Chapter 84

Chapter 84

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

Episode 84: I Think I Would Get Jealous.

Gaeul and I made eye contact.

With just that glance, we could tell what the other wanted.

I quickly moved my fingers, raising the tempo of the song.

Gaeul also strummed her acoustic guitar more aggressively, increasing the speed.

In the heightened atmosphere of the song, she began to sing.

Gaeul’s voice echoed across the square, engraving itself into the air.

And the old woman handing out flyers, the middle schooler about to cross the street, the office worker hailing a taxi, and the taxi driver about to pick up a passenger all paused.

The bustling, noisy square quieted as if in reverence for Gaeul’s voice.

It was imposing, magnificent, yet emotional.

The voice of one person changed the color of the world.

You’ve grown, Gaeul. More than when you first started busking.

What was more amazing was that her talent was still developing.

According to her status window, her current ability was still at an A-.

I couldn’t imagine how far she would go.

It was truly an insane talent.

Finally, the song ended, and people began to cheer and clap.

“Thank you! I’m Yoo Gaeul from TwoBear Entertainment.”

Gaeul, smiling brightly at the audience after her promotion, spoke excitedly like a mischievous child just off a roller coaster.

“Taeyang oppa! The accompaniment was amazing!”

“Haha, thanks for the kind words, but honestly, I’m sorry the performance wasn’t as good as last time.”

“Well… maybe you were just amazing that time? I even thought I had the world’s best pianist as an accompanist! It made me wonder why someone like you isn’t debuting and is working as a manager instead.”

That was all thanks to the perks, Gaeul.

“But even now, it was still great! I really love the sound you make, Taeyang oppa!”

Relieved by Gaeul’s positive response, I sighed inwardly.

Fortunately, it seemed the accompaniment wasn’t that bad.

It was my first time busking without the “Jukebox in the Fingers,” so I was really nervous.

Naturally, without the perks, I couldn’t be the perfect accompanist like I was back then.

I’ve been practicing the piano whenever I had free time lately, but of course, it wasn’t as good as when I relied on the perks.

Still, after playing “Memories of the Sea and Leaves” that day, it felt like something clicked, like I had a breakthrough or gained some insight, so playing the piano became easier, and I didn’t embarrass myself too much.

“But next time, we should get a professional accompanist.”

“No way. My accompanist has to be you, at least on the piano, Taeyang oppa.”

“But we both have work, so we can’t always do it that way.”

“…Can’t we?”

Gaeul looked at me with a face full of disappointment, like a puppy whose walk had been canceled.

Ah, my heart’s weakening.

“…I can’t promise, but I’ll try my best. I like performing together too.”

“Hehe, thank you so much, Taeyang oppa!”

As long as you’re smiling, that’s enough. I’ll practice more.

Honestly, it’s embarrassing to accompany you right now, Gaeul. The skill gap is too big.

I want to be someone who isn’t embarrassed to stand next to you.

Gaeul looked at me as if she had remembered something she had forgotten and spoke nonchalantly.

“Oh, and you can’t accompany any other vocalists either.”

“Huh? Why not?”

Then, with a chilling glow in her yellow-tinged eyes, Gaeul said,

“…Because I think I’d get jealous.”

Seeing her like that sent an inexplicable chill down my spine.

I felt like I had to comply with her request.

It felt like something bad would happen if I didn’t.

“…I’ll avoid it.”

“Thank you, Taeyang oppa!”

…I was thinking of joining a band club to practice more, but I guess I’ll just practice on my own.

“Uh, Taeyang oppa. Can I ask one more favor?”

“Sure, what is it? You showed an amazing performance today, so I’ll grant most requests.”

Gaeul blushed and hesitated, watching my reaction before speaking.

“I heard a rumor about a famous date– I mean, a famous restaurant! I was wondering if you’d have lunch with me there.”

“That’s no problem at all. It’s actually easier now that we have a set menu. The boss even gave me the company card to enjoy something delicious.”

“Wow! Then…”

At that moment, someone interrupted and spoke to us.

“The performance was really amazing!”

