Dawn shrouded in deep darkness.
After the party ended, Hyunseung took a taxi straight to the company building.
Not to Unice, but to the VINCIS building.
Though both his body and mind were quite exhausted from a party that lasted longer than expected, he wasn’t in the mood to go home.
True.
I suppose it’s only natural for a hungry cat to seek out a fish market.
Screeeech.
Before long, the taxi came to a stop.
“Thank you.”
Since it was late in the night, the exterior of the building, with all its lights turned off, exuded a rather eerie atmosphere.
Step, step.
As he began to walk, a well-tended garden came into view under the intermittent glow of the streetlights.
It was the result of Vincent’s meticulous care, alongside the groundskeepers.
Step, step.
Green trees harmonized with the white-walled building, and colorful flower petals brightly illuminated the structure that might have otherwise looked dull.
Yes.
It was a place so beautiful it almost reminded him of Lee Duseok’s home garden.
Now that I think about it, it’s about time I went for a game of baduk. He’s probably pouting again.
Step, step.
With those thoughts in mind, Hyunseung didn’t head inside immediately but continued to stroll through the garden for a while.
A moment later, he chuckled, thinking of Vincent, who would come out to the garden to water and plant flowers whenever he had a spare moment.
He’s unnecessarily sincere about everything.
Step, step.
Feeling glad that Vincent had become the master of this place, he finally headed toward the main entrance. It hadn’t even been a year since they moved here, but the stairs and doors were already marked by the touch of a small number of people.
These marks were a clear testament to how hard those few people had run around this place.
Now, I must leave this place and head toward a new nest.
Though it happened somewhat unexpectedly, since it is a nest that will provide the power to protect my people, I intend to work hard.
Of course, I’ll have to gain recognition from those who oppose me first, through skill and results.
The beginning will be with a solo album.
“Who could possibly paint over a work by Gogh?”
He couldn’t quite grasp what kind of person the engineer was yet, but if someone talented enough to be recognized by Austin said that much, then yes, for a first step, wouldn’t that be enough?
Beep.
Soon after Hyunseung opened the front door and entered, a lobby as wide and open as a hotel’s came into view.
It is a bit regrettable.
Looking at the lobby again, a sentimental feeling rose up, replacing the slight lightheadedness from the alcohol.
Then, he slowly took in the lobby he had walked across every day.
Step, step.
He then climbed the wide central staircase and headed toward his studio, to his own space, where he had spent more time than in the CEO’s office.
Come to think of it, I was a failure as a CEO, a CEO spending more time in a studio than in the CEO’s office.
The reason he was able to do that was thanks to Executive Director Park, Director Kim, and Michelle, who were backing him up, and thanks to the employees they were leading.
I wasn’t a very good CEO.
It was at that moment of idle thought, just as he was opening the studio door.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
He flinched, startled by the series of loud bangs.
“Wait, he actually gets surprised?”
“Pwahahaha!”
“Are you filming this?”
Then, from within the pitch-black studio, the voices of several people mixed with laughter could be heard.
Fwoosh!
Soon, a single candle lit up the room.
“Our precious—ah, no. Hyunseung… wait, not that either.”
Only then did he see it: the face of Kim Woohyun, holding a cake with a brightly glowing candle.
Behind him were Executive Director Park, Michelle, Vincent, Sarah Stewart, and even his younger sister, Hyuna.
“Congratulations on your inauguration as the head of Unice Music Group!”
Hyunseung stared at their faces with a dazed expression.
“Hurry up and blow out the candle.”
Urged by Kim Woohyun, who thrust the cake forward again, he blew out the flickering flame.
Click!
Suddenly, the lights in the room turned on brightly.
They were smiling.
With sincere smiles on their faces, they were clapping continuously, offering their congratulations to a CEO who was lacking and who had been insufficient.
“W-what is all this?”
Hyunseung asked, holding the cake he had been handed in a daze.
“We were too busy to even light a candle when we established VINCIS, but we had to blow one out this time, didn’t we? This is a huge occasion.”
Listening silently to Kim Woohyun’s words, Hyunseung bit his lower lip hard. It wasn’t that he was about to cry.
He just thought that Kim Woohyun’s smiling face looked quite worn out.
He must have suffered a lot.
I told him to trust me and come along, but I’ve only been giving him a hard time.
And yet, once again, I’m leaving this person behind to find my own path.
But this person is cheering for the path I’m taking.
I… I….
In the end, I still can’t take proper care of my own people.
“You knew I had an inauguration party today.”
Those were the words Hyunseung managed to squeeze out.
“What would you have done if I hadn’t come?”
Contrary to his heart, his voice was full of grumpiness.
“Where else would you go if not here?”
Executive Director Park spoke up in response to that question.
“I mean, did you really think Oppa would go home?”
Hyuna, standing behind them, added her voice.
“Even if you go to Unice, would you really not come here?”
“Exactly. The Unice CEO’s office will probably be empty every day anyway.”
The others chuckled, saying it was obvious.
True.
Even if I go to Unice, as long as I don’t forget VINCIS, and as long as I don’t forget those who believe in me and will protect VINCIS, then it’ll be fine.
