After the emotional departure ceremony at the new dorm, I returned home.
As I climbed the stairs, a cool breeze brushed against my cheek, and instead of going inside, I lay down on the wooden bench outside.
The night sky — the same one where the shooting star that changed my life had passed — was still as beautiful as ever.
“They said this future reflects my will, right?”
Two new members joining, a glamorous comeback, a chart-topping hit, and 17 music show wins — compared to where we were now, it all seemed impossible.
How much of my will would it take to bring about such a dramatic change?
[Just do the opposite of what you’re doing now.]
This spirit had been speaking in riddles a lot lately.
“Speak so I can understand you.”
[You said you wanted to help them shine from behind the scenes, right?]
“Yeah.”
[Then shine from the front. Shine so brightly that the light spreads to the girls standing beside you.]
“You want me to shine? I’m not even a celebrity.”
[You’re no longer someone who can be compared to mere celebrities. You’ve been granted the same divine gift as the son of the savior this world believes in. Why do you keep lowering yourself?]
“I’m not lowering myself — there’s just nothing special to raise up.”
[Then start making something special. The pure goodwill you show — helping others without expecting anything in return — is enough for even the divine to acknowledge you. That’s why you received this gift.]
This spirit kept trying to elevate me.
But I didn’t feel any different from before.
[When a noble person keeps trying to lower themselves, it’s not humility — it’s arrogance. It’s a form of distrust toward the god who granted you this gift. From now on, shine. It’ll be better for those girls, too.]
“Better? How?”
[You already know they can’t shine on their own. It’s not that their light is dimming — it’s already gone out. So you need to create the light and share it with them.]
That night, I stayed up late, going back and forth with the spirit, mapping out Red Blossom’s future.
Apparently, providing this kind of consultation was part of a spirit’s duty to serve its master.
I didn’t get much sleep before heading to work the next day, but thanks to that long talk, my path forward had become much clearer.
As the spirit suggested, I decided it was time for me to shine — before my humility could turn into arrogance.
What really moved me was the spirit’s final words.
[All you have to do is show the world exactly what you’ve done and what you’re going to do — just as it is. There’s no need to exaggerate. Even that alone will be enough for everyone to see your light.]
It was just the truth — no embellishment, no bragging.
So it felt okay.
*****
The day before the move, I reported to the team leader that I’d secured a new dorm for Red Blossom.
Since the group hadn’t made any profits yet, the company was still covering the cost of their dorm.
But with no income to offset it, the company would probably be relieved to see them move out.
Still, there were internal procedures to follow, and the team leader would have to handle the official relocation.
“You got Red Blossom a new dorm?”
“Yeah… it just kind of happened.”
As expected, Manager Park looked at me like I was a deer caught in the headlights.
Soon after, the whole team was gathered in the conference room.
When they asked for an explanation, I told them everything — just like I had with the girls.
Since they already knew I’d saved Cha Soyeon, it was a much easier conversation this time.
“Unbelievable. So Cha Soyeon offers to buy you a house… and you turn it into a dorm for those girls?”
“I don’t really want to move, and I’m fine where I live. But since she insisted, I figured the dorm would be a better use for it. You all know how awful their current place is.”
“What are you, a saint? You could’ve rented that place out and made a fortune, but instead you’re giving it to a group on the brink of disbandment? Do you really think the company’s going to reward you for this?”
“Speaking of the company — I don’t know the exact procedure for vacating the old dorm. I’ll need the manager or one of the seniors to help with that.”
At that point, Chief Song, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up.
“The procedure’s simple enough… but I’m worried your efforts will go to waste. No matter what you do, the company isn’t going to reinvest in Red Blossom. Reviving a failing group is harder than debuting a rookie. Who’s going to care about a washed-up group that’s been inactive for two years?”
He wasn’t wrong.
That’s exactly why the company had already shifted its focus to launching a new rookie group through Team 4.
“Even so, I want to do everything I can. We still have time before the next company restructuring. And since we’re not exactly swamped with work right now, I’d like to focus on supporting the girls.”
“You’re making the rest of us look bad, you know that? Fine — do what you want. I’ll see if there’s anything the company can do to support you.”
“What about adding new members…? That’s probably out of the question, right?”
“We’d need a comeback to justify adding members — and right now, that’s just not happening. A mini-album alone would cost at least 500 million won. Who’s going to take that kind of risk on a group with no certainty of success? They don’t even have a fandom, let alone any public recognition.”
That was the biggest problem.
Despite releasing four albums, not one of their songs had gained traction.
While other girl groups struggled with anti-fans and obsessive fan bases, Red Blossom didn’t even have anyone bothering to hate on them.
That’s where I planned to start shining — by tying my own visibility to their promotion.
The idea had actually come from something I’d heard on my first day at the company.
On my first day of work : “Your paperwork’s all set. You’ll be assigned to Artist Team 5.”
“The artist team? But I applied for the PR department…”
“The department head’s orders. And PR doesn’t have any open positions right now.”
