Chapter 178
“This is sooooo booooooooooring . ”
JooAh, who had partic.i.p.ated in the board meeting of directors, grumbled as she left the meeting room .
(T/N: I’m not sure if it’s mentioned, but JooAh is an ‘honorary director’ of MG Entertainment, so she is qualified to join the meeting . )
‘Looks like she’s at it again . ’
‘Guys, let’s just avoid her . There will be no good from talking with her . ’
The directors, who were leaving as well, quietly left the place .
It would only result in a loss if they decided to quarrel with JooAh, one of the top stars at MG Entertainment .
However, there was one person who talked to the devil without fear .
“But this still is the highest authority meeting of the company, I don’t think you should do that . ”
JooAh turned around with scary eyes when she heard the nonsense from behind her . However, she saw that it was director Lee HanSeo who stood there with a smile .
“…Oh, and here I was wondering who it was . You surprised me . ”
“Hahaha, you’re quite honest . ”
“Anyway, nice time . I was just getting thirsty . Can I ask you for some coffee?”
Even as the other directors left while clicking their tongues, JooAh did not give them a single glance . Facing those lumps of cancer was only exhausting for her . Director Lee HanSeo replied with a slightly disappointed expression .
“But tea has a better fragrance than coffee . ”
“I rather prefer the fragrance of black coffee . ”
“Haha…”
Director Lee HanSeo shrugged his shoulders and took JooAh to his office .
Inside, JooAh closed her eyes while appreciating the fragrance of the coffee that director Lee Hans...o...b..ewed .
“Ah, this is it! Your coffee is the best, director . ”
JooAh gave him a thumbs up . It seemed like he was just as good in brewing coffee as he was in brewing tea .
Director Lee HanSeo smiled softly . It seemed like he was happy to be praised by her .
“I hope you can have some tea next time . ”
“I’ll ask you for some coffee next time as well . ”
“…Haha . ”
JooAh’s pickiness made director Lee HanSeo feel awkward .
As the fragrance of tea and coffee spread in the room, director Lee HanSeo spoke about the things that happened in the board meeting .
“I’m worried about now . MG Star Tower project? The Chinese tourists are good and all, but this is not the time for investment . It’s too dangerous . ”
“You think so too, director?”
JooAh put down after emptying half of her coffee . Her expression was full of worry as well .
Director Lee HanSeo heaved a deep sigh before speaking .
“According to the plan, the location of the tower is in Samseong-dong, Gangnam . And it’s right next to the UO shopping mall as well . The land there is more expensive than gold, and there are construction costs as well as… Director Kim JinHo says that MG’s credit rating is enough to get a loan, but I’m not so sure . ”
“But didn’t they say that it can be used as a tourist attraction once the tower is finished being built? I heard that there will be ma.s.sive profits once celebrity merchandise comes out…”
Director Lee HanSeo shook his head .
“Yes . But that’s IF we can finish building the tower . Who knows what may happen mid-way? I don’t get what director Kim JinHo is thinking . If we somehow become unable to pay it back…”
“… . . ”
JooAh frowned .
Leaving aside the benefits of the Star Tower, she wondered if it was worth the risk to build the tower at all .
“Haa… Everything is going down the drain since the Chairman left . ”
“… . . ”
Director Lee HanSeo could not say anything as he watched JooAh’s depressed expression .
‘I’m almost done cleaning things up here, but who will take care of JooAh or JinSeo?’
Facing JooAh’s depressed expression, director Lee HanSeo swallowed his words .
***
Kim JiMin, whose activity period was over, focused on school .
KangYoon had Kim JiMin attend cla.s.ses no matter what happened . This was to make her look diligent to the public, and also to mix well with the general public .
During her after school self-study period –
“Miss Eunha… can you… give me an autograph?”
Kim JiMin gave a girl from another cla.s.s her autograph and even shook hands with her .
Now that her name was becoming known, Kim JiMin’s school life had long turned into a fan meeting .
“Eunha! Sing, sing for us!”
