Kang Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung entered the main conference room, where CEO Ha Seo-hwan, executives, and team leaders from each departnt had gathered.
"Hello-"
"Good afternoon-"
Perhaps feeling awkward due to the heavy atmosphere, the mbers gave half-hearted greetings. Rojun also glanced at the gathered employees and greeted them appropriately. Seeing them, CEO Ha Seo-hwan gave a faint smile.
"I called you here. You must be in the middle of intense practice, so I apologize for the interruption."
The voice ca from behind Rojun and the mbers. A rather weak tone.
"No- it's okay."
It was the voice of Manager Kim Ki-baek. He peeked his head through the them, and CEO Ha Seo-hwan, still smiling, asked him,
"Manager Kim, you're adapting quickly."
"I'm struggling as best I can."
"I have high expectations."
"Ah- um, yes."
Manager Kim Ki-baek gave an odd reply and whispered just loud enough for only the boys to hear.
"Though I hope the expectations are kept reasonable. Right?"
Kang Rojun replied in a lower voice.
"Just say it. Clearly."
"Is there any reason to get expelled right after transferring? Especially in front of CEO Ha Seo-hwan, we really have to watch our mouths."
"He's an amazing person, right?"
"Well- in this industry, he's a legend, a legend. He's also my role model."
Rojun slowly nodded and fixed his gaze on CEO Ha Seo-hwan. CEO Ha leisurely crossed his legs and nodded to a few staff mbers. Extra chairs were quickly set up in front of Rojun and the mbers.
"Sit down."
Despite the aura he gave off, CEO Ha Seo-hwan spoke quite gently as he addressed the A&R team staff standing at the front.
"It’s a bit of trouble, but please repeat the briefing you gave us for the mbers too."
"Ah, yes, understood!"
Then CEO Ha Seo-hwan turned his head toward Kang Rojun.
"We were in the process of deciding your group na. But I was curious about what the mbers themselves thought."
Ah, so that’s why we were called. Kang Rojun muttered inwardly and noticed the letters displayed on the screen in front. It had a distinctly professional feel.
'Group na candidates and- explanations written there?'
Then-
'Ah!!'
Rojun spotted sothing that included his own thoughts.
-[GreenBee: A suggestion from mber Rojun in the past. A pure Korean word aning ‘a longed-for man’.]
A naless sense of embarrassnt surged within him.
'I an, having it posted up there like that is a bit... awkward. It's not great. I thought it was okay back then.'
Manager Kim Ki-baek, sitting beside him, chid in.
"GreenBee- when I first saw it, I thought it was so kind of green bee? But turns out it’s a pure Korean word."
Stop it, please. Rojun scread inwardly in embarrassnt just as the staff mber continued the briefing on each group na candidate. Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung all listened attentively. anwhile, Kang Rojun looked at the group na candidates on the screen with admiration.
'As expected, when professionals get involved, the group nas really are, on a different level. Well, of course they are.'
GN Entertainnt was a major company and must have gone through this process countless tis. The group na he had casually co up with was nowhere near comparable. So were they supposed to pick one from these candidates? Rojun carefully mulled over each listed group na while listening to the explanations.
'Hmm-'
All the group nas were usable, and their anings were stylish, but for Kang Rojun.
'I think Vanguard is super cool.'
One group na particularly stood out. Vanguard.
'It rolls off the tongue nicely, but more than that, I like the aning.'
It gave off a unique image, along with a sense of charisma leading at the forefront of trends and everything else. Kang Rojun glanced at the mbers seated around him. He wondered what they were thinking.
At that mont.
"That’s all."
The staff's explanation ended. At so point, CEO Ha Seo-hwan had taken off his suit jacket and threw a question at Kang Rojun and the mbers.
"Which one do you like, or even if there’s none you like, feel free to say so. I’ll give you ti to think if you need it."
Then, making eye contact with Rojun.
"Rojun, since it’s your idea, 'GreenBee'?"
Kang Rojun imdiately shook his head.
"No."
"Then?"
"'GreenBee' just popped out casually, that's all."
For no reason, Kang Rojun rubbed his chin lightly and said what he liked right away.
“I like ‘Vanguard.’”
“...And the reason?”
“It’s just, it feels like it suits us well. The aning behind it.”
