Chapter Thirteen: Yesterday Is Yesterday

“Did you check the Melon chart last night?”

The moment Lin Shouxia appeared at the company entrance, his manager approached him, walking ahead to guide the way.

“Not sure yet.” Lin Shouxia shook his head. Before the single’s release, he was in a state of considerable anxiety.

Worried that the style wouldn’t appeal to listeners.

Worried that the promotion wasn’t enough and too few people had heard the song.

But once the single was out, it was as if a weight had been lifted, and he calmed down, distancing himself from all social media accounts.

He had done everything he could, tried his best at what was possible; what remained was beyond his control.

“Forget it, let’s start the meeting. The company will give you the detailed results,” the manager said.

“Is it bad? Why keep it so mysterious?” The man furrowed his brows, unable to understand the company’s and manager’s intentions.

“You’ll see for yourself soon enough.” Bai Jianyu smiled at his artist but didn’t reveal the secret outright.

A few days ago, after overhearing the conversation between Choi Seungmin and this kid, his first reaction was that Lin Shouxia was too arrogant, not taking his future seriously.

He had been monitoring the Melon charts since last night, watching the song suddenly leap into the top 100 of the daily chart, slowly climbing until it settled securely in a position no one could fault.

Just as Lin Shouxia was lost in thought, Bai Jianyu shoved him into the room from behind and locked the door, leaving him no chance to escape.

Even though Lin Shouxia had always been relatively rational, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of doubt.

The manager outside was acting all secretive, his smile a bit unsettling.

Inside, the department heads and producers were eerily silent, making Lin Shouxia want to bolt.

“Shouxia…”

Sitting at the conference table, Choi Seungmin wore a sly, fox-like smile. He manipulated the remote, and a screenshot of a webpage appeared on the screen.

Lin Shouxia saw his name at number thirteen on the chart.

“Congratulations. Thirteenth on Melon’s daily chart. After last night’s variety show aired, your streaming numbers soared. You called it right.”

Choi Seungmin smiled brightly at the stunned man before him, watching his expression shift from calm to gradually unraveling, eventually overflowing with a smile.

“Next, you can start preparing for shooting the challenge video and promotions.”

Choi Seungmin rose and patted Lin Shouxia’s back.

Lin Shouxia’s results far exceeded their expectations. As the executive who had pushed to sign this rookie, he naturally felt a sense of pride.

---

“If there’s no particular artist you want to collaborate with, we’ll do our best to secure someone for you.”

Filming challenge videos and spreading them on TikTok is currently a popular method in the K-pop world for attracting fans in the new media era.

Feedback from various companies shows this is indeed an effective strategy. Fans often describe such cross-company collaborations as a double delight.

For the newly debuted Lin Shouxia, collaborating with high-profile artists would be ideal, but if invitations could be sent out according to the artists’ wishes, it would simplify matters considerably.

While Choi Seungmin spoke confidently about the data, Lin Shouxia carefully replied to the flood of congratulatory messages on his phone.

Whether from familiar faces or strangers, everyone had sent their congratulations.

Of course, there were exceptions.

Like a certain unlucky person, forced to sulk on the sofa playing with his phone due to company infighting.

“Did you see your results?” came a message.

“Yeah, I saw.”

“Shouldn’t you thank me for boosting your Melon streaming numbers?”

“I already thanked you yesterday, didn’t I?”

“Yesterday was yesterday. Does yesterday’s thank-you count for today?”

The girl shifted her position on the sofa, her two cheerful little feet swinging in midair, clearly in a good mood.

Compared to his sister, this man was more introverted, gentler, and somehow more interesting to her.

Of course...

“If you weren’t Younglu’s brother, I wouldn’t have chatted with you this long,” said Yoo Jimin, biting into an apple and muttering softly.

After a long wait without a reply, a new message appeared.

“Thanks again today, senior.”

“Why ‘senior’ again?”

“Nuna…”

Lin Shouxia sighed helplessly, typing this strange-sounding term into his phone.

Did the girl really dislike the term “senior” that much?

But isn’t “senior” and “nuna” roughly the same, both implying someone older?

---

He seemed to be gradually getting used to this Yoo Jimin.

There’s a saying, isn’t there?

“You become who your environment shapes you to be.”

“Be good. Next time, Younglu will treat you to a drink.”

Scratching his head, the man didn’t know how to respond.

He locked his phone again, refocusing on the meeting.

But just as in class, not paying attention would cause one to fall behind, drifting away during the meeting brought its own troubles.

“Shouxia?”

“Is there any artist you want to collaborate with? We’ll try to get them for you.”

Choi Seungmin’s voice grew impatient. Lin Shouxia blinked, then noticed that all eyes in the room were on him alone.

“Karina…”

He sniffled and named someone no one else had expected.

Yoo Jimin, a K-pop artist surrounded by both popularity and controversy.

Indeed, collaborating with her would attract significant attention, but it would also invite suspicion and controversy.

“Karina isn’t out of the question.” Choi Seungmin considered this and ultimately decided to choose the option that would maximize commercial benefit.

Controversy breeds discussion, and high discussion often leads to greater attention.

Lin Shouxia was only shooting a challenge video with Yoo Jimin; the controversies surrounding her wouldn’t necessarily affect him.

With proper management of public opinion, they could gain heat and still emerge unscathed. Why not?

“There hasn’t been any news about aespa making a comeback soon, so it’s feasible,” Choi Seungmin said after some thought, intending to back Lin Shouxia’s choice despite objections.

When it comes to generating buzz, you have to be straightforward and bold.

There are many examples of male and female artists filming challenge videos together. They weren’t the first to start it, so there’s no need to be hesitant or timid.

No reason to hold back or be afraid of taking risks.