Lee Hyo-eun let Hyunseung lead and found a nearby restaurant.
“Wow…”
Just from a glance at the luxurious-looking interior and the precisely set course dishes appearing on the neatly arranged table, she could tell the price would be considerable.
For Hyo-eun, who had resolved to buy the meal to thank Hyunseung after seeing him for the first time in a while, it couldn’t help but be a highly awkward situation.
‘This is bad.’
Maybe he came here fairly often—without even looking at the menu, Hyunseung finished ordering, so dishes whose prices she didn’t even know began lining the table one after another.
“First we set the texture with fried Spanish carabinero shrimp, and on top of that we season it with a mix of shrimp innards and dashi soy sauce.”
A neatly dressed female staffer took a heaping spoonful of something bead-like and set it atop the dish, adding explanation.
“And what I’m placing now is beluga caviar. If you eat them together, you’ll experience both the flavor and the fun texture at the same time.”
At the unfamiliar food, Hyo-eun tilted her head. Carabinero? Beluga caviar? What in the world did that even mean.
Anyway, this is expensive, right?
‘I wonder how much…’
Just then, as numbers spun round and round in her head, not even knowing whether the food was going down her nose or into her mouth…
“By any chance, can’t you eat seafood?”
Devouring every dish that came out without even pausing to breathe, Hyunseung peeked up and asked.
“N-no, it’s not that! It’s really good!”
At her very awkward answer, Hyunseung let out a soft hum for a moment.
“Your expression looks kind of dark.”
Pressing his lips clean with the napkin, he continued.
“You’re really okay, right?”
“Mm, I’m really okay.”
Saying he got it, Hyunseung gave a perfunctory nod, then polished off the main in a flash.
Back in school, too, the moment lunchtime came he’d snap awake from sleeping and heap up rice like a mountain and eat….
‘Same as ever.’
Pushing a piece of tender, soft boiled pork into her mouth, Hyo-eun thought.
‘Eat first, think later.’
Right, he’s eating so well right now—don’t make it awkward. As for the rent, she could get an advance somehow and pay it.
Clink, clink.
After that, only the sound of flatware clashing rang through the room for quite a while.
But only for a moment.
“Lee Hyo-jin.”
“It’s not Hyo-jin, it’s Hyo-eun.”
“Uh, I know.”
“Sounds like you mixed it up.”
Scratching the back of his head with an abashed face, Hyunseung slid over a plate of sweets to her and said,
“So, what’ve you been up to?”
“Took you long enough to ask.”
“I’m asking now, so that should do.”
At that, Lee Hyo-eun nodded, “That’s true,” and calmly parted her lips.
“I….”
Should she start with how she’d wanted to go to college but, because her mom found out, hadn’t even set foot on the threshold?
That at her age she wasn’t chasing any dream, just living working so much she didn’t even have time to sleep?
No.
Don’t talk about dark things like that.
“As you saw last time, I’ve been working at the café, that’s all.”
“Is being a barista your dream by any chance?”
“No, I’m not even interested in coffee.”
“Then why work at a café?”
“Because the hourly wage is the highest nearby.”
Hyunseung’s upper body gradually leaned toward Hyo-eun.
As if he found it very interesting, pricking up his ears.
“If there were a part-time job with higher pay, you’d do it, right?”
“Huh? If it’s something I can do, of course I would.”
Then, wearing an enigmatic smile like a villain hatching a shady scheme, he made an offer.
“Then, want a part-time job?”
“Uh, a part-time job?”
“Yeah, it’s not hard at all.”
Hearing that, a friend’s warning floated up in Hyo-eun’s mind.
“Hey, when a friend reaches out after a long time, start with suspicion.”
“Why?”
“They said it’s either insurance or an MLM1.”
“No way, seriously?”
“I’m telling you! Especially if they say you can make big money—it’s automatic.”
Surely not, right?
“What exactly is it?”
When Hyo-eun asked with a dubious face, Hyunseung hummed for a second.
