Novelist Running Through Time - Chapter 80

TL: KSD

Baekhak Entertainment’s building overflows with welfare facilities for its affiliated entertainers.

Thanks to CEO Baek Seung-won’s complex of being teased for coming from a suit-and-tie guy background rather than an artist, he splurged money on the company to show off to other entertainment company heads who are artists, with a “You guys don’t have this, do you?”

However, close observation revealed that among entertainers, whether actors or idols, a strict hierarchical order existed.

Incidents could occur where someone comfortably lounging in a massage chair would have to awkwardly greet a senior passing by without being able to get up, trapped by the chair in a peculiar posture.

Thus, to use the amenities without minding others, one had to be a senior entertainer, but those people would rather spend big money to go to better and more private facilities.

As a result, very few actually made full use of Baekhak Entertainment’s building amenities.

It’s a harsh reality for CEO Baek Seung-won, but in the end, the budget was misallocated.

However, for veteran actor Kim Byul (1st year at Baekhak Arts High School), whose finances are tightly controlled by her mother, the Baekhak Entertainment rest facilities were an oasis in the desert.

(Though not by choice) With a rather empty schedule, Kim Byul had already mastered all the rest facilities.

A too relaxed voice flowed from Kim Byul, who entrusted her body to the massage chair.

“This is really nice…”

I, too, couldn’t help but marvel, being the only writer in Baekhak Entertainment without a senior to defer to. What would I do if a 10-year idol passed by? To me, they’re just someone from the next neighborhood.

This is the result. Lately, Kim Byul has been taking me around all the rest facilities in Baekhak Entertainment…

After a blissful 25 minutes, getting off the massage chair felt like becoming a new person, and the world seemed different.

Kim Byul smirked proudly.

“Told you it was good, right?”

“It is good…”

“Who was it that said a massage chair is just a massage chair?”

“I take it back…”

“This is a 15 million won massage chair.”

“Oh my…”

No wonder it felt so refreshing; that’s how much money was poured into it. When I asked if I could lie on it once more, Kim Byul firmly refused.

“No. The next course is ready.”

“Is this an entertainment agency or a massage center?”

“I sometimes get confused too, but just follow me. I’ll let you experience the skincare that idol groups get. It’s really on another level.”

Reluctantly, but secretly excited, I followed Kim Byul.

However, as we headed out into the hallway, we had to abandon our comfortable plans for skincare.

“Don’t do this! Why are you suddenly acting like this…!”

A commotion broke out in the quiet corridor.

Unknowingly, we hid ourselves around a corner, anxiously watching the scene unfold.

Several suited men slowly surrounded a cornered employee.

The employee, trembling with fear, tried to dissuade the suited men, but they gradually approached her…

At that moment, I was reminded of the beginning of a zombie movie.

One day, the main characters encounter a scene of humans attacking each other without any warning…

The sight of the suited men closing in on the employee, tightening their circle, carried a tension as if a bloody tragedy could erupt at any moment.

Finally, one of the suited men grabbed the employee’s wrist.

Thankfully, the suited man didn’t bite the employee’s neck.

But that doesn’t mean nothing happened.

Perhaps it was something even more serious.

“You’ll have to come with us.”

“Oh, I can’t…”

The unnamed employee was quickly surrounded by the suited men and then whisked away to somewhere unknown.

Kim Byul and I looked at each other in shock.

“What’s going on? Is it audit season?”

“I, I don’t know either?!”

When we went out to the company lobby, we saw that the suited men weren’t just one or two.

They were taking Baekhak Entertainment employees somewhere like zombies.

“My God…”

Even to someone who knew nothing, it was clear that the atmosphere at the company was unusual.

I didn’t know what it was, but…

Something was happening.

Side EP-Princess Maker

There are a few terrifying situations that would make the heart of an ordinary office worker tremble just by imagining them.

Like accidentally adding an extra zero on an order form, misspeaking in front of the department head, making eye contact with employees talking behind your back, encountering a zombie on the way to work…

Or suddenly, people from the headquarters come down and start causing chaos.

-Hello, I am Kim Myung-woon from the Organizational Innovation Headquarters, Human Resources Innovation Department. Here’s my business card.

-Organizational what? Did our company have such a team…

-We’re from the headquarters.

-Ahhhhh!

One day, people from the headquarters were roaming around the company.

People from oddly named departments were looking around the company with the eyes of a hawk targeting its prey.

They even took key staff members for ‘interviews’ to listen to their work processes.

-Isn’t this an interrogation?!

-It’s ‘research’ for preparing corporate innovation plans.

Rather than zombies, where you could break their heads with a fire extinguisher, you can’t touch a single hair on people from the headquarters.

Thus, Baekhak Entertainment faced a situation slightly more serious than a zombie apocalypse.

As proof, Baekhak Entertainment CEO Baek Seung-won, along with the survivors, couldn’t even barricade the entrance to the CEO’s office and stage a sit-in.

The entrance to the CEO’s office opened like an automatic door, trampled under the feet of the invading army from the headquarters.

Baekhak Entertainment’s CEO Office.

Strangers flooded the space where Baek Seung-won and his close associates held meetings every day, now coming to pay homage to the CEO.

The executives of Baekhak Entertainment were pushed back by their momentum, and only Baek Seung-won stood firm in his place.

CEO Baek Seung-won, maintaining his trademark white suit and sunglasses, was grateful for his sunglasses, which he used as part of his image.

Without them, he wouldn’t have been able to hide his eyes shaking wildly.

Cornered, CEO Baek Seung-won anxiously looked at the leader of the invasion force.

“It’s been a while…”

The person he was looking at was a middle-aged man with a cold demeanor, awkwardly fidgeting in an ill-fitting suit next to Baek Seol-

“Hello, CEO~nim.”

