boyutpedia Chapter 188: Activities (1)
Chapter 188: Activities (1)
The reason Kang Rojun’s dream car became a Lamborghini was surprisingly simple. Because it looked cool. It was a car he happened to see once by chance, but it stayed in his memory ever since. Then, when he checked the price, he was so shocked he nearly fainted.The price was 400 million won.
With all the trimmings and extras, it was close to 500 million won.
At that moment, Rojun gave up.
'400 million??? A car costs 400 million?! Crazy!'
It was money he couldn't possibly gather even in a lifetime. He had to be content with just seeing it. Why else would it be called a dream car? Literally, a car of dreams.
'Dreams are more beautiful when they remain as dreams. Yeah, that’s right.'
Still, he wondered if someday, given the chance, he might at least get to test drive one? After rationalizing it, Kang Rojun buried the Lamborghini in his heart, only driving it in his imagination.
But then, that dream car.
“You said it’s your dream car, right? Lamborghini.”
Appeared right in front of him. And the car key was even in Kang Rojun’s hand. Rojun looked back and forth between CEO Ha Seo-hwan and the Lamborghini several times, then blinked.
“...Huh?”
It was definitely his dream car, but why was the key being thrown to him? Flustered, Kang Rojun fixed his eyes on the car and spoke with difficulty.
“Yes... it is my dream car. But why give me the key."
The charming-in-middle-age moment of CEO Ha Seo-hwan gently patted Kang Rojun’s shoulder a couple of times.
“Why else. It's a small gift.”
Ah- so it was a small gift. Rojun understood, then suddenly his eyes widened.
“What??? A gift? You’re giving it to me??”
“Then should I give it to Manager Kim Ki-baek over here?”
With a weak smile tinged with mischief, Manager Kim Ki-baek pretended to approach the Lamborghini. Kang Rojun frantically waved his hands.
“No! No! That’s not okay... Is this really mine?”
CEO Ha Seo-hwan flashed a stylish smile.
“It’s yours, Rojun.”
“Wow, no, wow...... holy!”
“I think it’s my first time seeing you this excited. If I knew, I should’ve given it to you sooner.”
“But CEO-nim. This car, this one, it costs over 400 million won, right? With everything added, it could be 500 million. Not 40 million, but 400 million! Even 40 million is a lot, but it’s 400 million! You’re just giving it to me??”
“To be precise, it’s not just giving. I should say it’s an appropriate reward for what you’ve done for me or for GN Entertainment, Rojun.”
With one hand in his pants pocket, CEO Ha Seo-hwan continued.
“Whether it's 400 million or 500 million, it’s an eye-popping amount of money. But what Rojun has done for us, or your own value, far exceeds that.”
He was referring to things like ‘Vanguard’ and the plagiarism issue with the composer ‘Pineon’.
“If you’ve delivered results, you should be rewarded.”
Of course, CEO Ha Seo-hwan had no intention of ending things with just this Lamborghini. It really was just a small gift, as he said.
“We’re going to pay close attention to your first payment settlement, and we’re also looking into a larger place with a workroom attached for your accommodation. It’s better to handle the main work at the company, but it’s more convenient to handle simple things at home.”
Well, including Kang Rojun, treating ‘Vanguard’ as simply rookie idols didn’t make sense, but in any case, it was an incredibly extraordinary treatment for rookie idols. The fact that the CEO of GN, Ha Seo-hwan, who’s considered a big shot even in the entertainment industry, was personally gifting a dream car, said it all.
Having never experienced anything like this before, Kang Rojun exploded with catharsis.
“I always thought CEO-nim was amazing, but your mindset is really killer. I mean, you’re just casually gifting a car worth 400 to 500 million won??”
Though Rojun didn’t know, this was CEO Ha Seo-hwan’s usual style. He tightened discipline when necessary. But when it came to investment, he was bold, and when it came to rewards, he was generous. That was why GN Entertainment didn’t see much turnover among executives or staff. Then, Kang Rojun bowed his head to CEO Ha Seo-hwan.
“Thank you, CEO-nim. I’ll cherish it. I’ll even sleep in it.”
“Don’t do that, just drive it freely.”
“But then I’ll have two cars... Should I sell one?”
CEO Ha Seo-hwan exchanged a glance with Kim Ki-baek, then raised the corner of his lips.
“Is that necessary? You could use both. One for commuting, the other for weekends.”
Two outrageously expensive cars? What an overwhelming happiness. Swallowing his saliva, Kang Rojun softly stroked the hood of the blue Lamborghini. A smile naturally formed on his face.
