Meanwhile, Hyuna was watching the Grammy Awards live with her father. The Grammy cameras kept blatantly cutting to her brother, Hyunseung, again and again.
After all, this was the first time he had officially revealed his face to the public.
And with so many fans wanting to get a proper look at Hyunseung, the broadcasters were probably trying to pull in the ratings.
‘Well, he does look cool….’
As the saying goes, clothes make the man—or in this case, the venue did. Sitting in the middle of such a glamorous awards ceremony, he looked exceptionally handsome.
Of course, it wasn’t just because of the setting.
Today, at least, her brother truly looked impressive and sophisticated.
Ah.
Not that it was because I was the one who styled him.
‘He’s not wearing a helmet.’
Hyuna wanted to give her brother a round of applause for that brave decision. In a way, it must have been a difficult choice for him….
‘Was it because of what I said?’
She was lost in that thought for a moment, but then—
—“JS’s ‘GHS.’ Congratulations.”
The moment the winner for Song of the Year was announced, all her thoughts came to a halt. Hyun particularly liked the singers who worked with her brother.
That was only natural.
Still, if she had to pick a TOP 3:
1st: Hajun oppa
2nd: JS (Jamal)
3rd: Ahn Jiho
Among them, Jamal was the singer she felt the most attached to.
Even though his album sales and chart performance were steady, he strangely lacked public recognition.
He was known only through “GHS,” a name derived from her brother’s producer alias, Godchis, while the singer named Jamal himself still hadn’t become a household name.
In a way….
It could be said that the singer had been overshadowed by his own songs.
Hidden behind the name GHS, Jamal’s recognition had not risen much compared to his actual ability.
But now that he had won a Grammy, wouldn’t Jamal finally get the spotlight?
Now that the camera was filling the screen with a close-up of Jamal’s face, wouldn’t everyone finally focus on him?
“Jamal….”
Hyuna clasped her hands together emotionally as she watched Jamal walk up to the podium.
But then her eyes slowly widened.
“Huh?”
Yes.
As a fan of Jamal, she was definitely happy that he had won an award, but….
—First, do not expect anything from Hyung-nim.
What on earth was he doing?
—Second, do not feel hurt by Hyung-nim.
Instead of giving a normal acceptance speech, Jamal suddenly placed his hands behind his back and began reciting a bizarre set of commandments.
—Tenth, I will live with the resolve to die for Hyung-nim. Hyung-nim, thank you, and thank you again.
Then he bowed deeply in a certain direction.
Yes.
Toward the owner of those Ten Commandments….
“Oppa?”
The screen showed a close-up of her brother’s face, which was clearly filled with utter bewilderment.
Oh no, what should I do?
To suddenly be shoved into the spotlight like that in front of all these people… knowing his personality, how much must he be suffering?
And how humiliated must he feel?
“Pfft.”
The moment her thoughts reached that point, she couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore.
“Puhahaha!”
Before long, Hyuna was rolling around on the floor, laughing her head off. Her brother was probably thinking right about now that he was going to kill Jamal.
Ah.
Or maybe he’d die first from sheer embarrassment.
Honestly.
Hyuna laughed so hard her stomach started to hurt.
“Puhahaha!”
Junseok looked at his daughter’s face and laughed along with her. He didn’t fully understand Jamal’s Ten Commandments, or just how humiliated Hyunseung must have felt.
He was simply happy to see his son’s face on the screen, and happy to see his daughter laughing so brightly.
The categories Hyunseung had been nominated for at this year’s Grammy Awards were….
Record of the Year
Producer of the Year
Songwriter of the Year
Album of the Year
A total of four categories. Most of them were for Hyunseung’s solo album or his collaboration album with Daniel.
Unfortunately, the Producer and Songwriter awards, which had been announced in the first half of the show, had already gone to someone else.
‘Does this even make sense?’
For Rise, a die-hard fan of Hyunseung, it was hard to accept.
But realistically speaking, the fact that an Asian composer and producer had been nominated in four categories was already a massive achievement in itself.
However, Rise gripped the edge of the tablecloth, thinking that if Record of the Year and Album of the Year also went to someone other than Hyunseung, she wouldn’t let it slide.
She had long since lost interest in awards for herself.
Her entire focus was fixed on Hyunseung, to the point that her body was turned more toward where he sat than toward the stage.
Of course.
No one thought Rise was looking at Hyunseung. Even if they noticed her gaze, they would assume she was sizing him up as a rival.
Yes.
They would naturally conclude that there was no way the great Rise could possibly be doing anything else.
Whether they thought that or not, Rise waited for the announcement of the Record of the Year winner with a trembling heart.
Of course.
She herself was one of the nominees for Record of the Year, but she wasn’t waiting for her own name to be called.
‘Please, please….’
She desperately hoped Hyunseung’s name would be announced.
However, the name that was called was Rise’s own.
“Rise’s ‘Luv Me,’ congratulations!”
The artists seated around her applauded as though they had expected it, but her reaction was lukewarm.
‘This isn’t it….’
She felt awful, as if she had suddenly snatched away an award that should have belonged to Hyunseung.
Step.
As Rise walked toward the stage, she looked at Hyunseung.
At that moment, their eyes met. His eyes were calm, devoid of any particular emotion.
That only made her feel even more apologetic.
Putting aside vocal skill or fame, if one judged purely by the musical perfection of the tracks, she believed Hyunseung’s “CRZH” was far superior.
