Episode 44: Does Hyun-jong Like Min-young Unnie?
I nodded at CEO Jung Han-yong with unshakable confidence.
“This one’s good.”
“Yeah?”
“Got any lyrics for it?”
“Nah, just the beat so far.”
No lyrics or vocal melody yet.
Should I spill the chorus I know?
Or let Jung figure it out himself?
“What, you getting a vibe?”
“Yeah, it hit me right away.”
“Really…?”
My words probably lacked weight.
Without a finished vocal melody, just an empty MR, he wouldn’t pick it as the title track based on my gut alone.
Even CEO Kim Yong couldn’t sway Jung’s musical convictions when it came to producing.
The final call was Jung’s.
I needed to convince him to turn this MR into Smile Again—and get others to back me up.
Fueled by booze and confidence, I decided to risk it and reveal the chorus I knew.
Sure, my singing would be off-key and lifeless, but a pro like Jung could filter it, right?
He might think I’m some amateur flexing, but with my future salary and Jin-ah’s deer-beetle money on the line, pride was a luxury I couldn’t afford.
“CEO, sorry, but could you play the chorus part one more time?”
Jung restarted the MR from the middle, and I, swallowing my embarrassment, hummed it out.
“You… you make my heart flutter, you make me smile, the start of my day…”
Oh, hold on.
Even I knew I sounded awful.
Not just off-key—off-beat too.
I can’t even get compliments for karaoke songs I’ve memorized, so nailing a track I heard hours ago? No chance.
Plus, dropping Ah-hyun’s female key to my male range made it sound like a sluggish slog through a mudflat.
I’m dying of shame.
My face burned as Ah-hyun asked, “Oppa, you came up with that on the spot?”
“Uh… it’s not quite right…”
“Sing it again. I’ll try it.”
“Oh, wanna give it a go? Listen to this.”
I opened my phone, sharing my acapella recording and lyric notes with everyone.
Even though I didn’t write the song, it felt like exposing my elementary school diary.
Jung, hearing my funeral-dirge recording, let out a hollow laugh.
“Funny thing is, the chords kinda match. Ah-hyun, try it in your tone.”
“Sure. Oppa, play it one more time.”
After looping my voice a few times, Ah-hyun sang to the MR, following the lyrics.
“You make my heart flutter, you make me smile, the start and end of my day is You & You & You & You & You~”
That’s it.
Like a series of precise passes from midfield culminating in a perfect goal, everything clicked.
“Smile at me, I sing for you, at the end of a tiring day, you can fall into my open arms~”
The soaring high note at the end gave me chills.
Ah-hyun’s intense focus drew stares from other tables—not annoyed, but impressed by her skill.
“Nice, nice!”
Seung-ah clapped like a seal, hyping her up. Jung’s reaction wasn’t bad either.
Kim Yong told Jung, “Yo, I’m feeling this. Way better than ‘Halloween Day’ already.”
“You gonna roast Halloween Day till I die?”
“Make this one work.”
“It’s a bit weak for a title track. I wrote it for GraceOne’s first album but cut it ‘cause it didn’t fit the concept. Didn’t bother with lyrics since I had no one to give it to.”
“The storytelling’s solid. In acting, people blow up taking roles others passed on.”
“Happens in music too. The title track I gave ‘Signal’ was originally rejected by ‘K-NUS’, heh.”
Kim Yong seemed sold on ‘Smile Again’.
Jung, swayed by Ah-hyun’s pitch-perfect guide, was starting to come around.
Kim Yong asked me, “How’d you nail the chords without even hearing Jung’s track?”
Tailoring my answer to his love for hunches and foresight, I said, “I woke up with the melody in my head and recorded it.”
“I get that. I jot down stuff from dreams too, but most of it’s trash or gibberish when I wake up,” Kim Yong said.
Jung nodded. “Same. Nine out of ten ideas I write down are garbage, heh.”
“I’m serious, I like this one. Give it a real shot,” Kim Yong urged.
“It’s not hard to write…”
Jung clicked his tongue, still feeling something was missing.
But Kim Yong was locked in. “Seon-yu and Woo-ya barely have practice time. Picking the title track early gives them more prep, right?”
“True.”
“Let’s do it then. The biggest hits come when inspiration strikes and you just go for it,” Kim Yong urged.
“Alright, I’ll give it a shot. This one’s your pick, hyung,” Jung replied.
“What, so if it flops, it’s my fault, but if it’s a hit, you get the credit?”
“Why talk about flopping before we even start? Don’t jinx the kids…”
“Fine, fine. If it flops, Hyun-jong’s taking the blame, so go with it.”
The hot potato landed on me.
But no way—I’m not worried.
I know it won’t flop, down to the exact chart position.
“Number 98 on release day,” I said confidently.
Everyone chuckled, like “if only,” but two people took me seriously: Jin-ah, the deer-beetle, and CEO Kim Yong.
“If Hyun-jong says so, it’s true. He’s never been wrong,” Jin-ah said.
“Deal. If it hits exactly 98, I’ll upgrade Free Sense’s dorm and get you a new StarCraft van,” Kim Yong promised.
Seung-ah and Ah-hyun, who’d always dreamed of a fancy van, squealed in excitement.
Jung, finally motivated, told Ah-hyun, “I’ll upload the MR to the company cloud. Polish what you just sang and record it. Si-hyun’s in the studio from 10 a.m. tomorrow, so come anytime.”
“Yes, sir.”
The ‘Smile Again’ mission was a success—for now.
I don’t know how the rest of the song will turn out, but with it locked in, I trust Jung to make it shine.
After that, the two CEOs handed the rest of the dinner to Team Leader Jeon Min-yong and left, saying, “The old-timers know when to dip.”
