The Manager Is a Gangster

4 – This is really a Nakana-nakana parachute. (2)

1.

An entertainment company generally refers to a company that supports the smooth progress of the activities of celebrities.

In addition, in Korea, an entertainment company is not just a company that provides support for the activities of celebrities; it goes a step further, discovering and nurturing celebrities directly, which is fundamental to the profession of being a celebrity.

However, the fact that there are no celebrities in such a place is no different from saying it’s a barn without cows.

“No······ How can it be an entertainment company without any affiliated celebrities?”

As I asked in disbelief, my brother raised one eyebrow and corrected my misunderstanding.

“I said there are no idols, not that there are no celebrities.”

“I see.”

So, it’s a planning company that hasn’t created idols yet. Well, for me, who dreamed of participating from the very beginning of creating idols, a planning company with only idols and everything else was perfect.

It’s absurd to hire a manager when there’s no celebrity involved, but it feels natural and good when someone who used to manage existing celebrities later produces an idol group.

I’m completely ignorant about this industry, or to be honest, I’m no different from an idiot. It’s much better to learn about broadcasting while working as a manager for celebrities.

Although Manager Kim occasionally bought books related to the entertainment industry, it was clearly not enough.

So, as I nodded my head and took a spoonful of lukewarm soup, in that moment, a voice devoid of my brother’s dignity stopped my hand.

“But… there is one affiliated celebrity.”

“Huh? Um… Miss?”

At the mention of an affiliated celebrity, I suddenly thought of the Miss and almost blurted it out, but of course, it wasn’t her.

“Of course, he’s not a star. Star still has the original contract period with the agency, and publicly, there is no connection with my agency despite providing funds.”

“I see. Then who is it?”

“Well… you probably wouldn’t know even if I tell you. He’s not that famous. Nowadays, you might say he’s quite a ‘hakko’…”

“Hakko?”

“Yeah. He’s not really popular, not even a speck of recognition… a guy whose popularity itself hits rock bottom.”

My brother was not a liar.

To be precise, except for moments when lying was necessary, he wasn’t someone who would lie.

And since he rarely changed, even now, five years since we last met, it didn’t seem like his character had changed.

Moreover, it wasn’t a situation where lying was necessary now, so there was a high probability that what my brother was saying was true.

So, it means someone whose popularity is at rock bottom, someone who has only appeared on TV a few times.

Still, a celebrity is a celebrity. If they’ve been on TV, people might have heard their name. So, I cautiously asked my brother.

“Well, I might have heard the name at least. Please tell me the name.”

“Choi Cheol-hoon.”

“I don’t know.”

It was a name I had never heard before, without a doubt.

“Right?”

“Even if I don’t know the name, could you show me a picture? I might recognize the face······.”

“A picture? Wait a moment, even if you search, it won’t come up······ I have a group photo taken to commemorate when I first established the agency. Here.”

The gentleman, tapping the phone screen with a forefinger thicker than an ordinary thumb, extended the screen to me, saying to take a look.

“Do you see it here? This is Choi Cheol-hoon. The guy with the shaved head.”

Pointing amidst employees in suits and office attire in the photo, he singled out the muscular man in casual clothes, with a shaved head, the only one among them.

After carefully scrutinizing the person in the photo, I nodded my head and spoke.

“It’s truly the first time I’ve seen this face.”

“Really?”

Of course, considering I had been in prison for seven years, and even on the TV within the solitary cell, only news or censored broadcasts were aired, not recognizing a celebrity’s face was somewhat natural.

However, even taking that into account, there was one issue with this man, Choi Cheol-hoon, in the photo.

That is······.

“His expression is truly bland. It’s rare to see someone with such a bland look even after shaving their head.”

“Right? Even now, if someone tells me to recall his face, I can’t quite picture it.”

During my gangster days, I had memories of seeing gangsters who insisted on having a shaved head, claiming that a gangster should look like one. Even guys with mild expressions tended to look dirty and impressive after shaving their heads. But this person was the epitome of a bland expression.

