In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

The title written on the slide displayed on the conference room PPT screen:

[New Business: TV Division Business Briefing] 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The moment they saw it, the younger members’ eyes grew round. The maknae whipped his head toward Director Cho with wide eyes.

“Director! Is our company getting a TV channel?!”

“Hmm.”

Director Cho Gyuhwan stroked his chin with a smile.

“It’s not that grand. We decided to acquire a cable TV channel this time. If you’re just talking about the fact that we’ll have a TV channel, then yes.”

“Wow......!”

“It’s not on the scale you’re imagining.”

“But the company is getting a TV channel!”

I definitely hadn’t expected this.

When they said it was a business briefing related to us, I had been thinking of something like “Kingbongi That Surpasses Wangbongi” or “Royal Tteokbokki Using Wangbongi.”

To think the company’s business divisions would include a TV channel.

“So that’s why you’ve looked so busy all this time. If it’s a TV channel, when is it launching? Next year?”

As we asked with eyes full of curiosity, Director Cho gestured with a smile.

“Let’s sit first. I’ll explain from here.”

“Yes!”

We took our seats in the polished head chairs that Park Gyuho had carefully wiped down.

Once we settled into the plush chairs, the team leader who seemed to be in charge of the TV business project stepped in front of the screen.

The lights dimmed, and the PPT screen became clearer.

“This TV channel project is......”

We focused and listened to the presentation.

Judging by the atmosphere, most of the employees in attendance already seemed to know about it.

From what we heard, this wasn’t even a briefing about pushing the project forward.

It felt more like everything had already been planned and executed, and they were now explaining to us, “This is why we did it.”

“The goal of the TV channel launching this time is to become a comprehensive entertainment channel. In areas such as music, variety, and drama, our aim is to become a leading force in the industry......”

It seemed the goal of the new channel the company was launching was similar to GTV, the drama and variety-specialized channel operated by the parent company of K net.

GTV, a prestigious drama network known for masterpieces in genre storytelling, including Sleep, and holding numerous dramas with ratings over 10 percent.

As I listened, I fell into thought.

“But why did they call us?”

“Exactly?”

Fields outside producing or A and R were matters the company would handle on its own.

It wasn’t really our place to comment.

That was why even if they acquired a drama production company or a game company, we would just think, “Oh, I see,” and move on.

“There are several reasons we pushed forward with this TV business, but it is also closely related to NewBlack TV.”

Our eyes sparkled.

Biju raised his hand and asked,

“What does it have to do with us?”

“Yes, this TV business can also be seen as an opportunity to supplement the weaknesses of NewBlack TV.”

“Weaknesses?”

“Currently, NewBlack’s MyTube channel is divided into NewBlack 1TV and 2TV, and it has tens of millions of subscribers. In terms of subscriber count alone, it ranks among the top globally.”

Our subscriber ranking appeared on the slide.

“However, there is a blind spot here. Subscriber count and actual view count are not proportional.”

“That’s true.”

“Of course, aside from music videos, other content also has high views... but compared to the subscriber count, it is still far lower.”

That was only natural.

Just because there are one million subscribers doesn’t mean a video will get one million views.

When you consider subscribers who think, “I should watch this someday,” but never actually click, the actual views will always be lower.

“The problem is that our view counts are gradually declining.”

That was also true.

The team leader flipped to the next slide. There, the decreasing view numbers were clearly visible.

It was one of the things we were worried about as well.

“We paid attention to this. We analyzed the reasons why view counts on popular MyTube accounts decline. One of the reasons is that people say they don’t watch because it’s a so called ‘big corporation.’”

“Big corporation?”

“Oh, that’s an internet term. Accounts with many subscribers are called ‘big corporations.’”

The team leader continued.

“There can be many reasons. The public may have grown too accustomed to NewBlack content, or there may be external factors. However, we believe the biggest cause is this.”

The slide changed.

“People’s attention spans are decreasing.”

“Ah......”

Jiho clapped as if that made sense.

