Chapter 179

Chapter 179
“Can I really become a si… . ”
She was about to accept KangYoon’s proposal but stopped .
The dream of becoming a singer was in front of her, but to grab that opportunity again, her current self was too different .
‘Will I really be fine becoming a singer again? I can live a comfortable, albeit boring life right now . ’
She was 27 years old .
She was getting a little too old to chase her dreams without minding about anything else .
Although her current job made her sigh every day, it was not easy to give up a stable job like a teacher .
KangYoon seemed to have noticed what she was thinking and spoke awkwardly .
“Looks like I spoke too much about my side . You are a teacher right now, aren’t you?”
“Ah, yes . ”
“I believe that it won’t be easy to give up such a stable job as a teacher and come to a decision right now . I wasn’t taking into account your perspective, I’m sorry . ”
In MoonHee wondered why KangYoon was so considerate of her even though this situation was more than enough to annoy him . From what she knew, many people related to the entertainment industry were very selfish . It was very difficult to meet considerate people like him . Moreover, it wasn’t like she was a trainee with high potential . She was more like an ordinary person with a lot of age up her sleeves .
“No, not at all . I’m sorry instead . Thank you for giving me such good memories . ”
“No, I hope you think about this deeply . I’m proposing this to you because I believe that you can become a splendid singer, Miss MoonHee . ”
After the audition ended, In MoonHee stood up .
KangYoon saw her out until the entrance .
Leaving World Entertainment, In MoonHee politely bowed towards KangYoon .
“Thank you very much for today . It was like a nice dream . ”
“I’m glad that you had a good time . ”
In MoonHee couldn’t walk away easily .
The excitement from singing did not leave her mind . She still could not forget how people she saw in TVs judged her singing .
However, it was now time to wake up from that dream .
‘…Yes . That’s enough . It’s too late to go back to singing again, right? This is the right choice . ’
In MoonHee consoled her heart .
She forcefully took steps away from the company . However, her eyes trembled . She felt like she would cry once she left .
At that time .
“Miss MoonHee . Please wait for a moment . ”
“What?”
KangYoon held her back just as she was about to leave .
“I am well aware that you are in a position where you have to consider your age and your job . However, I want you to understand that I’m not proposing you join us without thorough judgment . I believe that you can stand on stage again . I will also think of a good way . I hope to see you soon . ”
In MoonHee received the business card that KangYoon gave her and left World Entertainment .
Going past many other people, she fell into contemplation .
‘He didn’t do this without thorough judgment? I can stand on stage again? Haa…’
Perhaps, she can become a singer after all?
Her mind became more complex as she headed home .
***
After sending In MoonHee away, KangYoon was taking care of the remaining work when he got a call from HeeYoon . HeeYoon was excited after having a look at the video on Birth of the Masterpiece, where Kim JiMin appeared .
– I saw JiMin’s singing today . Wow, she’s so…
KangYoon calmly told her that he had the same opinion as his sister .
“She prepared a lot this time . SoYoung did a lot of work too . ”
KangYoon was the one to mediate between Kim JiMin and Park SoYoung, liaise Gye HyoMin and the orchestra, and create the stage .
However, he gave credit to the other people involved .
– But you worked the most, though, oppa . I’m sure there was a lot of discord in making that stage…
As she had lectures on not just music theory, but also on general music production, she knew what KangYoon had gone through .
KangYoon smiled in response to his sister’s words .
“My HeeYoon . You’ve grown up . You speak praiseworthy words . ”
-…I grew up ages ago . Sheesh, you always treat me like a kid .
“Hahaha . ”
The siblings talked warmly with each other and HeeYoon carefully talked about why she had called .
– Did you get the file I sent you?
“JaeHoon’s new song, right? I was just about to see it . ”
– Haa…
KangYoon was confused since this wasn’t her usual reaction .
“What is it?”
-Oppa, the thing is… No, let’s talk about it after you listen to it .
KangYoon opened the music file .
He was listening with a rational mindset but his eyes widened when he heard the middle part and his jaws were agape when he heard the chorus .
“Wait, what’s this? Why is it so high?”
It was hovering around A4 and B4 before the chorus, and it went as high as F5 in the chorus . This had a similar range to Kim JaeHoon’s old songs .
“Shouldn’t you lower the key a little? I think he’ll damage his voice if he does this . ”
– I told him the same . But he won’t listen to me and he said that it doesn’t feel right otherwise . Haa… It’s not like singing high makes a song better . Please talk to JaeHoon-oppa about it, oppa .
Her thick sigh was conveyed over the phone .
KangYoon spoke with a firm tone .
“Okay . I’ll have to stop him no matter what . His vocal cords will be damaged if he uses this song . ”
– I knew it…
“I’ll talk to JaeHoon about it . I don’t need a timebomb on my hands . ”
-Okay . I’ll leave that to you then .
“I’ll persuade him . Oh, you know that JiMin and SoYoung are going over, right?”
-Yeah, I heard from SoYoung .
