Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 44



Only Krnovel

Episode 44. Speed ​​(3)

Don’t ask your superiors to confirm what they say.

This was the philosophy of Chief Secretary Kwak Moon-ki.

It was the same when I was asked to figure out what a boy on TV was like.

I felt the same way when I met that kid and saw them treat each other comfortably like neighborhood friends, like older siblings who had known each other for a long time.

to be honest.

When he suddenly said he wanted to form a rock band with that kid, I was a little taken aback.

That was all.

A little bit of confusion.

It was quite enjoyable.

Since I joined the Planning and Coordination Office of Jaemin Group in 1999, Chairman Yoon Tae-joo, whom I worked with from the beginning, had a daily life that was like chicken breast.

A dry life without any oiliness.

Devoted to work, judgmental and rarely showing emotions.

Seeing a smiling face was rarer than seeing a rainy or snowy day in the year.

-Take it.

-yes.

-You’re not even asking what’s wrong.

-Can I ask you something?

-It’s herbal medicine.

―… … ?

―Your mother. I heard she’s sick. I took her in secretly last time and took her pulse and made this medicine. You’re making a fuss about it, saying it’s for you.

―… … Uh, … … Thank you, Chairman.

-Go ahead.

Chairman Yoon Tae-joo may not have shown his emotions easily, but he was not a person without emotions.

As we’ve been in a public relationship for a long time, we’ve naturally built up a sense of camaraderie.

So I also felt sorry.

‘Please live with a smile… … .’

and.

‘It would be nice if you could live a life of enjoyment. What’s the use of having a lot of money… ‘

These days, such people express their emotions without filtering.

Laugh.

Crying.

And while joking.

So I accepted it.

-I’m going to form a band.

-All right.

-You’re not asking again. Don’t you think it’s strange? You’re saying you want to start a band out of nowhere?

– It was even stranger that the CEO of a large corporation only did his job.

―… … That’s true. I really have lived a strange life… … .

―I didn’t mean to cause you any trouble. I just noticed that the chairman is smiling a lot these days… … .

-No, no. I’m not blaming you. Thank you, always. To you.

-……yes.

-You should put more effort into company work.

-All right.

So, in effect, acting in his place.

Of course, since it was only an unofficial acting position, there was no need to act on behalf of the chairman, and Chairman Yoon Tae-joo did not completely give up his original duties, so not much changed.

Just that I had to go back and forth between the practice room where the company and the chairman often stayed, and that there were more things to report because the headquarters and the chairman were far apart?

ah.

-These days… … I guess he’s busy.

-yes.

-Your face looks better. Do you know anything about it?

―… … .

– Right. That’s why he likes Director Kwak. I get it.

-Please go in carefully, ma’am.

―… … Okay. Thank you.

It was a little painful to have to see the back of my wife’s face, which had become even more bitter.

Was Kwak Moon-ki really a robot without emotions?

My job was to assist the chairman, and I had to listen to a lot of things, but I had to keep my mouth shut, so I just kept my mouth shut. My expressions, my actions. Those things are part of language, so I just kept my mouth shut.

I was going to try using the Ojibappe for a while, but I gave up.

That’s not Kwak Moon-ki’s style, and it’s something that shouldn’t be done.

‘Little by little… … things will get better… … between you two too.’

So I did what I was good at.

Watching.

Then, when a problem arises, how to deal with it.

Although it was an entertainment field that Jaemin Group had neglected, if he had been distracted by the slightly different field, he would not have remained as Chairman Yoon Tae-joo’s right-hand man.

‘The chairman said that he was a singer… … a band… … .’

So I just watched and saw it as it was.

however.

“Sir, there’s a dating rumor.”

Being a chief of staff means having staff under him, and just as Kwak Moon-ki resembles Yoon Tae-joo, Kwak Moon-ki’s subordinates also resemble him.

When one of the secretarial staff members who shared secrets knocked on Kwak Moon-ki’s office door in an unusually urgent voice, he was puzzled.

“Dating rumors?”

“yes.”

“Who’s dating rumor?”

“I’m a moving artist.”

It’s a strange thing, but it’s certain that she’s not dating.

It seems like you don’t have time for that and don’t have the heart to date. What kind of dating rumors are these?

