Hyuna fixed a sharp gaze on her brother and asked, “Three months?”
Seeing her reaction, Hyunseung tried again, sounding her out.
“Two… two months?”
“Two months?!”
“O… one month.”
“Yup, perfect.”
The moment she heard a timeline she liked, Hyuna nodded, thoroughly satisfied.
So the deal was sealed: they would take a European trip exactly one month later, just as she wanted.
A month… that is really tight, Hyunseung thought, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.
“I should start checking flights first.”
But her grin reached her ears, so he could not bring himself to protest.
Well, I will make it work somehow.
He gave a small nod.
“I will load plenty of money on the card, so just book the flights and hotels yourself.”
“Sure thing. I will set everything up perfectly.”
“Do not cut corners. Book first class and pick the best hotels.”
“First class is crazy expensive. Business should be fine…”
“Do you know how many hours it takes to reach Europe? If you prefer discomfort, fly business alone.”
“N-no, I was worrying about your wallet.”
Watching her wave her hands frantically, he felt a mischievous idea bubble up and curled his lips.
“If you really want to ease my burden, go on a diet.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“It matters. First class charges by body weight.”
“Another lie.”
“It is true. Remember how they weighed our luggage on the Japan trip and took money?”
“Uh… right, they did.”
“First class is even stricter about weight. That is why.”
“R-really?”
“Why would I lie about something like this?”
Putting on the most pitiful face he could, he patted her shoulder.
“Income has been a bit thin lately, so help the family finances and slim down.”
Crushed, Hyuna whispered, “Okay,” then hurriedly unlocked her phone.
“I need to find a diet plan starting today.”
“Excellent attitude.”
“Wait, bro, are you training idols now?”
“I can barely manage you. What idols?”
She was about to show her screen when
Bzzzz.
His phone vibrated in his pocket.
[Jin-seong saw something and scribbled nonsense.
A correction will run, so do not worry.
Just know this is the current situation.]
The messages were from Director Kim.
Bzzzz. A final buzz carried a link.
[Exclusive] HS’s Idol Group The Moon, Comeback Imminent!
— Now in their third year, The Moon has reportedly moved to LS Entertainment and is preparing a flashy return, with in-house composer HS producing…
HS previously lifted the stagnating Seo Jini and ex-trainee Jeong Arin into stardom. Attention focuses on whether he can revive The Moon…
At the bottom the byline read “Reporter Gye Jinseong,” complete with email.
Contact me if you want to argue, huh.
Sure, a simple correction would handle the false report, but—
Ha…
Hyunseung scratched his head, face twisted.
“Something wrong, bro?”
“No, nothing.”
Staring at that reporter’s name, he muttered, “Maybe I can turn this around.”
He brushed a finger across his lips, then texted Director Kim.
[Let him run with the nonsense. Leave it.]
“Why in the world is a company like LS Entertainment not refuting such a bogus article?”
Ahn Jiho slapped his phone onto the table.
[Exclusive] HS’s Idol Group The Moon, Comeback Imminent!
The headline from Gye Jin-seong glowed on the screen.
After thinking a moment, Choi Jeonghyuk shrugged.
“Well, it is not entirely false. The composer is bringing us back to life.”
“Right, Jeonghyuk’s the team brain,” Joo Woomin joked.
Quiet until now, Lee Chanyoung spoke up softly.
“Honestly, I think it is good for us.”
“Why?”
“Our name made the news again.”
“True.”
“And we got keywords like LS Entertainment and HS’s idol, so we are getting attention.”
“Super hot.”
“We cannot afford promotion anyway, so this is a win, right?”
“Our real brain is the maknae Chanyoung!”
Jeonghyuk yelled, “I thought I was the brain!” but—
…Jiho barely heard them.
What bothered him was Director Kim Hyoseop watching from the side, clearly anxious.
Lucky break or not, HS giving them songs did not mean LS Entertainment would recruit them, yet the director looked uneasy.
