“You’re handsome.”
A sudden chill ran down Hyunseung’s spine.
He knew those words were not everything, but…
Perhaps because they had come from the mouth of a man who was not merely burly, but could be called huge, it felt extremely uncomfortable.
“Got it.”
Before Jamal’s mouth could open again, Hyunseung firmly cut him off and continued speaking.
“Anyway, the reason I called you here is simple.”
Then he gestured with his chin toward the tracks Jamal had uploaded on his SoundCloud page and added.
“If you’re going to put my name in them, re-record the tracks.”
“All of them?”
“Yeah, every single one. Fundamentally, the sound quality is bad.”
Then he asked back as if scolding him.
“Do you not know how to master?”
“I learned from NewTube, so….”
Just as Jamal trailed off awkwardly, scratching the closely shaved back of his head.
“That’s what it seemed like.”
Hyunseung cut him off again and added.
“Anyway, I’ll take care of that myself, so that’s fine.”
“You’re going to do it personally…?”
“Yeah. I need to look over the arrangement again, re-record the vocals, and there isn’t just one or two places that need fixing.”
The more Hyunseung explained, the brighter Jamal’s expression gradually became.
“And I’ll connect you with a professional studio company for the MV too, so at least reshoot this video.”
“That’s…”
“Don’t worry about the production cost. Shoot it properly. How can the MV for a song with my name in it be lousy?”
“You mean…”
“I’ll support you, so do it properly. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Before long, Jamal spread his thick palms and covered his own face. Why on earth was he doing that?
“What are you doing?”
Hyunseung asked in alarm when he saw Jamal’s shoulders trembling slightly.
Then Jamal rubbed his face so hard the skin reddened and answered with a determined expression.
“From now on, I will serve you as my boss.”
He said it while bending at the waist as if he were about to slam his head into the floor.
“I don’t need anything like a boss…”
“No. I will serve you as my boss for the rest of my life.”
Hyunseung recoiled and refused several times, but.
“What should I do now, Boss?”
Jamal showed no sign of his resolve breaking.
“What else would you do?”
Then he would have to break it for him.
“Just get in the booth.”
That resolve.
Kim Woohyun and Executive Director Park walked down the hallway shoulder to shoulder.
Since the building had been constructed with plenty of space, the hallway was fairly wide, but when two men known for their impressive builds walked side by side, even that felt cramped.
“You’re saying he seems dangerous, right?”
At that moment, Executive Director Park asked with a sharp look on his face, rubbing both hands together.
“You have no idea how scary-looking he is. And his build is huge too. One wrong move and I think he might be bigger than you, Executive Director.”
At Kim Woohyun’s answer, Executive Director Park twitched an eyebrow and asked back.
“Bigger than me? How much do you think his big three total is?”
“I’d say he can probably still hit 500.”
Then he snorted and muttered, “Still a gym newbie.”
At that show of bravado, Kim Woohyun was about to object, but instead hurried his steps.
“Let’s hurry. I checked, and they said no one has come out since they entered the studio yesterday.”
“Exactly. Why did you leave him to work with someone like that?”
“You know how stubborn our problem child is.”
“Then you should have at least strengthened the bodyguard staff.”
“I tried to do that too. But he had already prepared a gun….”
Executive Director Park stopped abruptly and asked back with a shocked face.
“What? That guy prepared a gun?”
“Yes. Though it is a gas gun.”
“He seemed like a guy who only lives for today…”
Then he smiled faintly, wiped down his gaunt face, and added.
“Still, it looks like he knows his life is precious.”
“That is true.”
“Even so, it’s dangerous to deal with a giant like that. That guy has been neglecting exercise lately too, so he’s turned back into a little weakling.”
From today onward, Executive Director Park would drag Hyunseung back into brutal training if necessary and make sure he would not be pushed around by such a giant. Burning with firm resolve, he quickened his steps.
Step, step.
Before they knew it, the two of them had broken into a run.
Dadak, dadadak, dak!
Because inside Executive Director Park and Kim Woohyun’s minds, Hyunseung was crying after being subjected to every kind of threat, intimidation, extortion, and violence.
Beep, beep, beep!
The moment they kicked open the door to Hyunseung’s studio without even having time to knock politely.
“Huk.”
“Hup.”
The two covered their mouths at the sight unfolding before their eyes.
“…”
Because a huge Black man was politely kneeling in front of Hyunseung.
Did Hyunseung subdue that man?
‘As expected of my own disciple.’
Just as Executive Director Park proudly rubbed the side of his nose with his index finger.
When the Black man spotted the two people who had barged in, he sprang to his feet and asked.
“Boss, some rather unusual intruders have entered. Shall I deal with them immediately?”
At those words, Hyunseung stretched out his hand as if stopping the man and added.
“I told you, I’m not your boss. And they’re Mom and Dad.”
At that answer, Jamal looked over Executive Director Park and Kim Woohyun with wavering eyes, as if confused, for a moment.
“So you were Boss’s parents.”
Then he immediately bowed his head deeply and continued speaking.
“I failed to recognize you and committed a discourtesy. Please forgive me.”
Should one call this having no prejudice?
“Hey, if you say it like that, you make us sound strange.”
Only then did Kim Woohyun relax his tightly frightened heart and added that as if scolding him.
“Correct yourself to this person immediately.”
Executive Director Park, needlessly straightening his shoulders, kept poking Kim Woohyun in the side.
“Hey, why are you using honorifics with a gym newbie like that?”
“Then why are you whispering, Executive Director? That person won’t understand Korean anyway.”
