Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 235: Ha-Na Tube (2)

The rapidly increasing view count made Do Ran-Hee's eyes widen.

"Th-this can't be rising so fast. What's going on?" Do Ran-Hee asked in shock.

Eun Ji-Yoo was also blinking in bewilderment, not understanding the situation.

"You guys are going to rip my clothes. Everyone, let go of your hands now, will you?" I said while trying to wriggle free from their grips.

Do Ran-Hee and Eun Ji-Yoo quickly let go of my shoulder upon hearing my words.

Only after confirming that the trend in the music video's view count was consistent did the two sigh in relief.

But Kang Ha-Na still held onto my shoulder tightly.

'Fair enough. She's probably the most anxious one here,' I thought.

Do Ran-Hee asked with frustration, "Mr. Jung, what exactly did you do?"

I replied, "There's no need to be surprised. I asked Yoo-Jin to promote Ha-Na's MeTube channel."

"Miss Yoo-Jin?"

"Yes. Go check Yoo-Jin's Instargem right now."

Do Ran-Hee hurriedly accessed Yoo-Jin's Instargem.

[Jung Yoo-Jin @miso_1004]

[Posts 527, Followers 390K, Following 319]

- Hoop Entertainment's new singer-songwriter Kang Ha-Na debut

- 11 PM. Music video upload.

- 11:11 PM. Live streaming (for 30 minutes!)

- Please show lots of interest. [Ha-Na Tube] (link)

(Yoo-Jin & Miso_Cheer_Dance.GIF)

#HoopEntertainmentNewSinger #LivePerformanceTonightAt1PM1 #DebutOnMeTube #MillionSubscribersGoal #SuperPretty #SuperGreatSinger

The GIF file uploaded by Yoo-Jin showed Yoo-Jin and Miso holding a large banner and dancing. And below the post were countless comments.

Fans of Yoo-Jin and Miso were clicking the Ha-Na Tube link, and thanks to that, the current subscribers and view count were rapidly increasing.

[Ha-Na Tube]

Subscribers: 313

[Official M/V] Kang Ha-Na's 'New Beginning'

- Views: 3,142

Do Ran-Hee sighed in relief at the rapidly increasing subscriber and view counts. She asked, "Is this why you told us to do nothing?"

"Yep. People pay more attention to Yoo-Jin's Instargem already than most media, so there's no need to spend money on promotion. I bet the number of articles will naturally increase by tomorrow morning," I explained.

In the meantime, the view count surpassed 5,000.

Do Ran-Hee asked another question after a brief moment of hesitation, "Mr. Jung. But don't you think the views would have gone up faster if we informed the reporters too?"

"Do you think reporters write articles for free?"

The entertainment industry was all about give and take.

The entertainment industry published articles based on how much money they received, except for a few reporters like Choi So-Hye. It was only natural that most entertainment reporters needed something in return whether it was money, alcohol, or newsworthy material.

Although the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act was applied, it was mostly not followed in the field anyway.

For this reason, I asked Yoo-Jin for help instead of using reporters because I knew Yoo-Jin's fans would look favorably at Kang Ha-Na.

Moreover, once the public took an interest, reporters would naturally write articles on their own even if I told them not to.

"Even if we had informed the reporters, it wouldn't have made much difference once the initial phase is over," I added.

"That may be true, but..." Do Ran-Hee continued.

I didn't answer further and called out to Kang Ha-Na who still held onto my shoulder. "Ha-Na, it's time to get ready for the broadcast."

"Oh, yes!" Kang Ha-Na exclaimed in anticipation.

Only seven minutes remained until the live broadcast.

Kang Ha-Na bit her lip and released her grip on my shoulder. She hesitated twice before finally letting go.

She looked at me and said, "I think I can do well thanks to you, oppa."

Kang Ha-Na took a deep breath and stepped into the recording booth.

While she prepared for the broadcast, I started watching the 'New Beginning' music video on my phone.

***

The 'New Beginning' music video started in a quaint café in Insadong.

Late at night in the music video, yellow incandescent lights began to turn on one by one outside the café in Insadong.

Sitting in a dark corner of the café, Kang Ha-Na placed a worn leather bag and a guitar beside her while staring blankly.

On the table was a partially drunk chrysanthemum tea. The petals of the dried chrysanthemum had turned yellow and faded.

