"For two years, we'll offer a ten billion yen advance. Profit sharing from the concerts will be 70 to 30 with Hoop getting the 70. So please reconsider Cherry Blossom's solo concert and exclusive activities in Japan." CEO Hiroshi of AMOSE proposed a mega-deal that no other idol group would receive. He offered ten billion yen just in contract money alone, plus an overwhelmingly favorable revenue split. With a confident face, Hiroshi looked at me and the Cherry Blossom girls, clearly thinking this would be enough to win us over. However, I still wasn't swayed. Japanese activities should be based on success in Korea, and it couldn't be the other way around. And if we released an album in Japan and focused solely on concerts there, it would be a betrayal to the fans who had been with Cherry Blossom from the very beginning. It wouldn't be fair to not just the Hoengseong Girls High School's girls, but all the fans who had supported them through every step. And above all, I was confident we could earn even more than that. Just as I was about to say no, I noticed Eun-Ah and Sae-Ri's eyes widening. Sae-Ri got a monthly allowance of three hundred thousand won, and Eun-Ah got five hundred thousand won. So hearing a number that dwarfed their concept of money naturally shocked them. At that moment, Hiroshi, sitting across from us, glanced at the girls with a smile. 'Oh? So that's your game, huh?' Hiroshi, who had built AMOSE into a publicly listed entertainment company on the Tokyo First Section stock exchange, revealed who his real targets were. Failing to sway me, he was now trying to tempt Cherry Blossom directly. I considered telling him to stop looking at the girls, but I shook my head. Even though Cherry Blossom had entrusted me with full authority, when it came to a deal this big, it was only respectful to ask their opinion. "Eun-Ah, Sae-Ri. What do you two think? This is a huge offer by industry standards. But in return, Japan would become your main focus." Just then, Sae-Ri, who had been counting on her fingers, looked straight at me and asked, "Yoon-Ho oppa. With ten billion yen... How many bowls of tteokbokki can you buy?" 'Huh? So she was counting how many bowls of tteokbokki that would get her?' Trying not to show my surprise, I answered, "Uh, well... it depends on the price, but probably enough to eat it every meal until the day you die." Sae-Ri's big eyes widened another level, like a second transformation. "Whoa. That's crazy. So it's really a lot, huh?" "I mean... yeah, it is." Sae-Ri gave up on counting and turned to Eun-Ah with an excited expression. "What do you want to do, Eun-Ah unnie?" Eun-Ah gently voiced her opinion. "Hmm~ I don't know. I don't really need more money. I'll just do whatever Yoon-Ho oppa thinks is best. I'm also thinking about our Korean fans." At that moment, Hiroshi's expression faltered. He had clearly assumed they would accept an offer , and he hadn't expected Eun-Ah to say she didn't need the money. That's when Sae-Ri took it a step further. "Yoon-Ho oppa! Then I'll do whatever you want too. But... I have a condition!" Her serious tone made me curious what kind of condition she had in mind. "What condition?" "Buy me tteokbokki every night! Starting with tonight's late-night snack!" She looked like she'd made a life-altering decision, but her demand was simple: 'I'm hungry. Buy me tteokbokki!' Well, it was past 10 p.m. so it made sense she would be hungry. Nevertheless, I couldn't just accept that. 'Trying to sneak in daily tteokbokki like that—no way.' "Not every day. Just while we're in Japan. Deal?" At that moment, Sae-Ri's serious expression relaxed. "Tch. You didn't fall for it. Fine. Deal~!" Then Sae-Ri flashed a V-sign with her fingers and looked at Eun-Ah . She had a look on her face that said, 'I did good, right?' Eun-Ah whispered softly. "Sae-Ri, you should've asked for tempura too." "Oh please. You think Yoon-Ho oppa's that stingy? He'll probably bring it on his own." "If we don't say anything about soondae, he probably won't get it, right? Wait, do they even have soondae in Tokyo?" "Eun-Bi unnie told me about a place that sells tteokbokki sets. They have a full set with soondae. Don't worry." "What about tempura?" "Of course they've got it!" Tomorrow was the Tokyo regional preliminaries for Project I.O.A, and they were talking about eating tteokbokki, soondae, and