Joshua was extremely uncomfortable with the situation right now.
Of course, he was the one who had sought this meeting out, but…
Gulp.
Regardless, was it really this difficult to share a single sip of water with a colleague he’d worked with for over a decade?
It felt as though the water had claws, scratching his throat as it went down.
“Is there no water in your office?”
Killian sneered, making no effort to hide his irritation.
And for good reason.
Joshua had shown up out of the blue and spent over ten minutes doing nothing but drinking water.
“There’s plenty of water in my office too.”
“Then you should’ve drunk it there. Why come here?”
“Did you really think I came all this way just for a drink?”
Honestly, his tone was incredibly obnoxious. Did this guy really have to talk like that to feel satisfied?
Yes, he had always been like this.
He had always dismissed Joshua as a hypocrite playing at being an aristocrat.
But isn’t professional life something you can’t navigate with raw personality alone? You have to put on at least a bit of a mask.
You have to smile at the people you need to impress.
You have to flatter those who hold what you need.
That is society.
Joshua believed those were essential virtues in a community sharing a common destiny.
At least, that was the kind of person Joshua was.
However, Killian was different. He was the type who believed that as long as he did his job well, nothing else mattered. So he simply worked like a dog, all by himself, without belonging anywhere.
Alone and very successful.
From Joshua’s perspective, he couldn’t help but find Killian’s attitude unpleasant.
He hated how Killian acted all noble and detached.
In a world where everyone has to live together…
When someone charges ahead like a runaway horse, doesn’t it leave the people around them without even a grain of rice to eat?
Then.
The man who had seemed like he would never back down stepped away from the front lines and picked up a fountain pen instead.
Yet everyone had predicted that before long, he would take over the engineering room once again.
However, even after several years, he only touched on schedules or personnel management. He remained an observer, never interfering in engineering tasks.
It was an unexpected move.
That didn’t mean his socially inept personality had changed, though.
Just as he observed his core business, he also stood by and watched the power struggles among the company directors.
He acted so noble and aloof on his own…
Then suddenly, he started acting chummy with the young CEO, openly joining his line, and now he had even started working with him.
If the scene Joshua happened to witness a few days ago wasn’t a dream, then it was certain.
“If you have something to say, say it quickly. I’m busy.”
Killian urged him, repeatedly checking the old leather watch on his wrist as if he truly had a schedule to keep.
“What makes you so busy?”
Joshua asked casually, watching Killian as if observing a specimen.
“Do I have to report every little thing to you?”
Killian shot back sharply. Normally, he would have just given a half-hearted response saying it was none of Joshua’s business.
Judging by his aggressive tone, it seemed Joshua’s hunch was correct.
“It’s not that, but you don’t have any meetings or conferences today. I checked everything before coming here.”
“You don’t need to know. It’s just personal business.”
“Since when did you ever attend to personal business?”
Killian furrowed his brow, making no attempt to hide his expression at Joshua’s persistent probing.
“What exactly are you trying to do, barging in here like this?”
Joshua responded with his trademark affable smile to diffuse the tension before the atmosphere turned even more sour.
“I’m not trying to do anything, I’m just curious.”
In truth, he knew he was being stubborn.
He knew he looked like someone who had barged in just to pick a fight. He hadn’t come here without knowing that.
But he really couldn’t stand not knowing.
“Why did you suddenly start working again?”
What was it that shook Killian, who had been living as if he were dead?
“Did you come here to find fault with me?”
Killian asked back, his eyebrows twitching. In that moment, he looked just like the young CEO.
“If you keep acting like that, the resolve I’ve worked so hard to build might turn twisted.”
Everyone says I’m just looking for faults the moment they see me. At this point, should I actually start finding some?
“What are you talking about?”
Killian tilted his head at Joshua’s cryptic words.
“Sigh…”
Joshua let out a tiny sigh before continuing.
“It’s exactly what I said. I’m just curious.”
He added, as if to emphasize it once more.
“I have no intention of satisfying your personal curiosity, and I have no intention of letting your fault-finding hold me back.”
However, since the emotional rift between them was deep, Killian didn’t open up easily. Instead, he added a warning.
“I’m going to do what I want from now on, and I’m going to properly support the young CEO you hate so much.”
“You acted like you had no interest in company politics all this time, but were you just crouching and waiting for your moment?”
For some reason, Joshua almost burst out laughing.
It might seem strange, but an inexplicable sense of pleasure suddenly hit his throat.
To hear those words from Killian’s mouth.
After acting all noble and superior, Killian was just another human being after all. A human living in this society.
“I wasn’t waiting for a moment, I was waiting for the right person.”
Unaware of what Joshua was thinking, Killian continued to correct him.
“A person who truly fits the position of the CEO of the Unice Music Group that I love.”
Joshua’s eyebrows shot up at those words. He wanted to immediately argue and ask what on earth he was talking about.
But was it because the image of Austin had overlapped with the young CEO’s image not long ago? The words wouldn’t come out easily.
“He may be doing well as a CEO without making any major mistakes, but he’s someone who keeps turning his gaze elsewhere. Just look at him releasing music and now performing on the Halftime Show stage.”
Joshua eventually elaborated in a calm tone, as if trying to win Killian over.
“Yes, he is someone who fits the word ‘musician’ much better.”
Unexpectedly, Killian readily agreed. He even nodded as if savoring the thought.
But only for a moment.
