Chapter 44: Together Duo (1)
11:00 PM
The street busking performance had ended successfully.
Though other locations had been secured in advance, the crowd was so overwhelming that moving to another spot was out of the question.
So, the show ended in Hongdae.
“We’ll be going now~”
“See you next time!”
The Lilac members boarded the van with faces noticeably brighter than before, each offering a parting words to fans.
I stood there quietly, watching it all unfold.
I couldn’t hide the smile spreading across my face.
Not even the lingering chill of late winter could reach me.
“Would you like to come with me?”
It was Lee Ha-yeon, watching me with a slight tilt of her head.
“To where?”
“To the office. You’re not planning to follow the Lilac girls all the way back to their dorm, are you?”
A soft chuckle slipped out.
“Of course not.”
“Then follow me.”
I tilted my head at her invitation, confused for a moment.
But Lee Ha-yeon said nothing further and simply began walking somewhere.
I trailed after her.
We arrived at a nearby parking lot, where she came to a stop.
“Get in.”
“……”
For a moment, I was speechless.
The sleek, glimmering car in front of me was just… stunning.
“Team Leader-nim… Is this really your car?”
“Yes, it’s my baby. Why?”
I knew exactly what this was.
A two-seater sports car.
If it’s the full option model, it probably costs close to two hundred million won.
Lee Ha-yeon climbed into the driver’s seat with effortless familiarity.
“Get in.”
“…Ah. Yes, thank you.”
I carefully settled into the seat beside her—cozy and luxurious, almost like it was made just for me.
Without hesitation, Lee Ha-yeon started the engine.
Vroom. Vroom.
The powerful roar of the exhaust sent a jolt through my chest.
Honestly, any man would feel the same.
“Here we go.”
The moment she said it, the sports car surged forward.
Lee Ha-yeon didn’t hold back as she pressed down on the accelerator.
Fortunately, I was in the right mood to enjoy the speed tonight.
Thanks to Lee Ha-yeon’s spirited driving, I made it back to the Letter studio before midnight.
I sat quietly on the sofa, letting the adrenaline stirred by the sports car settle.
Then, all of a sudden, a dangerous thought crossed my mind—
Should I save up and buy one for myself?
With my driving skills…
Bzzz—
A sudden call cut through my pointless fantasies.
The name flashing on the screen: Yoon Seong-woo.
“Hello?”
—“Well, well, Heli-ssi. Just about three hours ago, I got a call from KAN asking if I was the one who spread the rumor about Chan-hyeok~”
I let out a dry laugh.
So it’s finally here.
“But the article didn’t drop, did it?”
—“Of course not. Still, inter-agency relations are bound to sour~ So we’ve come to a deal. Just two songs! A pretty generous arrangement, I’d say~”
“Negotiation? With me? When?”
—”Anyway. Just wanted to give you a heads-up to get ready. We’re gonna squeeze out every drop from you for those title tracks~”
I had nothing to say.
Sure, I’d signed an exclusive contract with Letter, but aside from the annual ‘minimum track quota’ required for in-house artists, there weren’t many restrictions.
And of course, this bastard Yoon Seong-woo, who reviewed my contract himself, would know that very well.
“Alright. I’ll await your call then~ Just send me artists with decent potential~”
—”Oh, naturally. But don’t even dream about working with a girl group~”
“What? Why not?!”
My mind snapped to attention.
They’ve got two girl groups that are absolutely charming—CutieN and…
—”You already hit #1 with a girl group. Now it’s time to aim for #1 with a boy group too~ Heh. Anyway, I’ll mention it at tomorrow’s meeting, so consider it done. Bye now.”
Yoon Seong-woo hung up just like that—cold and clean.
“That conniving bastard.”
All I could do was seethe with betrayal.
JM Entertainment.
Once a bold, top-tier player in the industry, it had been steadily pushed down to the mid-tier through repeated failures—a textbook case of an ‘old school’ entertainment company.
