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Chapter 326

When I made the deal with the CEO to "establish an independent label by winning the Daesang," there was a strict standard for the award ceremony that was attached as a condition.

It seemed difficult to achieve within the deadline, but it was to get the agency to lower the alarm and get me to sign the new contract.

""Annual Awards Ceremony" means an awards event held by the entity of a music platform or record label that broadcasts 70% or more of the sales figures in that year's music market."

And taking a look at the Daesang we won...

It was received at an award ceremony organized by a music platform that reflects up to 75% of sales figures.

'It's flawless.'

It is an indisputable achievement of conditions.

And there's a guy who said this before me.

"We...now we can go independent!"

As soon as the manager disappeared from the practice room today, Bae Sejin exclaimed as if he had been waiting for him.

"I-independent...?"

"Are you going home, hyung? Isn't that "independence"?"

Of course, he got "What kind of grass has this dog eaten?" answers, and Bae Sejin's face turned red, but he stood his ground.

TL/N: Dogs don't normally eat grass, so that expression is said when someone is talking nonsense.

"No, it's not that...Don't you remember? Park MoonDae amended the contract. If we win the Daesang, we can establish an independent label!"

"...!"

That's right. Another guy took the initiative, so it became easier to talk. I nodded to those who looked at me.

"That's right. I asked for our dedicated team to become an independent agency-affiliated label and manage us."

"Ooooh."

"So much has happened that I had already forgotten about it..."

Most of them nodded their heads and gave a good response.

It seems that the negative feelings towards the company have calmed down since it's been quite some time since the car accident, but that doesn't mean that the ruined reputation has been restored.

"Okay. Sejin mentioned it well. I'll have to talk to the company."

"Hmm, yes. Let's talk about it as soon as our manager returns."

However, not everyone agreed with this statement.

Keun SeJin seemed to look at the mirror in the practice room and Bae Sejin several times and soon spoke in a low voice.

"Oh~ that sounds great, but why don't we talk about it after the award season? We have a lot to prepare for now..."

"What are you talking about! We have to talk as soon as we can so that they can't refute us...!"

"..."

Keun SeJin twisted his lips for a moment but soon spoke softly again.

"Think about it, hyung. I think we'll get the Daesang in some more ceremonies."

Hmm, that's right.

"There are many award ceremonies early next year, but I don't think the company can say anything else if we receive the Daesang a few more times and then we organize and talk about it. We will definitely do it~"

"Yesss~"

Keun SeJin gave a thumbs up at Cha YooJin's support and then finished his speech.

"So I want us to focus more on preparing for the award ceremony right now since our performance is the most important thing~ Well, that's just my opinion."

"..."

And, as if these words had hit him, Bae Sejin kept silent for a while before opening his mouth.

"...That doesn't mean I'm going to neglect the preparation for the performance. I will do my best."

"I didn't mean to...say that, that wasn't my point."

Guys who don't get along are trying to be polite to each other. I cut the conversation off at that point.

"Let's not stress over the difference between saying it earlier or later."

Isn't there only one answer anyway? I crossed my arms.

"Whatever happens, the independent label will definitely be established."

"..."

"T-that's true."

"Oh, but we should."

What? Why?

"Hmm...how about we take a vote?"

As suggested by Ryu CheongWoo, who came out to fix the situation, the little dispute ended with a vote.

The result was narrowly determined.

"It is 4-3."

Bae Sejin, Seon AhHyun, and Ryu CheongWoo voted to say it right away.

And...the winner was decided by the vote of one more person who was added to this group.

"MoonDae also voted here?"

"Yes, he did."

That's me.

"...!"

CheongWoo stated immediately.

"There are more people who want to say it right away. So, shall we set the direction this way?"

"Sejin hyung's words are great! But more than voting..."

"Eeei, what's wrong with you, YooJin, you have to accept the result!"

Keun SeJin smiled and raised his hands.

"Okay, if that's the team's opinion, what can you do~ Instead, will you guys practice hard as usual?"

"Of course, I will!"

