85 – Two Geniuses with Strong Pride (2) "Hoo."
Yoon Hajun took a sip of water and let out a short sigh. Then he checked the time on his phone and frowned.
There are still about twenty minutes left until the meeting time.
He wasn't going to be late on the first day, was he? The person Yoon Hajun was waiting for was none other than Kim Hanol.
After the work with Kim Hanol was decided through CEO Seohoon, Yoon Hajun suggested they grab a meal before starting. Working with Kim Hanol wasn't a matter of handing him a song Yoon Hajun had already made. It meant making a song from scratch, tailored to Kim Hanol.
So he had to hear him out.
Meeting at a barbecue place was fine, but surely he wouldn't drink alcohol while eating with a minor, right?
As Yoon Hajun was thinking that, the restaurant door opened and Kim Hanol entered the private room. Yoon Hajun stood and bowed lightly.
"Hello."
"Ah, yes. Hello."
Kim Hanol looked momentarily flustered at Yoon Hajun's polite greeting, then bowed as well. After that, he examined Yoon Hajun with a tense expression.
He remembered what CEO Seohoon had told him before coming here—from the conditions Yoon Hajun had set, to the warning not to look down on him just because he was a high schooler.
Honestly, no matter how impressive he was, Kim Hanol still thought, He's just a high school kid. He forced himself to hide it.
Anyway, this was his first job at the new company. And since the CEO had arranged the meeting, there was no benefit in getting on anyone's bad side.
"Let's sit down first."
"Yes."
At Yoon Hajun's prompt, Kim Hanol sat. Yoon Hajun poured water into his cup. When Kim Hanol took it and drank, Yoon Hajun spoke.
"What cut do you want? And don't worry about the money. I got the corporate card from my manager hyung."
"Then I'll go with the flower short rib."
At "don't worry about the money," Kim Hanol didn't hesitate and ordered the most expensive item. Yoon Hajun nodded, satisfied.
Right. It wasn't even his money—it was the company's. If they were eating anyway, they might as well eat something good.
Yoon Hajun called the staff over and ordered.
"What did you want to see me for?"
The moment Yoon Hajun finished ordering, Kim Hanol asked.
At his fairly polite tone, Yoon Hajun found it unexpected as he replied.
"To make a song, I need to know what kind of person the singer is. And I wanted to hear your opinion too, Han-ol."
"Ah. Is that what it is?"
Kim Hanol nodded.
Well, if it was that, he could talk comfortably.
"My opinion—do you mean my opinion about the song?"
"Yes. Something like that."
"Hmm. What kind of songs do you usually make, Hajun? The only one I've heard is what you worked on with Blue Aka."
"I don't really limit myself to a genre. That kind of work is boring."
"Boring…"
Kim Hanol let out a small laugh. Even though he was young, was he trying to show off that he was something special? What did "fun" have to do with making music?
He should've just honestly said he could handle a lot of genres.
But unlike what Kim Hanol assumed, Yoon Hajun was serious. Whether you enjoyed the work or not mattered. If the person making the song couldn't enjoy it, could they truly love the song?
He didn't think so. Yoon Hajun had started thinking that way thanks to Ha Hyoju's influence, but either way.
"So don't worry about genre. Let's talk about what kind of song you want to sing, Kim Hanol."
What mattered right now wasn't Yoon Hajun—it was Kim Hanol.
Kim Hanol nodded.
Just then, the ordered meat came in, and Yoon Hajun placed it on the grill.
"Talk comfortably."
Sizzle—the meat hit the hot grill and began to cook.
Watching it, Kim Hanol slowly opened his mouth.
"I want to sing about love."
"Love?"
"Yes. Love."
It wasn't surprising. Most songs Kim Hanol sang were about love, and love songs were extremely common.
Yoon Hajun placed cooked meat onto Kim Hanol's plate and asked, "What kind of love? Lovers? People?"
"No. Hmm… if I had to say, the world? Or pleasure. That kind of love."
"Can you give a more specific example?"
"There are all kinds of things to enjoy in the world. Alcohol, cigarettes, or games. Or a lover. When I enjoy those things, I feel a strong love. I want to sing about that."
Yoon Hajun nodded roughly.
"So it's love for something that makes you happy."
"Yes. When I enjoy those things, I feel complete. That's why I want to sing about that kind of love."
"More specifically?"
The moment Yoon Hajun said it, Kim Hanol launched into it with excitement—how good it felt to drink, what kinds of alcohol he liked. He spilled one thing after another.
Yoon Hajun listened and nodded. From the way Kim Hanol talked, it was obvious he wanted to order alcohol right away, but he seemed to be holding back because he was with a minor.
After that, Kim Hanol kept shifting topics.
He insulted idols, trashed people in the industry who had no skill but still clung on, and spoke with blunt honesty that bordered on unpleasant.
Yoon Hajun gave vague affirmations and nodded along.
Before he knew it, three hours had passed.
"It's a shame you're a minor, Hajun. If you were an adult, I'd say we should go for a second round at a bar I go to a lot."
"Yeah."
He wasn't disappointed, but Yoon Hajun smiled and nodded anyway. At least he could roughly tell what kind of person Kim Hanol was now.
Exactly what he expected.
"Then when the song's finished, I'll send it to you. Listen and give me feedback."
"Ah, yes."
"You heard the conditions I gave CEO Seohoon, right? Once we go into recording, you have to keep those conditions."
"Of course."
Kim Hanol nodded confidently, like he wanted to be trusted.
Yeah, right.