Hyunseung listened to the two of them and shook his head for a moment.
“We’re still working, so what brings you here?”
At those words, Kim Woohyun examined the Black man’s appearance while avoiding eye contact with him as much as possible.
Compared to when he had seen him before, his eyes were even more sunken, his cheeks were dry and gaunt, and even his lips were cracked.
“So that’s why his face has become even scarier.”
At a glance, he looked like he had been worked to the bone by Hyunseung.
Kim Woohyun asked again in a much gentler tone.
“Then, did you decide to give that friend a song?”
“No, not that.”
“No? Then what kind of work are you doing?”
“I’ve been tearing apart and fixing every song that has my name in it.”
At those words, Kim Woohyun repeated, “Every song…?”
Even just the songs he had found through his preliminary investigation were numerous, so if Hyunseung called that “every song,” exactly how many songs was he tearing apart and fixing?
No.
More importantly, why on earth was Hyunseung doing that for him?
“Yes, it came out to about twelve songs. And even though we’ve only done five so far, he keeps begging me to save him. What did I even do?”
Since the person in question was right in front of him, he could not ask the reason immediately.
But for some reason, that young Black man only looked terribly pitiful.
“At least send him back alive if you can…”
At that moment, Executive Director Park stepped closer, thrusting out his already broad chest, and asked.
“What is that gym-newbie friend’s name?”
“Bap-al.”
“Bap-al? What an adorable name.”
Then he stared steadily at Bap-al with his characteristic domineering gaze and offered a handshake.
“You, have you exercised a bit?”
Then, while gripping Bap-al’s hand so tightly that the veins stood out on the back of his own hand, he shook it lightly.
Jamal, too, did not lose to Executive Director Park’s force. He stared straight back and answered immediately.
“I haven’t exercised, but I’m not weak enough to lose to most people.”
An untimely spark flared between the two of them.
“By the way, do you know this? I absolutely cannot stand seeing anyone touch my family.”
“What do you mean…”
“I’m not just ‘most people,’ and this kid is not your boss. He is our CEO.”
Executive Director Park growled for a moment like a beast baring its teeth.
“Son.”
Then his face quickly softened as he called Hyunseung.
And as if for Bap-al to hear, he added loudly in English.
“Dad will be outside, so if anything happens, call right away.”
It seemed some kind of misunderstanding had occurred.
After Executive Director Park and Kim Woohyun left.
“Are you seriously messing with me?”
“Again, again, again!”
“Isn’t this a song you made?”
A full ten hours passed.
Eventually, before they could begin working on the ninth song.
“Ueeek.”
Because Jamal vomited, the work was temporarily stopped.
After asking Michelle to send Jamal back, Hyunseung remained alone in the studio and began touching up the recorded work.
Tak, tadadadak, tak.
If asked why he was doing this, honestly.
He did not really know. At first, the song and video containing his name were so bad that he had intended to look over only that song’s arrangement.
After all, he had not worked much with the genre of rap until now.
However, as he kept listening, he had become interested.
“You’re handsome.”
More than anything, he saw something like “desperation” in Bap-al’s eyes.
Of course.
Since he could not know what was truly inside him, he still had the gas gun tucked into his back pocket.
Tak, tadadadak, tak.
Soon, Hyunseung stopped thinking and continued the mastering work, losing track of time.
Tak, tadadadak, tak.
There was one more thing he felt while working. The unique sound possessed by the instrument called Bap-al itself was not bad.
It was obvious that he had never properly learned, but even so, it was not bad in itself.
Rather, should he say the distinctive, unrefined, rough sound kept making him want to listen to it?
Ow.
The songs themselves were a complete mess that truly needed to be torn apart and fixed from beginning to end, but still.
Tak, tadadadak, tak.
Just as Hyunseung was continuing to work for quite some time.
Bzz, bzz, bzz!
An oddly ominous vibration rang out.
『 My Little Sister 』
The caller was his younger sister, Hyuna.
‘Why does this feel so unsettling?’
It was surely a call nagging him to come home.
“Tsk.”
For some reason, an uneasy feeling lingered strangely.
Click.
Soon, Hyunseung put the uneasy feeling aside and answered the phone.
“Hello….”
— Oppa!
Hyuna’s urgent voice came from over the receiver.
“What’s going on?”
— Ah, Dad, Dad….
“What about Dad?”
— Can you come home first?
At those words, Hyunseung’s heart sank heavily.
‘No way…’
According to his memories from his previous life, his father had developed pancreatic cancer around the time Hyunseung entered his thirties.
Hyunseung was still only twenty-six years old now.
It was certainly still something far off, but fear struck him.
If, unlike in his previous life, he had become a composer at an early age, what if his father’s fate had changed too?
Right.
Just like Daniel’s death had ended up changing dates, what if his father’s had too?
‘That can’t be.’
As if trying hard to shake off his negative thoughts, Hyunseung shook his head and asked again.
“What happened?”
— It’s just…
“Min Hyuna, stop mumbling and tell me properly.”
For a moment, he spoke sharply as his anxiety grew stronger.
“Did something happen to Father?”
Then he softened his heart again and asked gently, as if coaxing her.
— ……
For a moment, an unknowable silence suddenly flowed from the other side of the phone.
— Dad isn’t sleeping and is only playing games.
“Huh?”
— I’m telling you, Dad has been playing LoL for days straight!
A completely unexpected answer came back.
T/N: The character’s actual name is Jamal, but Hyunseung would intentionally call him “Bapal”. 밥알 means “grain of rice,” pronounced roughly bap-al.
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