to us too. If there’s someone he still thinks about and cares about, it would be nice to help.”
“Then let’s discuss it. If Team Leader-nim wants help, let’s show what we can do. Even just a mention from you would definitely make a difference.”
Sijin seemed motivated by those words.
“Actually, I should call him now.”
Team Leader Hyun asked what wind had blown for a humble person like himself to receive a call, and I first apologized for not keeping in touch regularly.
Team Leader Hyun soon laughed and asked what was going on, and I told him that I had heard from Sijin.
—Ah, is that so? I didn’t mean to worry you. I was thinking maybe I should call to tell Sijin not to mention it to you, but…
Even as he said that, I felt like he wouldn’t refuse if Sijin or I offered to help.
He was the kind of person who could become humble for the sake of a singer he once managed.
“Tell me more details, Team Leader-nim.”
—I told you before, this is a kid who lost time and opportunities after getting caught up in the power struggles of adults. Everything was talked about like it would happen soon, but in the end, nothing really worked out properly. You know the story well. Kids who just grow older while time passes. I was in charge of them early on, so I cared a lot and kept thinking about them. And then I saw them today.
“Yes, I often thought about them too.”
I heard Team Leader Hyun sigh.
—When they were coming, I didn’t know how to face them. I thought they would resent me, so I didn’t know how to look at them, but our eyes met. I was thinking of going somewhere else right then. But then they smiled.
I could vividly picture the scene Team Leader Hyun was describing.
Team Leader Hyun said that person would resent him, but if I were that person, I think I would have understood his feelings.
Even if I had felt resentment at that time, I believed I would have eventually understood.
Team Leader Hyun was so trustworthy that I could leave Crop Five to him without lengthy deliberation when I left Grand Tamer. Anyone who had been managed by him would understand his heart.
—They said they had left the industry and then returned, and that they were glad Grand Tamer was doing well.
“Sijin wants to help, Team Leader-nim.”
—Sijin does?
I heard laughter.
Normally, he would have firmly declined, but he couldn’t because it wasn’t his own matter.
He was the kind of person who could become humble if it meant giving an opportunity to a singer he had once managed.
—Can I ask for this favor, Seomin?
“I wouldn’t know. I’m just telling you that Sijin wants to do this.”
—Then please. I don’t know how well they’ll be able to take advantage of this opportunity now, but I’d like them to have at least one chance. Then I’ll have no regrets.
“I’ll come to the company tomorrow, Team Leader-nim. Let’s talk more then.”
—Thank you. Really, thank you.
He kept saying that, more moved than if it were his own matter.
* * *
In the conference room, Crop Five had also gathered, putting their heads together and sharing opinions.
When I called last night to tell them about Team Leader Hyun’s story, everyone came to the company early and was waiting for us.
Even though Crop Five’s help wasn’t absolutely necessary, I called because I thought they might feel left out if we did this just among ourselves, and fortunately, everyone took it well.
Team Leader Hyun wasn’t just an important person to me; he was also someone who had looked after Crop Five like Hyung did when I left them.
That’s why Crop Five thought of him much more specially than I had expected.
They seemed to think that if Team Leader Hyun remembered this like a lingering regret, it shouldn’t be ignored.
“I think it’s the first time I’ve heard the name Pepper Mix. This isn’t the name they were active under before, right?”
When Jeong Chan asked, Team Leader Hyun nodded.
“It’s a name given by the new place they joined. I heard they’ll be active under that name from now on.”
“Is this their first time working solo? With a genre change too, they must be nervous and tense in many ways.”
“That’s right. But I never expected all of you to step forward like this. You probably barely have time to rest.”
Team Leader Hyun said this upon seeing all of Crop Five.
They had been pushing through day after day and happened to have a day off, so he seemed very sorry for interrupting their rest.
“It hurts our feelings when you say that. If it’s someone you think of that much, they’re not strangers to us either. They might not have said it, but they must have felt bad too. They met you, but they didn’t make it while we did. They would have thought about that even if they tried not to. Why wouldn’t they?”
Listening to Seo Irun’s words, I thought that they really were different.
If they had been successful from the beginning, they wouldn’t have had such thoughts, but all of them had experienced being eliminated from idol survival programs.
That’s why they all must have felt the emotions Irun just described.
Perhaps it was the experience of looking at others with envious eyes, thinking they could have been in that position too—that memory that makes them step forward so readily now.
“So, how can we help?”
When Sijin asked, Team Leader Hyun cautiously said:
“They’ve received the song. The choreography is also done. Everything else seems to be progressing smoothly. The agency is new. They’ve been watching Pepper Mix for a while and care about them. They contacted Pepper Mix first. They’re grateful people. They put the singer before money when making the offer. It seems they couldn’t offer a big signing bonus. Pepper Mix also seems to think the signing bonus isn’t important.”
We nodded and listened carefully.
“But it looks like they don’t have the resources to shoot a music video. They’re trying to, but they can’t afford to spend much on it. So I was thinking maybe we could help with the music video. Would that be okay with everyone?”
We were really listening intently.
So we hadn’t missed anything and there was nothing we couldn’t understand.
But something wasn’t clear.
“What… are you suggesting exactly?”
When Cha Yeonwoo asked, Team Leader Hyun awkwardly rubbed his forehead.
“If you appeared in the music video, wouldn’t that become an issue in itself?”
“But in what way?”
When Dagyeong asked, Team Leader Hyun continued with embarrassment:
“Acting. If you appear as actors in the music video…”
Crop Five looked at each other.
They seemed to be trying to gauge each other’s acting abilities.
Then they shook their heads with faces that suggested they were thinking about something they shouldn’t.
“Can we see the lyrics? No, is that sensitive because it shouldn’t be leaked in advance?”
When Jeong Chan spoke, Team Leader Hyun shook his head.
“No. When Seomin called me yesterday, I immediately called Pepper Mix to ask. They said it’s okay. I also contacted the company and was told to check with the CEO first, and they let me talk directly with the CEO. The CEO said it’s fine.”
“Then, has it become a fait accompli that Crop Five will help with the music video, Team Leader-nim?”
When I asked, Team Leader Hyun waved his hands.
“No. No. That’s not it. I only mentioned that if there’s a way, we might be able to help. I also said that it might not work out in case it doesn’t. So I don’t think you need to feel too pressured.”
That’s what he said, but Crop Five absolutely wouldn’t be able to refuse.
At least, not if they could manage it.
The desire to help if they had the ability.
My heart felt the same way.
But acting?
That’s where we hit a wall again.
I looked at each member of Crop Five one by one.
Crop Five looked at each other closely with the same gaze.