Although there was a short holiday with the thanksgiving season in Korea, America wasn’t the same .
As HeeYoon wasn’t able to visit Korea due to her being in the graduating class, Park SoYoung and Kim JiMin were visiting her instead .
“Don’t go off to weird places just because some friends are visiting . ”
– Fine . I don’t like clubs because it’s noisy there .
“Hahaha . You should create songs together . ”
– No way . You’re making them work when they are coming over for a visit? You’re such an evil president .
KangYoon laughed hearing his sister’s playful words .
After that, they ended the call after exchanging some news .
“Did JaeHoon get addicted to singing high after HyunAh’s song? Why did he…”
KangYoon headed home with a lot of questions in his mind .
When he arrived, the lights were off in the living room and there were lights in Kim JaeHoon’s room .
Knock knock .
KangYoon knocked on Kim JaeHoon’s room and entered .
“Hyung . You’re back . ”
“Yeah . Can we talk for a sec?”
KangYoon sat on Kim JaeHoon’s bed . When Kim JaeHoon dragged the chair to face him, KangYoon calmly spoke .
“I got your song from HeeYoon today . ”
“Ah… . ”
Kim JaeHoon immediately understood what this was about . KangYoon was one of the people who cared the most about his voice .
Kim JaeHoon became defiant .
“Hyung, It’s been years since my voice completely recovered . I think it’s fine now . ”
KangYoon shook his head at his words .
“Completely recovered, you say? There’s no such thing as a ‘complete recovery’ after an injury to the vocal cords . There’s only some change . HyunAh’s song with a C5 last time was plenty high . Wasn’t it too hard to sing higher?”
“That’s…”
Kim JaeHoon flinched at that moment .
Seeing his reaction, KangYoon continued .
“JaeHoon . I get how you feel, but it’s not like your next album will be your last album . Are you going to quit after a single song?”
“… . . ”
“We’re not in the early 2000s where being able to sing high notes is a measure of technique . In my opinion, I think you should refine your voice right now . ”
Kim JaeHoon became silent .
KangYoon’s words were persuasive, but it was hard for him to give this up .
‘Sheesh, he’s so obstinate . ’
Reading obstinacy from Kim JaeHoon’s eyes, KangYoon shook his head . Kim JaeHoon was very stubborn alright .
However, there was no room for negotiation here .
“JaeHoon . At this rate, we’ll be talking in parallel . If you keep doing this, I can only throw this song away . ”
“Hyung, that’s…”
Kim JaeHoon of course knew that KangYoon was the type of man to stick to his words .
He was very flustered when KangYoon came strong .
Kim JaeHoon knew that his activities brought a lot of profit to the company . He was the second most profitable artist in World Entertainment after Eddios . And here, KangYoon was saying he would throw away his song regardless .
When Kim JaeHoon flinched, KangYoon continued to speak .
“It’s obvious that there will be a problem, so who would want to jump into a burning haystack? It’s better to just not do it at all . Come to me again once you change your mind . ”
KangYoon then stood up .
Seeing that, Kim JaeHoon grabbed him .
“W, wait, Hyung . ”
Seeing that Kim JaeHoon had relented somewhat, KangYoon turned around to him .
“What?”
“Uhm…”
“Tell me once you change your mind . Oh, and I hope that you won’t try and practice that song . As long as you belong to World, you will not release an album with that song . Unless you go to another company, that is . ”
Kim JaeHoon gulped seeing that KangYoon was coming on strong . He didn’t sound like he was joking .
Just as KangYoon was about to leave, he shouted .
“Wait! Fine, I won’t do it . ”
“What?”
“…This song, I won’t do it . I just have to not do it, right?”
Kim JaeHoon completely relented .
Hearing that, KangYoon turned around and sat down again .
“Can you promise me that?”
“…Yes . ”
Closing his eyes shut, Kim JaeHoon replied heavily . He didn’t want to give this song up, but his boss was like this so he couldn’t help it . Moreover, this was in consideration for him as well…
KangYoon spoke calmly .
“Okay . I’ll make a promise too . ”
“A promise?”
KangYoon spoke in a strong tone .
“I’ll give you a good enough song that you can be satisfied with while not putting in high notes . I won’t disappoint you so please wait a little more . ”
“Okay . ”
Kim JaeHoon nodded his head .
‘How should I rearrange the song…’
KangYoon started squeezing his brain to think up good imagery .
***
“Miss In . ”
“……”
“Miss In . ”
Lunchtime ended and it was class time . However, In MoonHee was contemplating while dazing out .
‘Is it not too late? He didn’t contact me even once…’
However, dazing out while working was something bad .
“Miss In!”
“Y, yes!”
The vice-principal, who had narrowed his eyes behind In MoonHee, suddenly shouted out loud .
Only then did In MoonHee turn around, startled .
Seeing In Moonhee shaking her head, the vice-principal clicked his tongue .
“It’s been five minutes . ”
“What? Ah, eh!?”
“What eh, aren’t you going to class?”
In MoonHee hurriedly went to the classroom with her teaching materials .