“How did he become a celebrity with a face like this? Isn’t appearance crucial in that industry?”

“Yeah, that’s true. That’s why his body is great.”

“That’s how it is.”

In the photo, Choi Cheol-hoon was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, but with just one layer of fabric, it couldn’t conceal his rugged muscles entirely.

It was a peculiar, unbalanced image, like an artist’s sculpted muscular body with a snowman face made by a child stuck onto it. The subtle imbalance caught the attention, even if only slightly.

“With this level, he could win a bodybuilding competition, don’t you think?”

“Yeah. It’s a small competition, but he got a prize.”

That’s impressive. But if he won a prize in a competition and still doesn’t show up in internet searches? How unpopular can someone be?

“Anyway, he’s the only celebrity affiliated with our agency. He appears on a panel in one TV show, but he doesn’t have much presence. His bland image actually supports other participants, you know?”

“But at least he’s appearing on TV. That’s fortunate.”

However, it was unlikely that the agency would keep him as the only celebrity, appearing briefly in a corner of the screen as a panelist in a show without much recognition.

Probably, the lady is covering all other maintenance costs.

If what my friend says is true, it’s to prevent me from being taken away elsewhere.

“Well, let’s stop talking about this guy and switch to work talk. If I become his manager this time, I’ll have to work as his road manager. Well, it’s probably just going out once a week for a broadcast, but it’s better than doing nothing.”

“I see.”

“Even if it’s just once a week, you can gain experience in broadcast work. It’ll be quite helpful. Of course, it depends on how you handle it.”

My friend paused for a moment, glanced at my face, and then spoke with a smirk.

“But you’re someone who can handle it well on your own. I’ll stop nagging like an old man.”

“Yes. So, can I see you, the future CEO of the agency, tomorrow?”

“Huh? No? I’m not the CEO of the agency. There’s a separate CEO. I’m not even an employee. I’m too busy with the Lee Sungkyung case to take on the role of the CEO of an agency.”

“What? You said you established the agency.”

“Yeah. I did establish the agency. But what do I know? The only thing I’m good at is using my body. So, I handed everything over to someone who can do well and has the same intentions. I’m just a… an investor, you could say.”

The work had changed, but I didn’t think much about it since I assumed I could still work with Hyung as before. However, it turned out that the president of the planning company was someone else.

I knew a lot about Hyung, more than I didn’t, but I had no information about this president since I just heard about him.

If he agreed with Hyung, he might not be a bad person, but… still, I felt uneasy.

“I have a criminal record, would that president accept me gracefully?”

Because I was a criminal with a red line drawn in my life, and not just any criminal, but one who committed attempted murder.

Even if it wasn’t true, I was already considered an attempted murderer. Yet, to be offered a parachute into such a situation was no different from forcefully making an ugly mark on me.

But Hyung, as if he didn’t care about such things, casually said, “If he doesn’t accept you gracefully, what will he do? I own the building, and I have more shares.”

“Bullying here?”

“hahahahaha, isn’t power meant to be used? I created this planning company in the first place to avoid being robbed. That’s why I delegated all authority to that guy. Of course, I have all the shares. Anyway, Jinho, you can go in without worrying.”

Even if Hyung, as the president of the planning company, provided a safety net, it seemed I could ignore it. Hyung didn’t seem to be involved in the planning company at all.

“Is this for real?”

No matter how much Hyung used the power of the landlord and investor, the words “parachute” and “criminal” brought about a negative perception that couldn’t be overturned.

Even if he stuck up for me, after being inserted, Hyung wouldn’t bother with the planning company. Spending about a year with Hyung, the employees of the planning company would surely figure out what kind of person he was.

So, if I entered that planning company, it was evident that I would face all sorts of scrutiny.

Just imagining that situation made me sigh involuntarily.

“This is really… going to be tough.”

“hahahahaha! Well, isn’t it still better than thug life? At least, you won’t have to worry about getting stabbed!”

“Sigh…”

It would be more comfortable just getting stabbed in the stomach.

Really.