Hyunseung turned around, saying they should head back now that Jamal’s performance was over.
If he stayed any longer…
He’d have to see the face of that obnoxious prick, Baddy or Taddy or whatever.
Anyway.
The guy was destined to vanish from this industry without a trace soon enough.
Even if Hyunseung didn’t get his own hands dirty, the guy was bound to disappear.
That was how it happened in his past life.
And this time…
It wasn’t likely to be much different.
Judging by his behavior and speech, it seemed certain.
He couldn’t remember exactly when it happened.
But Baddy was someone who had frequently made headlines for his personality and issues with discrimination. However, because he was white and a rapper, even his crude behavior had been packaged as a kind of “coolness.”
Then, eventually…
High on drugs, he went to prison for murdering a homeless man on the street, didn’t he?
Since he was that kind of scum…
He would naturally disappear if Hyunseung just waited it out.
“Oppa, where are you going?”
However, since the guy had messed with his sister, Hyunseung had no intention of being magnanimous enough to wait patiently.
If he was going to go in anyway, he might as well be sent there a little sooner.
That way, wouldn’t he be able to get out before he got too much older and find a different path in life?
It was a consideration of sorts.
“Hyuna, come quickly. I’m tired now. Let’s go home.”
“But there are still other guest singers left to perform…”
Hyuna, seemingly regretful, couldn’t easily pull herself away and gripped the hem of Hyunseung’s clothes.
“You saw your favorite, Bap-al, perform.”
“Still, we came all this way. It would be nice to see the other singers too.”
“Is that so? That blue-eyed white guy who looked down on you for being Asian is probably going to perform soon. If you want to see him, go ahead.”
“Wait, no? Let’s go.”
However, as soon as she heard Baddy was going on stage, her face crumpled and she started walking ahead.
To Hyuna, Baddy wasn’t a celebrity anymore. He was just “the bastard who hit and insulted my brother.”
If she hadn’t known what kind of person he was, she would have just screamed and cheered while watching Baddy’s performance.
“Oppa, aren’t you coming?”
Hyuna stopped walking in a huff and turned her head to urge him.
“Just a second.”
Hyunseung, who had been walking for a while, stood still with his gaze fixed on one spot.
Hyuna followed his gaze.
“I guess this is the EDM zone.”
“Seems so.”
“Wow, there are so many people here too.”
In front of a massive booth, a sweat-drenched DJ wearing headphones was performing.
Before him, a huge crowd was laughing and swaying their bodies to the rhythm of the music.
The moment he saw the scene, the thoughts that came to mind were simple.
Passionate.
Hot.
Dynamic.
That was all he could think.
“But I don’t really get the EDM genre.”
To Hyuna, the music of a genre she had never experienced and the frenzied movements of the people felt quite foreign.
People who were half-naked for some reason.
Entwined dance moves.
Unintelligible lyrics and a chaotic beat.
Hyuna hadn’t even been to a club once since becoming an adult, so this kind of scene was bound to feel awkward.
“Oppa, you don’t really like this kind of chaotic and loud music either, right?”
And since her brother, Hyunseung, had a quiet personality, she was sure he would dislike it.
Even if he was a composer, being a DJ was a completely different matter.
“Oppa?”
But…
“Aren’t we going?”
Hyunseung’s eyes remained fixed on the DJ appearing on the electronic screen.
“Oppa…?”
The corners of his mouth were twitching strangely.
Huh?
That was the expression he made when a new volume of his favorite manga came out.
Soon.
Hyunseung began walking into the crowd radiating intense heat, as if possessed by something.
“That…”
It seemed.
“Looks kind of fun?”
Hyunseung appeared to be hooked on a new genre.
Late at night.
Wales brewed his own coffee. Then, holding a cup rich with the aroma of beans and rising steam, he headed toward his studio.
Sip.
The bitter-tasting coffee slid down his throat.
The fatigue that had been pressing down on him seemed to dissipate just a little.
One might wonder why he was drinking coffee at this hour…
But Wales’ work didn’t distinguish between day and night.
And he was about to start working in earnest.
Click.
As he entered the dim studio, the light from a desk lamp guided his way.
Thud, thud.
On the wall along the long passage leading to the desk, all sorts of photos were plastered haphazardly.
Of course.
Even though they looked like they had been put up randomly, they all followed their own order.
And the largest section of the wall was covered with photos of one man.
Interspersed among them were photos of a woman who resembled that man.
They were…
The man and his sister whom Wales had been tailing for the past few months.
To be precise…
HS, the CEO of the VINCIS label currently preparing for an IPO with terrifying momentum, and his sister.
No.
They were photos of the siblings, Min Hyunseung and Min Hyuna.
Slowly.
Wales stared at the photos of the two for a moment.
He turned his head and shifted his gaze to a photo of another man and woman.
That was…
A photo of Min Hyunseung and Sarah Stewart standing side by side.
Since the time wasn’t right yet…
The photos were being kept carefully so they wouldn’t fade.
These photos would surely be used effectively.
Like plants waiting for spring.
They would reveal their presence once the warm sunlight arrived.
“Hehe.”
