Rainbow.
They were a top-tier boy band. But that status didn’t extend to Karmin.
Unless someone was a die-hard fan, he remained largely unknown.
The public might recognize his face, but his name would escape them.
That was his reality.
It can't be helped. That's my role, after all.
Karmin's positions were those of leader and lead dancer. Both roles demanded sacrificing his own spotlight for the group's cohesion.
The lead dancer anchored the choreography, maintained the formation, and executed the heaviest workload, but the main dancer who occupied the center for the killing parts always monopolized the attention.
The same applied to the leader position.
He endured the thankless, behind-the-scenes labor, yet barely anyone acknowledged it.
That was exactly why Chanwoo's words resonated so deeply.
"I've always felt it was a shame how you sacrifice yourself like a shadow for the group. If it weren't for your silent sacrifices, neither Marin, Sol, nor Rainbow would be shining as brightly as they are now."
—Aren't you the leader? Do your job properly.
—Don't you know what a lead dancer's job is? You need to tone down your presence there.
Those were the words he always heard.
Of course, Rainbow's agency, TC, was a reputable company.
They weren't deliberately discriminating against or mistreating him; that was simply his assigned role.
But Karmin was human too. Hearing Chanwoo say those words brought a lump to his throat.
"Thank you for the sentiment. But realistically, I think it'll be difficult for me to take charge of the arrangement."
"Is it because of your concept within the group?"
"That's definitely the biggest hurdle."
Having different agencies wasn't an issue. It was standard industry practice to hire freelance composers and arrangers from outside.
The actual problem was the assigned member concepts Karmin had to follow.
"As you know, member concepts are critical for a group's identity and marketing. With Marin already firmly established as the producer idol, the company won't appreciate me encroaching on his territory."
"That's only true because the company doesn't know your talent."
"My talent…?"
"Yes. I listened to the tracks Petit Prince uploaded to the community. They were exceptional. Honestly, I think they're far superior to Marin's."
"That's…"
Karmin swallowed his response.
Marin, the 'genius idol producer.'
In reality, that image was purely a product engineered by corporate marketing.
Marin's actual composing skills remained strictly amateur, and the majority of the tracks were ghostwritten by professional composers. That made it even more awkward for Karmin to step up.
It could severely damage the marketability of Marin, the group's most lucrative product.
"We simply need to craft a compelling narrative."
"A narrative…?"
"You already have a track record of dedicating yourself to the group. We leverage that. We frame it as the oldest member and leader secretly studying arrangement purely to help the team."
He was instructing Karmin, who had always remained in the background, to step squarely into the spotlight.
"Couldn't it backfire if I suddenly push myself to the front…?"
"We just need to score a massive hit with this arrangement."
"!!!"
"First, you should participate as an anonymous arranger under the alias Petit Prince. Then, once the song blows up, you reveal your identity as a hidden genius. It'll be the ultimate marketing coup for both us and Rainbow."
Chanwoo didn't stop there.
"Let's be objective. Hasn't Rainbow been stagnating lately? The public is growing fatigued with Marin's producer idol concept. But the reliable oldest brother who silently sacrificed himself turns out to be a musical genius? That's a narrative guaranteed to sell. It won't just elevate you; it will revitalize Rainbow."
Karmin gulped.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted. He harbored his own ambitions as an idol.
And it would undeniably benefit the group. Rainbow's recent performance metrics were objectively failing to match their past glory.
However, there was one fatal flaw in Chanwoo's blueprint.
"Can I really pull off something of that scale?"
Indeed.
The entire strategy hinged on Karmin's arrangement becoming a mega-hit.
I don't have the confidence for that.
Yet, Chanwoo's reaction was entirely baffling.
"I believe you can do it."
No one before—not even the executives at his own agency, TC—had ever looked at Karmin like that. But Chanwoo spoke with unwavering conviction.
* * *
Fortunately, my sweet-talking—ah, no, my persuasion—seemed to work.
Karmin agreed to handle the arrangement. However, we decided to finalize the actual contract only after the track was complete and cleared with his agency.
Idols usually need executive permission for outside musical activities anyway.
Then again, there was zero chance the agency would block this.
[Love's Shuttle Bus]
Type: Semi-Trot
Rank: S+
Verdict: Mega-Hit Confirmed
Shattering all expectations—an absurd, logic-defying masterpiece had emerged.
* * *
TC.
One of the Big Three agencies in South Korea. While Star Entertainment possessed decent scale, TC was a corporate titan that defied comparison.
A heavy silence hung over the CEO's office at the TC HQ in Apgujeong.
It wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Rather, it was a profound sense of astonishment.
"This is Karmin's work?"
"An external composer wrote the melody. He solely handled the arrangement."
"Regardless, that means Karmin orchestrated the track. He didn't just passively attach his name; he built it from the ground up."
"That is correct."
"Play it again."
A former musical icon of South Korea, and currently its most formidable producer.
Kanghyuk Lee, the CEO of TC and a living legend in the industry, listened intently to the audio filtering through the phone speaker.
It was undeniably good.
This was true even though the mastering wasn't finalized, and they were evaluating a rough demo on a smartphone rather than studio monitors.
"Who did you say the composer was?"
"Someone operating under the name Janggu Player… an amateur."
"And the singer?"
"Sena Lee… also an undebuted rookie."
Kanghyuk Lee smirked with genuine intrigue.
"Karmin is functionally a novice at arrangement too. Gathering three complete rookies to manufacture a result of this caliber? Who's the producer?"
"Well… it wasn't a producer."
"Then who?"
"A manager."