fried snacks for a late-night meal. Yet I decided to let it go. They could just eat a little. Anyway, after trading ten billion yen for a tteokbokki set, I looked at Hiroshi's face. He looked completely blank. Then finally, he whispered multiple times to Tetsuya, who was interpreting. "Are you sure that's what you just interpreted? They are choosing tteokbokki instead of ten billion yen?" "Yes. That's what they said. They honestly don't care about money." "How does that make sense? Why don't they care about money?" Holding back a laugh, I addressed Hiroshi. "Mr. Hiroshi, do you have a system here that can make video calls? I think we should ask Yeon-Hee and Eun-Bi too." Though Eun-Ah and Sae-Ri had agreed with my opinion, I still needed to hear from the other two. At that moment, a spark of hope returned to Hiroshi's fading expression. It was likely false hope, though. "Yes, of course! If you give me their number, we can connect to the video call right away." I passed over Assistant Manager Lee Ju-Yung's number. A moment later, a video call was established in the AMOSE meeting room with Lee Ju-Yung, who was at the hotel for the Daegu regional preliminaries of Project I.O.A. Her face appeared on the large LCD screen in the meeting room. -Yes, Mr. Jung. What's going on? "There's a proposal from the Japanese side, and I wanted to talk to Yeon-Hee and Eun-Bi about it. Could you bring them over?" Lee Ju-Yung turned her head and called into the hotel room. -Girls~ Mr. Jung is calling from Japan. Can you come out for a sec? At that moment, the door opened and the two girls in Powertuff Girls pajamas came running out excitedly. -Isn't Yoon-Ho oppa in Japan, though? -Yeah, he is. It's an international call. -But why is he calling at this time? They were excited at first, but the moment they realized it was a video call, they screamed and dove behind the sofa. They were embarrassed about being seen in Powertuff Girls pajamas, so I was about to hang up and switch to speakerphone. Just then, Woo Yeon-Hee and Yang Eun-Bi peeked their heads out from behind the sofa. Yeon-Hee cautiously asked. -Yoon-Ho oppa, what is it? "Ah, I'm sorry. I got a good proposal here in Japan and wanted to ask how you two felt about it. I'll turn off the video call and switch to speakerphone." Yang Eun-Bi nodded too. I explained the offer of ten billion yen in exchange for reducing Korean activities and focusing more on Japan. Also, I added it would require releasing a Japanese album and preparing for a solo concert. I said honestly, it was a good offer, though it meant more Japanese activity. Suddenly, Yang Eun-Bi leaned her chin on the back of the sofa and spoke. -What do you think, oppa? "Your opinions matter more than mine." -Oh, come on~ You always choose what's best for us. So tell us what you think first. We'll decide after hearing that. It felt like roles were reversed, but since they asked, I had to answer. "We can't just abandon our Korean fans. If we get greedy for money and focus only on overseas, we'll end up shortening the group's life. That's why I'm personally against it." Yang Eun-Bi nodded, then shrugged her shoulders and replied in a mock-rap tone. -You think it, I think it. Oppa's thoughts are my thoughts. Okay? 'Is she starting to act like Sae-Ri now? You think it, I think it... Wow.' Woo Yeon-Hee nodded in agreement. -I feel the same as Eun-Bi. Please just do whatever you think is best for us, oppa. Their answers were just as I expected. But just then, Yang Eun-Bi grinned and teased Sae-Ri through the screen. -Hey, Sae-Ri~ We already ordered tteokbokki for a late-night snack~ Sae-Ri bristled as she looked at the screen. "We're eating too, okay? Soondae, tteokbokki, fried snacks—we're having it all!!" -Hmph! Bet you don't even know how good Daegu tteokbokki is, huh? And we've got flat dumplings[1] too~ You dip them in soy sauce with red pepper flakes and chopped green onion.[2] It's amazing~ You can mix them into tteokbokki too~ The fish cake is great too~ I bet they don't even have flat dumplings in Japan~ Yang Eun-Bi teased Sae-Ri like a rapper, keeping the rhythm. At that moment, Sae-Ri turned to me with the most pitiful expression in the world. "Yoon-Ho oppa~ They don't have flat dumplings in Japan? Really?" The ten billion yen was already out of her mind, and she was fixated on dumplings now. 