“You just have to sing one song. In that sense… are you good at singing?”
“Singing? I do like it, but I don’t know if I’m good at it… why?”
“That’s plenty. You’ll be able to make way more than a part-time wage.”
“B-big money?”
“Yeah. Just trust me and follow my lead.”
Carefully setting down her fork, Hyo-eun watched him for cues. Is this the MLM my friend talked about?
No. Judging by how he said she only had to sing, it could even be something illegal.
“H-Hyunseung.”
Right now, a warning siren blared in Hyo-eun’s head telling her to run.
“There’s a bit of an issue right now. I think I need to step out to the shop…”
With that, she sprang up from her seat and continued,
“I’m sorry, but would it be okay if I head out now?”
Clicking his tongue as if regretfully, Hyunseung nodded.
“Well, can’t be helped then.”
Pushing down the swell of distress for a moment, Hyo-eun looked around the table for the check.
Right.
Even if her first love in her memories had now become a member(?) of a pyramid-scheme den, what was owed was owed.
She really wanted to buy at least this one meal herself.
“I’ll take care of the bill.”
But Hyunseung swept out his hand decisively and said,
“The bill’s already paid, so go on.”
“Huh? Then tell me how much it was.”
“It’s fine. Next time you can buy.”
“C’mon, I’ll at least send my share.”
“Forget the meal cost.”
Then, in a very forthright tone, he added,
“Just think about what I proposed and get back to me.”
As if…
“If you wait too long, there won’t be a chance.”
As if knowing, of course, that she would reach out again.
Meanwhile, sitting at his computer with a troubled face, Kim Woohyun clattered at the keyboard.
Clack-clack, clack.
Compared to how busily his fingers moved, the content didn’t fill out at all, just kept looping in place.
It was to write, himself, the report to submit regarding Hyunseung’s drama OST production….
“This is, sheesh….”
It was fine up to Hyunseung singing himself. No… people would actually love it.
On the last collaboration album, too, the title track he personally sang became the biggest buzz, and there were clamorings to release a solo track he sang by himself.
Right.
If the artist name on this OST read “HS,” there would surely be an explosive response.
That’s that.
But using a civilian as an instrument—what sudden wind was blowing to make him do that?
[ Goldie: The instrument isn’t fully confirmed yet, but it’s half-confirmed, so please prep a contract template. ]
Why, this kid must think the Division Head is his errand boy or something.
[ I’ll have the contract ready, for sure. ]
Can’t be helped.
[ When it’s confirmed, tell me. Are the skill or visuals okay? If so, I’ll contact them myself. ]
Since they were doing it anyway, he’d just have to do it so amazingly well it would set a benchmark.
Truth be told, at this point….
Even if Hyunseung said he’d grab a passerby and turn them into a superstar, you had no choice but to believe it.
No matter what adverse conditions came attached, he always produced the result called success.
Even if you looked only at Korea’s current music charts—
[ TOP 100 ]
No. 1 letter – Jayble X HS
No. 2 Villain – Jayble X HS (feat. Ahn Jiho)
No. 3 bling – Jayble X HS (feat. Kim Bomi)
No. 4 fallen leaves – Ahn Jiho
No. 5 It Was the First Time – Jayble X HS (feat. Jung Arin)
.
.
No. 7 A.N.P – Seo Jini
No. 8 Yoonseul – Kang Hajun
No. 9 To You Who Only Had Me – Yoon Jaeyi
.
.
No. 12 Dear my Beethoven – HS (feat. Moon Beom-jae)
.
.
No. 15 le seul – The Moon
.
.
No. 45 A Handful of Cherry Blossoms — Jung Arin
.
.
No. 85 Bbaekkomi Family – Yellowpong
.
.
No. 100 Let’s Walk Together – Seo Jini
Among people now, there were even lines like, “If you take out the HS tracks, there’s nothing left to listen to.”
And that’s not all.
Just the money Hyunseung had earned LS Entertainment over the past two years was a figure that defied sense,
And the value of the capital he would bring in going forward would be astronomical, to the point it was hard to put a number on it.