“Oh…”
Seeing my disappointment, the admin staff gave me a reassuring smile.
“If you want to do PR work, talk to your team leader. Each artist team has its own PR rep, depending on the team’s needs.”
Although the company had a central PR department, both the actor and artist teams often appointed their own internal PR representatives.
That was the opening I’d been waiting for.
To organically manage the company’s overall promotional capabilities tailored to the artists they care for.
“Team 5 doesn’t have a PR manager, right?”
“We did, but they quit during the exclusive contract dispute. They ran because it looked like things wouldn’t work out. Right now, Onew’s handling SNS and the YouTube channel comments.”
Hearing this, my senior gave a bitter smile.
“There’s nothing to manage, really. We’re lucky if we get one comment a week.”
I had checked it out recently — the follower count, subscribers, and comments were all in terrible shape.
Even Rina’s personal SNS had more followers than the group’s official channel.
“In that case, can I use the channel a bit? They can’t get on TV shows, but we can still upload vlogs here. I want to build up subscribers before their comeback.”
“Oh? You’re already thinking about a comeback?”
“You know what they say — the bigger the goal, the better.”
It was natural for me to aim big since I’d seen the future, but to these people, it must’ve seemed like an impossible mission.
I wondered what kind of expressions they’d have when we actually pulled it off.
“Go ahead. Even if it’s just one more person watching, it’s better than nothing.”
And just like that, I became Red Blossom’s manager, massage therapist, and PR representative.
“But how are you going to handle the editing? If you just upload raw footage, no one’s going to watch. You need to edit it nicely, add subtitles, and make sure the video quality is good.”
My senior brought up production at just the right time.
“Of course. There are plenty of production companies that handle YouTube filming and editing. I’m planning to find a good one and start with a moving day vlog tomorrow.”
“If you’re thinking of using an external company, don’t even bother — the company won’t approve the production budget.”
Chief Song’s face showed his concern.
“No worries — I won’t even submit a budget request. The company gave me a bonus for helping Cha Soyeon. I can cover a few videos with that.”
I was planning to pour the entire bonus I got from the director into this project.
“What? You’re spending your own money again? Do those girls have something on you?”
“I said I’d make this work, didn’t I? But if the response is good enough and we reach the point where we can really push forward, please secure an official PR budget for them. That’s all I want.”
“Man… those girls must think you’re an angel.”
I just smiled.
Guess even someone with my build could get called an angel after receiving a divine gift.
*
I shared the video concept I had in mind — a “before and after” video comparing their old dorm to the new one.
Group dorm tour videos always seemed to rack up high views.
“If you haven’t decided on a production company yet, I can introduce you to a studio we worked with before. It’s not a big place, but they’re solid — I’ll vouch for their skills. The producer there did a great job on the promo videos for the second album.”
Since both the team leader and the chief also said the company was reliable, we decided to go with them.
My senior even offered to negotiate the production costs as much as possible.
“Also, Team Leader?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you sure it’s okay to film the old dorm for the ‘before and after’ video?”
“Worried the company might not like it?”
“Yes.”
The impact of showing the transformation from a rundown old officetel to a hotel-level dorm would be huge.
But to do that, we’d have to show their current living conditions — and people would definitely talk.
Even for a struggling group, people would wonder why a girl group was living in a place like that.
To put it bluntly, Red Blossom would come off as the victim, and the company as the villain.
“I had the same thought — but if you want to make an impact, there’s nothing better than a before-and-after video. And to do that, we have to show their old place.”
“Exactly.”
After thinking for a moment, the team leader finally spoke up.
“Just shoot it. We’re not in a position to be picky right now. I don’t know how upper management will react, but I’ll handle it. I’ve got my own frustrations with them threatening to shut our team down.”
It seemed like I had a pretty decent boss after all.
*
Back at my desk, I called Yeoreum.
“…Yeah, just tidy up whatever you’re leaving behind. As long as it doesn’t look staged, it’s fine. I’ll call before we head out.”
I told her we’d be filming the moving day, asking her to make sure the place didn’t look too dirty despite how small and worn down it was.
Finally, I had one last person to get permission from — Cha Soyeon.
If Red Blossom’s dorm suddenly turned into a luxury space, people were bound to get suspicious.
So I planned to explain that it was their agency senior, Cha Soyeon, who provided it.
Considering Soyeon’s annual income, this wouldn’t even qualify as pocket money for her.
“You want to say I bought it for them?”
“Yes. Only someone like you would make sense — no one would believe a struggling girl group or a rookie manager could afford a place like this.”
“You tried to keep it a secret before… seems like you’ve changed your mind.”
“I’m just being honest. If it were an exaggeration or a lie, I wouldn’t even consider it.”
“Hmm… How about this instead?”
She didn’t seem thrilled.
Guess I’d have to come up with a backup plan.
“I’ll come over and film with you. What time’s the move?”
“Wait… what?”