“Eunha-unni! Can you take a photo…”
The people of her cla.s.s had died down somewhat, but students from other cla.s.ses and her juniors frequented her cla.s.s . Thanks to that, her cla.s.sroom was filled with people from other cla.s.ses during breaks and lunchtimes .
Despite this though, she did not want to transfer to a school for celebrities . Although the downside was that she had to keep up a good image, there was the advantage that she could interact with the general public here .
Kim JiMin, who partic.i.p.ated in self-study periods even on a Sat.u.r.day, headed to the parking lot once it became lunchtime .
However, today, KangYoon came to pick her up instead of manager Moon JooMyeong .
“Sir?”
“Get on . ”
KangYoon drove her to the company .
Inside the car, Kim JiMin asked .
“Did something happen with JooMyeong-oppa?”
“He asked for leave to propose to his girlfriend . That’s why I’m here . ”
“Oh, so he’s proposing now . He told me he had a fight with his girlfriend last time…”
She had heard that his girlfriend was very sad since she couldn’t meet with him a lot due to the irregularities of a manager’s schedule . And now, he was going to propose to his girlfriend . Kim JiMin was glad to see that .
The car that the two of them were in stopped in front of a traffic light in a junction near the company .
KangYoon put the handbrake on and turned around to Kim JiMin .
(T/N: I’m not sure why he’s putting the handbrake on when it’s just a traffic light…)
“There’s an audition today . ”
“An audition? Do you mean for me?”
Kim JiMin’s eyes widened as she hadn’t heard this before . KangYoon shook his head with a smile .
“No, if that was the case, I would have told you a few days ago . There will be a new trainee candidate . ”
“Really? Wow, I’m getting a junior?”
Kim JiMin smiled with eyes filled with curiosity . A junior already? She felt joyful just thinking about it .
KangYoon smiled as well .
“Perhaps . Let’s go and see . ”
“Yes . ”
Expectations filled Kim JiMin’s chest .
The two headed towards the studio as soon as they arrived at the company .
When they arrived, Lee HyunJi as well as the artists of World Entertainment, had all gathered around .
“JiMin, you’re here . ”
“h.e.l.lo . ”
Her senior artists all greeted Kim JiMin, their youngest members . From Lee HyunAh, Kim JaeHoon, and Eddios . Kim JiMin bowed towards her seniors .
There were 20 minutes until the audition .
The door to the studio opened and In MoonHee, who was here for the audition, followed Yoo Jung Min, who guided her here, in .
‘Hiccup!’
The first reaction In MoonHee had after seeing the artists of World Entertainment gathered around in one place was a hiccup .
She was thinking that only 3 or 4 people would oversee her audition and did not think that all of them would be here .
Despite that, she came to herself quickly and greeted them .
“H, h.e.l.lo . I’m In MoonHee . ”
KangYoon, who was seated, also greeted her
“h.e.l.lo . I’m Lee KangYoon, the CEO of World Entertainment . ”
KangYoon offered her to sit down and spoke .
“I’ll call you Miss MoonHee from now on . Is that okay with you?”
“Yes . ”
In MoonHee replied with a trembling voice .
Both KangYoon’s calm and rational eyes and the presence of the artists of World Entertainment gave her a lot of pressure .
‘Lee HyunAh . ’
Among them, Lee HyunAh was special to her since the two of them both got an award at the College Pop Festival .
They had met once in the past, but now they walked completely different paths . When she glanced at her, she saw that Lee HyunAh’s eyes were deep .
KangYoon spoke calmly after seeing that she was dazed .
“This is an audition, but I hope you can relax as much as possible . I’ve prepared some snacks over there as well . You can just take them whenever you want . I hope to see a lot today, so this may take some time . Is that alright with you?”
“Yes . I’ll do my best . ”
In MoonHee gave a typical answer and started clearing her throat . Hearing that, Lee HyunJi and the artists focused on In MoonHee as well .
“First, could you please sing a song of your choice . ”
At KangYoon’s request, she closed her eyes and started singing .
“I was like that — I always said — let’s break up — at that time — I thought that was love –”
This was the song ‘Time’ the song that In MoonHee sang to win an award back then at the College Pop Festival . KangYoon’s eyes became deep as he focused on the acapella .
