Translator: Synopsis

  [A planner must make a singer trust in them. Isn’t that so?]

  [Do you mean that I wasn’t able to do that?]

  Producer Akabashi was enraged. Didn’t KangYoon imply that JooAh had come to him because he couldn’t make her trust his work?

  Although Chairman Won JinMoon didn’t understand the conversation, he could tell from their expressions that the conversation was heading in a bad direction.

  “Team Leader Lee. Currently…”


  Chairman Won JinMoon tried to join, but KangYoon’s words came first.

  [Isn’t that too obvious? The singer voiced out that the song sounded a little strange. Shouldn’t you at least pretend to listen?]

  [There were no problems with the song. Are you saying that my senses are dull?]

  [‘Senses’ are subjective. Do you think you can judge whether a song has a problem or not that easily? To err is human and a planner is only human.]

  [Then how did I keep my position until now if my senses were wrong? If you keep coming out like this, then I’ll cancel the contract.]

  Producer Akabashi’s rage shot up to the skies. He was reckless. It seemed that a scratch had been inflicted on his smooth sailing pride as his face was cringing as much as it could.

  Chairman Won JinMoon was also surprised and grabbed him. However, KangYoon’s words didn’t end there.

  [So? Did all the singers you planned with that ‘sense’ of yours succeed?]

  [That’s…]

  [All the stars I planned for have become big. I have a 100% success rate. Even in that case, ‘senses’ cannot be trusted. That’s because the populace thinks differently to a planner. I don’t want to say something like this, but as far as I know, the latest three albums you produced have flopped. Honestly speaking, can you guarantee that JooAh won’t be like that?]

  [……]

  Producer Akabashi stopped his steps in the doorway. His pride was hurt to a humongous degree. However, if he actually left after hearing that, then there was no way he could recover.

  It was obvious that rumors that he ignored and threw away his work would spread. The only way now was to finish this on a good note or to squash KangYoon flat.

  […Phew. Ok, good. So, is JooAh going to you and you interfering with my work in various ways a good thing?]

  [It isn’t.]

  [Even though you know it… You’re quite shameless. You’re rude, and you’re the worst.]

  [You’re correct.]

  KangYoon was shameless. Producer Akabashi’s face turned red just seeing that. His face filled with rage.

  “くそ!!(Fuck!!)”


  He screamed loudly. He couldn’t endure without doing so. The secretaries quickly came to see what was happening after they heard that, but when Chairman Won JinMoon quietly gestured, they closed the door and exited.

  A while later, KangYoon spoke to the now calmed down Producer Akabashi.

  [I think that the priority of a planner is to make the singer able to trust in him/her. I think that the two are allied in a war against the populace. I’m a person who does the same work. I understand your feelings, producer, and I do feel sorry about it. However, I couldn’t just leave JooAh alone when she was shivering due to anxiety.]

  [Anxiety……?]

  [Yes. JooAh was anxious about the song. That is why she brought the song to me and even showed a willingness to persuade the composer by herself. She was doing something completely different to you, producer. I do not know who is more correct. However, I do understand which is more important.]

  KangYoon sorted out his breathing for a moment and said his point.

  [Please make JooAh be able to have faith in you.]

  [……]

  KangYoon silently bowed towards Chairman Won JinMoon and quietly left the Chairman’s office.

  “Whoa…”


  Now that it was the 2 of them, Chairman Won JinMoon could only laugh awkwardly. He called for a secretary who could speak Japanese. Since he needed to talk with Producer Akabashi.

  ***

  To finish off their talk about the Concert Team, KangYoon headed to the President Lee HyunJi’s office again.

  President Lee HyunJi kept thinking about what KangYoon said while he was away, and seemed to have decided as she put down the papers.

  “We should give up.”


  Of course, if they forcefully did it, the conclusion was that it was possible, but as KangYoon had said, there were no gains. From a management personnel’s view like herself, she had to declare a forfeit tearfully.

  “I understand.”


  “It’s a pity. If it were in the past, I would have done it no matter what… Did I get old…?”


  She seemed to be disappointed in her heart, as she picked up the papers that she put down again. She was a woman who had more desire to work than anyone else.