Since I decided to live differently this time, I just have to protect everything.
“Golden Child.”
Kim Woohyun called out to Hyunseung after placing the cake back on the table.
“You’ve worked hard. Truly, you’ve worked so hard.”
He then pulled him into a tight embrace and patted his back.
He didn’t add anything else, but Hyunseung could tell what his touch was trying to say.
Yes.
It was comfort and encouragement for having endured well against those who opposed him.
“Why is the atmosphere like this?”
Sarah broke in, frowning.
“It’s a celebration party, should it be this depressing?”
“Right, right! Oppa, I even prepared an inauguration gift!”
Hyuna added, as if they had synchronized their parts.
Then, appetizing food and drinks appeared on the studio table.
She pointed to the gifts spread out on the sofa.
“Sarah unnie prepared all of this.”
She added quietly in a voice only Hyunseung could hear.
“Her?”
Hyunseung glanced sideways at Sarah Stewart.
“What do you mean ‘her’? Your girlfriend.”
“What?”
“You two are dating.”
He snorted at Hyuna’s words.
Me? With Miss Sarah?
At least say something that makes sense.
“It’s not true?”
At the timing when he should have immediately answered, “No, it’s not,” his eyes happened to lock with Sarah’s in midair.
“But why would unnie prepare gifts like this for Oppa’s inauguration….”
Hyunseung couldn’t bring himself to answer. He simply headed toward the sofa where the gifts Sarah had prepared were laid out.
Rustle, rustle.
He opened the shopping bags one by one to check the contents.
Well…
Someone went through the trouble of preparing them, so I should at least check.
“This is….”
Hyunseung couldn’t hide his surprised expression from the very first bag he opened.
What on earth is this?
A diamond ring that looked to be at least one carat, a bracelet studded with rubies boasting a brilliant luster, and even a circle-type skull necklace that only a heavy metal rocker would wear.
At that moment, the others seemed to know the contents of the gifts, as they were biting their lips, holding back their laughter.
Ah, is she playing a prank?
Right.
She couldn’t have seriously given me these to wear.
With that thought, he opened the second shopping bag.
“Ha….”
Inside were brilliant, golden silk panties.
“Did you really prepare all of this?”
“Yeah, I bought it all.”
“Then, did you buy this too?”
Did you really buy a teddy bear as big as my body just for me?
“Yeah, do you like it?”
The expression on Miss Sarah’s face as she asked was filled with quite a bit of expectation.
This girl is serious.
This… she really prepared these gifts for me with all her heart.
It wasn’t a joke.
Hyunseung agonized for a moment over what to do.
“Uh, yeah….”
Avoiding her eyes, he nodded roughly.
And then, just as he was about to press the protruding heart shape on the teddy bear’s belly.
“No, not that!”
Sarah shouted to stop him, but.
— I Love You!
Hyunseung’s hand had already pressed the heart.
— I Love You!
The teddy bear repeatedly shouted its love.
— I Love You!
Sarah’s face flushed bright red.
And along with her, the faces of everyone else, including Hyunseung, turned red as well.
“Now that I think about it, a party isn’t complete without music, right?”
Executive Director Park spoke up to change the atmosphere.
He then added, rubbing his hands together like a fly.
“On that note, shall we play that club song Hyunseung made?”
Whether to call it a relief or not, everyone’s attention shifted to ‘the club song Hyunseung made’ at those words.
Well, it was a natural phenomenon since people who loved Hyunseung’s music were gathered there.
“It’s not a club song.”
However, Hyunseung dismissed it immediately, narrowing his eyes in disapproval.
“It’s High-End Fusion EDM.”
“Huh?”
“I said, it’s High-End Fusion EDM.”
Silence fell at those words.
Ah, right.
When God made Hyunseung, He forgot to include the talent for naming things. Can he really not learn that?
“R-right.”
To quickly resolve the awkward atmosphere, Kim Woohyun clapped his hands and continued.
“Then, shall we play that Hi…High-End Fusion EDM? Shall we give it a listen?”
Only then did Hyunseung head toward the workstation with a satisfied face.
—♬ ♬ ♬
Soon, the song Hyunseung had created began to flow through the studio.
—♬ ♬ ♬
And so, throughout the night, the sound of laughter and a cheerful beat never ceased inside Hyunseung’s studio.
Despite being late autumn, the hot sunlight was beating down on a gate at JFK International Airport in the US.
Thud, thud.
A man with a completely mismatched appearance walked through it.
“It’s hot.”
The man, dressed in a modernized hanbok, pushed up his silver-rimmed glasses.
“It finally feels like I’ve arrived in America.”
He wore a smile at the sound of music coming from his surroundings.
“I never thought I’d come here in my entire life….”
He then looked up and stared at a faded billboard. It was a billboard that clearly showed signs of not having been taken down for a long time.
Is it a good thing that I’m able to see it in person because of that?
“I suppose I came to see this.”
That was none other than….
Daniel X HS
20xx.xx.xx
globular arena
It was a promotional billboard for Daniel’s last concert.
“I should hurry.”
Soon after, the man… no, Lee Duseok, got into a pre-arranged vehicle.
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