Austin had one habit he had kept up since before he became CEO of Unice Music Group.
No matter how busy he was, he would listen to every song that signed a distribution contract that day.
He considered it a virtue he naturally ought to have as the CEO leading Unice Music Group.
Because he knew very well how many artists lost sleep and worked hard to create a single song that lasted only three to four minutes.
— ♬ ♬ ♬
Since he was someone who never deviated from his set routine, he had also kept that habit without fail.
However.
No matter how much he listened, and listened again, he felt something was lacking.
Why were the voices of singers these days….
all made up of bland, flat monochrome?
Colored hearing.
As someone who had colored hearing, a type of synesthesia, Austin always felt disappointed by that point.
It was laughable to talk about hope at his age.
Still, he had held onto the expectation that someday, he might meet a voice with a truly unique color.
Of course.
Whether he could meet such a voice while still sitting in the CEO’s seat was unknown.
People said the heart could remain young, but there was no ignoring the fact that the body aged.
— ♬ ♬ ♬
It was while he was walking down the street in a daze, lost in thought.
— ♬ ♬ ♬
He stopped walking at the sound of singing coming from somewhere.
‘What is this?’
It was not even a few syllables, but a strange color immediately came to mind, and his steps were naturally drawn toward it.
Because of his severe germaphobia, he hated mixing into crowds of people more than anything.
But he wanted to see for himself who the owner of this color was.
— Everyone’s going to die anyway.
The person he ended up vaguely pushing through the crowd to see was Sarah Stewart.
He could not forget that sight.
Her completely unstyled hair scattered freely in the wind.
The way she sat roughly on the ground, as if she did not care whether it was dirty, and sang along with her guitar accompaniment.
— There’s nothing to be scared of.
Even though she was clearly sitting amid a large crowd and singing quietly, he pictured an image of someone screaming alone on a deserted island.
It was the first time.
The first time he had gone beyond color and seen a concrete image.
“Come to Unice Music Group and sing as much as you want.”
Austin immediately made Sarah Stewart a casting offer.
“I don’t want to.”
Contrary to his expectations, he was rejected at once.
“Why don’t you want to?”
“Just because.”
At first, he thought she had refused because she was very wary.
Since he had said Unice Music Group, of course she would not believe him.
So he did not give up and went to find her.
The next day too.
And again.
The day after that too.
He should have gotten tired, but he could not. Even listening to her every day, he never got sick of it.
The low notes that descended without feeling forced at all.
The solid voice.
And even the expression that looked somehow lonely.
On top of that, they said the song was self-composed.
If he missed a talent like this, it was obvious he would not be able to close his eyes peacefully on the day he died. How could he give up?
“Don’t you want to become a singer and stand onstage?”
“This is a stage too, and if I sing, doesn’t that make me a singer?”
Even her boldness, rough yet saying only things that were right, pleased him.
“That is also true, but it’s such a shame that more people can’t hear a song like this, and a singer like this. Please think about it and contact me.”
He liked everything.
In the end, only after chasing her for a month was he able to sign an exclusive contract with Sarah Stewart.
Because she had hesitated for so long, he thought she would be picky, examine everything closely, and make demands….
“Aren’t you going to read the contract more?”
“What would I know from reading it more?”
Unlike other artists, Sarah Stewart signed without even properly scanning the contract, as if she did not care about the signing bonus or the settlement ratio.
Of course, Unice Music Group prided itself on conditions above the industry average, but usually, people would at least cross-check once to see whether there were any poisonous clauses….
Until then, he had not realized that she was someone filled only with desire to make good songs and sing good songs, rather than vanity, popularity, or fame.
When someone like that made songs and sang them, how many feelings, thoughts, and experiences must be melted into them?
In a way, it was only natural that Austin became able to naturally envision images instead of just colors.
Was that why?
He could understand everything Sarah Stewart did.
Even the disheveled appearances that he, as someone with germaphobia, could not understand, and even when she occasionally became hysterical, caused a scene, or broke equipment.
Then one day.
When her first album was released to the world and swept across Billboard, he had excitedly told her that if there was anything she wanted, she should tell him.
But.
Do you know what Sarah Stewart said then?
It was not that she wanted to be sent on a luxurious reward vacation, or that she wanted him to buy her a private jet.
Nor was it simply that she wanted her settlement ratio increased.
“Please hold a concert for me.”
In other words, she was asking him to let her sing more.
That Sarah Stewart…
For the first time, told him what she wanted.
“I want to go to Korea and work with composer HS.”
He gladly allowed it.
And then.
She told him the second thing she wanted.
“I want to go to HS.”
He could not gladly allow that.
