Conditions for Becoming a Perfect Idol Leader

“CEO, you know the worldview itself isn’t the problem. It’s the concept. You can’t keep going with the same vibe every time. What are we supposed to do when you keep doing this?”

“I know. Do you think I’m doing this to ruin them? What can I do if this is my taste? If you want, you can take over as CEO.”

His face remained impassive and shameless.

In fact, if CEO Kwon Dae-do acts like this, the employees who receive the salary have nothing more to say.

“You agreed to match the song this time… You said the song was good.”

“The song is good. That’s why I want to use a good song with an even better concept.”

“Then why did you suggest releasing it as a special album? It’s a special album, a special! It’s not an image we’ll carry forward; it’s a one-time thing!”

The employee, who had remained calm despite the CEO’s relentless questioning, started to show signs of frustration.

Considering he probably stayed up all night preparing the presentation, his reaction was understandable.

“And look, if we suddenly change our image drastically, it could backfire. Fans may want an image change but get confused if it’s unexpected, right?”

“Yes…”

“You know without me saying. This isn’t the first time.”

‘So he’s not just stubbornly insisting?’

CEO Kwon Daedo’s words weren’t entirely wrong. It just wasn’t the right context for them.

They could have argued if they wanted to, but they knew that doing so would only increase the useless war of attrition, so the employees just went along with it.

‘If you were worried about that, why did you choose the title track? This place is just as weird… Is that why they changed the song before?’

Watching this situation made him start to worry. In the past, he hadn’t intervened at this point.

None of Zero One’s members had objected.

So, in the end, a gloomy summer dirge was released, just as the CEO wanted.

‘I have to step in this time.’

Damn status window. This is when you should show up and say something.

He wondered if swearing out loud might prompt it, so he muttered a few choice words, but it didn’t respond unless the curses were sincere.

Damned thing.

If he didn’t want to reset, changes had to happen not just with the members but with the overall group activities.

That’s how the group’s fate would change.

It seemed more feasible to push for a concept change right now than to expect a sudden turnaround in the members.

Letting it slide like before didn’t feel right.

He’d started having weird thoughts, like maybe he was back here because he’d received so much criticism.

Gyeo Yeong-in’s uneasy feeling was usually accurate, so it wasn’t entirely meaningless.

‘Let’s try. If we can’t change it now, there’s really no hope.’

In fact, there were only about two months left until the comeback date set by the agency, so it was obvious that if they canceled in the middle, there would be very little time left.

Usually, the artist’s opinion is also accepted, so if you raise an opposing opinion here, they will at least pretend to listen.

Eventually, Gyeo Yeong-in interrupted the CEO and the employee’s dragging debate.

“CEO.”

“Oh? Who do we have here? Our leader! What brings you here?”

CEO Kwon Daedo looked at Gyeo Yeong-in in surprise before addressing him warmly.

He seemed entirely different from the stubborn man who had been babbling about the worldview.

‘Leader… This is so awkward.’

“I think it’s worth trying to change our image to match the song this time.”

‘Damn it. That reaction wasn’t good. I’ve been through this already.’

His mouth itched to say more. He felt like grabbing the CEO by the collar and shaking him.

“Did you have issues with the concept? You should’ve said so earlier. I thought you all agreed with me since no one said anything.”

CEO Kwon Daedo glanced around the conference room before turning back to Gyeo Yeong-in.

“Isn’t that right?”

His stare wasn’t particularly hostile, just ambiguous.

Gyeo Yeong-in had expected the CEO to reject or scold him, so this reaction was unexpected.

‘This is so uncomfortable… This isn’t the reaction I expected.’

Did he not know the CEO well enough? Just as Gyeo Yeong-in was starting to feel uneasy about the continuing silence,

“Do all the members agree with you?”

“What?”

Damn it. Gyeo Yeong-in froze at the mention of the members.

He was used to handling things alone and had forgotten.

‘As a leader, I guess you’d discuss with the members in such situations… How would I know?’

─Ding

[Rule 101│A perfect idol “group” is not built alone.]

‘Now it shows up.’

Gyeo Yeong-in glared at the status window.

Why was CEO Kwon Daedo suddenly asking something he never did?

He couldn’t confidently say all the members shared his view since he had no idea how they would react.

Cheon Sa-yoon, who had been watching him with a surprisingly curious expression, turned away with a nonchalant smile.

Clearly, he had no intention of helping.

Same opinion, my ass. He hadn’t expected it anyway.

As Gyeo Yeong-in hesitated, CEO Kwon Daedo nodded as if he had anticipated it.

“Lim Se-bin, what do you think?”

CEO Kwon Daedo, perhaps thinking Gyeo Yeong-in would never answer, started calling out the members one by one.

“Stick to the original.”

Lim Se-bin, who had been quietly looking at his papers, finally spoke up.

Though Gyeo Yeong-in hadn’t expected him to agree, it was clear from the start that their opinions didn’t align.

Even without saying anything, I could tell that he was viewing the new change negatively.

