Chapter 166 : “This is real. One hundred percent!”
Chapter 166: “This is real. One hundred percent!”
The youngest member of KW Electronics’ marketing team animatedly pretended to beat a drum as he began to speak.
“The next model for the Orbit ad! The one everyone’s talking about! And the lucky person is—drumroll please…!”
Just as the reveal was about to happen—
“Hold on, hold on…!”
Someone cut her off urgently.
It was Manager Choi, the marketing department’s most notorious gambler.
When an event was bound to be boring, the only way to make it fun was to turn it into a bet.
“Manager, don’t tell me… again?”
“It’s no fun just hearing it. How about we bet lunch?”
“If it’s pollack stew again, I’m out.”
“No, no, Chinese food this time. Deal?”
“Deal!”
There wasn’t even a prize on the line.
And yet, an impromptu national guessing contest kicked off.
Well, outwardly it was about guessing, but in truth, it was just an excuse to vent personal tastes.
People began naming who they wished would be the model for the Orbit phone.
“Wouldn’t a national actor be best? Park Bokyeong. She’s great at singing too.”
“No, no. Park Bokyeong did an ad for a competitor’s home appliances. Just mentioning her would be trouble.”
“Right. Their sales jumped 20% thanks to her…”
Park Bokyeong—eliminated.
“Oh, I say Signum. If Lee Yehwan did a phone commercial, it’d go viral.”
“An idol? That bass-playing guy?”
“Yeah.”
“Look, no matter what, you shouldn’t be using company stuff to push your own biases, Assistant Manager Song.”
“Well… you’re not wrong. But Signum is doing really well, isn’t it?”
“Still, don’t you think Lee Yehwan needs to be even more popular to represent Orbit? Brand reputation needs to hold up.”
“True… what a shame.”
Lee Yehwan—eliminated.
No, all of Signum—eliminated.
“If we’re talking CF queens, it’s gotta be Han Yujin, right? Ugh, I saw her beer ad and bought a whole box of beer I don’t even drink.”
“Oh? She gets my vote too.”
“Han Yujin’s on tour in Japan. She’s not coming back anytime soon, so I doubt it’s her.”
Even Han Yujin, unbothered and uninvolved, was eliminated on the spot.
For the celebrities mentioned, this must’ve felt like being dumped without ever confessing in the first place.
But it was all harmless fun, no malice.
The discussion, filled with fan-like hope and imagination, went on for a good while.
The turn came back around.
Manager Choi, now wearing a serious expression, asked the staff member across from him.
“How about you, Assistant Manager Song?”
“Whew…”
“What now? Why the sigh? What’s with the serious face again?”
The one letting out a soul-deep sigh was Assistant Manager Song Hayoung of Marketing Team 1.
The undisputed queen of stanning.
She had hoped that working in the marketing department of a big corporation might bring chances to work with some top-tier celebrities.
But celebrities? Not even close.
So far, all she’d ever worked with were athletes, novelists, Italian chefs…
Sometimes she wondered:
Is this advertising or a human documentary?
What they were doing now felt no different from a neighborhood meeting.
She held back the words on the tip of her tongue: “This is so pointless.”
Well, talking didn’t cost anything.
And no one was going to guess it right anyway. Which meant she wouldn’t have to buy anyone lunch.
No matter what people said.
She shut her eyes tight and just blurted it out.
“Blackhole.”
“Black… what?”
“DJ Blackhole. Ah, maybe you don’t know him, Manager. You don’t really listen to the Maron Chart.”
“Uh… yeah. I know—I’ve heard of Blackhole somewhere, I swear.”
Manager Choi faltered, while the youngest, who had taken the bait, grinned wickedly and chimed in.
“Maybe from middle school science class?”
Wahaha!
A burst of laughter went around.
Everyone laughed, except Manager Choi, who was still confused with question marks hovering over his head.
And Song Hayoung, who, with a serious expression, added,
“It’s fine if you don’t know Blackhole. Really, Manager.”
Luckily, a few people came to her aid.
“Isn’t Blackhole the DJ from Velvet Trigger?”
“Oh, right! The one who did the album with Lee Jeongin.”
Manager Choi, quickly pulling out his smartphone to search for Blackhole, suddenly interjected.
