For the first time in a long while, Hyunseung felt the emotion of being ‘flustered’.
“I’m not asking for a favor right now. I am formally demanding a settlement for my injury.”
He was just about to check that she was okay and leave, but a rather interesting conversation was taking place, so he decided to chime in…
If I’d known it would be like this, I would’ve just left.
‘This has become a hassle.’
To ask for a song as a settlement.
It was an extremely…
Audacious threat.
“Hospital bills, accommodation, flight tickets….”
Hyunseung trailed off for a moment, scratching his eyebrow with his index finger.
“I think that’s more than enough, don’t you?”
He added with a shrug.
“I was planning on giving you money for future treatment costs as well.”
“It’s only natural that you’d cover the hospital bills from the injury and other incidental…”
However, Lee Sol asserted her point without batting an eye.
“I would like to receive a song as payment for my future treatment costs.”
A smirk escaped Hyunseung’s lips at her words.
Even though he had received an unpleasant threat, he didn’t feel particularly offended.
“You, you get called brazen a lot, don’t you?”
“No?”
“Really? You seem like you would.”
It was strangely amusing, perhaps?
“Then, I’ll be the brazen one, so please give it to me.”
Yes, just like now.
The woman sitting on the bed had dark circles under her eyes and her lips were chapped and swollen.
In short, she looked precarious, as if she could collapse at any moment.
And yet…
Her eyes, at least, were sparkling with intelligence.
Her spirit was somewhat dampened, but her will was not broken.
“I’ll give it to you.”
At the words he tossed out, not only Lee Sol but also Han Seulgi and Sung Wooyoung gasped in surprise.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Soon, Hyunseung, who had been nodding slowly, stopped his head with a “thud” and added.
“On one condition. You ditch all your members and sing it alone.”
His voice was firm, as if he would never back down.
Then, hiding his expression, he observed Lee Sol’s face.
“It’s hard for me too, but I couldn’t show it, not even once, because I keep thinking of our CEO who believes in us, I keep thinking of my grandmother, and I keep thinking of my members. Because I decided to take responsibility, and I decided to show them.”
He was probing her, recalling the words he had overheard earlier.
Of course.
Even if Lee Sol accepted this offer, it didn’t matter.
After all, the other members, aside from Han Seulgi, seemed to prefer the suite overlooking the New York skyline to her well-being.
Even if…
Even if Lee Sol went back on her word and tried to pursue her own interests, there was nothing strange or wrong about it.
“No.”
Of course, there was also nothing strange about her sticking to her words like a steadfast fool.
“If it’s a song with that kind of condition, I won’t accept it.”
“Alright, then.”
“Huh? Aren’t you agreeing too easily?”
“Should I be crying and begging you to stay?”
The steadfast fool nervously bit her lips, as if she was genuinely disappointed.
“That’s not it, but….”
Hyunseung feigned ignorance and turned his back completely.
“Then, I’ll discuss the future treatment costs with your CEO, draw up a settlement agreement, and pay you in cash.”
Because he knew.
“Wait! Just, just a moment….”
As stated before, Lee Sol was brazen, intelligent, and possessed an unbreakable will.
“Since I’ve decided to be brazen, I’ll ask you just one more time.”
Lee Sol grimaced in pain, but still managed to awkwardly push herself up from the bed.
“Please, let Waysun sing it all together.”
Hyunseung held up two fingers in front of Lee Sol’s face and spoke.
“If you can accept or fulfill two conditions, I’ll give you the song.”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to ask me to sing alone again?”
Then, he lightly shook his head from side to side for a moment.
“Ditch Waysun. That’s the first condition.”
He added, folding one finger.
“That’s absolutely not…!”
Lee Sol tried to retort, but Hyunseung quickly opened his mouth, cutting her off.
“Change the group name. It’s too lame.”
At those words, the three people, excluding Hyunseung, let out a small sigh, “Ah….” It seemed they had lost the will to argue on this particular point.
Soon.
Hyunseung folded his remaining finger and continued.
“The second condition is, fix your vocalization and habits.”
“What kind of…”
“Setting aside the fact that the other members’ vocalizations are a mess, your vocalization is good, but you add bending to every single line. Are you aware you’re doing that?”
“Bending…?”
“If you don’t even know what bending is, it must just be a habit.”
“I’ve actually never had any vocal training…”
Lee Sol trailed off, fiddling with her fingers.
But she didn’t seem too discouraged.
“For someone who hasn’t been taught, your volume is good and your vocalization is solid.”
“Thank you!”
“But your voice itself is by no means charming.”
Not that Hyunseung was one to care about such things anyway.
“On top of that, you add bending to every line, which makes the song itself sound old-fashioned.”
“That’s why they told me to sing trot….”
“It’s probably ingrained, so it’ll be hard to fix.”
Hyunseung stated definitively in a firm tone. Because it was truly not an easy task.
That’s why people who get vocal nodules often get them again.
People tend to solidify habits in whatever way is most comfortable for them. Why would the vocal cords be any different?
“Still…”
And, it was the same for people with an ingrained, brazen will.
“I can fix it.”
They never back down easily.
———————————–
Vincent, having heard about Hyunseung’s situation, came to the CEO’s office.
“So, is it all sorted out?”
“Yeah, it’s all wrapped up.”
As a thoroughly business-minded person, he didn’t want any negative issues to arise at a time when VINCIS’s stock was on the rise.
Of course.
The fact that the VINCIS CEO’s assistant injured someone through excessive force wasn’t a matter that would cause a social controversy…
“You made sure to keep them quiet as part of the settlement, right?”
However, he didn’t want to tolerate even that small amount of noise.
Just then.
