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Go Yuna.
She was an influential influencer in Korea. Thanks to that, her inbox was always full of sponsorship offers.
Eating, living, sleeping.
She could handle almost every aspect of her daily life through sponsorships.
Although it was a hassle to take and post photos.
On the other hand, since she didn’t accept video requests, it was somewhat manageable.
“Hmm, I think it’s worse than I thought?”
Go Yuna applied an expensive lipstick she had received as a sponsorship, checked the mirror, and immediately wiped it off with a cleansing tissue, clearly dissatisfied.
Tap, tap, tap.
Soon, after carelessly tossing the tissue into the trash, she began writing a post.
[I’d like to introduce a lipstick that’s moisturizing, sets well, and stays put for hours! (Smile emoji) This is the lipstick I’ve really been wearing every day lately… See more]
After confirming the upload was complete, she turned off her notifications. She knew that within less than a minute, a flood of likes and comment notifications would pour in.
“Sigh…”
Even though she received anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars for just taking a few photos and putting up a post, writing down exactly what the company requested and adding fake emojis always made her feel a sense of skepticism.
And yet the reason she kept doing this was partly to maintain her main profession.
“Ugh.”
Go Yuna’s main job was as a backup dancer; she first became famous because a practice video she posted went viral.
However, since she wasn’t a choreographer, her income as a simple backup dancer was woefully insufficient, and the number of stages she could stand on was limited.
Still, thanks to her fame, the views on the practice and cover-dance videos she uploaded to NewTube increased day by day.
So to make a living, she had to continue her activities as an influencer.
Only… people wanted her face more than her dancing, and she had to keep posting photos where she smiled like a puppet.
The more she did, the more her desire to transition to a career as a choreographer grew.
Not the fake me in a photo, smiling with cosmetics smeared on.
I wanted to see myself in a video, dancing to choreography I created myself.
However, she lacked talent as a choreographer.
And as it was a red-ocean market, opportunities didn’t come easily.
“I want to create something too….”
Go Yuna buried her face in her desk, feeling upset for a moment.
“Right, I have to do something.”
She brushed herself off, got up, and headed to the practice room.
“Whew….”
Because she had been busy handling contracted sponsorship deals, she hadn’t visited for a while, and dust rose as she stepped into the practice room.
As if she didn’t care about such things, Go Yuna immediately connected her phone to the speakers and played a “Random Hot Track.”
Random Hot Track was….
A feature that randomly played rising global hits, and dancing freestyle to those songs was her personal way of practicing.
Would that help her build the ability to create choreography? It was a habit she had started with that hope.
—♫♫♫
From Korea to China, Japan, Vietnam, the U.S., and Brazil.
Since it was a random playlist that picked the most-streamed songs by people all over the world, the styles of the songs were all different.
—♫♫♫
Perhaps because of that, it was quite difficult to freestyle to.
“Ah, ah….”
More often than not, she would stop dancing, hesitate, or her body would freeze.
—♫♫♫
But she didn’t give up.
—♫♫♫
Next song, then the next.
—♫♫♫
While holding on to the hope that if she kept going, a decent piece of choreography would surely emerge.
—♫♫♫
Just as her somewhat awkward dance moves continued.
Screeeech!
Go Yuna’s two feet began to sweep smoothly across the practice-room floor, moving with fluidity.
Her movements were unhesitating, as if she were performing a preset routine.
—♫♫♫
The beat that naturally moved her body was intense yet broken down into fine increments, making it perfect for catching the rhythm.
—♫♫♫
A sudden shift into a deep hip-hop beat also made her body move instinctively.
—♫♫♫
The song underwent another variation, and her dance moves began to grow increasingly fierce in time with the sound of drums.
Eventually, as if possessed, her two feet, which had been moving crazily to the song, came to a stop with a simultaneous “skid” of friction.
“Huff, huff….”
Only then did Go Yuna breathe heavily.
“This is it.”
It was because she had decided to capture the choreography on camera right away before her body forgot it.
Min Hyunseung is HS.
HS is Min Hyunseung.
After that fact became known, every track on Hyunseung’s solo album successfully charted on the Billboard Hot Tracks.
Of course, it was within the broad category of the “Dance” genre, but even so, it was an exceptionally brilliant performance.
“It seems the awl has finally pierced through.”