“However.”
He added, his eyes flashing fiercely.
“That is exactly why I think he will be a perfect fit for the position of CEO of Unice Music Group.”
Before long, Killian’s eyes curved into an unfamiliar arc.
“This place isn’t a company that manufactures and sells goods; it’s a place that creates music and spreads it far and wide.”
Of course, it wasn’t a pleasant smile, but a sneer full of ridicule.
“Stop wasting my water and get out.”
Joshua stood up and left, unable to either agree or disagree.
Finally, the day of the Super Bowl arrived. Simultaneously, the entire United States began to stir with excitement.
And for good reason.
It was the day the American football teams would settle the score in a single match.
Furthermore, as the world’s largest single-game sporting event, it is considered one of the major annual events in the United States.
Therefore, people vied for attendance, using their status or positions just to see the game in person.
If they couldn’t, the whole family would gather at home to watch it.
Or they would head to a bar with friends to enjoy the tension-filled match.
Thanks to that.
On the day of the Super Bowl, the viewership was so overwhelming that other broadcasts had to move their airtimes.
Naturally, interest also converged on the lineup of singers for the Halftime Show.
It went so far that people said they watched the Super Bowl just to see the Halftime Show rather than the actual game.
Amidst all this…
This year’s Halftime Show revealed an unprecedented lineup.
Winters, who captivated the nation with her vocal talent.
Ferris, known as a world-class DJ.
Billboard’s Black Angel, Sarah Stewart.
And Min Hyunseung, the CEO of Unice Music Group, who is more famous as a composer.
Naturally, people couldn’t help but be ecstatic. A man who rarely made public appearances, and one famous as a composer at that, had suddenly put his name on the Halftime Show lineup.
Just what kind of performance was he going to show?
People waited for the Halftime Show to begin with hearts full of anticipation.
However, there were those who didn’t feel that way.
“Tsk…”
Eiser, the governor of the state where this Super Bowl was being held, let out a low groan, his brow furrowed in disapproval.
He was notorious for being an incredibly rigid, old-fashioned authoritarian whom no one in the world could match in stiffness.
The moment he heard there would be a DJ show at the Halftime Show, he lamented loudly.
When it was decided that the host city would be in Texas, the state he governed, he had cheered.
This was because the host city gains enormous economic benefits during the Super Bowl.
However, his joy was short-lived.
Instead of prestigious singers who were idols to everyone, there was suddenly a DJ.
And why was a composer suddenly standing on stage?
He was full of complaints, but…
Eiser was merely the governor of the host state.
He didn’t have the authority to change a lineup that had already been confirmed.
He wasn’t the current president, nor was he the former president.
‘Tsk.’
Clicking his tongue at how the world was going to ruin, he walked toward the window to watch the Halftime Show that was about to begin.
While others would be sitting outside watching the game.
Thanks to being the governor, he could watch from an indoor area close to the stadium.
And there…
Including Governor Eiser, various celebrities were seated.
Though they were all prominent figures, they were strangers to one another.
An awkward atmosphere filled the room.
Before long, the Halftime Show began. However, the people inside only watched the giant TV screens installed in the room; no one stood up.
Since they were all people whose information would pop up immediately if searched on a portal, maintaining their dignity was important to them.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Beyond the glass window, Winters, who was in charge of the first part of the show, appeared amidst flashy fireworks.
Instead of watching Winters, Eiser turned his head to look at Rise, who was sitting with her legs crossed regally, her hips firmly planted in her seat.
She was a world-class pop star that no one could rival. She had been for ten years, and she likely would be for the next ten.
Looking at Rise, Eiser smacked his lips in regret.
‘Tsk.’
A world-class figure like her should be the one lighting up the stage…
Even if he felt regretful, what could he do?
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As if they had money to burn, the sound of fireworks continuously pierced through the sturdy tempered glass.
Soon, the cheers of the crowd erupted as Winters’ performance came to an end.
Kyaaaa—!
Instead of dying down, the cheers grew even more intense, continuing until they felt like they would tear his ears apart.
—♪♪♪
To use Eiser’s words, a beat that was nothing short of frivolous began to play.
It seemed the DJ performance had started.
Sure enough, on the TV screen, Ferris was shown standing in front of the DJ booth set up in the center of the stage.
“Tsk.”
Eiser unconsciously clicked his tongue upon seeing Ferris’s outfit, which was practically like wearing nothing at all.
The screen was filled with images of the audience standing up and going wild for Ferris’s performance, but…
‘I don’t know what people these days find so great about that kind of music.’
Eiser simply couldn’t understand.
He just hoped that this DJ performance or whatever it was would end quickly and Sarah Stewart’s performance would begin.
Sarah Stewart, called the Princess of Billboard, would surely be better than a DJ or a composer.
—♪♪♪
As Eiser wished, Ferris’s stage seemed to be nearing its end. Since it was at its hottest and most intense highlight, it would likely be over soon.
Just as he was thinking that, something utterly unbelievable happened.
‘Wh-what?’
Eiser wasn’t the only one surprised; the eyes of everyone sitting in the room were pinned on one person.
Yes.
The person who captured everyone’s attention was the world-class pop star, Rise.
To be precise, it was the sight of Rise, who had stuck herself to the window like a cicada the moment the next performance began.
“G-Godchis—!”
Regardless of what others thought, Rise was simply muttering an unknown word like an exclamation of awe.
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