Taewoo Group's driving force outshone that of any other conglomerate.
Especially when it came to projects I spearheaded, every department mobilized, and the launch of the audition program was swiftly confirmed.
"We've finalized the contract with the broadcasting station for the audition program. Starting this week, we plan to launch a large-scale advertisement campaign and begin recruiting audition participants."
"Things are progressing faster than expected. It's all thanks to your personal involvement, Director."
"Not at all! It's thanks to the entire staff at Taewoo Entertainment moving as one. I merely played the role of a supervisor."
At Taewoo Group, the planning director held immense authority.
In particular, he was one of the few people who had direct access to the chairman and vice-chairman.
When someone like that monitors things daily, it's only natural for everyone to give their best effort.
"How did you structure the audition program?"
"To maximize the scale, we're planning to conduct the first round of auditions in a grand manner. We'll travel nationwide to hold live auditions for all applicants."
"So you're skipping document screening or video evaluations and going straight to in-person auditions? That's a good way to draw attention, but won't you be short on judges?"
The planning director's momentum was truly formidable.
Who would think of starting with live auditions for the first round?
"We've secured twelve famous singers. The first round will run for three weeks, during which these twelve judges will travel the country to evaluate participants."
"That must've cost a fortune."
"We paid double the standard appearance fee in the industry. If we had more time, we could have negotiated, but right now, time is more valuable than money, so that's how we proceeded."
"You made the right call. If money can solve a problem, it's best to solve it with money and keep things clean."
It was, quite literally, an audition program into which they were pouring money.
In fact, the cost of recruiting judges was relatively cheap.
They had to rent large gymnasiums or convention centers across the country, and when factoring in staff, security personnel, and facility expenses, the first round of auditions alone cost billions of won.
"All venue rental contracts are already finalized, and construction is underway at the first-round interview sites."
"But there's a chance we'll get overwhelmed by the number of participants."
"That's why we're planning to conduct preliminary screenings on-site. We'll evaluate participants' basic musical aptitude, and only those who pass will be judged by the actual interview panel."
"Assessing basic aptitude doesn't necessarily require experts, does it?"
"Exactly. That's why we've decided to assign program staff and Taewoo Entertainment employees to the task."
It was an audition program open to all age groups.
Because it was impossible to predict how many people would show up, a preliminary screening process was absolutely necessary.
"If you come across someone who may lack musical talent but has a great sense of humor, let them through. If everything's too serious, the viewers will get bored. Having a few funny moments here and there will help with the ratings."
"I'll make sure every member involved in the preliminary screening gets that instruction!"
Even those who couldn't sing still had charm in abundance.
They might not make the final cut, but they could play the role of comic relief quite well.
"The top qualifiers must be brought directly into Taewoo Entertainment. You know the whole point of pouring all this money into launching the audition program is to recruit talent, right?"
"We've already included that clause in the application form. It states that the winners will be signed under Taewoo Entertainment and must promote as singers for at least three years."
"That kind of clause could be seen as unfair, so make sure to also include a guarantee: they'll release an album and debut within one year, no exceptions. Also, offer a revenue share that's better than what the major agencies provide."
"Understood. We'll proceed accordingly."
If rumors about exploitative contracts started circulating, it would seriously damage the company's image.
So even if it meant taking a hit on profit margins, handling the contracts this way was the better choice.
The long-awaited day of the first-round audition had arrived.
To make it as grand as possible, we had rented nothing less than a World Cup stadium.
It was my suggestion, of course—but standing in front of the venue in person, I couldn't help but think we might have gone overboard.
"This audition venue is even bigger than I expected."
"If we end up with empty seats, we'll fill them with Taewoo Group employees if necessary."
But our worries turned out to be unfounded.
As morning broke, a massive crowd began flooding into the stadium.
In no time, an endless line stretched out in front of the World Cup stadium.
"Vice Chairman! We've already counted over 200,000 people, and more are still arriving. The roads leading to the stadium are experiencing severe traffic congestion."
"Taewoo Group has a helicopter, right?"
"Yes, we have one reserved for executive emergency transport."
"Use it to film this scene. There's no better promotional material than showing that hundreds of thousands have gathered."
"I'll dispatch the helicopter right away."
More than 20 staff members were busy manning the registration desks, assisting incoming participants.
However, more people kept pouring in than we could process at the desks.
Even though it was time to begin the audition, the line still showed no signs of shrinking.
"I think it's safe to say the Seoul audition is a success."
"This will go down in history as the largest audition event in Korean history—with over 500,000 participants!"
With a satisfied smile, I left the audition venue.
From here on, it was in the hands of the broadcasting staff and the judges. My role was simply to provide whatever support was needed from behind the scenes.
The first-round auditions held at eight different locations finally wrapped up after a three-week journey.