Still, it was trying to claw its way back, pumping in young blood and fresh energy.
A tiger at birth, now aging and toothless.
Despite many rounds of introspection and reform, they still hadn’t produced anything that could be called a true ‘mega-hit’.”
And so they sat, watching other agencies’ groups succeed, their thirst for success growing ever more desperate.
Outside the meeting room, Yoon Seong-woo, the young chief manager leading JM Entertainment’s artist team, straightened his clothes.
“I wonder what kind of hell today will bring~”
Meetings were always tense.
Especially now that their one ally, former Team Leader Yoo Jae-hyun, had gone independent.
The new team leader who took his place was controlling and temperamental—and Yoon Seong-woo was the one who had to bear the brunt of it all.
Still, today, he had a piece of good news to share.
“Time to finally cash in a favor from an old friend.”
Maybe, just maybe—Yoon Seong-woo wanted Lilac‘s success even more than the people directly involved.
Having a No.1 composer in your personal network?
That’s an enormous asset for any agency manager.
And now, with a firm promise of tracks in hand, he could afford to feel a little confident…
Knock knock—
Yoon Seong-woo rapped on the door and stepped into the meeting room.
Two team leaders.
Three managers.
Three assistants.
It was the usual lineup he saw every time.
But today’s meeting had something extra: seated at the head of the table was none other than Department Head Joo Tae-ho himself.
Tae-ho.
Just like his name, meaning ‘great tiger’, the man radiated sheer authority.
“Apologies. My last schedule ran late, so I’m a little behind.”
“We haven’t started yet. Have a seat.”
Joo Tae-ho gave a slight nod.
Yoon Seong-woo stiffly walked over and sat in an empty seat.
Just as he did, the projector displayed the first slide of the meeting’s PowerPoint presentation.
First item on the agenda: the concept for Cloud, the agency’s boy group, and their upcoming album.
The presenter was A&R Team Leader Oh Jong-hyuk.
After his brief summary, the discussion began.
“What about the flower-boy concept that’s trending lately?”
“The members don’t quite fit that mold. Maybe we should lean into a more masculine concept…”
Opinions flew back and forth.
Yoon Seong-woo, however, remained silent.
He knew his moment would come—the topic he’d been waiting for.
“The concept is important, but more than that, securing the right composer is even more crucial…”
There it is.
The question every agency agonizes over when planning an album.
Who should write the song?
What kind of song should it be?
Yoon Seong-woo immediately raised his hand.
“What about Heli?”
The room, which had thus far ignored him, suddenly turned its attention toward him.
More importantly, the department head seemed intrigued.
“…Heli? That composer who recently made a splash with Lilac?”
“Yes, that’s the one.”
“I heard Heli signed an exclusive contract with Letter?”
Unable to hold back, Team Leader Oh Jong-hyuk chimed in with an objection.
“It’s more of a paper contract—basically freelance in all but name. I’ve already secured a commitment for tracks.”
A brief silence fell over the meeting room, heavy with contemplation.
There were no flashy reactions like “Amazing!” or “Perfect!”
Not that Yoon Seong-woo expected any.
Heli wasn’t quite at that level yet.
In this industry, one-hit wonders were a dime a dozen.
But the mere fact that a ‘promising candidate’ was presented is an achievement at this meeting.
“I think it’s a good idea. He’s the current No.1 composer, and with his face already in the media, the publicity would help too.”
One of the other managers finally broke the silence, giving the conversation new momentum.
“I don’t think he’s ever written a boy group track, though.”
“I heard Alleyway was his?”
“There’s a big difference between a soloist and a boy group. Don’t you know that?”
“Still, it’s better than someone with zero experience…”
As the discussion grew more intense, the department head spoke.
His voice cut through all the chatter and landed squarely on Yoon Seong-woo.
“What’s your relationship with Heli?”
Since Joo Tae-ho had been headhunted from another company, he didn’t know that Heli was actually Kim So-ha.