“Since artist Lee Dong-ha does not have an agency, the director needs to make a decision on how to respond and through what channel.”

What the employee said might sound a little strange, but Kwak Moon-ki understood it exactly.

It’s more like the chairman’s hobby than a business.

The head office did not establish a company, and the chairman did not establish a company personally. That is why the Jaemin Group headquarters secretary office, which is directly under the chairman, handled the work of the band that Chairman Yoon Tae-joo was a part of.

anyway.

Since there is no official agency, the news probably broke without the media even asking for confirmation of the facts.

I picked up my work tablet and checked entertainment articles on a portal site.

[Exclusive! My Pick’s Star, Lee Dong Ha! In Love!]

The article with a plain title at the top of the entertainment section of the portal site shows a clear flow along with several photos.

A photo of a female student among the fans who came to the public broadcast when Lee Dong-ha appeared on Idol of My Choice.

To be exact, it is a photo that captures the image of a female student with shining eyes looking at Lee Dong-ha in one screen.

Three pictures like that.

The female students are wearing school uniforms, but the outfits on the move are different, indicating that the three photos were taken during different public broadcasts.

and.

A photo through a glass window, as if taken from a distance with a high-magnification lens of a high-end camera.

The woman from earlier is crying while wearing plain clothes, and Lee Dong-ha is awkwardly facing her.

It would be a stretch to call this a passionate love affair.

Of course, just because it’s a dating rumor doesn’t mean they have to be photographed holding hands or kissing.

This is not it, but it’s not too much.

The logical leap is significant.

‘It’s clear that this article wasn’t written with malicious intent.’

The dating rumor itself feels like a made-up story, but there doesn’t seem to be any particular flaw in the article regarding Lee Dong Ha himself.

It’s not that it’s invisible, but rather it feels like it’s been given some space and packaged.

Star, you. Fresh, exciting. Words like that are intentionally placed.

Since he was trying to understand the flow as best as he could, two types of candidates came to mind.

The first person that came to mind was producer Jo In-chang.

There is a possibility that they did noise marketing to promote a new girl group that will soon debut.

Another one is two reporters from Hidden Magazine who are pretending to be homeless.

Kwak Moon-ki decided that he could deal with anything, so let’s first get the article out and figure out where the incident started, so he quickly contacted Lee Dong-ha and started the media response process.

“what……?”

Kwak Moon-ki showed embarrassment on his face for the first time.

Despite requests to correct the article in the name of Jaemin Group and threats and persuasion using advertisements as an excuse, the article does not disappear from the portal.

* * *

When I came to the present time, which is the future for me, after crossing 30 years.

There were more than one or two things that surprised me.

They say that even mountains and rivers change in 10 years, so it’s only natural that the mountains and rivers have changed three times in that time.

If I had to pick one thing that had the biggest impact, it would definitely be the cell phone.

Starting with the fact that the phone has become small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, you can listen to music, send and receive text messages, take photos, and even watch videos all with this one device.

Games on TV and movies too.

Now, the world’s news, which used to be available only through newspapers bought at newsstands or television news every morning, can be accessed with just this one cell phone.

It’s a monster, really.

I stared at the cell phone, the culmination of 30 years of science and development.

“That girl named Kim Mi-so.”

The last photo in the article appears to have been taken yesterday in Jo In-chang’s office.

This is ridiculous.

Where on earth did they take this picture and what did they use? I felt the greatness of modern civilization in the 21st century once again, and was about to ask producer Jo In-chang why the company windows were so clean, but then I checked the message Jo In-chang had already sent.

[Slave #1: Dong-ha. This is not our side. Don’t misunderstand. It’s not true anyway. We met while working on a song, so it’s sufficiently explained. We’ll send a rebuttal article. Tell your side to send a rebuttal article as well.]

[Slave #1: Ah… … You don’t have an agency right now, right? Can’t Jaemin handle it for you? Ask them. For now, we’ll put out a rebuttal article. It won’t be good for you or us. Let’s handle it quickly.]

A message from Jo In-chang followed, sent after a short delay.

[Slave #1: Dong-ha. This is a bit strange. What are you doing? Answer the phone. They don’t publish rebuttal articles. Anywhere.]