“Yeah, if I see a video longer than five minutes, I don’t click it either.”

“Exactly. Since MyTube is typically accessed for light viewing, people tend not to click long videos. The issue is that the length of content featuring NewBlack has been increasing over time.”

“It has gotten longer.”

At Ri Hyuk’s comment, the team leader nodded.

“Since acquiring Studio LM, the quality of NewBlack TV’s content has improved. However, the public’s attention span remains the same. No matter how fun a reality show is, if it’s thirty minutes long, people don’t watch it.”

That was when I finally grasped the point and spoke.

“But TV would be different.”

“That’s right. A representative example is Sun Wooju’s Rest ‘Work’ Journal, which recently aired on K net. Our production capabilities improved enough to create a one hour reality show... but it wasn’t content we could upload to MyTube.”

That was why we contacted K net and aired it there.

“And as this situation is expected to continue, from the company’s standpoint, we need an additional independent platform.”

It sounded like since we could now produce top tier TV content, we were planning to step into content distribution as well.

The team leader continued.

“Going forward, we plan to operate the NewBlack TV division in two branches. Existing content uploads will remain the same, but longer content will also air on TV.”

I asked,

“If you launch a channel, it’ll be on cable... will people watch it?”

“That’s an accurate point. Therefore, the newly launched channel will first be used as a complementary platform for NewBlack TV. In other words, you can think of it as adding another upload platform.”

“So the current MyTube system won’t change.”

“Yes.”

The team leader went on.

“We will operate in parallel like that, and if the channel grows in scale, we will introduce changes. Of course, our plans for future growth are structured accordingly.”

Plans poured out about newly prepared dramas and various variety programs.

They would recruit PDs who had retired from terrestrial broadcasting to launch variety shows.

They would fill gaps in the programming schedule by purchasing popular external programs first.

As we listened about mid to short term growth goals, we nodded.

At the end of the presentation, Director Cho spoke.

“There are many ways to make easy money. We could do character merchandising or businesses targeting tourists. But business cannot focus only on short term profit like that.”

“.......”

“So we looked for a business that could create synergy with you. A business that can supplement the weaknesses of the MyTube account and bring us closer to the public.”

The director smiled.

“Of course, that will only be true if it succeeds... but I intend to do my best to make sure it does.”

We smiled and nodded.

Honestly, it wasn’t without risks.

But if it was a project Director Cho was pushing forward, we could trust it.

His track record proved it.

He was the one who acquired a small production company and turned it into Studio LM, capable of producing variety shows and dramas, and also acquired a game company to push separate projects.

And expanding platforms was something that addressed what we had recently felt was lacking while watching MyTube.

“I really hope it goes well.”

If the company followed its blueprint, not only would it meet our needs, but it could give birth to a media giant overseeing the entertainment industry in the future.

The meeting ended in a bright atmosphere.

Like Tinker Bell, Park Gyuho approached, sparkling.

“Did you listen to the briefing well?”

“Yes.”

“It might feel like I called you a bit late, but I wanted to explain it before launching the channel. I didn’t say it to pressure you into anything.”

He meant we could just listen comfortably since he wasn’t asking us to do anything.

But we weren’t the type to sit still after hearing something like that.

“By the way, could we help a bit with the TV business?”

“Help?”

“When is the channel launching?”

“Probably around Chuseok.”

“Then don’t you need congratulatory messages for the opening?”

When broadcasting stations launch, people usually send messages saying, “Congratulations,” don’t they?

At our words, the CEO’s face lit up.

“If you send opening congratulatory messages, that would be great. Sihyun and the company actors already agreed to film some......”

He said he had considered asking us but stopped after rubbing his head in thought.

“I thought your fans might not like it if you seemed to be piggybacking.”

“Piggybacking? Not at all.”

Then I looked at him brightly.

“About these opening congratulatory messages, CEO.”

“Yeah.”

“Can we also ask some acquaintances we’re close with? For example, a friend like Eunsung from APLB.”

“Ah. That junior friend? The more congratulatory messages, the better. A celebration house is better with more flower wreaths.”

