There are two types of industries: labor-intensive industries and capital-intensive industries.
In simpler terms, it’s about whether you grind people or capital to make money.
And in the distant past,
About 20 years ago, to be precise.
The entertainment industry leaned more towards being labor-intensive. Most entertainment agencies were half-thuggish operations, and their systems were run haphazardly. Success depended on how low a manager could bow in front of a TV station producer and how hard an entertainer could roll around to create better songs, choreography, and personas. It was an era when group members stitched together their stage outfits in a single-room studio with scissors in hand.
The entertainment industry has transformed into something closer to a capital-intensive business. Entertainment agencies have grown into large corporations, and the K-System has become a god. Stars are no longer born of talent but are created within a system. These days, idols sing songs planned by the A&R team, recite lyrics crafted through collaborations between lyricists, and dance choreography outsourced to professional choreographers. It’s the era of industrial dolls.
And naturally, such comprehensive management includes their private lives as well. Even an idol’s dating life is meticulously managed by the agency, discreet restaurants, routes carefully curated to avoid journalists, and even date schedules…
Then, with an air of triumph, Gu Yu-na sat down confidently in the seat next to Moon In.
Watching this unfold, Park Chang-woon pulled out his phone and immediately sent a text to Gu Hak-jun:
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ] (TL: Meaning ROFL or in general LOL)
Meanwhile, at Baekhak Publishing, another ordinary day was unfolding as usual.
On a warm afternoon, when employees were gathering in small groups, heading either to the cafeteria or to the famous stir-fried pork restaurant near the office…
In the CEO’s office of Baekhak Publishing were a cactus, fan palm, and Dieffenbachia ‘Tropic Snow’ basking in the gentle noon sunlight, along with Baek Seol.
The CEO sitting there in a daze and the air-purifying plants were perfectly focused on the same task.
Sitting still, soaking in the sunlight, and breathing.
Of course, the plants produced oxygen, while Baek Seol emitted carbon dioxide, so in terms of productivity, the plants could arguably be considered more useful than their boss.
Baek Seol clutched her stomach and muttered, ‘Right, I should eat something…’ She then opened a delivery app on her phone, searching for a kimbap place that offered delivery.
And thus, the battle between plants that only needed water and Baek Seol, who required even kimbap, ended in a decisive victory for the plant team.
…Or so Baek Seol thought.
She had earned an English Literature degree from Oxford, only to find herself defeated by plants. Truly a disgrace to her school. A failure as a human, and yet the plants had passed with flying colors.
Of course, she was worse than the plants not just because they emitted oxygen while she emitted carbon dioxide. Still, it would be nice if the plants ordered something too. After all, being a plant-like CEO was bad enough; to be worse than a plant was simply too much to bear.
Baek Seol glumly chewed and swallowed her kimbap with such thoughts.
Tragically, this was Baek Seol’s daily routine.
Sitting quietly among the plants, basking in sunlight, occasionally stamping documents that came her way.
She was the very definition of a puppet CEO, or more accurately, a plant CEO.
But this was an unavoidable reality.
Baek Seol’s greatest productivity didn’t come from her “work” but from her very existence.
Her mere presence in the CEO’s office of Baekhak Publishing was solid proof that the company was loyal to Baek Do-hyun’s faction.
This ensured Baek Do-hyun could trust Baekhak Publishing, and Baekhak Publishing could, in turn, remain loyal to Baek Do-hyun.
As a result, the political beasts scattered throughout Baekhak Publishing could perform their duties without worrying about internal betrayals. In other words, Baek Seol was a totem with a that increased the abilities of her allies.
But a totem is still a person, a human being.
It was natural for her to feel bored, lonely, and occasionally plagued by feelings of futility.
If she were as seasoned as the puppet ministers in government cabinets, the most professional puppet executives, she might have said, ‘Then why not skip actual work and play golf while networking?’ But Baek Seol, despite her qualifications as a major corporation subsidiary CEO, didn’t include high-ranking government official. If she was jealous, she should have studied harder to become a minister.
Anyway, as a novice-superior, Baek Seol tried to create tasks for herself by meddling here and there.
Unfortunately, every touch of hers unleashed cosmic horror upon her subordinates.
-Kyaaak! CEO-nim! We’ll take care of the water dispenser!
-We’re so sorry! We’ll replace it right away!
-Hey! Secretary’s Office! How could you leave the CEO’s water dispenser unreplaced for so long? What the hell have you all been doing?!
-We’re sorry! We’re sorry! It’s our fault!
-What kind of incompetence leads to the CEO replacing the water dispenser herself?! You lazy parasites!
-Please spare us! We promise to make sure the CEO never replaces the water dispenser again!
Baek Seol’s heart tightened every time she recalled the , that had thrown all of Baekhak Publishing into chaos and fear.
There were other disasters of a similar nature, such as the and the . All were officially classified as dark chapters in Baekhak Publishing’s history.
Through these experiences, Baek Seol learned a valuable lesson: even the smallest gestures on her part could wield such godlike power that they could destroy the fragile mortal beings of the earthly realm.
Thus, this time, Baek Seol’s actions, driven by her inability to endure boredom, were far more meticulous and detailed than before. The first indication of this was the fact that she sought Lim Yang-wook’s advice.
“Ah, are things getting complicated in the U.S.?”
-Yes, CEO-nim. There’s a slight issue with Author Moon In’s schedule and the publishing company…
The brain of Baek Seol, holder of an Oxford English Literature degree, began spinning rapidly.
The U.S. uses English → Baek Seol is fluent in English → Every problem occurring in the U.S. can be solved by someone with an Oxford English Literature degree!
Having constructed this flawless syllogism, Baek Seol grabbed the phone, her face lighting up with confident determination.
“Leave it all to me!”
“I’m coming over right now! I just booked a plane ticket!”
-W-Wait, you’re coming? To the U.S.?
-W-wait, CEO, hey! Baek Seol!
And with that, the plane carrying Baek Seol soared confidently toward Los Angeles.
A glimmer of lively energy returned to Baek Seol’s eyes, which had grown dull from exhaustion.
That joy wasn’t born from excitement about the upcoming trip to the U.S., but rather from the pure happiness of escaping the oppressive company she had been stuck in.