Yoon Seong-woo had expected this question from the beginning—honestly, it had come a little later than he thought.
“We’ve known each other for quite a while. And I’ve done him a few favors in the past, so he’s cutting me a deal on the track fee—”
“No. If we decide to use it, we pay him fairly. Based on market rate and song quality. Especially because you’re friends.”
Joo Tae-ho paused, sweeping his gaze across the faces of the staff seated around the table.
“…Let’s take it. Whether or not it becomes the title track—that’ll be our decision.”
No one dared question the department head’s final word.
“Alright then, discuss the remaining details among yourselves and make a decision. Now, onto the next matter… Actually, this is the real reason I came here today. Team Leader Oh?”
“Yes.”
Oh Joong-hyuk clicked to the next slide in the presentation.
[Girl Group on the Verge of Disbandment: CHERISH]
“I don’t know the full story, but I heard there was a manager who broke off from JM about two years ago. Someone named Yoo Jae-hyun from LO Entertainment?”
“…Ah.”
Yoon Seong-woo’s expression contorted for a moment.
Yoo Jae-hyun.
A rare breed in this industry—principled, unwavering, a person of true integrity.
He also happened to be Yoon Seong-woo’s role model.
“Anyway, we got a request from him. His company’s about to go bankrupt, but for old times’ sake, he’s asking if we can take over the girl group he personally nurtured.”
Even though he’d already heard about this, the sting in his gut was still fresh.
While Yoon Seong-woo sat quietly, profiles of the group’s members began cycling across the screen.
Seo-yeon.
Joo-hee.
So-yoon.
Yoon-chae.
And finally—Cindy.
“Yoo Jae-hyun insists he has no regrets… but I’d like to hear your thoughts on this group.”
As one denial article after another surfaced, and the flames finally began to die down, I paid a visit to Team Leader Lee Ha-yeon.
It had been a while since I’d last been to her office.
Once spotless, the space was now overflowing with piles upon piles of documents.
“…What is all this?”
“These were the materials we were preparing for our rebuttal. We were planning to hit back hard at the people who dared to mess with our Ah-ra. But they apologized first, so we were able to wrap things up peacefully.”
Lee Ha-yeon said it with a bright smile.
I skimmed through the paperwork before asking,
“You weren’t just waiting for a signature, were you?”
Lilac had one year left on her contract.
And I wondered—had Lee Ha-yeon said something along the lines of:
‘There’s only a year left. It’s not worth going all-in to protect an artist with so little time remaining. We’ll support the upcoming album, but if it’s anything that could burn bridges with other agencies, you’ll need to sign a contract extension first…’
It was just speculation, of course.
But based on Yoo Ah-ra’s words and reactions, it felt like a plausible deduction.
Besides, there were already rumors swirling within the company that Lilac might renew her contract.
Lee Ha-yeon’s face momentarily stiffened.
But she quickly smoothed it over with her usual sunny expression.
“No. I’m not that cold, you know. Anyway, why did you come by today? Here to meddle again?”
There was a faint edge in her voice.
I just smiled and took a seat.
“Sorry. I didn’t come to stir the pot. I just need to inform you—I’ll be giving a song to an artist from another agency.”
Was it the principle of good faith and fair dealing?
Or maybe the obligation of good faith?
Whichever it was, the contract stated that while I could give a song to another artist, I was required to give prior notice.
Lee Ha-yeon’s expression tightened slightly.
“Which agency?”
“JM.”
“Ah. That should be fine.”
She answered with a quick smile.
Something about that polite, practiced expression unsettled me.
“Oh, right. You know Hyeok-pil got cast for that new pilot show, right? Was it called Together Duo?”
“Yes. I was actually planning to take charge of that one.”
Still wearing that same smile, Lee Ha-yeon added,
“Hyeok-pil must be thrilled. Getting a top-tier composer to arrange his track and all. I’ll be looking forward to another great pick, like “Sending My Love.”
