After one storm had passed, saying he was hungry, Hyunseung brought Executive Director Park and Kim Woohyun and came to a restaurant he often went to.
He didn’t know why they had praised him…
More than that, filling his stomach came first.
“You two must have been anxious. Now eat with an easy mind.”
Hyunseung spoke as if he were being generous, looking at the two people seated across from him.
At those words, the two gave a small snort of a laugh and, saying “Yes, yes,” answered halfheartedly as they picked up their utensils. It was a tone like they were humoring a little gentleman.
Clink, clink.
The course dishes poured out enough to make the table legs break, but it was not enough to handle three well-built men.
“Doesn’t it feel like we’re really lacking protein?”
The moment Executive Director Park’s words fell, they added all kinds of meat dishes.
Clink, clink.
Only after the three of them devoured the food like a crab hides its eyes did the meal come to an end.
“Ha, I’m full.”
Executive Director Park rubbed his solidly filled stomach and picked up the cinnamon punch that came out as dessert.
Despite saying he was full, he got four more refills of the cinnamon punch.
“CEO, thank you for the meal.”
As if he had decided to push a smart image these days, Kim Woohyun put on the black horn-rimmed glasses he had set down and bowed his head politely.
Seriously, why is he doing that?
Hyunseung couldn’t understand Kim Woohyun, who sometimes picked his concept in a strange direction.
On the table that had become clean as if there had never been food, Executive Director Park placed a hand and said,
“You did really well today.”
It was something he had said after the meeting ended, but it carried more weight than that.
“Um….”
At those words, Hyunseung scratched the back of his head. Because he didn’t think he had done something worthy of being praised that much.
“But what did I do well?”
Executive Director Park set down the teacup in his hand, only about a third full, and answered the question.
“Refusing the CEO’s offer.”
Kim Woohyun also nodded as if he agreed, pushing up his glasses.
However,Hyunseung narrowed his eyes and asked back, “Why is that?”
If it was something to call “well done,” hadn’t Kim Woohyun turned pale, grabbing his hand under the table and trying to stop him back then?
Yeah.
Because it wasn’t the promised “best time,” in that flow earlier, he probably thought Hyunseung would say it and more.
In fact, he almost did say it.
It wasn’t that he had bad feelings toward Jeon Nam-il.
But watching Kim Woohyun and Executive Director Park trembling in front of his power and strength made him feel very unpleasant.
He had thought that a CEO should have that side, and in that sense, he had evaluated Jeon Nam-il as impressive….
He just didn’t like it.
At that time.
Hyunseung vowed once again. In the label he would build, he would not create that kind of fear.
Having to feel fear among people who are the same family, of all things.
Of course.
For now, they were still people belonging to LS Entertainment, and there was something agreed upon beforehand, so he barely held it in.
If he had been alone, he would not have held it in.
So Hyunseung had guessed they were praising him for not speaking and enduring.
But why are they praising him for refusing the offer to transfer shares?
“Yes, if you had acted vaguely because you were afraid you’d get caught after refusing that offer, the CEO definitely would have carried it out the way he planned.”
Executive Director Park added, as if trying to resolve Hyunseung’s curiosity, in a fairly serious tone.
“When you came to your senses, you would have already been up as an internal director holding LS Entertainment shares.”
Then he touched the cutlery that had been placed neatly on the table and made it a mess.
“Of course, it might be fine even if you become an outside director holding shares, but it could have ended up giving the CEO one good justification.”
As if to say, if things went wrong, it could have twisted like this.
“This time, I think your choice was right.”
At the end of Executive Director Park’s plain words, a smile of acknowledgment settled over his lips.
Then, as if taking the baton, Kim Woohyun added.
“More than anything, you haven’t even established the label yet, so when a new opportunity came, you could have grabbed it firmly, but you tried to keep the promise you made with us.”
Looking at Hyunseung with eyes that seemed to be swelling with emotion.
“Seeing that, I decided. To be with you for life.”
He finished with a tone full of resolve.
Ah.
Hyunseung only thought of it as the stage of tying his shoelaces for the single goal of establishing the label.
For that, he chose these shoes, and he chose these shoelaces.
Even if someone else offered better sneakers, he was already standing at the starting line, so he had no intention of changing them.
Because if he didn’t hear the starting gun and started running a beat late, it would be meaningless.
Yeah, Hyunseung hadn’t refused with the kind of attitude that matched how elaborately they were raising him up with their words.
He just thought that if he swallowed it, it would cause trouble.
So it was a bit embarrassing, but….
Even if he didn’t add anything, the sense of duty to not betray their “belief” that it was the right choice….
In an instant, took root inside his heart, very heavily and intensely.
“Everyone.”
Hyunseung looked at them slowly with a rather serious face.
Right now, at this moment.
Because something came up that he had to make sure to point out to them.
“May I take this chance to say a word?”
Executive Director Park and Kim Woohyun straightened their posture, wanting to listen carefully to what their CEO was saying.
What was he going to say?
Even expectation rose in their eyes.
Ahem, hm.
Hyunseung cleared his throat while looking at the two.
“Since it’s extremely cringey, I will confiscate both of your dentures for three days.”
Frowning, he shook his head side to side.
“Hah, tricked again, tricked again.”
“Anyway, that guy has no romance.”
