The last KTX train back to Seoul was as quiet as the early morning.
Hye-mi, perhaps worn out from her packed schedule and the trip down to Daegu, had dozed off with soft breaths.
In the silence, Seon-ho was lost in thought.
Countless thoughts flickered by, then vanished.
Among them, what occupied the largest part of his mind was his conversation with Hyun-seok.
Though it hadn’t been long, the time he spent with Hyun-seok had been enjoyable.
It was the first time he realized how relieving it could be to just unload everything onto a friend.
And thanks to Hyun-seok, he’d also been able to resolve a dilemma.
“From what I heard, it sounds like you regret what you did to that producer from Idol War, right?”
“It’s not exactly regret. It just nags at me a little.”
“What’s bothering you?”
“It feels like I’m going back to how things were before. I want to live differently now—for Seon-ah’s sake.”
At Seon-ho’s words, Hyun-seok asked,
“Do you remember when we hit puberty?”
“Puberty?”
“Maybe it was a bit early to call it that. Anyway, that time when we realized the stuff we were doing was seriously wrong and it got hard.”
“Oh, yeah. I think I know what you mean. But why?”
“You said something to us back then.”
When Seon-ho tilted his head, unable to remember, Hyun-seok said,
‘If you do something bad for the sake of your family, then it’s not really a bad thing.’
Seon-ho let out a short laugh.
“That’s so childish. Doesn’t even make sense.”
“Yeah, in hindsight it’s total nonsense. But if you hadn’t said that back then, I don’t think we could’ve endured it.”
Hyun-seok reminisced for a moment before continuing.
“What you said wasn’t entirely wrong. Just needed one more word.”
“What word?”
“If you do something bad to a bad person for your family, then it’s not really a bad thing.”
Hyun-seok said,
“Don’t overthink it. If that producer’s a scumbag, just take him out. But make sure you really know who the scumbag is.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just in case… you’re might be the one with bad intentions.”
Chewing over his conversation with Hyun-seok, Seon-ho thought of Producer Nam Yunsoo, whom he’d met during the first shoot of Idol War.
Back then, Nam had worn a very odd expression.
It hadn’t seemed hostile or angry.
But it hadn’t been positive, either.
And so lately, Seon-ho had been wrestling with temptation again.
Should he have gone on the offensive instead of just defending?
He still couldn’t tell if shame or stubbornness had taken root in Nam Yunsoo’s heart.
But thanks to Hyun-seok’s unexpected advice, those temptations faded away.
Figure out who the bad guy is.
If he ever saw clear signs that Producer Nam was acting with sleazy intentions, Seon-ho would act without hesitation.
But not until then.
Gazing at his reflection in the train window, Seon-ho made that vow to himself.
Just then, a sleepy voice pulled him from his thoughts.
“Oppa.”
Hye-mi, who’d been sound asleep, was looking at him.
“Why did you wake up?”
“Just did.”
“Try to sleep a bit more. You’re tired.”
“No. I can always sleep at home, but who knows when I’ll get to ride a train like this again?”
Blinking as if to shake off the sleepiness, Hye-mi asked,
“What were you thinking about?”
“Just… this and that.”
“Oh, right. Do you think the Idol War shoot went well?”
“Yeah. I think it did.”
After the shoot, Director Kwon Hosan had told Seonho that if anyone asked about Idol War, he should simply say, We worked hard.
Even if things looked promising, they didn’t want to create pressure for Personal Color before results were in.
It made sense, so that was what Seon-ho had said whenever asked.
But he wanted to be straightforward with Hye-mi.
Because he had a feeling he knew what she was about to bring up.
“Oppa.”
“Yeah?”
“We’re on the same team, right?”
“Of course.”
“If I move to UU Entertainment… would you come with me?”
At her question, Seon-ho fell silent in thought.
Director Yoo Ayeon had informally expressed interest in recruiting Hye-mi, and she was seriously considering the offer.
But since Hye-mi still had to release her debut album under MOK, there was no rush.
The real complication was that Seon-ho had found a new team—Personal Color.
After a pause, Seon-ho spoke honestly.
“Hye-mi.”
“Yes?”
“If I had a scale comparing you and Personal Color, the weight would probably tilt toward you. I don’t know by how much—but it would.”
“I see.”
“But it bothers me that while Cha Hye-mi the singer has found her footing, Personal Color still hasn’t. That’s what’s making it hard.”
Hye-mi listened quietly, then spoke.
“This is something I heard from Team Leader Jung Chanyoung. If Idol War goes well and Personal Color makes it, you’ll be given an opportunity.”
“An opportunity? What kind?”
“The chance to choose your own placement. And if you build up some achievements there, you might even be promoted. It’s like… a showcase assignment.”
Seon-ho understood immediately.
It meant: you’ve done good work, so here’s a delayed reward—because your years of experience are still too few for something bigger right now.
“So if that opportunity comes to you…”
Hye-mi swallowed, then continued with effort.
“Choose Personal Color.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why? Like you said, this is an important time for them.”
“So you’re giving up?”
“Yes. Because I’ve been there. That feeling that no matter how hard you train, there’s a wall you just can’t get over. And then the moment you start to feel cracks in that wall.”
