The morning after the M Countdown performance, the small Aura Management office felt like the epicenter of an earthquake. The air itself seemed to vibrate with a frantic, chaotic energy. The whiteboard on the wall, once a symbol of their hopeful planning, was now covered in new, explosive metrics that seemed to change every time Han Yoo-jin updated them. The remnants of a celebratory late-night meal—empty boxes of fried chicken and half-finished bottles of soda—were strewn across their folding table, evidence of a victory they had been too wired to properly clean up after.
The phone, a cheap landline Yoo-jin had installed just a week ago, was ringing with a relentless, shrieking persistence. He had been on it since seven in the morning, fielding a dizzying barrage of calls from people who wouldn't have given him the time of day just twenty-four hours earlier.
"No, I'm sorry, she is not available for a guest appearance on Weekly Idol at this time," he said into the receiver, his voice calm and professional despite the chaos swirling around him. He scribbled a note on a legal pad. "Yes, I understand it's a very popular show and a great opportunity for exposure. We're being very selective with her first round of appearances. Thank you for the generous offer, we'll certainly consider it in the future." He hung up, and before his hand could even leave the receiver, it rang again.
"Look at this!" Go Min-young exclaimed, her voice a mixture of awe and panic. She spun her laptop around. "The official performance video from Mnet's channel… it has over three million views already. It's not even been twelve hours! Melon Music's main landing page has a huge editor's pick banner with Da-eun's face on it! It just says 'The Debut of a Monster Rookie.' And we're number one on the real-time search rankings on every major portal site—Naver, Daum, Nate…"
Ahn Da-eun was sitting quietly amidst the storm, watching it all unfold with a stunned, wide-eyed disbelief. She was scrolling through her newly-created, now-verified Instagram account. The follower count, which had been a respectable 100,000 just yesterday, was ticking past half a million. An endless stream of comments in dozens of different languages flooded her posts. The system panel next to her head, which only Yoo-jin could see, was a swirl of disbelieving thoughts. [Is this real? Are they all talking about me? Yesterday I was invisible. I was just the girl who works at the convenience store. Today… I'm this.]
Yoo-jin finally managed a break between calls and stood before the whiteboard, trying to bring order to the chaos. He began to categorize the flood of incoming offers. The sheer volume was staggering.
Under a heading he wrote ENDORSEMENTS, he listed the first few. "A major cosmetics brand, HERA, wants Da-eun as the new face for their 'natural beauty' line. They're offering a surprisingly high nine-figure-won fee for a six-month contract. A popular sports drink company wants her for a summer CF."
Under MEDIA, the list was even longer. "Every major news outlet from Chosun Ilbo to Hankyoreh wants an exclusive interview. Vogue Korea, Elle, GQ—they all want to do a fashion spread and interview feature."
And under BROADCAST, the most shocking list of all. "Multiple variety shows—Running Man, Knowing Bros.—want her as a guest. Three different radio shows want her for an on-air live performance. And… we have a proposal to sing the main theme song for a new tvN drama."
The team was dazzled. This was the dream. This was the tangible proof of success they had all been fighting for. This was victory.
Yoo-jin, however, knew that every golden apple could have a worm inside. He looked at the list not as a set of trophies, but as a minefield. His job wasn't just to find opportunities; it was to protect his artist from the wrong ones.
He focused his Producer's Eye on the first offer on the list: the HERA cosmetics deal.
[OFFER: HERA Endorsement] -> [Underlying Motive: They want to capitalize on her current 'natural, unpolished, authentic' image. However, the contract contains a strict and extensive 'morality and image control' clause. It would grant the company veto power over her future musical concepts, personal style, and even her social media posts to ensure she remains 'on-brand.' The contract is a gilded cage designed to stifle her artistic freedom.]
He drew a firm line through the offer on the whiteboard. "We pass," he said.
"What?" Min-young asked, shocked. "But that's a huge amount of money! It could fund our company for a whole year!"
"They're not buying her image, they're buying the right to own and control it," Yoo-jin explained calmly. "The moment she signs that, she's back in a box, just a more expensive one. We are not selling control. Next."
He scanned the drama OST proposal. The show was a highly anticipated romance starring a top actor.
[OFFER: tvN Drama OST] -> [Associated Drama Scandal Factor: 85%] -> [Details: The male lead actor has a hidden history of severe verbal abuse towards staff. High probability of on-set conflict leaking to the press mid-broadcast. The ensuing scandal will taint all associated projects, including the soundtrack.]
"Pass," he said again, his face grim. He didn't need to explain this one. He was demonstrating his most unique value as the "Scandal-Proof Producer," seeing the invisible icebergs before they could sink their ship.
Amidst the flood of calls from powerful network executives and advertising agents, his phone buzzed with a call from a number he had saved just a week ago. He smiled and answered it immediately.
"Hello?"
"Manager Han… I mean, CEO Han," a soft, trembling voice said on the other end. It was Lee Seo-yeon. "I… I saw the performance last night. My mother and I, we watched it together. We were… we were crying." Her voice was thick with emotion. "It was so beautiful. The song, her voice… it was everything music is supposed to be. Thank you. Thank you for showing them that a performance like that can succeed."
There was no jealousy in her voice, only a pure, heartfelt gratitude that someone had finally won a battle she had lost. Her call was a grounding force for Yoo-jin, a lighthouse in the chaotic storm of sudden fame. It was a powerful reminder of his core mission, of all the other Lee Seo-yeons the industry had chewed up and spat out.
"Seo-yeon," he said, his voice serious and sincere. "I haven't forgotten my promise. Keep practicing your singing. Keep that fire alive. When Aura Management is ready for our second artist, you will be my first call." He meant it.
After hanging up, feeling a renewed sense of purpose, he turned back to the whiteboard. After striking out more than half of the offers, he circled one. "This is it," he announced. "This is our next move."
The offer was for an appearance on Yoo Hee-yeol's Sketchbook. It wasn't the show with the highest ratings or the biggest celebrity hosts. But it was, without question, the most respected music talk show in all of Korea. It was a show for true musicians, where the focus was on intimate live performance and intelligent conversation about the craft, not on silly games or pre-packaged gags. To be invited onto Sketchbook, especially as a rookie, was a mark of true artistic legitimacy.
"This is the perfect platform for us," Yoo-jin explained. "It solidifies our brand as serious artists. It allows Da-eun to connect with the public through her music and her story, not through aegyo or a dance challenge."
The team erupted in a fresh wave of cheers. This felt even bigger than M Countdown. This was the ultimate validation from the part of the industry they respected most. As they celebrated their next incredible milestone, however, Yoo-jin felt a familiar prickle of unease. They were no longer the underdogs. They were the most talked-about rookies in the country. Their sudden fame hadn't just opened doors; it had also painted a massive target on their backs. The game had leveled up, and he knew, with absolute certainty, that the monsters were leveling up with it.