The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 110

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Gate Burst Open on My Debut Day (110)
We continued watching the broadcast.
After Kang Hae-soo, Okada also claimed first place, sparking heated discussions across SNS and Community Sites about which team would ultimately win the championship.
Some argued the Idol Team might actually take it, others insisted that was unlikely, but some countered that failing to win under these circumstances would be equally strange.
While people excitedly debated which team—the Idol Team or the Athlete Team—would emerge victorious.
The final mission was revealed.
[Rock-paper-scissors after all that buildup?]
[Rock-paper-scissors is such a waste of budget lol]
[Guess the production budget ran dry]
The moment the final mission was announced, viewers unleashed a torrent of criticism.
I understand.
I was shocked when I first heard about it too.
Still, it should be entertaining.
[Wow, Kim Chowol is even good at rock-paper-scissors]
[Good at what lol rock-paper-scissors is just luck]
[So the Athlete Team and Idol Team are facing off in the finals]
[Now this is fun lol if the Athlete Team loses, the Idol Team wins right away]
And finally, the Veteran Athlete and I stood face to face.
My face filled the screen.
[“Senior.
“Huh?”
“I’m going to throw rock.”
“What?”]
With tense sound effects, they zoomed in on the Veteran Athlete’s bewildered expression.
I glanced at the live chat window.
New messages were scrolling up at a terrifying speed.
[Insane lol he’s playing mind games here lol]
[Isn’t Kim Chowol a rookie? What kind of rookie plays mind games with a veteran senior lol his nerve is crazy]
[Is he really that much of a veteran though? Yoon Hyun-seok hasn’t been in entertainment that long]
The chat began discussing the Veteran Athlete.
[Maybe two years? He’s not really that much of a veteran lol]
[Yoon Hyun-seok ruined team morale as a coach and got kicked out, then tried to be a commentator and got slammed for bias, and now he’s sniffing around variety shows lol everyone knows this]
[Still, even someone who is 2 years your senior is a senior ㅠㅠ He is much older, so it’s a bit of a shame to ignore him too much ㅠㅠ]
“When did I ever ignore you? I just said I’d give you the scissors, that’s all lol”
“lol and it’s not like I was cursing or anything, entertainment is all about being fun lol”
I watched the chat about the Veteran Athlete with interest.
He was apparently quite famous in professional baseball circles.
[Hyun-seok… back when you were playing and your batting wasn’t working, you’d throw tantrums and bully your juniors—did you think this wouldn’t come back to you? You should’ve been kinder]
[Real talk, it all comes back around lol it’s all your karma]
[I saw it coming from when he first approached Kang Hae-soo and acted friendly lol that habit of bullying juniors never changed lol]
[Frankly, Kang Hae-soo didn’t even go to the same high school, and he quit baseball—how can you even call him a junior? What’s he planning to do if Kang Hae-soo succeeds as an idol?]
Watching the chat mercilessly mock and tear into the Veteran Athlete, I felt the lingering resentment inside me finally melting away.
[Wow, Kim Chowol totally won lol lol lol]
[No, it’s true that I literally believe the saying of cutting out scissors… he]
[He never expected such a distant junior to trick him lol lol lol]
[If he really believed that, there’s seriously something wrong with his intelligence]
In any case, the Necessity is the Mother of Invention special project ended successfully.
In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a Guild special episode rather than just a special project—there was so much content.
The explosive response was thanks to the careful editing work.
I recalled the Main PD who had given us a subtle hint when we first met.
‘That PD… the first impression wasn’t great, but she really knows how to do her job perfectly.’
I’d forgive her this time.
I grinned and slipped my phone into my pocket.
I felt like I could get some good sleep tonight.
* * *
The next day.
We were called to the Company.
Idol groups that debut through Idol Survival Audition Programs are typically operated either through a label directly established by the broadcasting station, or through outsourcing to an external label.
Both approaches had distinct advantages and disadvantages.
The former allows the broadcasting station to control everything directly, enabling faster decision-making and consistent group concept and branding from the program stage onward.
The latter entrusts operations to a label with existing management experience, offering higher expertise. It also allows the broadcasting station to distribute operational risks externally.
But ultimately, it all came down to money.
In the latter case, the broadcasting station’s share shrinks because profits must be split with the external label.
There could be conflicts of opinion between the broadcasting station and the label, and depending on contract terms, control over the group could become ambiguous.
That’s why Music Day chose the former approach.
“Our little treasures!”
As we entered the Company, the CEO of DAYLAB, the label established by Music Day, greeted us warmly.
At first, I thought he was just an ordinary employee.
‘What kind of CEO comes all the way down to the Underground Parking Lot to wait for his own artists?’