"Of course."

Practice resumed in such a warm atmosphere.

But after a while.

I was on my way to the bathroom during practice and received a headlock from Keun SeJin who was following me.

"MoonDae MoonDae, this is a betrayal...! Why are you doing this? You have to deal with the problems properly one by one~ Have you talked to the agency yet?"

Your acceptance of the result is a disaster. He's acting like he's not, but he's actually angry.

I barely escaped from his arms and said.

"It's not like that."

"What do you mean, it's not?"

I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck.

"I just want these bastards to set the label in motion..."

"..."

No, even if I didn't do it with the mission in mind, it's annoying to see the agency's address go in circles.

They would cross the line once or twice. You could tell it was a skill to watch every time they did it.

SeJin let out a sigh.

"Yes, MoonDae, can you do it?"

Why? Ah, I guess it's because I was the one who was the most serious after the car accident but recovered and returned to normal.

'But, if I think about it from your point of view, it means that I wouldn't understand and accept it if I were the other person who mentioned it.'

That is, Bae Sejin.

I thought that they were gradually losing the strength to oppose each other, but especially in the season when emotions and physical strength are consumed like the beginning of the year or during periods full of activities, it is easy for the two of them to endure each other and move on.

Due to the collapse of the tacit ranking after staying together for a long time, Keun SeJin was no longer in the strongest and most dominant position as before, but there are also new noises caused by the equal positions in the group.

'Hmm.'

I tried to defend Bae Sejin myself, but instead of ruining the atmosphere, I gave him a little roundabout.

"Don't worry, I'll give my best effort to make sure there are no problems with our performance preparations."

"I know...but that's your case."

Keun SeJin sighed and walked.

"In general, I feel that everyone is very impatient. The independent label thing is not a joke, that's why the agency won't accept it easily...why do you want to tell them so soon when they will still take their time to deal with it...? Huuu."

Yeah, that's right. You can't just rely on the contract, it's better to be in better circumstances.

I admitted frankly.

"Actually, thinking about it rationally, you're right."

"Ya, I should have told you this before!"

The vows we made might have changed, but I wouldn't change mine, bastard.

While I understand how he feels about saying that, I said my guess.

"The problem is that the company would have come up with that reasonable idea too."

"..."

Keun SeJin closed his mouth for a moment and soon opened it with a face as if he had been hit in the back of the head.

"They must know by now."

"Yes."

How can the company forget that its source of income is being secretly withdrawn?

There must have been a related meeting at the time we won the Daesang.

"I think it would be better to talk before they came up with an excuse to justify their delay."

"...Hyuu."

SeJin smiled bitterly.

"I'm going to be annoyed at their slowness."

And just as I said, the case developed.

The response to the notice to "establish an independent label," which was transmitted through the manager when we were returning home after practice, arrived late the next day.

"Given that at the end and beginning of the year there are too many decisions to be made within the agency, it looks like it will be difficult to organize a meeting well?"

That sucks. I snorted.

'They're starting with their tricks.'

1st. Gain time.

First of all, they are trying to postpone the period of fulfillment of their promises. In the meantime, we should meet with a lawyer.

They could make an offer like "You will be under an independent label when your contract ends and you renew it."

'Why didn't I specify the independent label implementation period in the contract?'

At the time I wrote that I thought it would be annoying, so I took it out.

They might criticize us by citing the principle of good faith and sincerity, but even if they establish an independent label, it is still T1's, so I should have been careful and pushed moderately to get them to agree.

'One can't be as aggressive as you want when you're in T1."'

As an artist, you have to give the impression that you want to show your full potential.

"Hmm..."

I paced back and forth in the hallway of the practice room and organized my thoughts briefly. I was going to go in before the break was over.

Suddenly...

Dalkak

"Hey."

The guy who came out of the practice room door spoke to me. It was Bae Sejin.

'What's wrong?'

He closed the door, looked around, walked towards me, and muttered under his breath.

"...Thank you."

"...?"

"For that. Thank you for agreeing with me!!"

