If there was something Hyunseung had been taking a small interest in lately…
It was ASMR mukbangs.
While searching for and listening to all kinds of sounds in order to find a sound that stood alone, he had somehow ended up there.
And the best among those mukbangs was….
— Everyone, today I’ve prepared a lemon tanghulu mukbang, which they say is hugely popular even at securities firms!
Because of the sugar coating on the outside, even when they merely bumped against each other, a hard clicking friction sound rang out.
And when they were bitten into and eaten, the crisp sound was quite enough to stir the appetite.
Crunch.
The crunchy sound of the coated sugar shattering stimulated Hyunseung’s ears.
From that point on, whenever Hyunseung had a moment, he looked up tanghulu mukbang ASMRs and listened to them.
Crunch.
That was the reason.
“Tanghulu ASMR mukbang?”
So it was just something he had tossed out once. There was no real meaning behind it. It was not because he truly needed it.
Since there was nothing he needed, he had simply said something he liked.
“Pffhuhuhuhup!”
He had not known it was shocking enough to be sprayed with sujeonggwa (cinnamon-ginger punch).
“It was hot anyway, so this is refreshing.”
With his face thoroughly distorted, Hyunseung picked up a wet wipe.
Normally, he would have openly shown his displeasure, asking what kind of nuisance this was, but…
“It’s fine, so please don’t worry about it.”
He simply wiped his face in silence.
Right now, they had not met as a CEO and an exclusive composer.
Because this was a meeting between one company representative and another company representative, he also had to know how to endure.
There was one thing he had realized while trying his hand at business, and at being a CEO….
Jeon Namil was impressive.
Even though he had never once spat out a common curse, spoken informally, or raised his voice, everyone felt intimidated by him.
Of course, there was naturally the power that came from the name of being LS Entertainment’s CEO, but LS Entertainment itself was Jeon Namil, and Jeon Namil was LS Entertainment.
Putting that sense of intimidation at the forefront, he had controlled countless people and raised LS Entertainment into the number one agency in Korea.
Hyunseung could not dare to say for certain whether that was the right method or the wrong one.
But at least by Jeon Namil’s standards, he had succeeded, so one could say it was right.
Of course.
‘I have no intention of doing that.’
Was he someone who gave others a sense of intimidation?
If asked that, he did not know, but he thought he just had to crush them with skill and take responsibility.
“I’m truly sorry.”
Jeon Namil’s embarrassment was obvious, but he quickly hid his expression and continued speaking.
“However, I think I misheard you just now….”
“Tanghulu ASMR mukbang?”
“Ah, I suppose I did not mishear you.”
“Yes. Is that possible for you?”
“That is suddenly such an absurd condition….”
Jeon Namil tried to remain calm, but unlike himself, he kept trailing off at the end of his sentences and avoiding Hyunseung’s gaze.
It was because, at the slightest slip, a hollow laugh seemed like it might burst out.
“What could possibly be easier than this? If we compromise here, I’ll specially be satisfied with just one tanghulu.”
“Instead of that, perhaps compensation in material terms, or conditions related to relationships…”
Just as Jeon Namil tried to urge him on in his characteristic slow, flat tone.
“No, I don’t need that.”
Hyunseung firmly cut him off mid-sentence and shook his head.
There were many things to do in the United States, so there was no point in deliberately handing over a few more songs to Korea just to earn some pocket change.
The reason he had pushed himself to finish the Korean work this time was also….
To focus even more on his activities in the United States.
Furthermore, he had seen a post saying that since he had tasted American water, he would absolutely never do Korean activities again.
↳ Yeah, he already tasted American water, so he definitely won’t do it lol
How should he put it?
The moment he saw those words, he strangely felt contrary.
‘Me? Lol.’
It was that kind of childish contrarian impulse.
He had already been working on songs to hand over to Korea from the beginning, but since he was doing it anyway, he resolved to make it extremely obvious.
So, starting with 4WAY…
He had pushed himself to work on Seo Jini, Jung Arin, Lee Hyoeun, Yoon Jaeyi, Kang Hajun, Moon Beomjae, and even The Moon.
Of course.
For Hyunseung, the Worlds theme song was the most important core of all, but…
“I’m also busy taking care of the people in my label, and I don’t need to do Korean work.”
“I know that well.”
“Then you must also know that I have nothing to be disappointed about.”
Jeon Namil neither affirmed nor denied it, simply pressing a tissue to the corners of his mouth and wiping them.
“That is why I tossed it out once. To see how far you would go for the company, CEO.”
Hyunseung leisurely threw those words at Jeon Namil.
He said it because he knew Jeon Namil would absolutely never do it.
Because he was someone for whom face, dignity, and his status as the CEO of LS Entertainment were all important.
“It was a good meal. Please think it over at your leisure and contact me.”
With those words, Hyunseung stood up from his seat.
It was a negotiation that would fall through anyway, so there was no benefit to either side in wasting any more time.
“I’ll be taking my leave now.”
Soon, Hyunseung left the room, leaving Jeon Namil behind.
“Hmm, how much salary would make him come over….”
Hyunseung’s mind was entirely filled with only the thought that he wanted to scout the head chef of this Korean restaurant as the head chef in charge of the company cafeteria.
A fair amount of time had passed since he came to Korea.
— Crunch.