  “There will be another opportunity. There will be a lot at the end of the year, so it’s not a bad choice to wait until then.”


  “Fuu… Isn’t that when our kid’s debut?”


  “Oh… You’re right.”


  KangYoon clapped in realization. When it came to that season, the girl group he was planning had to debut. KangYoon had been setting the schedules to coincide with that time.

  “Aaah. It seems we have to take it easy with the Concert Team. You’d have to focus on the girl group for a while. I need to be considerate towards you.”


  “I will thankfully accept that consideration.”


  “However, I am expecting great achievements. It’s you Team Leader Lee so that they won’t be ordinary right?”


  KangYoon smiled. This kind of expectation was pressure, but at the same time, brought him joy.

  “I’ll do my best.”


  “Good. Oh, about the studying we talked about last time, the lecture starts at the beginning of September. I already talked about it so going there beforehand to meet him early would be alright too.”


  “I only need to listen to the class.”


  “He said that although he couldn’t register you as a student, he could go over the homework with you. Of course, that side would have something they want too. He won’t give you too much pressure so don’t worry about that. I will try to stop all of it.”


  “Thank you.”


  Now, he had the opportunity to learn music theory properly. KangYoon bowed his head to President Lee HyunJi and said his thanks. She just shook her head and gestured that it was alright.

  President Lee HyunJi held out a pamphlet to KangYoon. It was about the lecture that KangYoon would listen to.

  ‘Professor Choi ChanYang, 38 years old, Hallyeo Arts University Composing Department professor eh…’


  While KangYoon was reading down the pamphlet, President Lee HyunJi explained more.

  “I said that you were completely clueless to musical theory, and he said for you to come to the basics class he does at S University. You remember the university that you did the performance with The ACE right?”


  “Yes. I do.”


  “He says he will open a Basic Harmonics lecture so do enjoy your time there. You have it good. You will listen to class with younger kids. You’ll be able to rejuvenate.”


  “I’ll receive their energy fully.”


  President Lee HyunJi teased KangYoon. KangYoon also replied well to her words and left the President’s Office.

  When he went to his office, now, it was JooAh who was waiting for him there.

  “Oppa…”


  “Haaa… Now, it’s you?”


  For KangYoon, he wasn’t that delighted to see JooAh since he got caught up in that incident because of her. JooAh also couldn’t face him unrestrainedly like normal.

  “I’m sorry. I heard you fought it out in the Chairman’s office?”


  “Yeah, quite magnificently at that. Why did you just have to make a big accident like such…”


  “It’s that guy who’s strange. He keeps saying what he wants. You must know since you have spoken to him. He only does whatever he wants. I’m no doll. I’d get fed up.”


  JooAh seemed to get angry just thinking about it as her face turned red slightly. KangYoon only shook his head and offered her a cup of coffee.

  “Thanks. Even so, You’re the only one who thinks about me.”


  “Drink that and go reconcile.”


  “Don’t wanna.”


  However, JooAh was stubborn even with KangYoon’s words. KangYoon calmly spoke.

  “As you said, that person was stubborn. He was also in the wrong. However, you have a problem too.”


  “Me, what?”


  “A man, you know, lives with pride. But why do you keep comparing? He’s already as depressed as he can be since he failed three times in a row. He must be pressured subconsciously.”


  “Do I need to care about that? He should have made me trust in him first.”


  “So you’re saying you only have to receive?”


  “That’s…”


  JooAh also had nothing to say.

  “Hey, you must learn to give to others first. Of course, as you said, it’s right and proper for a planner to make the singer able to trust in him/her. However, the singer needs to trust in the planner for them to bring out their best. I’m sorry for sounding like such an old guy, but this is the basics of the basics. Is it not?”


  “That’s true but… That guy’s saying that only he is correct!! What do I do about that!!?”


  “To him, JooAh, you were too immature.”


  “Wait, do you mean that that guy was stubborn because I was lacking?”


  JooAh’s eyes burned since this touched on her pride. The juniors would be scared out of their wits if they saw this, but KangYoon calmly spoke.