Kang Ha-Na drank the remaining tea with slumped shoulders. The sound of sipping the tea echoed forlornly as there was no one else in the quiet café.

Kang Ha-Na let out a small sigh. Then she took out her guitar from the worn leather bag and placed it on her lap.

Soon, Kang Ha-Na started playing the guitar with worn strings and began to sing.

『People say~?』

Her captivating voice gently layered over the rough but clear sound of the guitar. As her solitary song filled the café, the darkness on her face began to lighten little by little.

『...Hello.

A different me from yesterday, hi~

Say goodbye to hard days now, bye~』

After singing the chorus, Kang Ha-Na walked out of the café while playing the guitar.

At that moment, the music video's background changed to a green reed field in Buan's reclaimed land.

Then Kang Ha-Na started singing while looking at the rising sun in the middle of the green reed field.

Her voice filled with hope was brimming with vitality.

『...Hello.

A different me from yesterday, hi~

Say goodbye to hard days now, bye~』

The concept was the same as the music video in my past life, but Lee Seok-Hyung had put more effort into it and made the visual quality extraordinary.

The quality of the music video was so good that it was hard to believe that it was made on a low budget.

Because of this reason, the reaction from viewers was positive. But suddenly, the view count of the music video was unexpectedly increasing rapidly once again.

Looking into the reason, I saw familiar names in the comment section.

"Huh? What are they doing here?" I wondered.

[Official M/V] Kang Ha-Na's 'New Beginning'

- Views: 17,182

(Comments)

- Cutie Sae-Rii: Congratulations on opening your MeTube channel, Ha-Na unnie! Your music video is awesome!

- By Chance[1] Woo Yeon-Hee: Ha-Na unnie, I wish you great success. My heart is pounding after watching the music video!

- Full Moon Eun-Bi: Ha-Na unnie, let's reach 5,000 subscribers today!

- Singing Eun-Ah: I love the song, Ha-Na unnie. And I love you too.

......

Cherry Blossom members were leaving comments despite this late hour.

When the top girl group Cherry Blossom members personally left comments and responded to the music video, word spread like wildfire and the view count began skyrocketing like crazy.

Do Ran-Hee looked at me in disbelief. "Mr. Jung! Did you also ask Cherry Blossom to help promote Ha-Na's channel?"

I shook my head. "No. But they've been staying at my place for a few days. They must have followed the link after seeing Yoo-Jin's Instargem post."

"Wow~ this is amazing!" Do Ran-Hee exclaimed with joy.

'The hotter the grill, the better the meat cooks,' I thought.

With Cherry Blossom's support, the comment section was flaring up once again.

***

The time for the live streaming was right around the corner.

Currently, the channel's subscribers had surpassed 1000 and the music video's views had exceeded 20,000.

It was hard to believe this all happened in just ten minutes.

"There's thirty seconds left," I remarked.

Inside the recording booth, Kang Ha-Na was taking a deep breath with her eyes closed.

I instructed Bang Seon-Woo to turn on the mic so I could talk to Kang Ha-Na in the booth. With a beep, the connection to the recording booth was made.

I spoke into the mic. "Ha-Na, remember what I always say? You are the best."

Kang Ha-Na's eyes wavered.

I couldn't imagine how scared and nervous she must be.

But she had practiced hard and spent six years of trainee life waiting for a debut with no real promises. Such a tough experience had made her mentally strong like steel.

"There's twenty seconds left," I said while looking at the ticking clock.

Then, I shouted again, "Ha-Na, you are already a debut singer with this music video. So let's broadcast with confidence. Got it?"

At that moment, Kang Ha-Na's eyes began to shine.

"Ten seconds left."

I smiled and gave a thumbs-up. "Kang Ha-Na! You got this!"

"Thank you, oppa."

With those words, Kang Ha-Na turned her gaze to the camera.

"Start!"

And just like that, Kang Ha-Na's first live broadcast began.

***

[Currently: 2,123 viewers – ten minutes since the start of streaming]

It was ten minutes after 11:11 p.m. Despite the late hour, there were 2,123 live viewers. The channel ranked tenth in Korea's MeTube live viewer count, making it an astonishing achievement.

Do Ran-Hee looked excited when she saw the ranking of Ha-Na Tube and said, "Mr. Jung, the viewer count is..."

"Why are you so surprised by just this?" I asked.

Those who were about to congratulate me cleared their throats and fell silent.