'Why wouldn't they have them? They might not have Daegu-style flat dumplings[3], but I will flatten gyoza myself if I have to.' "Don't worry. They have them in Japan too." Sae-Ri lit up and turned back to the screen. "Hmph! See? Japan has them too! And I'm having ramen too~" 'Sae-Ri, I didn't say anything about buying you ramen.' Yang Eun-Bi didn't back down. -Ramen? Hmph! We've got red fish cakes here~ Seeing where this was going, it looked like a never-ending childish food war. I quickly cut them off. "Okay, so that means you two are also saying no to the offer, right?" -I want fried chi—ah. Yes. No, we're not doing it. Yang Eun-Bi had started to say fried chicken, then caught my look and corrected herself. "And go easy on late-night snacks, Eun-Bi. Keep it up and your face will turn into a full moon. Your face is already starting to get rounder..." -What did you say? O-Oppa. I... I can't hear you... static... chi...chi... "This is a video call. I can see everything." Yang Eun-Bi stuck out her tongue. -Tch. Fine. We'll do as you say. Travel safe, okay~? "Yeah. I'll take care of things here and head back." When the video call ended, I slowly turned my head. Hiroshi looked completely stunned. I shrugged and said, "The other girls said no too." Hiroshi gave a hollow laugh, then gave up on making any further offers. The contract with AMOSE was finalized as originally planned: focusing on Korean activities while occasionally promoting in Japan. The revenue split for the next three years would be 50:50. The concerts would also proceed as joint concerts for the time being, with Cherry Blossom as the main act. Once the negotiation wrapped up, Hiroshi changed his tone and spoke with sincerity. "From now on, we'll do our utmost with the Japanese business. I promise you won't regret choosing AMOSE." True to his reputation—tough in negotiations, but fully committed once partnered—Hiroshi pledged generous support. Kang Gam-Chan nodded with a satisfied smile. "I should be the one thanking you. Signing this deal during such a difficult time means we no longer have to worry about Aris Production or its parent company, Bunnies Production." "Hahaha. Bunnies? They're old news. These days, most of the industry's above board. Those guys don't have the power they used to. There's no need to worry. Now, shall we discuss tomorrow's matters?" Tomorrow's Tokyo preliminaries for Project I.O.A will be held at Nihonz TV. Two of the Japanese judges were from Aris Production: one a director, the other a producer. But now that we had switched partners, the judges had to be changed too. Hiroshi pointed to his left. "For one of the replacement judges, how about my eldest son Tetsuya here?" Tetsuya, the eldest son, was a dead ringer for his celebrity mother with striking looks. A gifted graduate of prestigious Tokyo University, he was the heir to AMOSE after Hiroshi. He had even debuted as a popular idol in his teens with the group Big Match, so he was more than qualified to judge idols. He was also fluent in Korean and could interpret if needed. Kang Ji-Yung readily agreed. "That sounds good to me." Not only Kang Gam-Chan, but Ahn Ye-Eum and I also gave our approval. Then, Hiroshi moved to select the other remaining judge. "Let's see. I suppose we'll need to pick one from among our producers..." Just then, we heard a knock on the door. The door opened, and in walked a chubby man with a cute impression about 170cm tall. It was Hiroshi's second son, Ito Sasuke. "Yes. Come say hello, Sasuke." Sasuke bowed toward us. "Nice to meet you. I'm Sasuke." He spoke in Korean even more fluently than his older brother. At twenty-five-years old, Ito Sasuke had been like a younger brother to me before the regression. Back around this time, he was often teased inside the company as 'Lacking Sasuke.' Compared to his older brother Tetsuya, a Tokyo University graduate and former idol, Sasuke had only a high school diploma and was known simply as an idol otaku. So while Tetsuya was receiving heir training as managing director, Sasuke had spent three quiet years as a mid-level assistant manager in the Idol Merch Planning Department. However, I knew that Sasuke would become the one to change the fate of AMOSE. Three years from now, Hiroshi's health would decline, forcing him to hand over the company to Tetsuya. Then, Tetsuya, acting unilaterally, would