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Chapter 106: Music Chart War (2)

I was mildly irritated by Jang Moon-Ki\'s casual and informal tone, but I let it slide since I was the one in need of his help today.

Jang Moon-Ki opened his tablet with an excited expression.

"I wanted to meet up with you because I have something to report regarding Cherry Blossom\'s music chart rankings."

Jang Moon-Ki clicked his tongue with a disappointed look. "Oh...about Cherry Blossom? I listened to their new song—it seemed to have quite the potential this time. But you know my articles come at a premium price, right?"

Seeing Jang Moon-Ki\'s disappointed face, I decided to give him a hint.

"I\'m considering reporting about TK Entertainment\'s potential involvement in music chart manipulation. Is that of no interest to you?"

Jang Moon-Ki was visibly shocked. "W-wait. Music chart manipulation? By TK Entertainment?"

He straightened up and flashed his eyes, ready to listen.

In my past life, Jang Moon-Ki had spent years gathering data to expose Teddy Kim\'s manipulation of music charts. For this reason, I was confident he would already have some information by now.

"You know Teddy Kim, right? He produced Petite More\'s latest mini-album."

Jang Moon-Ki flinched at the mention of Teddy Kim. It was obvious he knew something, but true to his nickname "Chameleon," he quickly changed his expression to feign ignorance.

"I have no idea what you’re talking about right now. What does the guy named Teddy have to do with Petite More\'s production and TK Entertainment\'s music chart manipulation?"

Jang Moon-Ki seemed to be playing dumb, trying to extract information from me without giving any.

\'Who does this guy think he\'s fooling?\'

His act was laughably futile to someone like me who knew the future.

‘I guess I have no choice then. When it comes to this, there\'s only one way to handle it.’

"I thought a reporter of your caliber would understand what I’m talking about, Mr. Jang. Well, I guess it can’t be helped then. I heard Team Lead Choi So-Hye from Central Daily Newspaper writes good articles. Maybe I should contact her instead. Take care."

As I got up to leave, Jang Moon-Ki grabbed my arm with haste and called out desperately, "Hey, why the rush? Sit down for a moment. Actually, I do know something."

‘He should have said that earlier.’

"I didn’t say anything earlier because I was just unsure. Anyway, sit down!"

Pretending to be persuaded, I sat back down.

"What information do you have, Mr. Jang?"

Jang Moon-Ki hesitated as if reluctant to be the first to share, but he eventually began to spill what he knew.

"I know which companies Teddy makes deals with. I had been investigating his case for a while, but I had to stop when he fled to the U.S."

This was big. Such crucial information justified his high price and reluctance to speak up first.

Jang Moon-Ki gave me a look that said he wouldn\'t be taken for a ride. "What information do you have?"

"Take a look at this."

I handed over the data showing sudden spikes in streaming numbers. On top of that, I also mentioned groups involved in Teddy Kim\'s previous chart manipulation scandal that Jang Moon-Ki had reported on in my past life.

"In addition to this, BigStar Entertainment\'s Rumble Rose and Yehwa\'s N.GO were involved in Teddy\'s music chart manipulation."

At that moment, Jang Moon-Ki\'s face turned serious. He must have thought he was the only one privy to that information, but he was caught off guard by my revelation.

"Ke hem... Well, you do know quite a lot. Those guys are small fry, so it\'s better to focus on the big fish."

Jang Moon-Ki suggested focusing on Petite More and promised to do a follow-up investigation.

"By the way, do you have a separate source or something? Information like this doesn\'t just circulate at drinking parties, does it?"

I just smiled in response. After all, I couldn\'t reveal that I had traveled back in time—and even if I did, he wouldn’t believe me anyway.

"Hmm. It seems like you have your reasons for not telling me. Fine, you don’t have to tell me anything. But in return, I\'ll be expecting an article from you later. An exclusive one."

"I\'ll think about it."

"Come on! That\'s the least you can do after you\'ve taken all my information. "

In other words, he wanted compensation for the scoop I got out of him to use at his convenience.

"Fine. I\'ll give you a story if you wrap this up well."

"It better be a big one."

"Ah, seriously. You\'re persistent. Fine! A big one."

Jang Moon-Ki\'s face began to brighten with anticipation.

***

There were only five days left until the comeback stage on MBS Show! Music Center! and TK Entertainment\'s artist department was in emergency mode. The success or failure of a song was usually determined within just 2 weeks of the album\'s release.

Ma Dong-Pal, having caught a bit of sleep in the company\'s on-call room, roughly fixed his disheveled hair and headed to the Singer Division 1.

