Q. Is there a specific reason why you suddenly stepped down from your post and simultaneously retired from your main profession as a composer?
Well, first of all, the premise of the question is wrong. While it’s true I stepped down, I never retired. I merely took a short break to fulfill my duties as a son.
Q. When you say fulfilling your duties as a son, does that mean you went on a filial piety trip with your parents?
Strictly speaking, you could say we went on a very long filial piety journey together.
Q. Which company do you intend to return to, Unice or VINCIS?
CEO Joshua is already leading Unice admirably. VINCIS is also being steered exceptionally well by my people, so there’s no real need for me to butt in.
From now on, I intend to live freely—without being tied down anywhere, and without hiding away.
Q. This is the final question. What are your future plans? Are you staging a full-fledged comeback?
I just told you. I’m simply going to live freely.
And besides….
It’s hardly a comeback. I never actually left, did I?
.
.
.
Kim Woohyun let out a dry chuckle as he read through Hyunseung’s interview.
“Seriously, that personality of his never changes.”
Normally, he would have let out a deep sigh, grumbling about how their golden boy was flaunting his total lack of social grace to the world yet again.
[ Billboard Hot 100 ]
No. 1: And again – Daniel Parker
No. 2: Just wanna be by your side – Sarah Stewart
No. 3: move your body – Rise
No. 4: CRZH – Min Hyunseung
No. 5: a bent back – JS
No. 6: Look at me – Sarah Stewart
No. 7: More than just music – Vincent Mah
No. 8: G.H.S – JS
However, looking at the Billboard charts alone proved Hyunseung hadn’t uttered a single lie, which only made Woohyun laugh.
And it wasn’t just the Billboard charts. Domestic Korean music platforms, the Orion charts—everything.
All of them.
They were completely plastered with Hyunseung’s real name and his pen names.
It was the result of Hyunseung’s tracks being endlessly remade, covered, and performed on audition stages.
The foremost contributors behind that feat were, naturally….
Hyunseung’s countless fans and the members of the Hyunseung Division.
Was he simply blessed with good people?
Or was this the earned fruit of having cultivated those relationships so well?
“Where’s the coffee?”
Whatever the case, the important thing was that Hyunseung was standing right in front of his eyes.
“Do I look like a cup of coffee to you?”
“Well, no.”
“I bought some anyway.”
More than anything, just like Hyunseung’s private studio that had been preserved all this time, Hyunseung himself had returned completely unchanged.
“Here, drink up.”
What Hyunseung had done during the entire year he had vanished without a trace.
How he had lived, or what kind of trouble he might have faced—Woohyun didn’t know.
He didn’t ask.
He was just grateful that the kid had returned safe, sound, and looking just as he always had.
『 Leaving on a family trip so I have no regrets in this life. 』
Hyunseung cherished his family above all else. Since he had left behind such a note, Woohyun trusted that he hadn’t spent that time fooling around.
“Huh?”
Just as Hyunseung let out a soft exclamation while glancing at the cup sleeve—
“Hmm.”
He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing it intently.
“This brand name looks familiar….”
Feeling as though the memory was right on the tip of his tongue, he scratched his chin and muttered the name printed on the sleeve again.
“habit, habit, habit….”
Kim Woohyun stole a glance at him, cleared his throat, and asked slyly, testing the waters.
“Looks familiar?”
“Yeah. The name, sure, but I feel like I’ve seen this logo somewhere before….”
At that reply, Woohyun arched an eyebrow with interest.
Look at this punk. His eye for detail is sharper than I thought, huh?
“Didn’t you see it in front of the LS Entertainment building, by any chance?”
“Huh?”
“That’s right, Hyunseung. It’s exactly what you’re thinking.”
Noticing Hyunseung’s pupils tremble violently at the hint, Woohyun smiled with immense satisfaction and ran his left hand back through his hair.
Yes.
He’s reached a decent age now, so his tact should have also…
“Did they franchise the cafe and expand all the way into the US? The owner must have insane business acumen. Go ask for some tips.”
“N-No, that’s not it….”
“If not that, did you open a branch here in the States, Director?”
—It didn’t improve at all. Forget his tact, isn’t his memory absolute garbage? After teasing me about it so much, too.
“Good grief.”
Woohyun shook his head from side to side in exasperation.
“It’s not a branch or a franchise. Cafe ‘habit,’ the one that was in front of LS Entertainment, moved to America. The owner is the same original owner, too….”
Meeting Hyunseung’s eyes, he elaborated step-by-step, as if explaining things down at a child’s level.
“Wait a second.”
Hyunseung raised a hand, cutting him off mid-sentence.
“Why… does happiness begin with you…?”
A strange smile played across his lips as he spoke.
He remembered. Should I call this admirable, or just plain obnoxious? Out of all the things he could remember, he remembers that line….
“Yeah, you brat. It’s been ages since my happiness began, but you changed your contact info, so I couldn’t even tell you.”
Saying so, Kim Woohyun flashed the ring worn on the fourth finger of his left hand.
“Director, you got married?”
“Took you long enough to notice.”
“N-No, wait, when on earth did this happen?”
“About three months ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Woohyun ruffled Hyunseung’s hair and added, “Even if I wanted to, the person I wanted to tell wasn’t around. But we haven’t held the ceremony yet. We were waiting for you to come back.”
Just when it seemed a heartwarmingly touching atmosphere was settling in…
“I never imagined you’d beat me to the punch, Director….”
Hyunseung muttered with genuine shock written all over his face. A vein nearly popped on Kim Woohyun’s forehead with an audible snap.