Lee Duseok placed a white stone with a satisfied smile.
Tak!
At that, Kim Woohyun frowned as if cornered for a moment.
“I suppose so.”
He placed a black stone simultaneously with his answer.
Tak!
At Hyunseung’s request, Kim Woohyun had been acting as Lee Duseok’s match partner lately. Of course, he always lost.
Clatter, tak!
Unlike when he played against Hyunseung, Lee Duseok continued placing his stones without a single moment of hesitation.
Clatter, clatter.
Kim Woohyun, cornered, frequently fiddled with his stones.
“But it seems Hyunseung isn’t satisfied at all.”
In the end, he tried the tactic of buying time by throwing out a conversation topic again. He knew that while other topics might not work, Lee Duseok would surely bite if it were about Hyunseung.
“If one is impatient, even things that would have worked out go wrong.”
As expected.
“Isn’t this just a passing process? The result can only be known after an immense amount of time has passed.”
When the topic of Hyunseung was brought up, Lee Duseok, who had been staring at the board, turned his gaze out the window.
“I don’t think he’s dissatisfied with the results.”
Taking advantage of the gap, Kim Woohyun added as he secretly tried to change the position of a stone he had played earlier.
“You know he’s not the type to dwell on results.”
Lee Duseok slowly nodded at those words and said,
“I know, of course. So, put the stone back where it was.”
Damn, I got caught. Does he have eyes on the sides of his head too?
“You even knew that.”
Kim Woohyun awkwardly moved his hand to return the stone to its original position and then played a black stone.
Tak!
Then, looking at Lee Duseok again, he added.
“He seems to want to do the DJing himself.”
“Then, isn’t that what he should do?”
“As you know, he is now the CEO of UNICE. So, standing in front of people to DJ won’t be easy. Above all….”
Kim Woohyun trailed off for a moment.
“He’s the one who was reluctant to have his face known from the beginning. I don’t know the exact reasons, but there seemed to be some circumstances. I’m worried he might regret it after starting out of temporary curiosity.”
He calmly elaborated on his thoughts.
“Mmm….”
Lee Duseok, who had been listening silently, let out a deep hum.
Clatter, tak!
He moved his hand, which had hesitated for a moment, and continued the game.
“Director Kim. No, Woohyun.”
Then, he called out to Kim Woohyun in a low voice.
“Yes?”
Kim Woohyun asked back, startled.
“I think I’ve won this match as well.”
Lee Duseok said with a grin. At those words, Kim Woohyun slowly scanned the entire board.
Even though he didn’t know much about Baduk, even a cursory glance showed there was nowhere left to retreat.
In short, it was a total wipeout.
Kim Woohyun bowed his head low, saying in a grumbling voice, “I’ve learned a lesson.” Lost again.
Just then.
Lee Duseok looked at the board as if slowly reviewing the game.
“In that sense, would you like to hear an old story of mine?”
“Of course.”
“Do you happen to know why I left this industry?”
He asked tentatively.
“I haven’t heard.”
Kim Woohyun adjusted his posture and answered immediately.
He had only speculated that perhaps he had made enough money, and since this industry was so fierce and dirty, he had pulled out early.
Since he didn’t know the exact reason at all, he was curious.
Why he, who had reached the very top….
Suddenly announced his retirement and chose a life of seclusion.
“Because the burden carried by the three syllables of the name Lee Duseok was too heavy, I kept what I wanted to do at a distance and lived desperately to protect the honor attached to my name.”
Lee Duseok slowly continued his story, his gaze fixed out the window as if reminiscing about the distant past.
“And so, before I knew it, I had reached the top, and at that point, I chose to step down gracefully.”
“Gracefully?”
“Yes, from a very young age, I always kept the saying ‘Leave while they’re still clapping’ deep in my heart. Because I thought that, too, required immense courage and was the most manly thing to do.”
“I see.”
“But you see, a mass of unfulfilled desire from my youth kept pounding against my chest.”
For a very brief moment, a pained expression flickered across his face as he placed his hand near his heart.
“The desire suppressed by the name Lee Duseok eventually became a knot. So, I came here to untie that knot.”
He added, his face relaxing once again.
“Support the boy in everything he wants to do, so he doesn’t have to live with a knot in his heart like I did. At the very least, you should do that much.”
