Chapter 224. Preparing for the Coming Summer, and a Leap (2)

Lee HyunAh had no clue that there was another OST candidate.

‘President.’

She grabbed KangYoon’s sleeves, expressing her unease.
KangYoon snorted inwardly since this wasn’t what they talked about over the phone.

‘So he’s trying to shave down the price.’

Money always caused people endless headaches.
It was the source of many problems.
He was here to sign some papers, and now there was this.
Do they not remember that White Moonlight’s last OST helped them hugely?
KangYoon did not wish for an artist under his wing to be treated like this.

“That’s different from what I heard before I came here.”

KangYoon usually didn’t reveal his expressions much on formal occasions, but this time, he did not hide his displeasure.
Chief Producer Kang JungShik also spoke with a rather peculiar tone.

“This is an internal matter of the company, so I apologize that we couldn’t tell you beforehand. Please understand that we have to choose a better option of the two.”
“Alright then, let me make it easier for you and retract our song.”

KangYoon stood up from his seat as though there was nothing more to talk about anymore.
When even Lee HyunAh followed him out after giving the two of them a light bow, Producer Kim DeokJoong clutched his head.

“Seonbae-nim.”
“What the hell is up with that guy? World’s president, was it? Does he not understand my intentions?”

Chief Producer Kang JungShik was flabbergasted.
An owner of an entertainment company didn’t even catch that?
However, Producer Kim DeokJoong’s thought was different.

“He’s that kind of man. He hates negotiating prices on his songs.”
“Hah, right. Isn’t everyone in this industry a salesman? How expensive can you sell your products, isn’t that everything? Then what’s up with that guy? How’s he so childish… Hah!”

Chief Producer Kang JungShik clicked his tongue.
However, the bad part had yet to come.

“Hey, where are you going?”
“…I’m going to catch him.”
“Eh? Why? Are they our only option? Why don’t we look into indie bands or someth…”

Producer Kim DeokJoong opened the door and spoke.

“I heard Lee HyunAh’s song, and I can’t do without it for this piece. I can’t help it; I’ll take care of things from here on.”

The door slammed shut, and Chief Producer Kang JungShik bit his lips.

“…Young people these days don’t have manners.”

Meanwhile, KangYoon was quietly walking inside the building as Lee HyunAh was exclaiming at every sight she saw.

“…It’s like a huge company seen on TVs. It’s so cool no matter how I look at it. Oh, I wish I saw what their recording studios are like too. Are the studios upstairs?”
“Please don’t go there.”

Lee HyunAh was calm even though she watched the conflict between KangYoon and Chief Producer Kang JungShik just moments ago.
To be exact…

‘…He hasn’t changed.’

Maybe she liked being with KangYoon.
It wasn’t easy to wrap up her feelings just like that.
Just as they were waiting in front of the elevator, the two heard a voice call them from afar.

“President, President Lee KangYoon!”

When KangYoon turned around, he saw Producer Kim DeokJoong.
He seemed to have hurried his way here as he panted for around a minute after stopping the two.

“*pant, pant*…”
“…Here.”

When Lee HyunAh offered him a handkerchief, Producer Kim DeokJoong thanked her before discussing why he came here.

“My senior was unintentionally rude towards you just before. I apologize in his stead.”

When he said that, KangYoon shook his hand.

“Not at all. It wasn’t your doing after all.”
“Thank you for understanding. Phew, let me be clear with you. I want to use Miss HyunAh’s song as an OST for my piece.”

KangYoon frowned at those words.

“I thought our conversation was over. You have another song on your list of options, so I don’t see a need for you to choose HyunAh’s song over that one.”
“That’s… haah.”

Would KangYoon say that for nothing?
Producer Kim DeokJoong inwardly swore at his senior who screwed this up.

“…You know what our viewing rates are like.”

KangYoon made a bitter smile.
He decided to have Lee HyunAh’s song featured in Producer Kim DeokJoong’s drama because it matched the piece well, and he had faith that the producer would use her song well.
Producer Kim DeokJoong spoke on.

“As you know, president, we have a solid fanbase. In fact, our drama is more controversial than any other highly-viewed dramas. Isn’t that why you decided to go with us?”
“…Indeed, and also, I had faith in your straightforwardness. But unfortunate events like this keep happening, so I’m getting worried. After all, events like switching out the song like what happened last time might happen again.”
“This time, I’ll state it in the contract.”

