Translator: Synopsis

  “This kind of evaluation can be made up for later.”


  Christie An’s poker face instantly collapsed when KangYoon ripped apart the evaluation sheet.

  “Dance: C – Dance needs a little more effort. Singing: B – This isn’t anything great either. However, Star Quality: B. This was difficult to approve.”


  “Star… Quality?”


  Christie An tilted her head since she still didn’t understand what was going on. A trainee would hear this quite frequently, but star quality was something hard to describe. Including outer appearance, it was the result of fusing several complex factors. Thanks to that, it was quite a controversial factor since a lot of it would be subjective. There were a lot of cases where trainees who had excellent capabilities but weren’t allowed to debut due to low ratings in star quality, or where even if they did debut, they didn’t become big due to low star quality. It was the most difficult point to evaluate, and it was hard to talk about it. Star quality was something that nobody talked about easily.

  However, KangYoon brought up that star quality. He said she had that quality.

  Christie An was confused.

  “I have star quality?”


  “You do.”


  “May I ask what regard I have star quality to?”


  Christie An was harsh on herself. She was curious about the reason why KangYoon highly evaluated her like this. No one said this to her. However, the planner who everyone talked about said she had qualities of a star. Her heart was pounding, but she couldn’t just be delighted like that. There must be a reason.

  “First, uncommon elements will attract peoples attention.”


  “Is it because I have mixed blood?”


  “That’s part of it. The face that looks foreign but not foreign at the same time. And also, the atmosphere around you that seem cold but at the same time, not. Of course, your looks are a part of it.”


  “Atmosphere? Me?”


  “It’s not sufficient yet. You need to do some image making.

  In KangYoon’s eyes, Christie An’s face now was 100% cold. It seemed as if she only rejected people while giving out that cold aura. However, if she pushed and pulled while making it look like she gave things out while not, she would succeed. Like the Ris of the ‘past,’ no, if she gave out more while leaving them more disappointed, then she would make the people go crazy.

  Of course, KangYoon was looking at something much bigger.

  “Then the reason you called me here is…”


  “Oh, I called you to put you into my team. I want to make a temporary contract before that.”


  Christie An closed her eyes. A temporary contract…


  To think he called her here for a contract with her before becoming a singer, which is the same as being put into the debut preparation team… She prepared herself for the worst, but when it came out so well, tears welled up in her eyes.

  “Crying?”


  “N, no. It’s just…”


  “This is just the beginning.”


  KangYoon held out a tissue. At the unexpected delight, Christie An, who overflowed with emotions, seemed embarrassed as she turned her head to wipe her tears. Only then could she smile and sit comfortably.

  KangYoon held out the temporary contract paper.

  “You’re still a minor, so you need your parents’ signature. Please check it over carefully when you get home, and get it stamped from your parents. Remember to get advice in regards to legal stuff.”


  “Yes, sir. I’m…so thankful. However, I can’t receive a signature from my parents…”


  “Why? Anything wrong?”


  “My parents live in America….”


  “Oh, yeah. You live alone in the dorms right?”


  Christie An came from America and was living alone as a trainee in Korea. Her parents were both in America, and KangYoon said that he would send the papers to America for her. They finished after deciding that she would sign the paper after talking it over with her parents.

  “Thank you, sir.”


  “No. For now, please practice as you always do. I will make the team in a while.”


  “There are others?”


  “I need to pick out more. You’re the first for now.”


  “I understand. I will do my best.”


  Christie An bowed deeply before going out. Looking at her coming in with a cold face, but leaving with a happy face, she was definitely a teenager.

  “Even if she’s a big star in the future, she’s just a teenager, huh. Who’s next?”


  When he looked at Christie An going out with a thrilled face, KangYoon found it interesting. Meeting the future stars in their early phases was a small joy for him.

  Leaving that, there were many people KangYoon had to meet. He picked up some paperwork and left for the practice room straight away.

  ***

  Chairman Won JinMoon’s office on the 7th floor wasn’t somewhere anyone could go in and out of. His office, which contained black furniture which was not too big or not too small, as according to his preferences, was Chairman Won JinMoon’s workplace and at the same time, the place where the most significant transactions of the company were carried out. As it was an important position, it was evident that not anyone could go in and out as they pleased.

  However, something was happening there right now.

  “UNCLE!!!!!!!”


  An unexpected ear-ripping noise was exploding out.

  “JooAh, uncle already explained it to you.”


  “Ah, I can’t understand. I can’t!! I don’t need anything, nothing!! Give me KangYoon-oppa. Give me!!”


  Chairman Won JinMoon sweated profusely, which was unlike him. Of course, the Chairman had the most power in the company. He could crush anyone with his authority, but his opponent now was JooAh. The biggest star. If he made her disappointed, then there might be repercussions in marketing. And JooAh did poke where it hurt.

  “KangYoonKangYoonKangYoon!! My KangYoon!! Gimme KangYOon!!”