“Right?”

The members and I smiled brightly.

If it was a business pushed forward to create synergy with us, shouldn’t we lend a hand as well?

“Hehehehe.”

“......Guys?”

“CEO.”

“Y yes?”

“Don’t worry too much.”

We grabbed the CEO’s trembling hand and smiled.

“We’ll be a big help in making this project a success.”

NBS.

It was the name that survived final competition against TVL, LTV, Channel LM, and NBS among the names Park Gyuho had received from a fortune teller.

After the meeting ended, it was the name that passed final review by the NewBlack members.

“Hmm... just my personal opinion, but how about NBS?”

“I like it.”

“Hahaha! See? Look at the kids’ reactions, Gyuhwan. They like NBS.”

“But what does it stand for?”

“New Black, Scarlet. That’s the abbreviation. Hahaha!”

“A name like that......!”

The members liked it, and the company name was decided!

Thus NBS was born as the abbreviation of lemoN Broadcasting System.

And.

The small building housing the newly established broadcasting station was bustling ahead of the new channel launch.

“How are the videos coming along?”

“Yes! This is NBS.”

“We’re checking the materials you just sent. We’ll contact you right after a short meeting.”

Employees were busy on calls and holding overnight meetings related to the channel launch.

Among them was the marketing team office, bustling with activity to promote the new channel.

“Busy, huh.”

Assistant Manager Kim Daemyung, occupying one partition of the marketing team, smiled.

Work was incredibly busy, but fitting for a newly launched channel, the place was full of vitality.

“Now I feel like I can breathe.”

Before transferring to NBS, until recently, he had worked on the PR team at TJ Entertainment.

After Chairman Park Taejun’s English song project collapsed, he decided to escape.

He had somehow endured up to the preparation stage, but the blame game that followed the project’s failure pushed him to leave.

The planning team stirred public opinion by saying, “If the PR team had done better,” and watching that narrative gain traction made him resolve to change jobs.

“Here, I can start fresh.”

The existing Lemon Entertainment PR team was already filled with long time veterans.

But NBS, newly launched this time, had many experienced professionals who had transferred from various places.

Who knew.

If the station succeeded, perhaps he could become one of the veterans here.

“I hope it does well. They say whenever you work on something related to NewBlack, business just flows smoothly.”

He was coordinating press releases and checking schedules for production presentations and SNS promotions when—

“Hmm?”

A notification popped up that a new email had arrived.

The email from Lemon Entertainment’s PR team was titled [Opening Congratulatory Message Videos].

“What is it, Assistant Manager?”

“Oh, Lemon sent the original files for the opening congratulatory messages we’ll use.”

“Didn’t they send some before? We got videos from Kwak Sihyun and other actors.”

“Well... apparently this time it’s videos from NewBlack.”

At the words “NewBlack videos,” the staff who had been working sprang from their chairs.

“NewBlack!”

They gathered to see the much rumored NewBlack videos.

As the employees crowded around—

“Huh?”

“There’s not just one or two videos. What is this?”

Before their eyes was an overwhelming number of videos.

The file count under the folder read 129.

“What is this unrealistic number?”

“.......”

“.......”

No one voiced the obvious question of whether NewBlack had filmed 129 videos.

Because honestly, they might have.

Fortunately, when they clicked the folder, what appeared were countless celebrity thumbnails.

“Isn’t that Lee Gyeonu? What’s with the placard? It says, ‘Thank you for mentioning me at the awards ceremony?’”

“Oh? That’s Han Taehyun.”

“How many people are there? Wow.”

“It’s like those people in school who are friends with the entire student body......”

The staff clicked the videos.

“Hello! This is Han Taehyun. Congratulations on the opening of NBS... or so Sun Wooju told me to say. Congratulations sincerely.”

“Hiyaaa! This is Teen Spirit~! NBS! We hope you prosper! Kyaaahaha!”

“This is Cha Woohyun. Congratulations on the opening of NBS.”