“Hey, I’m practically knocking on forty’s door! It only makes sense that this big brother goes first, doesn’t it, little brother?”
“Little brother?”
“You’re not a CEO anymore, are you? That means we can just treat each other like close brothers from now on, right?”
“You never called me CEO in the first place. You always called me your golden boy, so why act like this is anything new?”
“Right. On that note, what kind of trouble is our golden boy planning to stir up next?”
Kim Woohyun chuckled as if conceding defeat, firmly gripping Hyunseung’s slender shoulders as he asked.
To which, without a single shred of hesitation, Hyunseung answered immediately:
“I’m going to hold a solo concert for just one person.”
The expression on Hyunseung’s face looked solemn, like that of a man standing before a task he had yearned to accomplish for a very long time.
“And to do that, I suppose I’ll need to prepare thoroughly.”
Once news of his return spread, VINCIS was swamped with people coming to see Hyunseung.
Naturally, reporters took shifts staking out the front gates of the company building around the clock.
“Shoot it, shoot it!”
With top stars visiting day after day, the reporters reaped unexpected jackpots.
“The guy who just went in, that’s JS, right?”
Having firmly established himself as one of the most prominent rappers in the industry, Jamal stepped out of a sleek sports car and strode boldly toward the building.
The reporters captured Jamal’s figure with their cameras.
Flash, flash.
Due to the incessantly flashing cameras, the blinds inside the building constantly had to remain drawn.
Clack.
Jamal, who had entered through the doors with a cool, cynical demeanor, underwent a complete transformation. His face twisted with raw emotion as he ripped off his sunglasses.
“H-Hyung-nim…!”
Tears swelled up in his eyes, threatening to spill over at any second, as he took in the sight of Hyunseung.
Godchis, whom he had waited for and missed so desperately….
Now that they were face-to-face, Jamal tried to throw his arms around him, but Hyunseung’s immediate intervention forced him to abandon the attempt.
“One meter.”
While Hyunseung was deeply grateful that people were welcoming him back after his silent disappearance….
“Maintain a strict one-meter distance.”
Being hugged by a hulking, muscular man was an experience Executive Director Park had already given him more than his fill of.
“B-Big bro….”
Even so, Jamal wasn’t the type to back down easily.
“You look like you’ve lost some weight.”
Undeterred by the scolding, he scanned every inch of Hyunseung’s frame.
“Are you all right? What on earth happened to you? You weren’t dragged off to some secret organization and worked to the bone, were you? Where is it? Just say the word. I’ll personally take responsibility and wipe them all out—”
“Stop, stop.”
“Talented people are always targets, so from now on, I’ll stand right beside you to protect and assist—”
“Please, just stop.”
Hyunseung clutched his head and shook it back and forth.
In truth, Jamal wasn’t the only one who had come by to make such a fuss.
Indeed.
For the past few days, the interior of the VINCIS building had echoed with wailing, as if a funeral were taking place.
Kang Hajun, Jeong Arin, Lee Hyoeun, and Yoon Jay had dropped by, clinging to him and crying their eyes out for so long that the scene resembled a tearful reunion of war-torn families.
An Jiho had put on an indifferent front, yet he ended up with red-rimmed eyes, unable to utter a single word as his lips trembled before he finally left.
Was that all?
Rise had brought a mountain of gifts, practically pleading with him to do his comeback project together.
Seo Jin had squawked non-stop, Lee Duseok had challenged him to a game of baduk, and Lee Sol and Han Seulgi had thanked him repeatedly, saying they were just grateful he had returned safely.
Ah.
And Kim Woohyun and Executive Director Park went without saying.
Right.
The two of them had clung to him from both sides, bawling as though they were reuniting with a son missing for decades, nearly crushing his shoulders to powder in the process.
“I’m already exhausted from dealing with people swarming me every single day, so don’t you start, too.”
Just thinking about it drained him; Hyunseung pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long-held breath.
“Was I the last one?”
Jamal, fixating on a bizarre detail, stamped his feet in frustration.
“Yeah, you’re the absolute last.”
Finding Jamal’s reaction just a tiny bit endearing, Hyunseung smirked and teased him playfully.
“I was in the middle of a nationwide US tour, so the moment it ended, I heard the news and sprinted straight here… but to think I’m the last….”
Ah, I shouldn’t have teased him.
“Even if it meant canceling the entire tour, I should have rushed over immediately. I’m sorry. Should I drop and plant my head on the floor right now?”
Now he’s even more of a handful.
“You don’t need to do that. You’re not actually the last.”
Hyunseung tried to placate him, but his words only agitated Jamal further.
Of course.
Hyunseung wasn’t lying. There really were people who hadn’t come to see him yet.
In particular, someone he was certain would seek him out first still hadn’t shown up.
“Then who hasn’t visited yet? No, big bro has made his return, so how could anyone fail to come by and pay their respects? Should I go hunt them down right now and force them onto their knees before you?”
“Ah, please….”
“No matter where they are, I can track them down. Just say the word!”
“No, I said it’s fine….”
Seriously, I can’t say a single word around this guy.
“Let’s just head up to the studio and talk there. Up to the studio.”
It was just as Hyunseung was nudging Jamal forward by the back.
BAM!
With a thunderous crash, the main doors of the building burst wide open behind them.
“Min Hyunseung—!”
A woman wearing a sparkling necklace marched inside, fuming with rage.
“You absolute bastard!”
He had expected her to be the very first person to run over and curse him out the moment he returned….
“A bit late, aren’t you?”
Hyunseung watched the woman, a sly, knowing smile spreading across his face.
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