“Oh… he’s cool. Wow. Performing with a mask—that’s so dope. But, Hayoung. Being cool and famous aside, a DJ? That’s a no-go.”
“Why not…?”
“Look, we might be okay with it. But the higher-ups? A DJ? Come on. I’d sooner believe Executive Director Kim would rap at the anniversary party.”
The mood deflated instantly.
Because he had a point.
Everyone thought the same.
It would be great if a bold new commercial could shake up the phone market.
The Orbit phone—
It was genuinely a good, well-made product.
But its limits were clear.
Young people increasingly preferred American products, and Orbit’s market share was slipping.
Even when new models with cutting-edge features were introduced—
The hype never lasted long.
Which drove the brand crazy.
Should they nurture loyal customers or keep chasing bold new tactics to win over younger buyers?
Just because the topic was light didn’t mean their loyalty to the company was.
Everyone present sincerely wished for KW Electronics’ success—for change with the Orbit phone.
But they all knew.
That those seated at the top often couldn’t distinguish between “innovative” and “unknown.”
In the heavy silence that followed—
“Ooooh…”
The youngest made a cryptic sound.
“What now.”
“You’re making it sound like we actually booked Blackhole for the commercial.”
Ignoring the teasing tone, the youngest suddenly shouted—loudly.
“Oooooooh! Assistant Manager Song Hayoung, correct answer!”
“…You mean that Blackhole? The DJ? Not the one from science class?”
A wave of murmurs.
The meeting room erupted.
KW Electronics—Orbit Phone—was changing!
“Is our company actually changing?”
“This is insane. Blackhole for the Orbit ad? Whose idea was this?”
“I can’t believe I’m seeing a DJ in a commercial before I retire.”
It wasn’t that Blackhole was some colossal figure.
People knew of him, but no one really knew him—except Song Hayoung.
Although a few DJ-led groups had gained attention thanks to Seo Rabbit, they hadn’t seen much success.
Still the same today.
Even if <Velvet Trigger> had been holding the Maron Chart #1 spot for a while—
DJ Blackhole remained a vague “oh yeah, I’ve heard of him…” to the general public.
Only hardcore listeners and some idol fans were truly hyped. For now.
The cheerful mood didn’t last long.
Manager Choi poured cold water over it.
“You sure you didn’t get some bad intel? HQ sometimes leaks weird stuff on purpose. Was this really confirmed?”
“Executive Director Kim Jinsoo gave the direct order. He personally convinced the entire board.”
“No way. Kim Jinsoo? That guy’s ultra conservative. Back when I joined, he was…”
As Manager Choi launched into a typical “back in my day” story, the youngest blocked him and cut in, firm.
“Ha… I’m telling you. This is real. One hundred percent!”
The youngest glanced around the meeting room.
Half skeptical, half thrilled.
Surely these people weren’t just doing this because they didn’t want to buy Assistant Manager Song lunch.
While she swallowed her frustration alone—
DJ Blackhole’s true fan and Sierra maniac, Assistant Manager Song Hayoung, simply beamed and leaned in to whisper to the youngest.
“I believe you. One hundred percent!”
At that moment.
Inside the CEO’s office at Daebak Sound.
Park Taekeun and Lim Geonwoo were deep in conversation.
Or rather, it was a one-sided ramble by Lim Geonwoo.
“Man, you should’ve seen Kim Minsoo’s face yesterday. It was something else. Totally unexpected. No matter how much he says ‘Stay this, Stay that,’ it’s tough to match the vibe of a real ad.”
Lim Geonwoo hadn’t slept. Couldn’t focus on work either.
All day long he’d sat in the office, gleefully imagining the sour faces of Kim Minsoo and Stay, that slippery duo.
He was intoxicated with the joy of having beaten KIM Entertainment.
But—
The CEO’s face remained stern, offering only the occasional grunt in response.
Like someone who had lost.
The air threatened to turn chilly, but Lim decided not to dwell on it.
There was no way Almond Young would reverse their decision now.
That old man just had a habit of getting weirdly serious on his own sometimes.
“Hmmm.”
Barely stifling the tune that slipped out of his nose, he exited the CEO’s office.
He was about to step forward with light, carefree steps when—
“…!”