At that moment, Secretary Kwak Moon-ki’s phone call came again.

“hello?”

-Are you still at home?

“yes.”

―We are currently responding, but we are unable to take any official action, so we are contacting you to confirm. How about disclosing the name of Jaemin Group and responding officially?

“I guess you can’t do it unofficially like you used to?”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, and then the voice of Secretary Kwak Moon-ki was heard.

-yes.

“Is there a difference between responding officially and unofficially?”

―If we deal with it officially, suspicions will follow about the relationship between Jaemin Group and Dongha. Why did Jaemin Group come forward when they had nothing to do? However, they will only be suspicions, and those who have suspicions will be limited to a few industry insiders. It will be possible to resolve the dating rumors. However, we cannot deal with it unofficially like we are doing now. There is a limit to the power that the company can exert. The more unofficial it is, the more important the justification is.

It’s difficult.

Adult work isn’t easy.

I sometimes watch movies on OTT, but there is no reason to do it, the line from that line comes to mind.

I quickly shook my head to shake off the distracting thoughts and began to clear my mind.

If we respond to the dating rumors without exposing the company, Taejoo hyung will be exposed.

I also know that there will be people who question the relationship between Taejoo and me.

It’s not like I’m trying to hide my identity just to show off something and make a huge twist, but it’s absolutely necessary for my brothers and I to properly evaluate each other.

So it is important to avoid sowing the seeds of doubt as much as possible.

Unlike the other members, I am open about my vocals and instrumental skills, so I wonder if there is any point in hiding them.

There may be controversy over whether it is me or not, but it is completely different from starting by confirming that it is me.

And the only time I showed my true vocals in Nae-Pok-Il was during the preliminary round.

Rather than saying that I hid my skills, I had to sing while breathing short and dancing for the first time in my life, so I sang while cutting out my breathing as much as possible. The part itself was also sung by sharing it with several people, so it felt quite different.

So, if you don’t compare carefully, you might miss it.

‘If I start exposing myself openly, the band will be reduced to a session.’

Actually, it’s a shame that Mr. Kwak Moon-ki is the one solving this problem. Right now, the only people I can rely on are Mr. Kwak Moon-ki and Tae-joo hyung.

A slightly curious part came to mind, so I asked.

“What about Taeju hyung? What did he say?”

―The chairman went to Japan for a while on business… … I can’t contact him. Usually, I’m always by his side, but of all people… … .

Of all people, I have no intention of blaming anyone. I shouldn’t blame anyone.

Tae-ju hyung must have left Mr. Kwak Moon-ki behind in Korea to take care of our affairs. We can’t ask the person who helped us to hand over the bundle.

It was a situation where I couldn’t consult with Tae-ju hyung, but even if I had, my conclusion would have been the same.

Absolutely not.

I gathered my thoughts and spoke to Mr. Kwak Moon-ki.

“Absolutely not. The company will not open.”

-Isn’t that possible?

“Yes. Absolutely.”

-Then, it is impossible to deal with it at present.

“I think you took my article down very easily last time. Is it different now than then?”

―Yes. First of all, there is the fact that the chairman is absent. If the chairman had dealt with it himself, he could have made an article like this no matter who the other party was. Now, the crucial difference is that the other party’s immediate family members were involved, so I have limitations. There is also the reason that the chairman went to the Japanese branch for business.

“The other side? Immediate family? What do you mean?”

―It means that I have figured out which side is posting the article and holding on.

“Where?”

– This is Executive Director Koo Se-ryeong of Cheong-A Group.

“Are you the executive director of Cheong-A Group, Gu Se-ryeong?”

-Yes. Is there anything you can think of? A grudge… or something you know personally?

Cheong-A Group is one of the largest corporations I know, but… …. Who is Executive Director Koo Se-ryeong?

But why does this name sound so familiar…?

Have I met this person somewhere before… …?

Savior… … Savior… … Savior. I’ll give you the best conditions. Trust me, if you’re with me, I’ll make you the Michael Jackson of the 21st century. Dong-ha, you have infinite potential… …?

Why does this autoplay in my head?

“ah!”

I screamed without realizing it.

I remembered!