Pen and Paper Translations

Hyunseung was caught up in two dilemmas at once.

How this came about was this: right after he received that very forward courtship (?) from Vincent yesterday, an international parcel suddenly arrived.

It was a letter from Sarah Stewart, along with a VIP invitation to her ongoing solo concert.

What did it say again?

She said she is the type who has to repay favors, so she would even cover lodging, so please be sure to come see the concert with your family.

Oh, right.

There was also the request that, if possible, he bring both hands full of misutgaru.

He was not sure whether it was a favor or a warning.

In any case, for those reasons Hyunseung was now lost in thought about when and how he should play the new instrument immediately, and at the same time whether he really needed to go watch the concert.

Firstly, although the song was finished, he still needed to secure time for one more pass at the arrangement.

And if he was going to deliver the misutgaru, he would have to take the private jet again this time too.

To avoid any needless talk, he would book the lodging privately himself.

If they were going anyway, it might be nice to make it a trip with his family…

“Ah, damn…”

Just then, when his head was getting noisy from piled-up schedules.

Tok, tok, tok.

For some reason a familiar knock sounded. Not Mom, but also not Dad.

Yes.

This knock was definitely…

“Hello.”

Of course. A weak knock like that was exactly Colt Jiho.

“What is it?”

“How can you say ‘what is it’ the moment I arrive?”

Contrary to his curt tone, Hyunseung stepped aside by the door to let Ahn Jiho in.

“No, I was just thinking…”

Then, like a hyena that had found some interesting prey, he smirked meanly and teased him.

“I was curious how the little foal managed to walk all the way here.”

“The Red Thread directors kept pestering me to see if I could get them one meeting with you, so I just dropped by. More than that, can you please forget the ‘Colt Jiho’ thing now?”

Hyunseung murmured under his breath, very quietly, “Red Thread…,” then immediately pressed Jiho with a question.

“How do you do that?”

“Pardon?”

“How do you forget?”

Facing Hyunseung’s unusually serious face, Jiho felt like he must have said something wrong. Why is he suddenly like this?

“If it is really that hard to forget…”

Without meaning to, Jiho answered in a sober tone.

“Just leave it to time to take care of it.”

As soon as he finished, Hyunseung nodded with a sound of agreement.

“Even a foal has some walking skill. That was a pretty decent advice.”

“Huh? That is a real saying, right?”

“Probably is.”

“Anyway, you mean that was a compliment?”

“More or less.”

Even though Jiho had tossed the words off vaguely, Hyunseung really thought it was good advice.

The Red Thread staffer…

No.

After he had come face-to-face with Jo Narae, the memories he had taken out once seized the moment and kept rising before his eyes like heat shimmers.

Thanks to that, lately he had been having a hard time.

But the moment he heard “leave it to time to take care of it,” his head went white and neat, as if organized all at once.

Of course.

That did not mean the woman herself was instantly sorted away.

Well…

It felt like a tangled skein suddenly popped loose in one go and let him look at things calmly.

‘I think I can set it down a little and watch from a distance.’

Hyunseung was detached in every area, but when it came to this kind of emotion he was endlessly lacking.

Right now, each and every word like that did not fall on deaf ears.

Studying Hyunseung’s face carefully, Jiho tilted his head, embarrassed, and spoke.

“Anyway, I am glad it helped, h-hyungnim.”

Wait a second, what was that? As if he had heard something Hyunseung should not, he frowned and asked again.

“What did you just say?”

Shrinking a little at the reaction, Jiho looked to gauge him and answered carefully.

“I said I am glad it helped…”

“No, after that.”

“A-anyway, to y-you, hyungnim…?”

With his eyes half-lidded and lifted to the side, Hyunseung snorted at Jiho.

“Ah….”

Only then did Jiho realize. The final choice he had flipped back and forth on several times before coming here had not been the right one.

Apparently, wanting to look closer than other people, he had gotten ahead of himself.

“I tried calling you that because ‘sir’ or ‘composer’ felt too distant. If I crossed a line, I am sorry.”

He bowed his head deeply and apologized.

“Right, it makes no sense.”

“Yes, I am truly sorry.”

While Jiho kept bowing low, unable even to lift his head—

“No matter how you look at it, you are the hyung here. I am definitely not the hyung.”

Suddenly, Hyunseung held up a mirror and continued.

“Take a look at this face. Even you have to admit, the one who should be called hyung has got to be you, doesn’t it?”

“Excuse me?”

“When you call me hyungnim, it makes me feel like some gangster.”

“Then…”

“Isn’t it better to just call me hyung, something harmless.”

At that, Jiho covered his mouth with both hands as if overwhelmed.

“Yes, hyung!”

He nodded vigorously. Watching him, Hyunseung thought that however fierce and however old-faced he might look, a kid is a kid.

To think he would get that happy just because he could call him hyung.

Tsk. Then, as if something occurred to him, Hyunseung snapped his fingers and spoke.

“Hey, while we are at it, let me ask just one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“Say three things you have to do all hit you at once.”

“Yes.”

“What would you do?”

“Sorry?”

