Chapter 41: My Singer (6)
[Lilac]
Finally, I found Lilac’s nameplate.
Compared to Cherish’s, their waiting room looked noticeably more spacious.
I hesitated for a moment before knocking.
But there was no response from inside.
Just as I was debating whether to simply open the door, a deep, resonant voice flowed from behind me.
“Who are you?”
I turned my head—and was startled for a moment.
It had been a while since I met someone at eye level with me.
“…And you are?”
“Shouldn’t you answer first—huh?”
The man’s face, which had been about to twist into a scowl, instantly brightened the moment he saw me.
Then, quite suddenly, he asked,
“Oh! It’s you, right?!”
“Sorry?”
“Composer Heli. He composed this album.”
“You’re Composer HELI-nim! The one who composed for the new album!”
Thankfully, unlike the security guard, this man seemed to recognize me. I cleared my throat and put on a needlessly solemn expression.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Ah, it’s an honor! I’m Kim Yu-shin, the new manager assigned to Lilac. I look forward to working with you! I’ve been listening to your music nonstop—it’s amazing!”
His gushing tone was completely at odds with his first impression.
“Hmm-hmm. Well, thank you. Uh, is it alright if I go in?”
“Of course~!”
He instantly mellowed out, opening the door for me with a cheerful smile.
“Thanks.”
I gave his shoulder a friendly pat and stepped inside.
The heavy atmosphere hit me the moment I stepped inside.
Yoo Ah-ra was sprawled out on the couch with earphones in, and Lee Yeon-ji was nowhere to be seen.
At least Kim Yoo-jung was there, seated in a chair and working on her laptop.
She was so focused she didn’t even notice the door opening.
I approached her and spoke.
“Yoo-jung-ah.”
“…Huh?”
Only then did she look up.
Her eyes widened when she saw me.
Manager Kim Yu-shin, sensing the mood, quietly closed the door behind us.
I nodded toward Yoo Ah-ra.
“Is she okay?”
“……She was okay.”
“Why the past tense?”
“Pluto came by and said something weird. After that, she’s been like that.”
“Weird like… what?”
My brow furrowed.
I’d heard that when agencies—or even groups themselves—don’t get along, there’s a kind of power play disguised as polite greetings.
But resorting to rumor-mongering?
That was just cheap.
“Okay. What about Yeon-ji?”
“She got upset and went to the bathroom.”
“I see.”
The maknae is the calmest and most composed of them all.
I gave Kim Yoo-jung’s head an approving pat before heading toward Yoo Ah-ra.
“Hey. Get up.”
No response.
Of course, she didn’t hear me.
Judging by the sound leaking from her earphones, the volume was cranked up absurdly high.
I reached out to remove them.
But the moment I touched even one side, she flailed and resisted.
“Ugh, what the— No! Don’t! Let go! Let go!”
“Wow, she’s doing the backstroke on the sofa.”
Eventually, I managed to yank them out.
Yoo Ah-ra shot up like a spring-loaded toy.
Her face was overflowing with irritation.
“We still have filming—huh?”
—only to freeze when she saw me.
“…Oppa? What are you doing here?”
She mumbled the words like she was in a daze. I chuckled and answered.
“Didn’t you tell me to come watch sometime?”
“I mean, that’s…”
She trailed off, unable to finish.
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
I took out a handkerchief and gently wiped them away.
“…I’m not crying.”
“I didn’t ask.”
“…”
Yoo Ah-ra lowered her gaze, embarrassed.
I had nothing else to say either, so I awkwardly reached out to fix her disheveled bangs—but then caught Kim Yoo-jung watching us.
Her expression was almost exactly like the one she wore during the solo concept meeting—suspicious and wary.
I quickly pulled my hand back.
“Ahem. I came to see you take first place. So why are you all slumped over like this?”
“…Oppa, you don’t know?”
She asked it quietly, eyes still cast downward, full of guilt and shame.
“I do.”
“What?”
“But it’s not true, is it?”
“Well—no. I mean, no. But the fact that this even happened is my fault, so…”
She fidgeted with her fingers as she spoke.
But the thought never reached its end.
A knock came at the door, and a writer stepped inside.
“We’ll begin Lilac’s shoot now~”
“Oh? Oppa, when did you get here?”
Standing next to the writer was Lee Yeon-ji.
“Just now… Anyway, go ahead and film. I’ll wait here.”
“Okay, I’ll be back soon.”
“Excuse us.”
Yoo Ah-ra and Kim Yoo-jung followed the writer out as well.
I sat down for a moment, lost in thought.
Was there anything I could actually do in this situation?
As I was mulling over it, the waiting room door suddenly opened.
“…Huh?”
At first, I thought maybe Yoo Ah-ra had forgotten something and came back.
“…What?”
But it was Pluto.
The five girls I’d only ever seen on TV.
One of them stood holding a CD in her hands.
“Oh? What brings you here?”
Among them was Hye-yeon, who had filmed together with us on Travel Log.
“What the— You know this guy, unnie?”