  “JooAh, there’s significant work in the company so…”


  “Is there anything as important as me in this company?”


  JooAh was in a riot, shouting as if she wanted the office to collapse. She had a fire in her eyes as if her reason was already gone. In her point of view, it was reasonable. She planned to share her future schedules with KangYoon and to have an easy time, but when she came back after two days of work, KangYoon had disappeared.

  JooAh, who was enraged at KangYoon’s sudden disappearance, heard the whole story from her manager and flew to Korea.

  “Even so, JooAh. Team Leader KangYoon can’t just stay in Ja…”


  “I don’t care; I don’t know anything. Uncle, I’m JooAh, Yeon JooAh.”


  The current top singer of MG Entertainment. When she went to him with everything she had, chairman Won JinMoon had a headache. Of course, he could just say ‘listen to me!!’ with the chairman’s authority, but nothing would get solved that way.

  ‘So you get headaches even if someone works too well…’


  It was the first time JooAh was so stubborn like this. Chairman Won JinMoon never imagined that JooAh would come to the chairman’s office to riot. JooAh was a cash cow right now, so her words had weight. But it wasn’t like he could give her KangYoon who just went into the rookie planning. If JooAh was a cash cow, then KangYoon was the magician who created those cash cows.

  In the end, Chairman Won JinMoon had to console JooAh over and over before she had to leave due to a schedule – and he could finally sigh in relief.

  “Fuu… It’s not like she’s a sunflower, too…”


  But right then, the closed door opened and JooAh peeked her head out.

  “I will come back later.”


  Bring KangYoon here before I come here again – this was her meaning. In the end, Chairman Won JinMoon tapped his head and lied down on the sofa.

  ‘Should I go on a business trip to America?’


  Now that he was in a situation where he couldn’t do anything, Chairman Won JinMoon was very afraid of this singer who wasn’t even 20 years old yet.

  ***

  “Oppa!!”


  Evening. When she heard the front door opening, HeeYoon opened the door to her room and ran outside. When the door opened, it was KangYoon. He, who finished work early and came back, seemed cold as he was shivering all over.

  “Why are you here? It’s cold.”


  “Oppa’s here, so of course I should come.”


  “It’s cold. Let’s go in.”


  KangYoon, who came back home early, held a lot of ingredients in both of his hands. HeeYoon excitedly started preparing those ingredients. KangYoon said he would help with preparing, but HeeYoon stopped him.

  “Office workers should wash up and wait.”


  Pushed by HeeYoon’s stubbornness, KangYoon changed into casual clothes after washing himself. There was no water heating system in the house, so he had to warm the water himself. Thanks to that, quite a long time was taken for him to wash up.

  When KangYoon came out, HeeYoon prepared a grand dinner.

  “Oppa, let’s eat dinner.”


  When KangYoon went there with a towel around him, there was fried chicken, a beer for KangYoon, and Japchae and lots of other side dishes along with Jjigae for HeeYoon on the table. When KangYoon held up his chopsticks, HeeYoon also held up her spoon.

  “What did you do today, HeeYoon?”


  “I studied, went to the hospital and stuff like that.”


  “Did you play with your friends?”


  “You know I don’t have friends.”


  While eating KangYoon asked HeeYoon about her school life. However, HeeYoon didn’t seem to have much to answer as she kept avoiding his questions. Even from young, HeeYoon was weak and had no friends that got along with her. KangYoon was bitter in one corner of her heart when he listened to her.

  HeeYoon didn’t like her brother’s expression becoming dark, so she said as brightly as possible.

  “Even so, it’s fine. Isn’t there a good oppa like this?”


  “You.”


  KangYoon placed the chicken leg on top of HeeYoon’s bowl. HeeYoon shrewdly grabbed it and put it in her mouth. The thick meat melted in her mouth.

  “It’s so good to eat dinner together with you.”


  For a long time, KangYoon was too busy so that they couldn’t eat a meal together. All their conversations happened in the morning when KangYoon left for work, and at night, when KangYoon came back from work. To KangYoon, who was sad by this, this kind of mealtime was his joy and happiness.

  “Me too.”


  “But since your work is going well, I’m even happier. JooAh-unni hit it big, right?”


  “She did. Should I get a sign for you?”


  “Rather than a sign, I’d like to take a photo with her.”


  “Is that something hard? Who do you think your big brother is?”


  “Wow. My oppa is so capable.”


  KangYoon said as if it was nothing. He wanted to do anything for HeeYoon. A photo with JooAh? That will be solved if he just invites his sister to the company. He worked so hard for JooAh, would she care for a photo? He was confident that he could do more.

  “Here, oppa, eat this.”


  “This is the wing. I don’t like the wing.”


  “Eat this and gain strength to bring home a lover. And marriage too.”


  “…HeeYoon.”


  KangYoon was about to spray out the thing in his mouth. Sometimes, HeeYoons witty remarks like these made KangYoon shiver.