Perhaps it was the strain of personally overseeing the entire process, but the Planning Director looked noticeably thinner than before.
"You've worked so hard. I should probably bring you some herbal medicine or something."
"It actually felt good to be back in the field after a long time. It reminded me of why I started. No need for the herbal remedy."
"How was the response on-site?"
"Over a million people participated in the auditions, and there were plenty of incidents along the way. But thanks to that, the PD was thrilled—we've got a wealth of material we can use for the show."
Not all incidents were necessarily bad.
TV producers sometimes staged accidents just to draw interest. A program where things naturally happened on their own like this one? No producer would complain.
"When does the first episode air?"
"It starts today. Every Friday at 11 p.m."
"That's a bit late, isn't it?"
"We figured we'd get the most viewers airing it right after the 10 p.m. dramas end. That's why we chose this time slot."
The audition program targeted a broad audience.
That's why they had opened it up to participants of all ages, regardless of gender.
"Are the promotional efforts going well?"
"Since the show's airing on a cable channel, we weren't able to advertise on the major networks. So instead, we're running ads hourly on the three channels owned by Taewoo Entertainment, actively utilizing social media promotions, and even placing newspaper ads and advertorial columns."
Cable channels still had relatively low popularity in Korea at the time.
It would eventually improve to the point where they could rival the major broadcasters, but for now, even achieving a 1% viewer rating was considered a big success.
That's why aggressive promotion was critical.
Fortunately, Taewoo Group had the power to leverage social media effectively.
It might not be as impactful as terrestrial TV ads just yet, but with the right strategy, SNS could become a highly powerful promotional tool.
"The more episodes we air, the more buzz we'll generate—assuming, of course, that there are talented contestants. How many participants did we select in the first round?"
"We selected 140 participants, and after the second round of auditions, we narrowed that down to 40. From the third round onward, we'll assign group and individual tasks to choose 20 finalists. Starting from the fourth round, a public voting system will be implemented—each week, the two lowest-ranked contestants will be eliminated via text message votes."
It was a truly nerve-wracking audition process.
Of course, that was from the participants' perspective. For viewers, the more intense the competition, the more engaging it became.
"The producers and experts will handle the show's progress well, I'm sure. But there's one thing you must keep in mind: under no circumstances should rankings be manipulated. If vote counting takes longer than expected, even if we have to skip a week, the show must be conducted as fairly as possible."
"I'll make that absolutely clear to the PD in charge."
Any tampering with the results could destroy Taewoo Entertainment's reputation.
Even in my previous life, there had been incidents where rankings were altered, and the fallout had ruined the reputations of both the show and all of its contestants.
"Oh, and send me the profiles of the participants who didn't make it through the first round."
"You mean all one million profiles?"
"Just those who passed the preliminary on-site screening."
At first, I was going to request every single profile, but the moment I heard the number 'one million,' I came to my senses.
Reviewing a million profiles was simply impossible.
"Even just those who passed the preliminary screening number over 300,000."
"Then how many were narrowly eliminated?"
"To pass, a contestant needed to receive a 'pass' vote from at least two out of the three judges. Those who received a 'pass' from at least one judge but were still eliminated total about 20,000."
"Bring me those 20,000 profiles."
I was hoping to find a particular singer I remembered from the past.
But more importantly, I wanted to use my skill for viewing detailed information to uncover hidden, S-tier talent.
To lay a strong foundation for Taewoo Entertainment, we needed top-tier trainees. If we could secure even a few with S-class potential, Taewoo's growth would be inevitable.
"Understood. I'll print out the profiles of the 20,000 contestants right away."
"Just send over their names and photos. That'll be enough."
And so, Planning Office staff began bringing over printed profiles in batches of 2,000.
Whenever I had a spare moment, I flipped through the profiles, checking each one with my ability to view detailed information.
After spending several hours doing this, I finally managed to unearth a single gem.
"Wow! I can't believe someone like her participated in the audition."
She was a famous female idol who had also made a name for herself as an actress.
In my previous life, she was everywhere—in commercials, on TV, and even the streets echoed with her group's music.
"She's a bit young, though."
She was a raw gem, just as the term implies.
She had just entered her first year of middle school, and her delicate features were still hidden beneath the baby fat of childhood.
But that made it even better. If I brought her in now, I could help shape her from the very beginning—a rough gem ready to be polished.
After discovering one, my eyes and hands moved even faster.
Seven hours later, I managed to find about three more diamonds in the rough.
Among them was a student who was only in the fourth grade, just a child—but I held his profile like it was sacred.
A fourth grader for now.
But in the future, he would be a member of Korea's greatest idol group—one that would eventually make it onto the Billboard charts.
I finally found one!
And if I could find the others too… couldn't I form that legendary group under Taewoo Entertainment?