A message notification popped up.
A link.
He clicked it without much thought.
“…What the hell….”
[ Stay selected for KW Electronics' ‘Orbit’ campaign song. ]
[ Orbit takes a bold leap targeting Gen MZ. Will it work? ]
[ Orbit teams up with STaY and DJ for fresh youth appeal. ]
He froze in place, unable to believe what he’d just read.
“What is this…?”
Lim Geonwoo shuffled up to the rooftop.
It was one of those days when the cigarettes you quit suddenly called your name.
Seeing him approach, employees smoking in little groups scattered like the tide.
On any other day, he might have teased them—
“Slackers, hanging out on the rooftop instead of working?”
But right now, he couldn’t spare the mental space.
That’s how much of a shock it was.
“…What the hell happened all of a sudden?”
Almond Young and Orbit.
A match-up so uneven in sales and name recognition it wasn’t even worth comparing.
Lim Geonwoo leaned on the railing, watching people bustling down below.
On the phone, listening to music, scurrying along their own paths.
Every one of them held a smartphone in their hand.
And out of every ten people, five at least would be using an Orbit Phone.
No, maybe six? Seven?
To think they were using a song from that kind of mega product—and even filming a CF.
Something had to be off.
Unable to believe it, he logged into an online community like a man possessed.
He’s not even a singer, just a composer. No way there’d be much buzz. Right?
That’s what he told himself as he logged in.
“Kids these days are different, huh…?”
He rubbed his eyes, thinking he must be seeing things. The reactions were unreal.
[ Are we finally going to see Stay’s face properly? ]
Stay’s doing a CF for Orbit Phone apparently.
↳ Who the hell is that, you weeb.
↳↳ (Video link) You seriously don’t know the Dance Dance Dance Challenge composer version?
↳ LOL I know this person! That’s wild—Orbit CF??
↳ Right?? Orbit Phones are for boomers, aren’t they;;;
↳↳ Who cares if it’s for boomers. My dad listens to Stay’s songs too, lmao.
↳ Actually, Stay kinda fits smartphone CFs. They’re kinda buzzy right now. Grabbing “hot names” instead of celebs is trending.
↳ We call that “cutting ad budget” these days.
↳ LOL what’s KW Electronics gonna do saving ad money 😂 They’re all about “leaping forward” and “new era” these days. Stay’s fine. Last time they used a novelist.
It was maddening.
Completely beyond comprehension.
Getting hyped up over some composer with no public image?
He’d been in the industry long enough, and even he had to admit—something was changing.
And when the wave changes, you either ride it or get swept under.
He took a deep breath, calming his rattled nerves, and kept reading.
Then—he cracked a smile.
[ Breaking: Turns out the CF model is Blackhole 😱 ]
↳ Whoa. That’s even more surprising?
↳ Classy. 😱 He’s only ever done features—showing his face for a CF? For real?
↳ Come on. With the mask and all, it’s obvious.
↳ Who cares about his face…
↳↳ Then what?
↳↳↳ KW Electronics’ promotion is insane. Maybe DJing performances or some kind of live event?
↳ Right?? Wasn’t there a signed novel giveaway when he collabed with that author?
↳ Look at Blackhole go lol. From nobody club DJ to mainstream star?
↳↳ What’s mainstream or underground even mean anymore? It’s 202X. Go eat your downvotes.
Yeah. Blackhole or whatever—he was trending these days.
He knew the guy was doing well with features… but CF-level big?
Still—
“Maybe this is for the best?”
If Blackhole was the model and not Stay, that was something he could live with.
Stay’s song being pitched? Fine, he could tolerate that.
But Stay starring in the CF? That would’ve been too much.
Let’s be real… the guy did look decent.
A bit like a pampered prince.
Lacking in rugged charm maybe, but—
Young people seemed to be into that kind of look.
So if Stay had been pushed to the front, it would’ve been like giving Kim Minsoo wings.
But with Blackhole as the model? Silver lining.
Forget “rising DJ” or whatever—that wasn’t the issue.
As if that punk could look half as good as Stay.
“Phew…”
That was, undeniably, a sigh of relief.
“Stay’s not starring in the commercial. I got worked up over nothing.”
With that thought, Lim Geonwoo headed back toward the office.