“Ah….”
“Above all, you must realize the fact that he is no longer a child in your arms.”
Kim Woohyun nodded slowly, as if admitting he had been worrying needlessly.
“In that sense….”
Lee Duseok glanced at Kim Woohyun and spoke again.
“You should practice your Baduk a bit. It’s not fun at all.”
He clicked his tongue and shook his head from side to side.
“Yes….”
Contrary to his growing worries by the day, Kim Woohyun’s Baduk skills were not improving at all.
Hyunseung was having busy days, to the point where even adapting to his position as the CEO of UNICE was overwhelming.
Of course, even amidst that, he didn’t stop his DJing practice.
—♫♫♫
To turn his released tracks into remix versions suitable for festivals, he immersed himself in practice, cutting down on his sleep. It was because, since he had decided to do it, he wanted to do it right.
Surely, there would be intense opposition.
But he didn’t want to be held back by such things.
Wasn’t Lee Duseok also running toward his dreams again? Hyunseung was stimulated by that sight.
Anyway, this was a body that had died once and came back to life.
He decided to do everything he wanted to do so he wouldn’t have any regrets.
Executive Director Park and Director Kim seemed quite worried….
But don’t they say no parent can beat their child?
Above all, if he achieved success as a DJ, their worries would naturally vanish.
Ah.
The opposition from the stiff old-timers at UNICE might not disappear.
—♫♫♫
Hyunseung toyed with the turntable with his fingertips, as if he couldn’t care less.
However, before long, Hyunseung’s hand stopped.
“Ah….”
It was because he realized that since he knew nothing about the world of DJs, he didn’t know how to approach it.
Should he make a request directly to the festival organizers?
Or would offers come in if he put out an article saying he was debuting as a DJ himself?
“Hmm….”
Just as Hyunseung was looking down at the DJing equipment, inhaling sharply.
Knock, knock, knock!
A knocking sound was heard, but it was so urgent and irregular that he couldn’t tell who it was.
“Come in.”
Did someone from the UNICE board find out that he was secretly using the underground studio every night?
Gulp.
Hyunseung swallowed hard and watched the door open.
“Hm?”
The person who opened the door and entered was his secretary, Michelle.
“What is going on at this hour? Didn’t you already go home?”
Hyunseung asked, looking at Michelle strangely.
And for good reason. It was nearly midnight.
Not only was it well past the time she should have gone home, but she was also dressed in clothes that looked like she had just rushed out from home, rather than her usual neat appearance.
“Ah, I’m sorry….”
Michelle looked down at her own attire, following Hyunseung’s gaze, and offered a polite apology.
“You don’t have to apologize for something like that.”
Hyunseung waved his hand lightly and faced Michelle as if telling her to get to the point quickly.
If she had rushed here in this state, it must be something important.
“I went home, but an email came in, and I came to deliver it to you.”
At the answer, Hyunseung asked back, “An email?”
No.
She came back to the company at this late hour just because of one email.
“I thought you needed to check it, sir.”
“What is it about?”
“One was an email seeking copyright consent to use your song in a NewTube video….”
Michelle continued, turning a page in a notebook that was densely packed with writing.
“One was an email seeking consent to remix your song and use it in a performance.”
Then, Hyunseung narrowed his eyes as if telling her to speak in more detail.
“Both proposals are regarding consent for the title track of your current solo album. However, the person who asked about the remix… is Ferris.”
“Ferris?”
“Yes, she is currently a world-renowned DJ.”
Hyunseung nodded, saying, “I see.” He hadn’t even known that. Even though she was a competitor, anyway.
But besides that…
How did Michelle know? She seemed like the type who wouldn’t be interested at all.
“It’s late, so let’s talk again tomorrow. And if something like this happens in the future, don’t come looking for me; just tell me the next day.”
Soon, Hyunseung checked the clock on the wall out of the corner of his eye and gestured for Michelle to leave.
Then Michelle looked at Hyunseung with her blue eyes without saying a word.
“I thought it would be helpful to you and something you wanted, so I wanted to deliver it to you quickly.”
Soon, with a very faint smile on her lips, she bowed her head lightly and turned around.
“Michelle.”
Hyunseung stopped her in her tracks.
“Thank you, as always.”
He bowed his head lightly toward her back.
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