“I reminisced numerous times — in remembrance –”
However, KangYoon’s eyes narrowed seeing that the white light wasn’t bright at all .
Behind him, Kim JaeHoon tilted his head and asked Lee HyunAh who was next to him .
‘She got the silver prize right? I think you’re better off, HyunAh . ’
‘She was really good back then . Her bouncy voice was really charming . But now, I can definitely see that some of that has died down . ’
Lee HyunAh replied with a bitter expression .
In MoonHee opened her eyes slightly and had a glance at KangYoon and the others . But…
‘Ugh, looks like they don’t like it . ’
She panicked .
Everyone seemed disappointed and she could clearly feel some displeasure from their expressions . Kim JaeHoon and Lee HyunAh especially were noticeably shaking their heads, and In MoonHee’s voice started shaking unknowingly .
At that time, KangYoon raised his hand .
“Wait . ”
“Yes?”
In MoonHee’s heart thumped .
“Sorry for interrupting you . It looks like you’re still very nervous . ”
“Oh, that’s…”
“Let’s do it again in 5 minutes . ”
A break just because she was nervous? In MoonHee wasn’t touched, but was shocked instead . She had partic.i.p.ated in several auditions before, but most of them only lasted around 5 minutes .
‘Ugh…”
In MoonHee collapsed on her seat in embarra.s.sment . However, KangYoon approached her and calmly spoke .
“We can give you plenty of time . Miss MoonHee, don’t consider us as judges, but as the audience . ”
“The au…dience?”
“Yes, the audience . You can sing however you’re comfortable with . ”
Having said those words, KangYoon returned to his seat .
It hadn’t even been five minutes, but she sat upright as though she had become a lot more relaxed than before .
“I’m fine now . ”
When KangYoon nodded his head, In MoonHee cleared her throat a little before singing .
“I was like–”
Her second singing of ‘Time’ spread throughout the studio .
KangYoon’s eyes narrowed while looking at the white light that her note created .
“Someone said — that the past cannot be held – but I wanted to hold – the you back then –”
However, the white light was still very weak . No, it even contained a hint of grey this time .
‘Ugh…’
This was even worse than before .
KangYoon frowned unintentionally due to the influence of the grey light . Grey influenced his emotions and made him feel agonized .
Despite that, In MoonHee kept singing .
KangYoon smiled despite all the pain and tried to focus on the song .
‘…It’s like she’s wearing clothes not suited for her . ’
The voice was definitely pleasant on the ears . However, it didn’t seem to fit with the song . It felt like it was unbalanced .
‘It sounds weird . ’
‘I think so too . ’
Christie An and Han JooYeon, who was listening from the back, shook their heads as well .
Most of the singers seemed to think the same as they exchanged opinions with each other .
Despite the unfriendly att.i.tude from everyone, In MoonHee ended up finishing the song .
After clapping, KangYoon calmly spoke .
“Thank you for that . Phew . ”
KangYoon shook his body a little in order to shake off the effects of the grey light . The murky feeling was shaken off somewhat .
In MoonHee was a little perplexed by KangYoon’s actions but could not say anything since he would give her a judgment . She only waited nervously for the evaluation .
However, his following words were out of her expectations .
“Can I ask you to sing ‘Longing’ for your next song?”
“Yearning?”
In MoonHee thought that she would receive her evaluation so she tilted her head but she still accepted nonetheless .
This was the song shown in the video . She was wondering why he wanted to listen to the same song again, but she cleared her throat before starting to sing again .
“I long for you — but — you are far from me — please look at me–”
A very enchanting voice filled the studio, a drastic difference compared to before .
The note and the light had completely changed as well . The white light from the orange notes made KangYoon widen his eyes .
‘I knew it . Her voice fits perfectly with trot . ’
KangYoon clenched his fist .
“I ㅡmiss you — I cry — I search for my –”
The sad and resounding melody resonated within everyone’s hearts .
The other singers seemed to think the same as KangYoon and they immersed themselves into the song .
As the song continued, something different appeared within the white light .