Because the approval period for the private jet had been delayed, Hyunseung was spending a leisurely time alone in his hotel room.
— Crunch.
With a tanghulu ASMR Short playing, he also looked up past Worlds matches, and the day passed so quickly that he could not tell how it had gone by.
‘Come to think of it…’
When did they say the theme song video would be released? I think they said it would be pre-released before the music release….
Tap, taptap.
Just as Hyunseung searched “Worlds” in the search bar.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang at a late hour.
“Who is it?”
The only person who would come to his room was his secretary, who was staying in another room.
But she would not come looking for him at night when there was no schedule, so something felt strange.
Creeeak.
Holding the tanghulu skewer he had eaten from, Hyunseung slowly opened the hotel room door.
“Huh?”
Before long, he dropped the skewer in bewilderment.
Because he had not expected Kim Woohyun to be standing in front of the door.
“Why are you here…?”
Before his question had even ended, Kim Woohyun entered the room and settled himself on the sofa.
“What about the label? Why did you come to Korea?”
“There’s the executive director, and there are employees too. What’s the problem?”
“That’s true, but there isn’t really any reason for you to come.”
Instead of answering, Kim Woohyun held out a tablet.
The screen was filled with neatly scraped articles related to him and netizen reactions.
[ HS, beginning Korean activities in earnest? Starting with 4WAY, Seo Jini, Jung Arin, Lee Hyoeun, Yoon Jaeyi, Kang Hajun, and Moon Beomjae announce consecutive comeback news with songs by “HS”…. ]
[ The Moon announces comeback next month with a single jointly worked on with composer HS ]
[ 4WAY enters the rankings on all domestic music platforms just one day after release! ]
.
.
[ HS returns in dazzling fashion … composers on high alert ]
↳ Hey; who said HS wasn’t coming back?
↳ What? He didn’t just come back, he brought a bomb with him?
↳ No, seriously, how many people did he work for lol Didn’t they say not long ago that he was participating in the Worlds theme song too?
↳ My heart suddenly got crazy hot; wow; there’s so much to listen to
↳ I don’t know who 4WAY is, but the song is insanely good
Hyunseung roughly skimmed the contents on the screen and let out an “Ah.”
Right.
Thinking about it, he remembered that he had only told them the news that he was going to Korea, and had not shared the details related to the work.
“Since you’re the highest decision-maker, I don’t plan to interfere.”
“Anyway, this was work I personally made an agreement with LS Entertainment for. That’s why.”
“I know. That you helped me and the executive director get out without any trouble under the condition that you supply LS with a certain number of songs.”
Kim Woohyun continued in a firm but gentle manner.
“Still, between family, couldn’t you share things like this with us?”
Hyunseung understood how Kim Woohyun felt.
He was someone who had worked harder than anyone to strengthen VINCIS internally, and someone who always tried to roll up both sleeves and help whenever it concerned Hyunseung, so he was probably asking Hyunseung to share because he wanted to help in any way he could.
Was that why?
Requests like that no longer felt bothersome.
“Got it. From now on, I’ll share everything.”
Hyunseung soon answered with a rough nod.
“Huh? For real? What’s gotten into you?”
“Should I not?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just that, unlike our dear little problem child, you accepted it so obediently….”
Kim Woohyun was in the middle of speaking.
Crunch.
At the noise that kept coming from inside the room, he shook his head quickly from side to side.
“But what on earth has that sound been since earlier?”
“Ah, I had a tanghulu ASMR video playing.”
Hyunseung slowly moved to pick up the phone he had thrown onto the bed.
“No, why on earth would you have something like that playing?”
“If you watch it, it’s weirdly addictive….”
The moment he picked up the phone, he sensed something strange.
What in the world was this?
Was it his imagination that the person in the video looked far too familiar?
“What’s wrong?”
Kim Woohyun noticed the strange mood and asked as he approached.
“Uh….”
“Ah….”
At the same time, the two were rendered speechless, as if the words had been blocked in their throats.
Because….
The face of the man in the video, silently eating lemon tanghulu without the slightest change in expression, was far too familiar.
— Crunch.
He sat in front of a desk and quietly kept eating one lemon tanghulu.
— Crunch.
Without explaining the taste, and without any kind of reaction sound.
— Crunch.
Like someone who wanted to finish it as quickly as possible.
— Crunch.
Only when he had finished off the entire skewer did he open his mouth.
— “Condition fulfilled.”
With those words, the video ended, and it quickly moved on to another YouTuber’s mukbang.
“I’m asking because I think something has gone wrong with my eyes, but am I the only one who sees former CEO Jeon?”
“This can’t be!”
“Huh? What? Do you know something about this absurd video?”
“Damn it!”
Hyunseung stomped his feet while gripping the phone tightly.
Kim Woohyun pressed Hyunseung, asking what had happened, but Hyunseung did not immediately add an explanation.
He simply….
Already felt the annoyance of now having to give ten songs creeping through his entire body.
“That is why I tossed it out once. To see how far you would go for the company, CEO.”
Right, this was because he had needlessly provoked him.
‘If only I hadn’t said that….’
But regretting it now was already too late.
“Mom, I want to be alone for a moment….”
Hyunseung collapsed weakly onto the bed and buried his face in it.
And he thought.
As expected.
Jeon Namil was impressive.
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