As if to say what do you even talk about with you, in a tone mixed with reproach, the corners of their mouths were strangely lifted.
Hyunseung silently watched Ahn Jiho sitting in front of him, repeatedly gulping down strong liquor.
Gulp, gulp.
It wasn’t because he had another intention.
It was just that it was a little funny to drag things out when it was so obvious what he was going to say, so Hyunseung decided to just watch quietly.
From the moment Ahn Jiho suddenly asked to meet at a bar, not the studio, Hyunseung knew what he was going to say.
Sure enough.
When Hyunseung arrived at the bar despite the annoyance, Ahn Jiho was sipping alcohol alone like a person with a story.
Still, when Hyunseung pretended not to know and casually asked what he called him for….
“Ha…”
With an even more troubled face, Ahn Jiho started pouring alcohol until it looked like the glass would overflow and then drinking it down.
Gulp, gulp, thud!
Since Hyunseung wasn’t the type to enjoy drinking, he wiped up the spilled liquor with tissues instead of taking a glass.
Seriously, half of it is spilling.
Does he think someone will believe they don’t know when he’s showing everything with his whole body and face? Hyunseung looked at Ahn Jiho’s side profile as if he truly found it amazing.
“Haah….”
At the same time, a deep sigh full of worries burst from Ahn Jiho’s mouth.
If a sinkhole suddenly appeared in Seoul today, it would be because of Ahn Jiho’s sigh.
‘Anyway….’
A guy who says he’ll be an entertainer can’t hide what’s inside at all and shows everything, really.
It’s because he’s that soft inside and thinks that much.
Just from how he cried and sniffled over a short letter, you could roughly tell his tendencies.
‘What a waste of a big body.’
Hyunseung didn’t have the patience to just sit and watch hard liquor.
In the end.
Along with Ahn Jiho’s emptied glass, Hyunseung’s patience also hit bottom.
“Did you call me to make me watch you act miserable?”
Hyunseung snatched up the glass and asked sharply.
He wasn’t really asking, he was demanding what he was doing.
“Composer….”
At Hyunseung’s words, Ahn Jiho, who had been hanging his head low, lifted it.
For a moment, it overlapped with the first time they met, when he had been harshly criticized by Hyunseung and cried alone on the emergency stairs.
Fortunately….
In the corner of his eyes visible through his messy hair, there weren’t tears forming.
If he really was crying, I would’ve taken a picture and posted it right away, tsk.
Putting the regret aside, Hyunseung asked again, “Why?”
“I… I really wanted to repay you, Composer, and I wanted to follow you….”
With slurred pronunciation from being drunk, Ahn Jiho slowly conveyed his thoughts.
“Really, you know it’s sincere, right…? You have to recognize it….”
Ah, of course, it was also a situation Hyunseung hated very much.
“Shut up, and you’re trying to say you can’t follow, right?”
At that question, Ahn Jiho’s shoulders jerked with a hurt expression.
“Yes, yess….”
And he nodded reluctantly.
“But…!”
“I got it.”
Hyunseung cut off Ahn Jiho as he tried to add something and answered briefly. Honestly, what’s the point of hearing it?
He’d just go on and on, saying he was sorry.
“Don’t drink too much.”
As Hyunseung brushed off his seat and stood up, Ahn Jiho hurriedly grabbed his sleeve and asked,
“Huh? You’re leaving already?”
“Do you have anything else to say?”
“N-no….”
In the end, Ahn Jiho slowly let go of the sleeve he had grabbed and lowered his head.
Looking down at the crown of Ahn Jiho’s head like that, Hyunseung felt queasy and complicated, like he had been drinking.
The truth was.
Hyunseung had expected to some extent that The Moon wouldn’t be able to follow.
No.
He was about 90% sure, so he had even thought maybe he shouldn’t call him.
Because.
TM Entertainment, which The Moon belonged to, currently had only “The Moon” as its one and only artist.
And taking that artist away would be greed.
More than that, that CEO and The Moon weren’t just in a business relationship, they were people who had gone through hard times together.
It was very different from the situation with the other instruments.
If he said he wasn’t disappointed, it would be a lie.
Especially Ahn Jiho was an instrument that could make a fairly decent sound.
Especially when he matched and blended with the sounds of the other members, he shone the most.
Ahn Jiho’s eyes oddly pulled people in. Hyunseung didn’t know whether it was the poison contained inside them that pulled people in.
If Hyunseung were not a composer, but someone leading a management business division, he would have been even more greedy.
Ah.
‘Maybe I got a little drunk from smelling the strong liquor.’
Hyunseung thought the reason his steps wouldn’t easily fall was probably because of the strong alcohol smell.
“Hey.”
Hyunseung called Ahn Jiho.
“Are you guys still in that office, that moldy basement?”
The big guy looked up with a gloomy face and nodded.
Click.
First, I’ll take a picture of this look for later.
“Even if you’re drunk, remember this.”
Hyunseung opened his mouth with a voice sunk down enough to feel somewhat intimidating.
At that, Ahn Jiho lightly tapped his cheeks as if trying to come to his senses and forced his eyelids up.
Ah, I should’ve taken a picture of that, too.
Then Hyunseung lowered his head, met Ahn Jiho’s eyes, and added.
“Tell your CEO. That I’ll come see him tomorrow.”
Yeah, it was clear the alcohol smell had made the drunkenness rise.
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