“Why didn’t you say you were coming, Managing Director Kim Myung-woon? Or should I say, are you a Department Head now?”

“I am still a Managing Director.”

“Since when does our company have managing directors serving as department heads? What kind of messed-up system is this?”

“It’s a newly created department. Similar to a TF (Task Force). It’s called the Organizational Innovation Headquarters, and it’s a department that will be disbanded soon after the internal reorganization is completed.”

CEO Baek Seung-won recalled the words written on the business card he had received.

Organizational Innovation Headquarters, Human Resources Innovation Department.

It meant they intended to overhaul the organization and replace people.

‘I’m screwed.’

After the chairman took control by ousting his brother, it seemed he wanted to discipline the company by chopping off a head or two.

And unfortunately, the ‘one’ to be chopped was CEO Baek Seung-won himself.

What should he do to survive this?

He racked his brains but couldn’t find a good solution.

Needing more information, CEO Baek Seung-won offered Director Kim Myung-woon some green tea.

“Sigh. Let’s sit down and have some tea first. Let’s at least hear why you’ve come.”

“If you insist.”

Director Kim Myung-woon, like a grim reaper from headquarters, was diligent in his duty. Since a grim reaper is an official of the underworld, Kim Myung-woon also spoke dryly with an official-like demeanor.

“We plan to split Baekhak Entertainment into several companies.”

***

Manager.

The typical Korean conception of a manager involves someone who takes care of entertainers by fetching them work, managing fan clubs, providing security, offering mental counseling, and acting as a secretary cum servant handling schedules.

However, the concept of a manager, especially in the Western world, is a bit different.

There are business managers who are responsible for work-related management, personal managers who take care of daily life, lawyers who handle contracts, doctors for mental counseling, and so on, meaning the responsibilities are divided.

The most important distinction here is the separation between agency and management.

The same person cannot manage both the business and daily life aspects of an entertainer.

This is because of the legal judgment that one cannot protect the rights of a person with the commercial value of a small to medium-sized enterprise if a single entity controls them.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that entertainers’ rights are perfectly protected over there, but that’s the gist.

If Baekhak Entertainment has been a “Korean manager” up until now,

From now on, Baekhak Entertainment must become an “American manager.”

“Isn’t that the global standard?”

“……”

“This is the Chairman’s future management policy. Globalization. Expansion into overseas markets. We expect your full cooperation for the restructuring needed to achieve this.”

Of course, that’s complete nonsense.

Neither CEO Baek Seung-won nor Director Kim Myung-woon actually cares about anything global.

CEO Baek Seung-won was not so foolish as to miss the implications contained in this “innovation” plan.

If these oddly named people’s “innovation” passes, Baekhak Entertainment will be dismembered.

The music business division will be split into various genre labels.

Subsidiary productions will be separated into independent productions.

The C&C headquarters will be split into Western-style agencies.

What remains would just be the management division, which itself looks set to be shattered into separate companies for managing singers and actors.

Of course, even if it’s split like this, everyone will still be under the same roof of “Baekhak.”

But whereas that roof used to be “Baekhak Entertainment,” it will now become the Baekhak Group headquarters.

Dismantling the Baekhak Entertainment subsidiary to turn each department into subcontractors for the Baekhak Group…

“How about it? This would also better guarantee the autonomy of the artists, wouldn’t it? They will be operating in a more flexible organization. Entertainers won’t have to follow their managers like lords anymore.”

“……”

Being an experienced entrepreneur, CEO Baek Seung-won, instead of saying, “Then the company will go bankrupt, you fucking idiot who knows jack shit about entertainment business,” said this:

“Give me some time… to think about it, Director Kim.”

* * *

“……”

“……”

“……”

There’s an expression called “a suffocating atmosphere.”

I thought it was just a figure of speech, but it wasn’t.

I literally couldn’t breathe.

“……”

“……”

“……”

The Publishing Management Department office was quiet. The dozen or so employees were naturally silent, and the three of us sitting around the meeting room were not opening our mouths either.

There was a joke we had among ourselves last time.

It was a joke about Baek Seol, who had been promoted to deputy head.

-Hey! Managing Director Baek is telling you to stop!

-Ah…! I’m sorry! Executive Director!

-My apologies, CEO. I will strictly educate this young one.

-Please forgive us! Your Excellency!

The joke was about the royal blood of Baekhak, Baek Seol, whose position was humorously escalating every second, but now we could no longer laugh at that joke.

A joke that becomes reality is no longer a joke.

“Um, excuse me…”

I gathered my courage and looked at Baek Seol. Straightening my back, which instinctively wanted to bow from fear, I spoke to Baek Seol, whose face was flushed with embarrassment.

“D, Director~nim…?”

“……”

“Are you, really a director?”

“……”

“Did you really become… an executive?”

Baek Seol chuckled breathlessly and nodded her head. There was no spark in her eyes. She seemed a bit off.

“Yes. I’ve become a director.”

Lim Yang-wook stood up abruptly from his seat.

And he gave a 90-degree bow.

“Greetings, Director~nim!”

“Kyaaak! Don’t do that!”

“I won’t do it! Director~nim!”

“Kyaaaak!”

I grabbed Lim Yang-wook by the arm and pulled him back down to his seat.

And I scolded him harshly.

“Department Head Lim! You’re making the Director uncomfortable!”

“Ah…! Sorry! Director~nim!”

“Ha, ha-ha, haha…”

Deputy head of the Organizational Innovation Headquarters, Human Resources Innovation Department of Baekhak Group Headquarters.

And the most famous translator in Korea.

‘The Booker International Longlist Nominee’

Director Baek Seol laughed as if she was out of her mind.

*****

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