Lim Se-bin glanced at Gyeo Yeong-in, the cause of the current topic, with a raised eyebrow.

Was he glaring?

“What about you, Cheon Sa-yun?”

“We have to do it in the direction the company tells us to do it.”

Cheon Sa-yun smiled slyly, his answer diplomatically hiding his own opinion.

“I don’t care as long as the song is good.”

Pyo Jae-ho answered even before his name was called, and Kyeon In-woo declared neutrality, saying he’d go with the majority.

After hearing the members’ opinions, CEO Kwon Daedo turned back to Gyeo Yeong-in.

“That’s what they think.”

One against, three neutral.

“Which side are you on, Gyeo Yeong-in?”

Neutral territory.

He first looked at the others, excluding the Lim Se-bin, who was against it.

The most likely candidate was… Pyo Jae-ho?

Just from what they were saying in the van, it seemed like music definitely took priority. 

Would Pyo Jae-ho be okay with the CEO’s preferred concept for this song?

But Pyo Jae-ho, arms crossed and slightly frowning, remained silent.

His expression hinted at dissatisfaction. If I knew more about his personality, I might be able to guess better.

‘Sigh….’

He happened to catch Cheon Sa-yun’s eye from across the table.

Cheon Sa-yun seemed to be trying to convey something as his lips moved slightly. Gyeo Yeong-in mimicked his lip movements.

‘Do… you want me to help?’

Did he want me to ask for his help?

No, absolutely not. There was no trust. 

It was suspicious that Cheon Sa-yun, who had been silent, was suddenly offering help. Gyeo Yeong-in shook his head, indirectly refusing.

‘I might as well speak up myself. Even if I get help, I don’t know if our thoughts align.’

Gyeo Yeong-in hoped he looked as composed as possible.

“In fact, I’m worried about losing focus.”

“Right. Then we could just change the song too. We originally planned the song and image together, so let’s stick to the plan.”

“I’m not just talking about the song and concept. Music should be the main focus. The worldview is secondary. Zero One has been too tied to the worldview.”

“Hm, should we get rid of the worldview entirely?”

‘This is driving me crazy. Why is he so extreme?’

As much as he loved the worldview, he was still the CEO of an entertainment company. He wasn’t stupid, so he must understand what Gyeo Yeong-in was saying. What more did he want to hear?

Gyeo Yeong-in wasn’t suggesting abandoning the group’s identity, just trying a different genre once in a while.

“No, I’m not saying we should get rid of it. I’m saying we should focus more on the music now. We are musicians, so shouldn’t the music come first? It might be good to try a new genre for once.”

Of course, everyone here, including the CEO, knew what Gyeo Yeong-in was saying. They just didn’t speak up because of the CEO’s obsession with the worldview and his stubbornness.

“Who doesn’t know that? They just follow orders because I say so. What do you really want to say, Gyeo Yeong-in?”

‘Is this a new form of harassment? Does he really not understand?’

The CEO’s exaggerated smile showed he knew exactly what Gyeo Yeong-in meant but was pretending not to.

It was annoying to see him so obviously smug. Gyeo Yeong-in considered just dropping it but remembered the status window wouldn’t let him.

[Rule 101│A perfect idol “group” is not built alone.]

This thing only shows up when it wants to.

“This time, I… um.”

Gyeo Yeong-in knew, though it was a fact only he knew now, that CEO Kwon Daedo had a history of overturning everything just because of his preferences.

That’s why it was so hard to say it out loud.

“What is it? ‘Please leave out the worldview?’”

He was openly mocking. Gyeo Yeong-in almost said “my music” out loud.

‘This is killing me. No, I actually couldn’t die even if I wanted to.’

It was frustrating.

“I want to try Zero One’s music.”

He hoped his excuse would be accepted. He didn’t know what else to say. Gyeo Yeong-in licked his lips nervously.

‘Why am I so nervous about this? Damn it….’

While Gyeo Yeong-in was nervous, Kwon Daedo seemed relaxed.

“So, you want to express your stories through your music, right?”

‘Not exactly. I just want to take a different direction because of the reset.’

Still, it wasn’t entirely wrong, so Gyeo Yeong-in nodded vaguely.

“Yes….”

“Hm.”

Although he answered, the reaction wasn’t very positive.

Subconsciously, Gyeo Yeong-in thought this wouldn’t work.

Surprisingly, Kwon Daedo backed down smoothly.

“Okay, got it.”

No way. If he was going to give up this easily, why cause such a fuss? He wasn’t someone who gave up so easily.

He had changed the song before and insisted on his gloomy concept.

Without any major changes… Why suddenly…?

Leaving the confused Gyeo Yeong-in behind, Kwon Daedo fell into a brief, serious thought before clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Okay. We need to have a brief meeting among ourselves, so the manager should take the members out for a break.”

Gyeo Yeong-in blinked. 

‘Suddenly?’

“About… an hour should be enough.”

Kwon Daedo waved both hands, gesturing for them to leave.

“Alright, disband for now!”