This one—was it Jelly or Jenny? Anyway, the blonde-haired girl asked the question.
“That’s HELI-ssi. The producer for Lilac’s album.”
“Ah~! Our benefactor!”
“Excuse me?”
‘Benefactor?’
My bewildered expression must have been obvious as Jenny continued.
“Thanks to you, we got a song from Producer Jellay-nim!”
“…Ah. I see.”
They’ve really mastered the art of saying something with a smile that somehow still pisses you off.
“Right.”
I smiled anyway and asked,
“So, what’s this about?”
“Oh, we came by earlier to say hi, but we forgot to leave a gift CD.”
This time Jenny spoke again.
“Then just leave it with me. I’ll pass it along.”
“Huh? No, I mean, still…”
“Just give it and go.”
Hye-yeon cut Jenny off mid-sentence.
“Eh?”
As if that weren’t enough, she snatched the CD out of Jenny’s hands and handed it to me.
I took it without protest.
“We’ll be going then. Hey. Let’s go.”
“Aw, unnie, why so rushed? I just wanted to—”
“I said let’s go.”
Hye-yeon ushered the other members out first, then stopped at the doorway herself.
She hesitated for a brief moment, then turned back and said just one thing.
“…I’m sorry.”
And with that, she rushed out as if fleeing.
Left alone, I fiddled with Pluto’s CD. All five members had signed it.
Some people might be dying to get their hands on something like this…
But to me, it’s headed straight for the trash bin.
Before I knew it, countless stages had come and gone, and now it was time for the final highlight—the announcement of first place.
The stage was crowded with artists.
Lilac, Cherish, VBlue, Pluto, and more.
I stood among the staff, watching them closely.
Of course, I’d gotten permission from the PD first.
“Okay, cue!”
At the cue sign, the MC began the announcement.
-“Now, the moment everyone’s been waiting for. Who will take first place today?”
The odds strongly favored Lilac.
Pluto debuted two days later, and that gap isn’t something to be taken lightly.
On top of that, Lilac’s album sales were significantly higher.
Not to brag, but I’d heard the oil painting I did played a small part in that.
-“First place for the third week of February goes to… Lilac!”
As expected, Lilac took the win.
Fireworks burst, and golden confetti fluttered down from above.
But the three girls couldn’t bring themselves to smile.
Their lips were curved into practiced smiles, but behind them was nothing but sorrow.
It was their first-ever win—one that should have had them sobbing with joy—yet they were pretending to be happy.
I clenched my fists.
Fury burned hot in my chest.
That bastard’s face floated up in my mind.
Because of your thoughtless actions, what should’ve been their happiest day is now covered in ash.
I don’t know what you were thinking, but if you’re an adult, then take responsibility for what you’ve done.
I pulled a business card from my wallet.
[EN Entertainment Reporter – Oh Hae-yeong]
I was just about to call her when a text arrived first. It was from Yoon Seong-woo, telling me to check the news portal.
I hurriedly opened the app—and there it was.
Yoo Ah-ra and Chan-hyeok were trending in real-time searches.
The article had already exploded.
In the CEO’s office at KAN Entertainment, CEO Yoo Min-sang scowled as he looked down at the piles of printed reports stacked across his desk.
Rather than read them himself, he questioned the team leader who had brought them in.
“…So, what exactly happened?”
In truth, stepping down from Travel Log had been in the cards for a while.
With their popularity rising, it didn’t make sense to cling to a third-rate variety show forever.
He’d thought it would be a simple withdrawal, but then this mess happened.
“Apparently, Chan-hyeok got drunk and started spouting weird stuff to some reporters. They jumped on it and wrote articles… He seems pretty shaken up right now.”
“He’s the one who started it, so what the hell is he freaking out about?”
According to the reporters, here’s the story: Chan-hyeok and Yoo Ah-ra started dating during the Travel Log shoot and broke up, and now he’s leaving the show.
Thanks to that crap, both a dating scandal and a breakup rumor exploded at the same time.
To make matters worse, Romeo’s fandom was throwing a fit over why Chan-hyeok was leaving instead of Yoo Ah-ra.
“Should we coordinate with Letter Entertainment for a strong response?”
The secretary asked cautiously.
That was probably the most appropriate response.
But Yoo Min-sang simply rubbed his chin, a strange look on his face, withholding his response.
“Uh, sir?”
“Hm… No. Let’s wait a little.”
“Pardon?”
“Don’t we need to see how the other side responds? For all we know, maybe they really were dating.”
Yoo Min-sang gave a chilling smile.
He remembered his past history with Ji Hyun-wook.
That guy casually put Chan-hyeok in the music video like it was no big deal—and that made it even more infuriating.
That whole ‘I’m cool, I’m above it all’ act of his was downright disgusting.
“But if we do that…”
“Until then… Well, if Pluto gains a little from this mess, then so be it. Nothing we can do about that, right?”
Pluto—along with Romeo—was one of KAN Entertainment’s flagship groups.
And right now, Pluto was in direct competition with Lilac.