“The reason I was able to receive such overwhelming love is….”
Rise felt uncomfortable throughout her entire acceptance speech.
Even while delivering polished, preprepared words of gratitude, her gaze remained fixed on Hyunseung.
“Before I finish my speech….”
Since things had turned out this way, she would at least accomplish her goal.
“I would like to officially request a collaboration with Mr. Min Hyunseung.”
Having made up her mind, Rise added her final words.
“Would you please work with me on my next project?”
She extended her hand toward Hyunseung, who was seated below the stage, creating an atmosphere that made it nearly impossible to refuse.
Since he hadn’t responded to her posts—which she had made quite publicly—she had no choice but to force a confirmation like this.
Especially…
Even before the ceremony had begun, hadn’t she subtly sensed that Sarah Stewart liked Hyunseung?
And Hyunseung didn’t seem to dislike Sarah, either.
‘Seeing how she ran straight to him….’
She couldn’t just sit back and let him be taken away without trying anything.
“Ooh—!”
Everyone’s eyes followed Rise’s outstretched hand and gathered on Hyunseung.
Hyunseung still wore a blank expression.
He was simply staring at Rise.
“You may come up to the stage.”
The MC, as if unwilling to let such a major moment slip by, quickly tried to bring Hyunseung onstage.
“I’ll contact you regarding the collaboration after checking my schedule. Before that, congratulations on your award.”
Hyunseung picked up the microphone set on the round table and politely declined.
The people in the hall, perhaps disappointed by Hyunseung’s response, let out sighs and playful boos.
However, Hyunseung remained firmly seated.
Within just a few minutes, articles would probably start pouring out with headlines like “Min Hyunseung Embarrasses Rise.”
It was an incident significant enough to bruise the pride of a pop star like Rise.
However, at that moment, Rise cared less about her pride than anything else.
Yes.
It was because she had caught the fleeting glance Hyunseung cast toward Sarah Stewart, as if checking her reaction.
Edward sat in front of the TV and cracked open a can of beer.
He was watching the Grammy Awards. He was a little late because of work.
Gulp.
Unlike the way he was wetting his throat with cold beer, his gaze on the screen remained dry.
In truth, awards ceremonies were always just formal shows.
He didn’t watch them for fun.
People either watched hoping their favorite artist would win, or because they wanted to admire the stars’ glamorous appearances.
If not that…
Then they watched, like him, in anticipation of a special stage.
“When’s it going to start?”
What Edward was waiting for was the special stage Min Hyunseung would be performing.
News about the special stage had been all over the articles for days, so there were probably many others waiting for Hyunseung’s performance just like he was.
“Didn’t they say he was going to DJ…?”
Edward, feeling a little regretful, opened another can of beer and took a few more gulps.
In fact, he had been a longtime fan of Daniel.
As someone who had attended Daniel’s final concert, being captivated by Hyunseung afterward had been a natural progression.
Watching Daniel had once nurtured his dreams, and then he had given those dreams up.
But after seeing Daniel’s concert and documentary again, his heart had briefly burned hot once more.
Of course.
That didn’t mean his life had changed.
He still went back and forth to the office every day, living the same life.
However, the one thing that had changed was his mindset. He no longer thought of it as giving up on music. He had chosen instead to simply enjoy music.
Even if no one else recognized it, wasn’t it enough as long as he himself enjoyed it?
Since that day….
In his off-hours, he had spent every day repeating the cycle of listening to music, singing, and composing.
Daniel was no longer in that place, and Hyunseung stood there instead.
It was as if someone new had appeared for him to admire in Daniel’s place. Edward supported Hyunseung’s journey and sought out his music.
That was why he was watching the Grammy Awards today as well.
Only.
It was still a shame. Though he knew it couldn’t be helped, the fact that he would never again see Hyunseung and Daniel on stage together saddened him.
Gulp, gulp.
Edward washed down his regret with beer.
Just then.
Hyunseung’s special stage began.
—♬♬♬
Hyunseung, standing alone before a massive DJ booth onstage, shone brilliantly even though he was by himself. Everyone watching that performance right now must have thought the same thing.
However, it would have been even better if they could have seen Daniel singing over Hyunseung’s brilliant DJing.
That was what Edward thought.
—♬♬♬
The song Hyunseung was currently DJing was “CRZH,” which had recently been exploding in popularity. With its many variations, it was a track that could be enjoyed by everyone from EDM fans to hip-hop fans.
And then he heard it….
Wasn’t this the kind of song you heard at least once a day in clubs lately?
—♬♬♬
To create a song like that and DJ it himself.
He had to be a genius on par with Daniel.
No.
Perhaps he was even more of a genius than Daniel.
Maybe he was the genius Daniel had left behind.
Pshhh.
Just as Edward was opening his last can of beer while those fleeting thoughts passed through his head—
—♬♬♬
As Hyunseung’s hands moved, the song stopped, and for a brief moment there came a sound like a video rewinding.
—♬♬♬
A very familiar melody began to seep out little by little, as though emerging through a thick fog.
In that moment.
Clang!
The beer can in his hand crashed to the floor. All strength had suddenly left his hand.
And for good reason.
Because the melody flowing out right now was something Edward had seen and heard hundreds, thousands of times….
Something he had desperately hoped to hear live on stage again someday….
—There’s one thing I want before I die.
It was Daniel’s “And Again.”
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