The next morning.
“Sir.”
The moment the in-house cafe opened, Kim Woohyun went in and, as always, ordered two iced Americanos.
Of course, venti size.
His face was full of smiles as he ordered coffee today.
“Please fill it up a lot.”
One is mine, and one is for our Geumdong…
Ah, no.
The one and only light, my salvation, my savior, our CEO who is the most handsome and coolest in the world!
“Sir?”
If someone could read Kim Woohyun’s thoughts, he was pouring out praise about Hyunseung to the point where it would be called shameless fawning.
“Your coffee is ready.”
With perfect timing, the coffee he ordered came out.
“Thank you.”
Kim Woohyun greeted them more gently than ever, picked up the coffee right away, and headed for Hyunseung’s studio.
Thud, thud.
His steps were so light they felt like they might fly.
That was because, thanks to Hyunseung’s, no, the CEO’s consideration, all of his worries were resolved at once.
Right.
Because it was Hyunseung’s offer that he had decided without hesitation to follow him to America, but when he actually tried to prepare, the reality in front of him was bleak.
Housing prices in America were higher than he expected, and if he went out to a rural town on the outskirts, there was not only commuting to and from work, but also no hospital suitable for taking care of his mother.
And yet…
He could not shamelessly ask Hyunseung for help again.
While he was thinking he had to solve it somehow with his own money he heard that Executive Director Park was going to have his house and tuition supported, and for a moment, he felt jealous.
Even thinking about it again, it was an unbearably pathetic feeling.
But Hyunseung reached out with consideration once again.
Like that day when he secretly paid his mother’s hospital bills instead of him, while he was boiling inside alone.
I really have to do well.
Kim Woohyun had received another enormous kindness from Hyunseung. Even if he repaid it over his whole life, it would not be enough.
Seriously.
I should buy him coffee every day and offer it up. When he gets older, I should buy him supplements too and get him some tonic medicine made.
Thinking that, before he knew it, he had arrived in front of the studio door.
It was a studio he came to all the time, but today it felt different.
For some reason, he felt that he should open this door cautiously.
“Whew…”
Is it because he’s the CEO now? Once he realized that, Hyunseung felt so admirable and cool.
At the same time, paradoxically, a sense of distance also came washing in.
“I’m coming in.”
Unlike usual, he announced that he was here, then entered the password.
Beep-beep-beep!
When he turned the doorknob, he saw Hyunseung’s back, spinning a pen around and around in one hand.
Why does he look even smaller, rounder, and prettier today?
‘Our Geumdong…’
If he had come without realizing Hyunseung was the CEO now, he would have immediately said he was pretty and ruffled the back of his head.
“You’re here?”
With the same expression and tone as any other day, Hyunseung only turned his head sideways and greeted him halfheartedly.
“Here’s your morning coffee.”
At his words, Hyunseung made a disgusted expression, took the coffee, and asked.
“Are you still half asleep?”
“What do you mean?”
“You keep speaking to me formally.”
Kim Woohyun answered at once with an easy laugh.
“You’re the CEO now.”
“So what?”
“Where in the world is there a director who talks down to the CEO?”
With a very respectful posture, he even pushed up his glasses and added.
“I have to get into the habit of using honorifics from now on.”
Thinking he would look quite smart.
“It’s not like it’s legally decided that you have to.”
But Hyunseung looked at him like he was doing something useless.
“It’s not that you have to, but typically, doing it like that is…”
“In my company, I’m going to get rid of all those stale and old-fashioned things like ‘typically’ and ‘as a rule.’”
“But those things correct a company’s discipline and are important factors that control the atmosphere—”
As if he didn’t want to hear any more, Hyunseung lifted one hand and cut off Kim Woohyun’s sentence.
“Making music, singing music, selling music.”
Then, in a very firm tone, he added.
“In my label, you only need to do those things.”
Kim Woohyun’s lips moved slightly, then.
“Yes.”
He gave a short answer and closed his mouth. He had felt it before too, but Hyunseung, when you look at him, had quite a CEO-like side.
Stubborn, and hardline.
A sharp gaze.
Straight beliefs and mindset.
Right. Because Hyunseung is this kind of person, he agreed so readily to follow behind him.
More than anything, the Hyunseung he had seen was someone soft with affection, and warm-hearted.
“If you keep using honorifics, a written statement…”
Ah.
“Instead, dentures will be confiscated for three days1.”
At the same time, he had forgotten for a moment that he was a troublesome brat.
“Additionally, cafeteria access will be banned for a month.”
A dawn with darkness settled.
Ahn Jiho couldn’t sleep and listened to the ticking second hand as he counted numbers in his head.
1, 2, 3…… 104, 105, 106…….
Because he couldn’t sleep, he counted along with the second hand like counting sheep, then.
“Ugh.”
No matter how much he counted, he couldn’t sleep, so he just sat his upper body up.
‘Damn it.’
For once, his schedule ended early, and tomorrow was an afternoon schedule, so it was a day he could sleep deeply.
Creeeak.
Ahn Jiho came out into the dark living room and turned on a light.
The living room of the dorm was unbearably quiet.
It felt like the sound of his footsteps would wake the whole house.
Feeling thirsty after a while, Ahn Jiho gulped down a glass of water, then carefully opened the members’ bedroom doors one by one.
Creeeak.
Every single one of them was in a deep sleep.
From the youngest, Chanyeong.