Then Si-hoo, with wide eyes, chid in.
“Oh! too.”
Followed by Kang-min.
“We’re in sync. I liked ‘Vanguard’ the most too.”
Do-kyung also shared the sa sentint as Rojun.
“‘Vanguard’, even sounds hip.”
Though they hadn’t particularly shared their thoughts beforehand, all four of them felt the sa. Kang Rojun looked around at the mbers, wondering if they were serious, but their eyes were honest. Seeing that, CEO Ha Seo-hwan smiled with the charm of a refined middle-aged man.
“Then the group na is settled, ‘Vanguard’.”
From the team leaders to the executives, so looked a bit surprised as they glanced at CEO Ha Seo-hwan. Their expressions said, “That’s it? Just like that without further discussion?” Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung had similar reactions.
‘Is- is this really okay??!’
Rather than feeling shocked, Kang Rojun ntally gave the CEO a thumbs up.
‘He’s got such a cool, decisive personality.’
Regardless, CEO Ha Seo-hwan gave instructions to everyone.
“The group na is confird as ‘Vanguard'. Proceed accordingly. However.”
He designated the day ‘Vanguard’ would be revealed.
“It would be best to reveal ‘Vanguard’ on stage.”
A little later.
Once the eting ended, CEO Ha Seo-hwan left, followed by the staff and executives. Rojun and the boys no, the mbers of ‘Vanguard’ also exited. Manager Kim Ki-baek remained in the eting room, apparently needing to speak with other teams.
Soon, as Kang Rojun ca out into the hallway, Manager Kim Ki-baek called to him.
“Rojun.”
Kang Rojun turned around, and Manager Kim Ki-baek whispered to him in his usual weak tone.
“‘GreenBee’ didn’t make it as the group na, but I didn’t think it was bad.”
There’s really no need to comfort ... Rojun felt a fresh wave of embarrassnt.
“As I said earlier, that one was just sothing I said casually.”
“Yeah, yeah, I heard it was just a passing idea. But- still, I feel like it’s a bit of a waste. ‘GreenBee', a man one longs for. It’s interesting, and it’s a pure Korean word.”
“That’s true.”
“What if you used it not as a group na, but as a song title later?”
“As a song title?”
“Yes. It could work for storytelling too. It was almost the group na before ‘Vanguard', but ended up as the title of a song called ‘GreenBee’.”
Thinking it wasn’t a bad idea, Kang Rojun clapped inwardly with both hands.
‘Not bad at all?’
Unaware of this reaction, Manager Kim Ki-baek shrugged.
“Think about it.”
Then, with his usual drained aura, Manager Kim Ki-baek went back into the eting room. At that point, Kang Rojun thought,
‘Hmm, ‘GreenBee’ huh-’
And recalled the upcoming composition task for a dance track.
The next morning at GN Entertainnt.
From early in one of the practice rooms, singing could be heard.
-♬♪
Judging by the song being ‘Bold’, it was obvious that the people inside were Kang Rojun and the mbers. The four of them had started practice early in the morning, before even all the GN Entertainnt employees had arrived. Outside the practice room, Manager Kim Ki-baek and a few staff mbers were waiting.
Today, Manager Kim Ki-baek was wearing a long padded coat. He leaned lightly against the wall and gave a weak smile to the other employees.
“Um- let’s wait just a little longer. I don’t want to interrupt the kids’ practice.”
A few minutes later, once the music inside stopped, Manager Kim Ki-baek finally moved. The other staff mbers followed. When the practice room door opened, Kang Rojun and the mbers, slightly out of breath, turned their heads. Rojun glanced not at Manager Kim Ki-baek, but at the staff behind him.
‘Caras??’
About two out of the five people were holding caras. Then Manager Kim Ki-baek addressed the mbers.
“We’ll be launching the ‘Vanguard’ YouTube channel soon. These people here are the team for the ‘Vanguard’ YouTube channel.”
The mbers and Kang Rojun bowed politely. The staff did the sa. In the anti, Rojun beca curious about the YouTube channel he’d only heard of before.
‘Oh- a YouTube channel just for us??’
Of course, Kang Rojun had seen them before. Music videos and clips from popular idols easily hit millions of views, sotis even tens of millions. Manager Kim Ki-baek continued his explanation.