However, KangYoon wasn’t satisfied with that.
After that, the three people moved to another meeting room.
KangYoon called for a higher price than what the producer initially had in mind to use the song.
Lee HyunAh’s eyes widened as well.

“The usage fees are a little…”

Producer Kim DeokJoong expressed his complaint slightly, but KangYoon smiled as he replied.

“HyunAh now and HyunAh from before are two different people after all.”
“But even so… well, her position is different now. But at least you didn’t call for a price several times that of before. I’ve seen plenty of cases like that.”
“It’s not like we’re going to work together once or twice in the future.”

KangYoon and Producer Kim DeokJoong shook hands as they closed the deal.

***

A week later.
10 p.m.
KangYoon, HeeYoon, and Kim JaeHoon turned on the TV in the living room.
The colossal TV that Kim JaeHoon bought to celebrate his concert’s success was currently showing an ad.

“Ah, I wonder if there are any commercials for me to do…”

Watching the phone commercial that a popular actress featured in, Kim JaeHoon spoke.
KangYoon laughed at those words.

“Why a commercial all of a sudden?”
“Well, for a change of pace every once in a while.”

HeeYoon grabbed an apple and spoke.

“You do commercials for a change of pace, JaeHoon-Oppa?”
“Hahaha, that’s right.”

While they conversed, the drama ‘On the Brightest Day’ started airing.
Unlike the latest trend, super-rich business group families (chaebols) or other successful business people didn’t appear in this drama. It only featured a film director for a male lead and a writer for a female lead. It showed the emotions and relationships between people in-depth, which was why it received a good evaluation from many.
HeeYoon especially took a whole sofa to herself and was lying down on it as though to prove that she was a die-hard fan.

“Whoaaaa there! Jiwan shouldn’t do that!”

HeeYoon watched the male lead, named Jiwan, getting more interested in a girl other than the female lead, Jiyul, and glared at him.
Not long later, Jiyul was browsing through clothes to appeal more to Jiwan, and…

“No! Not some baggy clothes like that! You won’t be able to woo Jiwan with that!”

Kim JaeHoon whispered to KangYoon because he was shocked by HeeYoon’s ahjumma-like attitude.

‘Hyung, HeeYoon had such a side to her?’
‘…She was always a fan of dramas.’

One of the few things allowed to her when she was sick was watching dramas.
For KangYoon, they were some bitter memories, but he smiled now that he watched her like this after a long time.
At that moment, Jiyul approached Jiwan wearing a skirt and even her hair professionally styled.
However, another woman was standing next to Jiwan.

– Ah…

She couldn’t bear to approach them and turned around.
At that moment, music started flowing from the TV.

– Lyrics of sad songs become my words — third-rate movie love stories become my love stories–

It was Lee HyunAh’s ‘Time Goes On’.
Jiyul’s hesitation in approaching the male lead in combination with Lee HyunAh’s song expressed accurately the misfortune of not approaching the people they liked.

“…*sob*.”

Even HeeYoon, who was watching the drama as a housewife would, was showing tears now.
Kim JaeHoon was also immersed in the drama as well.

‘Good.’

KangYoon clenched his fist as he felt right about this.

***

Spring drizzle had stopped during the night, and morning came.
Jung MinAh took a shower to go to practice and came out of the bathroom with a towel over her shoulders.

“Ah, so refreshing.”

She went to the kitchen and drank the ground yam that she made yesterday.
They had all heard KangYoon say that they should manage their bodies a little more from now on.
She entered the living room after a light breakfast and saw Lee SamSoon reading on the sofa.

“Weren’t you supposed to be shooting today?”
“It was delayed to the day after tomorrow. There’s too much snow right now, so it’s impossible to do anything there, they said.”
“Gangwon-do is a strange place… snow in the spring.”

The two were talking when they heard some loud noise.
It was noise from the room where Seo HanYu’s producing equipment was.
Jung MinAh shook her head.

“Looks like HanYu’s completely hooked on that.”
“Yeah. Producing? Mastering? She said it sounds different when she adjusts things. Today, even SoYoung-Unni and JiMin are here.”
“I didn’t hear them enter. What are they doing?”
“They’re making JiMin’s song. They’re grinding their gears to surprise the president.”
“…Really?”

As she didn’t have much interest in music production, Jung MinAh stood up, saying okay.
At that moment, someone hurriedly to the door.

