Chapter 123

Chapter 123

Raise Three Idols Well And They’ll Launch a Confession Attack.

Episode 123: The Calm Before The Storm.

“I never imagined that Oh Jinwoo would do such a thing. I thought at least his pride as a composer was intact, but plagiarism… I’m really ashamed. And if Flower Entertainment hadn’t been under such a large-scale investigation and fallen apart, I might never have known about this, so it makes me even more embarrassed to face you, Team Leader Seon.”

I waved my hand at Oh James, who was bowing deeply and apologizing, trying to maintain the most polite posture.

“No, no. Even if you are Oh James, how could you know about all the work of others? You acted out of good intentions to help us, who are struggling to recruit for our creative team, and I can’t possibly hold you responsible for that. There’s no need for you to apologize at all.”

Although I kept saying it was okay, Oh James bowed even lower and apologized again.

“I know exactly how a recommendation from someone with my position will be perceived. Refusing it must have been a huge burden as well. So, I tried to introduce someone I knew well, but this is how it turned out. I apologize once again.”

“So, it’s Oh Jinwoo’s fault, not yours for introducing him, Oh James.”

“No, if it was someone else, maybe, but it’s my fault for introducing Oh Jinwoo. He is not someone, as Team Leader Seon mentioned, a mere stranger.”

If he’s not a stranger, then what is he?

“Could it be that he’s your… lover?”

“No! Absolutely not!”

Oh James, sweating and panicking, quickly clarified.

“…He’s my younger brother.”

“……”

This was something I hadn’t known at all from my past life…

“I’m sorry, but your name is James, isn’t it? So how could you possibly be brothers with Composer Oh Jinwoo?”

“Ah, that’s just a stage name I chose to sound more impressive. I’ve never even studied abroad. I’m completely a local guy.”

“……”

…Ah, well, it’s nice to have local roots.

“Anyway, faced with this situation, I’m a composer who wants to maintain a good relationship with Team Leader Seon, and I’ve been thinking about how to take responsibility as that guy’s older brother. I’m not sure if this is what you would want, but I thought of one solution.”

It seems that the reason Oh James called me during such a busy period was to say just that.

In fact, since Oh Jinwoo was already out of the picture, there wasn’t really anything I needed to take responsibility for. I just hoped he wouldn’t forget to work on the song he promised to complete for us.

However, I was curious about what kind of solution he was proposing, so I quietly waited for him to speak.

“What if I join TwoBear?”

“…What?”

Taken aback by his completely unexpected suggestion, I let out a foolish exclamation, and Oh James, thinking I needed more explanation, continued talking.

“In fact, my desire to maintain a good relationship with Team Leader Seon and my commitment to the song were because I admire your personality, but honestly, I’ve lost my inspiration. Working with you, Team Leader Seon, would be a turning point for me. So, if I join TwoBear, I would be able to work with you and take responsibility for Jinwoo’s actions. It would be a win-win situation. When I thought of this, I couldn’t understand why I had been making things so complicated.”

“Wait… just a moment.”

Before I could say anything else, Oh James spoke so quickly, as if he felt a responsibility to finish the whole explanation, so I paused to think.

“Didn’t you mention you run a studio?”

Oh James quickly answered, as if he had already expected the question.

“I can just close it down if I need to.”

“What about the colleagues you work with?”

“Actually, my studio is a company made up of friends who, like me, wanted to do personal work under the company name. Whether I close it or not, it won’t matter much to them. They’re all top-tier in the industry.”

“Our President treats us well for a new company, but if you join TwoBear, your income will decrease significantly. Is that alright with you?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ve earned enough money.”

“……”

Oh James, ignoring the obvious negative conditions, lowered his head and spoke.

“Please, I would be honored if you would accept me into TwoBear. I want to make the best idol with you, Team Leader Seon.”

In front of me, an avant-garde scene unfolded, where an S-tier composer voluntarily bowed his head, practically asking to become a servant.

I hurriedly spoke, afraid he would change his mind.