“It’s so sleek. Seriously, it looks insane.”
Leaning against a parking lot pillar, Kim Ki-baek gestured with his hand.
“Take it for a nice spin.”
“Ah! Should I?”
With eyes sparkling, Kang Rojun got into the Lamborghini. Everything felt awkward, starting from the unfamiliar buttons.
-Vroooom!
In about ten minutes, the Lamborghini that Rojun was riding smoothly exited the parking lot. As they watched in the direction the car had disappeared, CEO Ha Seo-hwan kept his gaze there and spoke.
“Manager Kim.”
“Yes.”
“Please take good care of Rojun and of course ‘Vanguard'. And also.”
GN Entertainment’s head, who made eye contact with Kim Ki-baek, suddenly asked.
“Did you have anything to do with the recent ‘Jae-chan’ incident at Neos?”
“......”
For something asked so calmly, the question carried a lot of weight. Kim Ki-baek scratched his chin and shrugged.
“Mm- I’m not sure what you mean.”
CEO Ha Seo-hwan looked at Kim Ki-baek for a brief moment.
“Just asking, just in case. If not, just forget I mentioned it.”
He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and handed a card to Manager Kim Ki-baek.
“Use it, whether it’s for something related to ‘Vanguard’ or personal. If possible, use it personally. Don’t worry about the amount.”
“Thank you.”
“You worked hard today.”
Leaving behind those parting words, CEO Ha Seo-hwan calmly walked toward the elevator again. Seemed he was heading back to the CEO’s Office. Watching the back of the CEO quietly, the faint smile on Kim Ki-baek’s face disappeared completely.
“He is really sharp-sensed, truly a monster."
Later.
When Kang Rojun returned to the parking lot in the fierce Lamborghini, Manager Kim Ki-baek and CEO Ha Seo-hwan were nowhere to be seen. Rojun figured they must have gone off to do their own tasks, and with his heart thudding.
-Click! Click!
He started snapping pictures of the Lamborghini. Even though he had already enjoyed the ride, his excitement hadn’t calmed.
“Can’t believe this is my car now.”
But he forcefully pressed down his floating heart. This was exactly when mistakes could happen.
'Being in a good mood is fine, but! Let’s work, work!'
Kang Rojun put the car key in his pocket and waved at the Lamborghini. The comment “See you later” came as a bonus. Just like that, Rojun carried out his previously planned schedule. First, he headed to the practice room. After about two hours there, he spent another hour at the gym, and around 2 a.m., he sat down in the studio.
“Let’s do this!”
Already brimming with energy thanks to the ‘Vitality Booster’ effect, the Lamborghini buff pushed it even further. Kang Rojun’s first task was related to the OST for ‘Like a Kaleidoscope', and next, he worked on planning and initial writing for the post-Part 1 story of ‘Tale of the Strange Moon.’
Maybe because his focus was so strong, several hours flew by in the blink of an eye.
The morning sun was slowly rising.
There was still a lot left to do, but Kang Rojun couldn’t stay holed up in the studio any longer. From now, he had to meet up with the members who were arriving and proceed with group practice, then dive into ‘Vanguard’ schedules.
Meanwhile, on the internet, there was a lot of talk about Kang Rojun and ‘Vanguard.’
《‘Vanguard', Japanese Concert News – Entertainment Industry Insiders Say ‘Unprecedented Speed’》
First off, during the script reading, GN Entertainment had announced ‘Vanguard’s Japanese concert. That news had been buzzing since yesterday and was still going strong on Monday morning. Before the concert itself, the ‘Vanguard’ songs released in Japan.
《[Star Issue] Also Dominating Japanese Charts! The Growing ‘Vanguard Craze’》
《Vanguard Sweeps Major Japanese Charts Immediately After Releasing Songs!》
《‘Was Vanguard This Popular in Japan?’ Vanguard Sweeps Japanese Digital Charts / Photo》
Set Japanese SNS and communities ablaze, and as a result, ‘Vanguard’s songs ranked high on major Japanese charts in just one day.
[リアルタイム TOP100 (Realtime TOP100)]
[1/ GreenBee]
[2/ Flying Bell]
[3/ Windveil]
.
.
.
.
A momentum not too different from what they had in Korea. Given the situation, ‘Vanguard’s schedule inevitably became even busier. Music shows, interviews, events, radio, variety shows, YouTube or SNS content shoots, and so on. On top of that, rehearsals for the second promotional track ‘Flying Bell’ and preparations for the Japanese concert. At this point, Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung of ‘Vanguard’ could use ten bodies and still not have enough.
