Jamal slapped his own cheeks several times. Over and over again.
Even through his dark skin, one could see the broken capillaries.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
To an onlooker, it would have looked like self-harm, but Jamal’s expression was filled with more ecstasy than ever before.
As the smile spreading across his face finally reached full bloom…
“Heave-ho.”
Jamal sprang up from his seat and walked straight out of his house.
The place he headed to was the Unice Music Group headquarters. However, perhaps because he had shown up without a plan, he was stopped at the lobby.
“I told you, I’m here to see Godchis!”
Due to the heavy security, he couldn’t take a single step inside and could only keep shouting “Godchis.”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t let you in either.”
That was when Sarah, who had come out to the lobby, spotted Jamal and spoke to him.
“I came to see my big brother. Why is everyone blocking me?”
“You’re asking because you really don’t know?”
Jamal tilted his head as if he truly couldn’t understand the problem. Sarah scanned Jamal from head to toe and let out a deep sigh.
Hyunseung must be pretty exhausted because of this guy.
Although Jamal’s songs had been quite a hit, his face wasn’t widely known to the public.
At best, only the younger generation in their teens or twenties who used social media frequently might recognize him.
So to the security guards, Jamal looked like nothing more than a terrorist who had come with a grudge against the CEO.
A fierce face and a hulking physique.
Forearms covered in scars that looked more ominous than tattoos.
To anyone’s eyes, wouldn’t he look like a dangerous person?
Furthermore, Unice was not such a pushover that they would just step aside and let someone claiming to see the CEO enter without properly verifying their identity.
“Stupid.”
Sarah shook her head at Jamal as if he were pathetic, then paused.
“Did you even call him before coming?”
“No.”
“Whew, I figured as much.”
She sighed deeply, regretting even asking.
“He’s busy lately. Stop being a nuisance, make an appointment, and come back.”
On Hyunseung’s behalf, she issued an order for him to leave.
Of course.
Even so, Jamal was not the type of person to retreat so easily.
“I have news that I must deliver to Godchis. You need to help me see him for just a moment.”
“What is this news you must deliver?”
“It must be delivered to Godchis first.”
“If you can’t tell me, then go back. I have no intention of helping you.”
“Didn’t I come to deliver misutgaru to you last time at hyung-nim’s request? You should help me this time.”
What’s with that tone?
‘Ugh.’
Sarah felt like she was talking to a stubborn fool.
Yes.
She had a strong premonition that the more she dealt with him, the more tired she would become.
“First, call him to see if he’s free. I don’t know if he’ll pick up right away, though.”
Sarah spoke loftily with her arms crossed.
At those words, Jamal immediately pulled out his phone and pressed ‘0’.
Ring, ring, ring.
Did that guy really set Min Hyunseung’s number as speed dial 0?
While Sarah was staring at Jamal with a horrified expression.
“Yes, Hyung-nim.”
Jamal adjusted his grip on the phone, holding it respectfully with both hands.
“What? He picked up?”
Sarah was surprised that Hyunseung had answered so quickly and grabbed Jamal while asking, but…
“I’m at the Unice lobby because I have news to tell you, but Sarah Stewart is blocking me from coming up. May I come up to see you for a moment?”
Jamal looked down at Sarah as if looking down on her, and unlike before, spoke in a soft yet polite tone.
“Yes, thank you. Then, I will wait here quietly.”
The call ended in less than twenty seconds.
“Did… did he say yes right away?”
Sarah asked again as if interrogating Jamal.
“Yes. He said he’d send his secretary down right now and told me to stay still and not do anything.”
Then, for some reason, he continued while puffing out his chest like a peacock.
“As I thought, it seems Hyung-nim treasures me more than you. Oh, I feel bad about this, what should I do?”
Sarah suddenly lost her will to fight.
“Sigh…”
A simple fool is hard enough, but a stubborn fool on top of that.
Right.
Judging by how Hyunseung told Jamal to stay still and do nothing, he probably sent the secretary down out of concern that the guy might cause trouble…
“Stupid—no, Jamal.”
Sarah called out to Jamal while holding her head.
“Only Godchis can call me that. Even if you are my sister-in-law, I won’t allow it.”
“What? Sis–sister-in-law?! Why on earth would I be your sister-in-law—?!”
At the returned words, she huffed and stomped her feet as if she were standing on a floor on fire.
“Why is your face suddenly turning red?”
Jamal asked with extreme innocence as he looked at Sarah.
Ah, is he really an idiot?
“Whatever!”
If I keep dealing with him, I might get infected, so let’s get away fast. Before that, I have to say what needs to be said.
“Don’t bother Min Hyunseung.”
Suddenly.
“Don’t worry about that. I care for Hyung-nim so much that I even made the Ten Commandments for him.”
“Ten Commandments?”
“First, do not expect anything from Hyung-nim. Second, do not be disappointed in Hyung-nim. Third, do not ask Hyung-nim for things. Fourth, do not bother Hyung-nim…”
“Fine, forget it.”