"…A manager?"
"Yes, sir. Chief Manager Chanwoo Lim from Star Entertainment."
Kanghyuk Lee's brow furrowed.
"Star Entertainment? That den of crooks?"
Star Entertainment's notorious reputation was practically industry lore.
"Chief Manager Chanwoo Lim operates a bit differently, apparently. He's assigned to Team 5."
"Team 5? The department known as Star Entertainment's dumping ground?"
"Yes, sir. Intelligence suggests he was demoted and is currently on the chopping block."
Kanghyuk Lee's eyes gleamed.
"Leveraging Karmin's backstory to forcefully shift Rainbow's momentum—was that also this chief manager's idea?"
"…Yes, sir."
Kanghyuk Lee looked genuinely impressed.
"Brilliant! He's far too competent to rot away in a crooked establishment like Star Entertainment."
Rainbow was currently at the crucial three-year mark since their debut.
It was the precise window when explosive growth plateaus and stagnation creeps in.
TC desperately needed a breakthrough to pivot the group, and Chanwoo Lim's blueprint was structurally flawless.
It dovetailed perfectly with the identity Karmin had cultivated over the years, ensuring zero backlash from the established fandom while simultaneously injecting fresh dynamics into the team.
Yet, there was another factor that impressed Kanghyuk even more.
"But isn't he being a little careless, sharing something like this with a rival agency?"
"Yes, but… during our brief meeting, he didn't hold back at all. He talked as if he had absolutely nothing to lose."
"It’s not that he has nothing to lose. He’s just someone who doesn't let small things get in the way of what he wants. His drive is simply exceptional."
The analytical eye to pinpoint rough diamonds buried in the mud. The management caliber to extract a high-end product exclusively using unproven amateurs. And the sheer audacity to commandeer a rival agency's internal marketing to serve his own ends.
He is perfect.
Suddenly, Kanghyuk issued an abrupt directive.
"Poach him for TC. Not as a standard manager, but at the executive level. Inform him we'll unconditionally double whatever Star Entertainment is paying him."
"Isn't… isn't that overvaluing him slightly?"
But Kanghyuk shook his head.
It was his absolute doctrine to compensate raw talent at market premium.
The operational skill Chanwoo displayed in this single transaction already vastly eclipsed the capacity of an ordinary manager.
With the proper resources, he has the foundation to become a chief executive producer.
"I refuse to let a garbage dump like Star Entertainment monopolize an asset of this grade. Secure him. Don't delegate this to a subordinate; you handle the contact personally, head director."
"Understood, sir!"
As a head director of TC, he occupied a seat at the absolute apex of the domestic entertainment sector. For an executive of his tier to reach out personally proved exactly how highly TC valued Chanwoo Lim.
「I have an important business proposition. Could you spare some time for a private meeting?」
However.
「Sorry. I'm busy.」
"???"
The head director of TC stared blankly at the glowing screen for a long time, trying to decipher the hidden corporate subtext behind the refusal.
* * *
Why is he trying to steal my personal time? If he has official business, he should request a meeting during working hours.
Actually, I didn't even want to see him during working hours.
I'm already short on patience with how chaotic the schedule is.
If TC had any business to discuss, they could submit a formal inquiry through official channels.
Regardless, the production for Sena's debut album had entered its final stages.
"Will it really be okay…?"
"Yes, don't worry. It will succeed."
As the release date loomed, Sena began exhibiting severe anxiety, but my resting heart rate remained completely stable.
[Mega-Hit Confirmed!]
I already held the answer key.
The rest of the agency, however, reacted predictably.
Since I had bypassed so much red tape to greenlight the project, the entire company was monitoring it, and the internal consensus was overwhelmingly negative.
"Trot? There’s no way it will succeed."
"You've got an amateur composer paired with an amateur arranger, and on top of that, an undebuted rookie on vocals. The whole thing is a structural disaster."
"Why did a chief manager authorize such a suicidal project?"
I let them chatter. Their opinions were irrelevant.
"Chief, are you absolutely sure about this?"
My subordinate in Team 5, Manager Minho Kang, asked cautiously.
"What if… what if this flops…?"
I actually pondered his question.
It was a statistical impossibility, but what if it did fail?
Hmm… that would be highly problematic.
The capital I had personally injected into this project was exactly 40 million won.
It was a significant chunk of change—equivalent to over half of the 60 million won rent that the third-floor tenant had just deposited this morning.
When factoring in the entire building's yield, it only constituted about 10% of my monthly rental income, but liquidating that cash for nothing would still sting immensely.
"It absolutely cannot fail."
"As expected of you, chief… you’re staking your entire reputation on this."
"???"
"You deliberately chose an unconventional genre and recruited untested amateurs for a high-stakes gamble—all to prove your competence to the executives, didn't you? You truly are a terrifying tactician!"
"It's nothing like that. Stop talking nonsense and go back to work."
"Understood! I shall sink or swim with you, Chief! My allegiance is absolute!"
"…"
Minho, that punk. I'm beginning to suspect he wasn't demoted to Team 5 for backing the wrong executive, but purely because of his dramatic outbursts.
At any rate, the digital release date arrived.
Debuting on the main charts on day one!
…Naturally, no such miracle occurred.
The genre was semi-trot, after all. Since it primarily appealed to the older demographic, the initial digital chart traction was predictably nonexistent.
However, three days after release…
—Trot Chart: No. 78
Then the next day…
—Trot Chart: No. 57
As another day passed…
—Trot Chart: No. 38
'Love's Shuttle Bus' had begun its silent, relentless crawl up the trot charts.
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