He looked to be in his forties and appeared quite young—if the Manager hadn’t tipped me off, I would never have known.
I bowed respectfully and greeted him politely.
“Hello, CEO. I’m Kim Chowol, Leader of Guild.”
“Kim Chowol! Of course, of course. Our number one treasure who debuted in first place.”
The CEO grasped my hand warmly as he greeted me.
He seemed to be in such a good mood that his smile never left his face.
“And this is our number two treasure who debuted in second place, Yoo Sung.”
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Yoo Sung.”
“And this is our number three treasure who debuted in third place….”
The CEO shook hands with each of us in order of our debut rankings.
The CEO’s personality seemed genuinely pleasant.
Still, it’s too early to let my guard down.
After exchanging greetings with the CEO, we headed up to the eighth floor where the office was located.
“This is our office.”
The CEO introduced the office with pride as we stepped out of the elevator.
I was taken aback by how cramped it was compared to what I’d expected.
‘Come to think of it… didn’t he say we’re the only artist under the label?’
Before the EX-Grade K-POP Idol, Music Day had produced numerous Idol Survival Audition Programs.
However, until now, they had operated groups by outsourcing them to external labels.
Establishing a label directly required significant capital and carried substantial risk.
That’s why contracts were typically short and intense—usually two years, at most five.
But Guild’s contract period is seven years.
The EX-Grade K-POP Idol and Guild represented Music Day’s carefully crafted program and group.
“This way, this way.”
The CEO guided us to the conference room.
Inside were two men and one woman who appeared to be employees.
“These are our team leaders.”
They’re all quite young?
I’d thought the CEO was young, but these team leaders looked surprisingly youthful as well.
At most, they looked to be in their mid-thirties.
In a typical corporation, they’d barely have made manager rank at that age, yet here they were already team leaders.
“Hello, I’m Lee Soo-jin, head of the Artist Team.”
“I’m Oh Seung-min, head of the Creative Team.”
“I’m Choi Do-hyun, head of the Business Team.”
The CEO briefly explained what each team did.
The Artist Team was the one we’d interact with most—they handled scheduling, transportation, and on-site management.
Vocal and dance training would be outsourced to external instructors, he said.
The Creative Team handled album planning and song selection, and they also oversaw collaborations with external production companies.
The Business Team managed merchandise planning and sales, as well as advertising and sponsorship contracts.
‘Hmm….’
I narrowed my eyes and quickly scanned the team leaders’ faces.
Then I tilted my head slightly to count how many employees were actually in the office.
‘One, two, three, four… seven? Including the three team leaders in the conference room… ten people total?’
Isn’t that a bit… few?
Even if we’re the only artist under the label, running things with just ten people including the team leaders would be pretty tight.
The small entertainment agency where I’d trained for five years had only three or four active idol groups, yet they had two hundred employees.
Of course, they also had actors and entertainers working as solo artists, but even combined, it didn’t add up to ten.
“You know all the variety shows we filmed turned out to be huge hits, right? I’m so proud I could burst.”
“CEO, just a week ago you said we had to appear on Let’s Eat Well and Live Well….”
“Our Choi here really says the most unnecessary things. How was I supposed to know that show’s host was a drug offender?”
For the record, the host of “Let’s Eat Well and Live Well” had been extensively reported as a drug offender just a week prior.
The channel is currently closed.
Through this incident, I came to completely trust my foresight ability.
“Anyway, when you listen to what our little blessings say, even sleeping people wake up to find rice cakes—that’s what I mean.”
The CEO gazed at us warmly as he spoke.
I opened my eyes slightly and studied the expressions of the CEO and team leaders.
By this point, I couldn’t help but notice something was off.
‘Why are they building us up like this…?’
As if laying groundwork for something.
“So… the reason I called our precious little blessings here is….”
The CEO, who had been lavishing praise on us, finally got to the main point.
“We need to start preparing for your debut.”
We weren’t surprised.
We’d anticipated this to some degree since receiving the call to come to the company.
We simply thought the moment had finally arrived.
“While filming the variety show this time… I became certain.”
The CEO spoke with a solemn expression.
Unease began to seep up from deep within my chest.
“Our little blessings really don’t need to worry at all!”
It was clearly praise, yet something felt strange.
I glanced sideways at the team leaders, who had been keeping their mouths shut since earlier.
The team leaders whose eyes met mine cleared their throats awkwardly and averted their gazes.
“So what I want to say is, for our group’s concept….”
The CEO, who had paused for effect, lifted one corner of his mouth into a smirk.
“…I think it would be good to go with in-house production.”
“I’m sorry…?”
Boom!
The CEO had dropped a bomb.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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