In the meeting room where the CEO still hadn’t arrived.
The meeting hadn’t started yet, but the heavy, sunken air made the room feel even more solemn.
However, that atmosphere didn’t last long.
Ding! Ding!
At the notifications that kept going off, people started murmuring, asking what on earth that sound was.
“Ah, it’s me.”
When Hyunseung shook his phone, Director Choi let out a small snort of laughter.
“Hyunseung, wouldn’t it be better to switch it to silent now?”
Sweating coldly, Kim Woohyun coaxed Hyunseung.
“Yes.”
Hyunseung, unexpectedly, obediently followed those words.
‘What’s going on?’
He couldn’t relax completely, but just as he was feeling reassured for a moment.
“Are we all here?.”
The door opened, and CEO Jeon Nam-il entered the meeting room.
Sitting in the central seat of honor, he slowly looked over the faces of those attending the meeting.
Then his gaze stopped.
At the end of it was Hyunseung, wearing a blank face as if he had no idea why he was sitting here.
“You came.”
But as if that were a misunderstanding, Hyunseung shot back at the CEO’s words.
“Because you told me to come.”
His reply was laced with a sharp edge.
“Do you know why I called you?”
However, Jeon Nam-il asked back without showing a single sign of agitation. Of course, his tone wasn’t kindly, either.
“How would I know?”
“I see.”
“Will you tell me?”
“It’s later in the agenda.”
“I figured you would.”
As if they wouldn’t allow even a moment’s breathing room, the two of them fired immediate answers back and forth. Like swords that clash without making a sound.
Even though, in midair, sharp blades were clearly colliding, there was no piercing clang of “clang, clang!”
“Huh.”
At that sight, Executive Director Kwon sucked in a meaningless breath. It was the first time he had seen someone speak to the CEO in that kind of tone.
Executive Director Kwon had been going around entertaining contacts from a massive Chinese entertainment company under the nice pretext of expanding into Asia, so this was his first time facing HS directly, and that was why it made sense.
Since he doesn’t know the “golden brat’s” personality, it makes sense.
But today, even Kim Woohyun was quite surprised.
Because today, Jeon Nam-il was also giving off an oppressive atmosphere.
Within the company, it was openly known that the CEO doted on Hyunseung. It wasn’t just a rumor, it was real. And yet today, the CEO gave off an oddly hostile feeling toward Hyunseung.
Ah.
Of course, today, Hyunseung started by going off on a slanted track first.
But that wasn’t a one or two day thing, and since Hyunseung was someone who produced results, wasn’t the CEO the one who even regarded that as bold spirit?
‘Did he really catch on?’
With Hyunseung’s album doing well these days, the CEO taking that kind of stance made it impossible not to feel even more uneasy.
Tremble, tremble, tremble.
Under the table, Kim Woohyun’s leg shook mercilessly.
It wasn’t only Kim Woohyun.
Executive Director Park’s leg was also shaking in rhythm along with it.
“Now, enough of the preliminaries, and we’ll begin the meeting in earnest.”
Only after the CEO’s words fell did the two of them straighten their posture.
“For the year-end schedule, we’ll fix it that way, and Division Head Kim will collect reports from each team and pass them along.”
The meeting proceeded no differently than usual.
“Do you have any other agenda items?”
They shared opinions, compromised, and in the end, the CEO made the decision.
“No.”
To end this uncomfortable meeting quickly, Executive Director Park answered first and urged the others with his eyes.
‘Hurry and say there aren’t any.’
Then the others, one after another, answered that there weren’t any.
“I see.”
The CEO nodded his head in small motions and spoke softly.
“Then, we’ll stop the meeting here….”
His gaze turned toward Hyunseung.
“And using this position, I’d like to make an important announcement.”
Following that gaze, the others all looked at Hyunseung at once.
Their gazes filled up and swelled with curiosity.
Because from the CEO’s blatant gaze, it was obvious that the main figure of this “important announcement” was Hyunseung.
Of course, except for those two.
‘No way, no way.’
Kim Woohyun shook his leg again, which had briefly stopped. No, at this point, it might be trembling from fear.
“Although this is my unilateral decision, it is a conclusion I reached for the company after much thought, so I trust you will understand.”
At the CEO’s drawn-out introduction, people swallowed dryly.
Above all, wasn’t that statement a silent pressure that he wouldn’t accept opposing opinions, so they should just quietly accept it?
‘What in the world is he going to say…’
Kim Woohyun narrowed his eyes and cautiously examined the CEO’s face.
Of course, that didn’t mean he could read it.
Because it was always that face.
For now, judging from what he had laid out so far, it didn’t seem like the thing Kim Woohyun feared.
But if it wasn’t, then that was unsettling in its own way.
Because it meant that at this moment—
There was no way to predict what would come out of the CEO’s mouth.
“I intend to raise the composer HS sitting over there… no, Min Hyunseung…”
Jeon Nam-il paused for a moment, as if drawing out suspense.
“To an internal director.”
The oppressive air he’d shown before the meeting began had vanished completely, and he said it with a gentle smile.
As if his earlier attitude had simply been for testing.
“W-Wait a moment.”
At that, Executive Director Kwon reflexively opened his mouth.
“Isn’t that person an exclusive in-house composer? Th-then how can he become an internal director, I can’t understand—”
The fact that he was even stammering showed he was quite flustered.