When Seon-ho looked at her expression, Hye-mi averted her eyes.
He watched her for a moment, then asked,
“What about the offer from UU Entertainment? Don’t you want to go?”
“I do. But if you’re staying at MOK, I want to stay too. Someday, you’ll probably be promoted to team leader, and then you’ll have your own team, right? You’re capable—three years should be enough.”
When Seon-ho didn’t say anything, Hye-mi added,
“And lately, MOK’s been feeling better. I can’t explain it exactly, but it feels like they’re being more considerate in little ways. Team Leader Jung is trying really hard too…”
“That means… you liked working with Team Leader Jung Chanyoung more than working with me?”
“No!”
Seon-ho was startled by how loud her answer was.
A passenger in front of them grumbled in a sleepy voice, “Ah, keep it down, will you? All day long, seriously…”
Both Seon-ho and Hye-mi widened their eyes. Given their professions, they were sensitive to voices.
It was definitely the same man who had told people to quiet down earlier on the KTX ride down to Daegu.
They remembered his unusually high-pitched voice for a man.
Finding the coincidence amusing, Seon-ho and Hye-mi stifled their laughter.
A moment later, still smiling, Hye-mi spoke.
“No matter how good Team Leader Jung is at his job, I could never enjoy it like I do when I work with you.”
“So you’re saying he’s better at the job than I am.”
“Mm… When you’re at his level of experience, you’ll be better. But not right now.”
Seon-ho chuckled at her teasing and asked,
“So when it’s up to me, you want me to choose Personal Color?”
“Yes.”
“Because you’re giving up your spot for me?”
“Yes…”
“Because it’s an important time for Personal Color?”
“I said that with a heart-wrenching resolve, so why do you keep asking!”
“Because it’s obviously a lie.”
At that, Hye-mi hesitated for a second.
“It’s not a lie. I really am giving it up. With a heart-wrenching resolve.”
“There’s no need to keep wrenching hearts. You don’t have to give anything up.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’ve got a much better idea.”
With that, Seon-ho leaned in and quietly explained his plan to Hye-mi.
As she listened, her eyes grew wide.
“You’re a genius…!”
Her voice was filled with genuine amazement.
“I’m not a genius. It’s just an idea anyone could come up with.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. The real issue is whether someone has the guts to actually go through with it, and whether they can even imagine asking a celebrity to do something like this.”
“But you’re asking now.”
“We’re a team.”
When Seon-ho playfully held out his palm, Hye-mi smacked it cheerfully with hers.
Beaming, she said,
“I can’t wait for Idol War to air. I’m going to promote it like crazy to everyone I know. Oh, and if you ever need a guest appearance or anything, just say the word. Even if I’m scheduled to perform at the White House—no, the Blue House—I’ll cancel and show up.”
(TL : The Blue House was the White House of South Korea, but now it has been turned into a public park. )
As Seon-ho watched her expression, he suddenly spoke.
“Hye-mi.”
“Yeah?”
“I… don’t know how to say this.”
“What is it?”
“You know… Prefer, right?”
Hye-mi tilted her head.
“Of course. Why?”
“Prefer… isn’t my friend. Prefer is me. I mean, Prefer is a fictional persona.”
This time, it was Seon-ho who avoided her eyes.
He was a little embarrassed, thinking back on all the times Hye-mi and Su-rim had praised Prefer.
Then Hye-mi’s voice broke the silence.
“I figured.”
“What?”
Seon-ho looked up.
“You knew?”
“Well… I didn’t know, but I had a feeling. Maybe fifty percent sure?”
“How?”
“Just did. Your songs… they smelled like you. I mean, they had your feel.”
“Do you think Su-rim knows?”
“Nope. As far as I know, no one does.”
Then Hye-mi asked,
“What about the people from Personal Color? Do they know?”
“No. Still in the dark.”
“So I’m the first?”
“Yeah.”
Seon-ho thought of Kim Hyun-seok but didn’t mention him—Hye-mi was smiling too brightly.
Besides, Hyun-seok wasn’t involved in showbiz.
Seon-ho then shared more about Prefer.
It had all started as a way to get Hye-mi’s honest evaluation.
And while he was at it, he ended up telling her about HSH as well.
There was no real reason to reveal it, but also no reason to keep it hidden.
Today’s “favour” had confirmed it—he and Hye-mi were truly on the same team.
“Ah, so that’s why there’s that rumor you’re close with Director Yoo Ayeon.”
“Exactly.”
Hye-mi seemed especially delighted by the stories about HSH.
When they had finally talked through everything, she said,
“I wish time would pass faster.”
“Why?”
“No reason. Things are going really well.”
All the while, the train continued steadily toward its destination.
After the short break, time flew by.
And during that time, the name HSH resurfaced for the first time in a while.
It all began when a single article with an exclusive label was published.
[Exclusive] The genius composer HSH, desired by both Drake and Jang Sang-won, heads to UU Entertainment.
As soon as the article was released, chaos broke out at MOK.
It was MOK who had first discovered HSH’s songs and brought the name to light.
Of course, if that were all, the uproar wouldn’t have been so intense. After all, composers choosing companies is just how the industry works.
The real issue was the interview with HSH included in the article.
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