‘Silver!?’
KangYoon was shocked .
This was the first time someone produced a silver light with their voice alone ever since Min JinSeo’s acting . Didn’t that event also trigger his ability to see notes rather than just the lights?
The soft feeling that enveloped his heart made KangYoon close his eyes .
However…
“…Uhm . ”
That feeling only lasted an instant . In MoonHee’s singing was already over . However, KangYoon still could not get himself together .
At that time, Jung MinAh, who was right behind KangYoon, approached KangYoon’s face before blowing into his ears .
“Whoa!”
KangYoon was surprised and abruptly stood up .
“*Chuckle* . ”
The other singers snickered at KangYoon panicking and Lee HyunJI’s expression turned awkward due to the sudden prank .
‘That girl!’
Lee HyunAh’s eyes turned scary instead . Such daring moves!
‘Heh . ’
Jung MinAh grinned towards her rival . She was provoking her to do the same if she was bold enough .
At that time .
*b.u.mp* .
“Ouch!”
The consequences were harsh .
KangYoon gave Jung MinAh a solid smack on the head .
“Do you think I’m playing around here?”
“…I’m sorry . ”
Jung MinAh lowered her head due to KangYoon’s retaliation, but she stuck out her tongue cheekily in secret .
“*Ehem* . ”
Meanwhile, KangYoon, who had come to himself, turned around to In MoonHee and gave her his judgment .
“Thank you for singing . You’re exceptional when it comes to putting emotions into your songs . The resonance was splendid . ”
“Thank you . ”
“Can I ask you for another song?”
“Of course . ”
“Can I ask you to sing ‘On the way to Busan’ this time?”
This was a signature song of a veteran trot singer named Lee MiRa . It was a song that most people knew about .
“O, of course . ”
It was another trot song, but In MoonHee cleared her throat again .
Like that, her audition continued .
***
2 hours .
In MoonHee had to spend 2 hours for her audition at World Entertainment .
“Thank you . ”
After the audition ended, the other singers left the company for their respective schedules .
In MoonHee felt strange when all the artists left as soon as her audition was over .
She sat down on the chair powerlessly as she was exhausted .
Yoo JungMin gave her some water .
“Thank you . ”
In MoonHee drained down the water . The gulp was loud enough to ring inside the studio .
KangYoon stood up and approached her .
“Thank you for staying with us for such a long time . ”
“The president… right? Thank you too . You brought all those busy artists here and had them listen to my bad singing… Today was like a dream . Thank you so much . ”
She looked exhausted, but she had a smile on her face .
Today, she could sing to her heart’s content . It was also in front of all the latest famous singers .
She felt that she wouldn’t have any regrets even if she failed her audition today .
KangYoon dragged his chair closer and sat in front of her .
Feeling that an important conversation will occur, In MoonHee sat up nervously .
“I won’t beat around the bush . Thank you for singing 9 songs today . ”
“Haha, thank you . ”
As they had some breaks and conversations midway, the 9 songs took 2 hours .
“I’ll be honest . You seem to have taken a long break from singing . ”
“You’re right . It’s been at least 3 years . ”
In MoonHee replied bitterly .
After she left her old entertainment company due to issues with the company, she did not have many ties to singing . KangYoon’s mention of that made her feel sour .
Regardless, KangYoon continued to speak .
“I had a look at the materials from the College Pop Festival and found that your current voice is very different to back then . As for skill, I believe that the past you were better . ”
“… . . ”
In MoonHee became silent hearing KangYoon’s honest words .
Although she did think that she wouldn’t have any regrets even if she failed today, it felt bitter to listen to a bad evaluation .
However, his words didn’t end there .
“However, the emotions in your voice are much thicker now . I can feel very thick emotions from your singing . Although your techniques may have diminished, your sound has deepened now . That is my conclusion . ”
“Ah… . ”
In MoonHee gulped . What was about to come next would be the deciding factor .
“Miss MoonHee . Would you like to sign a contract with World Entertainment?”
The ‘what if’ became a reality .
A contract!
In MoonHee’s expression turned into that of joy and bliss .