Chanyoung’s points were valid, so he must be worrying even more: if LS really tried to sign them, he would probably let them go.
He has always been that way.
“Chanyoung’s so shrewd. Imagine LS trying to poach our kids—now that would be a jackpot!”
Feigning cheer, Kim Hyoseop forced a laugh.
“Ha-ha, as if…”
The members fell silent, sensing his mood. Joking would only hurt.
“Director Kim,” Jiho said firmly, breaking the hush. “Please do not say things like that.”
“I only meant it shows how well things are going…”
Jiho knew full well how big LS Entertainment was. If an offer came it would be huge. Could he resist? Probably not. He would agonize all night.
These days the idol scene is a brutal war. Skill, looks, humor, marketing—without a giant machine behind you, odds are slim.
A random viral hit? Call it a miracle.
And a miracle had come to The Moon: a top composer’s song. So success felt possible.
But that success would not erase their debts. TM Entertainment was tiny and in the red. Even a hit album would mostly patch holes.
If LS made an offer, moving would be logical, and he would not blame the others.
Yet Jiho himself would stay with Kim Hyoseop, the one person who never let go of The Moon.
Right. Someday TM could join the big leagues. This album would be the first step, and they had to milk the HS and LS names for promotion now.
“Time to hit practice,” he said, rising.
The members followed, glancing at Kim Hyoseop.
At the doorway Jiho paused.
“Director, let’s move into our own building one day.”
“A building?”
“Bigger than LS headquarters.”
Stunned, Kim Hyoseop stared, then smiled in a way words cannot capture.
“Absolutely. Let’s do it.”
“If we have our own cafeteria…”
“Showers next to the studio.”
“I want a movie room!”
“Why would we need that?”
Laughing, they left the office brimming with dreams.
Another brutal training session began.
“Take a short break,” Hyunseung said.
Jiho collapsed like a balloon with the air let out. Simply singing standing up drained him this much.
He wiped sweat from his hair and tapped his cheeks.
Get a grip. The road is still long, and every session exposes my flaws.
Silence stretched. Jiho lifted his head and looked at the unmoving composer.
“Sir.”
Hyunseung met his eyes.
“What?”
“I have a question.”
“Ask.”
“Did you see that article?”
“Yeah,” he answered curtly, offering no more.
What kind of reaction is that? Jiho had assumed he did not know or was preparing a correction. Surely LS would kill the story soon.
“Then why are you doing nothing?”
“About what?”
“It is obviously false.”
“So?”
“LS could crush it instantly—”
“What is the problem?”
Flustered, Jiho’s mouth worked soundlessly.
“Speak,” the composer prodded.
“…The members might get false hopes. They might think LS will really make an offer.”
Hyunseung snorted.
“Wow, collective overreaction.”
“I know it is overreacting.”
“Then stop overreacting.”
His head drooped.
“I want to, but the thought keeps popping up. I cannot swear I would not waver.”
He added under his breath, “If I feel this, imagine the others.”
The composer hummed. After a pause he said,
“I thought you understood this industry. Was I mistaken?”
“Sir?”
“Do not show me this soft mushy side. It is boring.”
His voice stayed calm yet sharp.
“My song alone will not hand you success. Without media play, you stand no chance. I laid a stage, so grab every piece you can. Are you the leader or a cry-baby?”
Each word stabbed, but none were wrong. Jiho clenched his lips. He should be exploiting every advantage, not whining.
“And you think LS recruits just anyone? Stop daydreaming and figure out how to pass the sections you keep messing up, got it?”
“Y-yes, sir.” His cheeks burned with shame.
“Less sorry, more practice. No sleeping tonight.”
“Yes…”
“Recording starts soon.”
“R-recording?”
“Why so shocked? Want to debut next year?”
“No, sir.”
“Then practice. You open the session.”
HS was hard to read, but maybe he was not a bad person after all.
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