Wales wore a satisfied smile as he looked at those photos.
Clatter.
Instead of putting the cup on the desk, Wales picked up a piece of film with his fingers.
“Hmm.”
Then he let out a low hum, carefully examining the film from different angles as if appraising a gemstone.
He had decided to be patient and endure.
But looking at this film made him feel restless.
His fingers twitched, and his heart beat rapidly.
As a former reporter, it was a natural physical reaction.
Of course.
Other public figures would dismiss Wales as nothing more than a bothersome and meticulous paparazzi.
But in this industry, he was known as an authoritative informant.
Yes.
Wales used his wide network and instincts, which were sharper than others’, to catch the private lives of public figures that no one else would know.
After obtaining evidence, he made a living by reselling it.
He sold it to legitimate reporters, to the agencies the public figures belonged to.
Or if not that, to the individuals themselves.
Wales was the person who had been following Min Hyunseung ever since he first gave a song to Sarah Stewart.
Since Sarah Stewart, who was notorious for not accepting songs from others, had accepted one, it was only natural to be curious about the composer who gave it to her.
Moreover.
When he heard that the composer was Asian and practiced mysticism, his desire to dig deeper flared up.
No.
His instinct whispered to him: Find out about that man.
A man whose real name, face, age, and even family relationships were a secret.
Wales had followed the man for nearly a year, collecting trivial pieces of information.
The more he did, the more that man started to become famous.
The man, who had been shrouded in complete mystery, gradually became known by his face, and one day, he suddenly established a label and took the position of CEO.
That was when Wales thought:
Following this man was a very good decision.
Because he was now further ahead than the paparazzi or reporters who had just started chasing HS.
However.
He didn’t release it immediately. He had to endure and wait for the day the man’s presence became even more distinct.
Only then…
The value of the information he held would increase.
If not that…
‘I could use it in a completely different way.’
Wales gripped and released the film repeatedly.
Tack.
He placed it back on the desk. Wales’ expression was as dark as the lighting in the room.
It was because a concern had crossed his mind.
Yes.
What if HS decided to reveal everything himself before he could act?
If that happened…
Everything he held in his hand would lose its power.
Like a pie in the sky.
He might have to just watch without even getting a taste.
‘If that’s the case…’
Should he exert some effort to make spring come a little sooner?
Clatter.
Wales picked up the cup and sipped his espresso while keeping his eyes fixed on the film.
“How should I cook this?”
Soon, a fishy smile spread across his lips.
Lee Eunwoo’s steps as he walked leisurely out of the wide-open courtroom were as light as a feather.
It was only natural, in a way…
Because he had won the case very easily.
“I should let him know right away.”
Lee Eunwoo immediately took out his phone and made a call.
— ♬ ♬ ♬
At the ringback tone that followed, Lee Eunwoo checked the screen.
[ God-Psycho ]
Huh? It’s HS, right?
— ♬ ♬ ♬
Lee Eunwoo tilted his head after confirming that the name he had saved for HS was correct.
That was because, instead of the bleak default ringback tone…
“Was this his taste?”
An EDM track so exciting it made the heart pound just by listening to it was playing as the ringback tone.
Before long, the call connected, and a familiar voice came through the receiver.
— Yes.
At the stiff voice that stood in stark contrast to the exciting ringback tone that had almost induced an “internal dance” a moment ago, Lee Eunwoo momentarily lost his steam.
Honestly.
Whenever he was like this, he was such a boring person.
“CEO, we won the case.”
The deflated Lee Eunwoo delivered the result in a conventional tone.
“Kim Wooseok was immediately handed over to the prosecution, and I think we’ll soon be able to connect to the CEO of JN Ent. As for touching the Samwoo Group, we should give it a bit more time…”
— I’m not interested in taking it that far, so handle it yourself, Lawyer.
Just as Lee Eunwoo was about to flick the screen at the cold response,
— A fax probably just went through about now.
“A fax?”
— Go in and check the contents immediately.
HS added, as if he were Lee Eunwoo’s superior.
— Could you also handle that matter for me?
To ask him to handle it out of the blue without any proper explanation.
It made him wonder if HS thought he was some kind of errand runner.
— It seems I can’t just stay still anymore.
“What on earth are you…”
— I gave your number to a reporter I know. You two seem like a good match, so contact them and coordinate your schedules.
Lee Eunwoo adjusted his grip on the phone at the sudden news and asked,
“You have to at least give me a rough explanation of what you’re talking about…”
However, his sentence was cut off before he could finish.
— What else would it be?
A voice carrying a grim atmosphere came through the receiver on the other end.
— Tell them it’s a declaration of war. Anyone who messes with me from now on is dead.
It was certainly calm.
“A declaration of war…”
But it sounded like the voice of a beast baring its teeth.
“That…”
That voice of HS…
“Is my specialty.”
It only served to make Lee Eunwoo excited again.
Thud, thud.
Strength returned to Lee Eunwoo’s steps as he left the courthouse.
“As expected, he’s unexpectedly fun.”
A full smile blossomed on his face.
Ah.
God-Vincis is definitely a God-Psycho.
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