“The door to TwoBear is always wide open!”

Of course, the exit door is closed.

I sat in the corner of a café’s terrace, licking the vanilla soft-serve ice cream in a small cup as I finished telling the story to Yeoreum, who was staring at me intently.

“So, Oh James decided to join TwoBear.”

“Wow.”

Yeoreum, with wide eyes, exclaimed in admiration.

“Wow, Team Leader Seon! Looks like even Oh James fell for your flirting!”

“…Could you at least not use the word ‘flirting’ when talking about me and a woman?”

I don’t know where the misunderstanding came from, but I’m a heterosexual man, Yeoreum.

“But Team Leader Seon’s flirting isn’t limited to just men or women, right? Even vocal trainer Song Johan, who seems a little in love with himself, can’t stop praising you whenever your name comes up?”

“Hmm, that’s oddly touching.”

The situation with recruiting Johan was a bit complicated as well.

“Johan was working at a failing vocal training academy to the point where his salary was delayed, but he was a romantic who refused to give up on the place. So, it wasn’t easy bringing him in. In that situation, I got involved and did a lot of strange things, but I’m glad he remembers it positively.”

“Hehe, that’s just the way Team Leader Seon is.”

Yeoreum smiled knowingly and nodded.

“…That ‘anyone’ part can be a bit disappointing sometimes.”

As I was about to ask what that meant, Yeoreum spoke with a playful smile.

“By the way, the new PR team member, Park Miso, looks at you in a way that seems a bit unusual, doesn’t she? Did you flirt with her, too?”

“No, not flirting… If I came off that way, I guess it’s my fault. Miso is someone I know personally, so I might have gotten too familiar with her. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Looking back at the relationships from my previous life, I often had trouble adjusting the distance.

It was a bad habit I needed to fix.

“Hmm, then what about Seo Eun-byeol, who came to the PR team with Miso?”

Yeoreum’s gaze became strange. It seemed like she wasn’t too concerned and was speaking playfully, but I could tell this question was what she really wanted to ask.

After all, I couldn’t be sure what kind of view I had of her either.

“Eun-byeol…”

“By the way, did you enjoy the concert? Since it was the performance of SAYA, the hottest girl group recently, I hope something left a lasting impression on you.”

I deliberately and somewhat awkwardly changed the topic. I didn’t feel ready to give a definitive answer yet.

Yeoreum, seeing me like that, gave a faint smile and played along with my obvious attempt to change the subject.

“It was really great. I’ve always liked SAYA. The stage, the performance, the songs—everything was impressive, but what felt even more amazing was seeing all the fans come together, enthusiastically cheering for the same group. The way their eyes sparkled, as if everyone in the audience was dreaming of stars, made everything shine brightly.”

I understood. As someone who had planned and participated in many music broadcasts and concerts, I knew exactly what she meant.

“Do you think I could become someone like that one day?”

I looked into Yeoreum’s slightly trembling eyes, visible through her thick cap and sunglasses, and spoke as if I was a little hesitant.

“Yeah, you definitely will.”

The national hate, the drug controversies—none of that mattered.

“Even if the world tries to stop you, I will make sure you get there.”

I made up my mind.

“……”

Yeoreum, who had been staring blankly at me after dropping her disposable spoon from eating ice cream onto the table, suddenly cleared her throat and held out one hand as she spoke.

“Uh, could I have a handshake?”

“A handshake? Why suddenly?”

“Well… like, ‘The contract has been finalized’ type of feeling?”

“……”

“…Also, my hands are cold from eating the ice cream, so I could really use some warmth.”

I chuckled softly and complied with her small request.

As I carefully reached for her hand for a handshake, Yeoreum turned my hand slightly and interlaced our fingers.

“This isn’t a handshake, though?”

“It’s American style.”

“Is it really?”

It had a strange sort of convincing power, probably because she had studied abroad in America.

At that moment, I heard a cold voice behind me.

“…What are you two doing?”

It was Gaeul.