  “Think about it. You became big once. In their opinion, you got on Music Station somehow, and you became a hot issue and became big. But the second time? You know that the second is harder than the first. Could that guy easily believe in you? There are many cases where big shot singers fail their next event. Moreover, you aren’t Japanese but Korean. That person’s stubbornness is naturally wrong, but don’t you think there was this kind of reason?”


  “……”


  JooAh couldn’t say anything. In fact, the person who compared that producer with KangYoon was JooAh herself. Thinking about it, there were many times where she provided the reason.

  “…Tch.”


  However, she didn’t seem to want to admit it easily as she cringed and stood up. She seemed to be a little disappointed in KangYoon. He knew that, but KangYoon didn’t stop her.

  “Looking at that, she’s such a kid.”


  JooAh went out while grumbling, but KangYoon believed in her. If he did this much, he believed that she would do the rest by herself.

  “Science is built on facts, similar to the way a house is constructed on a foundation of bricks but an accumulation of facts cannot be considered as science any more than a pile of bricks as a house. – How many grammatical techniques were used in this sentence? Put your hands up if you know? Oh… Yeah. Sleep…”


  The English teacher who wore a thick pair of horn-rimmed glasses seemed to have given up and shook his head and continued the class alone.

  Of course, the teacher wasn’t completely alone. Since a few students including HeeYoon were listening to the class with bright eyes. Of course, they couldn’t follow the explanation where there was more English than Korean.

  ‘Huh?’


  But then, HeeYoon’s mobile phone flashed lightly-

  Hyoon, Hyoon!! You have time today?

  The message was from JooAh-

  Today???? When????-

  Night!!!! ^.^-

  I can’t go out at night cuz oppa will scold me…… Sob sob. T^T;;-

  It’s alright!! He’ll be with us. Okay?

  HeeYoon couldn’t understand the exact meaning of the message. However, she thought that it wouldn’t matter much as long as it was with her brother and sent back a reply-

  Okay,~ *^.^*

  The message from JooAh ended with that. HeeYoon thought it was strange, but she quickly put away her phone and concentrated on the class.

  As today was dialysis day, HeeYoon headed to the hospital.

  She seemed to have gained a lot of stamina recently as she didn’t feel that tired even after getting dialysis. She felt that her body was getting better, so she felt better nowadays.

  On the way to the hospital, HeeYoon called JooAh-

  HeeYoon!! What is it?

  “You busy?”
-

  Nooo. You called me cuz of that message eh.

  “Yeah. Something up?”
-

  No, it’s not much… It’s just to eat dinner together. Are you alright with that?

  “I should talk to oppa about it.”
-

  Don’t worry about that; I’ll take care of that.

  “Then I’m all good. I also look forward to seeing you, JooAh, after such a long time.”
-

  Okay, then see you there.

  Unlike how they conversed usually, the call wasn’t that long. HeeYoon headed to the hospital with light steps……

  As always, KangYoon came to work while after being seen out by HeeYoon. He was about to start working in his office when he found an envelope, which didn’t seem to be his, on his desk.

  ‘Dear Sir Lee KangYoon. What’s this?’


  He hadn’t seen this envelope up until yesterday. KangYoon opened the envelope since it was addressed to him. He couldn’t hide his shock after seeing the contents.

  ‘This is an invitation? M Hotel, 8 o’clock? Whoa… For me?’


  Someone had sent him an invitation. M Hotel was one of the best hotels in the country. KangYoon pondered why someone would send him such an invitation.

  ‘Just who…’


  A scout? Already? Or a bribe?

  KangYoon thought all sorts of things while he started work.

  ***

  It became night.

  KangYoon headed to M Hotel with the invitation. When he showed the invitation, entry was easily granted. However, when he was guided inside, there were people whom he knew.

  “Yeon JooAh, wait, HeeYoon too?”


  “Oppa, you’re here.”


  JooAh and HeeYoon greeted with liveliness while waving their hands. Surprise and joy crossed in KangYoon’s mind.

  “Huh… It was you who sent the invitation?”


  “No, the one who did was someone else. He’ll come soon. Oh, there he is.”