"I see that everyone\'s working hard. Here, have these,” said Ma Dong-Pal who handed out a bag of canned coffee and energy drinks he got from the pantry to cheer the staff up.

The exhausted staff gratefully accepted the drinks and showed their appreciation.

"Thank you, Mr. Ma."

"Don’t mention it. I know this is a tough time, but let\'s hang in there just a bit longer. I\'ll make sure to give a bonus to everyone in Singer Division 1 at the end of the month."

Then, Ma Dong-Pal approached Yoo Jin-Myung, whose expression seemed unusually grim.

"Team Lead Yoo, why the long face? What\'s the matter?"

"Sir, Cherry Blossom\'s official music video on MeTube just surpassed 800,000 views."

"And what about our girls?"

"Just barely over 500,000."

Despite having a big fanbase like Petit Angels, there was a 300,000 difference in views.

"That\'s troublesome. What\'s the reason?"

Yoo Jin-Myung silently clicked the link to the MeTube channel of Hoop Entertainment.

[Cherry Blossom \'Hurry Up!\' Cover Video Part 2 (FEAT. Jung Yoo-Jin, Jung Miso, and the handsome talent agent)]

[Views 562,583 Likes 54,293]

(Comments)

-Lol. Part 2 even features the talent agent.

-As expected of Jung Yoo-Jin. Her dance moves are unreal. She’s got everything from great acting, good dancing, a pretty face, and an amazing body. Life is so unfair.

-Ah, Miso is so cute.

-Lol, look at Miso. She\'s like a doll. Her short limbs make her dance moves incredibly cute.

-This video is worth keeping for a lifetime.

-But the handsome talent agent can\'t dance. Lol. He stands out too much next to the two.

-At least he’s trying.

-Look at Coach Park Seon-Nyeo scolding the talent agent for his bad dancing. Lol.

"Hoop Entertainment keeps uploading these cover videos. And they\'re surprisingly well-received."

Ma Dong-Pal\'s face hardened. As Yoo Jin-Myung said, the comment reactions were indeed more positive than expected.

"So that Jung Yoon-Ho guy, merely a talent agent, is up to all sorts of antics. And you\'re telling me the video uploaded yesterday already hit 500,000 views?"

"Yes. Jung Yoo-Jin\'s fan club and Cherry Blossom\'s official fan club have been spreading the link to the video like wildfire. The video hit 500,000 views in no time. I gotta admit that the video is quite entertaining."

Grind!

Ma Dong-Pal clenched his teeth so hard they could have shattered, causing all the staff to avert their eyes in fear they might catch his wrath.

"Damn it..."

They were still falling behind despite spending a fortune on music videos released in succession.

\'What exactly is Teddy doing right now? He was supposed to take care of MeTube as well, not just the music charts.\'

Ma Dong-Pal reached for his phone to make a complaint call to Teddy Kim.

That\'s when Yoo Jin-Myung cried out again with a pale face.

"M-Mr. Ma."

"What? What is it now?"

"U-um. Cherry Blossom’s ‘Hurry Up!’ has climbed to third place on the Melang Chart."

"What? How?"

Yoo Jin-Myung shook her head.

The flustered Ma Dong-Pal turned to the publicity team and yelled, "Everyone! Start calling the reporters right away! From now on, tell them to plaster their articles with Petite More if they want any scoops from TK Entertainment! Tell them to flood the internet with Petite More’s articles!"

The publicity team’s staff hurriedly scrambled to make calls to the reporters.

At that moment, Ma Dong-Pal shouted again, "Don\'t just make calls, go out and meet the reporters in person! Whether you have to buy them meals or drinks, just get it done!"

"Yes, sir!"

The publicity team’s staff sprang up and dashed out of the office.

Subsequently, Ma Dong-Pal fumed in anger and stormed out of the publicity team\'s office to head back to his room.

Click!

After locking the door, Ma Dong-Pal called Teddy Kim. "Hey! Teddy, you bastard! Are you skimming off the top? Our girls are falling behind in the chart rankings! And what\'s with the MeTube views, huh? I told you to spend money there too!"

Teddy Kim\'s anxious voice came through.

-Th-that’s not the case. I\'ve been pouring money into it, but what can I do if we\'re still falling behind in the rankings? It\'s hard enough just to maintain the first and second spots, let alone boost MeTube views. It\'s impossible!

"What kind of bullshit is that!? Don’t you remember how much money I gave you? What did you do with that money?"

-I\'m not insane enough to deceive you, Mr. Ma. I haven\'t embezzled a single won. Come and check for yourself if you don’t believe me.

A groan involuntarily escaped from Ma Dong-Pal\'s mouth. "Ugh."

