Oh Hanbit’s behaviour could have come off as a bit rude.
Fortunately, he wasn’t the kind of person who lacked that much common sense.
As soon as he checked Personal Color’s room, he looked surprised and gave a polite bow.
“Hello, sunbaenims. Congratulations on your comeback.”
“Oh, thank you. We’ve met before, right? On the radio.”
“That was quite a while ago. I’m surprised you remember.”
“Of course. You left a strong impression.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment about my looks.”
After exchanging a brief greeting with Baek Songyi, Oh Hanbit turned to Woochan.
“Hyung, it’s been a while. How’ve you been?”
Oh Hanbit and Woochan had once been trainees under the same agency, preparing to debut as a hip-hop idol group.
The team was eventually scrapped due to company circumstances. They were now in different agencies, but there was no bad blood between them.
When they happened to run into each other like today, it was nothing but a pleasant surprise.
“I’ve been good. It really has been a while, Hanbit.”
“Right? How long has it been?”
“Didn’t we run into each other last year when you were filming 2K? Right?”
“Oh yeah, that’s right. So it’s been about a year.”
“Your latest song is really great. Congrats.”
Hanbit smiled gratefully at Woochan’s praise.
“But what are you doing here? Don’t 2K participants have restrictions on appearing on broadcasts during the competition?”
“That’s only for the current Season 3 contestants. Doesn’t apply to me. I’m here as a guest.”
Oh Hanbit had come to Music Box to do a feature on a performance with another artist from his agency.
He and Personal Color continued to exchange friendly small talk after that.
But watching the whole scene unfold, Kwon Hosan couldn’t help but let out a wry smile.
He had been uncertain when it was Cha Hye-mi and Jung Su-rim, but seeing Oh Hanbit confirmed it.
What they were doing now was essentially a formality.
They were there to talk to Han Seon-ho, but since a senior group was present, they offered polite greetings first.
Their real purpose was to speak with Han Seon-ho.
That much was clear when Oh Hanbit, after wrapping up his conversation with Personal Color, headed straight to Seon-ho.
“Hyung! I heard you switched teams?”
“Yeah, that’s how it turned out.”
“But Hye-mi’s here with you?”
“She stopped by the dressing room to say hi, so we were just talking for a bit.”
“Oh, I see. Hey, Hye-mi.”
“Hello, oppa.”
Hye-mi greeted him politely, as usual.
However, Seon-ho sensed that she wasn’t particularly thrilled about Hanbit’s presence.
“What brings you here anyway?”
“I wanted to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“I wanted to play you the songs in the running for the competition and get your opinion on which one’s best.”
“Your agency has an A&R team, doesn’t it?”
“I’m not so sure if our A&R stands for Artist and Repertoire anymore.”
“Then what does it stand for?”
“Ambiguous and Random? Or maybe Awfully Repetitive? Whenever I ask them something, they always say they’re not sure.”
Shaking his head, Oh Hanbit continued.
“But you always give a clear answer, hyung. Even if you make me take full responsibility. You know that, right?”
“Well, that’s true.”
Just then, Seon-ho spoke up.
“Guys, I think we have a little problem.”
“What problem?”
“This isn’t your waiting room, and it’s also my first day here? Mind letting me get some work done?”
Though he was glad to see Hanbit and Hye-mi, this dressing room belonged to Personal Color.
And right now, he was part of their management team.
It might’ve been fine for Hye-mi, since she was also from MOK, but chatting too openly with Hanbit, who was from a different company, could be risky.
But Hanbit was smooth.
“Aw, but if we can’t have a little fun during waiting time, how are we supposed to live? Right, sunbaenims?”
“Of course. We like a bit of lively chatter.”
“See?”
Hanbit beamed confidently at Baek Songyi’s response, while Seon-ho let out a sigh, clearly in a bind.
“Sorry, manager.”
“No need to be sorry. It’s nice to see.”
At Kwon Hosan’s reply, Seon-ho gave a small bow and motioned for Hanbit and Hye-mi to follow him.
“You two, come here. Let’s talk over there.”
They moved toward a multipurpose room in the corner of the waiting area.