Sarah just thought that Hyunseung’s life must be quite exhausting.
Hyunseung felt like his ears were about to bleed. From the moment Jamal entered the CEO’s office, he hadn’t even sat down properly and had been talking non-stop.
However, there was only one line he had understood clearly.
『I’ve been nominated for a Grammy Award.』
Other than that, it was mostly praise for Hyunseung or resolutions to put his life on the line.
“After meeting you, Hyung-nim, I can finally live a life like a human being. This life is now yours. If you tell me to die, I will die. If you tell me to be used as a blade, I will be used as a sharp blade. My life is in your hands…”
Just as his ears were about to bleed.
“Stop, stop.”
Hyunseung waved his hand in disgust. Somehow, being with this guy made him feel like he had become a mob boss.
“Anyway, congratulations.”
Regardless, the news that the guy had been nominated was quite welcome. Even if he didn’t win, Hyunseung knew how hard Jamal had worked to get nominated.
“Thank you. I will definitely win the award this time and spread the Godchis Ten Commandments far and wide during my acceptance speech…”
“Wait, wait.”
Hyunseung blinked as he cut Jamal off.
He didn’t hear that wrong, did he? Spread what far and wide?
“You’re not saying you’re going to mention those weird Ten Commandments from earlier, are you?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Think about it again. That surely won’t be a choice for my sake.”
Hyunseung shook his head repeatedly to persuade Jamal otherwise, but…
“No. We made a promise last time.”
Jamal said firmly, even huffing through his nose.
A promise. If it’s a promise related to the Grammy Awards, isn’t there only that one promise from that time?
“I’m definitely going to win an award at this Grammy with that song.”
“Huh?”
“Won’t it look cool as hell during the announcement? Record of the Year! Jamal’s Godchis!”
While Hyunseung was tracing back his memories for a moment.
“Somehow, it seems to have become more excessive than the promise back then.”
“Please think of it as my loyalty to you growing larger, Hyung-nim.”
Hyunseung felt frustrated, as if he had run into a wall. He shouldn’t have started a conversation with this stubborn fool.
“Haaa….”
Hyunseung let out a deep breath.
“If I give you a song, could you at least refrain from doing that?”
He proposed, barely keeping his trembling eyelids open.
Actually, there was already a song he had planned to give to Jamal, but he had saved it for a time like this.
Because Jamal would never be able to refuse this offer.
“Oh, Godchis….”
As expected.
“How can you give me such a trial….”
Jamal let out groans with a very profound expression, as if he were at a major crossroads of his life.
“No matter how much I think about it, I must recite the Ten Commandments.”
Before long, he grinned, revealing his white teeth.
Every time Hyunseung walked through the building, it was very uncomfortable for him to have employees bow ninety degrees to him.
So whenever possible, he never went to any other floors except for the CEO’s office. Unless there was a meeting, there was almost no reason to go back and forth.
But right now, Hyunseung was walking down the hallway of the 7th floor, which was called the heart of the Unice Music Group.
From the engineering rooms.
To the composers’ rooms.
And the recording studios.
In short…
It was like the control tower of Unice Music Group.
As such, there were many people coming and going.
Thump, thump.
There was only one reason Hyunseung came here despite the discomfort.
It was because Killian’s office was currently on this floor.
Thump, thump.
Originally, the offices of the internal directors were clustered on a much higher floor, but Killian was an exception.
It wasn’t discrimination.
He said he had decided to stay here of his own volition.
Anyway, he was a peculiar man.
He said he had stepped away from his main profession long ago. It’s not like he’s a spirit wandering the underworld in search of music.
Knock, knock, knock.
Soon, Hyunseung arrived in front of Killian’s office.
When he knocked, a sharp response came from inside.
“Who is it?”
It was a voice full of wariness, unlike when he usually spoke to him jovially.
“It’s Min Hyunseung.”
Hyunseung adjusted his collar and announced his name.
Creak.
Only then did Killian welcome him with a bright face as usual.
“What brings you all the way down here?”
“I bought some sandwiches today. I was wondering if we could eat together if you haven’t had lunch yet.”
Hyunseung said, waving the bag of sandwiches in his hand. Killian seemed surprised for a moment, then soon chuckled and stepped aside to let him in.
“Please, come in.”
He likely sensed what kind of favor Hyunseung had come to ask for.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t play corporate politics, he just chose not to, so Hyunseung expected him to be at least this quick-witted.
And Hyunseung also guessed that there must be an unspoken reason why he had stopped making music.
“I’ll brew the coffee myself today.”
“Then, I won’t refuse.”
“The coffee will be quite bitter to have with sandwiches. Would you still like to try it?”
Also, he must have expected that I would ask him again.
“Coffee should be bitter to taste right.”
In that sense, shall I listen? To the hidden circumstances contained within the bitter coffee.
Leave a Reply