Seeing that, the vice-principal shook his head .
“She’s no good . She has no passion despite being young . ”
It was another bad comment on her evaluation .
Even while spending time with the young students, the thought in her head did not go away . The numbers she wrote on the blackboard looked like musical notes instead, and any voices she heard sounded like music .
‘Haa…’
Putting down the chalk, In MoonHee sighed .
She couldn’t concentrate .
She was like this ever since she took the audition last Saturday . She thought that she would be able to leave behind any regrets about singing and focus on her everyday life, but the reality was the opposite of that .
“Teacher . ”
“…… . ”
“Teacher . ”
“Oh, sorry about that . How can I help you?”
“You called me though . ”
“D, did I? I’m sorry . ”
She even forgot the fact that she had called a girl over due to her mind being filled about music . She sighed a little .
She was exhausted at the end of the day not because of the students, but because she had to wrestle with her thoughts .
“Phew…”
Thankfully, she didn’t have to overtime work today . Schoolwork had decreased somewhat thanks to the approaching of Thanksgiving .
Just as she left the school gates exhausted, a man was waiting for her .
“Wait, president?”
“Hello there . ”
It was KangYoon .
He approached her with a faint smile .
“I’m sorry for visiting you all of a sudden . Can I take a bit of your time?”
“Uhm… yes . I’m fine with it . ”
She had no particular schedule . No, she rather wanted to meet him instead .
As it was evening, KangYoon headed to a nearby restaurant with her .
‘Ah, How am I supposed to say it?’
She had a lot to say to him, but now that she met him, In MoonHee did not know what to speak first .
However, KangYoon didn’t mention anything about singing at all .
He only asked what it was like to work as an elementary school teacher, and talked about generic stories about the entertainment industry .
KangYoon spoke with a soft tone as he rolled some spaghetti around his fork .
“I heard that the age of students smoking for the first time is decreasing lately . ”
“Yes . There were two kids from my class who were caught for the same problem . ”
“Wow… looks like being a teacher isn’t easy . ”
In MoonHee talked about the kids that got into trouble for smoking . Their parents were summoned, but those parents instead became angry at her and told her that ‘their little angel would never do such a thing’, which made her flabbergasted .
KangYoon sympathized with her .
“So being overprotective is ruining those kids . ”
“I think so too . The students with moderately strict parents were kinder and had better attitudes . ”
In MoonHee talked for a long time about her school .
She continued until they finished the main course .
Amidst the calm music, In MoonHee felt rather sorry for KangYoon .
‘He would have split up his busy schedule to meet me…’
In the end, In MoonHee couldn’t hold it anymore and spoke about it .
“President . Your offer about me becoming a singer…”
In MoonHee was about to politely refuse . However, the words didn’t easily escape her mouth when she faced KangYoon .
‘I… do want to sing though…’
She didn’t want to miss this opportunity . However, she wasn’t that young anymore . It was hard to give up on stability .
“Please, you can speak whatever you want . ”
KangYoon tried to make her calm down after seeing that she kept hesitating, but she couldn’t speak easily .
In this dilemma, she ended up crashing her face onto the table .
“…U . *sob… sob* . ”
“Miss MoonHee?”
“*sob sob*…”
In the end, she burst into tears . Her emotions had welled up and burst out .
KangYoon panicked a little, but still waited until she stopped crying .
Eventually, she raised her head with reddened eyes .
“…I’m sorry to show you something so embarrassing . ”
“Not at all . ”
“This… Ah, that was embarrassing . ”
In MoonHee covered her face with her hands before fanning herself . Her face turned red due to embarrassment .
“…I’ve thought about a lot of things ever since I left World Entertainment . Just what does World see in me that they give me this offer? Can I become a singer again? These kinds of things . But… honestly, I don’t really get it . Even though there’s nothing much…”
“Please don’t call it ‘nothing much’ . It’s because you put your emotions into your singing better than anyone else, Miss MoonHee . ”
“My emotions?”
When she tilted her head, KangYoon calmly continued to explain .
“I believe that your technique in singing is not that different from the other singers out there . Though, there are some differences… As for this, I believe we can train them to be better . However, emotions are different . This is hard to teach and is even more difficult to explain . I value this very highly . ”
“Oh…”
“I thought things over . I also believe that it’s not good to quit your job immediately . I wonder if it’s okay with you to receive training at our company while you still go to teach at school . Why don’t we come to a decision after 3 months of training?”
This was a much more realistic offer .
In MoonHee’s expression brightened . She nodded her head without thinking .
“Is that… okay? I think that’s too much of a bother for you…”
“Hahaha . It is a little loss for us . Please promote us well even if you do decide not to join us . ”
When KangYoon smiled as he spoke, In MoonHee also returned with a smile .
“Of course! I’ve received such good treatment! I’ll do my best . ”
“Okay then . I welcome you to World Entertainment . ”
“Please take care of me, president . ”
The two shook hands .
KangYoon’s ties to the lady that would sing a trot for all ages, started out like this .
***