It was Seok Hyun-woo, who I had asked to film the AllTube video.

“Honestly, it’s the first time I’ve felt such deep emotion watching something since Ms. Jin Yeoreum’s rhythmic gymnastics performance. You were both incredible.”

He spoke with a flushed face, as if deeply moved.

It didn’t feel like exaggeration or flattery, so I felt good too.

That guy is really sincere, which I like.

“Thank you so much for saying that. I’m really glad we didn’t embarrass ourselves in front of you, Manager Seok.”

“Oh, please, don’t call me Manager Seok. I quit Jinkang, so I’m not a manager anymore. Just call me Seok, Team Leader Seon.”

“I’m a bit uncomfortable with that… I’ll just call you Hyun-woo.”

Having grown up in a Confucian culture, it wasn’t easy for me to treat someone older, more educated, and with more experience as a subordinate. Seok Hyun-woo seemed to understand and changed the subject.

“The filming went smoothly. Since it was a stationary camera, there wasn’t much for me to do.”

“Just making sure of that was enough. We all worked hard, so let’s go eat.”

“Eat?”

“Yes, Gaeul mentioned a restaurant she wants to go to. Let’s head there.”

“Sounds good. I’m not picky about food, so…”

Seok Hyun-woo, who had been smiling pleasantly, suddenly stopped speaking and began to sweat.

Wondering what made him so flustered, I followed his gaze and saw that he was looking at Gaeul.

Why is he reacting that way to Gaeul?

She’s just smiling sweetly.

Seok Hyun-woo shuddered slightly and suddenly said,

“…Haha, now that I think about it, I still have paperwork to finish back at the office, and I need to start discussions for video editing. So I’ll head back to the company first.”

Paperwork during lunch?

The person he needed to discuss with would be eating around this time too.

Our company wasn’t crazy enough to make people work without eating.

It might change after the debut, though…

“Oh, it’s fine. Neither I, the President, nor Soo-yeon wants anyone working without eating. So come on, let’s have a nice lunch together. Let’s splurge a little with the company card.”

“No, really, I’m fine! I’ll just head back to the office!”

With that, Seok Hyun-woo hastily gathered his equipment and left the square as if he were being chased.

“Looks like it’s just the two of us.”

“…Yeah. I guess it’s just us for that restaurant.”

“That’s too bad.”

Yeah, it is. It’s better to go to a good restaurant with everyone.

I also wanted Gaeul and Seok Hyun-woo to get closer.

Gaeul, who seemed just as disappointed as me, hopped like a rabbit as we started heading to the restaurant she mentioned.

Then someone else spoke to us.

“The performance was impressive.”

“Oh, Composer Oh James!”

It was Oh James, a judge on Girl 100 and one of the top producers around.

Seeing one of the busiest people in Korea here was quite a surprising coincidence.

“Gaeul, say hello. This is Composer Oh James, famously known as a genius.”

“Oh, hello! I’m Yoo Gaeul, a trainee from TwoBear Entertainment!”

“You have a great voice. Don’t get complacent, and keep working hard. You have potential.”

Feeling pleased, I watched Gaeul repeatedly bow and thank him for the high praise.

As expected from the best composer, he recognized Gaeul’s talent.

I was very satisfied, thinking he might give Gaeul a song later.

“By the way, what brings you here?”

Oh James replied nonchalantly, as if stating the obvious.

“It’s a hobby of mine.”

“…Ah, I see.”

Is his hobby watching amateurs busk?

Well, considering he’s also a producer, it’s a pretty wholesome hobby.

It’s not right to interrupt him while he’s squeezing in time to enjoy his hobby.

This must be a precious break for him. Still, it felt awkward to just say we were going to eat, so I asked out of courtesy.

He’s incredibly busy, so he’ll obviously decline, but I have to ask.

“We’re about to have lunch at a nearby restaurant. Would you like to join us, Composer Oh James?”

Oh James glanced at Gaeul and said,

“I don’t miss out on things like this. Let’s go. To the restaurant.”

…Is this guy actually free?

“…Ah.”

Gaeul sighed softly.