“What do you mean?”
“I want to go to HS.”
When he first heard those words, he wondered what she meant.
So he asked again, but Sarah merely repeated the same words like a child throwing a tantrum.
If anything, had she said she was dating someone or getting married, he would have gladly allowed it and blessed her.
“You mean you want to go to VINCIS.”
Austin finally said the words he had been trying to pretend not to understand.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Sarah Stewart nodded with a force that seemed as if she would never back down.
“Did HS tell you to come?”
It was not as if he had failed to anticipate this situation.
He had expected it from the moment HS said he was establishing a label with Vincent.
Yes.
He also knew that Sarah Stewart and HS were close.
More than anything, if it was not HS, Sarah Stewart would not even try to sing another composer’s song.
In a way, it was a natural progression.
“No. HS told me not to come.”
“Mm?”
“He said he’d give me songs separately, so I should just stay.”
As she said that, Sarah looked genuinely hurt.
“But I just want to go.”
Even so, she calmly added her own opinion.
“I want to go to HS.”
Quite shocked, Austin could not answer for a while.
He was not shocked that Sarah was leaving.
It was because this was his first time seeing that kind of expression on Sarah’s face.
“Let’s talk about it next time first.”
After sending Sarah Stewart back, Austin immediately called HS and made an appointment.
“Take Sarah with you.”
It was to ask him to take Sarah.
If anyone heard it, they would probably think he was insane.
But.
Seeing Sarah Stewart’s hurt expression hurt him even more.
“I don’t know exactly what you’re talking about, but I understand how much you’ve cherished Sarah Stewart, Austin.”
HS’s words made his heart sting even more.
Yes.
It seemed he had not known he cherished her this much.
Doesn’t everyone have someone like that?
Not intentionally….
Someone who, at some point, seeped deep inside and became especially precious.
Someone like an aching finger you worry about even when nothing has happened.
To Austin, Sarah was that kind of person, and she was family.
“Yes, if I were considering our company’s prosperity or profits, then for an artist on the level of Sarah Stewart, it would be right to bring her in no matter what.”
Yes. Just as HS said, if he considered only the company’s position, he absolutely could not lose Sarah Stewart.
And letting her go was even more unthinkable.
There was no way Austin would not know what even HS knew.
Moreover, Austin had the power to tie Sarah Stewart down and to make it impossible for her to work in this field at all, let alone at VINCIS.
He simply chose not to make that choice.
Because to Sarah, who had honestly confessed that she wanted to make music beside the person she wanted, he did not want to do such a thing.
He could only hope that HS would treat Sarah Stewart preciously, even if not as much as he did…
Just as he was thinking that,
“But if I truly want the company to go down the right path, I don’t think I should take away a precious artist just because of the profit right in front of me.”
At HS’s unexpected answer, Austin’s heart suddenly began pounding powerfully, as if it had malfunctioned.
Thump, thump, thump.
Had his heart gone bad as he aged?
Thump, thump, thump.
The sound of his heart showed no sign of calming down.
“Hoo….”
Austin breathed as calmly as possible and began organizing his thoughts about why his heart was beating now.
At first, when he heard that HS had rejected Sarah, he thought it was for the sake of maintaining his relationship with Unice.
Yes.
There would be no one in this industry who would like souring their relationship with Unice Music Group.
However.
HS had not rejected her simply for some reason like that.
Yes, that seemed to be why his heart was pounding like this.
“When I first saw you today, I thought you looked quite awkward sitting in the CEO’s office.”
Austin took in the sight of HS.
An unparalleled genius.
And because of that, a person who had nothing to fear in the world.
The only person who could crush every other point with irreplaceable skill.
That was the HS Austin had been looking at all this time.
“But now that I look at you, it suits you better than anyone.”
“Austin, your suit suits you well today too.”
But he had definitely thought wrong.
“Then may I tell you something else I want?”
“No matter what you say, I’m not taking Sarah Stewart….”
He was not someone who crushed everything.
He was someone who had the power to embrace everything.
Yes.
He was the kind of person who possessed the “virtues a CEO should have” that Austin had always imagined.
“How about ending the cooperative relationship you’ve had with Unice Music Group until now, and merging with us altogether?”
If so, then he could surely make a proposal of this level.
“Are you joking right now?”
“No.”
“It hasn’t even been a year since we were founded.”
“Do you think I would say this without knowing that?”
Because he had always hoped someone with the same purpose would succeed him.
It was something he had been thinking about for a long time.
Of course, he had not known it would be decided this quickly.
“I want to rest now.”
“What does that…”
“I intend to retire soon.”
Still, since he had found someone fitting for the role, he could only feel glad.
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