It was like a miniature version of the Korean entertainment industry. Famous figures filled the screen. The employees’ mouths fell open.

“What is this?”

“Someone might think a massive channel is opening......”

“This is burdensome.”

As they scrolled through the list from start to end, the names shifted from Korean letters to the alphabet.

“Hi!”

A famous American singer songwriter and one of the top celebrities, Hailey Blue, waved and congratulated NBS on its opening.

The employees’ expressions stiffened.

“This is getting too big......”

“We’re not that large a station......”

“How many friends do they have?”

Greetings from American celebrities eager to be close with the hot rising group NewBlack # Nоvеlight # appeared one after another.

Someone might think CNN was launching.

It felt like opening a small tteokbokki shop and having Hollywood celebrities post about visiting it on SNS to promote it.

“.......”

“.......”

Amid the increasingly overwhelming congratulatory videos, Kim Daemyung, formerly of TJ Entertainment, had a realization.

“So it’s not that things go smoothly just because you work with NewBlack. It’s that they make it impossible to fail......”

It was a very big realization.

After hearing about the new project the company was pushing forward,

we gathered on the studio sofa and began reviewing proposals.

“Hmm......”

“Mm......”

They were proposals that had come in due to Chuseok early next month.

We quickly reviewed special Chuseok program proposals from the three major broadcasters, comprehensive channels, and cable networks.

Ri Hyuk said,

“We need to find schedules with the best cost effectiveness. Something short to appear in but with strong impact.”

Because our schedule was so tight, we had to choose only shoots that were as short as possible.

Under other circumstances, we might consider appearing on programs like Jusehan or Mister Producer, but even carving out that amount of time was difficult.

But we couldn’t just skip everything either, since we couldn’t disappoint the public waiting for our variety appearances.

Biju smiled brightly and lifted a proposal.

“How about this? Heart Letter Delivery! For Chuseok, we deliver heartfelt letters to people you miss.”

“Biju.”

“Yes!”

“We don’t have time for that. Do they deliver it by email?”

When Biju pouted slightly,

Junhyun suggested,

“Instead of Kim Biju’s silly idea, listen to mine, hyung.”

“Sure.”

“Short and intense Chuseok hell......”

“So literally hell.”

Biju and Junhyun leaned against each other and began criticizing me.

As I clicked my tongue at the younger ones bringing ideas they simply liked rather than good ideas—

“Hyung!”

“Yeah, maknae.”

Our maknae’s eyes widened as if he had found something good.

“There’s one here we can shoot really quickly.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Not even a full day. Just about an hour. Hyung just needs to sit for thirty minutes and leave.”

“......Something like that exists?”

“Yes. It’s impossible for us, but only possible for you.”

What was he talking about?

A schedule where if they went, filming would take long, but if I went, it would finish compactly.

Where did such a magical schedule exist?

“What is it?”

“TBC must have regretted canceling the Dolleympics, so they’re preparing another special for Chuseok.”

“......?”

Soon, when the maknae showed the proposal, the younger members burst into laughter.

I simply clicked my tongue.

“Ah......”

I shook my head.

“No. Wooju isn’t going.”

“Hyung, you have to. It’s a schedule for you.”

“I’m not going.”

“If you go, the buzz will explode! Trust me!”

“Absolutely not.”

I firmly refused the maknae’s suggestion.

Murmur murmur.

“Look over there. It’s Senior Wooju.”

“Why is Senior Wooju here...?”

“How......?”

Idols whispered in the studio.

Everyone was flustered at the sight of the one top idol leader standing there with picture perfect poise.

“How?”

Anyone else might have been understandable, but not that senior.

Someone whispered,

“But it’s not exactly a place he can’t come to.”

“That’s true, but......”

Someone swallowed and said,

“This is a game tournament......”

“.......”

“.......”

Eyes gathered on the one top idol leader staring into the distance.

“Why did he come?”

“To give us big laughs... maybe?”

“But really, why is he here?”

This was the filming set of TBC’s Chuseok special Idol E Sports Tournament.