  In the direction that JooAh pointed towards, two men, with eye-catching outfits, were slowly walking towards them. It was the head planner, Producer Akabashi; and Composer Shunji. JooAh waved at the two.

  [You didn’t get lost, eh?]

  [Korean hotels have excellent service.]

  Producer Akabashi comfortably spoke with JooAh and greeted KangYoon.

  [Sorry for being rude last time.]

  [Not at all. It was I who was rude.]

  Unlike the sharp attitude from the Chairman’s Office, he seemed very friendly. KangYoon shook hands with Producer Akabashi and greeted Composer Shunji, then sat down.

  The dishes started being served one by one. While HeeYoon was trying to eat the first hotel standard food of her life, Producer Akabashi spoke up first.

  [I was rude last time. Thanks to KangYoon-san, this album is showing good reactions. Today, I prepared this seat. Please enjoy your meal.]

  KangYoon was surprised. He knew that JooAh’s new mini album had an explosive reaction in Japan as he had heard the news. Even so, he never thought that he would get treated like this.

  [I never thought I would get treated like this.]

  [In fact, I want to bring you to Japan, but I heard that your sister does not have a passport yet… Next time, please come to Japan with her. I will take you to the hot springs.]

  Unlike when he first met KangYoon, his attitude had taken a 180-degree change. KangYoon looked at JooAh, confused.

  “Oooh. You don’t have to look at me like that. Whether if it’s me, or the producer, we reconciled after being scolded a lot by you. We went with the later version that Composer Shunji had composed, too.

  We only thought from our own point of view. We should have thought about it a little more.”


  KangYoon finally understood. They each took a step back. KangYoon’s words were the trigger. The fact that they hit it large was due to KangYoon. This was their method of repayment.

  [This album was a huge hit too. Even though it’s a mini-album, we’re pressing the 3rd print… *Sob sob*. Thanks to that, I got my hands on some money.]

  Composer Shunji seemed to feel good as well as he wanted to shout ‘Banzai’ while looking at JooAh. Thanks to this album, not only had he gained massive profit, his value as a composer increased by a large amount as well. Although he had to suffer a lot, this time, the results were great.

  KangYoon waved his hands.

  [It’s fortunate that the results are good. Isn’t it because everyone had worked hard?]

  [If Team Leader Lee weren’t there, then there wouldn’t be even that. We didn’t know that the album would turn out so great. Thanks to that, I learned a lot from you. I got over my slump, and I also earned confidence. How should I repay this grace…]

  [It’s nothing like grace…]

  KangYoon felt uncomfortable with Producer Akabashi acting so humble. He thought that he didn’t play a significant role in this. He just voices out his own opinion. However, to think that just that had affected another person a lot… He felt a little panicked.

  [PD-san, My Nii-san is originally like that. He’s an uninteresting guy who doesn’t even show anything on his face.] (T/N: Should oppa be Nii-san… in this sentence?)(is it in Korean or Jap?)

  [Is that so? He’s a great person.]

  [He will get embarrassed the more you praise him, so let’s just eat.]

  He seemed to have become close to JooAh, as they now seemed to be unrestrained towards each other. KangYoon felt better since the conclusion was good.

  He was delighted that he was treated to such a good meal, and could bring his sister here.

  The enjoyable time flowed like that.

  ***

  The hot summer was now ending, and cool winds started blowing.

  The empty university started being filled with students. It was because the 2nd semester had begun.

  Along with the start of the semester, the quiet plaza or the lecture rooms started being filled with students, and there were also many students who went to the library to spend their free time or to study.

  Amongst those students was KangYoon.

  “Hmm… Did I come too early?”


  This was the first time he had applied for an early leave not because of HeeYoon but for himself.

  As he had a lot of time left, he headed to the library. After he entered the library not as a student but as an ordinary civilian, he couldn’t hide his surprise due to an absurd lot of books.

  ‘Wow, there’s a lot, where is it…’


  KangYoon headed to the corner where there were materials about concerts. KangYoon’s primary interests lay in that area. After looking up the location on the information PC, he headed to the third floor immediately.

  ‘Found it.’