Of course, it was not only money. Accordingly, LS Entertainment’s reputation had become more solid, so within the company Hyunseung’s footing would have grown all the more firm.
Therefore, even if he worked with a civilian, there probably wouldn’t be anyone who stood up to oppose it.
Ah. Even if someone did raise an objection, as Division Head he could cover that much.
Bzzzz—!
Speak of the tiger and he arrives?
[ Goldie ]
Right then, a call came in from Hyunseung.
— Section Chief.
“Division Head.”
— Ah, right—I’m still not used to that.
What was up with this kid’s voice?
At Hyunseung’s voice, different from usual, Kim Woohyun cocked his head.
Right.
He was originally the languid-speaking type, but this was different altogether. You could say it lacked energy and confidence?
Anyway, it was clear something had happened to Goldie.
“Hyunseung, is something wrong?”
— I think I just got rejected for the first time in my life.
“What? You?”
— In that spirit, would you buy me a coffee? Venti-size.
“Uh, sure… where are you now?”
— I just walked into the studio.
“I’ll be right over.”
With that, Kim Woohyun left his office at once.
“What’s going on? Rejected, you say?”
Studying Hyunseung’s face, Kim asked carefully.
“Sigh.”
Instead of an answer, Hyunseung downed the iced Americano in one go and exhaled as if refreshed.
“No, say something.”
When he asked again, only then did Hyunseung scratch the back of his head and part his lips like he was going to speak.
“Well…”
“Yeah?”
After hesitating for a beat, Hyunseung said,
“The girl suddenly got up and left in the middle of eating.”
He added, with a face that truly didn’t know what was going on,
“She did say she had to hurry out because of work….”
“Mm? Maybe something urgent really did come up and she left.”
“Don’t women always eat dessert no matter what? She left without eating the chestnut financier and the yuzu sherbet, you know?”
Tilting his head like he found it absurd, Kim asked back,
“Does that girl have an enormous appetite like you?”
“Mm, she did keep picking at her food.”
“How many times have you met her?”
“We ran into each other once recently, and today’s meal—that’s it.”
“Then maybe, since it’s early, she was picking at her food to look good.”
“She could still give an answer, though.”
At that, Kim’s eyes went wide as he asked.
Confession on the very first date….
He hadn’t seen our Hyunseung that way—turns out he was a real man’s man.
“What answer? You confessed? What did you say? T-tell me!”
Only—
What came back had little to do with that topic.
“Not a confession. I asked if she wanted to do a part-time job.”
“Huh? A part-time job?”
“Yes. I said she could make big money just singing one song.”
Why did a sense of unease creep up.
“Don’t tell me you mean that ‘civilian’ you said would sing the OST?”
“Yes, that’s right. So I told her to trust only me and follow me, and she left.”
“Did you perhaps mention that you’re HS, or that it’s singing a drama OST?”
“No. I left it out just in case.”
Of course you did.
“Aigoo.”
Kim made a show of clutching the back of his neck. Hyunseung was always leaving out the crucial core of a story, throwing the other party into misunderstanding.
Looks like this was one of those times, too.
“Why? Is there a problem or something?”
“No, it’s not exactly a problem….”
Right now, that girl probably thought Hyunseung was into some MLM, or maybe some hair-raising underworld type.
Well, what could you do now.
“Hyunseung, should I try reaching out to that girl?”
“No need. Kicking away a chance is her own lot.”
Grumbling as he leaned back his chair, Hyunseung spoke for a moment.
“Ah… or maybe she turned me down because quitting her current part-time job would be a bit much?”
“Huh?”
“In that case, if we acquire the café she works at, then she’d automatically become my employee….”
He started muttering things that made no sense.
“R-right….”
Whatever it was, our Goldie ought to do everything he wants to do.
- MLM = multi-level marketing. It’s a sales model where independent distributors sell products/services and recruit new distributors. ↩︎
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