Based on what he'd heard today, Yoon Hajun couldn't trust him at all.
Kim Hanol lived by his instincts. No responsibility. He valued partying more than anything.
A person who cared more about immediate pleasure than the future.
And he must've heard it from CEO Seohoon, because he was clearly hiding his usual personality—but now and then, arrogance still leaked out.
Maybe it was impressive he'd managed to hide it at the first meeting. In that sense, he was better than Jeong Jinhoo. Not that Yoon Hajun wanted to be close to him.
"Then I'll get going first."
"Yeah, go ahead."
Yoon Hajun left the restaurant and headed home.
Watching him go, Kim Hanol let out a deep sigh.
"Ugh, trying to speak formally to a high school kid is going to kill me."
Because of what CEO Seohoon said, he'd kept using honorifics and being careful, but it didn't suit him at all.
Kim Hanol pulled out a cigarette, put it between his lips, and headed for the bar he frequented.
Then he recalled the conditions CEO Seohoon had warned him about. Thinking of them made a hollow laugh rise in his throat.
He was just a high school kid.
No idea where he'd learned it, but he was doing a producer cosplay that looked convincing. All Kim Hanol had to do was smile, nod, say yes, and play along.
With that thought, Kim Hanol snorted.
§ § §
After meeting Kim Hanol, I should've started making the song in earnest—but I couldn't.
There was something I had to do first.
And that was—
"Have you ever done a music video shoot?"
Blue Aka's music video shoot.
While I was going to school and meeting Kim Hanol, Blue Aka had steadily been filming their music video, and now only my part and Han Goyo's part were left.
"I've done a tour before."
I said that with a smile. More precisely, it wasn't a tour—I'd filmed one myself.
But that was from my previous life.
At my words, Won Seongmin nodded and showed Goyo and me the music video they had filmed so far.
Watching it, I let out a short exclamation.
Blue Aka's music video was stylish and sophisticated at the same time.
They divided a single space into multiple rooms. In the center, Blue Aka played in black-and-white. Then, matching the song, it cut to the rooms where the vocalists were. Since each vocalist's genre differed, each room had a different concept.
Each segment ran about forty seconds. Every time the song changed, it showed Blue Aka in the center once, then switched rooms.
It reminded me of a rhythm game.
"And this studio is where Goyo and Hajun will film."
The set for Goyo and me was chaotic. All kinds of things were smashed, tilted, and toppled over.
Nothing looked intact.
"You've heard about the concept, right? Goyo, you'll sit in this chair and sing. Hajun, you'll sit on the sofa and watch Goyo. Your segment is about forty seconds. Filming will probably take about four to five hours."
"Yes."
I answered, and Goyo nodded.
Then we started filming for real.
They called it a music video shoot, but I had almost nothing to do. I just had to sit on the sofa and watch Goyo sing.
So it went smoothly.
But they filmed from many angles, so even without retakes, it took a long time.
"Tired?"
When filming ended, I handed a drink to Goyo, who looked exhausted.
"Thanks."
Goyo took it, sipped, then let out a quiet breath.
She must've been really tired.
"Aren't you tired?"
"I was sitting on the sofa the whole time."
Compared to her, my part was small. The last shot was a little tiring, but I got an okay in four tries.
"Are you still thinking about it?"
"Huh?"
"The things you told me you were worried about last time."
"Ah."
Goyo let out a short sound.
It would be a lie to say I didn't care what choice she'd make. Depending on whether she appeared on Singer Star or not, the difficulty would change drastically.
At my words, Goyo hesitated, then asked carefully, "If I go on Singer Star…"
"Yeah."
"Wouldn't you hate it?"
"Why would I?"
I didn't understand. Why would I hate her going on Singer Star?
Goyo looked like she was deciding whether she could say it. After a moment, she answered hesitantly.
"…It gets in the way of your little sister."
"Kkh."
So that was what she'd been worrying about?
"Well, if you go on Singer Star, Suyeon's chances of winning will go down. But do you think I'd hate you for that?"
"Yes."
She answered firmly.
Tsk. What kind of image did I have, for her to say that immediately?
I drank what was left, then said, "No. Of course I want Suyeon to win, but I've never once thought I'd dislike it if you appeared because of that. If anything, I thought it might be fun if you came out."
I looked at Goyo as I said it.
But her expression was strange. Her face was redder than usual, and she looked flustered.
Did I say something weird?
"Why? What's wrong?"
"Huh? Ah—nothing. Yeah."
What was with her? She was always a little odd, but right now she felt even stranger than usual.
And her gaze was fixed on the drink in my hand.
Ah. Did she want more?
"Sorry. I finished it. Want me to get you a new one?"
"No. It's okay. That's enough."
At her answer, I handed the cup back to her.
Then I stood.
"Anyway, don't take other people's opinions too seriously. Your own thoughts matter more."
§
After Yoon Hajun left, Han Goyo—now alone—cautiously sniffed herself.
I don't smell, do I?
She was drenched in sweat from filming. She worried about sweat, worried whether her breath smelled sweet, too. And the drink container in her hand bothered her as well.
After confirming she didn't smell, Han Goyo let out a small sigh.
Seriously. Whenever she was with him, she got weird.
Maybe she became more careful.
Maybe she wasn't like herself.
My thoughts are more important than other people's thoughts.
As she repeated the words Yoon Hajun had said, she asked herself what she wanted to do.
In the distance, she could see Yoon Hajun's back as he walked toward Blue Aka.
Watching him, Han Goyo stood.
Then she started after him.
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