inflict massive losses on the company within six months. The real issue came afterward. When the board protested, Tetsuya attempted to sell his shares to Bunnies Production. At that moment, 'Lacking Sasuke' stood up and publicly opposed him, blocking his older brother's plan. In front of those who had always treated him like an ugly duckling, he declared that he must carry on his father's legacy. There was quite a struggle, but having already given up, Tetsuya handed over the near-bankrupt AMOSE to his younger brother. From that moment on, Sasuke poured himself into saving the company, taking on every difficult task. And astonishingly, AMOSE began to recover rapidly from the brink of bankruptcy. Leveraging his idol fandom expertise, Sasuke launched several successful idol groups from their trainee pool. He also continuously released high-demand merchandise, partnered with convenience stores for branded products, and even released a successful idol game. Eventually, AMOSE not only regained its past glory but grew into a larger entertainment company than it had ever been under his father. And now, I have met Sasuke here—the very person who would lead all that success. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⚑𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⚑𝕟𝕖𝕥 'Good to see you, Sasuke.' After looking at Sasuke for a moment, I turned to Hiroshi. "Mr. Sasuke is an expert in idols, how about having him serve as the other judge?" Hiroshi looked surprised. And so did Sasuke, who had just entered the room. "M-me?" When I called him an expert rather than an otaku, even he didn't seem convinced. He hadn't broken out of his shell yet, so that was understandable. "Dad... I mean, Mr. Hiroshi... what's going on...?" As flustered as his son was, Hiroshi was equally surprised. After a brief moment of thought, he shook his head. "I appreciate you looking out for my lacking second son, but I think that seat should go to a producer." "Then at least, I'd like Mr. Sasuke to be my Japanese business partner. Since he's an expert in idols, I think I could use his advice." "Haha. Alright. I was going to assign you a chief-level partner, but if that's what you want, let's do that. He may be an inadequate and lacking child of mine, but he's kind. I'm sure you can trust him. I'll count on you." When Hiroshi bowed his head politely to me, I returned the bow and thought to myself. 'A lacking second son? Just wait. That lacking son will become the next master of AMOSE, inheriting your legacy.' Then Sasuke, looking a little awkward, bowed his head as well. "Please take good care of me... Mr. Jung." Though there wasn't much confidence in Sasuke's greeting, there was sincere politeness. "I look forward to working with you, Mr. Sasuke." Sasuke had been a very loyal friend to me before the regression. But the truth was, I had received a lot of help from him too. That was the reason I planned to awaken Sasuke, who was like an ultra-undervalued stock, much earlier this time. After all, the amount of damage both the company and I suffered because of Tetsuya was too much to even speak of. 'Sasuke. From now on, I'm going to raise you myself.' It was time to begin a value investment. "Then let's meet at the TV station around noon tomorrow." We agreed to send an official notice ending the agreement with Aris Production tomorrow, and then sign the new partnership. As soon as Hiroshi nodded, our group finally stood up from our seats. We were all smiles as Hiroshi, Tetsuya, and Sasuke escorted us downstairs to the lobby. Since our car was parked in the basement level, we passed through the lobby and exited through the main doors. But just then, three black Binz sedans approached and blocked our path. The doors opened and six men in black suits stepped out all at once. Every single one had a nasty look, and one of them had a koi tattoo crawling up his neck. They looked like yakuza at first glance. As the six of them lined up in formation, the biggest man in a suit approached me. With a menacing face, he stopped right in front of me. He stared at me down and said in a threatening tone, "You'll need to come with us for a moment, Chief Jung." At that moment, everyone in our group tensed up. However, I didn't flinch at the sight of those rough faces. After all, I had been waiting for them to show up. 3. Daegu-style flat dumplings ☜