“I would sort them by priority and…”

Then, shaking his head and hands left and right, he asked again.

“Not that kind of canned answer. Got anything crisp?”

Jiho was flustered. He did not even know what situation it was or what the three things were, so what crisp answer was he supposed to give…

But a moment ago, without realizing it, he had helped, and because of that he had finally become hyung and dongsaeng with him, had he not?

Right. This is the chance to show I am helpful and a needed dongsaeng.

Finally, as if deciding himself, Jiho moved his lips he had been biting.

“Then how about piling the three things up in one place and doing them all at once?”

But he had to bite his lip again right away.

Even to himself, it felt too half-hearted, and he wanted to turn back time.

Surely, he was not about to revoke the hyung-dongsaeng relationship on the spot, was he?

“Hey.”

Contrary to that worry, Hyunseung stretched out a fist, telling him to bump it.

“From now on you are Solo Jiho.”

As their fists touched with a soft thud in the air, Hyunseung smiled, very satisfied.

He had suddenly found an answer, and he really liked the new nickname he had coined for Jiho.

[*Solo Jiho = Solomon Ahn Jiho = Solo Hell]¹

“Solo Jiho, huh….”

Jiho wanted to ask what that meant, but seeing how relaxed Hyunseung looked, he just nodded gently as if to say no.

“Whatever it is, yes, anyway, thank you for bestowing a sobriquet….”

Anyway, it seemed he had helped, so for a while at least he should be able to call him hyung.

“Hyung, I will get going first.”

Jiho decided to bring up the drama side’s meeting request only after Hyunseung had settled down a bit.

---

Meanwhile. Sarah Stewart, while running her nationwide tour, was also not slacking on promotion for the new release.

In particular, if there was any channel where she could promote the title track “Look at me,” she would adjust her schedule to appear.

If that song could sit at number one on the Billboard chart for three months, she would be able to secure 100 boxes of misutgaru.

Granted.

For some reason, Vincent posted effusive praise, and because of that another album track, “Black angel,” took number one…

Even so, starting this week, the title track “Look at me” had climbed back to the top, so she meant to push harder to keep it there.

“Haa….”

Sarah sprawled flat on the rehearsal room floor.

Between the concert, the promo schedule, and harsh practice on top of that, her stamina would run dry quickly.

At times like this, Sarah took a small emergency pack of misutgaru from the handbag she carried.

She had tried to ration it, but even so the misutgaru had already run out, which was a problem.

Of course, she had sent an invitation to Hyunseung asking him to come watch the concert with both hands full of misutgaru, but she had given up the expectation since it seemed he would not come.

In that case.

She had to make “Look at me” stay at number one, no matter what.

Only then would she be able to drink misutgaru to her heart’s content.

“Hmm….”

Sarah fell into a very serious dilemma. How could she anchor the title at number one for three months? Should she shoot a truly shocking challenge video one more time?

Ah, damn.

If she did, the company would nag again.

Shuuuk, shuuuuk.

Lost in thought while she sipped, the misutgaru hit the bottom, and only the sound of air being sucked up came from the pack.

Clicking her tongue with regret, Sarah stared at the crumpled pack of misutgaru in her hand for a moment.

“Right!”

As if a sharp idea had come to her, she sprang to her feet.

Ding!

Right then, as if he had been watching her, a text arrived from Hyunseung.

[ I am going with my family to see the concert. ]

What in the world… this weirdo.

Ding!

Immediately after came another. Well, this was more like a notice than a text, maybe?

[ However, misutgaru will be provided upon fulfilling the pledge. ]

She had been half certain he would not come, but he said he would. Good.

And the sudden idea she had had would have even deeper meaning if that family was there.

In that case, she would revive the determination she had when squeezing out the very last drop of misutgaru, and prepare properly.

Yes.

She would show a performance so surprising one could call it an incident.

Tap!

Suddenly Sarah stood up, ready to jump into fire if need be.

And then, as she was about to raise her phone to call somewhere,

Ding!

On the screen, a flood of new-message alerts popped up again.

Reading the broken-up texts one by one, Sarah let out an odd little cry.

No wonder.

[ Oh right. ]

[ Never mind providing lodging. ]

[ Instead, lend me your studio. ]

[ Can I use it for about a week? ]

A request he had made that she had not anticipated at all.

[ If you accept the request… ]

[ I will take the 100 boxes of misutgaru and double it. ]

And that request was an offer Sarah absolutely could not refuse.

---

1. It’s a stacked wordplay nickname with 3 layers:
   –솔로지호 (Solo Jiho) — a coined nickname: 솔로 (“solo,” single) + 지호 (Jiho’s name).
   –솔로몬 안지호 (Solomon Ahn Jiho) — sounds close to “Solo Jiho.” implying he gave a sharp, decisive “Solomonic” answer (his one-shot solution to doing 3 things at once).
   –솔로지옥 (Solo Hell) — Korean meme/slang for the “hell of being single.” so it cheekily teases him as “forever single.”
   So, “Solo Jiho” → echoes “Solomon (Ahn Jiho)” for wisdom, while also winking at “Solo Hell” for comedic roast. ↩︎