Yes.
He was so flustered that he even ignored the CEO’s warning.
“Before I announced this, I said I trust you would understand.”
The CEO’s chilly gaze went to Executive Director Kwon.
“Executive Director, are you saying you don’t understand?”
His tone was so ominous.
“It doesn’t seem like a difficult statement to understand.”
It was enough to make one think the CEO was deliberately taking an even more overbearing stance so that no further opposition could come out.
“I-I’m sorry.”
Because of that, the mood in the room turned bleak in an instant.
Then as if to refresh the atmosphere, the CEO lightly clapped his hands together and continued.
“If I transfer a portion of the shares I hold, I believe his qualifications as an internal director will be sufficient.”
At those words, people made faces that showed no small amount of shock.
Because since the founding of LS Entertainment, there had never been even a single case of someone receiving shares transferred from the CEO.
Even more, they hadn’t heard it even as a rumor.
Those who had been with the company since its founding—Lee Duseok, Executive Director Park, and Director Choi—only had what they received as distributions at the time of founding.
They had received nothing directly transferred from the CEO.
Jeon Nam-il was the major shareholder who held all of the remaining 50%, excluding shares distributed to large capital corporations and investment firms, and the portions allotted to internal and external directors.
Several times, other major conglomerates tried to come in aggressively by acquiring shares, but Jeon Nam-il had stubbornly protected them.
And that man had now declared he would transfer shares, so there was no one who wouldn’t be surprised.
He probably didn’t want to lose Hyunseung that much. The goose that not only lays golden eggs, but even shows off flashy wingbeats.
“As for Min Hyunseung’s abilities, the people here will know them better than I do.”
Lastly, Jeon Nam-il added sweet compliments, picking only the ones that would make you feel good just hearing them.
If Kim Woohyun were Hyunseung, he would have thrown out the plan to create a label right away and chosen the internal director position at LS Entertainment.
Because it would be a stable path.
And just as answers of “Yes, that’s right,” started to burst out around them.
“Then.”
Hyunseung raised his hand and asked.
“What if I refuse the internal director position?”
At that question, Executive Director Park unconsciously let out an “Eek!” and covered his face.
‘Ah.’
Kim Woohyun already had the look of someone who had given up.
Hyunseung asked again, as if he were truly curious.
“Then what happens?”
Without caring at all about the stinging gazes pouring down on his face.
“If I refuse both the director position and the shares?”
He wore such an innocent face it was almost shameless. Of course, he wasn’t asking because he didn’t know.
Hyunseung wasn’t an idiot.
It wouldn’t have been strange if CEO Jeon Nam-il showed hostility right away.
And if he felt something was off and investigated behind him, he would quickly find out that Hyunseung planned to establish a label.
Even if he couldn’t completely ruin the plan, making things difficult would be nothing to him.
Above all, to refuse, in front of everyone, such absurdly exceptional benefits and support…
In a way, he knew it was an act that even crushed the CEO’s pride.
However, once Hyunseung decided to establish a label under his own name, he had no intention of bending his will.
All the more now that he had confirmed there were people willing to share his vision with him.
“Are you asking sincerely?”
At the CEO’s question that suddenly sank low, Hyunseung answered briefly, “Yes.”
For someone who would be leaving soon, receiving shares, too, would be too shameless, wouldn’t it?
Especially foir someone who would make a new nest of his own.
“No matter how I think about it, I can’t understand…”
The CEO’s words stretched out for a moment. The CEO’s expression rarely changed, but perhaps he was a little flustered, because his eyelids blinked quickly.
“There doesn’t seem to be any reason at all to refuse. Why?”
Still, what was fortunate was that the CEO was being considerate toward him.
Rather than showing displeasure, he looked at Hyunseung with an attitude of, there must be some reason, I’ll listen.
“With my current self, I have no qualification to receive LS Entertainment’s shares.”
“As I explained earlier—”
“I’m not talking about qualification in terms of my ability.”
Even as Kim Woohyun’s urgent hand tugged at his clothes under the table, trying to stop him.
“More than that, I have no intention of becoming an internal director of LS Entertainment.”
Hyunseung continued, as if walking a precarious tightrope.
“I’m grateful for the offer, but I will refuse.”
It was all sincere.
Both the gratitude.
And the refusal.
As if his patience had reached its limit, the CEO’s eyebrows twisted slightly.
“Hm….”
However, as if suppressing negative feelings, he only let out a deep, long hum, and no further words came.
Tap, tap.
Even then, under the table, Kim Woohyun kept patting Hyunseung’s hand as if coaxing him.
As if saying, this is enough for today, stop.
When he did that, it made Hyunseung want to do more.
Hyunseung clenched his itching lips and endured.
Yes.
Because it wasn’t only his problem.
Scrape.
At that moment, the friction sound of a chair being pulled back could be heard.
“We’ll stop here today, and I’ll convene you again next time.”
The CEO hurriedly halted the meeting and left the room.
At the same time, the other executives also flowed out after him like a tide.
“Hoo….”
“Ha….”
All that remained was Executive Director Park, Kim Woohyun, and Hyunseung.
“Why are you two sighing like the ground is going to collapse?”
In an instant, both of their gazes shot straight into his face.
Instead of the scolding or rebukes he expected.
“You did well, you did well.”
“Our Geumdong, how praiseworthy.”
Sincere praise came back.
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