They ate most of their meals in the van or waiting rooms.
“Whoa- I’m dying, seriously. Why is it already night??”
“It’s night and we still have two more schedules? Is that for real?”
“So this is what it feels like to be happy but exhausted! But Rojun, wait… are you working on something??”
“Yeah.”
“Insane.”
Kang Rojun worked on various projects whenever he had spare time. Time melted away like that. A day, then two. In between, there was also a commercial shoot for ‘Vanguard.’
“Add more lighting!”
“Please check the outfits!”
"'Vanguard' is coming in!!"
It was a commercial for ‘VORN', a major domestic fashion platform, and the entire ‘Vanguard’ participated. The members of ‘Vanguard', stylishly dressed in various jackets for the autumn season, were on the hectic commercial set.
“Ugh- first commercial! I’m nervous……”
They were doing their best to adapt. Everyone clearly looked tense. There were a lot of people on site, including the ‘Vanguard’ team, the filming crew, and staff from ‘VORN'. On top of that, there were several YouTube cameras from both the ‘VORN’ and ‘Vanguard’ sides.
Thanks to that, Kang Rojun was busy rolling his eyes around.
‘Are those the clients? The atmosphere on a commercial set is definitely different from other shoots. Stiff? Businesslike?’
In any case, the commercial shoot began.
“For now, let’s have all the ‘Vanguard’ members jump around excitedly! Bounce bounce! That’s it! Just like that!”
Kang Rojun and the members had to run around all day.
At this time, a ‘Vanguard’-related video was uploaded to YouTube.
-Vanguard working part-time at a bar?!｜[Surprise Live: EP28 / Vanguard Episode]
It was the surprise performance at a bar that ‘Vanguard’ had filmed previously. The content was already popular, and with ‘Vanguard’ as the guest this time, the view count skyrocketed to an incredible level.
As a result.
-Views: 3,322,874
The ‘Vanguard’ episode surpassed 3 million views within 24 hours of upload.
-Ha........ so fucking jealous, seriously
-Feels like ‘Vanguard’ is definitely going to be long-running ㅋㅋㅋㅋ. The visuals, sure, but the talent is also legit
-5:38 Why is everyone so calm here? If it were me, I’d have passed out when Do-kyung took off his mask
-Was this live?? Why does it sound exactly like the official audio.......
-Rojun is fucking handsome ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-They sing so well. Feels different from typical idols
- Wow went out for drinks and ended up at a Vanguard concert... And Si-hoo was so cute in the middle of all that....
-11:21 This person’s face when they fell for Rojun ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Understandable. If Rojun was that close to me, I’d fall for him too
-Kang-min’s dance lines are seriously beautiful
Then, on the morning of April 29, a day later. While the ‘Vanguard’ members were at the practice room, Kang Rojun was on his way to another commercial shoot with Manager Kim Ki-baek.
‘This time it’s a solo commercial. Feels a bit lonely.’
It was for the cosmetics brand ‘Balt', which had approached Rojun for a solo advertisement. Still, since he had some experience with commercial shoots, Kang Rojun wasn’t as nervous as the first time.
“All right, let’s go for a light test cut!!”
About an hour later, Rojun’s face appeared on several monitors connected to the cameras. A close-up that fully captured his face. Of course, he was already in full makeup.
Soon, the director and several key staff looked at the monitor displaying Rojun’s face.
“......”
“......”
As if planned, everyone was at a loss for words. The commercial set fell into brief silence. Then the director, who was leading the shoot, let out a faint chuckle.
“The product selling out is confirmed. Who wouldn’t buy something advertised by that face?”
That same night, at GN Entertainment.
Kang Rojun could be found in the studio. While the other ‘Vanguard’ members were practicing individually in the practice room, Rojun had something to wrap up and had set aside time separately.
“......”
After working intensely for dozens of minutes, Rojun suddenly played a track.
-♬♪
After listening to it all the way through, he smiled with his eyes, satisfied.
“Finished.”
Then he placed his hands on the keyboard and began playing the song he had just played, opening his mouth to sing. What he was singing now was the OST for ‘Like a Kaleidoscope'. In other words, he had just completed the composition and lyrics for the ending main theme of ‘Like a Kaleidoscope'. Of course, it still needed to be fully polished using ‘AI Automation', and the vocals had to be trained as well.
And tomorrow, the 30th, was for Kang Rojun.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve had a drama shoot.’
It was the first filming day for ‘Like a Kaleidoscope’.
*****
For 30 or more extra chapters, you can check out my Patreon here --> /dreamscribe