Meanwhile, having finished her introduction inside the recording booth, Kang Ha-Na began to sing with her deep voice.

'Wow. She's certainly a vocal powerhouse. The birth of a vintage vocalist indeed,' I remarked inwardly.

Kang Ha-Na's voice was so intense it was unforgettable after just one listen. After finishing singing 'New Beginning,' Kang Ha-Na took a deep breath and composed herself.

"How was it, everyone? I was a bit nervous since it’s my first time, so please forgive any mistakes!" Kang Ha-Na said in a bright tone, mixed with a bit of cuteness.

(Live chat)

- Rearview Warning: This unnie looks like the one who appeared in the preliminary round of Global Produce 47. I remember her because she was tall and pretty. But why did she get eliminated?

- Passing Shrimp Back: I saw her in the first episode prelims too. I thought she was terrible at rapping back then, but she’s a born vocalist. Why did you rap back then?

- General Store: It's obvious. The typical sadness of a trainee. If the company tells you to, you have to follow no matter what. She probably practiced rapping at the last minute for the audition show.

- Blanket Party: Don’t rap anymore, just sing.

- Dasom’s Dad: I joined late and couldn't hear properly! Please do an encore.

- Evaluation Man: A live performance that's better than the music video. A true vintage vocalist has appeared.

- Sun And Moon: Effortlessly transitioning between low and high notes is almost an art form.

As expected, praise for Kang Ha-Na's vocals poured in.

Kang Ha-Na gained confidence from the positive reactions and picked up her guitar once more.

"Then I'll take encore requests first for those who missed it and then sing the requested songs," she said with a smile.

Kang Ha-Na told the chat to leave their song recommendations and then composed herself again.

But at that moment, the trolls started to flood in as expected.

(Live chat)

- Dance King: Aren't you going to dance? Don't just sit and play the guitar with that great body.

- Night Fish: Isn't this a camgirl show?

- Veteran Return: Debuting on MeTube instead of a showcase? Your agency is something else. LOL

When various comments were directed at Kang Ha-Na, Do Ran-Hee abruptly stood up and started cursing.

"These fucking assholes! Camgirl show? Where do these punks get off saying this to Ha-Na? Night Fish? These pieces of trash should be thrown into a blazing fire and burned to ashes. I'm gonna fucking kill them and..."

Do Ran-Hee vented her anger for a while before taking a deep breath. But she soon looked at me with concerned eyes and said, "Mr. Jung! Let's block those chats."

Eun Ji-Yoo agreed. "Yes, I think it's better to block the malicious ones as Ran-Hee said..."

Before Eun Ji-Yoo could finish, I spoke to Lee Seok-Hyung. "Mr. Lee, block all sexual comments and those cursing her parents."

"Yes, Mr. Jung!"

At that moment, Do Ran-Hee asked, "Mr. Jung, can't we also block those telling Ha-Na to dance and rap? Ha-Na is terrible at dancing and there's no need to mention rapping."

"No need for that," I replied as I pointed to Kang Ha-Na in the recording booth with my chin.

Contrary to everyone's concerns, Kang Ha-Na didn't even blink.

"Trust the girl who survived six years as a trainee in this industry. As long as the company believes in her, Ha-Na won't waver," I added.

'Kang Ha-Na is a strong singer,' I reflected silently.

In my past life, she had continued her singing career without being shaken by numerous malicious comments.

In an interview in my past life, she had even said this:

-Did I have a hard time because of the malicious comments? No, the really hard part was before my debut. The endless days of anxiety and fear that my life might end as a trainee were the hardest.

Kang Ha-Na said that what scared her most was the uncertain future, and she feared nothing after debuting.

Fans were amazed by her mental fortitude, and it seemed that hadn't changed even now.

"You want me to dance? I did train as an idol for a long time, but I guess I have no talent for dancing since my skills didn't improve. I'll dance, but please watch me with kind eyes even if I dance poorly~," grumbled Ha-Na with a playful demeanor as she started choosing a song.

The song she chose to dance to was 'Fantasy Mirror' by the girl group Pink Diamond.

Because Pink Diamond was known for their performance, the choreography for 'Fantasy Mirror' required quick, nonstop movements for about 4 minutes and 55 seconds.

But Ha-Na started to flap her hands and feet with her poor dance skills without blinking an eye.

At that moment, the chat was filled with cheers.

1. Woo Yeon means by chance in Korean ☜