Hyunseung repeated, “Keep them quiet?” for a moment.
“Well, I did shut their mouths with a song, so I guess you could call it keeping them quiet?”
He added with a slight nod.
At those words, Vincent started to reply, “Good job,” but stopped.
“What…?”
He shot up from his seat as if his butt was on fire.
“Why did you give them a song?”
“Had to keep them quiet.”
“You don’t have to use a song to keep them quiet. A settlement fee would have done the job….”
Then, he continued, words pouring out of him.
“More importantly, I heard they’re a completely unknown group in Korea, right? There’s no reason to give a song to kids like that.”
At a time when things are going so well.
He swallowed those words. Since Hyunseung wasn’t an idiot, he already knew that.
“It seemed like it would be fun.”
At Hyunseung’s short reply, Vincent slumped back into his seat as if he had lost the will to speak.
Ah.
I forgot that guy is an idiot who only pursues fun.
“Then, what about my song?”
Vincent changed his strategy this time, pouting as he asked.
“I told you I can give it to you anytime.”
“Then, let’s work on mine first…”
“I’ll finish up with them first, then I’ll do yours right away.”
Feeling like he was always being pushed to the back, Vincent added that he couldn’t give in this time either.
“I got a request for a really important project this time, too. It has a deadline….”
“I might not end up giving them a song anyway.”
At Hyunseung’s ambiguous words, Vincent tilted his head and asked back.
“You might not give it to them? What does that mean?”
“I set a condition in exchange for the song.”
“Didn’t you agree to give it to them as hush money?”
“The value of my song is beyond a mere settlement fee, so I can’t just give it away as hush money.”
Vincent smirked at that and nodded.
“That’s true.”
“So I told her I’d give it to her if she fixes all her vocal habits.”
Then, leaning forward with a look of considerable interest, he asked.
“Her vocal habits? How much time did you give her?”
“First, I have to give her time to recover from her injury….”
Hyunseung trailed off for a moment.
“About two weeks.”
He added, holding up two fingers.
“There’s a high chance she won’t get it, then.”
“You think so?”
“Even for someone like me who can use their voice freely, getting rid of an ingrained habit is almost impossible.”
“That’s also true.”
“Right, the vocal cords tend to prefer the way they’ve been comfortably used.”
Vincent leaned back again and continued in a languid tone.
“Coming all the way to America just to get hurt and go back without a song. She must have learned a lesson.”
“A lesson?”
“That the world isn’t as easy as she thinks.”
Hyunseung retorted as if to refute him.
“I found it pretty easy?”
“Actually, me too.”
The two geniuses exchanged jokes and burst into laughter.
Soon.
Hyunseung lifted his coffee cup and casually remarked.
“But, if you’re desperate enough, things can come true.”
Just like how I desperately wished for a new life and came back.
—————
Before long, the promised two weeks had passed.
Hyunseung once again summoned Lee Sol… no, ‘Waysun’ to his studio.
Vincent, saying he was curious too, insisted on attending and took a seat.
“Hic.”
Thanks to him, the Waysun members were even more nervous.
Ah.
Though it seemed Lee Sol was more surprised by the assistant, Michelle, standing next to Vincent.
Still.
Her body seemed to have recovered a lot, and her complexion looked better.
“Let’s skip the pleasantries.”
Hyunseung spoke in a calm, low voice that seemed to command the somewhat chaotic atmosphere of the room.
“Do you remember the two conditions I set?”
“Yes.”
“First, about ditching Waysun, did you follow through?”
“Yes!”
Lee Sol answered briskly and immediately added.
“We changed our group name to ‘4WAY’.”
At that, Hyunseung scratched his chin and muttered under his breath.
“Your naming sense is really….”
“You’re one to talk.”
Vincent retorted just loud enough for Hyunseung to hear.
“What’s wrong with ‘HS’?”
Hyunseung shot back grumpily for a moment.
“Still, it’s better than Waysun, so we’ll let it slide. As for the second condition, I’ll have to hear it for myself rather than just take your word for it.”
He said, pointing to the recording booth inside the control room.
“Go into the booth and sing today.”
It was because he wanted to hear it properly.
Soon.
The members of Waysun, no, 4WAY, after exchanging glances, swiftly entered the booth and took their positions.
“I’ll listen to the first verse only.”
Hyunseung conveyed through the talk-back and put on his headphones. Vincent immediately took a seat next to him and put on his own headphones.
However.
There was no trace of expectation in Vincent’s eyes as he looked at Lee Sol.
‘Bending, huh…’
It was because he knew better than anyone that vocal habits aren’t easily fixed.
Even if she consciously improved a little, it was obvious that it would resurface again.
That’s why it was a habit.
Before long, a somewhat cheesy intro began to play.
— In the busily flowing time, I saw you within it.
A mediocre woman’s voice came through.
— Where are you heading? Are you coming to me?
The next one wasn’t much different either.
He had asked Hyunseung for the original version of the song they were singing now and had listened to it, but….
He couldn’t feel much of a difference.
A little more straightforward?
It was only at that level.
— If you come to me, I think I’d be as happy as if I had the whole world. So, stop hesitating and take my hand, will you take my hand?
The one who rapped seemed to have improved to the point where her diction was listenable.
Her voice itself wasn’t bad either.
Finally.
The most anticipated one, Lee Sol, stepped closer to the microphone and opened her lips.
— I’ll always be here, so you just have to come. I’ll run if you call, so you just have to stand there.
At the same time….
Hyunseung and Vincent turned their heads and met each other’s eyes.
And they suddenly recalled the same memory.
“I found it pretty easy?”
“Actually, me too.”
It was because she had fixed her vocalization so easily.
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