  KangYoon headed to the corner where it was written ‘Arts.’ There, he could see not only visual arts but music, concerts and various other things in the form of books.

  Perhaps due to being it the beginning of the semester, there were hardly any people at all. KangYoon headed to where the books were about music and concerts. As the location wasn’t that far, he could find it quickly.

  ‘Concert Produce… Ah damn, it’s the English original.’


  However, KangYoon couldn’t hide his disappointment. All the books related to concerts were in their original languages. He looked for more with a little hope but all the books were in English or German, and there were none in Korean. In the end, they were all pies in the sky.

  “So this is why not many people study planning or production.”


  Although he heard that related departments were being created nowadays, he also heard that the environment was quite weak as of yet.

  Wasn’t even KangYoon someone who came to this area after being acknowledged of his suffering on the scene? Realizing the reality, he became bitter.

  With such a mind, he looked for quite a while before there was one book which caught his eyes-

  Basics of Concert Production.

  Just one book, this was the only one in Korean. KangYoon was delighted and grabbed the book immediately.

  ‘Producer, Stage representative, Manager in charge, actors, etc. 100 people have made this book. In Korea…’


  KangYoon read the preface. The contents were that they made this book fit Korea by referencing various books since there were not many books about this area in Korean. KangYoon expectantly flipped the pages.

  ‘What the heck? There are too few examples.’


  However, KangYoon was disappointed. Only the basic theory was explained, and there were too little examples. It was literally just the basics.

  Now that he thought about it, the book wasn’t even that thick. It was just a theory book explaining the basics of the basics.

  When KangYoon read through all the pages, he felt a presence behind him. When he looked back, a young girl he had seen for the first time was standing in front of him.

  “Excuse me…’


  As it was the library, her voice was small.

  “What is it?”


  “I’m sorry but… Did you finish that book?”


  “I only have a little left. What is it?”


  The woman who called KangYoon was a stereotypical university student with a slim body stature wearing a short skirt.

  The straight hair, which came to her shoulders were eye-catching. KangYoon noticed immediately that her eyes were fixed on the book more than he was.

  “Do you need this book?”


  “Yes, yes. I need to photocopy it. If you’re not planning to borrow it… Could you give it to me?”


  KangYoon calmly looked at her before giving her the book.

  “Thank you. Phew… This really isn’t much……”


  She seemed to be genuinely relieved as she took out a chocolate bar from her bag and gave it to KangYoon.

  “I’m alright.”


  “No, please. This is the only thing I can give you…”


  “It’s alr…”


  “See you later.”


  She put the chocolate bar in KangYoon’s hands and left with the book quickly.

  “Kids these days are quite lively.”


  KangYoon shrugged his shoulders at the first acquaintance he met in the university……

  The time came for the lecture and KangYoon headed to the lecture room. Although he was granted permission by the professor, as he was only sitting in, he sat towards the back.

  Professor Choi ChanYang started calling the register, and the students replied one by one before the lecture started.

  “Shin WooJin.”


  “Yes.”


  “Lee ChangYeon.” (T/N: Lee ChangYeon is the author’s name. Lol.)(E/N: lol)

  “Yes.”


  There were cases where the same voice could be heard twice, but the professor pretended not to know and just skipped. This was very common in a liberal arts lecture.(E/N: looks like liberal arts is the same everywhere)

  The last surname in the alphabetical order, ‘Ha’ was next.

  “Ha JiYeon.”


  “……”


  “Is student Ha JiYeon not here?”


  When Professor Choi ChanYang was about to mark her as absent, the rear door opened and a girl hurried in.

  “*pant pant*… I’m sorry.”


  “What is your name?”


  “Ha JiYeon.”


  “If you do this next time, you’ll be marked as absent.”


  Professor Choi ChanYang changed the ‘absent’ to ‘present,’ and the girl called Ha JiYeon sat on the empty desk next to KangYoon.

  “Today will be the orientation…”


  The lecture started, and Ha JiYeon dumbfoundedly opened her mouth wide after she saw KangYoon.

  “You’re… The book last time?”


  “Ah…”


  KangYoon also remembered. This lady was the one who took the book from him.

  ***