Ah, yesterday.

Bae Sejin exhaled, calmed his excitement, and continued speaking quite seriously.

"Actually, I thought it wouldn't work. I'm afraid some people might think I have no consideration and don't understand the situation..."

"..."

I see.

As with the company's demand, Bae Sejin too often went through situations where the group did not accept his opinion.

"No, we both think of the same thing. Thank you for mentioning it first."

"...Yes."

Only then did his expression relax. He seemed to be very proud.

'But, did you have to set aside a time when we were alone to tell me this...?'

Of course. For a guy who is sensitive on stage and straightforward, it's hard to trust himself.

Even if he is straightforward in his opinions, it's very easy for him to fall prey to con artists.

"...Hmm."

Wait.

"Wh-what?!"

No, this reminds me of something.

'...I think I did something similar with Ryu GunWoo's body.'

When we met in front of the bathroom sink.

"I really enjoyed the performance you did before. Your expression is always very good."

I encouraged Bae Sejin when he was not recognized.

'I don't think he remembers what I said to him back then, but apparently, he is weak to recognition and compliments.'

I was suspicious of him when I saw that he had searched for "Bae Sejin stage transformation" on WeTube, but I quickly forgot about it.

'No way.'

As much as he was criticized, he had a lot of fans when he became part of TeSTAR. There can't have been only one or two such incidents. Let's move on to what we were talking about.

"It's just that, in thinking about the company, I thought it would indeed be reluctant to establish an independent label."

"About that...I was right, wasn't I? Those guys are doing it on purpose! Then, do we have to go harder...?"

"Wait for it."

I stopped him.

"We don't have to go harder. We just...we have to move first."

"...?"

Actually, there's a method that just occurred to me.

It's not like I didn't leave out the details related to the period of setting the seal on the contract for no reason.

'It's been a long time since our relationship with the company was ruined.'

It is something I thought about before, but in the process of making our label, we should not increase the tension with T1.

However, what will happen to "T1 Stars," which is an affiliated company that rushed to receive TeSTAR, and whose sales will drop by less than half if we become independent?

'If they justify themselves, it will be shit.'

I smiled and spoke.

"Hyung, I've come up with an idea."

* * *

A few days later, we were at ToneA, an award ceremony organized by T1.

After finishing the performance dressed in modern costumes on a stage adorned with a very old fountain, we won the award as planned.

The Artist of the Year award.

"Congratulations, TeSTAR!"

We received flowers and cheers. Since it was the second time, the guys who have become accustomed climbed the podium smiling happily.

'Honestly, even if we didn't know we would receive this award, it wouldn't make sense not to have prepared beforehand.'

"Thank you very much. It is a great honor to receive such a great award in front of KPOP listeners around the world thanks to ToneA, an award that is being broadcast live in 32 countries, and above all, to thank you for this joy and gratitude to our Loviewers..."

I walked past Kim RaeBin, who said his thoughts without taking a breath, and also from other members who had not been able to say their thoughts before.

And at the end, a prompt pops up on the prompter.

And everyone thought we had finished giving our impressions...

"Thank you very much~"

"Thank you so much!"

I quickly grabbed the microphone with a bright face as if I had just remembered.

And I exclaimed.

"In celebration of winning the Daesang, we'll launch our own independent label!"

"...!"

I'm sorry, but the confidentiality clause was not included in the amended contract.

'What will they be able to do?'

The terms of the contract have already been fulfilled, we informed the company, and suffice it to say that I just mentioned it due to the excitement.

"Waaah!!!"

"We look forward to your kind cooperation~"

The members smile happily and add words as if they don't feel any discomfort. They are doing great.

'Great.'

Moreover, this defense had an added effect beyond mere publication. It's at a level that the company will never be able to correct.

'I'm already looking forward to seeing their reaction.'

"I would like to once again thank the company for helping me both physically and mentally. We will work harder and show them better performances in each of our promotions. Thank you very much!"

I smiled and put the microphone down.

And from that night on, the articles started appearing at a frightening speed.

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