It was labeled as such, but it was really just a slightly larger space sectioned off with curtains.
Originally used for storing random stuff like coffee pots and coat racks, the broadcast station had repurposed it as a makeshift changing area for the co-ed group Personal Color.
It didn’t do much to block out noise, but at least it was enclosed, so it felt a bit more private.
“Hye-mi, you said you wanted me to listen to a song, right?”
“Yes.”
“Same with you, Hanbit?”
“Yup.”
“Alright. Let’s all listen together.”
“All of us? Hye-mi’s the enemy, though.”
Hanbit’s comment made Hye-mi flare up.
“If I’m the enemy, then Seon-ho oppa is too.”
“What? Why?”
“Because he and I are on the same team.”
“Huh? But isn’t Seon-ho hyung managing Personal Color now?”
“That has nothing to do with it.”
Hearing her firm response, Seon-ho suddenly recalled what had happened yesterday.
Just yesterday, Hye-mi had rushed into the conference room the moment she heard he had been reassigned.
That was right after he’d spoken with Team Leader Park Cha-myung about Personal Color.
Seon-ho had expected Hye-mi to be disappointed by his absence.
Once Dream Team’s eight-week promotion ended, there was a high chance he’d go back to being her manager, but nothing was guaranteed.
What if Personal Color suddenly became more active, requiring him to stay longer?
In the meantime, Hye-mi would likely get a new manager, and that new arrangement might become permanent.
If that happened, there was no telling how long it would take for the two of them to be paired again.
But it couldn’t be helped.
This was the company’s decision.
As far as anyone knew, manager Han Seon-ho—secretly known as the producer Prefer—was just a rookie staff member.
He couldn’t refuse MOK’s personnel assignments.
Even if his Prefer identity were revealed, nothing would change much.
Sure, he was the genius behind “Autumn Leaf,” but compared to MOK and the infrastructure it provided, even someone like Prefer was just a firefly against the sun.
It wasn’t as though the music industry had never seen prodigies before.
If that term felt too grand, what about prolific hitmakers with track records full of successes?
Of course there had been.
But even they had simply functioned within the system.
Breaking away from MOK with Hye-mi wouldn’t be hard.
They were a team, and they trusted each other that much.
But once they left, he would just be a guy who writes good songs, and she’d be a kite cut loose in the entertainment jungle.
To put it bluntly, without MOK’s infrastructure, Han Seon-ho still wasn’t a “producer.”
Just a composer.
For him to become a true producer, Prefer and HSH needed more time to establish themselves in the industry.
Manager Han Seon-ho also needed time to build his personal connections.
So he had planned to ask for Hye-mi’s understanding.
Even if they were currently with different teams, they were still a team.
Whatever growth they achieved in their respective positions would eventually benefit them both.
He thought she would understand.
But Hye-mi’s reaction was completely unexpected.
She…
Whined.
Literally whined.
“Ugh, I don’t wanna! I said I want to work with you, oppa!”
Team Leader Park Cha-myung, who was listening nearby, nearly jumped in shock.
“Uh, hey, Hye-mi? Mind clarifying your subject there?”
“What about it?!”
“Uh, never mind. Sorry…”
“Did you assign the transfer, Team Leader?”
“No! Definitely not!”
“Then who did?”
“That, MOK originally has a training system for new recruits, you know? Seon-ho’s just going through that process a bit late. So, it’s kind of a given, really.”
Park Cha-myung went on to passionately explain the strengths of the Dream Team.
But Hye-mi didn’t seem to be listening very attentively.
Seon-ho found her curt response surprisingly refreshing.
He already knew that Hye-mi was originally outgoing and sociable.
And that because of the situation with AT, she’d hidden her true personality and put up emotional walls.
Those walls were visibly starting to crumble.
Even so, he’d never imagined she would so openly voice her complaints and whine like this.
The fact that this change was because of him made him feel good.
“Team leader.”
“Hm?”
“Would it be okay if I talked with Hye-mi alone for a bit?”
“Oh, sure. That’s probably for the best.”
Team leader Park Cha-myung quickly left the meeting room as if he’d just been granted a pardon.