-Moreover, the money you gave me before lunch has already run out. What should I do? Cherry Blossom\'s new song is no joke.

Petite More’s fifth album and production of their second music video alone cost a whopping 1 billion won. On top of that, the outfits worn by Petite More weren\'t sponsored but were all made by Europe\'s top luxury designers. Each set cost 200 million won—and there were four sets per person.

Including the 1 billion won poured into Teddy Kim, the total expenditure far exceeded 10 billion won.

Falling behind Cherry Blossom’s new song after all that effort and money was absolutely unacceptable. Ma Dong-Pal couldn\'t give up now. If Petite More were to lose to Cherry Blossom, TK Entertainment\'s President Kim Tae-Kwon would never stand for it.

"Use whatever means necessary to maintain at least the first spot on the music chart! I\'ll send you more money right now."

Ma Dong-Pal leaned back in his chair after hanging up the phone.

"Jung Yoon-Ho. This guy..."

Ma Dong-Pal had gone all out from the start to crush Cherry Blossom. But in just a few days, that plan had completely crumbled.

‘How could a mere dance cover video cause such a stir?’

In reality, the main reason for Cherry Blossom going viral was the high quality of \'Hurry Up!\'\'s song and choreography. But Ma Dong-Pal, oblivious to the content, was just pacing around in frustration.

Eventually, Ma Dong-Pal started making calls to the reporters.

"Hey, Reporter Kim. It\'s Ma Dong-Pal. Could you write an article for me?"

Ma Dong-Pal\'s options were dwindling.

***

On April 24th, Cherry Blossom successfully completed their comeback stage on the newly scheduled KBC Music World. However, Petite More also showed off their firepower with a large-scale showcase in Hannam-dong Blue Square, accompanied by numerous reporters.

As a result, Cherry Blossom’s music chart ranking fell from third place back to fourth. And on the next day, reporters actively started increasing Cherry Blossom\'s exposure without any need for payment as the music industry got heated up with a \'Petite More vs Cherry Blossom\' rivalry.

[Petite More trying to hold on VS Cherry Blossom trying to take over!]

[The frightening rise of Cherry Blossom. MBS Show! Music Center! simultaneous comeback with Petite More!]

[Who will win the April music chart war?]

In the car on the way to MBS Show! Music Center!, I received an awaited call.

[Caller: Reporter Jang Moon-Ki]

‘Has he already found something?’

"Hello, this is Jung Yoon-Ho speaking."

-Assistant Manager Jung! I just met with the president of the company that Teddy Kim used to make deals with.

The excited voice of Jang Moon-Ki continued.

"Do you have evidence?!"

-Hehe. Why ask the obvious? Of course, I have evidence.

As always, Jang Moon-Ki\'s information was quite reliable.

"Do you think we’d be able to release the article today?"

-It\'s a bit too rushed for today. Why don’t we aim for tomorrow? The cross-checking isn\'t complete yet and we need to select the cooperating reporters.

"Alright. But please release them as soon as possible."

-But Assistant Manager Jung. You haven\'t leaked this story to any other reporters, have you?

"No. I haven\'t exchanged a word with any other reporters."

-Ha ha ha. Good. Then look forward to the front page article tomorrow.

The same story could either get buried or become a hit depending on the reporter who broke it. With someone like Jang Moon-Ki, even the most obvious stories could make a big splash. He was a hassle to have as an enemy but a solid ally.

Screech.

Lee Ju-Yung parked the car in the underground parking lot of MBS and shouted toward the back seat, "Alright, kids! Let\'s give it our all today!"

"Okay!" exclaimed the Cherry Blossom members as they got out of the car and held each other’s hands with their faces lit up.

At that moment, Sae-Ri exclaimed, "Yeon-Hee unnie! I\'m really feeling it today! I have a feeling that something big might happen."

"What makes you say that? Did you have a good dream last night?"

"Yeah! Two golden pigs! Golden pigs are a good sign, right? Doesn\'t that mean we might take first place?"

Yang Eun-Bi scolded Sae-Ri for bringing up baseless superstitions and flicked her head.

"Ouch! I\'m serious!"

"But why two pigs?"

"Yeah, why?"

Then Eun-Ah said in a calm and quiet tone, "Maybe we might end up in second place considering that there were two pigs..."

"Oh? That makes sense too," said Sae-Ri as she pondered for a moment before mentioning that even second place would be great.

"Alright, guys. Let\'s just do our best no matter what rank we get. There will be good results!"

Cherry Blossom responded with bright smiles at Lee Ju-Yung\'s encouragement.

The time to stand before the public and receive the verdict on their new song was drawing near.