After settling the bill, Jeon stepped outside and asked the members, “Drinking more with the kids around feels off… Wanna hit a dessert café?”
“Karaoke!”
“Karaoke…?”
Seung-ah’s suggestion lit up the others, who hadn’t been to karaoke in ages.
Kim Jung-sun told Jeon, “Team Leader, I’m heading back to the office.”
“Why? Got something to do?”
“Need to organize profiles for the boy group audition.”
“That can wait till tomorrow.”
“I was in the middle of it when I came here. I’d rather finish tonight.”
“Hmm… Alright, Hyun-jong.”
“Yes, Team Leader?”
“You’re not drunk, right?”
“I’m good.”
“Then take the kids to karaoke.”
“What about you?”
“I need to talk with Kim Jung-sun. Manager Kim, one more drink?”
Looks like he’s smoothing things over with the new manager for work harmony.
The earlier tension from Kim’s casual speech probably made things awkward, and he’s addressing it.
From experience, Jeon’s gruff at first and sets boundaries, but he’s not the type to hold grudges or play politics.
Having asserted his authority, he’s now fostering teamwork.
“Be back by 10 p.m.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Keep the adults’ drinking in check.”
“There’s a minor, so they won’t sell alcohol.”
Seung-ah added, “The place we’re going doesn’t serve drinks anyway.”
“Oh, really? Alright, call me when you’re done.”
“Yes.”
“Manager Kim, you good with dried pollack?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Let’s head there.”
Jeon and Kim Jung-sun went to a nearby bar, while we moved to a karaoke place close by.
8 p.m.
We walked 20 seconds down a bustling four-lane street.
Five girls with idol-level visuals drew every eye in the growing evening crowd.
Guys openly whispered.
“Yo, look over there…”
“Damn, they’re gorgeous.”
“How are all five of them that pretty? Never seen this before.”
“What’s with the guy?”
“Jealous as hell…”
Nah, it’s not like that.
Despite VIP Entertainment being nearby, not a single person recognized ‘Free Sense’.
Their online fame from ‘Halloween Day’ and other songs came with bizarre costumes and makeup, creating a gap with their bare-faced real-life looks.
It made me oddly self-conscious.
The girls, oblivious to the stares, giggled and strolled carefree.
At the karaoke place, Ah-hyun grabbed Woo-ya’s arm. “Oppa, we’re hitting the convenience store real quick.”
“Need something? I’ll grab it.”
“No, we’ve got it. Go in first.”
Feminine products, probably.
I entered the karaoke place with the others.
At the counter, a guy around my age was working.
He looked startled as three stunning girls and one average dude walked in.
“How many people?”
“Six total,” I said, reaching for my card.
Seung-ah slapped her hands on the counter, chirping, “Give us the biggest room!”
She’d mentioned this place had event props like wigs, mic stands, and sparkly outfits in the biggest room.
“The big room? Uh… you’ll need to wait about five minutes.”
“Okay, we’ll wait!”
Seung-ah’s puppy-like charm made the part-timer blush.
“I’ll process the 30,000 won.”
“Pick your drinks,” I told the girls.
“Water for me,” Ah-hyun said.
“Corn silk tea,” Seon-yu added.
“Jin-ah?”
“Sol’s Eye.”
“They won’t have that.”
“Do you have Sol’s Eye?” I asked the part-timer.
“Uh… no Sol’s Eye.”
“Told you,” I said.
“Can’t you get me some, Hyun-jong?”
“Sorry, we don’t allow outside drinks,” the part-timer said.
A bit sulky, Jin-ah went for her backup. “Then do you have Dezawa?”
“You like Dezawa too…?” I asked.
“No, we don’t have that either… but we have Ceylon tea.”
The four infamous drinks: Sol’s Eye, Dezawa, Ceylon tea, Morning Sunshine.
Mentioning Ceylon tea, the part-timer seemed to have clocked Jin-ah’s quirky taste.
But Jin-ah wasn’t fazed. “I don’t like Ceylon tea. It’s gross.”
“Uh…”
“Just water for me too.”
We paid and waited on the entrance sofas.
Ah-hyun and Woo-ya returned from the convenience store with just two 500ml water bottles.
The part-timer saw but let it slide.
Soon, we entered the room.
Before sitting, Ah-hyun took a sip from her water bottle, grinned mischievously, and handed it to Seung-ah.
“Unnie, it’s soju.”
“For real?”
Seung-ah chugged it, and Woo-ya giggled, sipping hers.
I scolded Ah-hyun. “Hey, don’t act like an alcoholic sneaking soju in.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine! Have a sip, oppa.”
“Ugh, seriously…”
“I’ll kick it off!”
High on energy, Seung-ah picked GraceOne’s debut song, Déjà Vu.
They’re doing this?
Ah-hyun grabbed a mic and joined her, nailing the Déjà Vu choreography for a dazzling opener.
“This feeling, not the first time.”
“De-de-de, Déjà Vu!”
I couldn’t resist.
At the key choreography part, my arms and legs started moving instinctively.
Mouthing the lyrics and timidly mimicking the moves, I froze when my eyes met Woo-ya’s across the room.
She’d already clocked my crush on Min-young.
Startled, I stiffened.
Woo-ya, with a crescent-moon smile, shouted brightly, “Oppa, it’s your favorite GraceOne! Right?”
“No, it’s not,” I said, shaking my head coolly.
But her voice cut through the music. “Min-young! Min-young!”
Oh, shut up…
Jin-ah, sitting at the sofa’s edge browsing songs, scooted right next to me.
Leaning down to peer up at my face, she asked, “What? Hyun-jong, you like Min-young unnie?”