"What's the fun in being able to look but not eat?" Julia Thompson laughed and said, "Mr. Tang, if you're envious, why not join the variety show we're filming? It's all about picking a handsome manager for them."

"Ha..." Knowing it was just a joke, Christopher Carter didn't take it seriously and just replied, "Can I get in through the back door?"

Julia Thompson answered earnestly, "You can. But unfortunately, Mr. Tang doesn't even know their names, so that back door is closed."

"Hahaha..." Christopher Carter gave a dry laugh and joked, "Bro, forget about that back door. That captain Park... um, Park So-yeon? She's pretty good-looking. You see, your little brother is still single, so if you could help me out, that'd be great."

Backstage, Susan Parker happened to be reaching for the edge of the curtain, about to come out, when she suddenly heard this and withdrew her hand, both amused and exasperated.

Beside her, a delicate beauty smiled mischievously, "Hey, actually, he's not bad—pretty good-looking, not worse than that Oh Jong-hyuk. And he seems to be a company president, young and promising..."

If he were just a security guard, the stars probably wouldn't even spare him a glance, and Julia Thompson wouldn't bother chatting with him either. But a security company president is a different story; even the most ordinary company president can be considered a young and successful elite.

Susan Parker turned her head, putting on a look of deep affection, blinking her eyes: "I'll never leave you, Julia..."

"Stop flirting with me. Why not go out and try it on Mr. Tang and see what happens? He's a fan, you know..."

"Yeah, a fan who doesn't even know our names."

The two girls burst out laughing at the same time.

Outside, Christopher Carter's voice came again: "By the way, T-ara is really popular now, right? You can hear their songs everywhere on the street."

Julia Thompson smiled and said, "You're flattering us, it's okay. Still can't compare to... um..." She stopped halfway.

Inside, Susan Parker and Julia Thompson exchanged a glance and shrugged helplessly.

Christopher Carter didn't press to find out who they couldn't compare to. After a pause, he said, "I don't know much about the entertainment industry, but generally speaking, isn't it kind of embarrassing for a top girl group to perform at a plaza event? Is it because Samsung is involved, so the level is different?"

Julia Thompson was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled, shook her head, and said, "Because the company needs to make money."

Christopher Carter was stunned.

The status of girl groups didn't really matter to him. His observations and thoughts were just habits formed from being in dangerous situations for so long—analyzing things others couldn't be bothered to sum up. Since it was just small talk, he asked casually, but he didn't expect the answer to be so different from what he imagined.

So that's the reason...

Simple, yet leaving one speechless.

So this is what it means to be an idol—even after making it big, it's just like this.

Christopher Carter shook his head, and the image of Emily Green once calling herself a "singer" with a hint of pride floated into his mind. For some reason, what used to seem cute now suddenly felt a bit ironic.

—"What's wrong with being a singer? Is it something someone like you can mock?" He looked up, thought for a moment, and let out another sneer.

Chapter 7: Go Ahead and Sue Me

At this moment, Emily Green was watching T-ara from the side.

When they came in, she and her group got up to greet their seniors, and even then she felt a bit strange.

She remembered how that gangster didn't recognize anyone's songs except for a few by T-ara. Of course, that wasn't something to be jealous of, but knowing he had just met T-ara outside, she couldn't quite describe her feelings. She wondered how he would act—surely he couldn't be as nasty as he was to her...

Thinking about it, music really is a powerful weapon, able to influence even someone like him.

If back then he had liked our songs, maybe he would have politely sent me and my father out? It's not impossible.

Emily Green sighed.

It's been a few days since "Loveday" was released, and the response has been decent. Although it's still far behind the collaboration "Troublemaker" with the company seniors, at least it's a good step forward.

One day, we'll catch up to our company seniors, catch up to T-ara, and even catch up to... Girls' Generation!

We will!

This stage, for which we've given our lifelong dreams—how could that gangster ever understand!

Come on, Emily Green! The girl quietly clenched her little fist to cheer herself on.

※※※

A simple commercial performance didn't require a rehearsal. When the Samsung press conference ended, the MC from the advertising company took the stage in the plaza, and the promotional event officially began.

Kevin King and his brothers kept the crowd separated. At this point, the security finally looked like what Christopher Carter was used to. It seemed easy and casual, because the onlookers were generally well-behaved; when security asked them to stay behind the line, they did so in an orderly manner.

Christopher Carter stood at the back, watching. He suddenly felt that this was a bit like those singers—the so-called "one minute on stage, ten years of practice off stage." It all looked easy on the surface, but no one knew how much preparation had gone in beforehand.

Looking at how orderly the crowd was, it didn't seem like there were any antis. But Christopher Carter couldn't relax, because the sky was strangely growing darker and gloomier.

He grimaced and muttered, "Looks like it's going to rain?"