Even Choi Junghyuk, whose sleep is so light people call him sensitive, was snoring and sunk in deep sleep.
Hoping they would all sleep well today.
Click.
He returned to his room like that.
“Whew….”
But Ahn Jiho couldn’t fall asleep easily like them.
He let out a sigh heavy with deep thoughts, flopped onto the bed, but his focus only became clearer.
Then Ahn Jiho dragged up the worry he had been avoiding to the surface.
It was the worry about the scout offer he received from Hyunseung, to a U.S. label.
Of course.
It was an offer he heard as the leader, an offer for the entire group The Moon.
But he couldn’t tell anyone yet. Since they probably couldn’t go anyway, what was the point of telling the members? It might only cause confusion and division…
Why can’t they go?
Well.
Because of the CEO.
As someone who had watched the CEO’s hard work, running around on foot to make The Moon succeed, he couldn’t make a choice that betrayed him.
The Moon.
And beyond that, TM Entertainment, which The Moon belongs to, is a small company that has only just begun to see the light.
The only artist they have is ‘The Moon.’
And the executives and staff, including the CEO, are only four people.
Even that is from recent hiring.
In this situation, how could he abandon TM Entertainment and leave?
However.
He also couldn’t easily ignore it. Because it was HS’s offer.
Right.
Until not long ago, TM Entertainment almost shut down because they were behind on office rent, let alone hiring employees.
But now, not only have they paid the overdue rent.
They hired new employees.
And even if not all, their piled-up debts have been handled to some extent.
Additionally, even if it’s rent, they found a house where all members can live together, and they got a manager and a dedicated van.
It truly was like a miracle. Day by day, even while sleeping in short naps soaked in emotion, he was happy.
It wasn’t only him who felt that way.
The other members did too.
And the CEO, as if taking one more spoonful, even cried on the day their first solo concert ended.
“This is all thanks to HS, really, he’s someone we should be grateful to, really, how do we repay this kindness…”
Drunk to the point of being flushed, he held onto the members and kept muttering like that, shedding tears of emotion.
Right.
These tears of emotion were made by HS.
No one could deny that fact.
To them, who were just unknown idols, he gave them a song with no conditions.
And he was the one who opened a huge opening salvo so The Moon could succeed.
“Whew….”
When the CEO’s face and HS’s face overlapped in front of him at the same time, Ahn Jiho squeezed his eyes shut.
In this situation where there isn’t a single person he isn’t grateful to, he couldn’t hold either person’s hand.
“Think tomorrow, and for now, sleep.”
In the end, Ahn Jiho once again had to try to sleep, unable to make any decision.
“Hyunseung, you absolutely can’t say it.”
Kim Woohyun held Hyunseung’s shoulder and spoke as if coaxing a child.
“You, seriously, it’s not yet. You know that, right? There’s a time for everything?”
Executive Director Park, standing beside him anxiously, added in.
“Ah, I won’t, I won’t.”
Hyunseung answered carelessly while picking his ear.
Really.
With that attitude, as if he wasn’t even listening, Executive Director Park and Kim Woohyun’s anxiety grew stronger.
“Hey, are you even listening properly?”
Executive Director Park put a hand on his waist and snapped at him in a deliberately high-handed tone.
There was a reason he was acting like this toward Hyunseung.
Today.
Was the day of the regularly held executive-level meeting…
Why, of all times! At this timing!
An order came down from the CEO to have Hyunseung attend this executive meeting too.
Right.
Like the saying about a thief’s feet going numb, Park and Kim Woohyun were getting scared ahead of time, and it wasn’t their feet but their hearts that were going numb.
Did he notice?
Since everyone who knows this is on Hyunseung’s side, there’s no way information leaked…
So why are they telling him to call Hyunseung?
No matter how they thought about it, it was strange.
Seriously, it was too strange.
Ah.
Of course, they planned to tell the CEO soon.
But at least, not today.
They needed a little more time to prepare. They planned to tell him only after they quietly formed a legal team in case of any situation, and after the mergers and acquisitions for a U.S. management company and distribution line were all done.
In that sense, today was absolutely not ‘that day.’
So.
They had to block any sudden action from Hyunseung in advance.
Because Hyunseung might, at any time, in any way, cause an incident.
Whether he knew their desperate hearts or not….
Hyunseung kept giving answers that were not reassuring at all.
“Yeees, yeees, I said I got it.”
Kim Woohyun let out a sigh, rubbing his dry face.
“Whew….”
These days, he had thought Hyunseung was maturing quickly. Since he had made a big decision, he thought he would take responsibility with it and was trying to become more like a CEO.
But today’s Hyunseung was like a teenager going off the rails.
“If you keep doing that, I’ll confiscate your dentures for three days?”
No, at this point, isn’t he like a terrible four-year-old?
“Enough.”
As if he didn’t want to hear any more, Hyunseung put on his coat and asked.
“Aren’t you coming?”
For some reason, adding words with a sharp edge.
“The CEO Jeon Nam-il is calling you.”
Then Kim Woohyun and Executive Director Park, stunned, watched Hyunseung’s back as he went out first, and a feeling suddenly brushed past them.
Somehow, it was a bad feeling that the sulking troublesome brat was about to cause a huge incident.
- It’s a deliberately ridiculous “mock punishment” where Hyunseung treats the older guys like nagging grandpas and jokes he’ll “confiscate their dentures” the way a parent would confiscate a kid’s phone to shut them up. ↩︎
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