“For today, it’s just a simple greeting to the fans? That, and we’ll film a bit of your practice. Also, I think it’d be nice to include you having lunch a bit later.”
Eating? Why film that? Kang Rojun tilted his head and asked.
“They film stuff like that too?”
Manager Kim Ki-baek made a light eating gesture.
“Things like that surprisingly go over well with fans. Just a simple eating scene can create relatability and give a fuller dinsion to your daily lives.”
“Ah-”
“Think of it as a form of communication. Start small, and then at so point, hit with sothing strong. There needs to be a rhythm to video uploads too.”
Kang Rojun and the mbers didn’t fully get it at the mont, but figured they’d understand soday. Soon, the YouTube team staff finished setting up the caras. Interestingly, they were installed not in front of the mbers, but behind them. This too was part of Manager Kim Ki-baek’s intention.
“We’re going to show your backs while practicing, give it a teaser vibe.”
Since it was a simple shoot, it didn’t take long. Once the mbers gathered again, Manager Kim Ki-baek told them when to expect the YouTube channel to launch.
“We’ll of course be filming your congratulatory performance at the SBC Acting Awards, and I think the YouTube channel will probably launch after that.”
He then looked at Kang Rojun, who was dressed casually.
“Of course, we’ll need to upload Rojun’s red carpet walk in a tuxedo, right?”
Around early afternoon.
The A&R team, in charge of everything from planning to the public launch of the group. Within that, the staff assigned specifically to ‘Vanguard', which was finalized yesterday, called in Si-hoo separately. As a result, Si-hoo, who had been practicing with the mbers, arrived at the eting room.
-Swish.
Sitting down with a slightly awkward face, the dedicated team staff smiled and asked him,
“Si-hoo-nim, we’re planning to start collecting songs soon. You’re known for your excellent composition skills, right?”
The A&R team already held Si-hoo’s composing abilities in high regard. Not only ‘Witch’, but also the acoustic version and ‘Bold’ from ‘Produce That 100!’ had clearly proven his skills. They had also confird this with PD Woo Han-suk.
“Even the fans of ‘Produce That 100!’ praised your songwriting without reservation.”
At the sudden complint, Si-hoo’s earlobes turned red. Normally, the old Si-hoo would’ve waved his hands and denied it, but in that brief mont, Kang Rojun’s advice flashed through his mind.
'Hyung, you should be more confident. You’re seriously amazing. When it’s ti to nod, just nod.'
Resolving himself, Si-hoo opened his mouth.
“I also think... so of what I write is pretty good.”
“...Sorry?”
Trying sothing he wasn’t used to, Si-hoo stumbled over his words and quickly corrected himself.
“Ah, ahaha! I think I write well!”
“Haha, yes, yes. We definitely agree. Manager Kim Ki-baek does too. So actually, we were thinking of including so of your songs in the collection for ‘Vanguard’.”
Si-hoo’s eyes widened.
“...My songs??”
“Yes.”
Song collection. Once an idol’s group na and concept are set, the next step is deciding the songs for the debut album. They either receive submissions from nurous composers or request specific ones based on the concept. It’s a complex process, but for a top-tier company like GN Entertainnt, the nation’s best composers line up.
Out of all the submitted songs, at most five would be selected.
Still, if a song gets picked, it will proudly be part of ‘Vanguard’s’ debut album. The fact that they were reviewing Si-hoo’s songs ant he had a real opportunity.
Si-hoo, frozen from the shock, remained still until a staff mber continued.
“There’s no pressure. Just because we include your songs doesn’t an they’re automatically confird. They’ll have to match ‘Vanguard’s’ concept, and there are many factors to consider. But we really want to listen.”
“...I-I’ve composed quite a lot. Should I give you everything??”
“Yes, of course. You can give us all of them, or you can screen them and hand over a selection first. But we’d really like to hear them all, if possible.”
It felt like a dream, but Si-hoo managed to respond.
“Yes... understood.”
“Once it’s organized, please pass it through Manager Kim.”
Suddenly, Si-hoo thought of Kang Rojun.
“Oh!! Rojun has also started composing!”
The staff’s brows twitched.
“Rojun-nim is composing too? Since when?”
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