“Hye-mi.”
“Yes.”
“You know Jihyun, right? Lee Jihyun.”
Lee Jihyun.
She had debuted as part of a girl group before Hye-mi, but left the entertainment world after being emotionally hurt.
“Huh? Why are you bringing up Jihyun?”
“You said you two went to the same elementary, middle, and high school, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you both went to the same practical music academy?”
“Yes.”
“How did it feel when you ended up at different agencies despite being such close friends?”
“It was disappointing. If possible, I really wanted to debut in the same team with her.”
“Right, it was disappointing. But did you ever think that just because you were with different agencies, your relationship with her was over?”
“…No.”
Hye-mi seemed to guess where Seon-ho was going with this.
“You and Jihyun, you’re just friends—regardless of agencies, idols, singers, all that stuff, right?”
“Yes.”
“It’s the same with us. We’re a team. No matter what kind of singer I work with.”
“…”
“I need experience. And if you ever change companies or go independent, that experience will become even more important.”
“I know that, but… I just feel uneasy…”
“About what?”
“What if a better singer than me shows up next to you?”
Seon-ho laughed at Hye-mi’s words.
She already understood the situation.
She wasn’t complaining because she didn’t get it.
She was scared.
“Then you just have to become a better singer. Didn’t we already talk about this before?”
“Isn’t this a problem that doesn’t even need worrying about? Feels like the answer’s already clear.”
“Answer?”
“Yeah. You just have to show everyone that Cha Hye-mi’s an amazing singer. Then no matter what you wear, people will judge you by your singing.”
At Seon-ho’s words, Hye-mi sank into thought.
After a long moment of deep contemplation, she finally said,
“If I become a top star, I should be able to raise a newbie manager, right?”
“…Raise?”
“Is that weird? Then groom?”
“That’s even weirder.”
“Then I’ll go with own.”
Hye-mi grinned brightly, clearly amused by whatever she was imagining.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Ranks.”
“Huh?”
“It used to be kind of vague, but now I’m sure. Popularity is like military ranks.”
Hye-mi added excitedly,
“The higher your rank, the more orders you can give! And when you become a top star, your rank symbol changes to a star!”
“R-right…”
Seon-ho nodded awkwardly.
It was a metaphor clearly influenced by her military father, but not exactly wrong either.
“But Hye-mi, there’s something you should understand.”
“What is it?”
“To me, a great singer isn’t just someone who sings well or is super popular.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s the person I know best and trust the most. That means you’re already a truly amazing singer.”
He wasn’t just saying it.
Right now, the person he could write the best song for was probably Hye-mi.
Because he understood her well, and she gave him her trust.
But Hye-mi shook her head.
“No.”
“Huh?”
“I’m not saying you’re wrong, but that kind of thing is an unstable indicator. Think about it. You’re a guy, right?”
“Obviously…?”
“I’m a girl, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So we can’t fully understand each other. If a male singer becomes close with you, the two of you could go to the bathhouse together, or even sleep in the same bed. But me? I-I can’t do that.”
“…”
“I might be the singer who trusts you the most, but the singer you know best is more likely to be a guy! That’s what I’m saying.”
“…That’s not exactly what I meant when I said that…”
Hye-mi nodded.
“I know. But I’ve already decided.”
“Decided what?”
“To become a top star and earn that star rank.”
She clenched her fist with determination.
Just a few hours ago, Seon-ho thought he understood Hye-mi well.
But now, he wasn’t so sure.
Just like Oh Hanbit, Hye-mi also had a side to her that he couldn’t quite understand.
“In that case, I’ll get going. I don’t mean ‘let’s meet in eight weeks’ literally, but still—see you in eight weeks!”
With that, Hye-mi dashed out of the meeting room.
Seon-ho found himself thinking she was a bit strange.
But then again, so was he—smiling so brightly at her strange behaviour.
“What are you going to listen to first?”
Lost in yesterday’s memories, Seon-ho was suddenly presented with two sets of earbuds.
One belonged to Oh Hanbit.
The other to Hye-mi.
Without even realizing it, Seon-ho reached for Hye-mi’s.
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