“Ris. Where are you going?”
“Huh? I’m going out first!”

She shouted at Jung MinAh’s question and hurriedly opened the door.

“I’m borrowing your car!”
“What!?”

To catch her, Jung MinAh ran out the door without even putting her shoes on properly.

***

– FinesTok, Lee HyunAh’s music page.

Hearing ‘On the first day … On the second day’ on top of the whispering quiet piano melody, the listener feels sucked into the music. The melancholic snapping voice contained the power of making the listener feel sympathetic.
“Until now, I tried to bring joy to the listeners of my music. However, this time, I wanted to show the hearts of women that have a hard time with love through my lyrics and sympathize with them. My president told me that the song sounds more sympathizable when I utter my lyrics like I’m sighing.”
Each word is shouted in a whisper.
Like that, the lyrics ‘Will time be the medicine? – My heart aches with love – is this what love is?’ became the story of a lady through Lee HyunAh.

(omitted)

***

“Ugh, that’s so cheesy.”

Reading an article about Lee HyunAh on her FinesTok page, Kim JinDae curled up his arms with a prankster expression.
Lee HyunAh felt the same, but she didn’t react like so since someone else acted like that.

“What, you envious?”
“I, I might be…”

Lee ChaHee was on Lee HyunAh’s side.

“So you are envious.”
“……”

Kim JinDae pouted.
Indeed, he was a little envious. He was a bit disappointed that this wasn’t a song by the name ‘White Moonlight’ but ‘Lee HyunAh’ as an individual.
Knowing what he felt like, Lee Chahee spoke.

“The reactions are good as well. It’s held first place on the charts for four days now, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“Congratulations. But it is a little pity that you didn’t do it with us.”
“That… I’m sorry. But I wanted to do this song by myself. There’s a reason for it.”

She couldn’t bear to say that she made that song because of her pain of failed love.
Despite that, Lee ChaHee didn’t press any further.
Kim JinDae agreed with her.

“Anyway, I hope we can do it together next time. Tch, you’re the only one in the limelight this time.”
“Sheesh, you’re too honest.”

While the members of White Moonlight had a conversation, there was a knock on their door before KangYoon, and Lee HyunJi came in.
The members all stood up to greet the two.
Lee HyunJi told everyone to sit down before speaking about the matter at hand.

“Thank you for your work, Miss HyunAh.”
“Thank you, director-unni.”
“Not at all. I was going to call you up by yourself but…”

Lee HyunJi pointed at KangYoon.

“I was worried that you guys might think that we only care about HyunAh.”

Hearing that, Kim JinDae sprung up.
“N, not at all! There’s no way we’d be like that!”

Lee ChaHee and Jung ChanGyu were silent as well.
KangYoon continued.

“There are no ifs in this industry, but HyunAh told me this time that she wants to work together with everyone next time.”

Hearing KangYoon’s words, the members’ gazes focused on Lee HyunAh.
Meanwhile, Lee HyunAh narrowed her eyes.

“P, president. You told me you wouldn’t tell them th…”
“So don’t get any strange thoughts, okay?”
“Yes!”

After speaking, KangYoon and Lee HyunJi left, and Kim JinDae hugged Lee HyunAh.

“Ah, you cute little girl.”
“Hey, it’s damn hot! ChaHee, get him… kyak!”

However, even Lee ChaHee hugged Lee HyunAh.
Jung ChanGyu joined as well…

“Everyone… I’m sorry.”
“Let’s… do better in the future.”

Everyone was more unified.

***

Meanwhile, when KangYoon and Lee HyunJi went back to their office, two people, a man and a woman wearing suits, were waiting for the two.
Jung HyeJin and Yoo JungMin were receiving those guests by bringing them tea and magazines.

“President, you have a guest.”

Jung HyeJin politely greeted KangYoon, which she didn’t usually do.
KangYoon approached the guests and greeted them in Japanese.

[Hello. I’m Lee KangYoon.]
[Oh.]

The small-statured man wearing a suit grabbed KangYoon’s hand and smiled.

[My name is Kojima Makoto from A-Trust. I’m happy to see JooAh’s producer.]

Lee HyunJi also greeted the woman.

[I’m Tsukasa Misa from A-Trust. Mister Kojima here and I are here to meet Miss In MoonHee.]
[Lee HyunJi here. Please take care of us.]

Everyone was smiling, but the four of them were evidently wary as well.